Author: 2csovercs

Friday 20 – Monday 23 June 2025

We move this morning from the Outback Spirit sponsored Hilton Gardens Hotel to the more downmarket Ramada Zen Quarter. A little too much Zen for us but at least it’s cheap Zen. The compendium in our room invites us to “Meet Zen and Zeena, our world famous frogs, resting at the front of our hotel”. I introduced myself to these world famous creatures, but they appear to have well and truly croaked

Our four days in Darwin are somewhat diminished by Cherrie being under the weather. She has what she calls civilisation bug so much of her time here is in bed. On Friday she is feeling ok and so we do the HoHo bus. We always have this laugh in every new city, buy the overpriced ticket on the topless bus, do the full 90 minute round, to familiarise ourselves. We find it really useful. Having hopped on and off at the same stop we then walk the short distance to Parliament House, colloquially referred to as the wedding cake – it’s square, full of fruit and nuts who are soaked in alcohol

It’s a lovely building, both inside and out, but very quiet today as parliament is not sitting. A walk around town demonstrates how well Darwin has been rebuilt post Tracy, with cyclone proof apartment blocks and high rise buildings which are actually quite attractive

In this vibrant city, street art takes pride of place

On Saturday, far too early for we holiday makers, we meet Cherrie’s cousin’s daughter, Georgie Gilder and her partner Jimmy. They collect us at 8.15am and we head off to Parap Markets, where we get the much needed coffee hit. Then a search of the myriad of food stalls before settling on the perfect breakfast. Açai bowl for her, Cambodian pancake for Georgie and me and fried rice with lots of unlikely breakfast foods for Jimmy. Typical bloke. Back to Georgie’s lovely apartment, a couple of blocks from the market for some real cutlery so we can eat. Georgie and Jimmy drop us at the new Charles Darwin University Campus in town, in front of which is a rather large boab tree

Their Midpul Art Gallery is showing an exhibition from Jilamara Arts on Melville Island.

Fortunately none are for sale.

Then, over to the MAGNT (Museum and Art Gallery Northern Territory).

Yikes, what a vision

And how lucky we are to be here to coincide with the 2025 Telstra NATSIAA (National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award) the country’s longest running and most prestigious art award of its kind. There are 71 finalists to wonder over, and so many different styles from so many communities across the country.

This image above shows the front and reverse of this metal etching from Yirrkala. As a bonus, we get to vote in the People’s Choice for this years award.

This fabulous facility is far more than an art gallery – it is indeed a museum too. We didn’t miss (or photograph) Sweetie, the giant crocodile who died of natural causes whilst being trapped in 1979. 5 metres long, he weighs in heavier than me, at 580kg.

There are all sorts of other museum exhibits too, but so much to take in that we got sensory overload. However, the Cyclone Tracy exhibition is wonderful, and quite moving. A whole room of exhibits, movies, recordings etc.

All in all, Saturday was a great day in Darwin.

Cherrie did manage to extract herself from bed for the famous Mindil Beach Markets on Sunday evening. A feast of food vans, together with some stalls, some tack, some camels, some music from Crocodile Country, some more tack and, of course, a beach sunset accounted for not quite two hours before retiring to the sick bed

I did a few solo things. Visited the most uninspiring volunteer run, Bombing of Darwin Museum, where I was treated to bomb fragments, an out of order interactive display, old photographs, and expired David Jones shop window dummies resplendent in ill fitting uniforms. Even the 13 minute movie, announced via an air raid siren, is below par. By my par anyway.

A visit to the Darwin Waterfront was pleasant, with lots of restaurants and a man made swimming beach.

My visit with two old pals who are now CEO and Operations Manager at the Darwin Entertainment Centre was a highlight of Monday for me. Lovely to catch up with colleagues, who welcomed me warmly. At my request I got a tour of the centre, which is exactly as I remembered it from my last visit there, in 1993. Even the same carpet, but that is getting changed soon. And not a moment too soon.

We leave Darwin before the sparrows have woken on Tuesday morning and will be home tonight.

The winter weather in the top end is balmy!

Fabulous holiday. Thanks for turning 70 Cherrie.

Thursday 19 June 2025

Today is another waiting game. We are to fly into Darwin today, for just one night before this amazing trip is over. We have skipped breakfast this morning, and it was an apparently wise move. This luxury lodge had run out of bread and everything else seemed inedible. It appears that perhaps Nell, aka Brunhilde, is not as in control as she would like. I neglected to mention that last night, for our only buffet dinner of this journey, there was a cheese platter. However there were no biscuits. As I was enjoying my cheese with knife and fork, another traveller requested some biscuits. There was a little confusion before a long wait. A long wait. By which time the table had been cleared. Then, and only then, did the biscuits appear. Scotch Finger.

Whilst we wait for our afternoon flight, Cherrie gathers her photos together. Just some examples of the flora we have seen throughout our trip.

The three most common trees seen across our adventure are below. From left to right are the Ironwood, the Woolybutt and the Stringbark. The flower is that of the Woolybutt

More rare are the carbuncle varieties

And, then there was the fauna. The lower two photos are of a black ant nest in the fork of the tree, with the ant trails to the nest

As for bush tucker, be careful what you forage for. These below are bush grapes, delicious

And here are the quinine berry on the left, excellent for tooth ache, and the strychine berry on the right. The latter will kill even the biggest beast within hours. Fortunately not found around Leongatha

The flight to Darwin started for me as it always does. Checking the seat pocket for what is becoming increasingly less sought after. Good to know it’s family friendly though

The slow burns are evident

And the resulting cloud cover

We transfer from the airport just in time to check into the Outback Spirit arranged hotel, shower and change for our final tour dinner, on the MV Charles Darwin. A two hour cruise and buffet dinner provides a most unusual occurrence. That of me not eating. It’s the roll of the boat. SeaLegs has obliged as it is intended, but my appetite is abeyed. Perhaps a long cruise is just what the waist needs.

We watch another sunset

As we farewell our fellow travellers. We have made new friends on this trip and look forward to catching up with Brenda and Tom in Sydney.

Cherrie and I will spend the next three days exploring Darwin before heading home.

Wednesday 18 June 2025

This morning we undertake the NYPA walk. I was expecting showgirls and music on this outback New York Performing Arts tour. However, uncharacteristically, I was wrong in my outlook. We were in search of the Nypa Palm, a mangrove palm native to this coastline, this being one of only three locations in Australia, the other two being Melville Island and the Wenlock River. On the way we spied a bower bird nest, deviously disguised as natural but my eagle (not bowering) eye recognised the art direction from a mile away. Good reproduction though, so still impressive

Through the mangroves

We come to the Nypa Palm

A beach BBQ for lunch today is a treat, at a delightful spot curiously called Low Point. This must be a geographical reference because it was certainly a high point for us. The best meal we have had at Seven Spirit Bay, simple bbq chicken and fish with delightful salads and garlic bread.

For me lunch includes a side of Sea Legs in preparation for our afternoon fishing trip. Our Captain is Lance. A man of few words, we practically had to interrogate him to elicit his name

There were just three of us on this boat, and Cherrie and I sat in the front stalls of course, before Lance barked “Ladies behind”. It would be too rough for the ladies and so we moved to the row behind. And Lance was right. I think the technical term is bloody rough. We, all three of us, held on to our seats with both hands, having first cunningly removed our hats. After 45 minutes of churning our way across the Arafura Sea, we reached relative calm, and Lance produced the rods. One went to our fellow traveller Garth, the other to be shared by the ladies. Lance cast, Garth fished, Cherrie and I, in turns, grew bored

It was a lovely day, true, but standing up, holding a line, no bites, is a dull day for us. Even Lance apparently got bored with the no bites scenario, and so confiscated both rods, returned us to our seats, and took off again. More chopping and churning took us to another part of the sea, where the fish are bound to bite. No such luck. Third time lucky, hoped the Captain. This is all conjecture, of course, because the captain is actually mute throughout the entire process, except when we come to our third stop when he barks “Ladies stay where you are, mate you come up here”. Garth obligingly held his rod. Lance locked our rod in the rod holder (another technical term) and we obediently sat in our seats. I noted that the seats looked a bit dusty

And then, after an interminably long time, Garth got a bite. And what a bite it was. We defied the Captain and stood up to admire. It was a Queenfish. Finally released and returned. For comparison, here is a photo of what Garth caught and what Cherrie caught.

Having achieved his aim, for the bloke to catch the fish, we returned to shore.

The only thing that bit for us today was when the day bit the dust.

Goodnight, from beautiful Seven Spirit Bay

Tuesday 17 June 2025

There’s no doubt about the Brits. They decided to set up a military settlement right at the top of the NT to facilitate trade with Asia. This morning we set off in a boat to explore what’s left of it. We pass Gunners Quoin, Low Point, Turtle Rock, Observation Cliff and Record Point on our way to the historic Victoria Settlement. This was the third attempt by the British at a northern settlement, after Fort Dundas on Melville Island and Fort Wellington at Raffles Bay. They both failed within a couple of years due to illness, isolation, the oppressive climate and hostile natives. So, third time lucky they reckoned, and so in 1838 sent a group of British soldiers, along with their families, to establish this new outpost, at Port Essington. The new Queen was a youngster then, just one year into her reign, and so they named it Victoria Settlement. No doubt she was very chuffed.

The establishment of this perfect spot was a huge undertaking. They built a Governor’s residence, a hospital, church, military and married quarters and even a school

They dug for fresh water

They ate oysters, au naturalle, down by the beach

and this is where they came with any new ideas

Just an interesting tit bit….one of the cottages built at Victoria Settlement was for a layman, John Lewis, who traded buffalo. His son was named after the Port and Essington Lewis went on to found BHP.

After all that work, all that infrastructure, it turned out that Victoria Settlement wasn’t ideal after all. Strategically it was well placed, but practically it was not. Disease overtook the colony, scurvy was rife, there was a lack of fresh food, the climate was unbearable, and all worked against the longevity of this place. It was abandoned in 1849, just 11 years after the first sod was turned. I think the Crown gave up any ideas of outposts at that point.

At least the trees are still hanging on for dear life

A trek back to the beach

has us reboarding the boat and chewing on a wrap for lunch whilst we return to Seven Spirit Bay. There to greet us were some merchant bankers

We have this afternoon off to lie by the pebblecreted billabong. I’m hot but can’t get in until there are a few men on standby, which eventually there are.

Post sunset

we are served a curious, almost inedible, meal. For an upmarket resort, the kitchen lets us down. Scurvy is a risk to us too, since we haven’t seen a fresh vegetable or fruit since we got here. I know we only got here yesterday, but give me a break. Give me something green, something that is meant to be green of course, or an apple. Please. Anyway, off to bed….

Monday 16 June 2025

We start this morning as we have started every other morning. Waiting. Not for Godot but for a plane. Vacate room by 7am, bags on deck at 7am so staff can clean room for incoming guests. However, rather than sitting in the Lodge for several hours, today our hosts here at Borrodaile, Davidson’s Arnhem Land Adventures, have a little side trip planned. A 4WD drive to a waterhole for a swim. One look at the waterhole and we don’t swim. Very pretty but what you don’t see in these excellent photos by Cherrie is the scum floating on top. Were we to swim we would exit the waterhole looking more like a loch ness monster than ever.

Return to the lodge through this extraordinary country

and embark on a long philosophical discussion with a very learned guide, Don, and our less than learned tour group, as to the outcome of the referendum, the term First Nations, colonisation, land rights etc. As you might expect, I stayed schtum. Not.

Fly Mt Borrodaile to Seven Spirit Bay.

And here it is, from the air

And we land

Here we are 200 kms north east of Darwin in the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park.

The seven spirits I know, and indeed am quite closely related to some, are whiskey, gin, rum, vodka, brandy, sambuca and advocat.

However, this seven spirit bay is so called because of the seven seasons of the local indigenous calendar (rainy, monsoon, magpie goose egg, barramundi, heavy dew, big wind, build up) OR because of the seven Aboriginal tribes that once inhabited the region. Either way, it’s a luxurious wilderness retreat

We are welcomed by Fraulein Nell, who has ways unt means of telling us what to do and how to do it. But joyfully we are here for a luxurious three nights. Yay, we can unpack and do the laundry.

This afternoon we take a swim in the heavily pebblecreted billabong

Difficult to get into, delightfully refreshing in and an entire military operation to extract me. Hollywood style, it took four good men.

Sunset drinks on the deck, taken at 6.21pm, 6.42pm and 6.56pm

Nell is nowhere to be seen during dinner service and the staff seem quite relaxed. And so endeth our first day at Seven Spirit Bay