See.....

Mindil Beach markets in Darwin....Jon struts his stuff. Mick was impressed....so was I.

Sunset in Kakadu.....15 minutes after it, you get carried away by wetland mozzies.

Ooppps. Turn your head (or computer) on it's side and then you'll get the idea. A little croc in the Adelaide River.

The obligatory shot of the happy couple...at Yellow Water, Kakadu.

One of the many Aboriginal artworks we have seen....the weird little guy on the right is Lightning Man.

Days in the sun

And the kilometres just keep clicking over....

Darwin was great...hot and sandfly ridden...but it was terrific to catch up with a Gladstone friend working for YWAM and get to the beach markets and opening concert of the Darwin Festival. Troy Casser-Daly puts on a good show:)

Kakadu had a flying visit from us....just 2 nights. But it was good to go see what all the fuss is about and I can appreciate the World Heritage listing. We saw aboriginal rock art, billabongs, birds and a few crocs, along with LOTS of tourists. Also, a little travel tip...NEVER camp at Merl. I nearly didn't live to tell the story. No not crocs attacking.....but swarms of ferocious, carnivorous, ravenous mosquitoes!

Now....Jon's currently firmly wedged under the Navara investigating a mysterious 'clunk' while I got to go shopping in Katherine....needed to buy an anniversary gift for Mr Wonderful. It's 2 yrs tomorrow:)

Tomorrow...as long as the car gets sorted - again - we'll head to Mataranka and then tackle the second half of the Savannah Way across the Gulf. We aim to be in Cairns by the end of the month, relaxing on a beach somewhere and getting ourselves psyched for the Great Cape Adventure with my folks.

Since WA

Keep River NP...one of the NT's best kept secrets

Can you spot Jon at Edith Falls?

They build jolly big termite mounds in Litchfield NP.

'Crazies' at Florence Falls.

Buley Rockhole lovers.

Yes...we are back in the Northern Territory and can't get over the late sunsets, the heat and the flies. Very different from WA.

But the scenery is lovely and the swimming has been great! Haven't seen a croc....yet! But we are off to Kakadu later this week so I am sure my 'croc counter' will be working over-time.

Since crossing the border we have visited:

Keep River NP - a mini Bungle Bungles

Katherine - home to the very popular hot springs

Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) - sheer rock faces and a wide, cold river

Edith Falls - the full moon rising over the escarpment was truly beautiful

Douglas Hot Springs - left foot hot, right foot cold

Litchfield National Park - I'll never forget Sandy Creek Falls or Buleys Rockholes

Now we're in Darwin and readjusting to traffic lights, shops and the worst sandflies since Broome.

Having a ball....as we have been for almost 6 months now!

Ahhhhhhhhh!

The day was HOT....the air was, the ground was, my body was. And there were flies everywhere. Thick and fast they landed on any exposed flesh as soon as you emerged from the safe cocoon of the car. A few biting march flies joined the less vicious varieties and made life just that bit more uncomfortable. Smoke filled the air to the south. A late dry season burn-off made sure that the blue skies were hidden, at least in one direction. And the road was rough...a true 4WD track which even made us have a 2nd attempt on one of the exits from a creek crossing.

We arrived at the carpark of Sandy Creek Falls in Litchfield National Park (120kms from Darwin) and I was a little disappointed to see that it was still another half hour walk into the falls. Did I really want to take that hike...what with all the flies, the heat and the fact that it was 12 midday?

Yes...I did, because the ranger's sign promised it would be worth it.

So 1.7kms and 24.03 minutes later.....

PARADISE FOUND!