29/08/12 - 31/08/12

Today it was time to leave Darwin.
I went down to Mindil Beach for my regular breakfast and morning "necessaries" and found the place had pretty much turned into a refugee camp for backpackers.
During my time in Darwin it was pretty well frequented as an unofficial backpacker hangout but for some reason today there were vans EVERYWHERE.
Anyways, I got away after lunch and made my way south, settling for the night at the Bridge Creek rest area about 35km south of Adelaide River.

Bridge Crek rest area

I ended up staying there the next day too as I was feeling like crap so didn't see the need to unecessarily move on.
The next day I continued south and stayed at Edith Falls.
This was a really good place to camp with good facilities, nice water holes and good bushwalking tracks.
As soon as I got there I went on a 10km hike to Sweetwater where I had the place to myself.

Sweet!.......Water!

Then I walked back via the top pool and bottom pools where the swimming was excellent.

Lower rock hole...Edith Falls...(she certainly does...as Rove would say..remember Rove?)

As the sun was setting I went around and took a few more pictures then settled in for the night. Destination Katherine Gorge tomorrow.

Edith Falls lagoon

25/08/12 - 28/08/12

Not much to report over the next few days.
Just chilling out in Darwin, slowly getting things ready for the journey west.
I've enjoyed my time in Darwin but sleeping in the van when the temperatures reach a minimum of about 21 degrees only by 3am is becoming a bit draining so it's time to move on.
I wanted to capture the sunsets while I was here this time but unfortunately cloud cover duped me again.
The first night I went to Mindil Beach:

Sunset at Mindil Beach

Dude on a Beach

Damn you clouds!

The next night I went to Nightcliff:

Nightcliff Sunset

Nightcliff Beach

Clouds.....

......clouds

...and last night I caught up with Eva again and we had dinner at the Casino...and of course I didn't take my camera and the sunset was perfect..d'oh!
I can heartily recommend the Casino for a great feed.. the buffet was fantastic and it's good to be leaving Darwin on a full stomach...I'm sure it's also the only Casino in Australia where thongs are considered suitable footwear....ah....only in the NT!!
PS. As I make my way west to Broome I'm not sure what the internet availability will be like so if you don't hear from me for a while, don't fret, I'll still be livin' the dream....    :)

23/08/12 - 24/08/12

Another early start this morning as we did a walk to the Florence Waterfalls for pictures and breakfast.

Florence Waterfalls from below....

....and above

We then did a bit of driving for not a lot of gain with Tolmer Falls, Cascade Falls and Walker Creek all being pretty lame and I assume much better in the wet season.
We popped into Wangi Falls which is the main and most popular waterfall in the park and with it's size and the facilities, you could see why.

Wangi Falls....and half a torso

As it was quite crowded there, we decided to go back to Buley Rockholes for the rest of the day and to camp again for the night.
The next day we went back to the rockholes for a few hours before making the drive back into Darwin.
It was pretty hot by the time we got back into town but I was thankful to go for a shower and refresh after what was a good five days in Kakadu and Litchfield.
Kristina was good company and we managed to remain friends for the full five days which is a credit to both of us!