Darwin evenings
- mcnovies
- Jul 22
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 26
In her convalescent state, the Queensland tourist and I, stayed in Darwin for a couple of nights. One evening we went to the outdoor cinema featuring a series of short films … picture this … sunset … 28 degrees … no wind … no insects … a wine … a meal and a deck chair with a couple of hundred new friends watching movies on the big screen with the stars twinkling above! They call it “Deckchair Cinema” in Darwin. Fabulous night … they ran two screenings with 10 minutes between them. Everybody left orderly, and the new influx arrived the same.
The following night … same deal … 28 degrees etc etc … to the famous Mindil Beach Sunset Market boasting over 200 vendors … it runs along the foreshore … with the sun setting and the tide way out and setting sun displaying its magnificent orange glow there must’ve been several thousand people on the beach … people just basking in the twilight, chatting, eating, photographing and enjoying the moment … such a peacefulness … when the sun finally dipped below the horizon … applause resonated along the beach … humans appreciating the simplicity and majesty of nature … amazing!
We were due to have the repair on the Landcruiser done in Darwin but decided to get the parts and have it done when we get to Broome (and when the next service is due). The part that was smashed is about 1cm x 1.5cm x 1cm … to think that something as small and relatively expensive ($27) caused the end of our trip to Nhulunbuy to come to an abrupt halt. Unlucky that a rock managed to hit something so small tucked under the car presumably out of the way…
After leaving Darwin, we headed south again, back through Katherine before heading west. We took the Buntine Highway to Top Springs (271kms south of Katherine). What is at Top Springs you may ask … apparently it is in the heart of cattle country … all we could see was a pub … we camped out the back of the pub with 4 other groups on green grass … soft green grass … it was a very pleasant experience … under a tree too! The showers were even hot, and the water pressure pretty damn good … what more could you ask for?
We had a drink at the Pub … a very outback, rustic pub with a staff representing a multitude of different countries … the barmaid was born in the US to Chinese/American parents with a clear American accent with some words sounding very “posh” English and some words clearly with an Irish influence … the receptionist was French … the cleaner was Argentinian and her associate Italian … the man who gave me the key to the padlock for the diesel bowser ($2.80 p/litre) was clearly an Australian … complete with no front teeth … possibly related to Chad Morgan (minus the two front teeth).
From Top Springs we picked up the Buchanan Highway which is an unsealed road that took us to Timber Creek where we are in the Gregory National Park. Lunch was by a hidden gem ... Jasper Gorge ... we had the place to ourselves ...
Interestingly, the Buchanan Hwy is listed on a website about dangerous roads ...
Tomorrow, we leave to head to Duncan Road which runs east of the Bungle Bungles, travelling 429kms to Halls Creek we then head back up towards Kununurra along the west side of the Bungle Bungles …
Of note … today, Dr McDonald, ably assisted by the Queensland tourist to remove the sutures from said tourist and redressed the wound. I can state that the wound appears to be healing well with nice pink margins. However, it is likely that the patient will suffer life-long scarring. I can confirm that the said patient suffered no pain or discomfort during this procedure and settled down nicely after a medicinal Gin and Tonic. No animals were injured during this procedure.
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