BATCHELOR TO DARWIN (VIA BERRY SPRINGS)

Getting a kiss from a Blue Tongue Lizard

Sarah feeding a whipray at the Territory Wildlife Park

Beth with Ruby the Rufous Owl

Tess with Ruby, the Rufous Owl

Bridget sailing down Berry Springs

DAY 28 – BATCHELOR TO DARWIN (VIA BERRY SPRINGS)               Saturday, 30^th July

Up early this morning – left Batchelor at 7:30 in order to get to the Territory Wildlife Park for the first talk at 9am.  However, because of a “little” kilometre and time calculation error by the wife, we managed to get there at 8:15am!!  Oh well, always better to be early than late!  So the Hansen clan and caravan were the first lined up outside the gate.

The Territory Wildlife Park was fantastic!  We had a talk at the Billabong where we learnt how many of their freshwater crocodiles and barramundi swam right out of the park and out to sea during Cyclone Carlos in February because the water level was so high!  There were two Pelican chicks there which grow to full adult size in three months!!  Beth liked hearing how the babies throw a tantrum and scream for their parents when the parents eventually leave them.

Then off to the Oolloo Sandbar for a talk on Whiprays, Barramundi and Archer Fish.  I was lucky enough to be one of the people able to feed the Whiprays which was amazing!  They are so soft underneath their disk and beautiful to be up close and personal with these animals.  We then saw the Birds of Prey exhibition which was a favourite with us all.  We saw a Buzzard, Suflur Crested and Black Cockatoo, and Rainbow Lorikeets, a Brown Kite, and an Osprey.  We then saw the Barn Owl, Ruby, the Rufous Owl (which all the children got to hold) and the Barking Owl (which believe it or not barks like a dog).  The Peregrine Falcon was beautiful but my favourite was the Wedge-Tailed eagle which are just stunning birds – so strong.

We had a talk at the Noctural House about the Fruit Bat and then went through the Aquarium which was really interesting.  Well worth going to!

We popped into Berry Springs for a dip on the way into Darwin.  Beautiful warm water and we swam all the way down, with the current, from Berry Springs past the Main Waterhole to the end and then back, Tess being a dolphin and pulling her Mum on the boogie board all the way!  The kids have been amazing with their stamina.  We were so impressed with how they were able to swim all the way back against the current.

We did not get into Darwin until later than normal but we are so looking forward to exploring the capital city tomorrow.  Can’t believe we have finally reached the north of Australia having traversed the Stuart Highway all the way from Port Augusta to Darwin, a distance of 2,834 kilometres!!  I am in awe of John McDouall Stuart which did it 150 years ago without roads, cars, lovely caravan parks on the way …  We have now travelled over 7000 kilometres on our little journey!!  We are so fortunate to have seen so much of this beautiful country of ours.  And so much left to see!!