Jumping crocs, Adelaide River Darwin

Set off on Sunday to see the amazing jumping crocs on the Adelaide river. I had already booked a tour boat which seemed to sound the best online, they were having a 25th birthday special of $25 per person. When you travel on Arnhem Hwy there is signs galore for more than one tour operator. We were following the icon sign from the internet site that I had seen then a sign said turn left now so we did and ended up at Spectacular Jumping Crocs. When the lady said $35 per person I quizzed her as the internet had said $25 birthday special. She advised that I wad thinking of another operator who was having a birthday special. Damn I had ended up at the wrong tour company. We took this cruise as we didn't have enough time to get to the other cruise. The various operators all seem to depart at the same times, 9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm. We saw only a couple of crocs over the whole cruise and only small ones, the boat was worn out, it was hot even with the old aircon unit & fans, visibility was poor thru the medium sized windows, I just wasn't feeling it. We were so disappointed as everyone had told us how fantastic it was. We decided to head further down the road to the operator which we had booked originally, as soon as we rocked up the difference was visible, professional operation with gift store, cafe and under cover kids playground. After talking to the owner we decided to take his cruise. It was kind of him to not charge for our kids. As soon as we got on board the boat the difference was smack in the face, aircon was working, it was clean & comfortable the windows were much bigger with fantastic viewing, you really did feel like you could take the whole view in instead of just a slit like the other operator. Our tour guide was so knowledgable and looked like the original crocodile dundee. Ten minutes into the one hour cruise we saw more crocs than the first operator we went on. The crocs were also noticeably bigger. So the conclusion, avoid the not so 'Spectacular Jumping Crocodiles' and head over to 'Adelaide River Queen'. There is NO comparison!

Sky City Casino

Went to Darwin Sky City Casino on Saturday night. Was a lovely venue, we will be having a few visits here i'm sure. When you first walk through the front entrance you will see a couple of attendants behind their desk monitors. Go up to them first thing and sign up as a member to recieve their Action Card. You will recieve discounts off food at the Sunsets buffet restaurant and specials during the week. We saved $18 off our meals that evening, recieved two free drink coupons and $15 of gaming money. The food at the buffet was of a good standard. The prawns are always a winner. The dessert part was a bit of a let down, no cheesecake! There seemed to be big pieces of cakes, heaps of jelly, mouse and cream. The soft serve machine and chocolate sauce was a winner with me. I would of liked to see some petit slices and cakes. Overall it was good. My eldest daughter Akira must of eaten too much ice cream as she wound up being sick. Luckily made it to the ladies on time! Imagine that in front of everyone dining. Ewww. We had a change of clothes and head out poolside to the duo singing and strumming away. Kids had a dance with their uncle Brenden, nan & pop. The pool area is stunning. Definately would go back.

Darwin Thunder storms

My second Darwin Thunder storm so far and I must say I am a lot less scared this time. The thunder is so loud in a tropical storm. The rain intense then once it's done then it goes straight back to sun shine. It doesn't go on for days like in Perth. My first storm last week sounded like the end of the world. Thank goodness we got the tarp up over the caravan as we buckle down for our first wet season.

Howard Springs, Darwin

Went to Howard Springs on Saturday. Had a great time. This is a great free nature park with man made rock pools and toddler pool, very clean water and nice and shallow so no worries for the little ones and great for all ages to lounge around and cool off. There is a slippery dip which unfortunately has no shade sail so it's too hot to go down. The winner of the day was the flying fox. Kids couldn't get enough of it. There is an ablution block and plenty of parking. This is a must if you have kids or want to hold a get together.

Mindil Beach Markets, Darwin

Love, love, love the Mindil Beach Markets. The best markets i've ever been to! Watched the sunset which was spectacular, photo's just don't show how stunning it was. What blew me away most was the amount of people on Mindil Beach hustling for the best spot to take in the sight and take the perfect shot. Then on to the miriad of food stands, i've been twice now and highly recommend a vegie lasagne from The Lucky Cow stand and The Laksa from the Thai stand. Brought some lovely dresses from Birds of Paradise stand for me and the kids as well as a rainbow dress from Rainbow Babes stand, a coconut guitar for Akira, Sarong for mummy some Henna art for my hand and finished off with a spectacular fire show by a street theatre performer just near the beach behind the magic trick stand. He was absolutely one of the best street performers i've ever seen. I take my hat off to anyone that follows their passion. Highly recommend Mindil markets, Thursday night and sunday evening. I found Thursday night best. Get there around 5pm ish for a good park. Markets finish end October just in time for the wet season.