The Wet Season, Darwin NT

The Wet Season is testing our sanity at the moment with over 600mm rain in January alone. On one hand it is beautiful to be under your doona hearing the roar of monsoon rain bearing down on your metal caravan roof as well as swimming in the lagoon pool at Darwin Freespirit Caravan Park while it's raining is a refreshing experience. On the downside being bailed up in your caravan with a 3 & 5 year old coming down with 'Cabin Fever' is not exactly my idea of fun. The continual scrubbing down of exterior walls, roofs & annex.rooms due to the mould is never ending and waiting for clothes to dry is a pain in the rear unless of course you are prepared to pay $5 at the caravan park to use the drier of which does not dry your clothes in one cycle, so you end up paying $10 for a load of dry clothes. Luckily we purchased a Lemair small washing machine before we left Perth at $300 it has well & truly paid for itself. With the amount of washing I do and with the cost of $5 a load I estimate in six weeks, yes weeks I would of paid for my washing machine. Now where to take the kids today to get out of the van while it's pouring with rain. Maybe the movies or the playshack in Palmerston. Want to avoid the shops otherwise I end up spending money. In a caravan you have limited space, you cannot afford to accumulate. Which is a good thing I have decided.

Coolalinga Rural Market at Fred's Pass

Went to Coolalinga markets this morning as it runs all year round, rain, hail or shine. As it was raining we decided to check out this market as it was held under cover. There wasn't a lot of stalls but enough to kill some time with a bit of everything from food, fashion, craft, bouncy castle to baby chickens and snakes. Of course the baby chickens were the favourite with the girls. The Laksa was a hit going by the long line. I brought the girls a crochet hat for $5 each. Plus some kitty jelly shoes for $10 each. We shared a chocolate churrah, first time i've had one and it was nice. Like a long dohnut with chocolate inside rolled in sugar.

Finlay's Joint, Yarrawonga NT

We found a real gem of a cafe called Finlay's Joint. We first noticed it as everytime we drove past on the main hwy we kept seeing this massive stone dinosaur among other sculptures in the yard. I kept promising the kids I would take them. I didn't expect much of a cafe as it seemed to be in a light industrial area but it was so rustic with really great barista coffee, my chai latte was authentic in a plunger the food was great too. Pretty big servings which we shared. Friendly staff with some great pieces of art around. The highlight for the kids was visiting the sculptures in the yard. My photos taken on a mobile dont do justice. If you are near palmerston make sure you stop in to Finlay's Joint.

Java Spice Cafe Emporium, Darwin

The cutest unique coffee shop in Darwin. From the moment I walked in and was given ice water and cold face towels I knew I had found a winner. The passion for all things food and Art is surrounding you. The cakes are scrumptious. Bren had a roll which was very unique tasting with pork, coriander & asian salad. Fresh and light. You can find it opposite the tourist bureau in Darwin CBD.

Crocosaurus Cove, Darwin central

Went to Crocosaurus cove which is located on Mitchell Street in Darwin CBD. My stepbrother Ron was visiting and wanted to attempt the cage of death with the crocs. This was $120 if two people are in the cage or $160 if you go it alone. This includes admission and all other adpects of the park. We decided just to do general admission, $84 for a family year pass (2 adults, 1 child), if you live locally, you pay once and can visit year round. This is probably not somewhere I would go again. We did enjoy it but the big crocs seemed depressed. The junior crocs were vivacious and fun to watch but that was the highlight as well as the big croc feeding. There is a cafe there and a gift shop, we avoided both as both are a trap for it being an expensive outing. Reptile show kids can handle snakes and reptiles. It is worth a visit however I still rate the jumping crocs of adelaide river in the natural environment.

Wildlife Park, Berry Springs Darwin NT

Went to Darwin Wildlife park as my old workplace had brought me & my partner an entry pass. We just had to pay for my five year old which was $13 and the three year old was free. If you are a local you can get a year round free entry after your initial paid entry. This is fantastic value as it is a large park and with young kids it is pushing it in the heat of the wet season to do it all in a day. Now that we have our year pass we decided to do the nocturnal house and watch birds of prey show as our first visit and finished off with lunch at the cafe.  Lunch at cafe was average so I would avoid if you can. We will come back a few more times to do different sections of the park. I highly recommend the birds of prey show. These beautiful birds have been trained so amazingly, it is highly entertaining. There is a free coach bus that keeps going around the park which you can hop on and off as you wish. Can't wait to return.