A West Coast Story..........................

5 days after we planned to leave Darwin we finally escaped! Pretty disappointed we lost almost a week of our trip due to Travellers Auto Barn being disorganised but at least we where finally free to roam Aussie in our camper! (Which has been given the name Bob Hoskins as its small and chubby)

Me and Bob Hoskins on the road

First stop was to the Adelaide River to check out the jumping crocs.There was about 20 of us on a little boat that treks down the river to find the  crocs. They where pretty awesome, huge and just sneaked up behind you. Very sly. The guy who took us on the trip then dangles massive pork chops over the side off a stick and they jump up out of the water for a feed. We where told to keep our arms in the boat as they wouldn't think twice about jumping up and taking a swift bite of you. Scary shit. 

Sneaky Croc

Kept my arms well inside the boat!

Wal lost his head!

After the crocs we drove to Litchfield National Park and camped at Florence Falls. Really amazing waterfalls and rock pools that you can take a swim in. Perfect opportunity to test out the new "waterproof" camera. So one dip in the pool and we discovered it wasn't waterproof! Only had it 1 day and being in the middle of nowhere not a thing we could do about it. Driving back to Darwin wasn't an option and the next place we could take it back was over 2000km away in Broome. Bloody Aussie and it's space of nothingness! Luckily we still had the old camera but just meant we couldn't take any cool underwater shots.
We camped at Litchfield for 2 nights then had to move on to make up for the lost time. It was probably good though as Wal was about to burst a blood vessel from the constant fight and teeth gritting with flies and mozzies.

Florence Falls

Wal in Buley Rock pool

Wal being at one with nature...........

Next stop was Katherine, we had planned to stay there for a night but pretty much stayed an hour and left. Weird weird place. Very small and to be honest, it smelt really bad. Huge aboriginal community lived there and not one to judge how people live and raise their kids but sat on the grass verge in the middle of two roads doesn't seem like the best place to let your kids have the run around whilst you get pissed. Anyway........

So on the road again, we had a little celebration when we hit the signs for Western Australia. Freedom form the NT!!! You get stopped as you pass the border where your asked 'Got any fruit?' Never mind that we could have been harboring criminals in the back or carrying nuclear weapons.......they just want to know about the fruit. Very funny. After they made me throw away my lettuce we where finally in WA!

No Banana's here clobber!

2 days driving later (Aussie is MASSIVE in case you didn't know) we arrived at Kununurra. Nice little town with not a lot happening but it was a good place to stop to get supplies so we could spend the night at Lake Argyle. The campsite was awesome with an infinity pool that overlooked the lake and the surrounding hills and mountains. Very scenic place to get away from it all. 

One of the many, many, MANY times I've filled the van up so far!

What a crap view............

Our next destination was Broome but again, it was going to take us about 2 days to drive there. So foot to the floor again, unfortunately this stint of the journey was corrupted by the fact we broke down not too far from a bush fire! The engine had totally overheated, and we had no signal on the phone to call for help. (Not that it mattered as we later found out that our breakdown policy didn't cover us for 'remote' areas and unless we payed a few hundred dolla$ they wouldn't come rescue us........one of the MANY things Travellers Auto Barn failed to tell us when we bought the van from them)
Luckily I managed to flag down some help and they guy who stopped was mechanically minded and after checking out the radiator told us our radiator cap was knackered which is why it over heated. We managed to get to the nearest campsite for the night and amazingly, even though we where in the middle of nowhere, the local garage (and only garage within about 1000km) had a cap that fit. Mega Boon......

We arrived in Broome about a week after we had left Darwin which is pretty good going. Again, Aussie is HUGE and it takes FOREVER to get anywhere.  For anyone that ever comes here be very cautious when an Aussie uses the term 'It's just down the road'....it never is.......NEVER!

Broome is a very pretty sleepy town with an amazing beach called Cable Beach. 22km long, white sand and the sea is so blue and warm. Lovely. It was a bit too salty to snorkel in but great just to swim and have a bit of fun.
We stayed on a great campsite with an awesome pool which give us the chance to test out the replacement waterproof camera......it's waterproof! Yey!

Erm.....am I allowed to have fun on the beach or is that against the rules too officer???

Looking Good on Cable Beach!

Looking even better in the pool!!

One of the main tourist attractions at Broome is the Camel rides on Cabel Beach. We went on the sunset ride which made it even better as the view was fantastic.
We also went to Broome's famous outdoor cinema, the film wasn't much to shout about (Real Steel) but the experience of being in the worlds oldest garden cinema was pretty awesome.

The Broome Sunset. We are 7th camel from the front!

High on a camel!

All lonely in the cinema!

So after experiencing all Broome had to offer (including some very good mango beer!) we got back in the passion wagon and on the road to Exmouth. It was quite a trek to get there but what an amazing place to see. Sandy Beach was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. White sand with the clearest sea water I have ever seen. As me and Wal had got our arses out of bed early we where the only ones there too so felt like our own private little paradise!

Sandy Beach. Amazing.

We stayed in the National Park on a campsite that was behind some sand dunes that overlooked the beach.....beautiful and only $7 each a night! Bonus!
 

Snorkeling was amazing on Turquoise Bay and Oyster stacks as it's part of the Ningaloo Reef with so many different fishes and sea creatures. Loved it.

You can find a Wally on the Ningaloo Reef!

Next was a short trip further down the coast to Coral Bay. Small beach resort and again as its part of the Ningaloo Reef so the snorkeling was amazing. We hired some Quad Bikes and went speeding along the beach and up and down big sand dunes to get to a good snorkeling spot. Great day. 

Wally definitely did not enjoy this day.

Huge sand Dune we sped down.

Back on the road again for a 7 hour drive to Monkey Mia. Again it's a lovely small beach resort where every morning at 7.45am (pretty much on the dot!) a group of wild dolphins swim up to shore for breakfast! About 6 turned up the morning we where there along with a baby dolphin. We weren't lucky enough to be picked to feed them but didn't mind as later in the day when we hired a kayak for the afternoon the mother and baby dolphin found us and swam all around and under us so we got good and close to them!

Kayaking was a good laugh (although very tiring!) so some well earned beers and cocktails were on the menu for later on.

Very happy for breakfast!

Nice tan leg lines!

I'm not sure the fish will appreciate yellow water Wal!

Last stop before Perth was at Kalbarri where we went to the parrot breeding centre and met some very cheeky Brazilian birds who liked to play. There is a huge national Park here but we needed to get to to Perth so unfortunately we didn't have time to explore it.

So finally after over 5000km of driving we are in Perth.......................(to be continued!)

U Turn.........

So day 1 of the new adventure and as we are woken by the biggest storm. thunder, lightening, rain. Typical. But being the optimist I'm guessing it will pass soon enough, so grab my brolly and head on down to Travellers Auto Barn to pick up our campervan as planned. I was hoping to  be on our jolly little way to see some jumping crocs by lunch time but no. The van was not sorted properly. It still had to be taken into the garage to get registered (MOT) and 'it should be ready this afternoon' I was told. So after an aggressive snooze back home and a trip to the post office I get a call, "erm the van started shuddering when it reached 80km, it needs to be fixed, it will be ready tomorrow afternoon!"

Agghhhh......I feel like Sean Penn in the movie 'U Turn'. Hopefully we WILL leave tomorrow and my day doesn't get quite as bad as his.

Bye Bye Darwin.......It's been emotional

So considering we only planned on staying in Darwin a short while we have actually been here about 5 months. No idea where the time went, it's seems like a frenzy of work, beer and more work. 

 I wouldn't say Darwin is my favourite place of where we have been so far in Oz but It's definitely not the worst. The weather has been awesome and we have made some great friends here who I will miss so much. Hopefully we will be catching up with many of them in Melbourne which will be great.

Darwin.......definitely not the worst place to be!

So both me and Wal finished up our jobs at Shags at the weekend which seems a bit weird after being there so long and then we finished up our other jobs a few days after. Complete freedom, feels weird. Exciting though. 

I had some good nights out with everybody and the awesome treat of the fishing trip I won a spot on. I caught two little tiddlers all day which I was so very proud of then as nothing else was biting I decided to just take advantage of the free beer instead! Only way to fish I reckon. 

Me and Ruth taking advantage of the free beer!

The Shags team

Caught us a Dave...........

We also had a staff party which again consisted of lots of free beer (note. Most things in Darwin consist of some kind of beer intake), dancing and general carnage. I'd been sick for a few days before so was drugged up on many cold and flu caps so it took little over 2 Canadian Clubs to get me drunk. Good times. 

Shags Laydees looking all respectable...........

..........but then it all got a bit messy after 2 Canadian Clubs.

Happy Times

 

I was also weak from losing blood the day before through getting my AWESOME tattoo. I love it. The guy who did it (called Blue from Darwin City Tattoo's) is an amazing artist and I'm so happy that it actually looks like Marilyn as I've seen a lot of dodgy ones! Blue has also done Wal's sleeve and chest piece which again, is awesome.

Darwin City Tattoo's (Blue is first on the left)

Maz

Wal's arm art

 Ive been trying to pack a few bits on bobs in the week so I'm not rush packing before we leave and I came to realise what a lot of crap I have! I do not make a light traveller, too much mascara and lip gloss going on. So I'm trying to be ruthless and get rid of a lot of stuff, to be honest its not hard as I'm sick of seeing most of my clothes as I have been lugging them around with me for over a year now. But hopefully the camper wont be too cluttered and I've bought plenty of fabreze and air fresheners as I cant stand the crusty traveller smell!

Mine and Wal's final Darwin day was spent at the cinema watching Warrior (which was awesome) and then having our final supper at the all you can eat steak and seafood place on the waterfront. Perfect.

So bye bye Darwin, it's been a blast but now for the new adventure.................

Bye Bye Darwin.................hello West Coast!

Countdown to being a crusty...............

 We have been working so much lately that I have had had to wait a month between blog posts to actually have something to write about!

As well as both me and Wal working at Shennanigans, I have also been working nights at another Irish Pub called Fiddlers Green and Wal's 2nd job is at Mr Barra. (I think he packs fish....I think, I really should listen more). So it's pretty intense at the moment with not a lot of time to sleep, party or to even see each other but the mega bucks are rolling in for us to save and have a well deserved 'jolly holiday' down the west coast. 

My 3rd Home!

We have bought a camper van to travel down the west coast in, it's pretty basic but kitted out with a little kitchen and sink, a bed and what will hopefully be a shit hot sound system. Planning to do about 7 weeks travelling in it and ending up in Melbourne before Christmas so its gonna get some road hammering and I'm gonna have to remember to buy plenty of fabreez!

I can't wait to get on the road again and do some sightseeing. I have enjoyed living in Darwin but I am feeling so ready to move on now. Plus the humidity here is getting worse by the day and I don't think I cope well with it! (And neither does my hair!) It actually rained the other night which is something we haven't seen in a very long time. Apparently the storms in the wet season are amazing here but not sure if we will see any as they usually start about November I think.

A Darwin Storm!

We had some sad news in Darwin also, a guy called Martin (aka Mr Barra) who was Wals boss and a regular at Shags died whilst visiting his family in Ireland for his 70th birthday. I got to know him a fair bit as he came into the pub nearly every day and he reminded me of my Grandad Bob so I liked him a lot.

He went out of his way to help Wal find work when he was struggling and was always good for a laugh (and a very very very long gossip) so I felt quite sad when we found out. As he ran Mr Barra (where wal works) and he provided a lot of businesses with their seafood he was very well known around Darwin so it was quite a sad time for a lot of people when he died.

Martin 'Mr Barra' Atkinson

On a lighter note, we had a competition running at work to win a half day fishing trip and guess which hard worker won! Haha!

The deal was to sell as many 'Coopers' ale as you could and the top 2 sellers got a place on the boat. Free, booze, free food. Awesome. I've never been fishing on a boat so I'm very excited and Wal's very jealous. haha.

And Dawnie rocks into 1st place selling 370 Coopers. Alright!

Had a fab night out at the weekend with some of the girls from work. 'Millie Minogue', Australia's most famous Kylie drag act was appearing live at Throb so naturally we had to go there!

It was brilliant. So camp and fun and as Kylie is my biggest guilty pleasure I knew every song! ha!

Me, Mel, Annika and Ruth pre too many beers!

Super Camp!

Your Disco Needs You!

Kylie's Doppelganger!

Met up with Maff in Throb too where he was trying to out-do a very buff gay man pole dancing. He did not succeed.

Maff shaking his groove thang.

 So to say it's been over a month since my last update there's not a lot else I have to tell really. 

A few little extras is that me and Wal have had a few rare moments in between work to check out some of the local eateries which has been grand and we have a new room mate that keeps me company when Wal's working late. He's very cute.

Hogs Breath puddings = AMAZING!!!

Yummy Lobster!

Our new Roomie.

Beer Cans, Throb, and a gay Woolworths................

So as the rest of Australia seems to be drowned in rain and below 0 temperatures, Darwin is still as hot and sunny as ever and I'm so glad we are here to bake in it!

On my rare days of freedom from work I managed not to spend the day nursing a hangover and relaxed on my balcony and cooked myslef a little to top of the tan I seem to have lost since working what seems like all day everyday! Lovely. :o)

Wals been working his ass off working 2 jobs. He's joined the Shags team behind the bar and also got a job playing with squid and prawns. So by day he smells of fish and nights he smells of stale beer. Mmmmmm.

Wal looking happy to be working at Shags

We don't seem to see a whole lot of each other at the mo but at least we are saving some hardcore cash to be able to have some of this holiday fun we keep hearing about! Hopefully we can have a bit of time out in a couple of months to actually holiday and not work for a bit. I can't wait. 

So now that I am a loner most evenings and on my free days, I decided to be pro-active and join the gym. I've being enjoying it amazingley and done some pretty hardcore body-pump classes along with some pilates/yoga/thai chi classes that prove just how un-flexible I am. I have ached for about a week now and I'm determined to fight through it. Get ready for the gun show....................

Darwin fun has been as bizzare as ever with the annual Beer Can Regatta that was held at Mindill Beach. 

The main event was about 10 teams of people that had made full size boats out of Beer cans and then had to row them in a race, it was pretty funny to watch. There where some pretty good ones and none of them actually sunk so people had really put a lot of effort into it!

There was also, tug of war, iron man and thong (flip-flops!) throwing competitions. Strange but amusing stuff. 

T

Lady din't bring these guys luck as they lost!

Beer can man with a mother of a nob!

 Other amusing happenings around Darwin is that someone managed to climb onto the roof of Woolworths Supermarket and graffiti this..........

Haha. I do love childish humour.

Once again I have had to say goodbye to a mate I've made on my travels. :-( Lisa who I worked with at Shags has left Darwin to travel down the East Coast for a month and then off back to Essex. It really does suck all these goodbyes. 

She has only been in Oz since about April but said she's ready to go home. Me and Wal have actually got flights booked back to the UK in September but won't be using them. I cant imagine going home in 2 months. I just don't feel ready or feel that I have been away long enough. There is still so many places we want to visit and fun stuff we want to do so it would just be too soon.

Anyway, for Lisa's final night out a few of us headed out into Darwin city for one last blow out. My plan was not to stay out too late and not get too drunk as I was at work the next morning but that all went wrong when everywhere we went seemed to want to give us free drinks and obviously you can't turn down a free drink........or 20. 

Lisa, Maz and me!

Bye Bye Lisa

 We went from bar to bar and club to club and the best laugh was in Throb which is-

"The venue where gay, lesbians, straight, bi-sexual, transgender all mix together with a free to be attitude." 

It was such a fun place, everyone was such a laugh and it was not at all what I would have expected to find in Darwin......I didn't think it would exist in a place that seems so 30 years behind everywhere else! 

I definatly want to go back there as we only stayed for about an hour as more free drinks where calling at the next club!

2 hot blondes?????

Be safe kids.

  So my early sober night turned inrto a late drunken one with another pie and peas beinng consumed and a bad head in th morning. Lucky for me I had to go to work bright and early and serve sweet smelling jagerbombs to drunken baffoons all day...........happy days.