Monday 30.7.12

Today Dad, Dave and Karen got up at 6 o’clock in the morning to go fishing.

At 9 o’clock Mum and I got up and noticed that Louise was already awake.

At 10 o’clock we left to go to Jabiru and Ubirr Rock for the day.

When we go there we noticed that the town was not that big so we went into the supermarket and had a look around. When we went outside Karen, Dave and Dad had just arrived so we went and had lunch.

After lunch we went to the visitor center and it was amazing. It had a discovery room which you could find out lots of interesting facts.

Some of the stuff that we saw in the discovery room was  a rotating earth which showed where all the heritage sites in the world are, the different sounds Australian wildlife make and also you could pretend to spear a fish. 

After that we went to Ubirr rock which is an aboriginal rock art gallery and a sunset lookout.

When we got to the first rock paintings there was a free ranger activity which was a talk on the rainbow serpent. We had missed the start but still listened anyway.

After that we went to the main gallery which was a big rock shelter for different aboriginal clans. Mum and I stayed for the ranger talk which was very interesting.

We then took the steep and rocky climb to the lookout.

When we got to the top we could not find Dave, Karen, Louise or Dad, but mum eventually spotted them.

We watched the sunset and then went to the a store called the Border Store to have dinner. It is called the Border Store because it is a store on the border between Kakadu and Arnhem Land

Tuesday 31.7.12

This morning we went on a Yellow Waters river cruise. The river cruise was really fun because you could see all the wildlife up close from the safety of the boat.

When we had just started the cruise we found a crocodile called Waters because he is in charge of the first part of the river. Waters was huge.

When I first saw Waters it was a bit scary because he was so big, fat and mean looking.

Close to the end of the cruise we found another huge crocodile called Pluto who was in charge of a different section of the river.

When we had hopped off the boat I thought to myself that was quite fun.

After lunch Dave, Dad and I went for a swim in the pool.

At 3 o’clock Karen, Dave and Dad all went on a Barra fishing charter on the South Alligator River.

Wednesday 1.8.12

Today we drove to Darwin.

As we were driving into Darwin I had butterflies in my stomach because I had never been there before.

When we got to Free Spirit Caravan Park (the caravan park we were staying in) we went into reception and had already booked so that we had 2 sites together but they had shuffled us around and we were put on 2 separate sites.

Thursday 2.8.12

Today we went and saw Fannie Bay Jail and Darwin Museums and went to Mindil Beach sunset markets.

Fannie Bay Jail was the first labour jail to be built in Darwin. It housed men, women, children, mental patients and people with leprosy. 

The jail cells had really skinny doors because there was only one guard on duty at a time and it was so all the prisoners could not rush out at the same time and over power the guard.

There was a room called the Infirmary where they hung the last two men in Darwin (August 6th 1953) after being convicted for the murder of a local taxi driver.   

In the afternoon we went and had a look at Stokes Hill Wharf where we saw a huge cruise liner (Dawn Princess) which was only in  the harbor for 1 day.

That night when we got to the Mindil Beach markets and they were really busy, noisy, colourful and exciting. 

I wanted to get a Henna tattoo on my hand (Henna is a type of Indian tattoo that is not permanent) but Dad would not let me.

As the sun was setting over the beach it was beautiful. Just before the sun went behind the horizon a big sail boat came past and sailed in front of the setting sun and it was a really pretty sight.

I really enjoyed going to the markets because it was exciting and fun.

Friday 3.8.12

Today we went to the Darwin Waterfront Wave Lagoon.

Wave Lagoon is a big pool that has a machine that produces waves in three cycles. Each cycle goes for 20mins and has a 10mins rest.

When we got there it was really packed but that was because it was the morning session that was just finishing.

When you first got in the wave pool it was cold but as you got used to it, it was really nice.

On my last round of waves I got 6 rides in.

Saturday 4.8.12

Today Mum, Louise and I went to Crocodylus Park and Zoo.

We saw lots of animals but mostly crocodiles. We saw two dingos which were males, we also saw two ostriches, one was a male and the other was a really big female which was stealing all the food.

We also saw different types of monkeys. Some of them were cute. We also saw the type of monkey that they used in the movie “Night at the Museum” which is a Black-Capped Capuchin. 

At the end I got to hold a baby crocodile. He was heavy and his skin felt really tough and leathery.

Overall I had a really good day and it was really awesome.

Sunday 5.8.12

Today Mum and I went shopping while Dad and Karen went fishing on Darwin harbor.

After dropping Dad and Karen off at the Wharf Mum and I went down  to the Smith Street Mall. There were lots of shops but most of them were souvenier shops.

I got a snow globe for my cousin and a T-shirt for me that says “Actually, Yes, The world does revolve around me” which we all thought was really appropriate.

After shopping Mum and I went back to the Wharf for coffee and cake and to pick up Dad and Karen.

Dad had good day out fishing catching four barramundi.