A bit of Sightseeing................

Little shelters line Trikora Beach which you can hire for about $7/day

Fish Farm

Beach Shelter....saves taking a beach umbrella

Day 162

We have the day off golf today and have arranged with Romi to take us to do some sightseeing around the Island. We are picked up at 9am and our driver is Dilva. First stop is Trikora Beach on the east side of the island. It is not as developed as the area on the west coast where we are staying but there are several resorts in various stages of planning and development and probably the economic situation has slowed things a little but in 5 years time there will be resorts and golf courses galore. At present though the local beaches are still very natural with fishing vessels, Kalongs, and local fisherman’s villages, Kampongs, and as it is a Sunday there are lots of locals swimming. We have a swim in the lovely clear warm water but our visit is cut short a bit with another little downpour. We head off to the largest city on the Island, Tanjung Pinang where we have some very fresh seafood for lunch at a cafe followed by a bit of shopping. We are supposed to go over by boat to a little island close by, Pulau Penyengat, (Wasp Island), once the heart of the Riau sultanate and the cultural hub of the Malay empire. The island is just 15 minutes by motorboat but you have to either wait for a boat load of people and costs is 5000 RP (60 cents) or pay a private taxi boat 150000 rp ($18) pp each way! We decide to give that a miss as we would have only had a short time there anyway. Will have to read all about it in the lonely planet...... Next stop is Gunung Bintan (Mt. Bintan) where we have planned to climb and apparently takes 1 hour return. There are a few light showers on our way there so not sure if we will be able to climb and when we get there our driver tells us it is actually a 3 and half to 4 hour return climb and it is now 4pm!!! There has been some communication error with our Mr Romi it seems which we will have to sort out tomorrow........All in all a lovely day and drive but a little disappointing missing 2 of the places of interest.....so back to the resort and dinner again at the local village.

Jack Nicklaus Course

Day 161

Again we are picked up at the resort and this time playing at Bintan Lagoon on the other 18 holes designed by Jack Nicklaus. We enjoy this course better than yesterday...... until the rain storm stops us in our tracks on our 12th hole. It is half an hour before we get going again but doesn’t take long to dry everything out and the sun to shine through. Afternoon spent catching up on the blog and dinner at the local village called Pasar Oley Oley.

156 new Hawksbill turtles released

Al at the Ian Baker Finch Course

Hawksbill Turtles being released on the beach in front of the resort

Day 160

Romi picks us up at 7:45 and we go to Bintan Lagoon, another golf course resort about 15 minutes away. Today we will play the Ian Baker Finch designed course here. We notice lots of armed policemen milling around and Romi tells us that the Indonesian Police Chief is playing golf here today which makes us feel very safe with all this security around. Not sure if that will help our game but we play the course and while not as spectacular as yesterday was still very interesting and challenging and we finish early enough to stop by the local village for lunch. Back at the resort we find out they have a Hawksbill Turtle Hatchery here and they will be releasing approx. 156 newly hatched turtles at 5pm on the beach in front of our resort. They collected the eggs nearby in June and will let them go here in the hope that the females will survive and return in 20 to 30 years time to lay their own eggs. We have watched turtles in Mon Repos, QLD lay their eggs but this is the first time we have witnessed the release and along with many other guests watch this wonderful act of nature.

Ria Bintan Golf

Al and I with our caddy Rebekah

Tiger Woods look out

Al with the golf buggy he wants to upgrade to........

Day 159

We have a golf package arranged where we will be picked up each morning and taken to the golf course we are to play that day. Mr Romi is a friendly Sumatran guy who is to look after us during our stay here and picks us up at the arranged time of 9:30. Day 1 golf is at Ria Bintan about 10 minutes drive away and on arrival our clubs are taken to our buggy and we meet our caddy, Rebekah. All runs so smoothly and nothing is too much trouble both here and in the resort. The course, designed by Gary Player is one of the most spectacular courses we have played on rivalling Pebble Beach, actually much better with many holes hugging the coastline and with greens jutting out into expanses of water. We play ok and enjoy the day and the scenery so much that Alan losing 3 balls and me losing 1 doesn’t really matter........

Welcome to Indonesia

Robinson Cruso??

Pristine Bintan Beach

Day 158

We get a taxi to the Tanah Merah ferry terminal for our trip to Bintan Island. A lovely smooth ride and we arrive and go through immigration and customs. We are led to fast track as we are paying our Visa in Singapore dollars ($10) The “Official” handed us back our passports and took our $10 and then asked for a tip for him getting us through quickly!!! I was stunned and not knowing what would happen if we didn’t pay I gave him $2. I found out a short time later another man had paid him $20, so thought I had actually done well. Welcome to Indonesia!! A bus takes us to our hotel “Nirwana Resort Hotel” We take a taxi to a nearby village and have another massage........not another massage I hear you all say but for less than $30AUD it’s really hard to resist. We enjoy an afternoon relaxing and enjoying the resort which is on the most beautiful clean and uncrowded beach.

"Handsome Boy"........how am I going to live with him??

One of the cheaper beers in Singapore

At Fort Silosa on Sentosa Island

Day 157

After a very delicious brekkie (they really know how to do buffet brekkies in Asia) we arrange to meet the others for a trip over to Sentosa Island. After a short taxi ride up to Mt. Faber we get the cable car over to the island and decide to look around just one small area, Fort Silosa, which was established to defend Singapore from enemy attacks by sea. We spent a couple of hours here taking in the history in excellent displays before grabbing a bite to eat and heading back to the city and our hotel. Singapore appears to be still booming and showing no outward signs of the global economic downturn. Dinner is back at our little cafe, they call Al “Handsome Boy” (I’ll never get him out of this place!!) another massage (I’ll definitely never get him out of here!!!) and a farewell beer at Clarke Quay with Carole and Les which cost us $52 Singapore dollars (that brought Al back to earth!!)

Glen Huitson 10th Anniversary Memorial Service

Enjoying a tiger beer in Singapore

TheGlen Huitson Memorial

Lisa Joe and Ruby

Day 156

We decide to leave the camper at the CP while we go to the Memorial service for Glen Huitson which will be held at the site where he died 10 years ago at Old Bynoe road about 50km south of Darwin. The service at 9am was attended by more than 150 people including Lisa and children Joe and Ruby and family as well as many friends and members of the NT Police Force. A particularly heartfelt tribute was from a group of aboriginal ladies, who had known Glen and Lisa when they had worked at Daly River. It was a lovely and moving memorial and know that the family would be thrilled that Glen is still remembered so fondly. We went back to the Cp and packed up before driving to the airport to leave our car and home for the past 5 months in the long term car park. The flight to Singapore was only 4 and half hours and when we arrived headed straight for our hotel, Stamford Swissotel which is like being in a palace after living in the camper. We arrange to meet the others for dinner and take them to our fave Singapore cafe and enjoy a Tiger Beer and some delicious Asian cuisine. Not sure if it’s the massage we have later or the 1 and half hour time difference, but I sleep very soundly in the king sized bed which is so huge I don’t see Al all night...........

Last Day in Darwin

Day 155

Spent today packing up and visiting some local markets at Nightcliff and in the city. For dinner we shared all our leftovers with the others as we won’t be able to leave our fridge on when we leave the car and camper while we head over to Singapore. For those who don’t know we have decided that we will head over to Singapore for a couple of nights then to Bintan Island, which is part of Indonesia and only 55 minutes by ferry from Singapore, for 6 nights and a few games of golf on 4 lovely golf courses. Carole and Les and June and John are also going to Singapore on our flight but will be staying in Singapore.

Sunset at Nightcliff

Sunset on the rocks at Nightcliff

Les,Carole,Lisa,Al,me and Lisa's friend Deanne.

Day 154

In the evening we met Lisa and family and friends at a local picnic spot on the rocks at Nightcliff. It was cool and we enjoyed a casual dinner and sunset.

Carole's Birthday and Glen Huitson Golf Day

The Birthday Girl and Les

Mother June's scones

"The Loose Ends" golf team

Day 153

Its Carole’s birthday today and June has made more scones for morning tea (I’ve decided to adopt June!!) and Lisa Huitson is coming to the CP to catch up. Not quite a birthday cake but most definitely better and we enjoy catching up with Lisa before we head to golf. We arrive at Darwin GC amidst about 200 policemen and supporters for this charity day in Glen’s honour and supporting Police Legacy in NT. We meet the 3 other guys we will play with, Dave, Craig and Rod who work in different areas of the force. It is a 5 person Ambrose and we have a great afternoon of golf with some great shots and some really awful ones but the company is good and we have a lot of fun. Each team is given a handicap by the roll of dice when we come in and with a clubhouse full of rowdy players (the effects of the free beer evident) it was difficult to hear results. We did win a XXXXGold straw hat each but not sure what for??? We left the revellers and went for dinner at the Trailer Boat Club overlooking the Bay (is there no where in Darwin that we haven’t been for a magnificent water sunset??) for Carole’s birthday.

Mama Mia...here I go again..........

Anniki, the pearl lugger we sailed on a few weeks ago doing a sail by the wharf

Can't roll jaffas down the aisles here!

Young lovers

Deckchair movie goers, Les on an important call before lights out

Day 152

We went to the Nursing Museum at Charles Darwin University this afternoon which was really only a bit of a collection of old medical instruments and nursing stories and memorabilia of Darwin hospital in some glass cabinets in the Uni Nursing School. The lovely glossy brochure promised much more so I was a little disappointed. We then went to Fannie Bay Gaol where we looked around the old buildings before going back to the CP. We are all going to the Stokes Hill Wharf for fish and chips dinner before taking in a movie at the Deckchair Cinema. Lounging on deck chairs while looking up at the stars on a balmy Darwin evening on the waterfront watching Mama Mia will be a very unique experience.

Playing Tourists in Darwin

June nursing Fang

NT Parliament House

WW2 Oil Tunnels

The entrance to the tunnels

Government House overlooking Darwin Harbour

Day 151

We head into the city to do some sightseeing and first stop is the WW2 oil tunnels which were built to contain and preserve the oil and so the Japs couldn’t bomb the outside oil tanks and devastate the valuable fuel supplies. Some interesting photos and stories in the tunnels. Next was a tour of Parliament House lasting about 1 and half hours and gave us an insight into the relatively very young governing centre of NT. The afternoon was spent in the city before heading back to the CP. Back at the CP and Carole and Les and Carole's mum June and hubby John have arrived in the park to stay. Rueben the Crocodylus Park guy is here at the park for his weekly chat and June is thrilled!!! to be able to hold our pet fang for her photo opportunity.

Back to Darwin

Day 150
We get up early and talk to Sarah who is in Sweden, on Skype and wake nearly the whole CP!!!.......We decide we had better leave here before we get lynched by the swarms of grey nomads...Scary thought!!! We can’t check into our Darwin CP till this arvo so stop at a car wash and Al spends about 20 bucks trying to wash the car and trailer. He barely gets through the first layer of grime but it’s a start. Do a bit of shopping and then get to the CP where we are given the same site as we had a couple of weeks ago. We feel like locals!! More cleaning throughout the afternoon and we have a visit from Carol and John Huitson from Busselton who are here for their son Glen’s memorial service next Monday.

Tumbling Waters is Tumbling Down!!

Day 149

The sandflies were horrendous last night so hope the new owners find a solution to that problem too!! Headed east towards Darwin and set up camp at Tumbling Waters CP which looked amazing on the brochure ....but was not really that good!! You should always check these places out on foot before committing but when it is hot you just trust people!!!! Anyway we take a drive up to Mandorah and the peninsula across the water from Darwin, actually you can get a lovely view of the city and as it is only a 15minute ferry ride from Darwin so a popular place with the locals. It has a hotel and not a lot else but there is talk of building a bridge to here in the future so has huge potential for the land owners and developers. We get back to Berry Springs where we have a swim in the warm springs again and a favourite swimming spot for many Darwin locals.

Adelaide River and the Glen Huitson Memorial Park

Memorial to Glen Huitson in the park named after him at Adelaide River

Sunset at Dundee Beach

Day 148

We head into Adelaide River and check out the lovely peaceful and well looked after war cemetery. We call into the little town where there is a park which is named in memory of Glen Huitson, our friend Lisa’s late husband who was killed on duty 10 years ago near here and from the many memorials to him was not only much loved by family and friends but also well respected in the community and NT police force. Alan and I are playing in a memorial golf Day in Darwin next week to mark the anniversary and will also attend a memorial service along with many family and friends who are travelling here to remember Glen. We head further north and turn off to the Cox Peninsula and Dundee Beach. There is a large caravan park here which ,after a couple of attempts by past owners to develop the land, not very successfully, the new owner has plans to get the cp on the tourist map to reap the rewards from the thousands of grey nomads. It has potential but needs a lot of work....and money. There is a lovely beach with palm trees lining the grassy foreshore and it looks like you could jump in and swim in the gorgeous azure water.....except for the croc warnings!!!! Not sure I could live in the northern part of OZ....give me Kingscliff Beach anytime!!! We enjoy a nice cold beer watching the sunset over the Timor Sea.

Umbrawarra Gorge and Mt. Bundy Station

Day 147

We decide to drive out of Kakadu and south of Pine Creek to check out Umbrawarra Gorge. The campground isn’t much so we just take a walk into the gorge and have a swim before heading north to Adelaide River. We decide to stay at Mt. Bundy Station where they have various campsites under the shade of huge trees. It is a working station only 3km from Adelaide River but they have branched out into tourism like many of the outback properties hoping to help their cash flow.

Yellow Waters Cruise to Gunlom Gorge

Lotus flower lily at Yellow Waters

Azure Kingfisher

Gunlom Falls Gorge

Yellow Waters at Sunrise

Day 146

We are up very early for our sunrise cruise on Yellow Waters .The morning is spectacular except for a few vicious mozzies and we enjoy 2 hours cruising and seeing lots of crocs and birdlife. After a yummy brekkie( which was included with the cruise) Rose and Don have decided that they will head for home today so we pack up and say goodbye and Carole and Les and Al and I head for Gunlom Falls and a large campground which was packed with lots of local Darwin people here for the long weekend. After a swim in the lower pool we take a hike up the hill to the top of the gorge and are rewarded with a series of lovely rock pools where we enjoy a couple of hours cooling off in the heat of the afternoon.

Twin Falls and Jim Jim Falls

Jim Jim Falls

Twin Falls

Twin Falls Gorge

Kakadu Nat Park, Rocky escarpment views

Sunset over the Northern Kakadu Nat Park wetlands

Day 145

Drove to Cooinda and find a site in the very crowded and dusty campground. We book for a Yellow Waters Cruise for the next morning and after lunch we drive to Twin Falls and Jim Jim Falls. It is about 70km each way and quite a rough road for the last 10km. We get to Twin falls and they run a shuttle boat service at regular intervals throughout the day which takes you part of the way to the falls with another 500metres to walk to the end. There isn’t much water running over the cliffs but it is a nice walk. We are warned yet again that we shouldn’t swim in the pools although they look inviting. Alan and I decide to go to Jim Jim falls and although no water at all running over those falls we enjoy the walk about 1.5km and manage a quick swim to cool off before the long drive back to Cooinda. It is getting dark as we drive back and takes lots of concentration on the rough gravel road. We are happy to get back to the CP and a nice cold beer.

Arnhem Land and East Alligator River Crossing

You don't need a 4wd to cross here

But this crocs swam over the crossing just after the red car so would want to be sure!!

Barra Fishermen with crocs 2 metres away from them

Al and I crossing the East Alligator before the tide comes over the crossing

One of the Artists at work in Oenpelli Arnhem Land

Day 144
We get an early start as we need to get over Cahill’s crossing while the tide is low and we don’t want to break down in the middle of the river with the amount of crocs about!! The drive in to Oenpelli is beautiful with magnificent rocky hills and wetlands and billabongs and we arrive at the arts centre at opening time, 8:30. The centre is run by a white curator and assistants and they buy the paintings, weaving, wood crafts etc off the local aboriginals and sell the pieces here and probably all over the world. There are artists painting and weaving on the verandas outside and though we can’t venture too far from the centre the community looks like many others we have seen in this part of the country. We make a few small purchases and drive back to the crossing with not too much water over the causeway. There are many fishermen this morning and by the time we have morning tea the tide is flowing in very quickly and the crocs seem to be waking up for their daily feed. The barra are literally jumping out of the water against the tide and presumably trying not to be lunch for the preying crocs but as we watch from rocks about 20 metres away, the crocs expertly catch their fish to the amazement of the crowd that has gathered for this daily spectacle. It is getting very hot now so we head back to the CP for lunch and an afternoon relaxing and swimming.