THE BIG DASH: Barry says

It’s been different to sit still for a while in Darwin.

This trip has been punctuated by constant movement. Until now the longest we’ve stayed anywhere was probably Adelaide over Easter.

But since then the process of pack-up, travel for a day or two, set down for a day or two and then travel again has been pretty constant.

Fresh roads and fresh places provide fresh attractions, interests and curiosities. There’s always something to be doing in this process.

But now we’ve settled in for two weeks. We’re catching our breath and digging a bit deeper into our surroundings.

Also read:

THE BIG DASH: Now or never

THE BIG DASH: Why we went Chinese

THE BIG DASH: Buying all the bits

THE BIG DASH: Sorting the tow tug

THE BIG DASH: Hitting the scales

THE BIG DASH: On the road, finally!

THE BIG DASH: Onwards and upwards

The X-Pro has had some tender loving care this week, receiving its 15,000km service from Darwin Kia.

Just to be clear, the odometer hadn’t ticked over to 15K yet, but Kia recommends that service intervals be shortened to 10,000km when the car is being used for heavy duty work – which it most definitely is.

Anyway, the service delivered a clean bill of health and cost the set price of $361 (paid for by Kia – thanks Kia!).

The one thing the service team didn’t really do anything about was the side window popping open in the canopy. It’s the passenger side by the way, I might have said driver-side previously.

But help was at hand from EGR, the supplier of the canopy to Kia. A helpful guy called Nathaniel gave me a ring and talked me through the process. He also sent me a PDF that showed how to adjust the pull rods that activate the latches.

It took me a few goes over a few days but I eventually have got the window to the point where it no longer seems to pop open of its own accord. Fingers crossed the problem is resolved.

And so to the latest numbers. These cover a period of towing, some running around in Darwin, a top-up, the addition of 20 litres we’d been carrying around in the cargo box and a full refuel the day we went to Litchfield. Normal weekly service will soon be resumed.

Litres consumed: 104.94
Kms travelled: 638km
Consumption average: 16.448L/100km
$ paid: $334.70
Kms per $: 1.9km (back down from 2.26km per $ last time out)

We’ve been ticking off some long lists of to-dos while in Darwin. Those lists came from a variety of different sources. Our neighbours Anne and Ray in Somers provided a ripper that also detailed lots of things to do in other parts of the Northern Territory. We’ll share their invaluable insights in coming columns.

We also got one from an old friend and colleague of mine Barry Park (and former Boatsales editor), who has moved up to Darwin from Victoria recently. Not only did Barry and wife Sandra give us lots of advice, they also took us out to some of their favourite places.

As the days have gone by, when Jane and I have sat down to work out our day, the phrase “Barry says” comes up a lot. As in “Barry says this is a great place for coffee”, or “Barry says go here for the sunset”, or “Barry says this is the best market for fresh produce”.

Barry even shared some fillets from a queenfish he caught while we’ve been in town and prepared a green curry sauce for it. We cooked it on the barbie and it was one of the best meals we’ve had in Darwin.

To say Barry and Sandra helped us get to know Darwin a bit better than what we would have otherwise is an understatement!

So I thought I’d share with you the list Barry gave us. If you’re ever going to Darwin it’s a good one to bring along.

Barry says: Darwin must-dos

And the markets:

So far we’ve done some of these things, not all, and definitely enjoyed most of them.

Above all, we can say we loved the Grotty Yachtie’s low-key vibe and the Nightcliff scene (not only on a Sunday night, but we also went to a music festival there on a Friday night and had a blast).

Somewhere not on this list is a place called the Waterfront Precinct, which is a bit of a tourist trap but nicely designed to keep you cool, fed and watered.

Litchfield National Park is a day trip out of Darwin and is a truly beautiful place. Florence Falls is one of two water features where you can swim that are close together, the other being the Buley Rockhole.

Much of Litchfield remains off limits because of recent flooding. Either the roads are impassable or the salties have moved in.

We arrived in Darwin early May to be told the weather had tuned unseasonably hotter than normal after a bit of a cooler spell the week before.

Damn they weren’t kidding when they said it was hot! Every day was bang on 33 degrees with drenching humidity. There were times I’d walk out into the sunshine and feel like I was going to self-combust.

It meant getting things done early in the day when a cooling breeze often made life more palatable. Then come out again in the evening as the sun headed for the horizon and another spectacular purple sunset.

We’re not alone in that. Darwin is a very outdoors sort of place and there’s a youthful vibe. A park, a coastline, some food trucks, some music and you’ve got a party.

In between? It was survive as best we could. In the early days we made the mistake of walking on the beach or in a park, or going sight-seeing in the middle of the day.

We wilted and the dogs faded even faster. Poor old Eddie, he’d make about 10 minutes before pretty much giving up. He’d be panting under the nearest bit of shade.

One thing we were advised against doing is swimming in the sea. People do do it – a bit – but that’s croc and shark territory. More than one saltie has been spotted idling in the shallows while we’ve been in Darwin.

The high temperature places a lot of pressure on the capabilities of the caravan’s air-con system. During the day, it performed as well as could be expected in the baking heat. At night we have struggled to find the right mix to get all the way through without getting cold – ironic, hey.

I tried all the different modes and timers and eventually got somewhere near it, but uninterrupted sleeps have been a rarity.

But very happy to say there were few bugs that came out in the evening. Jane is very prone to being bitten and she was fine. Of course, the Bushman repellent always helps.

We spent our time in Darwin staying at Marrara Gardens Caravan Park. Apparently it was originally built for reconstruction workers after Cyclone Tracy devastated the city in 1974. So each site has its own ensuite (shower, toilet, two sinks) and driveway to park your 'van and car.

We arrived on a Sunday and wondered what we’d got ourselves into. A security code gave us access through the locked gates and the whole place was surrounded by six-foot high fencing. It seemed pretty run-down and unkempt. There were few people staying there, most of them were permanents and some of them looked a bit down at heel.

Adding to our concern, the site we’d been allocated was totally bereft of shade. At this point we were debating whether to just turn around and head somewhere else. But we’d paid for two weeks so that would have been a big financial call.

There was no-one on duty in the office so we rang the contact number and the person working from home gave us a few other sites to pick from. We found one with better shade and some grass to park next to.

On Monday a small army of workers arrived and the mowing and refurb began. After a couple of days the place looked respectable. By then we’d also come to appreciate the beautiful swimming pool that chilled us regularly in the heat.

The lack of patronage in the park was blamed by the office staff on diesel prices with many regulars not yet ready to make the trip up from the south. The good thing about that was it meant we never felt hemmed in. The locals also turned out to be very nice people and it’s a well located place from which to explore Darwin, as it’s pretty close into the city.

It just shows first impressions are not always the right ones.