Darwin - Darwin, Australia
Darwin, Australia
We wake up around 08.00 and although we planned to go back to Adelaide River and see the Jumping Crocs (after missing it yesterday) we decide to head into Darwin as soon as we can so we can explore and find a place to stay tonight. The Camps 7 indicates that there are no free rest areas near to the city and fines can be given if you sleep in a vehicle in areas which aren't designated for sleeping, so we need to visit the Tourist Information to find out the cheapest accommodation.
After a long struggle to get the van started, it chugs along for the hour journey to Darwin. The whole way we both hold our breath hoping it will just make it the last leg of the journey and we wont have to call out a tow truck again. We make it into the city and although relieved to finally be at our destination we both feel a little disheartened that the van is causing problems again!
We have a look around, which doesn't take long as the 'city' is tiny! -not what we were expecting at all. However the sun is shining and Mitchell Street (seemingly the main and only road with anything on it) is full of bars with people eating and drinking, it feels like a holiday street in Europe somewhere. We book a nights stay at the cheapest and most central campsite which is called Discovery, at $40 a night and a 15 minute drive away from anywhere it isn't ideal but much cheaper than a central hostel which charge $33 per person per night. The weather is in the high 20's so we decide to put the tent up so we can have a cool nights sleep. Then we catch the bus back into the city, not wanting to risk driving the van. We go back to Mitchell Street and have a cider or two then head to the famous Mindil Beach Market which is full of food stalls, aboriginal art and crafts. At about 18.30 we watch the sun set on the beach and it is amazing!
WEEK ONE
Our first week has been spent either in the library or at the pool! the weather is soo nice here and every day is sunny and warm. We are still on the campsite, we now share our plot with a Dutch guy (aptly named Dutch) and split the $40pn rent between us so it saves us a little bit of money. The campsite is a mixture of older Aussies and backpackers of all nationalities which is nice and although we haven't got to know anyone too well, its nice to see familiar faces during meal times or around the pool.The van miraculously fixed itself which is a relief! it seems difficult to get around without a vehicle here, so we have been using the van daily to run from here to there. Public transport is fairly infrequent from the campsite so hopefully the van can cope with the mini journeys we are doing.We have got into a routine of visiting the library everyday for a few hours to job hunt. Unfortunately we've had no luck yet but are really enjoying the atmosphere here, so we are going to wait one more week without work, before we will have to move on.
Darwin is very ethnically diverse and there are a lot of aboriginals in the city, all sitting on the streets and although they look unappealing we have found ourselves hardly noticing their odd chants and stick banging which is what they seem to spend their time doing.
We visited The Lagoon on Thursday which is a small area of the beach where the sea has been netted off to prevent sharks and crocodiles getting through, so you can swim without any worries. The area is quite small though and dirty so I definitely prefer the pool! The Lagoon is surrounded by nice restaurants and bars which all look nice and once we have work we think we will make our way around them all to test out which is best :)
WEEK TWO
This week has been really productive on the work front. We both attended an interview for a big car racing event called The V8's which is organised by a casino in Darwin, SkyCity. The interview was just for catering/bar staff which I managed to secure for the weekend of the 15th June. Jon was much more successful and because of his events experience, the interviewer mentioned more permanent work within the casino might be possible- so fingers crossed.
Jon also managed to sort us some hospitality work out at the local Sailing Club, a lovely bistro and bar on the water front. Our first shift was on Friday night and we worked for a televised event called The Croc Rock Ball which was held at a local theme park called Crocadilous Cove, lots of Australian Sports personalities and television presenters (not that we knew who anyone was) attended along with the general public, there were over 500 guests in total. It was a charitable event to raise money and awareness for a children's hospital and it was a great night! I would hardly describe it as work, everything was so well organised and we even got to eat the lovely food that was left over after our shift! and we both got asked to work the following night for a wedding and a birthday function which were being held at the Sailing Club.
On Saturday, an old university friend of Jon's arrived in Darwin along with two others and as they had been travelling up the west coast we talked them into joining us with their car and tents on the campsite. As the campsite is out of the city and buses stop running at 21.00 Jon and I haven't managed to sample the nightlife yet...until tonight that is!! now we have company we can split the taxi fare and paint the town red. We finished work at 23.00, drove straight into the city to meet the crew and had a good night checking out the small strip of bars.
The next morning wasn't the best, waking up in a tent, in 30 degree heat, with a sore head- it was not a good start to the day. Carry, one of the girls gave us a lift to collect the van and we went to check out Nightcliff, a nearby suburb and the Market there which is held every Sunday- mainly to see if it had a hangover cure. Funnily enough it did! although the market is much smaller than Mindil, the same food and craft stalls were here too. We discovered a new food favorite, a Laksa - which is sort of like a mild curry soup with vegetables (but much nicer than that sounds!). An Indonesian specialty apparently, which surprised us because during our visit to Bali we never heard of it.
Needless to say a nice evening on the sofa with a film and a takeaway was much needed that night...unfortunately we had to suffice with fighting with 20 others for one of the two hobs in the kitchen to cook our pasta and another scorching night in the tent with no power.
WEEK THREE
Darwin is well known for its trade industry. The city is virtually brand new, with the majority of its major business and buildings being only 30 years old. Since then the city has continued to grow and because of the tropic climate, the majority of the construction work is carried out annually during the dry season (May-Sept), therefore many of the current jobs are for laborers or "Tradies" as Australians prefer to call them.
Jon has managed to pick up work during the day for a construction company and work in the evening for Skycity, for the whole week! which is great but of course really hard work for him considering he is on site for 06.30 -17.00 being a tradie and then from 18.00- 02.00 in the restaurant.
I managed to pick up a few shifts at the Sailing Club too and so we have been juggling the van between us, luckily Skycity and the Sailing Club are on the same road but about 3km apart so it hasn't been too tricky.
This weekend was the V8's and again it was a really good weekend to work at and get involved with whilst being paid. Jon was a supervisor of 15, whilst I spent my day chatting with the locals and getting them the odd beer or two. Although we worked separately both of our tents were for corporate company staff who had paid $450 per head for VIP tables.
On our brief lunch breaks we got to watch the F1 style racing and enjoy both days of the event.
WEEK FOUR
Too much noise and not enough sleep this week. Another long week of work for Jon, with 12 hour or more shifts each day and five evening shifts for me, what we need is a good sleep. That however, is impossible at the moment. The children's school holidays have started and families with small children have taken over the campsite. Our neighbors have two very small and very loud children who like to wake up before 07.00. Not to mention the RAAF fighter jets that are practicing flying around (?) the air base is right next to the campsite and the noise is deafening as they fly in threes overhead. It happens numerous times throughout the day and also at 02.00 and 05.00, it is impossible to sleep through. The heat means we cant nap in the day in the tent and so I have started looking for a more permanent residence. In Sydney finding a room to rent was fairly easy, here it seems although people do not like backpackers or couples and so the few that I have contacted are not interested in even letting us have a look around which is frustrating.
We are having fun on the campsite apart from the children/plane situation, we have Adam, Carry and Sheina to occupy us if the other is at work. I am especially grateful for this in the evenings when Jon is working late.
WEEK FIVE
On Monday we all took a trip to Adelaide River to see the Jumping Crocs. It was worth going but we were all a little disappointed as it wasn't quite as wild as we expected. Still, we all managed to come back in one piece and with some good pictures so that was good.
This week it was my turn to work all week, with five split shifts, which meant there was just enough time for a quick dip in the pool each day inbetween shifts to try and keep cool! Jon managed to recuperate from the previous two weeks and worked on his tan at a new pool we discovered in nearby area called Leanyer. There is also a childrens water playground and some slides which are all free of charge so we spent Sunday there before a trip to Mindil Market for a roast dinner.
WEEK SIX
Monday, July 1st was Territory Day- which is the one day of the year where fireworks are legal within the Northern Territory. Fireworks are sold during office hours of this one day and can be set off until midnight, before being banished again until next year. To celebrate this there was a big firework display and market at Mindil Beach, so me and Adam headed down to watch, whilst Jon worked. The display was really good but made me realise that after Sydney at New Year, no fireworks are going to be that impressive ever again.
Wednesday was a sad day because Adam and the girls sold their car and so they moved into a hostel on Mitchell Street. On the up side I managed to lie on a bed for the first time in 8 weeks :) and we went out in the evening to celebrate their move and Jon and I won some amazing prizes all for stuffing marshmallows in our mouths!! Our local bar- Monsoons tend to have a themed night each week, tonight it was Christmas and so there were games and prizes. The aim of the game was to be the person with the most marshmallows in your mouth and still be able to stay a rhyme. Jon won and was given a prize worth $500, a trip to Frazer Island for 2 nights and 3 days and I won because i was the last girl standing, a 241 Great Barrier Reef boat ride and snorkel trip which saved us another $250! brilliant.
Today was the first day the sun didn't shine since we arrived in Darwin, although it was really hot and humid it was overcast. We went to Mindil Beach for the annual Beer Can Regatta which is where people make boats out of old beer cans.
WEEK SEVEN
Last night was our first night in a bed for over 9 weeks!! we finally moved out of the campsite and into a shared house with three others. It's much nicer than our house in Sydney and is only 2 minutes walk into the city which is really handy. We have been thinking of selling the van, so perhaps we will put it on Gumtree and see what interest it gets over the next few weeks. Jon has bought a bike so he can cycle to work at Skycity in under 10 minutes and I can drive to the Sailing Club.
One of our good friends Carry was due to go back to England yesterday so this week we had some nice meals and group nights to bid her farewell, but in the end she never left! she just decided the night before not to catch her flight and rescheduled them for in a few weeks time.
We are both working most days/nights now and our shifts overlap quite a bit. Jon is also working at the Sailing Club bistro and in the bar some weekends if there isn't an event on at Skycity. Our new hang out is at the local Travelodge! our house doesn't have a pool so we go there almost everyday to have a dip and catch some rays.
WEEK EIGHT & NINE
Its sooo nice to have a house again! having aircon is just amazing in this heat and we keep it on for most of the day.
Its great living so close to the city and if we aren't at work, we will be at the pool or with the others at the hostel. Michelle (from Sydney) also put us in contact with a friend of hers, Jimmy, an Irish tradie who lives here in Darwin and we have been hanging out with him and his housemates (Rob, Lucy and Gemma) a fair amount of the time. They live in Cullen Bay which is a gorgeous area on the marina, their apartment has the best view of the boats and the nearby large and expensive houses which belong to all the rich boatmen. Cullen Bay is also only a 5 minute walk from ours so its easy to get to.
We had a BBQ this week which was nice to get everyone together at the house.
WEEK TEN
This week it was my birthday, so we both booked the day before and the day of my birthday off which was a nice treat as we have both been working most days/nights over the last few weeks.
The day before we visited nearby Berry Springs National Park which is about an hour away from Darwin and is famous for it's natural hot springs. It was a boiling hot day and we enjoyed a bit of swimming and sunbathing before heading back to Darwin. In the evening we took some camping chairs and a bottle of wine and went down to Cullen Bay to watch the sunset, and then had a curry which was yummy.
On my birthday, Jon made me breakfast and we spent the day at the pool soaking up the sun, before lighting up the barbie in the evening, I was lucky enough that even two of the girls i worked with in Sydney were in Darwin just for the night doing some sightseeing and so they joined in the celebrations too. We went into the city to Monsoons for a few drinks after the BBQ and as it was a Mexican themed night we all ended up with moustaches!
WEEK ELEVEN
The Darwin Cup is an annual horse racing event held on the first Monday of August and is famous throughout Australia. We both managed to work in the hospitality tents for our retrospective employers. It was a long but enjoyable day and as it was bank holiday, the pay was really good at $44 per hour!
After much consideration we decided to put the van up for sale on Thursday. Again over the last few weeks it has been causing problems, not starting etc. and so it would be financially impossible to drive it to our next destination after Darwin. We had a little bit of interest and on Saturday showed it to a couple who want to buy it and will collect it on Tuesday, which is a big relief! We made a bit of a profit on what we originally paid too so we are happy to see it go to a new home.
WEEK TWELVE
The van has gone!! all done and dusted on Tuesday and although there were a few problems in the final sale (obviously), it all went through and we are $3000 heavier so its all good :)
I attempted to walk to work twice, which takes about an hour (at a fairly fast pace) but the heat was just unbearable! and so i invested in a weekly bus ticket! its just too warm to walk anywhere!
We received an eviction notice on Wednesday, advising the house we are living in has been sold and we need to leave two weeks today. Not such good news considering the time it took to find this house and we don't have the van any more as a back up. We think perhaps it is time to move on from Darwin, it was never planned that we stay here for so long and the season is due to change back to being humid and wet within the next month. So the research for the next adventure begins...
Leanne visited Darwin for a long weekend which was sooo nice to see her and she reintroduced us to a friend of hers, who lives in Darwin and we had briefly met on Boxing Day in Sydney. It was his birthday and he had a huge house party which was a really good night.
WEEK THIRTEEN
Over the last few months whilst being in Darwin we have both met so many good friends and enjoyed ourselves so much, that this week it seems very apparent that time is flying by. It's the end of August already and we still have so much to see and do within Australia. It just doesn't seem like four months is going to be enough time to do it all.
Jon is particularly keen to do his regional work to gain a second year visa, me not so much. However after much consideration and advise from others, we decide its better to have to option of staying, rather than our 12 months be up and then wish we could have stayed.
As our living arrangement is due to change from next week, because we will have to move out, research into farm work begins. This is not an easy task at all, so far all we know is that we cant to it in Darwin due to the heat. So that leaves the rest of the country to pick from! Many of the people we have spoken to advise to avoid the east coast as this year there are a record number of backpackers hoping to stay a second year, so although, yes there is farm work, there are just too many foreigners wanting the work!
Through friends we hear inland Queensland is promising and after a few days of calling farms and not too much progress (as the majority say, to get a job you need to be there and ready to work with only an hours notice) on Thursday we decide to book flights to Brisbane on Tueday. On Friday evening whilst Jon is at work, I am on a WOOFing (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) website when I came across an advert asking for assistance building log cabins on a farm about 6 hours west of Brisbane, I call the Lady (Laura) and speak to her for about 40 minutes. She seems friendly enough and agrees for us to come start work on Wednesday. It seems too easy to be true but I advise Jon will call her back to confirm everything the following day.
He does and although the story has changed just slightly and there now seems to be some farm animal duties involved in our daily chores, we decide it sounds fine. As we have to start working towards our 88 days within the next three weeks or we wont have enough time, Woofing seems to be the best option. Generally farms who advertise for Woofers require free labour, but in return for your work (usually between 4 and 6 hours per day) you get free food and accommodation. If we had more time, of course paid work would be preferred but we figure we can look for something paid once we arrive at Laura's and start getting the days signed off.
Over the weekend we celebrate Jon's birthday. With a party at ours followed by a VIP night out on Saturday and then a Sunday Session at Jimmys. We spend our last weekend in Darwin doing what we have been doing for the last three months, enjoying every bit of it.
WEEK FOURTEEN
Soo much to do!! with such last minute planning we had so much to do in order to be ready to fly out on Tuesday night. Luckily we managed to do everything and even squeezed in the odd visit to the pool for an hour in the sun. We went out for a gorgeous Mexican with the gang before we left and got a lift to the airport ready for our long journey to Queensland.