Mark this day...

 As a permanent place holder, today is the day that Hugo took his first unassisted steps. A week or so after Halloween, he has started lurching around the house like a zombie. Just so gorgeous. Now the fun really starts!

For his first birthday we caught up with a bunch of friends at a local park for cake and play, followed by fish and chips by the ocean. I am always astounded how much cooler it can be with a bit of sea breeze, and how bloody ridiculously humid we are in suburbia!

Hugo’s first birthday cake had a Territory Crocodile theme! It was snap-tastic! 

A trip to the magical, wonderful Kimberleys

We hadn’t heard of El Questro but were advised to check it out if we could before leaving the Top End. Having already exhausted our travel budget we weren’t keen on making any more significant plans, but decided to take a look anyway. Jane’s first couple of minutes on the internet, and the photographs she saw sold us – we just had to do it. El Questro is an old pastoral lease in the Kimberleys (Western Australia) that sits at about one million acres. It had a fairly rocky ownership history until someone with foresight decided to invest in tourism. We will post photos in the next blog, but the place is just amazing – a must for any  bucket list.

Our only available window was at the very end of the dry season, and we were always going to be chancing potential storms and rising humidity. Not the best conditions when camping out under the stars in swags… As we drove out of Darwin, the heavens opened, and well and truly washed the car – and all the swags that were strapped to the roof. Not to worry we thought, only another 800km or so to El Questro, so plenty of time to outrun the rain.

We headed inland at Katherine, stopping at a little settlement called Timber Creek for lunch. We had excellent burgers (one of the best ever) and then headed into Kununurra where we were staying overnight at the Country Club. After 10 hours of travel, including the border crossing between the Northern Territory and Western Australia where any fresh produce and honey is confiscated we were finally able to get out of the car and into the pool. The staff at the Country Club were just brilliant, and the food was excellent. The Chef originates from Germany and had been at the Club for three years. Such a change from our Top End experience where everything tends to be very transient.

After a very comfortable night we restocked the portable fridges, and headed out to El Questro. The advisory notice is that 4WD is recommended for the last 16km into the station, as the road is unsealed, is very corrugated and there are river crossings that you can’t get around. Our travel companions were in a Toyota Troopie, so no dramas for them. For us in the Territory, things were a little more uncertain. When we got to the first crossing, it looked a little dodgy – you couldn’t see the bottom of the creek, and was very rocky. Paul and I walked the crossing, and figured it should be OK. Having committed, we went across with no drama. The second crossing was both deeper and longer. Bugger – but still committed. We made it across nice and slowly, moving rocks with the pan under the car as we went (oh for a little more clearance!). Fortunately the door seals held up.

We had booked a private campsite with river access, but decided to give that up and return to the main camp site. The long dry season meant that all the grass cover had gone and the site was just bull dust. Not so good for Paul and Helen’s toddler, and our crawler! The main camp site was excellent though. We had a powered site, were only 100 m in either direction from shower/bathroom facilities and the river in the other direction. Another bonus was that we were only a stones throw from the bar! Being so late in the season, the camp area was largely empty so we had plenty of space to string a hammock and for kids to run around.

We tried to do our activities in the mornings, and then relax in the heat of the afternoon which worked really well. The resort closes several of the walks in the afternoon also, reserving them for those in the expensive resort accommodation (think thousands of dollars per night!). Our first afternoon we went on a cruise through the Chamberlain Gorge which is just stunning. No crocs, but plenty of Barramundi, archer fish and all manner of birds. The archer fish is amazing – they see you holding bait over the side of the boat and will spit water at you to get you to drop it. They aim for the shine, so invariably get you in the eye. We were plied with bubble and a fresh fruit platter out on the river – very civilised and a most relaxing way to get started on a short break. I won a trivia question for a bottle of bubbles – correctly answering the question “How many spots does a seven spotted archer fish have?” For the record, it is 14…

After a night that was a bit stuffy (not for Jane – she is up off the ground on a comfy double stretcher, with a dome swag and a battery operated fan) we left for our first excursion (out over 16km of corrugated road with two rover crossings…) to Emma Gorge. The walk is about a 3.6km trek up into a gorge that runs through several very different eco systems, from open grassland to rain forest. The pool at the top is incredible, and the waterfall was still running, even at this late stage of the dry. The water was icy cold (not just me being a tropical sook…) so it was really rather nice to discover the thermal spring off to one side. After a leisurely walk back down (with a cold beer at the end to freshen up) it was time to head back to camp to find shade, the river cascades to cool off in and (later) more beer from the bar.

Night two got quite cool, and the view from the swags was magnificent. Our next trip was out to El Questro Gorge. This was in no way accessible by the Territory, so we were ferried in by Paul, who enjoyed the 4WD drive. We could only do the first half of the walk, as there is a rock wall that needs to be scaled that is a bit difficult with babies on the back. At the end of that first half there is a beautiful pool that is crystal clear and deep. We played and swam for an hour or so before heading back to camp for another restful afternoon. It was on this trek that we got introduced to Captain Jarrabonga (spelling definitely phonetic) – a lovely alter ego that appeared in MacK… complete with dodgy pseudo English accent.

The last night at El Questro was very cool, and we were all looking for blankets. Not for warmth mind, but for comfort! We were headed to Lake Argyle for a couple of days, so headed out early past Zebedee Springs. It is a very short walk in to the Springs, and they are just gorgeous. If you took the natural landscape and recreated it in a hotel resort, you would be questioning the designer’s authenticity. It really does look that fake. There are several pools and each is a different temperature up to about 34 deg Celsius. The only downside to the Springs is that there are leeches in there. I get latched onto twice, but no-one else got targeted. You only have to expose them to air and they drop off, so no real dramas.

We had chosen Lake Argyle for a two night stay on the return journey as the air conditioned cabins might have been necessary if the build-up had been in full force at El Questro. Lake Argyle is a part of the Ord River irrigation project, which opened in 1972, adding an additional 76,000 hectares of arable land to the Eastern Kimberley region. The lake is massive, and the engineering work that has gone into making it work quite astounding. The resort was ok, and provided a nice respite before driving back to Darwin. The infinity pool is every bit as impressive as it looks in the promotional material, and we spent the better part of a day in the pool.

MacK and I hired a kayak at his insistence to get out on the lake for an hour or two. He was really funny – we were paddling out into the wind to explore one of the channels, when he turned around and asked me if there were any crocodiles in the lake:

MacK: “Hey Dad, are there crocodiles in this lake?”

Me: “Sure are mate” (something like 50,000 Johnson’s freshwater crocodiles…)

MacK: “Then why are we in a kayak? This is a stupid idea!”

We kept paddling, and by the time we got to a pontoon he was happy enough to dive into the water. Have to be pretty unlucky to get in trouble with a freshy…

The overwhelming thought/impression of our trip was how truly incredible the landscape is. Each of the gorges we walked through had a different eco system, climate and fauna. We stopped taking photographs of the scenery and landscape as we just couldn’t capture it. There are so many incredibly different aspects to the Kimberleys – you just have to experience it for yourself. We feel incredibly privileged to have been able to explore this very unique part of the world, and to know that we get to go back one day to show Hugo! 

Our trip to the Near East - Singapore and Legoland Malaysia

I was lucky enough to celebrate my birthday with family this year – not usually a given with Army’s ‘campaign season’. Whilst the rest of my work colleagues were playing in the Shoalwater Bay bush, we were getting ready to fly out to Singapore. We had promised ourselves that we would take MacK to Legoland in Malaysia before leaving Darwin and with a posting order confirming a move south we started to plan.

The flying time from Darwin to Singapore is roughly the same as flying Darwin to Melbourne, which just confirms how ridiculously large this wide brown land is. The team at SilkAir looked after us, giving us the row at the front of the cabin with a bassinet. The boys travelled really well, and we got into Changi (Terminal 3 of 5) with enough time to head out to a local Hawker food stall for dinner. We were a bit bemused to pay more for a bowl of BBQ Broccoli than we did for one of the meat dishes we ordered…

I was able to tick off a bucket list item that I didn’t know was on the list – I saw one of the Chinese chefs at the hotel who had a tattoo (nothing new here so far) on his arm – that was written in English; as opposed to white folks with random Chinese characters…  He had “Everything I do, I do it for you” inked – just hope it is his attitude to cooking!

On Day 1 we drove out of Singapore for Johor Bahru in Malaysia. I was amazed by the customs procedures in both Singapore and Malaysia. They were both much more user friendly than the Australian equivalent, and the customs officers seemed to realise they provide the first impression of their respective nations. Not so much in Australia.

We stayed at the Legoland Hotel for two nights. The décor is just brilliant, with each floor themed for one of the current Lego major themes. We stayed in one of the Adventure themed rooms. Absolutely brilliant, unless you are afraid of spiders (embroidered into the carpet). There was a separate room for MacK, and a treasure hunt for him with a gift in the safe when he deciphered the code. There is Lego everywhere, including massive tubs in the foyer.

The major clientele for Legoland is split between China and Australia. The food in the restaurant seems to be their take on what both the Chinese and Australians want. I don’t know enough about Chinese cuisine to know if they got that right, but the western food was pretty good. Unless you like bacon… No bacon in Malaysia! Turkey bacon doesn’t quite hit the mark!  

We spent our first afternoon in the water park, which was a lot of fun. The overriding feeling is one of safety. We were comfortable leaving Hugo in the care of a life guard while Jane, MacK and I had a race on the speed slide. The only criticism we had about the water park is that the water pressure is toned way down to meet the needs of the target market who don’t swim. Actually, it was only me who had a real problem with the water pressure… I stopped dead on a couple of slides, and had to walk out. Still excellent fun through.

Day two was the Lego park proper, were we started with MacK getting his Legoland driver’s licence. Apparently, this was a busy day at Legoland, but we never had to queue more than five minutes on every ride. At one-point Jane and MacK didn’t even have to get off the roller coaster at the end of a ride. Comparing the park experience to previous Gold Coast theme parks for value is a no brainer – Legoland wins hands down.

MacK won a Lego competition in the hotel, and Hugo missed everything – although we do have a bunch of photos of the wee man asleep next to all the attractions to remind him of what he missed out on later in life.

Back in Singapore we stayed in the Orchard Hotel – a fantastic hotel at the top end of Orchard Road, and very close to the centre of town. We had a quiet afternoon in the Swimming Pool before heading out to one of the Hawker food markets. The next day was our day to relax without any organised outings, so we headed out to the Botanic Gardens. I had the pedometer on my phone, and apparently we walked 16 km over the day…. Definitely got that relaxing thing down pat! An absolute highlight of the day was the restaurant Bees Knees for lunch.

Our last couple of days we had organised tours, with one being to the Singapore Zoo, and the other to Sentosa Island and its amazing Aquarium. We were lucky enough to have breakfast with the Orang Utans at the Zoo, and MacK was able to tick off his bucket list animals. Jane likewise, with the ballerina of the African river systems – the Pygmy Hippopotamus (He was pretty cute).

Most of our dining was done in traditional Hawker style establishments except for the night that MacK couldn’t face the walk. We decided to go to the Spanish restaurant attached to the Hotel. Pim Pam by Foc ( with MacK saying that it was the “F” word, but with the wrong spelling) is the kind of restaurant where you would be more likely to take your significant other for a special occasion than two tired kids… MacK monstered a plate of exceptionally good olives and most of my Jamon Iberico (told him I will get him his own pig to cure!) before taking on a roast chicken cannelloni.

Singapore is an amazing city. There are very few cars on the road (prohibitively expensive to own), with most traffic underground in a subway system. It makes it very easy to walk through the city, and we regularly had taxi drivers apologise for the cost of taxi travel (which was much cheaper than here in Australia). The Gardens by the Bay are just amazing and we would love to go back to explore the properly. The steel forest is incredible, and they set a light show to music every night.

Our last night we spent in Arab Street, which is both incredibly vibrant and unique, but also so very different to the rest of Singapore. We could have spent hours wandering through the market stalls and shops, but were rapidly running out of time. Besides, we needed to get back to the hotel to pack as we had a 0530 h pickup to get to the Airport to get back to reality! 

A belated catch up

And just like that we are into spring, and our last 100 days in the Top End. I thought we might have a little more time this year, but it appears there is some sort of requirement that we sprint to the finish! So sprint we will, taking a nine month old dog, the two boys, Jane’s study schedule and my work requirements with us.

On the bright side, we have plane tickets booked (16 December) and have been in touch with the removalists. I will also have to do a little returfing in the back yard, as the pooch has decided the grass itches, and he would rather lie in dust…

By way of catch up news (of which there isn’t too much, as we have been head down, arse up for much of the year), see below:

·                         Hugo is all but walking, and is the proud owner of at least seven teeth. Not sure exactly how many, as it is a tricky business getting all your fingers out of his mouth intact if you venture in!

·                         Rocket is now a nearly full-grown menace. He has the playfulness of a puppy, combined with the strength of an adult dog. He is broad of chest, short of leg and a little grey… Who was it that said dogs look like their owners?

·                         Jane is well immersed in her studies, and learning new things every day. Some days those new things are more about the impossibility of doing anything with a near toddler than they are about opening a book, but still it is an education!

·                         We have had some progress on the farm. The plumbing has gone in (nothing yet in facility wise, so still a bit rough), and a bathroom will be first on the agenda when we get back to building.

·                         MacK is doing well at school, although is currently looking a little gappy in the teeth department. He is still driving Jane nuts with his pedantry, but his use of language is a delight. He won book week at school a couple of weeks ago, for his brilliant portrayal of ‘I am Sam’, from Seuss’ Green eggs and ham.

·                         We have our confirmed posting back to Canberra for next year. I will be studying full time, reading for my Masters in Strategic People Management. Just a little bit excited…

·                         Whilst loving the upcoming posting to Canberra, we will be sad to leave Darwin for the contact with David and Jess. Jane has looked after Chloe on many occasions, and it has been fantastic for Hugo to spend time playing with Chloe. I think he is a little jealous at the moment, as she toddles around the house!

Clockwise from left: Me and the boys at a local water park on Father's Day; Phyl and the boys on a mid winter(?) escape from Canberra; Family selfie with fish and chips on the beach...

In other plans, we will shortly take a road trip to the East Kimberleys, to spend a few days camping on a river bank in one of the great wilderness parks of the world. Can’t wait – no phone, no electricity! Just us, and the first weeks of the humid build up. Timing not great, but the experience will be fantastic.

Clockwise from bottom left: MacK in the prize winning "I am Sam" costume; Hugo with that irresistible smile; MacK minus several teeth; and Hugo showing just how much he likes watermelon

A May Day weekend - touring the Top End

We have finally managed to get out for our first Top End camping trip - even if it was only a short trip. We packed up the car on Friday night, and headed out early on Saturday morning for Katherine - a run of about 300 km from home. We stopped on the way for coffee at a place called Hayes Creek - coffee was quite good, but I wouldn't have wanted to see the results of a breath test on the owner!

A bit further south Hugo let us know he was ready for a feed, so we pulled into Pine Creek to accommodate his needs. MacK and I had a walk around some old mining machinery, and then decided to use the facilities on the way out.

I guess the volunteers have given up on this front...

We made it to the Edith Falls (Leiliyn) Camp Site, and met Paul and Helen there. We immediately ducked back out onto the Highway to drive to Katherine Gorge (Nitmuluk) where our plan was to catch the 1100 am Two Gorges cruise. We missed the time by a good ten minutes or so, so went back into Katherine where we had a soak in the Katherine Hot Springs before heading back to Nitmuluk for the 2pm cruise.

Clockwise from top: The beautiful thermal springs in Katherine - full of minerals. Hugo enjoying the swim. Hugo relaxing with Dad. The springs haven't been mucked around with too much - pretty much as nature intended. Me and Hugo again. The origin of the spring.

 Katherine Gorge splits in the second gorge, with a lovely opportunity for a panoramic shot to try and capture some of the grandeur.

 It takes about four hours, and is worth every cent (or dollar...). The guides are very knowledgeable about both the geography of the area, and the culture and history of the Jawoyn people. Nitmuluk means blue winged kingfisher and cicada country - travelling up the Katherine River you are literally travelling on the wings of the Kingfisher into Cicada country. The Gorge is unbelievably ancient and breathtaking. Apparently enough water can run through the Gorge in the height of the Wet to completely fill Sydney Harbour every nine minutes, so there is a fair bit of force. It was hot, and it was tempting to go for a swim - the guides were telling us that they had seen a salt water croc a couple of days earlier, so probably not yet safe. He waits until a couple of hundred back packers have jumped in each year before he starts swimming... Smart man!

A series of shots that try (and mostly fail) to capture the magnificence of Katherine Gorge. Note the Rangers out checking the croc trap.

After the gorge cruise we went back to the campground for the night. On Sunday morning we were up early with the birds after a lovely cool night, and ready for the trek up to Edith Falls. It isn't a long walk (only about a kilometre or so) but it is a fair vertical climb. The falls were spectacular and made a great swim spot for an hour or two.  The rocks are scrubbed smooth, and burnished with the oxides that leach out of the sand stone. The water is crystal clear and cool. Just a perfect way to spend a weekend.

Again Edith Falls is spectacular, but the pictures are a poor substitute for actually being there to experience it in real life!

Some of our 'people' shots (above and below). Have just noticed that the same pic has come up in the top right of both collages - too much work to take it out.

In this collage, the one of the family (bottom left) was taken in Canberra recently at MacK's birthday party. The bottom right picture is Mack with Dave and Melissa - his god parents (also taken at MacK's party)

And pictures to fill the last few months

The picture collages that follow contain some of my favourite photographs from the past few months. They don't show everything we have been doing, but should give you a tiny snapshot into the current state of play.

We recently had family portraits taken (early March). As you can see, Hugo is a very happy wee chap!!

L-R: MacK picked up his first set of footy boots today. He will be playing an oval ball code, although sadly not rugby at this point. He starts Auskick with a few of his mates shortly. Looking forward to seeing how he goes. This pic of Hugo was taken at the Virgin Lounge on our way back to Darwin. Just chillin'... Top right is Mack and Ethan together after New Years, and the bottom right is the boys on the flight to Perth.

Clockwise from top: Hugo's christening. One of the first photographs of the full family together, taken on a lovely Canberra summer afternoon. Dave Kennedy and MacK. A brace of Godfathers with their young charges! Paula (the Godmother) with Hugo in the Church. She didn't drop him, so passed the first test.

L-R: Rocket, on the day he came home with us. Rocket- a little tired after a walk. Have to say I have probably used those boots as a pillow too. For Hugo's christening we spit roasted pork legs and shoulders, and chopped it to serve in rolls with cabbage and apple slaw and aioli...

ANZAC Day 2017. Me getting ready to march in Darwin. At this stage only minus the slouch hat and sword. The second is Grandad's medal rack - very happy to be able to commemorate his service.

Can’t believe its April already – and even then it’s nearly May!

I realised recently that we had been remiss with blog posts, but wasn’t aware of just how far back we need to go for a catch up! By way of excuse/explanation I can only offer the following:

• -       We have a new baby
• -       We have a new dog (more on the trials and tribulations of Rocket later)
• -       I have an incredibly busy job that has me on call 24 hours per day, seven days per week (fortunately only until the end of this year)
• -       Jane is studying
• -       I am studying (or something approximating that) a Masters, commencing this semester.

In addition, we are trying (and mostly failing) to get out and see a bit of the Northern Territory before we post out.

So, for the purposes of keeping a time capsule diary, and bringing you back into the loop, please see below a list of key events and highlights that have kept us busy over the past few months. We will add photos as we can!

• -       After Christmas we travelled across to Perth for a belated family celebration (I had to stay in Darwin for my work), staying with Jacinda and Jason. It was a great few days, and lovely to see MacK and Ethan play so well together. Thanks Jacinda and Jason for putting us up!
• -       We then travelled back across to the East coast to spend some time in Canberra and introduce Hugo to his adoring Southern fans. This included a Christening – and we don’t think we could get better godparents for Hugo than Leigh and Paula. All we can say is, watch out for the future, Son!
• -       We went up to the farm for a week or so, and had the pleasure of David’s company (he was in town for Summer Nats). He built our shower recesses and installed the cavity sliders. I had thought I might do that – but seeing the work that went into it am glad he was on hand!
• -       We collected all our plumbing fittings and took them to the farm. We emptied a large portion of the ‘shovetorium’ at Peter and Phyl’s, leaving them bereft at what they might do with the extra space. They soon sorted that out, finding a whole lot more useful stuff to take its place!
• -       I had thought work this year might have a manageable tempo (second year in the job, knowing what you are doing, etc…), but no such luck. If anything we are busier than ever before.
• -       We picked up Rocket – a short legged blue heeler pup, who is a bundle of energy and just gorgeous to look at. Except when he is digging holes in the back yard. Then he is a pain in the proverbial. He had an accident a couple of weeks ago, and has been on compulsory crate rest ever since. He seems to be coming good, so look forward to seeing him bounce around the yard again. Before the accident I was walking him twice per day, and have lost 11 kg this year.
• -       MacK went back to school, and has really thrived in Year 1. He has an incredible vocabulary and turn of phrase. We think he will turn out ok… He turned six this year, and we had a lovely party for him at the water park with his friends. (We also had a party for him in Canberra where we invited our friends for an afternoon of fun, food and frivolity!).
• -       Jane went back to Canberra to fulfil her duties as Godmother to Ella – she spent a lovely four days without MacK – so far the longest she has been apart from him.
• -       We had some rough news in early March, and unfortunately had the whole family gather to send off a dearly loved cousin of mine in some style. We took a family of Irish Catholic extraction to a winery for a wake on St Patrick’s Day – a perfect and most fitting celebration for a life cut short well before due.
• -       Having travelled South, we took the opportunity to head back to Canberra and the farm for a week or so (to escape the heat if nothing else). We attended a lovely wedding in Canberra, and spent some time at Ikea sorting out kitchen cabinetry. Up on the farm we picked the three Japanese Imperial Mandarins that I had (naughtily) elected not to prune off in Summer. The taste of that first fruit grown on our farm was incredible – and just reinforces our resolve to get the farm planted and finished!
• -       Hugo has teeth - two of them appearing on the same morning. So far we haven’t been able to photograph the teeth themselves, but we did get a shot of the damage he did to a broccoli floret (another brassica lover in the family).
• -       Over the Easter break we made our way out to Litchfield National Park with the rest of Darwin, but managed to get a park at Buley rockholes for a swim.
• -       I marched in Darwin for ANZAC Day, and was very proud to commemorate Grandad’s WWII service during the Dawn service. It was very hot though, and my suit is made of wool. Needless to say I smelt much like a wet dog by the end of the day.

And there you have it. The concise version that almost brings you up to date. We will be more diligent from here on – I promise!

We hope to post back to Canberra at the end of this year, so if you want to visit the Top End holiday home, you should really start to make plans!