Day 32 - Victoria River Roadhouse to Lake Argyle - Wednesday 30th August 2017

 So today we set off to cross the Western Australia border having depleted pretty much all our supply of fresh fruit and vegetables. Sue drove for the first 90 odd km to Timber Creek whereupon I took over and drove the remainder - around 320 km in total. Some of the rocky escarpments along the way deserve mention given how beautiful this part of our country is. On arrival we settled in to our allocated site in what was a very busy campground. And then we took to the water as there is a fabulous infinity pool here which looks out over Lake Argyle itself. Disappointingly we didn't manage to book for a sunset cruise for the following day as it was completely booked out. In any case we enjoyed a stunning sunset over the lake this evening anyway. The number of red winged black cockatoos were a sight to behold as they put on a lively show.

Day 31 - Pine Creek to Victoria River Roadhouse - Tuesday 29th August 2017

 Sue took the helm today, driving from Pine Creek to Katherine a distance of some 90 km. We stopped at Katherine for coffees before continuing (this time with myself at the wheel) on to Victoria River Roadhouse. The surrounding countryside was a bit of a dust bowl but the river and riverbanks plus the escarpment made the stop worthwhile. We went for a walk along what would have been the old bridge to take in the views.

Day 30 - Darwin to Pine Creek - Monday 28th August 2017

 Having said goodbye to Maggie yesterday we set off today in our quest to complete our half lap of Australia. Our destination was the small town of Pine Creek some 220 km south of Darwin. Along the way we stopped at the Adelaide River War Memorial and cemetery. Quite a sobering experience to contemplate how close the Japanese amy have come to invade Australia vie our northern borders. Pine Creek was home to a lovely array of birdlife and bats and found the camping ground attached to the local service station to be excellent value at $20 per night power and water. This being our last stop before Western Australia we were began to eat as much of our fruit and vegetables as possible given that we would in all likelihood have to dispose of excess at the border.

Day 29 - Darwin - Sunday 27th August 2017

 My sister Maggie came to our camping ground at 10.30 with the aim of assisting us with shopping for shoes for Sue in the first instance. I can't recall which shopping mall we visited but there was an Athlete's Foot store there where Sue secured a pair of blue walking shoes at Maggie's suggestion. While in this mall we also visited a camping store and bought some tent poles for our motorhome awning. Then it was off to the Darwin wharf for a bit of sightseeing - while there we took in a couple of videos showing how the bombing of Darwin in the second World War unfolded as well as a second one on the history of thee Royal Flying Doctor Service. Following this we headed back to the campground for some pre-dinner nibbles before once again heading back to the wharf for dinner with Maggie and two of her friends - Shirley and Jan. Finally we headed back to the campground where to Sue's great pleasure she spotted a bilby jumping past where she was seated.