We are on holiday!

Thursday 4th August 2022

So lovely to be back in Darwin after so long! Also nice to sleep on a real bed again, and a comfortable one at that! The morning plan was fish feeding at aquascene, which was kicking off at 8:30, so we were on our way just before 9.

Aquascene was great fun! It wasn’t very busy – which was my main worry about going there. Last time Richie and I went it was packed. Otis was a bit wary about being surrounded by so many fish at first, especially since they are just a sea of moving mouths. Bonnie had no such worries, and spent the next 2 1/2 hours almost entirely in the water! There were loads of mullets (which Otis loved to pat), milk fish, which are a stunning green colour on top, and scats (Bonnie’s favourite), which are green and black striped. The staff there were really lovely, and  responsive to others’ enthusiasm which was fun! They had Bonnie feeding pilchards to some of the more aggressive and toothier species, including some huge barramundi, that make an awesome ‘whoomp’ sound as they break the water surface, mangrove jacks, a rock cod and catfish. They also showed her how to coax the enormous bat fish to the surface and give them a pat! It was actually a lot of fun, and so nice to see the fish up close! They closed at 11:30 – times are variable according to the tides, and we headed back to the apartments for some lunch and a rest.

Back at the accommodation the kids had toasted sandwiches, I went through the disappointing process of feeding coins into machines to get them out damp but otherwise looking the same shade of brown, and we had a quick swim in the pool. Then it was back in the car to East Point Reserve – a spot where we had all spent a bit of time previously. Richie and Andrew for their PhD research, and Tegan and me as research assistants!

The tide was still a little bit higher than ideal, which meant we ended up sloshing through the mud to get across the mangroves, until we got to a clearing that was full of the familiar waves of the fiddler crab. We caught a few for the kids to see, chased a few mud skippers, then quickly remembered how hot and muddy the mudflats actually are, and headed back to the carpark! We walked across to Lake Alexander so we could wash the mud off our shoes and legs, then drove to ‘the cool spot ‘ nearby in Fannie Bay for an ice cream.

From there we split ways with Andrew and Tegan – they went to take the kids to a playground and we set off for Mindil Beach markets. I have always loved the markets at Darwin, but have rarely been to the famous Mindil Beach markets because I was generally in Darwin too late, so I was very excited about this! As was Bonnie, probably because we told her she could buy a dress there!

We had fun wandering the length of the markets – we told the kids they could get any dinner they wanted, so they had a rather disturbing collection of fairy floss, satay sticks, lemonade, dumplings and slushies! In hindsight it was an irresponsible amount of sugar, though I’m pretty sure that is what kept them going at the markets till 8:30! Richie and I had green papaya salad and curries (mine in a roti wrap 😋), so we pretty much ate all our favourite foods that we used to love getting in Darwin! Not necessarily a healthy evening, but a delicious one! Bonnie and I each bought a dress, as promised, then back to the apartments and bed for the kids, while the grown ups had a couple of drinks outside.😊