Katherine to Darwin.

Following the problems we had with our Honda generator stopping we planned time in Katherine to have this looked by the Honda people. We intended to buy a new spark plug as we felt this may have been breaking down. On explaining the problem to the Honda Service man, he asked if the oil reservoir was full to the brim and not just the full mark on the small dipstick. Apparently there is a protection cut-out against low oil level which is ultra sensitive to uneven ground. When we "over filled" the oil the problem was resolved. the moral of this story; read the instruction book - between the lines, then talk to an expert in the field.
After a brief visit to our satellite man Johhny in Katherine, to thank him in person for his no cost after sales service over the past four years, we presed on towards Darwin.
Overnight stop on the way was at another delightfull free rest area. Copperfield Dam is situated near Pine Creek, about 220km south of Darwin. As the name implies there is a very large dam there which is the main water supply for Pine Creek. Swimming is permitted. At all of these "remote" overnight stopping places we are able to set up the satellite dish and receive crystal clear TV channels, so can keep up with the news etc. Now that the generator is fixed we are also running it once we stop for the day to supplement the fridge and freezer.

Upon arrival in Darwin on Thursday morning, we firstly checked out the Pony Club camping facility where power is available for $20 per night. This compares more than favourably with the Big 4 caravan resort which is asking $38 per night. However we were unable to get in at the Pony Club as there is a big gymkhana on over the weekend, therfore they are clearing all campers out Friday.
Another location had been recommended by travellers, the Greyhound Club, which is just off the highway at Winnellie about 12km from the CBD. We checked this out and decided to stay there for a couple of nights and then move on to the very expensive Big 4 place down the road. Power is not available at the Greyhound Club, but they do have water, toilets and a hot shower available. At $55 per week plus $10 annual club membership we decided that this was more our style and we would stay here for the duration of our time in Darwin. The people here are very friendly and Happy Hour takes place most evenings. There is a bus to the city @ 50 cents return (within 3 hours) only 100 metres away - what more could we want!
Generators are permitted all day during daylight hours, so for the cost of a tank of petrol (2 litres) every couple of days we are very comfortable. An unexpected bonus occured last Friday night when we got free admittance courtesy of our annual membership to "the dogs" which had a ten event race program. They have TAB, bistro and bar facilities, so we dined out and had a flutter on the dish lickers.
We drove to Lee Point caravan village (where we have stayed in the past) and looked up caravanning friends, Wendy & Keith from Rye in Victoria, who come here every year for about 4 or 5 months during the bleak Rye winter. We plan to have dinner with them one night at Stokes Wharf pier in Darwin as the sun sets.

Saturday evening we went to the movies and saw Kung Fu Panda which was realy good - lots of laughs.

On Sunday we went to church at Casuarina where the minister was previously at Belrose in Sydney and had just moved to Darwin 4 years ago when we were last here. After church we went to the annual Beer Can Regatta at Mindil Beach, it was a real hoot - see pics on website as below.
Monday was Seniors Day at the Casino, so we went with another couple from here and had a beautiful lunch overlooking Mindil Beach.

The weather here is superb, around 30 degrees every day with a gentle breeze coming in mid-afternoon.

Don't forget to keep those emails coming, we would love to hear from everyone.

Kevin & Gail

See a small sample of photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com/kevinh055