TUESDAY 6 JUNE     LITCHFIELD

Our day off.

We had to go to Darwin to get the problem clutch fixed.

Left at 6.50am, travelled via the shorter dirt road again, and got to LandRover in Darwin at 8.40am.

We had arranged to have a hire car from them, so we could get around town for the day.

The clutch was repaired, but the new radiator could not be fitted, because the wrong sized one had been sent – so we had to return in yet another two weeks, to get that done. Again, the sort of occurrence that was pretty typical in the NT.

The hire car had been going to cost us $35, but in the end we did not get charged for it, to compensate us for the radiator mix up, so we did win something! Our car was a Mitsubishi Colt – a very zippy, nice little car, an automatic.

After dropping off Truck, and collecting our car, we drove to the Cool Spot – a big cafe establishment in Fannie Bay, that I’d gotten to know on my earlier school trips to Darwin. We had breakfast there. John had an eggs and bacon meal, I had ham and cheese croissants, and we had a couple of coffees each. Ate our food out on the tiled Art-Deco-ish patio area at the front, looking out to glimpses of the sea at the nearby road corner. All very pleasant, but costly at $37!

It was a lovely morning and we felt rather privileged to be there enjoying it. I texted daughter that we could be very tempted to move up here permanently. Her reply must have set an all time record for speed. It said: “Too many cyclones, too many crocs, and too bloody far away!”.

After the very leisurely breakfast, we went shopping, to buy John some more work clothes – a couple of long sleeved light weight shirts, and a pair of shorts.

Went to the Darwin Fishermens Wharf, where we walked and watched the boat activity. It looked like there might have been a captured Asian fishing junk moored out in the harbour.

After the substantial brunch, we were not hungry again, so passed on lunch.

Went to the centre of the city, to the Mall area, to buy some tourist souvenir type T shirts for the grand children. Walked and browsed the various shops there.

Collected Truck and got back to our camp in time for happy hour with M, and then an early night, after the early morning. It was a relief to no longer have the clutch problem.

On the way back, refuelled at Coolalinga – $1.38cpl.