Other places: Exploring the Top End.

We spent today exploring the a little corner of the Top End, as I enjoy a weekend with Peter following on from a quick visit to Darwin for work. After visiting the popular Parap markets, we headed out of town. (I was going to say 'headed south' but to be honest, I am still finding my sense of direction completely askew here in Darwin. I think we eventually made our way south. Anyway, I digress.)

First, a little zip around Humpty Doo (yes! that's really what it's called!) before reaching Batchelor. Best known these days for the tertiary institution of the same name (Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, or BIITE), the small town with a population of just less than 500 people lies near a former uranium mine called Rum Jungle. We stopped at a butterfly farm for lunch on a breezy and eclectically-decorated verandah.

Next stop was Berry Springs Nature Park, a popular picnic and swimming spot during the dry season. Since it's still considered the wet season, the swimming holes were closed, with water levels high and turbulent. We umm-ed and ahh-ed before deciding to continue around and head north through the Cox Peninsula. The end of the road brings you to Wagait Beach, a small and sleepy coastal community. It sits almost directly opposite Darwin with a stretch of clear blue water between, which is traversed several times each day by a ferry service. This means a 130 km trip by car becomes a 15-minute boat trip - very handy for residents who commute for work or school.

Dark and foreboding clouds cracked open for a heavy rain shower on our drive back, but in true Top End style it soon passed. I'm looking forward to being able to explore some more of the Top End - including Kakadu and Litchfield - during the dry season. Tomorrow, it's back to Alice Springs for the week ahead!