And we're home

It's been a fun two years, Darwin.

We had a last swim at Berry Springs, together with the odd scaly friend. (Ken is under the waterfall in the first photo.)

Then Ken and friend Garry set off for the long drive home, all 4,310 km of it. This was the third time Ken's done the road trip from the north to the south (or south to north). Apart from a temperamental fuel pump, which required a thump with a shoe every now and again, and an overheated radiator (surprise!) at one point, the six-day expedition went fine.

Once again, the Daly River Historic Pub offered its idiosyncratic experience to the outback traveller; this time, the horse (2021) was absent from the pub but the goat was there instead.

It's a very boring drive, much of it. (Apparently.)

A drive down the track wouldn't be the same without a stop at Coober Pedy. Population: 2,500 ... most of them trying to find opals or themselves, or get away from their past. Okay, that's the story, but I bet it's largely true. Accommodation this time was an underground motel. Ken took the video from the top of the hill containing the motel. Underground church/meeting room an optional destination!

I flew home. The weather is beautiful in Melbourne and I'm so pleased to be back in time to rescue the garden before midsummer.

I'm going to miss the birdlife in the tropics. I'll leave you with some photos of rainbow bee-eaters in Darwin, which Ken insisted on calling honeycatchers. (!) We saw these little flashes of brilliance almost every week on our East Point cycle. I'll add photos of a grey heron wandering along the beach, a jabiru (black-necked) stork, an intermediate egret at Stokes Hill Wharf and a white-bellied sea eagle eating a fish ... from the head down. I've learned a lot about birds in the north; now to brush up on my Victorian birds.

I'lI miss Darwin's tropical temperatures, the tropical lifestyle and relaxed small-town vibe, and my daily swim. But I'm delighted to be home. I can catch up with family and old friends, I have my own kitchen just the way I want it, I'm able to potter around in the garden, and I have access to marvellous Melbourne.

I have good memories of our time in Darwin and I'm so grateful that we had this experience. I've loved using this blog to journal my experience. 54 posts in two years seem like a good collection of notes and photos, and I've enjoyed sharing them.

Thank you for reading.