Tag Archives: swimming

Paradise Valley 2016

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Every Easter a group of us head down to Paradise Valley for a camping trip. It is so refined now that we take a kitchen sink. It really does make the dishes easier to do. Anyway this trip has been going on before I was born, I really look forward to it each year.

This might be the last year, though we have been saying that for a while. The people who own it are getting older and having trouble putting it on. And so it goes.

Got down there Thursday a bit later than we planned. Claire and I put there tent up and we were right on the river.

Friday & Saturday were gloriously sunny days, we made the most of it. I went for a swim each day except Thursday, which is really rare. Although when we were kids we used to swim for hours at a time, never getting colder.

Very happy after the Kangaroos had a win!

Otherwise it is a lot of food, beers and laughs. “What is like a sheep but black and white” Claire asked in a game of articulate. The answer is cow of course. These are always the longest and most fun trips, but the hardest to write about. The weather really made this trip, it was the first since I moved back to Melbourne. Definitely a lot of fun. Hope we get to do it again.

Phillip Island – Day Trip

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This Autumn heatwave has been really nice, especially coming down from the tropics. We came up with the idea of heading down to Phillip Island for a random day. It is around 2 hours 20 minutes one way, which makes it as close as Litchfield is to Darwin. Definitely worth a swim in the ocean!

I am really loving being able to get back in the surf again. I have really missed the waves, and the freedom not to worry about crocodiles.

We went down there and headed to the forest caves, Claire and Trish had a look while I had a swim. We then went onto the nobbies, before having a picnic and checking out the penguin parade on the way home.

Claire loves the penguin parade more than anything. I have now seen it 3 times in the past 3 years.

And I’m sure, we will be there again in 2016… happy wife, happy life

Starting to trust the car again after all the trouble we have had… photo taken after Claire had decided to drive home 🙂

Southern Forests of Tasmania

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Friends of ours were getting married in Southern Tasmania, so we used the excuse to get a rental car and explore some of the southern forests. This wasn’t a true outdoor adventure, as it was lacking a 4WD, tent, or boat. But it was fun to get around in our i20 and see some of a state I haven’t really explored.

We were limited to short day walks, but it was still quite enjoyable. The rivers were quite interesting, and the fresh water was coloured a brown/red from all the wood there.

We also went down to their famous “airwalk” which was a pathway in the forest canopy. It was certainly hyped up, and I think a little disappointing. But then, the things you hadn’t heard about, like the small walk among the forests themselves, or the amazing colour of the water were really cool.

We also had a look at a cave system there, which was the best cave system that I have explored.

They also had a thermal swimming pool which I was excited to try as I was struggling a bit having lived in Darwin for the past 4 years. This was perhaps the worst of the Tassie trip. They had turned it into a swimming pool! I have no idea why they would do this, but instead of a totally natural pool like Douglas Hot Springs, or one like Mataranka where it had a bit of work done, it just looked like a normal swimming pool, except the water wasn’t chorinated. I really felt it ruined the natural beauty of where it was.

That being said, I don’t want to sound too negative, with no food poisoning and no broken down cars, it was probably the best holiday of 2015! Except for our wedding of course, which doesn’t seem to count as a holiday.

And of course, the wedding we came for:

 

Litchfield Trip – the last?

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Claire’s friend Reb was up so we headed to Litchfield. Did the normal trip, photos at Wangi and Florence, swim at Sandy Creek falls and the Buley Rockholes.

The trip was great fun, perhaps a little sad as I am not sure if we will return again to Litchfield. Very unlikely we will return to Sandy Creek falls (Tjaynera) which is my favourite place in Litchfield. The build up is coming, the storms will hit soon, the barra will be biting… and we have the impending move to Melbourne.

It was a great day, though Claire had forgotten about the 1.7km walk to the waterfall, and she wasn’t happy with it. Nice to have a drink or two at the Buley Rockholes in the afternoon, it was the first time that I had drank at Litchfield, but I have to say clearly an amateur at it with my two XXXX Gold cans, most of the boys at the rockholes were carrying cases of bundy.

No complaints from me, apart from Reb and Claire ganging up on me music-wise, you try a few hours of clubland…

 


Sandy Creek Falls


Buley Rockholes

Kakadu without the camping 2

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Claire’s sisters visited us so we took them to Kakadu.

The usual locations, Nourlangie, Ubirr, Maguk, Ikomarrwa, Bukbuluk

A lot of fun

Stayed in Jabiru as we didn’t really have the equipment to camp for the four of us.

Plus it is a bit easier when it is an single night.

Great trip, played some cards against humanity on the Saturday which was good for a laugh

The Gunlom walk was closed as it was burnt out… still amazed at the lack of people at Maguk. The most underrated spot in Kakadu!


The three sisters in Maguk


Claire and me at Ubirr