We sold up, packed up and decided to embark on the adventure of our lives. Follow us as we travel around Australia in a caravan.

We were off to explore Kakadu, Northern Territory after a sleepless night. We agreed that we are all feeling quite lethargic due to the heat. It was still a hot day today but overcast and thunderstorms were predicted in the afternoon. So we packed our lunch and took off.

At the first information centre, Ray and the kids found an old jeep in the bush, and as we turned back into the main road, a dingo was soaking up the heat of the bitumen. Look closely at the photo, he is well camouflaged. We felt so lucky to have him sitting there waiting for us because we have been on the lookout for one since arriving in the Northern Territory.

We needed to do some 4WDing to get to our first stop. It was a seriously bumpy and corrugated 40km side road. Ray and Chris had such a lot of fun running through muddy puddles and river crossings. We were amazed how much water there was considering the temperature, but we realised that the wet season is just beginning now that it is early October.

Since the beginning of our journey from Melbourne, Chris realised a small error that he made in having the aerial for the CB mounted right in front of Vicki as this blocked her view every time they were in the car. She had complained repeatedly, and we had commented repeatedly until he buckled under all the pressure and spent a good part of last night moving it to a more suitable side location on the bull bar. How hilarious that whilst on the 4WD track it fell off and they had to stop and retrieve it. Chris sheepishly re-attached it.

We got to the bottom of Gunlom Falls which was a spectacular waterhole with a small waterfall. We dearly wanted to swim but the warnings about crocodiles are numerous and very serious. Vicki was on the lookout constantly and kept telling us about the woman in a Woman’s Day magazine article who got attacked by a croc. We were happy to indulge her and not swim.

After checking out the falls from the bottom, we decided to climb to the top. The sign said strenuous and steep, and so it was. It was very hot by this stage and we were comparing sweat trails in our clothing. The kids amazed us once again climbing all the way without complaint. (Chris did have to carry Harry for a spell as there were sheer drops over the side and keeping his balance with Harry in his arms was impressive. We could tell his gym membership was a solid investment!)

Reaching the top was a relief and one of the most beautiful views we’ve seen. There was a natural pool and another small waterfall. We didn’t swim (darn those crocodiles and Woman’s Day) but we did wet our feet, hats and bodies to cool off.

After morning tea we continued to drive through riverbeds and dusty tracks. The red dirt mixed with a bit of water made for a very filthy car. We could hardly tell the colour of it. On our way back we stopped to help another Victorian who’s car had broken down. Whilst sitting and waiting, Vicki jumped into our car with Harry. When the men were finished patching and repairing we followed the guy back to the main road. This gave Vicki the chance to have a go at 4WDing. We spun out along the corrugated roads, fish tailing and “whooping” all the way. Boy, can that girl can handle her machines!

We made our way back to camp for a toasted sandwich dinner and a swim in the pool. We are looking forward to exploring the North Kakadu area tomorrow.