The wet has hit....

We woke up today to the sound of rain - it started around 6.30am and was just tapering off at around 9.40 am. We have been waiting for the 'wet season' to begin and now it has.. and how! I have NEVER seen rain like this - a torrential downpour that just kept coming. It was so loud in the caravan - even the kids were up and awake by 7am and it's a Sunday! Good thing I thought to pack my wellingtons and a huge umbrella (the umbrella I share, other than that, I'm right Jack lol. The guys have to tough it out until they get their own.) We needed them this morning. Even a thirty metre dash to the loos proved hazardous due to the slippery patches of mud lol. I did the splits at one stage as I dashed back to the safety of the caravan. 

I watched in amusement as poor people around us here at the park started gathering their stuff to bring indoors, most drenched to the bone, a few forward thinkers, doing it in their bathers. The good news is it's beautifully cool. How long that lasts, who knows. But its mid-morning and still really nice outside. We are heading out to the Palmerston water park this morning (the huge slide doesn't open until 11am) so at least there won't be a blazing sun for a change.

We have made good friends with two guys in their mid-twenties who are tenting in the next spot to us. Paz and Billy. They live in Melbourne and every wet season they head up this way to catch the excess of work. While Chris was out getting some tarps from Bunnings this morning (to block off the sides of the awnings to help stop the rain coming in sideways) poor Paz came over looking bedraggled lol. His tent was slightly flooded and he was desperate for a cup of tea. He ended up having breakfast with us. You got to take pity on the poor kids. These two are doing it hard. 

We haven't done much this week apart from visit water parks, a bit of exploring and just generally living life albeit from a caravan park. Chris has spent hours scouring the net for work (there's a fair bit up here. The backpackers are nicking off because of the wet season and not many people, according to those who live here) want to stay here and work if they are not a local. So it's out there. It's just that everything takes forever to process. Weeks even. Depending on the bites, we will wait for Mitch to arrive (Tuesday next week) and if we don't have much going on by then, we will hang on for a few more days to show him around, then scarper east. 

Will let you know how the work side of things pan out....

The water parks here in Darwin are amazing - and free! As you can imagine - we have spent a LOT of time hanging around them. They are a great relief from the heat of the day. This one in Leander has an enormous pool, these water slides and covered picnic areas. The small kids have an amazing water playground too (though the big kids - aka me and the boys have been known to have fun on them too.)

This red water slide goes super fast. You double up on a blue raft and hurl down at an alarming speed. The scariest part of it is that most of the tunnel is blacked out. Chris and I tried it out together and I sat in front but I wasn't quick enough to lie back down when we hit the light (I was yelling my head off almost the whole way down with Chris laughing his head off at my antics lol..) and when we hit the end - I popped out of the raft like a cork in a bottle, sliding along the edge and earning myself a huge bruise on my right thigh. Ouch!

This little guy was found and made himself at home in our caravan for a bit. We let him go in the gardens..

A harbor shot just outside Darwin - Look at that sky!

We went fishing for the first time since landing here. This is Fishermans' Wharf. The guys didn't catch much but we still had fun, staying until dark. On the way home we went through and had a look at the city all lit up like a Christmas tree. One street - Mitchell Street, was soooo busy. There's restaurant after restaurant of every description and they were bustling.

Shot of Darwin as the sun was going down - taken from the wharf. 

Perfection on the water

Jake mucking around - no explanation needed lol.

That's it for now. Things are ticking along nicely and tomorrow another week starts. Will try and blog again soon when I have a few more interesting things to add. Bye for now xx