Saturday 20th December

We are sitting watching the torrential rain (notice the theme?) waiting to get the shuttle to the airport to leave Darwin for Melbourne. The airport doesn't seem worried about the flight leaving on the edge of a cyclone, she'll be right they said.

Thursday 18th - contd
The rain carried on...but we decided to go out anyway. Everyone here just walks around in their ordinary clothes in it, our waterproofs look very out of place. We went to the Botanic Gardens ("Isn't it too wet?" said someone on the bus, ha ha) and fuirst to the nearby beach - rather like walking on Barmouth beach in August. The gardens were beautiful, the rainforest section seemed particularly appropriate for the day.
Later we decided to brave the film "Australia" in spite of what the critics have said. They were right. Don't know if it's been released in England yet? The plot and acting are dire, but if you put your fingers in your ears and just watch the scenery, it's tremendous. It was just what we'd seen for real the day before, so the timing was perfect. A couple of scenes were especially ironic - showing the cinema in Darwin in the 1930s, everyone fanning themselves because of the ferocious heat - while I was huddled in my waterproof in the present-day day one trying to get away from the ferocious air-conditioning...
And a walk back through the torrential rain...

Friday 19th December
Woke up to ...you've guessed it.
So another busride, this time to somewhere dry - the Museum and Art Gallery, small but very interesting. We particularly liked the didplay of all the venomous creatures around here...treading carefully so as not to be paralysed within 15 minutes, as seems quite likely, we walked along the cliffs and beaches, heading for shelter every half-hour or so. Saw some good birds, which don't appear to be venomous...on the whole.
Out in Darwin in the evening, torrential...well, you know. It didn't deter the Friday-night-before-Christmas revellers, was great fun. Walked back through etc etc.
We've loved Darwin in spite of the etc., but it has let us down a bit - we have seen signs of Christmas in several shops and malls, and even heard piped Xmas music twice, but it hasn't been too intrusive.
off to Melbourne any minute, so the adventurous first half of the trip is over - we probably won't blog much for a while as we spend Christmas with the family, the first since before Kate was born! So all of you have a great Christmas and New Year, we'll be thinking of you all.
Oh, and it's still raining!!