As we continue north towards Darwin we are really starting to experience the impact that the bombing of Darwin during World War 2 had on this area of Australia. As we are now resting in Adelaide River it is a great time to update you on the trip from the Marbles to here and some of the history associated with the areas we have been through.

After leaving Tennant Creek we had several days camping in free camps on the roadside. The Northern Territory has lots of these and most have toilets and a water tank fed from local bores - you need to boil the water if you want to drink it but the water comes in handy for showers and washing! Just to name a few of the stops - Newcastle Waters, Warlock Rest Area, King River and Bridge Creek. We also called into Daly Waters, a very quaint pub that boasts the best Barra and Beer. We have decided to call into this pub and stay a night on our way back down towards Three Ways where we will head east to Queensland (that's not for another few weeks).

We decided to stay at King River Rest area 3 days and as it was only 45kms from Katherine, we took it in turns to look after the vans while the other couple went into Katherine to do some shopping, get fuel and of course have a very welcome dip in the Katherine hot springs.

On the day we left the rest area we once again called into the hot springs for another dip before heading further up the road to Edith Falls (a great camping spot in the Katherine Gorge NP). We will definitely be having another dip in Katherine's hot springs on the way down.

We spent a lovely night at Edith Falls before we were once again on the road and heading towards Adelaide River. We were hoping to stay near Pine Creek but one of our favourite little camping spots has been closed to camping so we stopped at Bridge Creek for 3 days. 3 of the hottest and humid days we have ever experienced. We read and tried to stay cool in the shade of the trees but the nights were really unbearable when the wind dropped.

Adelaide River Showground campground has been a welcome relief with electricity to run our airconditioners and have a daily swim in the pool. We have been here 5 days now and in 2 days time we are heading to Litchfield National Park. On Thursday 29th May we head into Darwin....well close to, as the prices for accommodation go through the roof the closer you get to Darwin. We don't want to miss out on all the great things to do there so have booked for 4 days in a park near Howard Springs.

Along the highway you see lots of markers pointing you to old airfields where planes were kept during the war. Since we have been in Adelaide River we have seen old hospital grounds, ammunition dumps and the war memorial of fallen soldiers, sailors and civilians killed in Darwin during the many raids that took place by the Japanese. Adelaide River was a very important town during the War and they have a fantastic Railway Museum with heaps of information about the War.

We have also seen the Ghan go through both on its way to Darwin and on its ways down to Adelaide.

When we were at Edith Falls they had a crocodile cage set up for people to see what they look like. Of course we are yet to see a live croc but we're not in too much of a hurry to do that. We are aware of the potential for crocs in the water ways around here as they had a huge flood in February this year that would have enabled the saltwater crocs to travel further inland than usual.

So, that's about it for now and I'm hoping to have more photos and exciting events in our journey into Darwin in the next episode. Now go and have a look at the album with waterfalls, hot springs and a little bit of history.