DARWIN & SURROUNDS

Before it gets too sticky and temperatures rise (internally and externally) within the close proximity of van living we decided to venture up to Darwin for a few lay days.
Plenty of time for bargain shopping, Deckchair Cinema, Night Markets, exotic culinary taste bud titillation and the Free Leanyer Water Park.
So what did we do in Darwin? Played on the slides, and kidz splash area for HOURS of course!
Actually these recreation parks were fantastic! You see, you are unable to swim at any of the beaches or natural water courses around Darwin (unless you want to drive 70km to Berry Springs). So the council have created two water and skate parks, that provide loads of bbqs, shaded areas, water play, water slides (for big and little kids), gradient swim pool, climbing frames, swings etc. You name it, it's here, everything your inner child could wish for!
We would have gone here anyway on our own, however it's SO much more funner with four littlies and way less disapproving adult vibes!

The first day the two youngest where happy in the kids splash area, I was pretty rapt with it also just quietly. We alternated between the three big water slides (a red, two passenger tube of darkness, twists and turns and many screams; and two single person slides blue and yellow; all approximately 150m in length), the swimming pool and the little kids play area which featured an array of sliding, climbing, water dumping, spraying, pouring, splashing delights.

The boys were pretty keen to hammer down the big slides for most of the day, the girls (we thought) would be too to small and or freaked out by the experience! Well, did all the adults get proved wrong the next day! I think I was more concerned about the girls wanting out halfway down the slide, which WAS NOT an option! Of course I was the guinea pig that got to be with them on their first rides! "They'll only do it once" was the parental advice if it all went pear shaped! Ha, great! Thanks! Well from then on we couldn't tear them away! Even on the super fast yellow one (which we didn't particularly like) they zoomed down solo repeatedly, frontwards, backwards, sometimes switching and twisting all the way down! It was a hoot! We got airborne a few times on the red one which added another unexpected adrenalin rush as the kids almost went sailing off the runway! Yikes! But where else do you get to share and allow yourself to feel again the shear excitement we once had as a 5yr old. Three of the best days ever!