I apologise for commencing a blog discussing the weather, but finding ourselves in Darwin in their hottest July on record was something else. Mid to high thirties during the day and dropping to 25 overnight, we had to struggle through some hot and sweaty nights. It was lucky that we had some special visitors from down south, who also happened to be staying in a lovely air conditioned villa nicely located 20 m from our camper.

Grandma and Grandpa Wood had found a free week in their calendar to fly up to Darwin, explore the sights, and spend some much appreciated time with Theo, Archie and us. Aunty Pauline and Uncle Ross had also recently moved to Darwin for work, and luckily timed it to be set up in an apartment with a luxurious pool just in time for us to spend a few afternoons cooling off.

Our running schedule picked up on our arrival in Darwin with over 50 km to run in the week. Running after sunrise was basically impossible, so each morning we dragged the kids out of bed in the pitch black, strapped them into the Bob Revolution pram, and ran our 10 or 12 k runs returning for a cool off swim. I can't imagine how hard it would be to exercise in Darwin once the humidity ramps up!

We tried to do a few of the key must-dos in Darwin including the Mindle Beach Markets, Darwin Waterfront, the Art Gallery etc... but the guilt of dragging kids out of bed made us focus on things they might like. We made use of the free waterpark at Leanyer (amazing!), library visits for 'toddler Tuesday', but we mainly spent a lot of time hanging around the resort pool to let Theo have massive play days with his friends we met in Daly Waters.

Litchfield National Park received a flying visit for a swim and picnic at the magnificent Wangi Falls. The drive south ended up being the back road, which was rather gravelly and corrugated (which was not allowed per the small print in Dad's hire car contract...oops!).

Before our week of comfort at the resort was over, we spent a few good days with Mum and Dad enjoying the park facilities including the poolside bar and entertainment, while Theo ramped up his swimming confidence with his oversized orange emergency life jacket and blue goggles. We said our goodbyes to my parents, attended the Darwin Waterfront Parkrun, took in the sunset at the Mindle markets before packing up the camper to immerse ourselves in the Kakadu experience.

After a long drive through mid level scrub land, Kakadu's first impression was pretty underwhelming. Until we crossed the South Alligator River, and boom... our first real life crocodile sunning itself on the bank, not placed, not pointed out by a tour guide, but living in nature!

We kept on driving to our base for the week which was Cooinda, home of Yellow Water, set up the caravan, and promptly made our way to the pool to get some relief from the 36 degree day.

The next day, we woke early in the warm morning air, quietly dressed and got ourselves prepared, picked up our sleeping sons from their beds and carried them through the darkness to our awaiting transport. Piling into the bus, their little eyes started to take in the day, although still silent and cautious, not certain what was happening. We were moved off the bus and transferred in single file onto the boat, everyone quiet, not a word uttered. The sky was beginning to change and a warm red and yellow glow appeared on the horizon, shimmering on the warm misty waters. The boat un-hitched and we floated off silently, quietly winding our way upstream. A blind corner rounded and suddenly out of the depths rose a monster of immeasurable size, his teeth glistening from the sides of his scaly jaws, bright eyes staring knowingly and confidently, and powerful tail effortlessly pushing him silently through the waters, watching us with each move knowing exactly who the alpha animal is. And just as suddenly, he slunk below the surface to leave the peaceful surrounds, but we were now well aware of what lies beneath.

The tour of Yellow Water was not just about the crocodiles, although that was pretty cool. We found ourselves immersed in nature in such a way we never had before, seeing the warm sun rise, the sea eagles overseeing the day, the brolgas slow walk, jacanas dance on the lilly pads, darters sunning their wings, egrets gracefully going about their morning rituals, the details of the spider webs glowing in the morning sun stretching off to the horizon, snakes curled around branches, frogs hiding in pandini leaves and crevices and magpie geese frolicking.

It was such an immersion into nature, even the kids were mesmerised, that we booked on for another tour the very next day!

The wetlands and wildlife are one spectacular side of Kakadu, but the grand sandstone cliffs with the Arnhem plateau beyond hid spectacular waterfalls, gorges and detailed rock art depicting dreamtime stories from thousands of years prior. A significant archeological find in Kakadu this year dated human occupation to be over 60,000 years old, up from the previously oldest finding of 40,000 years. That is pretty impressive compared to our short history on this island.

Ranger Phoebe led us through the Ubirr Rock Art and Gallery site, sharing dreamtime stories recorded on the walls, including that of the evil Namarrgara Sisters who turned themselves into saltwater crocodiles to scare the tribes, leaving their teeth on the side of palm trees as a warning. The place where we learnt this story, was the perfect classroom used for thousand of years, with a 'blackboard', seats and a window to gaze through as a distraction from the lesson.

On top of this classroom stood levels of sandstone eroded over time to be a precipice rising out of the surrounding flat wetlands and savannah. Climbing these levels, step after step with Theo on my back until the magical views appeared, I felt like Mufasa climbing to the top of Pride Rock to show the world the new born Simba.

Our return trip back to Cooinda inadvertently resulted in us crossing the infamous East Alligator River, after missing the 'Authorised Vehicles Only' sign. The crocodile floating midstream only a few metres from the low water rushing over the concrete causeway, and the shell of a wrecked and abandoned car in the middle of the river was not enough of a deterrent, so we went over, did a quick u-turn and came back. A quick look at YouTube later put what we did in context, with some crazy people attempting the same crossing with much more water and much larger crocodiles!

A short visit to Nourlangie Rock and Anbangbang Gallery saw more impressive sandstone formations, hidden rock art, and some impressive caves entwined into the shear cliffs of the Arhnam Plateau. The small number of sites accessible to the public compared to the thousands yet to be discovered or considered too sacred for public access, highlighted just how important this land is to the aboriginal communities that have lived and nurtured this land over thousands of years. An afternoon at the cultural centre saw us mesmerised by the slow and detailed work of the local aboriginal artists, with a new acquisition of an artwork of the local barramundi.

Our Kakadu experience finished off with a long and painfully bumpy drive into Gunlom Falls, but on arrival another magical spot was found. A massive plunge pool at the base of a shear rock cliff, currently silent due to the dry season, cooled us off for the afternoon, and before the heat of the day rose, the next morning we climbed to the top of the Falls, to see natures infinity pool, a series of rock pools perched on top of the 100m high shear rock cliffs.

We packed up and said our goodbyes to Kakadu and to the Top End for the moment. What a wonderful place to have in our own backyard!