Day 22: From Alice Springs to Darwin

July 13, 2018

Yay, today we can sleep in! We don't need to be told twice :-) The alarm is turned off and we don't climb out of bed until around 9 o'clock in the morning.

After breakfast, we pack the car and the family decides what activities we can do in Alice Springs this afternoon. Our flight departs in the afternoon at 5:15 PM, so we still have time.

We quickly dismiss the first idea of driving to the East Mac Donnells. After so much driving, we don't really feel like getting back in the car today. The kids are also not that enthusiastic about more "gaps".

We decide to visit the Desert Park. It's a kind of zoo and botanical garden in one, where you can find exclusively Australian animals and plants from the Outback.

The park is nicely set up. In my opinion, the dingos and kangaroos have too little space.... but well, it's a zoo.

The sun is reliably shining, with temperatures ranging from 20-22 degrees. It feels much warmer in the sun, but perfect, no sweating!
Our favorite animal in the park today is the Thorny Devil, which eats ants like there's no tomorrow.... yummy.

In the bird aviary, we make friends with a little yellow bird who loves my daughter's plush jacket - and uses it to pick nesting material out of the hood! When we're not so thrilled about it, he continues his search for nesting material on the wool hat of an older lady.

She doesn't seem to notice at all, she just wonders why so many people are looking at her and smiles back happily :-)

After a light snack, we head to the airport around 2 PM.

The airport is very compact. Apparently, no one is working at the Avis counter. We are instructed by signs to simply drop off the key in a key box. Alright, we'll do that.

Before going through security, we finish some of our drinks (which we can't take through security), and throw the remaining cans and bottles in the trash. We wonder why the security officers are waving at us frantically and asking us to come over. We then find out that we could have taken our drinks with us. Oh no.... if only we had asked beforehand or responded to the waving :-(

I didn't know either, but on domestic flights from Alice Springs, you can take drinks through security!
We sit alone at the gate for half an hour before it starts to fill up slowly. According to the flight schedule, the Virgin Australia flight to Darwin is scheduled to depart at the same time as our Qantas flight. I actually wanted to book Virgin Australia, but I found a good price for Qantas, so I booked with them.

It turns out to be the best decision because the Virgin Australia flight is delayed.
Boarding starts and we walk across the tarmac to our plane.
Ouch, this is an old one!!!!!

Not for people with a fear of flying - the plane, a Boeing 717-200, doesn't really look trustworthy.

You can also clearly see its age on the inside. I briefly regret not booking Virgin Australia, but now we can't change it anymore.

We pass by the "Flying Doctors" and take off on time. Just a few minutes into the flight, we see the mountain ranges of the Mac Donnell Ranges, before flying towards the sunset.

As a snack on the 2-hour flight, they serve hot pizza pockets or pumpkin-feta tarts. I choose the tart - delicious!

We land in total darkness at just 7:20 PM in Darwin. Unbelievable how early it gets dark here...

As we leave the plane, I feel like entering a steam sauna. Wow, it's hot!

On the departure board, we see that the Virgin Australia flight from Alice Springs apparently hasn't even taken off yet. Oh well - we did everything right! Even though our Qantas plane wasn't super modern, we arrived safely.

After finding our suitcases, we pick up our rental car at Avis. We booked a 4x4 jeep again and this time we get a brand new 4x4 Mitsubishi Outlander with only 600 km on the clock. Ok, now we really have to be careful not to make any dents or scratches...

Our previous Fortuner had so many scratches that the handover protocol form was completely marked in red ;-) The handover form of the Outlander, however, doesn't indicate a single dent or scratch. Wow....

We have to walk from the car rental counter to the parking lot, heavily loaded with backpacks on our backs, suitcases and bags in hand, and we're already drenched in sweat after just a few meters!

The car thermometer still shows +31 degrees at 8 PM.
Here in the far north, it's midsummer!

We will stay here in Darwin for the next 2 nights and spend the night at the DoubleTree Esplanade. The hotel is completely sufficient for our needs.
Our double room has 2 large queen beds and breakfast is included.
But first, we need something for dinner.

We walk a few meters down the street and sit down in a "Noodle House", quickly eat something, and then fall into bed pretty quickly.
We have a lot planned for tomorrow and the heat is really getting to me, while the rest of the family enjoys being able to walk around in shorts and t-shirts in the evening.



For the record:
Hotel: DoubleTree Esplanade / Darwin
Costs: €157 / night in a double room with breakfast
Distance driven: 27 km
Vehicle: 4x4 Toyota Fortuner / 4x4 Mitsubishi Outlander
Animal sightings: Kangaroos, dingos, various birds, parrots, reptiles, and our favorite of the day: the Thorny Devil
Weather: Plenty of sun at 22 degrees, +31 degrees in the evening in Darwin
Conclusion: A short trip to the Outback is definitely a must!