Three days at Eden

Each time we come to Darwin we drive out to see Sunrise at Fogg Dam and always wish it wasn't so far. It's only about an hour away but at 5.00am that's a long way. Bill had found out about a B & B called Eden at Fogg Dam and as soon as this trip had been thought of he booked us in for 3 days. After a leisurely start to our Monday morning we headed out to explore some of our favourite places on the way to Eden. Our first stop was Howard Springs but with all the rain it was very soggy and the Monsoon Forrest walk was closed due to flooding. We did stop for a while watching the turtles and fish in the pool but with a few kids running riot and scaring all the birds away we left to see if we could find somewhere a bit quieter.

Berry Springs Nature Park was our next stop. I loved the sign as we drove in, obviously not a problem this morning, and again we found a very soggy park. Last time we were here the springs were full of people swimming but this time were closed because of the strong currents & the possibility of crocodiles moving in during the wet. Mmm, I didn't need telling twice, no swimming here. We were not the only ones wandering the park, we came across a little family of Wallabies making the most of the peace & quiet with no visitors. They were very cute. A further stop for lunch and then it was time to drive out to Fogg Dam and meet our hosts for the next 3 days.

We arrived about 3.00pm after a photo stop along the way. The field beside us was full of Water Buffalo wallowing in the wetlands and each one had a number of Cattle Egrets on their backs. An amazing sight to see and one that kept us busy for a while. We finally tore ourselves away and kept going on to Eden where we met Heather, Jeremy and their two huge dogs, Carla, a Maremma & Emir an Anatolian Shepherd. Both dogs are bred to protect and as Eden is a working farm the dogs play an important role in looking after all who live there and visit. Our room was just beautiful, in fact more a house than a room. The Tropical Suite is the whole downstairs area of a traditional Darwin House, with floor to ceiling louvre windows and lots of fans to keep you cool. Two little veranda areas were surrounded by their lovely gardens and we spent a lot of time here just soaking up the essence of the place. Peace perfect peace! Heather & Jeremy were the perfect hosts and we loved staying at their lovely home. We hope to visit again, perhaps we'll try the dry season next time.

After we settled in, had a coffee and did a little unpacking we decided that it was a great time to see Fogg Dam in the evening. We had heard that we may not be able to get across the causeway due to flooding though Jeremy said we should be right with the van. Eden is only a 10 min drive from Fogg Dam though it took a bit longer than that after frequent stops checking out the birds as we went. Forrest Kingfishers abound on the power lines and lots of waterbirds on the way in. So we thought. Once there we got the surprise of our lives. The water was right across the causeway and the rocks on one side of it were just a mass of birds feeding. Egrets of all types, darters, herons, ducks and kingfishers were just everywhere. A photographer's dream come true. We stopped here for some time before heading across the wall to the end where there is a two storey viewing platform overlooking the wetlands. It was here that we saw our first crocodile just cruising around his billabong in the balmy conditions. We had a great afternoon and didn't get back home until almost dark after watching the sunset over the wetlands.

The next morning we were up before the birds and headed out in the dark even driving across the causeway before the sun had come up. We watched the sunrise from our vantage point above the wetlands and had a fabulous morning watching it all come to life. The two whistling kites chatting to each other across the pandanus trees was magic. From our top storey lookout we could see other cars arriving and stopping and Bill said that one of them was Wayne. Sure enough on our way back across we stopped to say hello and another couple of hours disappeared taking photos, this time of the two beautiful Jabirus that were feeding with the other birds. They are now called Black Necked Storks but to everyone in the NT they will remain Jabirus. Wayne & Georgie stayed and played while we went home for a very late breakfast and a few hours R & R on the veranda. We returned later in the day for sunset and found not only Wayne & Georgie still there but they had been joined by Nolan & Josie together with Danny & Janice. We had a great evening but the sunset was overtaken by the huge storm clouds coming across. Nolan took this awesome photo of us coming across the wall with the clouds and a rainbow behind us. Once dark we all went our separate ways and we headed back to our tropical suite to listen to the rain that had arrived on our little drive home.

We got a sleep in the next morning as it was still raining so had a wander around the property instead once it stopped. The Blue Winged Kookaburras and the Scarlett Finches were just beautiful and certainly made up for not going over to Fogg Dam. That afternoon we headed back into town as we were all meeting that night for a Sunset Cruise on the Harbour. First stop was the Botanic Gardens looking for the 3 Barking Owls that the guys had all reported on the day before. Helen had rang everyone in raptures and they had all gone owl hunting. We couldn't find them so had to leave them for another day. We had a late lunch on the terrace at Parliament house enjoying the beautiful sunny afternoon and the view untill it was time to head for the Marina to board our boat for the evening's cruise. Leaving from Cullen Bay is great fun as you have to go through the Loch and once out we hoped the weather would play nice but no, Mother Nature had other idea's and the storm clouds gathered again. More spectacular pics to be had and then the rain came and stayed. We had a great night though and mostly stayed dry & certainly warm, with the plastic sides down on the catamaran. Drinks, nibbles & water is always a great way to go. Shame about the sunset though. We also caught up with Virginia & Greg and finally met little Toby who at 10 months old is just so cute. It was good to see them again and we look forward to a longer visit next week. We drove back to Eden through the rain and on the way back decided that we would try to find the owls that the local guys had told us about. Spotlighting along the power lines and fence posts was great fun and we found a number of owls, albeit a bit damp. Finally we stopped playing and went home for our final night in a real bed. Camping for real starts tomorrow.

Our last morning at Eden was spent on the veranda again as the rain had continued, we had a leisurely breakfast and then got ready to head of on our adventure of a lifetime. We said goodbye to Heather & Jeremy, thanked Carla & Emir for looking after us and after a quick stop for a final goodbye to Fogg Dam and the crocodile we were on our way to see what else we could find in the Top End.

bring on the adventures......