Elisabeth and Craig's Blog: Wet season 2010-2011

Darwin Wet Season

Since the trip to North America, the biggest news for the end of 2010 was that we were about to start a little family. So as the weather got warmer, Elisabeth got bigger.

The first of the baby events was a surprise baby shower at our favourite sunset drinks location.

Not only a gorgeous picnic and great presents, but we all got our creative juices flowing to create what turned out to be a main part of the bub's wardrobe in this hot Darwin weather! Thanks everyone.

But more on that later, lets finish up 2010 and show you some pre-baby things first.

Christmas in Darwin

Craig's parents Bob and Nancy joined us in Darwin for a wet season Christmas. Great to enjoy some family time (and more importantly for the men, to try to see some wet season storms...).

Hanging around Darwin

Enjoying the Nightcliff Jetty Foreshore

Very low tide

Cooling off at the hospital pool

or with drinks in our backyard spa

Darwin's iconic sunsets

25th of December!!

Enjoying the super hospital Christmas hamper I won with a last minute 2A ward raffle ticket purchase!

Darwin style Christmas dinner...

MMmmm...

After Christmas we enjoyed several visits to local Top End attractions such as the Territory Wildlife Park

Adelaide River Jumping Croc Cruise

At about 1 hour from Darwin along the Arnhem Highway the Adelaide River Queen is a tourist boat that runs on one of the most populated rivers for salties in the Top End...

Notice Nancy opted to put Bob near the edge...
Wise move as it wasn't long before these guys started to appear!

Good looking fella...

Those are its ears in the raised area behind its eyes. And below is how they nest.

These crocs are wild, but have soon learned when a free feed is on offer.

The owners who have been here for 15 years know most of the crocs by name and have recently made international headlines after a photo of Brutus that was posted on the internet. Unfortunately he didn't come out for us.

Other points of interest on the way home along the Arnhem Highway...

Fogg Dam wetlands

Unique Humpty Doo locals...

Wally the Bush Poet

Darwin Harbour Cruise

Nancy and Bob's Christmas present was a lovely sunset cruise on the harbour. Luckily we got treated to both a nice sunset and a distant lightning storm - the perfect Darwin wet season evening according to Craig!

Bump aka Little Bugger aka LB

Despite the humidity, pregnant E handled the wet season quite well with the 'little bugger' causing a bit of early morning sickness, then growing well while mom kept in shape swimming and running around the hospital wards in the lovely air conditioning.

In January we took a weekend off to enjoy our last getaway pre-baby. Didn't make it too far though as we enjoyed a few days at the Darwin city Esplanade.

Darwin Harbour and Esplanade

Chillin'...

Another month of work to go - finishing off at 37 weeks, then its home to await the bub.

38 weeks!

Random Darwin photos

Green ant nest

Cyclone Carlos

The 16 February Darwin was put on cyclone warning as category 1 cyclone Carlos was heading our way.

Everybody prepared for the worst, with line ups at the fuel station, grocery stores empty, and luckily E using pregnancy to get out of spending the night in the hospital with her medical team as they were nominated for emergency cyclone medical cover.

Luckily as category 1 isn't much more than a heavy tropical storm, there wasn't extensive damage but it did produce a lot of rain and flooding. Over a 3 day period we received 750 mm+ of rain, of which 430 mm fell on the night of the 16th!

This is the only time Darwin sees any sort of surf and this brings out all the local surfers. Crazy.

Litchfield after the rains

For those who have come to visit in the Dry, Litchfields waterfalls have a slightly different look at the end of the rainy season.

Buley Rockholes