sallysetsforth

We flew down to Melbourne at Easter to buy a new (second-hand) car to drive back to Darwin. On the way, we collected our boat from the friend who was kindly looking after it for us. After doing a bit of maintenance work on the boat after it being in storage, we recently took it out on its maiden voyage in Darwin :) We set out on a lovely Sunday afternoon from the Dinah Beach boat ramp in Stuart Park. The weather was just beautiful, and the water was calm. It was so great to get the boat on the water again!

 

We cruised past the Darwin wharf precinct, Northern Territory Parliament House, the Esplanade, the tall buildings of the Darwin CBD and HMAS Coonawarra.

 

We dropped anchor near Emery Point. I'd brought along a book to read while Tim cast a couple of lines. I was surprised to get full mobile reception while we were out on the water, so I tweeted a few photos too :)



It was a lovely afternoon. We saw the Mandorah ferry travel back and forth (between Cullen Bay and Mandorah) a few times. One of the highlights was seeing a large turtle surface near us - it poked its head and shell above the water several times, such a treat to see! As the sun began to drop in the sky, the sunset cruise boats started coming out. The Darwin Sailing Cinema came past too, a sailing boat complete with a projector screen! It was lying out in front of the boat, presumably to be raised after dark.

 

We headed back to the boat ramp as the sun began to set, passing the wharf precinct of the Port of Darwin with its busy restaurants, and the Paspaley pearling fleet at anchor.

 





The nasty, biting midges waiting for us at the boat ramp provided a slightly unpleasant end to the trip, but overall it was a gorgeous afternoon and I'm looking forward to many more!