August 31st 2011 Wednesday Litchfield

After a month’s stay, we left Darwin this morning to head for Litchfield Tourist Park (just before Litchfield CP). We’d already had a look on the weekend when we took Jennifer and Heath for a quick tour of the bush near Darwin. We were ready to move on. Being in one place for a month is the longest amount of time we’ve ever done in the van (except when we lived in one for almost a year but that’s another story).

site at Litchfield Tourist Park

This park is grassed with several sites having a concrete slab under a carport structure under tall shady trees. Robert chose our site after careful deliberation and checking out where the sun would rise and fall.

We bought a cheap compass in Darwin so that we could track the sun at different times of the day. Shade is important up here when staying in a van. It heats up quickly and it’s not very pleasant.  Some days when we’re not out and about, it’s lovely to sit outside and read or do the crosswords but in many places there are so many biting bugs that it’s really unpleasant. Spraying on repellent doesn’t really seem to work and the really toxic Bushman spray is a worry with all the precautions to be taken not to get it onto metals and plastics (but skin seems to be OK – I don’t think so).

There’s a large pool in the CP and it does get some sun so it may be warmer than some others.

back of site

 

The air conditioner has been working a lot as the weather is getting hot – Darwin was getting a tad sticky but at Litchfield there’s a dry heat, which is much better.   

Just getting ready to eat tea that night (in the van), we noticed all these black bugs on the ceiling and at the back of the van. A plague!!! They were attracted to the light so we turned off a couple and then tried to insect-proof the screens and the door vents. We’d already added a layer of netting to these screens last year and these creatures still managed to enter.

I think the bugs have really had an impact on the holiday. They’re either biting or buzzing around or falling into things or crawling on us. I know they have their place on our planet but they’re still bloody annoying.

No phone or internet network available here. No television reception unless using a satellite dish.