Investigation into my solar power issue by a sparkie in Darwin showed the problem was a little more complicated than first thought. Basically it appears both the roof-top mounted panels have been damaged, probably by whacking a low hanging tree branch somewhere. They are no longer outputting enough volts for the system to work properly. So, I decided that, rather than replacing the roof-top panels – which could easily get damaged again – I would get a portable solar panel.
I ordered the new panel online. Of course, Darwin is basically at the end of the known world and it takes a while for things to get here… So, while waiting for the new panel to arrive, I decided to head off for a few days by the sea.
Dundee Beach is located approx. 125 kms from Darwin on the west coast of a peninsula, looking out over the Timor Sea.
Apparently the spot is named in reference to the film ‘Crocodile Dundee’. But there is no actual connection to the film. (The NT filming of which actually took place some distance away in Kakadu NP. In true film fashion, the pub featured in the film is actually somewhere else entirely; located in McKinlay, the pub serves this small town in outback QLD, which has never seen a crocodile…)
Dundee Beach has a small school and a pub and that’s about it. The camping ground is located not far from the beach, close to the pub, which has great meals. I had lunch here, overlooking the ocean, which was very pleasant.
It is a pretty little spot with rocky beaches and the lovely turquois ocean lapping gently on the shore. Unfortunately, you can’t swim here as there are big (like, really big) crocs in the area. There are also box jellyfish. Oh, and don’t forget the sharks…
However, it was nice sitting on the rocks well above the beach, looking at the water (out of reach of the saltwater crocs), sipping a beer and watching the sun set into the ocean, which is a novelty for an east-coast native like myself.
The sunsets were really spectacular, aided by the smoke from a number of bushfires burning in the area.
Dundee Beach is also known for its sand-flies, which happily eat me alive and seem impervious to ‘Off’ Tropical-Strength repellent. Because of these evil little beasts, I have been itching and frantically scratching like crazy!
Keeping cool on the hot days is taken care of by a saltwater pool at the camp ground and a spring-fed swimming hole located not far from Dundee Beach.
Berry Springs has deep, crystal clear pools, and the water is just slightly warm. The pools are surrounded by lush rainforest and kept croc free, so the springs provide a beautiful spot to cool down on a hot day.
