Day 1 Darwin Wednesday 30th August 2017:

After a goodnight sleep we all met bright and early after breakfast at 7:30 am to begin our Contiki Tour.

We started by having a meeting with our trip manager Mark.

Mark explained everywhere we were going, what was planned every day, what we will need to buy or bring each day,including how hot it can get in the Red Centre and how cold it can get in Alice Springs at night.

After the meeting had finished we boarded the coach at 9 am.

As we made our way towards our first stop of the day our Trip Manager Mark explained our itinerary for the day which included: visiting East Point Reserve, visiting the Museum and Art Gallery of Darwin, visiting Crocosaurus Cove, free time to explore Darwin, before meeting up for a group dinner at Monsoons.

We arrived at our first stop of the day East Point Reserve at 9:30 am

East Point Reserve has a stunning view of Darwin Harbour.

After shooting our first of many group photos we arrived at our next stop of the day Museum and Art Gallery of Darwin at 10:30am.

The Museum and Art Gallery of Darwin showcases so many exhibits including the Aboriginal culture, Australian animals and the aftermath of Cyclone Tracy to name a few.

After spending an hour at the Museum and Art Gallery of Darwin we made our way to the optional excursion of Crocosaurus Cove at 12:30 pm.

Crocosaurus Cove is famous Darwin attraction where crocodiles are shown in their natural habitat.

They are located at Crocosaurus Cove when they get too close to human contact to prevent attacks against humans.

One of the main attractions is Cage of Death which is a enforced fibreglass cage lowered into the crocodiles enclosure to get some amazing pictures up close and personal with these amazing reptiles!

There are also exhibits of reptiles such as snakes, lizards and turtles all native to Australia.

It was a great experience something I recommend to visit when your in Darwin.

After making our own way back to the hotel we had free time all afternoon to do with what we pleased.

Most people spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool and purchasing supplies from the supermarket due to the next leg of the journey to Kakadu and Litchfield National Park is in a very remote area of the Northern Territory and purchasing supplies in this area can be very expensive.

After our free time had finished we met in the hotel reception at 6pm for our walkabout dinner at Monsoons a famous nightclub in Darwin.

When we arrived, we received a wristband which gave us 10% off drinks for the whole night!

As we walked into Monsoons they had a special table all set up for Contiki so we all sat together which was good to talk to all the new people we were travelling with for the next 10 days!

They also had great meals specially for Contiki which were any meal and a glass of wine, beer, spirits or soft drink for $15 which is great value especially for a nightclub.

It was great getting to know everyone over dinner and finding out about what everyone was most looking forward to experiencing in the outback!

At the end of the night we all did a group shot of alcohol which Contiki is well known for in other countries especially Europe!

After doing our group shots they had a DJ play some great music from the present and the past which made for an amazing way to end our first night on tour!

After s few more rounds of drinks a few of group decided to walk back to the hotel and get a goodnight sleep due to the earlier start of 6:30am due to being s big driving day from Darwin to Kakadu National Park the next day!

Safe Travels!

Campbell 🙂