Packed up at Beatrice Hill and got underway - only after seeking assistance from a fellow camper to get the car started. When we pulled up the previous night we left the van connected but forgot to change the fridge over to gas - consequently it remained on DC and drained the battery dead flat - I will have to get the 2nd battery wired up in Darwin.
We returned to Hidden Valley Resort where we will stay for the next 3 nights. After dropping in to the kennels to pick up doggie and setting up at Hidden Valley it's off to do some more Darwin exploring. First stop the Fannie Bay Jail. Quite a history dating back to 1880s when the jail was built after the original jail in the middel of town (which was still called Palmerston at that stage) because it was deemed unseemly that prisoners should be kept so close to the growing city and Fannie Bay was still very isolated at that stage.
There are several buildings - many of which were damaged during the bombing of Darwin and/or were damaged or destroyed during Cyclone Tracey including the laundry block of which all remains is the concrete slab below.
There is also an interesting story about 2 Czech toruists who decided to steal a taxi and murder the driver in 1956 - they were the last people to be executed by janging at the jail 2 years later. Alos on display are soem signs hand written by the prisoners. The jail continued to operate until 1967 and by then included an extra section for holding children and later asylum seekers.
Next we went to see the Qantas hanger from 1934. The original hanger remains and is used by a couple of historic car clubs for wokring on their pieces. Its basically a large workshop with a vast array of tools and old motor vehicle bits and pieces along with some impressive finished items including the 1904 Oldsmobile and a fully operational steam driven vehicle.
Also included is the Sandfly which is famous as being the territory's first locomotive and is a full steam locomotive in miniature. We first were told about it at the Adelaide River Raliway Heritage Museum and it was good to see the fully restored original here.
Then back to the caravan park for a lovely cool swim in the pool then a BBQ dinner.
The Campbells
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