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DRW

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May 29, 2013
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Beautiful Burrum Heads QLD
Oh Darwin I met my late wife in Darwin back in 87 only went back to do some training about 10 years ago but got locked in due to a cyclone. We’ll we’re booked into Hidden Valley Holiday park for 7 nights in June for the V8’s so let’s hope we make it this year as last year was canceled. I really want to go see Stella’s down at stokes hill to see if it’s changed at all and the new wharf precinct
 

AussieNick

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Feb 9, 2021
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Oh Darwin I met my late wife in Darwin back in 87 only went back to do some training about 10 years ago but got locked in due to a cyclone. We’ll we’re booked into Hidden Valley Holiday park for 7 nights in June for the V8’s so let’s hope we make it this year as last year was canceled. I really want to go see Stella’s down at stokes hill to see if it’s changed at all and the new wharf precinct
Avoid Hidden Valley Holiday Park like the plague. We stayed a few nights about 2 months ago while the house was getting painted. The grounds have got 0 shade now and the place is generally run down. If you don't mind the drive Howard Springs Tourist park (big4) or the Free Spirit Resort (maybe 10min down the road from the v8's) would be your best bet now.

The new waterfront precinct is amazing, the wharf it's self hasn't really changed much at all.
 

Johnanbev

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Jul 7, 2013
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Sunbury VIC.
In the 1960's the Don Hotel had a bar/room with concrete lined walls that was flushed out by fire hose just after 220hrs.
I have often wondered if it is still there?
 

Drover

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In the 1960's the Don Hotel had a bar/room with concrete lined walls that was flushed out by fire hose just after 220hrs.
I have often wondered if it is still there?

The Don, surely an early version of a time machine, walk inside of an afternoon, wake up somewhere else much later............... Mate fell off the ship late one night, was heading out to sea at a great rate of knots and a fisherman grabbed him before a Pook pook did, tide running that fast he was away from the ship before lifebuoy hit the water, he was so lucky, thats one thing that hasn't changed more Crocs around though....... Noonamah Pub I see has changed heaps as well.
 

AussieNick

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The Don if its the same place as i'm thinking (a fair bit before my time) is now called the Cavenagh, a pretty decent place.

Noonamah pub has undergone a few changes, but its still a seedy as place when it wants to be. Good times.
 

Drover

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I think The Don ended up as a Casino or something, changed anyway and thought it was knocked down and rebuilt or something, when I was passing through in the 80's and 90's I stayed out of town mostly...........
 

Johnanbev

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Jul 7, 2013
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Sunbury VIC.
No idea then. The only Casino thats been around for my time is the Mindil casino.
@Drover may be correct, I think it became the first casino in DRW.
Before that it had a really long "U" shaped bar with the concrete room beside that.
The bar for the concrete room was a slit type window at eye level, the walls above the concreete were corregated iron.
 

Drover

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and in the Postage Saga from USA, my Fed Ex plane landed in Sydney on Saturday, cleared Customs and was on the road North, checked in to Red Bank Mail Centre this morning, so its possibly doomed to be in a black hole for days now, worst mail centre in Australia that place, fully automated and lucky to escape....... Scheduled for Wednesday, hope so the chime every 4 mins to say Service FWD is driving me nuts, no ABS, no FWD not a biggy but also no cruise, scary in a Jeep I can tell you, speedo can be at 140kph and you don't even know it................... 8-)8-)8-)
 

DRW

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good god man we're in the middle of a pandemic and the USA has 27 million cases and almost 500,000 deaths be thankful they still have DHL/UPS pilots alive to fly the MD11's

don't you ever just sit back and think how great this technology is that you can order something on your telephone and it just appears a few days later, you need to chill and drink some Ouzo on ice its working really well for me lol
 

DRW

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Hey @AussieNick is Stellas still there, from memory it was at the bottom of the hill near the old power station near the duck pond on the way to stokes hill wharf. I have yet to find a seedier place, red or green cans only plastic cups of Bundy and Orchy with 44 gallon drums around the place for patrons to throw their empties at. One of the fishermen with us one night lit a joint (nothing unusual there) and called the "young lady" serving to come and clean up the table, she told him to get f^&**^ed and then he showed her the joint, over she came to share it and clean away the empties. On the walls were pictures of the old dinosaurs with the scuppers blocked off and tons of prawn flowing up to the bulwarks. there were pictures all over the walls some of paper from sounders showing the huge tracks through the prawns it was amazing. Up stairs was a restaurant run by some aboriginal women, their steaks were amazing also, I would love to visit again.
 
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AussieNick

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Feb 9, 2021
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Darwin, NT
Hey @AussieNick is Stellas still there, from memory it was at the bottom of the hill near the old power station near the duck pond on the way to stokes hill wharf. I have yet to find a seedier place, red or green cans only plastic cups of Bundy and Orchy with 44 gallon drums around the place for patrons to throw their empties at. One of the fishermen with us one night lit a joint (nothing unusual there) and called the "young lady" serving to come and clean up the table, she told him to get f^&**^ed and then he showed her the joint, over she came to share it and clean away the empties. On the walls were pictures of the old dinosaurs with the scuppers blocked off and tons of prawn flowing up to the bulwarks. there were pictures all over the walls some of paper from sounders showing the huge tracks through the prawns it was amazing. Up stairs was a restaurant run by some aboriginal women, their steaks were amazing also, I would love to visit again.
Nah that place closed down years ago
 
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Drover

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good god man we're in the middle of a pandemic and the USA has 27 million cases and almost 500,000 deaths be thankful they still have DHL/UPS pilots alive to fly the MD11's

don't you ever just sit back and think how great this technology is that you can order something on your telephone and it just appears a few days later, you need to chill and drink some Ouzo on ice its working really well for me lol
I dont need Greek Grappa, Sourmash be nice though ........ Fed Ex doing well its that parcel block hole at Redbank thats the scary bit....... Im too old now for those old haunts, the wild places sailors talk of now make us old blokes laugh...
 
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Drover

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Ive spoken to the misses and have a leave pass to go for a few months if needed like i did when we started in SA

I'll pencil another meet up then but order some better weather this time...................... 8-)

Parcel due today, so 7 days from USA to here, thats not bad considering ............. Might be a Jeep thing for sure.
 
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AussieNick

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Feb 9, 2021
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Still waiting for 20 footers to come up for sale not many around and when they do there snaped up theres a few but only one bed end they have been on the market a while now seems there not wanted as much like the double ended bed ends .......hope our lock down goes into thursday friday get the whole week off ????......
@AussieNick i hear our company maybe ventureing into Darwin may see you up there one day what a move that would be from the bottom to the top who knows what the future holds ....
Ive spoken to the misses and have a leave pass to go for a few months if needed like i did when we started in SA
Wouldn't say no to a meet up thats for sure.

What do you do for work mate?
 

Drover

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i usually buy Jeep parts from Jeep London they have been getting here in 5 days same as BMW bike parts, just a thought

I found the freight was the killer from over there, Rockauto is good on price and supply usually quicker but I was surprised Sat arvo in Sydney on my doorstep this arvo........... Jeep is now at 110%, all systems are GO........

What do you do for work mate?
Bluey is like a dog, always digging holes around the place, been trying to sink or bury Melbourne but they keep filling his holes in with concrete.......... :becky: :becky: :becky: