DAY 50 – A VISIT TO A GAOL AND CROCOSAURUS COVE IN DARWIN…

With only a couple of more days left in Darwin, we still had several places we wanted to visit before we left.  

As Fannie Bay Gaol is only open on a Wednesday and Saturday morning, we decided to head back into Darwin to check out the gaol this morning.  Cost to visit the gaol is a gold coin donation, so it was a pretty cheap excursion.

 

Fannie Bay Gaol

Visitor's area at the Gaol

Posing on the old Laundry slab site -  this building got completely destroyed during Cyclone Tracey

Kitchen and Mess Hall

We found the gaol both interesting and a bit depressing.  It is hard to believe that prisoners were still housed in this goal until the mid seventies.  Conditions there must have been pretty bad.

Children's section of the Gaol - also the infectious diseases cells

They look like chook pens

Still open to the weather elements

  I was amazed that the children’s section of the goal wasn’t even weather proof.  There was no insulation on the roof or walls, with them both being made of corrugated iron.  How stinking hot would these have been on a hot summer Darwin Day.

These cells were just 4 walls no windows to see out - only one small one up near the ceiling

Barbed wire everywhere

We did learn that once Darwin was bombed, all the prisoners were let out of gaol and told to go fend for themselves, and the gaol than became army barracks for the duration of the war.

Double doors on the cells, no privacy no windows... pretty sad....

Large bolted barrel bolt on the door

Looking at the gaol records, it was interesting to seeing that someone back in the 1800’s was gaoled for smuggling opium, so I guess that drug problems have always existed.

  

Drug smuggling existed in back in the 1800s.

We saw the gallows, a total of 13 people were hung in the gaol here, with 9 out of the 13 being aboriginals.   The last two people hung in the Northern Territory were two males aged 19 and 20, for the murder of a taxi driver.  The last hangings were in the 1950s. 

9 people hung out of the 13 were Aboriginals..  So sad

The Infirmary

Do the crime, pay the time....

  Their stories were sad.  Both of these lads were of Czech decent, both having lost their fathers at a young age, and the 19 year old had also lost his mum during the bombing of Darwin in the war years earlier.  They killed a taxi driver and stole his car in the hope of selling it and  using the money to fund a return trip to their homeland….  They were captured in Queensland and returned to the Northern Territory where they were then hung…

We spent a good couple of hours wandering around the gaol, reading all the signposts.  Whilst I thought these conditions were pretty bad, I think we have done about face, and now gaols are too flash for the inmates…

The Gallows

The solitary cells were out in a paddock all on their own......

Solitary confinement cells

Totally isolated

 The medium security was just like chicken cages,  but apparently the inmates preferred it this way as they were able to talk to each other....  It surprises me that these were still the state of our prisons back in the 1970s.

Extremely basic - camp stretchers only and toilets in full view of everyone.

It must have been as hot as haddies in here with no insulation against the hot summers in Darwin

At the end of the tour, we viewed an art exhibition of artwork done by current prisoners in the correctional centre in Darwin.  Some of the work was very good.

Thought Steve might be impressed by this large fishing lure

From here, we drove along the coastline at Fannie Bay Beach to find a picnic area and a carpark that was in some shade so that we could enjoy a late morning tea with an ocean views…. 

Fannie Bay

Lots of folk relaxing enjoying a coffee on beanbags on the beach..

Great lifestyle in Darwin

Enjoying morning tea

on the beachfront at Fannie Bay

We did find a lovely spot, and it was obvious that we were not the only ones enjoying the outdoors in Darwin, as there were lots of people sitting around on beanbags enjoying  a late brunch at one of the mobile cafes set up along the beach. 

We were enjoying just sitting and taking it all in… I think everyone needs to get away like this, even if it is just to sit and  stop, and enjoy  being in the moment and appreciating the immense beauty that surrounds us. 

Would love to know what flower this one is

The fruit

 Our plan was to spend the afternoon at the Crocosaurus Cove in Darwin.  A visit here was recommended to us by Ian and Kathy’s friend which we pick up our packages from her a few days earlier.  

 

With a senior’s discount, the admission charge was $28 each but well worth it for all we got to see and experience.  They had shows happening every half hour to hour from Turtle feeding, crocodile feeding, fish feeding, reptile feeding and personal handling. 

 

Swimming with the Crocodiles - afraid it wasn't for me

Big 5 mtr William

His partner Kate was only a little over 3 mtrs long

 We went to the Turtle feeding show and found this really interesting..

  One highlight was when Steve and I were photographed holding a baby crocodile.  (Jaw taped up thankfully, otherwise things could have got a bit nasty)

The crocodile feeding session was especially interesting.  It started with a crocodile’s jar pressure simulation that illustrated the equivalent of a 3400 tonne truck crushing a block of ice.  The resulting loud bang also illustrated the snapping of a real crocodiles jaws.  They have the strongest jaws of any animal in the world, more than twice the strength of even the T-Rex dinosaur. It makes a human’s 20kg pressure seem very insignificant.  

 

Personally feeding the Crocs

Axel -  he is huge over 5.5mtrs and weighs almost a tonne

 They have several large crocodile in excess of 5metres long and weighing up to a tonne each.  All very impressive.   We were given the opportunity of personally feeding the three year old crocodiles a small piece of meat on a pole with string, was particularly thrilling, especially  getting them to jump up out of the water for it.   Watching it snap for the meat gave me a healthy respect for even the bite of one of these smaller sized crocs.  They could certainly do some damage also.

Spiny- Tailed Goanna

Splendid Dragon

Perentie - Australia's Largest Lizards

Enjoying a meal of chicken

Spencer's Goanna

Northern Brown Snake

Mitchell's Water Goanna

Hosmer's Skinks

Stoke's Skink & Gidgee Skink

Frilled Neck Lizard

Blue Stripped Goanna

Spotted Tree Goanna

Northern Spiny Tailed Gecko

Magnificent Tree Frog

Northern Knob Tailed Gecko

Long Snake Necked Turtle

 There are some amazing Termite mounds in the Northern Territory and we were fascinated to find out that there are 2600 different species of Termites and Australia has 350 of them.  In particular there are two common species in the top of the Northern Territory and Western Australia and they are the Cathedral Termite and the Magnetic Termite.  We are looking forward to seeing more of these as we travel to Litchfield NP and across into Western Australia.

The reptile display was really well done,  and many reptiles were active during our visit.  We watch a staff member feed a Perentie (Australia’s largest goanna species) several dead baby chickens.  It was interesting to watch.

Reptile Show time

Am I brave enough to hold one like this

During the reptile show we all got to handle a black headed python and a desert frill-necked lizard.  Handling the black headed python totally put me out of my comfort zone… 

 This one didn't worry me so much....

 We ended our time at Crocosaurus Cove by feeding the baby crocodiles again with meat on a string on the end of a pole.   We have really enjoyed our time here and feel like we have learnt heaps.  It was after 5pm before we left.  

Home a little earlier tonight, a chance to chill out with some nibblies and a cuppa before we had to cook dinner…  It is hard to believe that we have been on the road already for seven weeks.  Where is that time going…  It is kind of a surreal world, where one is totally unaware of time, and the events happening in the wider world around us.