The traffic going in was easy , nothing like driving in any other city we've been to - I think the traffic between Moss Vale & Bowral is worse !!!
Tyres fitted , we headed back out to East Point , the bike track stretches from there back into Darwin - 9 klms away . The temperature was starting to rise , so we headed off , not wasting any time , it was already 26 degrees at 10am .
We stopped at one of the lookouts , the beach is separated from the bike track & esplanades by these chalky white cliffs - not more than about 8m tall- and the colours in them is pretty amazing . The colours depend on the oxides leaching into the soil , and there is a range of colours from white , mustard , orange , red and even a touch of green .
The views stretched over Fannie Bay towards Darwin city , the tide was on it's way out - today moving 7m up & down - making the beach go out a long way before you can get to the water . Carrying on we passed the trailer boat club & ski club , stopping at the Museum of Modern Art , having a rest on the lovely green grassy lawns . There were lots of backpackers along the way , just sitting around , not doing too much of anything , just filling in time , they tend to take over areas making them look a bit untidy , as do some of the local indigenous as well .
We rang Lyn's Uncle Garry and wished him a happy birthday , we chatted to Robyn & Grant as well.
We decided to head back the 5 klms to the ute , it was getting hotter . Arriving back just after 12 , we packed the bikes away and had some lunch on the back tray - we parked in the shade earlier and it still was , making it a good spot for lunch - the old picnic rug got another use today .
There was a bird flitting around catching bugs as we sat & watched , it was orange under the wings and bluish on its back , had a long beek , and was quite acrobatic and fast .
After lunch we headed off to Nightcliff , a suburb further up the coast - only about 10 mins away . There are lots of nicely grassed parks along the foreshores , with lots of facilities for picnics & enjoying outdoors . Continuing on , we drove through Casuarina & Nakara , stopping at Dripstone Cliffs . The water of Beagle Gulf was a long way out with the tide nearly at full Low .
The beach is bordered by the Dripstone Cliffs - more of these white chalky rock cliffs . The colours and contours were amazing , there were large chunks of rock that have broken away from the cliff lying in the sand , some were honeycombed , others were of harder rocks in darker colours .
The cliffs show signs of erosion , with small caves emerging at the bottom . The beach is littered with shells , mainly broken , and many small rocks - also in many colours .
The waters of Beagle Gulf are a turquoise colour , and look fantastic , people were enjoying the beach with their kite surfer , dogs & even horses . There was enough beach to have several hundred people on it and still have plenty of room for just about anything - a nice place to be with the onshore breeze keeping you a bit cooler .
The park has filled up today , probably something to do with the long weekend I suppose .
That's it for today , here's a map link :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.kmgiumzyqPRY&usp=sharing
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