Day 60 Cox Peninsula and Channel Islands

"Have wheels will travel" and travel we did, 300km. Having a look at the Ichthys and Darwin liquified natural gas developments was the target for today.  Sad though, we were given poor advice by the caravan park as to where the LNG projects were, and we ended up on the Cox Peninsula.  On the way we took in the Darwin Dam which is now the major water storage for Darwin. Wagait Beach was the only thing of note at the end of the Cox Peninsula road.  We did 120 km by road to get there only to find it is a relatively short ferry ride from Darwin. Doh!  

Some helpful souls at the jetty told us the LNG plants were at Channel Islands.  So off we toddled.  On the way we stopped in at the Darwin Nature Park at Berry Springs and were delighted with what we found - two beautiful swimming pools with the customary springs - not one big one but smaller ones all over the place.

We did eventually get to the gates of each of the LNG developments but alas, could not venture inside.  We moved on to the end of the road at the Channel Islands to eventually see the sea.  At the end of the road is the Channel Island Power Station and Kleenheat LPG receiving terminal, so all was not lost.

I050614 The Darwin River downstream from the Darwin Dam

050614 The Darwin Dam

050614 Wagait Beach on Cox Peninsula

050614 Darwin from the jetty at Wagait Beach.  It was very windy

050614 Rocks near the jetty at Wagait Beach

050614 The upper pool at Berry Springs

050614 The lower pool at Berry Springs

050614 Upstream from the pools at Berry Springs

050614  Berry Springs 

050614 The Darwin LNG development with Darwin in the background taken from Channel Island Road bridge