Right foot up!!*

Upon our arrival in Darwin from the Ghan, Cathy was inundated with welcomes from the local sandflies giving her “poxy” legs. David didn’t get a bite, but on Saturday his foot began to swell and by Sunday he was unwell with cellulitis of his right foot. His sympathetic doctor wife put him on antibiotics and went out socialising with her friends. When he wasn’t much better by Tuesday, she took him to the hospital. Luckily, one of the paediatric registrars who had worked with her in the past was the ED senior doctor on duty and gave us VIP service. The redness went away momentarily as David became faint whilst getting IV antibiotics! Now that he has some crutches, he gets plenty of sympathy. He has been cooped up in a hotel room with his right foot up for the week but is on the mend.

Meanwhile, Cathy is still heading off on walking adventures without him. Whilst David relaxes on the day bed at Eco Retreat, Cathy has gone on a bush walk and cave exploration along the beach. She went wild with photos to show him of her adventures which you can share too.

Eco Retreat was fantastic. It was worthwhile booking the Honeymoon package too. The chef cooked amazing meals and we were looked after at every turn - David even got rides on the golf buggy until his foot got better.

* - Sorry, Serena of "Right Foot Down" fame

Eco Beach

Cathy and David arrived at Eco Beach mid afternoon. Fortunately a bottle of champagne awaited to ease us into a more relaxed lifestyle.

Darwin RACP Congress 23-25 May 2011

For the past 2 years, Cathy as been on the Paediatric Scientific Program Committee to organise the college conference. This year it was at the convention Centre in Darwin, with a theme of "Indigenous Health and Chronic Disease". It was one of the best conferences she has attended - in fact, no shopping sessions!

We started with some indigenous dancers.

One of Cathy's colleagues from the Kimberley, Prof John Boulton delivered the Howard Williams Oration and it was an amazing history of indigenous and colonial history with anthropological expertise. John pulled it all together in a way that set the scene for the rest of the conference. Sir Mason Durie's plenary also gave a feeling of hope in moving forward to address indigenous health issues.
Cathy delivered her first paper at a major conference. Even though she did not win the Rue Wright award (and was not expecting to), she would have won the popular vote judging by the encouragement she received from colleagues!

Troopy's Half-Sister spotted in Darwin

Cruising around Darwin

We were exhausted after 3 busy days, but managed to surface for a late breakfast then set off for some sight-seeing.

First stop was the Aviation Heritage museum - home of the B-52 bomber. It dwarfed the spitfire and other displays below.
After lunch at an Irish pub, we braved the Crocosaurus Park.

You should see the size of the teeth!!!

Cathy was terrified whilst she held a baby croc.

Tom was a cool dude as usual.

Katherine and Darwin

We could barely believe it was our final day on the Ghan - time goes so quickly. Scenery was fantastic with views of Finke River and the Ironman(an ironman other than David!) celebrating the millionth sleeper.

Our cafe cruise on up the Katherine Gorge was informative and we also got to see some Aboriginal Rock Art.

Sunrise in the outback

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It took awhile to get used to sleeping with the noise and movement of the carriage but we managed a few hours. We awoke early and looked out the window in time to pass Cadney Homestead (where we have camped a few times) then watch the sunrise. We've never had the chance to lay in bed, watching the sun rise whilst travelling at 100km/hr before!!

Day 2 began with a delicious breakfast and more lectures before we got to Alice Springs. Cathy's cousin Linley met us at the train. We went to visit the Alice Springs Desert Park where we were fascinated by the wildlife in the nocturnal house.

Later in the afternoon, Cathy and some colleagues had a tour of the Alice Springs Hospital Paediatric ward.

Paediatrics on the Ghan departs Adelaide

After Cathy had a morning run past old haunts in Adelaide, we finalised our packing and headed for the station to board the Ghan. It was very exciting to see everyone and find out where our cabins were. David and Cathy got the "honeymoon suite" in the Sir John Forrest carriage while Tom snuggled into his tiny single cabin.

The paediatric program began soon after boarding with talks from Andy Lovett and John Boulton for the paediatricians while the partners learned about photography from Tom McAdam.

Sunset in Adelaide

Our view over the lights of the Adelaide Oval and surrounds from North Terrace. Looking forward to a dinner with Heather, Robert and family.

Set to go!

It's been months of organizing and days of packing but today we headed off to Adelaide ready for our epic journey on the Ghan! Cathy "did a Mary" and managed to fit a trip in to visit some of her patients at Glenallen Special School. Jacob, Paige and Courtney showed me around their school.