RAAF Base Darwin Open Day

After a couple of weeks of Darwin residents constantly hearing the deep throated sounds of fighter jets buzzing around the sky above us, it was:
Saturday 14th June 2008
10am – 2pm
RAAF Base Darwin hosted a Base Open Day to showcase the personnel and aircraft involved in Exercise Pitch Black 08 , the Air Force’s largest and most complex Air Exercise.
It was a long walk in through the side gates (appropriately perhaps opposite Bombing Road).


The alternative was bumper to bumper driving!!
RAAF Darwin Commanding Officer, Wing Commander Noel Hinschen,is quoted as saying

opening up the Base gave the public a terrific opportunity to get a close look at the aircraft taking part in PB08 and a chance to talk with Australian and international ground crews and aircrews.

“It was also an opportunity for the Base to say a big thank you to the local community for their ongoing support,” Wing Commander Hinschen said.




Displays included static aircraft from the Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Thai Air Force, Royal Malaysian Air Force, Republic of Singapore Air Force, the United States Marine Corp, NATO, and the French Air Force, plus hourly displays from the RAAF Military Working Dog Team.

The elderly strike reconnaissance aircraft,F111 was introduced to the RAAF in June 1973,
but its still doing good service


There were great crowds there, with families willing to queue to get a closer look

I had a great time snapping away at this event, chatted to a couple of pilots, one was 25 year old Peter "Topper" Tippner from the RAAF, who flies the F18 Hornet. (Costing $35,000,000 each!!)(See this article"A FLYING CAREER BEYOND MACH 1 giving his history!!)

and also spoke with Major "Tyson" from the Republic of Singapore Air Force.




French NATO crew from airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft.




For further information on Exercise Pitch Black 2008 visit the Exercise Pitch Black website at: www.defence.gov.au/pitchblack08

Sunset at Mindil Beach Market

As usual the Mindil Beach Market was packed as was the beach and sandhills with people watching the sunset




emDEE was very entertaining as usual:

The Great wall of Howard Springs

Jessie and Rod invited a number of friends and work mates to their lovely house to celebrate the dry stone wall that Jessie had built.

Little Green Tree Frog

Hugh found this little Green Tree Frog in the bathroom, so he carried it outside where I took some closeups on his car window.

A night out on the town...@Glenti 2008 Darwin

When Hugh got home from the Territory Wildlife Park, we rode our scooters to Glenti, the very BIG Greek festival at Bicentennial Park, Esplanade, Darwin.



It was very, very busy and I reckon all of Darwin was there or so it seems. I caught up with Rod, then Jayshree and Peter. We also met Emma from William Forster Chambers




The food was very good and the so was the dancing. Riding our scooters was also great fun..

Friday farewell to Alex and Mark at the Darwin Trailer Boat Club

My colleague Alex and her husband Mark and family are off around Australia soon.

A group of us joined them for dinner at the Darwin Trailer Boat Club for dinner tonight.
Work colleague Mary's mother Audrey, well into her 90's is a fit little old lady!!

Friday....

We spent the morning traveling around looking at cd's etc,thence to Orchard Road and then to Little India as Dave was chasing some Hindi film DVD's and he was quite successful at the very first shop amongst many. I snapped again some of the local colour.




Later this afternoon Dave and I visited for the first time the famous Singapore Thieves Market at Sungei Road which was great fun.


Dave had fun literally crate diving for vinyl records and came away with some great finds.


I was looking for things electronic and was happy with some purchases.
I got another view of the interesting office building from yesterday.

Dinner was at at nice Italian restaurant we tried a few nights ago ,the Trattoria Lafiandra at the lovely colonial Singapore Art Museum complex on Bras Basah Road.


Our pizza was ok although other reviews have not been good see this one and also this other negative one we were charged a lot for our two Tiger Beers S$14.50 each.I have eaten at the same complex before but this was a different menu etc.