Chase NT/Darwin Dec 2010

[Willoughby]

Fairly similar to rural NZ with a moderate-sized city nearby I'd say. Four-laner on the Stuart Highway from the city to Noonamah (lots of traffic lights though).

There are a few unsealed roads but they are graded and the roads are very wide. Lots of patch work here on the roads due to pot holes forming in the wet. You get good road options until you get to about Humpty Doo and once you get past there (south or east southeast on both highways), inhabitants and trade becomes very sparse there's not a whole lot of option and you need to rely on vantage points and the odd off road.

Can be quite a challenge chasing here, esp knowing when storms are going to break out. One has justfired now actuallly. (4-5 AM is the 'other' golden hour here as dirunal convection blows up off the coast)

[tgsnoopy]

One month out. How is the build up looking Foggy?

[Willoughby]

Hmm it's having everyone guessing! We've just been cleaned out of moisture with the dry south easterly surge and high pressure after the rain on Tuesday. That trough really scoured the warm SSTs between here and Timor... so hopefully with the cooler SSTs there we will see a stronger sea breeze gradient with cleaner and sparkier storms. Of late they have been mushy... and conditions have been very convective but not very isolated.

Storms returning from Tuesday.

[03Stormchaser]

Ok avent had much luck with my friend who works with thrifty in Brisbane to get me a rental, been way to hard and cant get unlimited Kms anyways which I hoped she could. I think we may have to bite the bullet and get the 1000km and then .28c every km after that, how many kms do you think we would be doing?

[tgsnoopy]

Ouch 28c a km. What a rip!

[03Stormchaser]

opps ment 28c a km, its bloody murder if you ask me!!

[03Stormchaser]

Opened up a topic on the northauschasers.com forum
http://www.northauschasers.com/forum/vi ... ?f=5&t=502

[Willoughby]

Don't bite any bullet! I'll see if I can visit a couple of car rental places tomorrow or Friday arvo and get some quotes.

[spwill]

We should go for unlimited km.
Steve, the email address of the car rental provider I sent you this morning has cars available in Darwin with unlimited km.

[Willoughby]

Which one was that Simon? I went around today and got a few quotes...

[spwill]

Thanks Foggy for checking around the car rental companies for us. I have sent you a private message.

[03Stormchaser]

Good news fellas can get umlimited kms here:

Good Morning Stephen,
Thank you for your enquiry. Tourism Top End does offer unlimited klms with the car rental companies.
The rate will also depend on the type of vehicle. Options are listed below for 8 day rental:

Cheapa Car Rental
Camry Sedan - $74/day includes: unlimited klms, vrrf, collision damage cover $385, gst.
**Pick up/drop off in the city**

Budget
Toyota Corolla auto Sedan $59.80 daily rental (7+ day rental) includes: unlimited klms.
Commodore, or similar $69/day
Commodore wagon $89.70/day
Toyota Prado 4wd $135.70/day
All rentals add: **$5.50 vrrf/day payable direct to Budget on pickup of vehicle.
Insurance reducer OPTION: 2wd $27.95/day, 4wd - $32/day : payable direct to Budget.
**Pick up/ drop off city or airport (airport pickup 16% fee)**


Thrifty
Intermediate sedan $103.40/day includes: unlimited klms, vrrf, collision damage cover $385, gst.
Large sedan $111.20/day
**Pick up/drop off city or airport (airport pickup 16% fee)**


I hope this information helps. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require further info or would like to make a booking.



Kind regards,
Julie
Supervisor
Tourism Top End

[tgsnoopy]

That's good news. As it's their off season I wouldn't be too stressed about booking though. My only requirement is decent air conditioning!

[03Stormchaser]

You have to book thru the tourism top end to get the unlimited kms.

[Willoughby]

Steve and I think that this is the best option: http://secure.kalhaven.com/OBS/VH/Vehic ... lingPage=1

Hope I get some decent time off work!! Proving a bit hard at the moment.

[spwill]

Are you booking the car Steve ?
As the trip is just two weeks away I reckon we should book a car as soon as possible now.

[03Stormchaser]

I will do as I will be the one picking it up, the only issue will be the 11th, I fly to melb at 730 am, tg when do you leave and what do you want to do about the car?

[tgsnoopy]

I arrive on QF842 12.50pm Fri 3rd, Depart on QF829 0.45am Sat 11th.

I've checked and my hotel is ok with storing my luggage for me until I'm ready to depart to the airport for the departing flight.

It's been a long time since I've done a red eye, not looking forward to it, so hopefully I'll get some sleep.

I figured the last afternoon will likely be a lazy one in a bar laxing... but I could have my mind changed. Do we need the car the Fri evening?

[03Stormchaser]

Well we might aswell, could be the storm of all storms!! Wouldnt want to miss that if we didnt have a car, but then on the other hand if the bar becons, wont be able to drop you at the airport either, take the chance and have it the friday evening, i say.

EDIT: I will also go to the airport at the same time, will sleep there the night, catch my plane the next morning at 730am. So we could drop the car in the city earlier and cab to the airport, save the airport fee on the rental. guess this is something we would decide over there.

[Willoughby]

I arrive on QF842 12.50pm Fri 3rd, Depart on QF829 0.45am Sat 11th.

Do you depart Auckland/Hamilton the previous day or early in the morning?

There really needs to be a direct AKL-DRW flight, even if it's weekly. Don't get too many Kiwis on holiday here I notice...

[tgsnoopy]

My outband flight QF50 departs Auckland at 6.15am on Fri morn. Not sure how I'll get up there for it yet. I'm not driving, I have flights all the way back to Tauranga booked for my return. Probably a shuttle. The other return flights are QF321 (LA800) and NZ8665 arriving in Tauranga at 7.25pm

I agree, flights through to Darwin are a nightmare, a direct Auckland to Darwin service would be beneficial to the tourist trade.

I figure I'll probably take a shuttle up to Auckland for the outgoing flight, but the cost is a lot more than I anticipated.

[tgsnoopy]

Not sure if everyone has seen this or not...

Hector.zip

It was from here:

http://weatherforum.org.nz/phpBB3/viewt ... ?f=6&t=451

Worth downloading and reading.

[Willoughby]

Thanks tgsnoopy, that was a good read.

He's always the first to fire up by at least an hour or two and 90% of the time looks very menacing. Of late he has been VERY tall and knuckley. All it serves is eye candy here! Though one time it did make it's way here!

Dewpoints locked up and constantly hovering between 23 and 26C now, hope you guys are looking forward to that and the sandflies, flies, midges and the hundreds of cane toads we are going to run over!

[Manukau heads obs]

the DP's are going to be a shock for the guys going over
as people noticed the only 18DP days we had recently!

[spwill]

Hopefully we won't find the heat/humidity too much . I do remember cane toads from my time in Brisbane, lovely cute friendly little animals.
Very nice shots on the Darwin thread Foggy