Having a much needed cool off

The tour is (nearly) over so let the party begin

Our last full day on tour before we say goodbye to Australia and make the long journey home - and what a full day it has been. A day trip to the Litchfield National Park followed by the eagerly anticipated end of tour dinner.  

We woke up bright and early in order to hit the open country roads before the heat really set in, making sure to take plenty of water and make plenty of ice cream stops along the way. Maxibon is a highly recommended local ice cream treat, although Millie Green maintains that you can find it in the UK.

The girls sat quietly in their seats on the coach, absorbing the scenery and learning some fun facts about the Northern Territory.

Fun fact 1:  Lindy Chamberlain - no relation to our fabulous coach driver, Nigel Chamberlain - renowned for the disappearance of her baby, who, she claimed was eaten by a dingo, is imprisoned nearby.

Fun fact 2: British citizens could emigrate to Australia for £10.00 after World War II, earning them the nickname "Ten Pound Pommies".  Nigel's father was one such Pommie.

Fun Fact 3: Magnetic termites build mounds that always face north. Other cardinal direction-related trivia: "go west" in Australia means to get lost - as in "my camera has gone west" (meaning I have lost my camera).

Arriving at Litchfield, our first stop was the Banyan Cafe, where "Longhorn" the Longhorn Buffalo resides. Mrs Drinkall wasn't alone in questioning the lack of originality in naming this beast, which was fed bananas by the girls.

Then it was on to Florence Falls, where we could take a dip in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall, followed by a stop at another lookout point, taking in the view. 

Finally, we had a couple hours worth of swimming and playing in the Wangi Falls Waterhole. Some girls laid out in the grass; some played with the last of the Epsom College squidgy orange stress balls; and some simply trod water. 

All of which was ideal preparation for the tour's final night and Nat Sciver's 18th birthday party at the oddly named Ducks Nuts Bar & Grill in the heart of Darwin's restaurant precinct - a three course meal followed by live music and dancing.

The excitement mounted as the girls waited to find out who would win the teams' Most Valuable Player and other prizes at the traditional last night Awards Ceremony.

And here are the results:

Top Tourists: Caroline Small and Caoimhe Murdock

U17A Hockey MVP: Tash Nichols

U17B Hockey MVP: Maddy Billings

Ist VII Netball MVP: Tamsin Barber

2nd VII Netball MVP: Emma Albon

3rd VII Netball MVP: Sam Duff

Most Improved Hockey Players: Georgia Malcolm and Harriet Skan

Most Improved Netball Players: Juliet Ariel and Yas El-Sayeed

Goalkeeper Awards: Steph Fernandes and Alice Davidson-Richards

Mosy Unlucky Award: Becca Wood (for meeting an unfortunate fate while sitting underneath a tree full of Darwin's finest birds)

Party Hard Award: Emma Albon