The day began auspiciously enough with beer and [sertee?] steak on Nightcliffe Beach – being the [hind-stream?] [from?] rather particularly nice Casa Banana Party. It finished at about 1:00 am – [flaked?] out by the Elizabeth River – and in between were some rather low-powered efforts to remove ourselves from Darwin.

In fact, after a morning of shopping and an afternoon of packing (under the eyes of the [heedons?], who were at this stage far better organised for their departure today week), it was a quarter past five before we left Marrenah and the South-East expedition could be said to have truely begun.

We progressed steadily south for a matter of some 8 miles until we came upon some natives belonging to the Cole tribe...

As a matter of fact it was probably this visit to Nightcliffe which made none of us feel as though we were leaving Darwin, but rather just driving out for the evening. It was a specially nice evening too, for our last, though I can’t remember a great deal about it. I believe Jean told several quite funny [fining?] stories. Don and Rita went to sleep of course and about a quarter to twelve, we decided it would be a good thing to get away before Sunday - and did so.

A short stagger out to the Elizabeth River, in customary (and befuddled) driving silence, and then without even so much as a [river?] and [rinton?] we slept.

(This seems a rather futile account of our first day’s travel (?) but it is written in retrospect from Renner Springs – five days out. I wonder if we’ll catch up before Sydney?)