Adelaide River War Cemetery

We drove to Darwin from Alice Springs as son Dale was scheduled to have a cochlear implant operation. It's 1500 km so we usually stop somewhere overnight and make the trip over two days. 

We stopped at Mataranka and then drove the shorter distance to Darwin.

Enroute, we visited the Adelaide River War Cemetery which is a beautifully grassed and laid out area to remember those who died in the Top End during World War II. Of particular interest to me were those RAAF members of 31 Beaufighter Squadron and 44 Wing.

There were airfields all over the top end, numbers that ran parallel with the Stuart Highway and many of the deceased would have been victims of the Japanese bombing of Darwin and other areas.

Although I've driven past the cemetery, which is a kilometer or so from the highway, this is the first time I have visited.

I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful lawns and gardens that comprise the cemetery and surrounds which is available for picnics and recreation.

This is a nice spot to stop and reflect on the many thousands of men and women who made the supreme sacrifice so that we could live in freedom under our own flag and with our own values rather than as captives of others.

Every day I'm reminded of how fortunate we are to live in Australia and I say a silent thank you to our heroes.

Robin