It was a big start to our time in the Red Centre. With about 700kms to cover we braced ourselves for a long day in the car. Three fuel fill-ups was a bit hard to take. Just south of Tennant Creek we drove through wildfires on either side of the road. The northern indigenous people are critical of their southern cousins for allowing fires this late in the season. With the winds picking up and fanning the flames in the parched landscape the fires burn hotter and do more damage than those lit early in the dry season.
By late afternoon we had made our destination - Devil's Marbles. We wandered amongst them in the dying light of the day marveling at the colours and play of light and shadow they created.
29th August 2011
The marbles were even more stunning in the early morning light. With another 400kms to make Alice Springs I had a fair bit of driving still before me. We stopped at Wycliffe Well, UFO Capital of Australia, to look at their small display, a tiny room with a bit of UFO paraphernalia and a wax works alien body.
I'm still none the wiser as to why it earned the aforementioned title. The gear box was starting to give me a lot of grief again but we pressed on. Given that we'd spent most of the last two days just sitting in fifth gear, only changing up and down to stop for fuel and lunch I can't understand how it deteriorated so quickly. It was with great relief that we crossed back over the Tropic of Capricorn.
I really don't suit a tropical climate and am looking forward to some cooler weather. By the time we reached Alice I knew I wouldn't be able to continue without getting the gear box checked. The local clutch specialist put me onto Nashi who I was to see the following morning at 8am. We booked into Stuart Caravan Park and I fell apart. After two huge days of driving I was tired and emotional. I just want to get home without further problems, surely we've had more than our fair share this journey. The only saving grace for the day was that we've been looking for somewhere reasonably priced to get our hair cut for weeks now. After we pulled in a motorhome arrived next to us and put out a hairdressing sign. I grabbed her even before they'd had time to set up and organized for her to cut our hair then and there. Jayden has the shortest cut he's ever had as she jumped in and attacked him before I could give proper instructions. Oh well, he won't need another cut until next year now.
30th August 2011
Happy Birthday Cam!
Off to Nashi we went on the dot of 8am. He is contracted to service the fleet of tourist Toyota Coasters which run around town and out to the nearby attractions so he should know what he's doing. After taking him for a test drive he put Frankie up on the hoist and we had a look underneath. The gear box was spouting oil like a sieve and after driving it the diagnosis is that the synchromesh for 3rd and 4th has gone completely. The tailshaft had been put on crooked by the last mechanic, the hand brake was worn and leaking and two brackets holding the exhaust in place had sheared off. He did a quick welding job to fix the later. He also noticed one of my headlights had been smashed which must have happened somewhere between Darwin and here as I know it was OK then. On checking the battery compartment to determine the light to get to replace it he picked up that the lead connecting the two batteries had sheared off. I'm pretty sure this has been like that for most of the journey and at least two auto electricians have looked at it and not noticed. He fixed it on the spot which should make turning the car over in the morning easier now that it is drawing off both batteries. We went into town to pick up some groceries while he awaited news of a replacement gear box. He'd been able to source one from Melbourne. I had a choice of a 2nd hand box untouched, one that has been given a quick look over and deemed to be OK or a fully reconditioned box. The last thing I want is to have to go through this again if I pick up a box with more problems so there really wasn't a choice. I need to get home, so the more expensive reconditioned box is my best chance of getting there.
With measurements taken we were given the all clear to head out to the West McDonnell Ranges to kill time while we wait for the part to come in. I filled up the Autogas again and off we went. We stopped at the visitor centre at Simpsons Gap and a new problem exposed itself. After 10mins looking around I came back to hear and smell gas spitting out of a valve on the LPG tank. Fearing explosions I quickly returned to the Rangers Office and used his phone to call NRMA or whatever the NT equivalent is. He came out and had a look. We started the car up and nothing was leaking. He really didn't seem to know what was wrong but we suspect it may have been an overfill pressure release valve. He advised that I was safe to continue but to get it checked out on our return to Alice. We continued on to do the short walk to Simpson's Gap.
I vaguely remember this from our trip 22 years ago. I think it was as far as we came into the ranges. Continuing into the park we stopped for the night at Ellery Big Hole campground. The reflections in the waterhole were amazing. Despite all the problems of the past few days when you get to a place like this it all seems worthwhile.
31st August 2011
It was a beautiful morning for the 3km walk around Ellery Gorge. The geological landforms are diverse and breathtaking. The creek bed marks the boundary between red quartz on one side and tough dolomite on the other. As the two types of rock break down and combine the resulting soil is much richer allowing for a more diverse range of plants. Wildflowers abounded adding interest to the walk.
Our next stop was Serpentine Gorge. It was here that I noticed that the bracket holding the exhaust pipe had broken. I set to work rigging up some wire to hold it in place. Pleasingly a 4WDer offered some assistance which I gratefully accepted. The walk up to the lookout was strenuous but the view from the top was magnificent. It is easy to see where Albert Namatjira got his inspiration from. The scene was enough to bring out latent artistic talents in even the most uncreative individual. I dearly would have liked to get my hands on some paint and canvas and try and capture the beauty. At least modern photography gives frustrated artists like myself an opportunity to express and explore what I see.
Art however can't capture the full range of sensory input. The sights are only part of the experience. The sound of the breeze through the grasses, birds calling, the sweet heady scent of the spinifex grass, the feel of the cool quartz against your hands as you clamber over rocks and the taste of the desert air all combine in a sensory indulgence. The violent forces that must have been at work to thrust rock hundreds of metres from horizontal to vertical, the heat needed to bend rock layers into arches and folds are phenomenal. Our next stop was the Ochre Pits. Here again the layers of sedimentary rock have tilted vertically making a rainbow wall of colours.
Aboriginals have mined and traded ochre from these pits since they first inhabited the area. We continued on to our campsite at Ormiston Gorge. As the day began to cool we began the Ghost Gum walk. Here the red quartz walls tower hundreds of metres above the valley below. Reduced to a few pools of water and one larger swimming hole the water must roar down here when the rains finally come. In the quiet of the afternoon the beauty was beyond description.
1st September 2011
Leaving our run too late to set off this morning for the longer bush walk we went down to the gorge instead. Jay was hoping some kids might come down but it wasn't to be. We left after some imbeciles started throwing rocks from the lookout above despite the numerous signs warning of people below.
My shouts of outrage only fueled them to send more missiles over the edge. If one had hit us, and a few came close, we'd have been killed. Turns out it was a group of Aboriginal students down for a day trip. I complained to their leader but doubt that he took much notice. After lunch we played a few hands of Euchre which I'd taught Jay the night before. Mid-afternoon a couple of caravans arrived with children onboard. Jay quickly made the intros and was off and playing.
Later in the afternoon we accompanied their families down to the gorge for a swim. The water was bitterly cold but Jay braved it nevertheless. The evening was again spent playing card games.
2nd September 2011
Another mild night made getting up at a reasonable hour this morning easy. We set off on our 7km walk around Ormiston Pound. The scenery was magnificent. There is such variety along the McDonnell Ranges.
As we got to the water crossing near the end of the walk I almost sat on a small yellow headed whip snake. He swam across the waterway. We let him have it to himself and didn't begin crossing until he was safely on the other side. The afternoon was again spent down by the waterhole at the gorge with Jay playing with the kids, and me reading. I was surprised to be recognized by Roz and Dave from Norwest Anglican. It was good to get a bit of an update on church life back home. Once night had fallen we joined the Ranger and plenty of others from the campsite for a talk on biodiversity. It seemed strange to be told about Australian animals and habitats from a French girl who's only been in the country 8 months but she was very knowledgeable.
3rd September 2011
I was hoping to explore the last few stops along the West Ranges today but freaked myself out when we stopped at Redmond Gorge. Frankie was on such a severe tilt that I thought the axle must be broken.
I decided I'd better try and get ourselves back out onto the bitumen in case I needed a tow. Once back on flat ground all looked OK again. I don't think I could bear another problem. We both just want to get home now before something else can go wrong. It's really put a damper on the last part of the trip as I'm continually worrying about what else could break. We returned via Glen Helen resort and gorge. Here the Finke River breaks through the red quartz walls to flow out towards the desert. Not a particularly spectacular gorge, I'm glad we were staying at Ormiston. On our return to camp we had lunch and again spent the afternoon lazing by the waterhole. A couple of black-footed rock wallabies perched on the walls above us unconcerned by the noise and action below.
4th September 2011
Driving out of the West McDonnell Ranges today we had hoped to go to Standley Chasm. I don't know why but it is the only site along the ranges that you have to pay to enter. I think it is owned by an Aboriginal community. I'd hoped just to flit in and out, so I wasn't about to pay for the privilege of walking into the gorge when we'd already seen several others. Instead we continued onto Alice Springs Desert Park.
This turned out to be a great educational afternoon looking at the different habitats in a desert environment. Woodlands, sand country, salt and clay pans make up the desert lands. Other travelers were amazed at Jayden's knowledge of the different bird species and his patience in finding them in the different displays. The afternoon culminated in the birds of prey show. Featuring galahs, a tawny frogmouth, barn owl, brown falcon and black kite the show was an informative look at the larger desert birds.
We finally returned to Alice and went back into the same caravan park we'd been in earlier in the week. Once again there are plenty of kids around to keep Jay entertained. I rang Dad for Fathers Day hoping to catch Lindsay as well but he hadn't arrived yet. It was lovely to talk to Dad however briefly, but it will be even better to see them again soon.
5th September 2011
Another day spent hanging around auto repair yards. We started by going past Nashi only to learn that the gear box hadn't arrived yet. Our next stop was Alice Springs Auto to check a gas leak in the Autogas line. He fixed it in good time and at a reasonable price and sent us on our way. The next hour was spent pottering around the town. Jay needed a fix of toy departments to browse through. We got some good bargains from Vinnies including a new audio CD for the car travel. With a few bits from Coles we returned to the caravan park. Immediately I noticed the smell of gas and heard the spit of a leak so it was back to Alice Springs Auto to check it out. The mechanic went out and got a better quality silver solder and redid the job. This time it seems to have been successful. Back again to the caravan park we went. Jay quickly found some friends from yesterday and got playing freeing me up to catch up on a few jobs.
Late in the afternoon we got a call from Nashi to say that the gear box still hadn't arrived so who knows when we'll be moving on. I've been told that this is typical of Central Australia, just sit back, chill out and go with the flow. We got excited this afternoon when the clouds built up, it's the first time we've seen clouds in months. We even got two drops of rain, very exciting!
6th September 2011
Another day of waiting. Eventually the call came from Nashi to advise that although we'd ordered the gear box a week ago it only left Melbourne yesterday. If the transportation channels run smoothly we might have it here by Friday. With the extended wait I've again applied to NRMA Premium Care to cover our accommodation in Alice Springs. Next call was to Chris for a nice long chat. I also met a lovely family from Glenwood traveling for 3 months up the middle and across to WA via the Gibb River Road with four children aged 9 months to ten years. And I thought I was crazy! The afternoon was taken up across the road at the Cultural Precinct.
We commenced in the art gallery. Of special interest were the paintings by Albert Namatjira of the West McDonnell Ranges. The Museum of Central Australia although small had some interesting displays although the evolution theme was strong throughout. A highlight of our trip has definitely been the variety of interesting people we have met along the way. It has taught me to value relationships more than I previously had and I'm sure it will have an impact on the way I interact with people on my return to Sydney.
7th September 2011
We took Frankie around to Nashi this morning to get some of the other minor jobs done so that when the gear box finally comes in it should be a bit quicker. While he worked we wandered through the town centre to kill time coming away with a couple of second hand books. Back at the caravan park new neighbours pulled in. Our chat revealed that Wally and Sue had owned a bike repair shop before retiring. On learning of my buckled wheel rim Wally quickly set to work returning it to working order.
8th September 2011
Having awoken to a cold damp morning our excuses for sit down schoolwork, namely that it has been too hot and the driving distances too great, have run out. Reluctantly and with a great deal of fuss Jay got into some maths and writing. Feeling like we'd at least accomplished something useful this morning we had an early lunch then on my newly mended bike rode into town. As the Royal Flying Doctors Service started in Alice Springs a trip to their museum was a must.
We watched a short film and listened to a brief talk both of which were very interesting. Jay enjoyed operating the Traeger two way pedal radio which was invented as a viable and affordable communication device for the remote stations and communities of the outback. Our next visit was to the Alice Springs Reptile House across the road. Around the exhibits we wandered before attending a handlers talk. Jay has become quite bold around snakes and reptiles and was the first to volunteer to have a large olive python draped around his neck. As the day wound down we headed for our humble home.
9th September 2011
Taking advantage of our close proximity to the Cultural Centre we went across to watch a selection of items in the Desart Symposium. I was especially keen to see the Simpson Desert Dancers. I'm not sure what I was expecting but what we got was a major disappointment. It looked like they hadn't rehearsed at all and even though all they did was walk forwards and backwards on the stage with sticks they didn't even manage to keep in time to the traditional singing of the other woman. We didn't return for the afternoon events.
Jay has met a family who are working their way around Australia and are in Alice Springs for a month while Dad fulfills a contract. Mum is a budding face painter looking for faces to practice on. Jay has been a willing model featuring a tiger and dragon design so far. Despite the bitterly cold wind we headed into town late afternoon for the Desert Festival street parade. The parade culminated in a kids performance mostly from local school groups. It was pretty late by the time we had some dinner at Maccas and returned by bike to the caravan park.
10th September 2011
NT stands for Not Today, Not Tomorrow, Not Tuesday, Not Thursday. Consequently the gear box didn't come in in time and we are stuck here for the weekend. At least there's plenty on with Desert Festival. We browsed the Indigenous art market across the road then checked out the Aviation Museum. The plan was to head into town in the afternoon for some entertainment but Jay was happily playing, I was happily chatting and the icy wind was still blowing so we didn't venture back out.
11th September 2011
We rode into town today for the kids festival. There was some good entertainment including the Darwin Symphony Orchestra, a play from the book Scrambled Eggs, Yamba who is the NT equivalent of Healthy Harold and an excellent juggler. To exercise our creativity we made lino cuttings. They were printed onto a postcard which will be sent to us in a years time. Jay got into a dance competition and had some fun with a drama workshop.
By the end of the day my lungs were on fire. I have been fighting something off for a few days now but after breathing in the dust and grass all day I wasn't in a good way. We again had a change of plans and rather than stay for the Darwin Symphony Big Sky Country performance and roast dinner at the club we returned to the bus for a rest and Easy Mac. I know which one looks better on paper but I didn't have the strength to keep going disappointingly.
12th September 2011
First thing this morning we had a call from Nashi to let us know that the gear box had finally made it to Alice. With plans made to do the work tomorrow we had the day to ourself to explore. We set off on our bikes for the Alice Springs School of the Air.
The setup here was very different to the one at Carnarvon. As tourism is a major source of income for all the extras the school likes to provide it's students the centre has been laid out with this in mind. The large schoolroom has a full wall window allowing visitors to watch the teacher in action as well as observe the computer view on a large screen. One of the teachers was particularly entertaining, turning the camera around so the students had a view of us spectators and including us in his banter with the kids. I was interested to learn that there is a volunteer 6 week live-in tutoring program to help out the families which I would love to look into participating in down the track.
From there it was onto the Telegraph Station. These beautifully preserved buildings from the late 18 and early 1900's in their isolated position about 4kms from town, give a real glimpse into what life might have been like in outback Australia before roads even existed out here.
A camel train came with supplies once a year, imagine having to plan and write that shopping list. Mail was more frequent coming about every six weeks. Sadly the very first message sent from the Alice Springs Station was to inform authorities that the man sent to take the first Station Masters post had died of thirst 100kms out of Alice.
Our last destination for the day was to Todd Mall for a Didgeridoo lesson. We missed the first few minutes and probably the vital instructions. Consequently Jay struggled to get anything more than a raspberry out of the instrument and quickly became frustrated. As we returned to the caravan park a thick haze of smoke had settled around the town from more bush fires.
13th September 2011
Frankie was finally off to Nashi for his new gear box today. With time to kill again Jay and I started with a ride along the Todd River to Heavitree Gap. It was then back into town for a doctors appointment as both of us have been struggling with nasty coughs and heavy chests. With scripts in hand we headed for Medicare and the chemist before going to Maccas for lunch. The call came to say Frankie was all fixed so after picking him up we did some shopping so we'd be ready to hit the road first thing in the morning.
Our Alice Springs finale was a trip to Desert Park with two thousand others, locals and tourist alike for Symphony Under the Stars performed by the Darwin Symphony Orchestra. With the muted hulk of the McDonnell Ranges in the background it was a very special experience.
14th September 2011
It was great after two weeks to be moving again. I hadn't realised quite how far it was from Alice Springs to Kings Canyon. As so many day trips go there from Alice I was surprised to learn that I had over 450km to cover. We'd hoped to see the singing Dingo at one of the roadhouses and were disappointed to hear that he'd gone into Alice for the day. Next door was a camel farm which we went into as we were still hoping to have a reasonably priced ride. The army were trading in their old mascot for a newer version and were test driving them when we arrived.
A nice young British backpacker led our ride. He was working on the farm to secure his stay in Australia for two years and was loving the isolation of the farm. The ride was both reasonably priced and felt quite genuine in this remote location. We travelled around a hill on the property and it was easy to imagine that we were on an Afghan camel train one hundred years ago without any civilization nearby. We continued on, taking the turnoff to Kings Canyon. Still with 100km to go we heard a bang and telltale rattle of a shredded tyre. I set to work with the intention of changing the tyre. By the time that I realised just how difficult this was going to be an Adventure based tour group in a Coaster pulled up and offered assistance. I gratefully accepted. Once they got to work I came to the conclusion that I would never have managed the feat on my own. It took them the best part of an hour to get me moving again. I was never going to make my destination before dark now so we pulled into Salt Creek rest area free camp site and called it a day.
15th September 2011
Driving straight to Kings Canyon we embarked upon the rim walk before the heat of the day became too intense.
It is probably one of the more interesting walks we've done. The domed peaks around the top of the range are in stark contrast to the smooth steep walls of the canyon. The botanical diversity after all the rains earlier this year is amazing especially the profusion of flowers growing in every available crevice on the exposed rocky range. We were especially pleased to find a few Western Bower birds, which are very different again both in appearance and habit from both the Satin bower birds of the east coast and the Greater bower birds of the northern parts of the country.
Further on at the Kings Canyon Resort we spent a couple of hours relaxing by the pool after our big walk. The campground was the perfect vantage point for watching the sunset light up the Gill range. Amongst the tall grasses dingoes trotted past as the day slowly ebbed away.
16th September 2011
I didn't even have to get out of bed this morning to watch the colours light up the eastern sky behind the range. A dingo sat just outside my window but quickly vanished when I arose to fetch my camera. It was amazing how the view out the window changed as we drove towards Uluru. With a heavy smoke haze hanging low in the sky our first view of Mount Connor was veiled and mystical. As we moved into more arid areas the colours intensified. The red dirt became brighter, the sky cleared and the blues grew more intense. Pink, yellow, purple, blue and red wildflowers scattered the landscape. Even the brush and bushes seemed to diversify with every kilometre we took into the desert. My first stop on reaching Yulara was to try and source a replacement spare tyre without success. A trip to the resort visitors centre, retail area and a cultural talk filled the remainder of the day. Finding a spot at the campground lookout I settled in with a glass of wine and watched The Rock and The Olgas go through their dramatic colour changes with the setting sun.
17th September 2011
Today would have to be one of the highlights of our whole journey. We started the day watching the sunrise light up the eastern face of Uluru.
One of the great things about a motorhome is that you always have everything with you so we sat back in Frankie and had breakfast as the sun completed colouring "The Rock". From there it was onto the Cultural Centre for an insight into the Anangu way of life. A short drive to the base of Uluru and we joined a ranger guided tour on the Mala Walk.
Learning some of the Tjukurpa (pronounced 'chook-or-pa'), which broadly speaking encompasses the creation period, behavioural rules and care of the land was the basis of the walk. It was hot by the time we returned to Frankie for lunch. Fueled up we grabbed the bikes and set off on the 10.6km base track. This was a delight to the senses. The sight and smell of the grasses and wildflowers, the sound of birdcall and the wind blowing through the dry grasses and across the face of the rock, all with the awe-inspiring red monolith looming over us.
We returned to camp hot and tired and joined the families around the pool for a while. Sunset tonight was somewhat disappointing as the heavy smoke haze left Uluru looking washed out and grey. After dinner Jay went rabbit hunting amongst the red sand dunes and we were excited to see a Spinifex Hopping Mouse in the bushes beside our campsite.
18th September 2011
We selected a different spot to watch the sunrise this morning. Unfortunately it didn't give the best view of the rock but it was at least a more solitary experience away from the crowds. We ate breakfast as the sun climbed the Eastern face of Uluru then set off up the west face ourselves. After climbing a third of the way up the steep face Jay was getting increasingly anxious and the decision was made to head back down.
We were almost at the end of the chain when he realized that going down wasn't as scary as he'd expected and bravely decided to give it another go. So up we went again. With a new determination we scaled the steepest sections of the climb and reached the first landing. Jay was exultant and with the adrenalin running bounded off up the next section. He was so proud of himself, as was I, when he reached the summit.
Secretly I was pleased with myself as well. I remembered clearly vowing never to make the climb again after doing it at 21 as it completely wrecked me. This time however seemed relatively easy so either my level of fitness is markedly improved which given the fact that I was dancing about 12 hours a week back then seems unlikely, or went much slower this time around (more likely).
Safely back on the ground we charged up with fantastic noodles and coke then drove around to Kata-Tjuta. On the path up to the observation platform we got stuck into some bush Tucker. Honey grevilleas lined the track. We sucked the sweet nectar straight from the flowers getting sticky sweetness all over our faces.
Continuing on we walked both the Warlu gorge and Karu lookout walk at Kata-Tjuta which overlooks the Valley of the Winds. I would have liked to do the longer walk but Jay was shattered by this time and we turned back towards camp.
A swim and play renewed his energy however his head hadn't hit the pillow for long before he was out like a light.
19th September 2011
I pulled up pretty well after our climb yesterday, only a slight ache in the calves and thighs. Today was mostly driving covering 450km. There was a strong side wind most of the way and when your sitting between 80 and 90km/h it seems like slow going. There wasn't even anything remarkable to look at. Once we'd left Uluru the scenery returned to drab never-ending plains of mulga scrub, a lot of which had been burnt out or was still burning. The only excitement was when an emu ran across the road in front of us. Traveller's Rest at Marla just over the NT/SA Border is our overnight stopping point. The Red Centre has definitely been a great part of our journey.
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