Tuesday 7/6/11 - we had a bit of trouble sleeping last night because 'things' kept being dropped onto the caravan. No idea who or what but we suspect a possum or similar. We walked down to the river (South Alligator) but the only access is at the boat launch area and we couldn't see much. The water levels are clearly much higher than is normal in the Dry season. It is quite a warm day and pretty hot in the caravan. We sat outside for a short time but the mozzies attacked so had to go back inside again.
In my last blog I mentioned we were booked in to do the Yellow Water sunset cruise - what a fabulous cruise that was! I took over 400 photos. We saw crocodiles, jabirus, whistling ducks, 3 sizes of egrets, cranes, and a whole lot of other birds (names I cannot remember), 3 wild horses and a vast and beautiful wetland area. The high water mark on the trees was at least 3m higher than currently and the water was dropping at the rate of 11cm per day, although it has slowed considerably now. On the cruise we were told about the devastating effect of cane toads on wildlife in Kakadu and later that night, back at the caravan, we commented that neither of us had seen one in real life. Later that night when Royce went outside to empty the liquid from a can something moved. He came in and got the torch and we went outside and the place was littered with cane toads! Ugly looking things they are.
Wednesday 8/6/11 - it was foggy when we awoke this morning. We were visited this morning at the camp site by a couple of blue winged kookaburras. We went to the Warradjan (Warr-ar-jarn) Aboriginal Cultural Centrre this morning, which was very interesting. We then climbed to the Mirrai Lookout (about 22km north of Mardugal campsite). It was a very steep climb and it was very hot. There wasn't much of a view because of the trees. We then went onto the Nourlangie Region. All the walks at Muirella Park were closed. The walk around and through Nourlangie was great - rock paintings, escarpment, lookout. We spent quite a bit of time here. We then drove to Arnbangbang (Arn-barng-barng) billabong to have a look. The walk was closed but we could drive part way around it. We saw a dingo casually saunter across the grasses next to the billabong but it was gone before I could get the camera out. We then drove to have a look at Jim Jim Billabong and on the way a very large crane like bird sauntered across the road in front of us. I got a photo and we were told by the staff at the Bowali Visitor Centre on Thursday that it was a Brolga.
Thursday 9/6/11 Very hot and muggy today. We packed up and headed towards the East Alligator Region. On the way we stopped at the Bowali Visitor Centre which was very interesting. Leaving there and on the way to Jabiru we saw a couple of dingoes in the grasses at the side of the road. We also saw a Jabiru flying! We stopped at Jabiru to pick up a couple of supplies (bread, butter) and nearly fell over at the prices. Everything was at least double what you would pay elsewhere! We set up camp at Merl, initially in the No Generator zone but when we went looking for the toilets we discovered a Generator zone so we packed up and relocated. I went to the toilets and as soon as I sat down the mozzies swarmed - the worst they have been - so I decided I wouldn't be using those toilets or showers while we stayed there. We had a couple of sulphur crest cockatoos sitting in the tree above our caravan dropping things onto the caravan most of the afternoon and night! We spent the rest of the afternoon trying to keep cool, wiping up the sweat, and reading.
Friday 10/6/11 Neither of us slept well last night. There was a lot of noise though the night from some sort of bird (we think) and things dropping onto the caravan! It was also pretty hot and uncomfortable. We decided to do the Bardedjilidji (Bar-de-jill-eed-gee) walk but we inadvertently started at the wrong end and part way through the walk we came across a sign which indicated the section we had done was closed! That section did go pretty close to the East Alligator River and between the river and some smaller water holes. We did see a small crocodile (freshie?) in one of the water holes. This walk takes you through layered sandstone outliers and was an amazing walk. It felt like you were entering The Land Before Time at one part of it. There was aboriginal rock art and some really amazing rock formations. We then drove to Cahill's Crossing and saw a couple of Whistling Kites and their nest and several small fish. Someone was standing out on the crossing fishing - notwithstanding this has been the site of at least one fatal croc attack in the past and crocs do inhabit the area. We went to the Border Store and had some lunch. We then went on to Ubirr (Oo-beer) and walked around looking at fabulous aboriginal rock art, amazing rock formations and then climbed to the top to watch the sunset. From the top you can see a very large flood plain which is so vast you cannot imagine it, and then to watch the sunset from there is indescribable!
Saturday 11/6/11 There was a bit of a cool breeze this morning and it is not quite as hot as the last couple of days. Not as humid either. We did the Guluyambi boat cruise this morning. This is apparently the only one owned and run by Aboriginals. Our cruise captain was Terry and he explained some traditional things like how they make their paintbrushes, how they make rafts and a number of other things that were really interesting. The East Alligator River is the border between Kakadu and Arnhem Land and people wishing to visit Arnhem Land must have a permit. We were allowed to land on Arnhem Land where we were shown some traditional Aboriginal weapons and were given a demonstration of spear throwing using a woomera. Our guides explained tribal law - the wrong-doer is surrounded by 10 men who spear his lower leg. The spears are barbed and can only come out one way. The spear goes through the calf. The wrong-doer then cuts off the wooden shaft and leaves the barbed head in place for a month. He then cuts the leg at both ends of the spear head and pulls it out! This is the first and only warning. Tribal law says that repeat offence results in the same actions but the spears go through the chest!
Sunday 12/6/11 A much cooler morning and a bit breezy. Hardly any mozzies around! We packed up and left the East Alligator Region heading towards Darwin. We saw a large flock of black cockatoos, a very large flock of white cockatoos and one water buffalo (on the side of the road). We crossed the South Alligator River at one point and what a massive river it is. The outgoing tide was running and it was very strong and fast. This was about 80km from the mouth of the river. Otherwise it was a pretty uneventful drive and we ended up at the Big 4 Caravan Park at Howard Springs. We spent the afternoon getting our washing done and meeting our neighbours. I spent most of the night getting the photos onto the computer and resizing them. Still have to properly label and sort yet.
Monday 13/6/11 We enjoyed a really loooong shower this morning. We found a shopping centre and got our shopping done, chatted with Rory, Emma and Marshall and had some lunch. I will finish the blog here and will separately post photos shortly. I have so many photos it is really hard to work out which ones to put on the blog but hopefully the ones I do put on will give you some idea of what I have talked about in this and my previous blog.
Boh Boh (see you next time)
Monday, June 13, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
KAKADU
We arrived in Kakadu yesterday and I was amazed to find I have a limited telephone & Internet access.
Since our last blog:-
(I have just noticed some typos in this blog but because I am doing this on my iPad I can't work out how to scroll down to fix them so please note - further on 'grasses' should be 'grassed' and 'mosses' should be 'mossies'
Saturday 4/6/11 we left Katherine after deciding we would explore there on our return since we have to go through Katherine when we head through to WA. We drove to Leliyn (Edith Falls) campground - about 42km north of Katherine, turn off the highway and another 20km along a good bitumen road. There are some very interesting rock formations along this stretch of road but nowhere to pull over to take photos. Some of them are very similar to devils marbles. This is part of the Nitmiluk National Park. The site is a lovely bush setting. Camp fees are $9 per adult per night and there are toilet, shower and laundry facilities. The lower falls (about 150m from the camp site) are fairly small but the plunge pool is more like a good size lake. The amount of water coming over the falls must be pretty significant judging from the noise of the falls. The water was pretty cold so we didn't swim but a few people did. The ulcers in my mouth are still pretty sore but slowly improving - thank goodness for the Kenalog! I finished reading The Murder of King Tut by James Patterson - interesting reading.
Sunday 5/6/11 my tongue is feeling a bit better still - only very slight soreness. We did the loop walk to the top pool and waterfalls. It was quite warm today and I am glad we started in the morning. There was a very steep part early in the walk and I had to rest a few times and it was pretty hard yakka in some stretches of the track but boy was it worth it! This would have to be one of the most beautiful places in the world! We walked to the phone booth (we had no service on the mobile) to call the kids and living at the top of the booth is the largest huntsman spider I have ever seen! It had to have been at least 6" across. Royce said he has seen them that big before but I hadn't.
Monday 6/6/11 we left Edith falls and drove to Pine Creek. This seems like a really nice little town and we will note it for exploring at some future time. We had phone service in pine creek so made a couple of phone calls and checked emails etc then headed off to Kakadu. We stopped at the Gungural camp site, which we had thought to make our home for a couple of nights. It is written up as a bush camp but it is pretty much all bitumen. There was only one half decent bush camp area and it was already taken. We made lunch then moved on to Mardugal camp (Yellow water region). This is much better. It is a very large camp site with mainly grasses areas, toilets and showers. Camp fees are $10 pp/pn. There is no such thing as a free camp in Kakadu! The mosses are really bad so after coating myself in Bushmans about 4 times I was able to sit outside for a short time. We saw a small flock of black cockatoos on the way here but again there was nowhere to pull over to take photos.
I have been able to write up this blog using my iPad but I haven't been able to get photos uploaded so they will have to come later.
We are booked in to do the Yellow Water cruise so will let you know all about that in due course.
We had hoped to do the Billabong walk while we were here but because of all the recent rains there is too much water (and too many crocs) so the walk is closed. We had planned to stay here for two nights then go on to another area in Kakadu, and will probably do that but we have been told that a lot of Areas are closed off - including many of the walks we wanted to do.
Since our last blog:-
(I have just noticed some typos in this blog but because I am doing this on my iPad I can't work out how to scroll down to fix them so please note - further on 'grasses' should be 'grassed' and 'mosses' should be 'mossies'
Saturday 4/6/11 we left Katherine after deciding we would explore there on our return since we have to go through Katherine when we head through to WA. We drove to Leliyn (Edith Falls) campground - about 42km north of Katherine, turn off the highway and another 20km along a good bitumen road. There are some very interesting rock formations along this stretch of road but nowhere to pull over to take photos. Some of them are very similar to devils marbles. This is part of the Nitmiluk National Park. The site is a lovely bush setting. Camp fees are $9 per adult per night and there are toilet, shower and laundry facilities. The lower falls (about 150m from the camp site) are fairly small but the plunge pool is more like a good size lake. The amount of water coming over the falls must be pretty significant judging from the noise of the falls. The water was pretty cold so we didn't swim but a few people did. The ulcers in my mouth are still pretty sore but slowly improving - thank goodness for the Kenalog! I finished reading The Murder of King Tut by James Patterson - interesting reading.
Sunday 5/6/11 my tongue is feeling a bit better still - only very slight soreness. We did the loop walk to the top pool and waterfalls. It was quite warm today and I am glad we started in the morning. There was a very steep part early in the walk and I had to rest a few times and it was pretty hard yakka in some stretches of the track but boy was it worth it! This would have to be one of the most beautiful places in the world! We walked to the phone booth (we had no service on the mobile) to call the kids and living at the top of the booth is the largest huntsman spider I have ever seen! It had to have been at least 6" across. Royce said he has seen them that big before but I hadn't.
Monday 6/6/11 we left Edith falls and drove to Pine Creek. This seems like a really nice little town and we will note it for exploring at some future time. We had phone service in pine creek so made a couple of phone calls and checked emails etc then headed off to Kakadu. We stopped at the Gungural camp site, which we had thought to make our home for a couple of nights. It is written up as a bush camp but it is pretty much all bitumen. There was only one half decent bush camp area and it was already taken. We made lunch then moved on to Mardugal camp (Yellow water region). This is much better. It is a very large camp site with mainly grasses areas, toilets and showers. Camp fees are $10 pp/pn. There is no such thing as a free camp in Kakadu! The mosses are really bad so after coating myself in Bushmans about 4 times I was able to sit outside for a short time. We saw a small flock of black cockatoos on the way here but again there was nowhere to pull over to take photos.
I have been able to write up this blog using my iPad but I haven't been able to get photos uploaded so they will have to come later.
We are booked in to do the Yellow Water cruise so will let you know all about that in due course.
We had hoped to do the Billabong walk while we were here but because of all the recent rains there is too much water (and too many crocs) so the walk is closed. We had planned to stay here for two nights then go on to another area in Kakadu, and will probably do that but we have been told that a lot of Areas are closed off - including many of the walks we wanted to do.
Friday, June 3, 2011
KATHERINE
We arrived at Katherine late yesterday afternoon. I will fill you in on our adventures since our last blog.
Saturday 28/5/11 Still at Tennant Creek. Didn't do much today at all. Filled up with fuel ($1.74 per litre or thereabouts) and filled up one of our gas bottles ($40.50!!)
Sunday 29/5/11 We packed up and left Tennant Creek. We stopped at Three Ways and decided to have a coffee and a muffin. The muffin was nice but the coffee was pretty ordinary - we haven't had a good coffee since leaving SA! We misssed the turn off to Lake Mary-Ann and the turn off to The Pebbles - neither had warning signs so the turn offs were there and we couldn't slow down in time to take them and there weren't too many places we could turn around. Never mind - we can have a look at them the next time through. About 5km south of Elliott we had to slow down for a goanna which was casually sauntering across the road. We had thought of camping at Longreach Waters which is just north of Elliott but it is about 12km of dirt road and we were told it was too rough to take a caravan. We travelled on to Newcastle Waters Rest Area and it was packed. We managed to get the last parking area and that was at 2.30pm. There were quite a lot of people coming through after that but they had to move on. We met two nice people from WA and had an enjoyable happy hour with them.
Monday 30/5/11 Left the Rest Area and had planned to visit the historic Newcastle Waters township (now apparently a ghost town) but the road was closed because of flood damage. Just near the Newcastle Creek we saw a Jabiru (at least that is what we think it was). A wedgetail eagle took off right next to us but we hadn't seen it before hand (it was in long grass by the side of the road) so no photo opportunity. We saw another wedgetail eagle a bit later on. It was sitting by the road but again we couldn't slow or stop because we had a road train sitting on our tail! There seems to be a lot of water on the ground on this stretch of road. We arrived at Daly Waters and booked in at the camp ground by the Daly Waters Pub. This pub is very well known for the bras, nickers, jocks and all sorts of other stuff hanging from the ceiling. People from all over the world have left articles of clothing (including t-shirts) and money. There was a small bird (which looked similar to a magpie and about the same size as a magpie but it definitely wasn't a magpie) sitting on the counter of the Pub singing away. It was very cute. I didn't have my camera with me but took a couple of photos with my phone. I will post a photo once I transfer it from my phone. We headed back to the caravan just as a herd of cattle were being brought into the yards. They appeared to be young cattle and we suspect they are being brought in for the rodeo to be held at Daly Waters on the coming weekend. We went on a walk to Daly Waters creek/river(?), then on to the historic Stuart Tree, WWII flying fox and WWII hangar and airstrip. The creek/river currently consists of a number of large pools of water. While there a crane like bird (which may or may not have been a jabiru) took off and flew past us. There was no noise at all - it was like a ghost. We went to the Pub for tea and we both had the half n half - beef and barra. It was the most beautifully cooked piece of beef we have ever had and the barra was to die for! A really good salad bar was available as well. A camp show was put on by "Chilli" which was quite fun - some jokes and songs. I finished reading "Nothing Prepared Me" by Edna Eckford Quilty and highly recommend it. I probably found it particularly interesting because she refers to a lot of the places we have visited and others we will be visiting. But even aside from that it is well worth reading.
Tuesday 31/5/11 I had some pretty bad back spasms this morning. I have no idea what I did but they were quite crippling. Luckily they settled down during the day. We decided to stop at Fran's Devonshire Tea House at Larrimah and have coffee and scones. What a waste of time and money! It cost $26 all up and the coffee was very ordinary (notwithstanding it was advertised as the best in NT) and the scones were dry and crumbly! We drove past the Warloch Rest Area about 40km south of Mataranka and have noted it as a good camp area (with toilets) for future reference. We decided to stay at 12-mile Yard in the Elsey National Park. Cost is $6.60 per person per night so pretty reasonable. It is a bush setting right by the Roper River. Once we were settled in we drove to the Mataranka Homestead and spent about 2 hours relaxing in the thermal pool - simply wonderful! Walking back from the pool we encountered a little wallaby eating the palm fronds and while we stopped and watched a joey emerged from her pouch. She was only a couple of feet away from us and wasn't fussed about us being there at all. Just as we got to the carpark another little wallaby came running across the car park towards us and it stopped right at (on) my feet! I guess it was looking for food but we didn't have any for it. Driving back to 12-mile Yard we saw 7 wallabies / kangaroos. We have been told that wild donkeys roam the park (we saw lots of donkey poo everywhere), that dingoes will visit and there is a water buffalo as well.
Wednesday 1/6/11 The mozzies are quite bad here so we can't sit outside much, even during the day. They are even attacking Royce. I heard dingoes howling in the distance early this morning. I have mouth ulcers again (this is what happened last time I gave up smoking). It was very painful through the night. We walked to Mataranka Falls today. It is sign posted as 4.2km away (but we think this is as the crow flies) and takes 1.5 to 2.5 hours one way. It was hard going in parts - deep soft river sand, rocks, climbing up, climbing down etc. Lots of termite mounds as well - some pretty big. It took us just over 4 hours all up and that includes stopping to have a snack and drinks on the way, so overall not too bad. My left hip started getting very sore on the way back so had to rest pretty frequently. There were several creek crossings (most with flowing water), some small waterfalls and lots of butterflies. Royce also managed to spot a cobra swimming in the Roper River! (see photo) We were both pretty tired when we got back but it was good.
Thursday 2/6/11 I had to get up to take an antihistamine tablet through the night because of all the bites! The itching was driving me crazy. My tongue was extremely sore through the night and still very painful this morning. The ulcer is very large and I don't having anything I can use to help. I was hardly able to eat or drink anything today and talking is very difficult. The pain was severe. I couldn't chew my nicorettes so had a lot of trouble with nicotine cravings. We stopped at Bitter Creek (just a few kilometres out of Mataranka) and had a swim in the thermal pool. This is a very natural bush pool and quite large. It would have to be at least 10 foot deep - if not more. We then drove on to Katherine and called in to the chemist and bought some ointment for me to use on the ulcer. We then found a caravan park outside Katherine - Manbulloo Station and set up. I have been in tears most of the day because of the pain of the ulcer and unfortunately I gave in to the cravings and bought some cigarettes. Once I can get this ulcer cleared up I will try stopping again and try to work out a strategy to manage the ulcers if they flare up again (which is likely).
Friday 3/6/11 My mouth feels marginally improved this morning but it may well take another day or two for it to clear up properly. We have decided to stay here tonight and get out washing done and do some shopping later today. I am still having trouble eating and drinking but this is a particularly nasty ulcer! We had thought to head out to Katherine Gorge and do some other tourist type things tomorrow but we may have to wait and see how I am feeling.
Daly Waters Pub
Daly Waters - bring in the cattle
One of the ponds in the river at Daly Waters
The cobra in the Roper River
Roper River
One of the many fish we saw in the Roper River
Birds nest? In front, behind and in the 'nest' are discarded snails!
Near Mataranka thermal pool
Near Mataranka thermal pool
Saturday 28/5/11 Still at Tennant Creek. Didn't do much today at all. Filled up with fuel ($1.74 per litre or thereabouts) and filled up one of our gas bottles ($40.50!!)
Sunday 29/5/11 We packed up and left Tennant Creek. We stopped at Three Ways and decided to have a coffee and a muffin. The muffin was nice but the coffee was pretty ordinary - we haven't had a good coffee since leaving SA! We misssed the turn off to Lake Mary-Ann and the turn off to The Pebbles - neither had warning signs so the turn offs were there and we couldn't slow down in time to take them and there weren't too many places we could turn around. Never mind - we can have a look at them the next time through. About 5km south of Elliott we had to slow down for a goanna which was casually sauntering across the road. We had thought of camping at Longreach Waters which is just north of Elliott but it is about 12km of dirt road and we were told it was too rough to take a caravan. We travelled on to Newcastle Waters Rest Area and it was packed. We managed to get the last parking area and that was at 2.30pm. There were quite a lot of people coming through after that but they had to move on. We met two nice people from WA and had an enjoyable happy hour with them.
Monday 30/5/11 Left the Rest Area and had planned to visit the historic Newcastle Waters township (now apparently a ghost town) but the road was closed because of flood damage. Just near the Newcastle Creek we saw a Jabiru (at least that is what we think it was). A wedgetail eagle took off right next to us but we hadn't seen it before hand (it was in long grass by the side of the road) so no photo opportunity. We saw another wedgetail eagle a bit later on. It was sitting by the road but again we couldn't slow or stop because we had a road train sitting on our tail! There seems to be a lot of water on the ground on this stretch of road. We arrived at Daly Waters and booked in at the camp ground by the Daly Waters Pub. This pub is very well known for the bras, nickers, jocks and all sorts of other stuff hanging from the ceiling. People from all over the world have left articles of clothing (including t-shirts) and money. There was a small bird (which looked similar to a magpie and about the same size as a magpie but it definitely wasn't a magpie) sitting on the counter of the Pub singing away. It was very cute. I didn't have my camera with me but took a couple of photos with my phone. I will post a photo once I transfer it from my phone. We headed back to the caravan just as a herd of cattle were being brought into the yards. They appeared to be young cattle and we suspect they are being brought in for the rodeo to be held at Daly Waters on the coming weekend. We went on a walk to Daly Waters creek/river(?), then on to the historic Stuart Tree, WWII flying fox and WWII hangar and airstrip. The creek/river currently consists of a number of large pools of water. While there a crane like bird (which may or may not have been a jabiru) took off and flew past us. There was no noise at all - it was like a ghost. We went to the Pub for tea and we both had the half n half - beef and barra. It was the most beautifully cooked piece of beef we have ever had and the barra was to die for! A really good salad bar was available as well. A camp show was put on by "Chilli" which was quite fun - some jokes and songs. I finished reading "Nothing Prepared Me" by Edna Eckford Quilty and highly recommend it. I probably found it particularly interesting because she refers to a lot of the places we have visited and others we will be visiting. But even aside from that it is well worth reading.
Tuesday 31/5/11 I had some pretty bad back spasms this morning. I have no idea what I did but they were quite crippling. Luckily they settled down during the day. We decided to stop at Fran's Devonshire Tea House at Larrimah and have coffee and scones. What a waste of time and money! It cost $26 all up and the coffee was very ordinary (notwithstanding it was advertised as the best in NT) and the scones were dry and crumbly! We drove past the Warloch Rest Area about 40km south of Mataranka and have noted it as a good camp area (with toilets) for future reference. We decided to stay at 12-mile Yard in the Elsey National Park. Cost is $6.60 per person per night so pretty reasonable. It is a bush setting right by the Roper River. Once we were settled in we drove to the Mataranka Homestead and spent about 2 hours relaxing in the thermal pool - simply wonderful! Walking back from the pool we encountered a little wallaby eating the palm fronds and while we stopped and watched a joey emerged from her pouch. She was only a couple of feet away from us and wasn't fussed about us being there at all. Just as we got to the carpark another little wallaby came running across the car park towards us and it stopped right at (on) my feet! I guess it was looking for food but we didn't have any for it. Driving back to 12-mile Yard we saw 7 wallabies / kangaroos. We have been told that wild donkeys roam the park (we saw lots of donkey poo everywhere), that dingoes will visit and there is a water buffalo as well.
Wednesday 1/6/11 The mozzies are quite bad here so we can't sit outside much, even during the day. They are even attacking Royce. I heard dingoes howling in the distance early this morning. I have mouth ulcers again (this is what happened last time I gave up smoking). It was very painful through the night. We walked to Mataranka Falls today. It is sign posted as 4.2km away (but we think this is as the crow flies) and takes 1.5 to 2.5 hours one way. It was hard going in parts - deep soft river sand, rocks, climbing up, climbing down etc. Lots of termite mounds as well - some pretty big. It took us just over 4 hours all up and that includes stopping to have a snack and drinks on the way, so overall not too bad. My left hip started getting very sore on the way back so had to rest pretty frequently. There were several creek crossings (most with flowing water), some small waterfalls and lots of butterflies. Royce also managed to spot a cobra swimming in the Roper River! (see photo) We were both pretty tired when we got back but it was good.
Thursday 2/6/11 I had to get up to take an antihistamine tablet through the night because of all the bites! The itching was driving me crazy. My tongue was extremely sore through the night and still very painful this morning. The ulcer is very large and I don't having anything I can use to help. I was hardly able to eat or drink anything today and talking is very difficult. The pain was severe. I couldn't chew my nicorettes so had a lot of trouble with nicotine cravings. We stopped at Bitter Creek (just a few kilometres out of Mataranka) and had a swim in the thermal pool. This is a very natural bush pool and quite large. It would have to be at least 10 foot deep - if not more. We then drove on to Katherine and called in to the chemist and bought some ointment for me to use on the ulcer. We then found a caravan park outside Katherine - Manbulloo Station and set up. I have been in tears most of the day because of the pain of the ulcer and unfortunately I gave in to the cravings and bought some cigarettes. Once I can get this ulcer cleared up I will try stopping again and try to work out a strategy to manage the ulcers if they flare up again (which is likely).
Friday 3/6/11 My mouth feels marginally improved this morning but it may well take another day or two for it to clear up properly. We have decided to stay here tonight and get out washing done and do some shopping later today. I am still having trouble eating and drinking but this is a particularly nasty ulcer! We had thought to head out to Katherine Gorge and do some other tourist type things tomorrow but we may have to wait and see how I am feeling.
Daly Waters Pub
Daly Waters - bring in the cattle
One of the ponds in the river at Daly Waters
The cobra in the Roper River
Roper River
One of the many fish we saw in the Roper River
Birds nest? In front, behind and in the 'nest' are discarded snails!
Near Mataranka thermal pool
Near Mataranka thermal poolFriday, May 27, 2011
TENNANT CREEK
We are finally back on the grid. I must admit I haven't misssed having phone service but I have missed the internet. I have made notes each day so I wouldn't forget too much.
We left Alice Springs on Saturday 21/5/11 and headed to Gemtree. We stopped for fuel in AS and had a bit of a close call with the roof over the bowser but Royce was a good driver and with a bit of help from me (mainly just watching and keeping fingers crossed) he got the caravan out, we filled up and got on our way. We had to turn off the Stuart Highway (after crossing the Tropic of Capricorn) onto the Plenty Highway. The latter highway is a single lane road, but is at least bitumenised (at least until just past Gemtree). Not a lot of traffic heading the other way so we didn't have too many problems. A couple of the big floodways had been damaged and not yet repaired so there was a bit of dodging to do to get through them. Gemtree is a bush setting which was quite nice but $22 per night for an unpowered site is a bit expensive I think. We met up with two other couples and the 6 of us shared a table at the camp oven dinner (delicious). We then watched a 'home movie' from the 1960s featuring Gemtree's owner's younger brother. It was interesting. We have been able to hook up water (bore water).
Sunday 22/5/11 up early and ready to head off garnet fossicking. We drove about 30km out from Gemtree, had a quick lesson and then left to our own devices - with the other fossickers. We had 2 dry sieves, 2 wet sieves, a large tub, 20 litres of water, a pick, a shovel and a small jar (to put our treasures in when we find them). They had set up a new fossicking area and we all picked a spot in the trench and got to work. The flies were a nuisance, it was hot and dirty work and we only managed to fine one garnet. People at the far end of the trench found heaps but where we were there was very little. Cameron (Gemtree's owner) must have felt sorry for us because when he assessed our find on returning from fossicking he gave us 4 other garnets (uncut). We then decided to have showers and clean up but the hot water kept cutting out all the time so it was a bit of a challenge but we did finally get clean and felt much better. Had drinks with one of the other couples and Royce played darts with them for a while (they had a portable dart board). We then headed 'home' and cooked tea. Had a quiet night. Beautiful stars!!!! I finished reading The Burnt House by Faye Kellerman. Not too bad.
Monday 23/5/11 we started packing up to head off. When we were shopping in Alice Springs I decided I wouldn't buy any more smokes and when my current packet finished I would stop smoking. Consequently I had my last 2 smokes before we left Gemtree this morning. Shortly after turning off the Plenty onto the Stuart we started seeing termite mounds. There were several areas with a large number of ant mounds and they look like a graveyard with a large amount of headstones! We called in to Aileron but other than taking a couple of photos we didn't stop. We stopped at Ti Tree and made some lunch then through Barrow Creek and arrived at Taylor Creek where we stopped for the night. We met "Nobby" (a chap travelling on his own), and another couple and had a few drinks with them. The campsite was reasonably busy but not too overcrowded. It was cool this morning but a bit windy. A clear day with beautifuly blue sky.
Tuesday 24/5/11 - we slept until 8.30am! We decided to do a bit of housework so swept the floors and then down on hands and knees to wash the floors (we don't have a mop). Got it all clean and 15 minutes later you couldn't really tell because the wind was pretty strong and it was blowing red dust into the caravan! We went for a walk and climbed a hill with a repeater station on the top. It was very steep in parts but great views. We saw a small lizard on the way up. We spotted a black cat in the long grass near our caravan. It had a red collar on but wouldn't come when we called it so I suspect it has gone feral. The campsite is quite packed out tonight.
Wednesday 25/5/11 - decided to stay on another night. This is my second full day with no smokes and so far so good. Most of the campers cleared out this morning. It was very windy today and it always seems to be worse in the mornings so when there was a bit of a lull in the afternoon we packed up the awning. Our chairs outside the caravan were covered in red dust - as was pretty much everyhing! We cooked up good old fashioned steak and kidney stew and damper for tea tonight. The stew was delicious! The damper was burnt on the bottom and very slightly doughy inside but it was edible.
Thursday 26/5/11 - We moved onto Devil's Marbles (approx 106km south of Tennant Creek). Quite a big camping area but by tonight it had fully filled up. On the way to Devil's Marbles we passed through Wycliffe Well (apparently the UFO capital of Australia), had a look around then continued on. There is a large lawned caravan park which looks nice (for future reference). This place is amazing! We went for a walk around and took lots of photos. It is a bit windy and cool but nice for walking around. We were treated to an aerial display by an eagle/hawk (don't know which) and managed to get some photos. At one stage it flew down to about 10 feet above us. We met up with some other travellers and chatted for a while then back into the area where the rocks are for sunset photos. We then chatted with another traveller who has 2 canines with him - one an ordinary kelpie and the other a pure bred Alpine Dingo named Tom. I held Tom and got some kisses from him. He was just lovely and very placid. We had thought about staying another night here because it is a really lovely spot but tonight the Thumper died, the heater wouldn't work because the caravan batteries were getting low, and the toilet is full and there is nowhere to empty it!!
Friday 27/5/11 - packed up and headed off fairly early this morning heading towards Tennant Creek. We had been told not to stop at Tennant Creek but because we need to charge everything up and get some shopping and washing done we decided to go there and book into the caravan park. I was a bit apprehensive but it is quite a nice town and nothing like what I was expecting. The caravan park is quite nice and we have spent the day doing a couple of loads of washing, shopping, and sorting (charging phones, two way radios etc). We will be here for 2 nights then move on towards Katherine.
This is my 4th day of no smokes! A bit of a struggle but hopefully I won't give in now that we are near shops. Keep fingers crossed for me and for Royce who has to live with me in a caravan during this process!!!
(Royce has just read this and said he is very proud of me and he can manage!)
We left Alice Springs on Saturday 21/5/11 and headed to Gemtree. We stopped for fuel in AS and had a bit of a close call with the roof over the bowser but Royce was a good driver and with a bit of help from me (mainly just watching and keeping fingers crossed) he got the caravan out, we filled up and got on our way. We had to turn off the Stuart Highway (after crossing the Tropic of Capricorn) onto the Plenty Highway. The latter highway is a single lane road, but is at least bitumenised (at least until just past Gemtree). Not a lot of traffic heading the other way so we didn't have too many problems. A couple of the big floodways had been damaged and not yet repaired so there was a bit of dodging to do to get through them. Gemtree is a bush setting which was quite nice but $22 per night for an unpowered site is a bit expensive I think. We met up with two other couples and the 6 of us shared a table at the camp oven dinner (delicious). We then watched a 'home movie' from the 1960s featuring Gemtree's owner's younger brother. It was interesting. We have been able to hook up water (bore water).
Sunday 22/5/11 up early and ready to head off garnet fossicking. We drove about 30km out from Gemtree, had a quick lesson and then left to our own devices - with the other fossickers. We had 2 dry sieves, 2 wet sieves, a large tub, 20 litres of water, a pick, a shovel and a small jar (to put our treasures in when we find them). They had set up a new fossicking area and we all picked a spot in the trench and got to work. The flies were a nuisance, it was hot and dirty work and we only managed to fine one garnet. People at the far end of the trench found heaps but where we were there was very little. Cameron (Gemtree's owner) must have felt sorry for us because when he assessed our find on returning from fossicking he gave us 4 other garnets (uncut). We then decided to have showers and clean up but the hot water kept cutting out all the time so it was a bit of a challenge but we did finally get clean and felt much better. Had drinks with one of the other couples and Royce played darts with them for a while (they had a portable dart board). We then headed 'home' and cooked tea. Had a quiet night. Beautiful stars!!!! I finished reading The Burnt House by Faye Kellerman. Not too bad.
Monday 23/5/11 we started packing up to head off. When we were shopping in Alice Springs I decided I wouldn't buy any more smokes and when my current packet finished I would stop smoking. Consequently I had my last 2 smokes before we left Gemtree this morning. Shortly after turning off the Plenty onto the Stuart we started seeing termite mounds. There were several areas with a large number of ant mounds and they look like a graveyard with a large amount of headstones! We called in to Aileron but other than taking a couple of photos we didn't stop. We stopped at Ti Tree and made some lunch then through Barrow Creek and arrived at Taylor Creek where we stopped for the night. We met "Nobby" (a chap travelling on his own), and another couple and had a few drinks with them. The campsite was reasonably busy but not too overcrowded. It was cool this morning but a bit windy. A clear day with beautifuly blue sky.
Tuesday 24/5/11 - we slept until 8.30am! We decided to do a bit of housework so swept the floors and then down on hands and knees to wash the floors (we don't have a mop). Got it all clean and 15 minutes later you couldn't really tell because the wind was pretty strong and it was blowing red dust into the caravan! We went for a walk and climbed a hill with a repeater station on the top. It was very steep in parts but great views. We saw a small lizard on the way up. We spotted a black cat in the long grass near our caravan. It had a red collar on but wouldn't come when we called it so I suspect it has gone feral. The campsite is quite packed out tonight.
Wednesday 25/5/11 - decided to stay on another night. This is my second full day with no smokes and so far so good. Most of the campers cleared out this morning. It was very windy today and it always seems to be worse in the mornings so when there was a bit of a lull in the afternoon we packed up the awning. Our chairs outside the caravan were covered in red dust - as was pretty much everyhing! We cooked up good old fashioned steak and kidney stew and damper for tea tonight. The stew was delicious! The damper was burnt on the bottom and very slightly doughy inside but it was edible.
Thursday 26/5/11 - We moved onto Devil's Marbles (approx 106km south of Tennant Creek). Quite a big camping area but by tonight it had fully filled up. On the way to Devil's Marbles we passed through Wycliffe Well (apparently the UFO capital of Australia), had a look around then continued on. There is a large lawned caravan park which looks nice (for future reference). This place is amazing! We went for a walk around and took lots of photos. It is a bit windy and cool but nice for walking around. We were treated to an aerial display by an eagle/hawk (don't know which) and managed to get some photos. At one stage it flew down to about 10 feet above us. We met up with some other travellers and chatted for a while then back into the area where the rocks are for sunset photos. We then chatted with another traveller who has 2 canines with him - one an ordinary kelpie and the other a pure bred Alpine Dingo named Tom. I held Tom and got some kisses from him. He was just lovely and very placid. We had thought about staying another night here because it is a really lovely spot but tonight the Thumper died, the heater wouldn't work because the caravan batteries were getting low, and the toilet is full and there is nowhere to empty it!!
Friday 27/5/11 - packed up and headed off fairly early this morning heading towards Tennant Creek. We had been told not to stop at Tennant Creek but because we need to charge everything up and get some shopping and washing done we decided to go there and book into the caravan park. I was a bit apprehensive but it is quite a nice town and nothing like what I was expecting. The caravan park is quite nice and we have spent the day doing a couple of loads of washing, shopping, and sorting (charging phones, two way radios etc). We will be here for 2 nights then move on towards Katherine.
This is my 4th day of no smokes! A bit of a struggle but hopefully I won't give in now that we are near shops. Keep fingers crossed for me and for Royce who has to live with me in a caravan during this process!!!
(Royce has just read this and said he is very proud of me and he can manage!)
Fossicking for garnets at Gemtree. Royce is approx centre squatting down
Aileron - one of 2 massive sculptures
Aileron - have a close look at the goannas
Taylor Creek. Looking back down from the hill we climbed (not quite at the top but nearly)
View from the hill at Taylor Creek
Royce at Wycliffe Well
Devil's Marbles
Devil's Marbles
The eagle/hawk (?) impressing us with its aerial abilities at Devil's Marbles
Tom the Alpine dingo giving me a kiss
Friday, May 20, 2011
ALICE SPRINGS (STILL)
What a rude shock this morning - we had to set the alarm!!!! (OK it was 7am which is not really that early but - think about it - we haven't had to have the alarm set for a looooong time!). We were to have the caravan to the caravan repairer by 9am but by the time we got everything packed away, dismantled, sorted, locked up etc etc etc we didn't get there until 9.30am.
The good news is that the door locked last night! Yeah! and it locked again each time we wanted it to today.
We left the caravan, had a coffee and then toodled off to the West Macdonnell Ranges. It was a beautiful sunny day with very little wind and ideal for being adventurers.
Our first stop was Flynn's grave, which was interesting.
A bit further on we visited Simpsons Gap. This was a lovely spot and we spent quite a bit of time there.
Next stop was Standley Chasm. Unfortunately this one cost $16 ($8 each) entry, but it turned out to be well worth it. There were 3 different walks available and, naturally, we opted for the one described as "easy". Bloody hell - I would hate to see the harder ones. Despite all that we managed to get to the chasm to catch the last rays of the sun on the chasm wall. The best time to see it is apparently midday but we were a bit late getting there. Again this was a lovely spot and well worth the money. We had some lunch there and then moved on to Ellery Creek Big Hole. We didn't swim there but many people (mainly young ones) were swimming. The water is apparently pretty cold. This looks like a really good spot to camp sometime in the future.
We had to make sure we were back in AS by 5pm to pick up the caravan so we debated about going on to Serpentine Gorge but thought we should have enough time so off we went. To get to Serpentine Gorge you have to turn off the main highway. The other roads we travelled were really good. This one was signposted as 3km but shortly after getting onto the road (and I use that term in its most generous sense) the sign said it was 5km! The road was abysmal and I would have thought it should be 4wd only. A couple of kilometres along we got caught behind a small van travelling very very slowly and managing to get along with a lot of difficulty. It appeared they may have decided to give up and were going to turn around when we came up next to them to check if they were OK. They were a young German couple and we worked out they would leave their van and travel the rest of the distance with us. When we got to the parking area we decided not to go for a walk - the shortest was 15 minutes one way and we figured as it was getting late in the day and we were feeling old and tired it would probably be 30 minutes one way for us and we just didn't have the time available. The German couple headed off promising to be back in 30 minutes and they were true to their word. They said it was very disappointing and we didn't miss anything. We dropped them back at their van and headed back to Alice Springs post-haste! We were going to cut it very fine and thought we may make it with a minute or two to spare. We had no phone service so couldn't ring them. We were not too far from AS when a very large wedge taile eagle flew across the road ahead of us and landed slightly off the road on our right. Because we were running late we couldn't chance stopping and trying to take a photo which was a bit disappointing.
We made it back with seconds to spare (but the repair people were really nice about it). The new legs looked good and work really well - much easier than our old wind downs. They did discover some problems at the back end of the caravan with the framework and it is something we will have to have looked at some time but they didn't think we needed to panic about it just yet. It appears water has been getting in and some of the timbers have rotted (similar problem to the front of the van).
Got the caravan hitched up and came back to G'Day Mate Caravan Park and we were really lucky to still have our site. They were fully occupied and spilling over onto the roadways etc. There was barely enough room for us to get our caravan through.
Set everything up and then decided to wander over to the Heavitree Tavern and have their $10 special for tea. Tonight was Beer battered fish and chips. It was dished up wrapped in paper and was quite enjoyable.
We will be leaving AS tomorrow morning and heading off to Gemtree for a couple of nights and then on to who knows where! Not sure when our next blog will be because we have no idea when we will have internet access over the next few weeks.
PS: does anyone know the difference between a Gap and a Chasm?
A beautiful tree near Simpsons Gap
Simpsons Gap
Part of the 'easy' path to Standley Chasm
At Standley Chasm
Standley Chasm
Ellery Creek Big Hole
The good news is that the door locked last night! Yeah! and it locked again each time we wanted it to today.
We left the caravan, had a coffee and then toodled off to the West Macdonnell Ranges. It was a beautiful sunny day with very little wind and ideal for being adventurers.
Our first stop was Flynn's grave, which was interesting.
A bit further on we visited Simpsons Gap. This was a lovely spot and we spent quite a bit of time there.
Next stop was Standley Chasm. Unfortunately this one cost $16 ($8 each) entry, but it turned out to be well worth it. There were 3 different walks available and, naturally, we opted for the one described as "easy". Bloody hell - I would hate to see the harder ones. Despite all that we managed to get to the chasm to catch the last rays of the sun on the chasm wall. The best time to see it is apparently midday but we were a bit late getting there. Again this was a lovely spot and well worth the money. We had some lunch there and then moved on to Ellery Creek Big Hole. We didn't swim there but many people (mainly young ones) were swimming. The water is apparently pretty cold. This looks like a really good spot to camp sometime in the future.
We had to make sure we were back in AS by 5pm to pick up the caravan so we debated about going on to Serpentine Gorge but thought we should have enough time so off we went. To get to Serpentine Gorge you have to turn off the main highway. The other roads we travelled were really good. This one was signposted as 3km but shortly after getting onto the road (and I use that term in its most generous sense) the sign said it was 5km! The road was abysmal and I would have thought it should be 4wd only. A couple of kilometres along we got caught behind a small van travelling very very slowly and managing to get along with a lot of difficulty. It appeared they may have decided to give up and were going to turn around when we came up next to them to check if they were OK. They were a young German couple and we worked out they would leave their van and travel the rest of the distance with us. When we got to the parking area we decided not to go for a walk - the shortest was 15 minutes one way and we figured as it was getting late in the day and we were feeling old and tired it would probably be 30 minutes one way for us and we just didn't have the time available. The German couple headed off promising to be back in 30 minutes and they were true to their word. They said it was very disappointing and we didn't miss anything. We dropped them back at their van and headed back to Alice Springs post-haste! We were going to cut it very fine and thought we may make it with a minute or two to spare. We had no phone service so couldn't ring them. We were not too far from AS when a very large wedge taile eagle flew across the road ahead of us and landed slightly off the road on our right. Because we were running late we couldn't chance stopping and trying to take a photo which was a bit disappointing.
We made it back with seconds to spare (but the repair people were really nice about it). The new legs looked good and work really well - much easier than our old wind downs. They did discover some problems at the back end of the caravan with the framework and it is something we will have to have looked at some time but they didn't think we needed to panic about it just yet. It appears water has been getting in and some of the timbers have rotted (similar problem to the front of the van).
Got the caravan hitched up and came back to G'Day Mate Caravan Park and we were really lucky to still have our site. They were fully occupied and spilling over onto the roadways etc. There was barely enough room for us to get our caravan through.
Set everything up and then decided to wander over to the Heavitree Tavern and have their $10 special for tea. Tonight was Beer battered fish and chips. It was dished up wrapped in paper and was quite enjoyable.
We will be leaving AS tomorrow morning and heading off to Gemtree for a couple of nights and then on to who knows where! Not sure when our next blog will be because we have no idea when we will have internet access over the next few weeks.
PS: does anyone know the difference between a Gap and a Chasm?
A beautiful tree near Simpsons Gap
Simpsons Gap
Part of the 'easy' path to Standley Chasm
At Standley Chasm
Standley Chasm
Ellery Creek Big HoleThursday, May 19, 2011
ALICE SPRINGS
Is is now 9.07pm and if this blog has typos you will have to excuse me - I have had about 4 glasses of wine while watching the locksmith try to fix our door and while chatting with our neighbours and didn't get to have some tea until about 15 minutes ago!
Our day started innocently enough - woke up to a beautiful day, had brekkie, showered, tidied up and headed off to do the grocery shopping for the coming week. Brought it all home, packed it away and did some general jobs and tidied up.
We had arranged for a new lock to be sent to us because it was clear the old lock was - to put it politely - shagged! Aussie by Design arranged for a new lock to be sent by bus leaving Adelaide last night and due to arrive in AS today about 3pm. Started ringing at 3pm to check if bus (and package) had arrived but couldn't get an answer so we went for a drive and luckily the bus had just arrived and so had our new lock. We then went for a drive to the top of Anzac Hill (see photos), then to Coles to pick up some persimmons then back to the caravan park to instal the new lock.
Royce made a start on the door and I made a start on cooking a piece of silverside. Needless to say, the silverside was ready before the door lock was! It showed all signs of progressing well but then we struck a snag somewhere (still not sure what went wrong) and neither Royce, Jim (our neighbour) nor I could get the key out of the lock or anything happening with the lock. I eventually got on the internet and googled locksmiths in Alice Springs and on my second try found a really helpful Shane (????? something) Locksmiths). I spoke with Shanes wife and half an hour later Shane arrived. While we were waiting for Shane Jim brought his wife Sonta over and we all sat down and had an ale - there really wasn't much else to do. Our silverside was cooked and removed from the pot and wrapped in alfoil. I hadn't had a chance to get any vegetables done but I suppose at least the meat was cooked.
Shane arrived pretty quickly and started doing the things he needed to do. He was there for at least one and a half hours (while Royce, Jim, Sonta and I sat and drank and chatted) - if not longer - and it seems he may have finally fixed the door!!!!!!!! 3 cheers (although I don't want to celebrate too much yet until we go to bed because that is when we have had problems in previous days (Royce will fiddle with the lock and finally get it working but once the weather cools the lock decides not to work again and we go back to wiring up the door for the night).
Jim and Sonta stayed on for a few more drinks and then headed back to their caravan for tea and we came in and made corned beef sandwiches. They were very nice but not quite the same as having the full vegetables and meat meal!
We had planned to take down the awning today and get organised so that we could take off early in the morning, drop the caravan off to have the legs done then head off for the day to the West Macdonnell Ranges. Needless to say we haven't got anything done so will have to get up early in the morning!
Finke River
Camels at Stuarts Well
Top of Anzac Hill Alice Springs
View from Anzac Hill looking towards Heavitree Gap
Our day started innocently enough - woke up to a beautiful day, had brekkie, showered, tidied up and headed off to do the grocery shopping for the coming week. Brought it all home, packed it away and did some general jobs and tidied up.
We had arranged for a new lock to be sent to us because it was clear the old lock was - to put it politely - shagged! Aussie by Design arranged for a new lock to be sent by bus leaving Adelaide last night and due to arrive in AS today about 3pm. Started ringing at 3pm to check if bus (and package) had arrived but couldn't get an answer so we went for a drive and luckily the bus had just arrived and so had our new lock. We then went for a drive to the top of Anzac Hill (see photos), then to Coles to pick up some persimmons then back to the caravan park to instal the new lock.
Royce made a start on the door and I made a start on cooking a piece of silverside. Needless to say, the silverside was ready before the door lock was! It showed all signs of progressing well but then we struck a snag somewhere (still not sure what went wrong) and neither Royce, Jim (our neighbour) nor I could get the key out of the lock or anything happening with the lock. I eventually got on the internet and googled locksmiths in Alice Springs and on my second try found a really helpful Shane (????? something) Locksmiths). I spoke with Shanes wife and half an hour later Shane arrived. While we were waiting for Shane Jim brought his wife Sonta over and we all sat down and had an ale - there really wasn't much else to do. Our silverside was cooked and removed from the pot and wrapped in alfoil. I hadn't had a chance to get any vegetables done but I suppose at least the meat was cooked.
Shane arrived pretty quickly and started doing the things he needed to do. He was there for at least one and a half hours (while Royce, Jim, Sonta and I sat and drank and chatted) - if not longer - and it seems he may have finally fixed the door!!!!!!!! 3 cheers (although I don't want to celebrate too much yet until we go to bed because that is when we have had problems in previous days (Royce will fiddle with the lock and finally get it working but once the weather cools the lock decides not to work again and we go back to wiring up the door for the night).
Jim and Sonta stayed on for a few more drinks and then headed back to their caravan for tea and we came in and made corned beef sandwiches. They were very nice but not quite the same as having the full vegetables and meat meal!
We had planned to take down the awning today and get organised so that we could take off early in the morning, drop the caravan off to have the legs done then head off for the day to the West Macdonnell Ranges. Needless to say we haven't got anything done so will have to get up early in the morning!
Finke River
Camels at Stuarts Well
Top of Anzac Hill Alice Springs
View from Anzac Hill looking towards Heavitree GapMonday, May 16, 2011
ALICE SPRINGS (and the past week)
We have not had internet or phone service (other than small doses passing through a couple of towns) since our last blog so this is an update covering the past week.
Tuesday 10/5/11 drove from Coober Pedy to the South Marla Camp Site arriving about 2.30pm. As soon as we stepped out of the car we were mobbed by BLOODY FLIES! See photo of us enjoying the great outdoors with our fly nets on. This was the only way you could go outside without ingesting extra protein and having them buzzing up your nose and in your ears! No sitting outside enjoying the beautiful weather and no cooking outside either. I thought the flies were bad at Lake Hart but they are even worse here. It was amazing how much water there was on both sides of the road as we neared the camp site. Not too many travellers stopped here that night.
Wednesday 11/5/11 I was woken fairly early by a howling sound. It didn't sound like a dog and I wondered if it might be a dingo. Royce was still sleeping so I got up, got dressed, put the kettle on and wandered outside to have a look. Across the other side of the camp site (maybe about 50m away) sat what looked like a german shepherd dog. My first thought was that some bastard had dumped the dog and we couldn't leave it there but what were we going to do with a dog! It had german shepherd markings but once it stood up it was clear it was dingo. The very long legs and the face were a dead give-away. I walked towards it and it slowly walked away then stopped. It did this several times - always keeping a good distance from me - but would stop and watch me every time I stopped. It eventually wandered off into the scrub and that was the last I saw of it. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me but fellow travellers managed to get a few photos and have promised to email them to me. I will put them up on the blog when they arrive. In all the excitement I had forgotten the kettle was on and Royce woke to the sound of a whistling kettle and no Maryanne! He did find me eventually but the dingo/dog was long gone by then. A pretty overcast morning but a very clear sky last night. Still no enjoying the outdoors or cooking outside. Managed to sit outside for a few hours and watch the stars because the flies had all gone to bed!
Thursday 12/5/11 headed off to our next camp site. There were a lot of people at the South Marla camp last night. This morning was clear, crisp day and quite cool. No flies for a while - they must have slept in. We hadn't been on the road for long when we had to slow right down because we had cattle crossing the road in front of us. We saw 3 very large birds flying not far from us and we suspect from their size they may have been wedge tail eagles but we couldn't be sure. We drove past Agnes Creek camp site and in hindsight we should have stopped there. We continued on to Marryatt but decided not to stop - it was a real dump with rubbish everywhere. The North Marryatt rest area was a large open area but didn't feel very hospitable so we continued on and eventually pulled into the SA/NT border. We decided we would stay put for the night and move on in the morning. There were very little travellers when we first arrived but within half an hour we were surrounded and hemmed in by a huge group - members of the CMCA (Campervan & Motorhome Club of Australia). We had met a couple of them at Lake Hart and the rest seemed quite friendly but it was certainly crowded and noisy. Flies were again a problem but late afternoon they eased enough so we could site outside and have a beer and a glass of wine before cooking tea (again inside - mainly because there was nowhere outside we could do it!). We saw a lot of cattle on both sides of the road on the way to the border, and at one stage a few horses (brumbies?).
Friday 13/5/11 I was woken about 2am by doors opening and closing and someone walking around in the near vicinity. This continued for quite a while and I had a lot of trouble getting back to sleep. I found out that the chap in the campervan on our left and the chap in the campervan on our right both had mouse problems through the night and that was the noises that I had heard. We couldn't get our caravan door to lock when we were ready to leave. This had been a bit of problem off and on since having the new door fitted but this time was really bad. We couldn't take the chance of heading off with it unlocked in case it flew open so we spent a very long time trying to lock it. We eventually put the jockey wheel on, jacked up the caravan and managed to get the door locked. We stopped at Erldunda for a coffee - nice cuppachino but $6.50 each!!! On the counter were 3 glass jars - one had a large king brown snake, one had a juveline banded brown snake and one had a scorpion. The two snakes were caught and killed in the restaurant in March and the scorpion was caught and killed in the cabin being occupied at that time by the waitress who served us. The king brown snake was one of 3 caught in the restaurant in a 2 week span! After filling our empty gas bottle we drove on to the Finke River camp site. It has changed a lot since we were there last - a lot more grass and bushes. Again the flies were unbelievable and limited our options of enjoying the outdoors. We couldn't lock our caravan door at all tonight so we had to rig up some wire from the door to the drawer handle! It was very very cold here at night but we couldn't put our diesel heater on because there was too much long grass under the caravan right near the heater exhaust system. Very crowded at the campsite tonight. Mice are apparently a problem everywhere at the moment and we had one very fat little one exploring the area near our caravan. We put the plugs in the sink and kept our fingers crossed no mice could find their way in.
Saturday 14/5/11 still at the Finke River. Absolutely freezing last night so Royce decided he would get rid of the long grass under the caravan so we could use the heater tonight. Woken about 5am this morning by dingoes howling. I had gone outside for some reason today and saw the most amazing caterpillar 'train' (see photo). I have never seen anything like this before. They were moving from one tree to another about 20m away and they were nose to tail all the way. It was fascinating to watch. From start to finish would have been about 3 metres at least. Because we still couldn't get the door to lock we decided to put the jockey wheel on and jack up the caravan a bit and see if that helped. That meant winding up the stabiliser legs and that is when we discovered the front left is 'broken'. It took and lot of effort and quite a long time to get it to wind up! After all that we still couldn't lock the door so back to wiring it up at night! When Royce dug a hole to empty the toilet cartridge something fell out and we have no idea what it is or what it does so we are keeping our fingers crossed (but not our legs!) that it all still works properly. The flies appeared to go to bed by late afternoon/early evening so we decided to cook on the Weber last night. While Royce was standing there cooking the chops and snags one very fat little mouse came out from under the caravan and wandered around - almost at our feet - and wasnt the least bit perturbed by us being there! There is a reasonable amount of water in the Finke (more than last year when we came through) and it is flowing quite well.
Sunday 15/5/11 Still at the Finke and still avoiding flies! It wasn't as crowded here last night but it filled up again tonight. Overcast day but the clouds cleared this afternoon. Lazy - sit around - day today.
Modnay 16/5/11 Still had trouble getting the door to lock but we managed to separate the screen door from the outer door and got the screen door locked then shut the outer door and clicked it into place so at least we could head off. It was a pretty uneventful trip into Alice Springs. We went to JC's Caravan Repairs and he suggested doing a bit of gouging out wood and filing the metal to see if that would help get the door to lock. He was happy to do it but he would charge for it! He has quoted to remove the existing wind down legs and replace with drop down legs and whilst we cannot really afford it we will have to do something so we have given the go ahead. He has ordered the new legs and is hopeful they will arrive on the truck tomorrow in which case he will do the job on Wednesday - but it could be as late as Friday. We are hoping it will be Wednesday because we didn't really want to have to stay in Alice Springs for any more than 3 to 4 nights at the most. We have set up at the G'Day Mate Caravan Park. We set up, headed into the town centre and had some lunch. We did very basic shopping (and will do the big shopping tomorrow) then came back and finished setting up (connecting hoses, putting up annex etc etc). Royce spent about an hour working on the door and it appears he may have been successful!!! Fingers are crossed. We are looking at spending a day at the West Macdonnell Ranges but don't know which day yet.
Our ultra chic fly nets!!
Tuesday 10/5/11 drove from Coober Pedy to the South Marla Camp Site arriving about 2.30pm. As soon as we stepped out of the car we were mobbed by BLOODY FLIES! See photo of us enjoying the great outdoors with our fly nets on. This was the only way you could go outside without ingesting extra protein and having them buzzing up your nose and in your ears! No sitting outside enjoying the beautiful weather and no cooking outside either. I thought the flies were bad at Lake Hart but they are even worse here. It was amazing how much water there was on both sides of the road as we neared the camp site. Not too many travellers stopped here that night.
Wednesday 11/5/11 I was woken fairly early by a howling sound. It didn't sound like a dog and I wondered if it might be a dingo. Royce was still sleeping so I got up, got dressed, put the kettle on and wandered outside to have a look. Across the other side of the camp site (maybe about 50m away) sat what looked like a german shepherd dog. My first thought was that some bastard had dumped the dog and we couldn't leave it there but what were we going to do with a dog! It had german shepherd markings but once it stood up it was clear it was dingo. The very long legs and the face were a dead give-away. I walked towards it and it slowly walked away then stopped. It did this several times - always keeping a good distance from me - but would stop and watch me every time I stopped. It eventually wandered off into the scrub and that was the last I saw of it. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me but fellow travellers managed to get a few photos and have promised to email them to me. I will put them up on the blog when they arrive. In all the excitement I had forgotten the kettle was on and Royce woke to the sound of a whistling kettle and no Maryanne! He did find me eventually but the dingo/dog was long gone by then. A pretty overcast morning but a very clear sky last night. Still no enjoying the outdoors or cooking outside. Managed to sit outside for a few hours and watch the stars because the flies had all gone to bed!
Thursday 12/5/11 headed off to our next camp site. There were a lot of people at the South Marla camp last night. This morning was clear, crisp day and quite cool. No flies for a while - they must have slept in. We hadn't been on the road for long when we had to slow right down because we had cattle crossing the road in front of us. We saw 3 very large birds flying not far from us and we suspect from their size they may have been wedge tail eagles but we couldn't be sure. We drove past Agnes Creek camp site and in hindsight we should have stopped there. We continued on to Marryatt but decided not to stop - it was a real dump with rubbish everywhere. The North Marryatt rest area was a large open area but didn't feel very hospitable so we continued on and eventually pulled into the SA/NT border. We decided we would stay put for the night and move on in the morning. There were very little travellers when we first arrived but within half an hour we were surrounded and hemmed in by a huge group - members of the CMCA (Campervan & Motorhome Club of Australia). We had met a couple of them at Lake Hart and the rest seemed quite friendly but it was certainly crowded and noisy. Flies were again a problem but late afternoon they eased enough so we could site outside and have a beer and a glass of wine before cooking tea (again inside - mainly because there was nowhere outside we could do it!). We saw a lot of cattle on both sides of the road on the way to the border, and at one stage a few horses (brumbies?).
Friday 13/5/11 I was woken about 2am by doors opening and closing and someone walking around in the near vicinity. This continued for quite a while and I had a lot of trouble getting back to sleep. I found out that the chap in the campervan on our left and the chap in the campervan on our right both had mouse problems through the night and that was the noises that I had heard. We couldn't get our caravan door to lock when we were ready to leave. This had been a bit of problem off and on since having the new door fitted but this time was really bad. We couldn't take the chance of heading off with it unlocked in case it flew open so we spent a very long time trying to lock it. We eventually put the jockey wheel on, jacked up the caravan and managed to get the door locked. We stopped at Erldunda for a coffee - nice cuppachino but $6.50 each!!! On the counter were 3 glass jars - one had a large king brown snake, one had a juveline banded brown snake and one had a scorpion. The two snakes were caught and killed in the restaurant in March and the scorpion was caught and killed in the cabin being occupied at that time by the waitress who served us. The king brown snake was one of 3 caught in the restaurant in a 2 week span! After filling our empty gas bottle we drove on to the Finke River camp site. It has changed a lot since we were there last - a lot more grass and bushes. Again the flies were unbelievable and limited our options of enjoying the outdoors. We couldn't lock our caravan door at all tonight so we had to rig up some wire from the door to the drawer handle! It was very very cold here at night but we couldn't put our diesel heater on because there was too much long grass under the caravan right near the heater exhaust system. Very crowded at the campsite tonight. Mice are apparently a problem everywhere at the moment and we had one very fat little one exploring the area near our caravan. We put the plugs in the sink and kept our fingers crossed no mice could find their way in.
Saturday 14/5/11 still at the Finke River. Absolutely freezing last night so Royce decided he would get rid of the long grass under the caravan so we could use the heater tonight. Woken about 5am this morning by dingoes howling. I had gone outside for some reason today and saw the most amazing caterpillar 'train' (see photo). I have never seen anything like this before. They were moving from one tree to another about 20m away and they were nose to tail all the way. It was fascinating to watch. From start to finish would have been about 3 metres at least. Because we still couldn't get the door to lock we decided to put the jockey wheel on and jack up the caravan a bit and see if that helped. That meant winding up the stabiliser legs and that is when we discovered the front left is 'broken'. It took and lot of effort and quite a long time to get it to wind up! After all that we still couldn't lock the door so back to wiring it up at night! When Royce dug a hole to empty the toilet cartridge something fell out and we have no idea what it is or what it does so we are keeping our fingers crossed (but not our legs!) that it all still works properly. The flies appeared to go to bed by late afternoon/early evening so we decided to cook on the Weber last night. While Royce was standing there cooking the chops and snags one very fat little mouse came out from under the caravan and wandered around - almost at our feet - and wasnt the least bit perturbed by us being there! There is a reasonable amount of water in the Finke (more than last year when we came through) and it is flowing quite well.
Sunday 15/5/11 Still at the Finke and still avoiding flies! It wasn't as crowded here last night but it filled up again tonight. Overcast day but the clouds cleared this afternoon. Lazy - sit around - day today.
Modnay 16/5/11 Still had trouble getting the door to lock but we managed to separate the screen door from the outer door and got the screen door locked then shut the outer door and clicked it into place so at least we could head off. It was a pretty uneventful trip into Alice Springs. We went to JC's Caravan Repairs and he suggested doing a bit of gouging out wood and filing the metal to see if that would help get the door to lock. He was happy to do it but he would charge for it! He has quoted to remove the existing wind down legs and replace with drop down legs and whilst we cannot really afford it we will have to do something so we have given the go ahead. He has ordered the new legs and is hopeful they will arrive on the truck tomorrow in which case he will do the job on Wednesday - but it could be as late as Friday. We are hoping it will be Wednesday because we didn't really want to have to stay in Alice Springs for any more than 3 to 4 nights at the most. We have set up at the G'Day Mate Caravan Park. We set up, headed into the town centre and had some lunch. We did very basic shopping (and will do the big shopping tomorrow) then came back and finished setting up (connecting hoses, putting up annex etc etc). Royce spent about an hour working on the door and it appears he may have been successful!!! Fingers are crossed. We are looking at spending a day at the West Macdonnell Ranges but don't know which day yet.
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| Hemmed in at the Border. More arrived after this photo |
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| A green ants nest - lots of them and quite large! |
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| Self evident! |
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| Caterpillar "train" crossing the track at Finke River |
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| Caterpillar 'train' |
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