Day 13 – Wednesday 29 June 2016 – Alice Springs

Today was really our first warm day at 23 degrees.  Even though we’ve had some beautiful sunny days, the wind has been chilly so it was wonderful to finally feel some warm sun.

I decided to do a bit of baking – no not for us – but try out some bacon cookies for the dogs in the caravan oven.  Evidently they got the   all four paws up mark of success.  While I was in the mode of “baking” I also made a batch of Nola’s famous Vanilla Slice – most lovingly referred to in our house as snot bloks.

Shane went into town to pick up a new battery charger for his camera (yay – that means I have my camera back!!!) and try to find a cheapish stool for me to sit on while dog bathing as the whole standing for an hour and a half to dry Kitty had already become less than amusing.  Much to Kitty’s disgust on his return – into the bath she went.  Having been wet several times in the rain since her last bath she was really knotty and not so much fun to dry.

While in town, Shane had spent a bit of time store spotting.  Living, as we do, in a remote area that does not receive the usual regional TV stations, we have for the past 16 years accessed the free channels via satellite.  One of the stations which was a composite of the old channels 9 and 10 is called “Imparja” and is broadcast from Alice Springs.  Unlike most locals at home, we have watched adverts for business in the Northern Territory and we had talked before we left about whether we might see some of these businesses during our trip.

Evidently the store spotting went VERY well and as well as coming home with a little fold up stool, he proudly showed me his “Desert Dwellers” cup.  The slogan on the advert is ‘If we don’t have it – you don’t need it’ and the guy at the store was so impressed that so impressed that someone from southern Victoria knew their advert he gave Shane a free cup!

Miss Kitty, now all nice and clean, is more at home with annexe up on the van.  This, she informs us in her own special doggy way, is how we are supposed to do holidays.  I don’t think she is thrilled about the day after day travels.  Unfortunately she still has a bit to go yet!

Meanwhile, this was the view from my door tonight.

Day 12 – Tuesday 28 June 2016 – Yulara – Alice Springs

Thankfully last night was not as cold as the night before.  Maybe we were more prepared and ready for it!

We set off on our next journey but I wanted to stop in at an Aboriginal gallery at Mt Ebenezer which I had seen on the way in.  Shane had a bit of fun with a couple of NZ backpackers who were working at the roadhouse, but we also really enjoyed looking at the artwork by some local aboriginal artists.

As we were leaving the roadhouse, a white holden stationwagon was parked in the car park in front of our car.  We waited as the Aboriginal family embarked and started the car.  In a plume of blue smoke, they departed and headed up the road. 

Finally we met the Sturt Highway again at Erlunda and deciding to refuel we turned in only to see the same big line for fuel.  We turned out onto the highway and came in from the other side behind another 4wd which was filling up.  He finally paid and drove off and we pulled in to the pump only to have abuse hurled at us from a lovely man in another 4wd towing a caravan, wife and child in the vehicle with him.  The abuse included some comment that all the other cars were going the other way and we were in the wrong.  No “Do Not Enter” signs from our side and apparently he had not accosted the driver we had followed in so I’m not sure what his issue was.  Our experience a couple of days ago had seen vehicles only entering from that side.  But still he was determined to make his point and drove his car right up to the front of ours in an effort to force us to reverse.  Not after filling up with fuel though.  I hope his rant was worth it.

Not too far down the road we spotted the Aboriginal family in the white wagon stopped on the side of the road and fishing fuel containers out of the back of the car.  Lucky it wasn’t a big walk back to the Erlunda fuel station.

A burned out car, still smoldering on the side of the road, was a stark reminder to be cautious.  We have seen a number of abandoned cars, as well as a few nasty wrecks, along the way.  It just serves to remind you that both the risk of accidents and crime are alive and well and it pays to keep your wits about you no matter what you are doing.

We pulled over for a bit of a rest stop and had a chuckle as that dusty stationwagon rolled on past us down the highway again.  But not too much further, our paths crossed again, this time they were pulled well off the road with the bonnet up.   I’m not sure how that scenario ended but you can be assured it included a very long walk.

We could scarcely believe it, as we were a few kms from Alice Springs – another Dingo stood at the side of the road and eyed us as we passed by.  What are the chances of experiencing that in the two main Central Australian locations as if to welcome us!

We located the showgrounds and checked in.  We very soon helpful assistants swarmed the car like the proverbial moth to the flame.  One particular woman was very helpful in telling us where we should and shouldn’t pull up the van.  “Don’t park there because there is obviously a broken pipe there and you can bet we’ll be having plumbers in over the weekend digging it up to fix it”.  “You could park over there and just plug in to that shed” – well actually no I am not happy about parking or plugging in to a shed without speaking to the person responsible for the shed…… “You can’t park there as that spot is saved for someone with a tent”.  “You could park in the middle”.  “Don’t park too close to the power box”.  “Don’t park too far away from the power box”.  “That’s fine but the wind comes from this direction so you probably want to turn your van around the other way”.  Let me say that after a long drive, all I want to do is get set up and take some time to relax.  Moving the caravan 5 times at the whim of someone else is not my ideal way of ending the day.  So in the end I said to Shane – this is where we are camping – end of conversation!  Well not quite the end of the conversation - she soon informed us that she was from Warrnambool!  And here we thought she was a local running the show!!!!!

In need of a much earned glass of wine Shane went to town to make a purchase only to discover that interestingly wine can only be purchased in bottles.  No casks are sold in Alice Springs.  And as soon as the liquor stores are open they are required to have police or security present.  That was the first sadly telling indications of Alice Springs.

Day 11 – Monday 27 June 2016 – Yulara

They do say it gets cold overnight in the outback but OH MY GOD!!!!!!   Last night was the coldest I have EVER been in my life.  Throughout the night I threw on additional items of clothing in an effort to not die of hypothermia but I’m still not sure I truly achieved that aim.  It was painfully cold.  We certainly missed those electric blankets with no power.

Shane headed out very early to get some shots of Uluru at sunrise while I continued to try to not freeze to death in bed.  Although I found myself drawn to the window seeing the strong light coming through the vents.  This was the view from my door this morning!

After breakfast we both headed out to visit Uluru.  Nothing really prepares you for the impact of meeting this beast.  I think I always thought of Uluru as a giant sand dune or something but seeing it up close and personal gives you a combination of immense respect and awe of its size and beauty.

We continued on to the Olgas which while also an amazing site, I was a little curious as to why you can only view the Olgas from one side, unlike Uluru which you can drive right around.

In between the two great landmarks there is also a sign indicating a road to the Western Australian border which is only a couple of hundred kms away.  Although it was tempting for a moment or two to contemplate a trip down that way just to say we had been through all the mainland states on our trip – one look at the start of the road changed our minds quite quickly.

We headed back to the van to organise things for our departure tomorrow before Shane headed out for some more shots of Uluru at sunset.  Shortly before his return it became clear that our battery power had reached its limit and our power was failing.  We plugged our freezer into the car and limped through the night with lighting.

Day 10 – Sunday 26 June 2016 – Marla - Yulara

It became apparent at first light that the rain had been significant.  We were so fortunate to have parked in a slightly more elevated area than some.  I couldn’t help but feel for one particular group which found themselves in the midst of a small lake this morning and although one of the party had spent the night in a caravan, the others had been in a tent.

The flooding of the park was extensive and finding a dry patch to walk dogs was next to impossible.  We were up early and away in the hope of finding some dry weather.

Unfortunately even at the NT border the rain was still falling.  It didn’t stop us making the most of the photo opportunity and a welcome break.

Our original plan was to stay at Erlunda however after queuing for fuel for approximately 50 minutes – yes you read right – 50 minutes of sitting in a huge queue of vehicles which could only be served one at a time, we opted to continue on to Yulara, another 256km.  The number of vehicles waiting in line was astounding and we vowed that on the way back out we would make sure to come in from the other side which appeared always to be a much shorter line.

Evidently Mt Connor which is on the way to Uluru has been known trick overseas tourists into thinking it is Uluru.  Bad Mt Connor.  Although I have to say having seen it now, I’m stuffed if I know how.  It looks like an giant chocolate souffle and nothing like Uluru at all…. But hey – I live here – so who am I to say one rock doesn’t look like another one!  Mt Connor however, in fairness, is pretty darned impressive anyway.

Having spotted Mt Connor though, we were hungry for a glimpse of Uluru.  It didn’t disappoint when the time came and even from afar it was an extraordinary experience. 

As if to announce officially that we had arrived in Central Australia a Dingo appeared roadside, looked at us and headed off into the scrub as we neared Yulara.

We had endeavoured to book a site at the caravan park but unfortunately there were no powered sites available.  Our arrival at Yulara around 3.30pm was put on hold for about 50 minutes waiting to check in.  I counted over 40 vehicles in a holding pattern while a man with a hi-viz vest ran around instructing people to park in a temporary park while someone from the vehicle went to the office to check in.  It was crazy and I couldn’t help but think that given the volume of vehicles that entered the park after we did, we probably didn’t hit the peak hour!  The vehicles continued to roll in until after dark into the overflow area and this was the view from my door at sunset.

Day 9 – Saturday 25 June 2016 – Coober Pedy – Marla

This morning’s drama started when someone…. (not me) realised that they hadn’t brought their camera battery charger with them.  It was going to be a very long 10 weeks without it so I donated the services of my camera until we get to Alice Springs and a new charger can be purchased….

We headed off to our next stop but the weather continued to deteriorate. 

We made a stop at Cadney Homestead thinking it would be a nice break and potentially an opportunity for an early lunch.  We stood at the counter surveying the menu as an older lady washed dishes at the bar next door.  We stood for some time and eventually the lady looked at us with a look on her face that could only be captioned as “What the fuck do you want”.  She dried her hands and curtly asked what we wanted.  “2 coffees please” – I asked.  “That will be $8.00 or you can have coffee and cake for $6 each” she droned.  “Just coffee will be fine” I responded as we had 2 fruitcakes I had baked before we left still to be eaten.  The woman proceeded to hawk out 2 paper coffee cups and two lids after taking my money.  She then indicated to a corner of the bar and said “Coffee station’s in the corner, milk’s in the bar fridge” and promptly went back to her dishwashing…..  So essentially we had paid $8.00 for two paper cups to serve ourselves!  If that wasn’t bad enough, the milk in the little bar fridge on the table was longlife.  We opted to take our paper cups without coffee – Shane went for the hot chocolate and I selected a teabag – and took them out to the caravan to add real milk and have our cake and a bit of a laugh at the experience.  0 points for customer service there Cadney lady.

The rain continued to fall…… and fall……….. and fall…………………

We were one of only a few arrivals at Marla – our last South Australian town - which basically consists of a large truck stop, supermarket, caravan park, motel all rolled into one.  The rain had let up enough for us to get organised for the night and give the dogs a quick run around on a small patch of grass – one of the few patches of real grass we’ve seen for a few days.  However it wasn’t long before we were joined by other travellers, most notably by his near miss of our caravan by mere inches was a carnie heading for the Alice Springs show complete with his truck and trailer carrying who knows what goodies destined for the show.  The tyre marks in the wet gravel showed just how close he had pulled in – for a moment I was sure we were going to lose a bit of the back corner of our van.

A family of birds kept us amused for a little while – coming right up to the van and had I had something more inviting than breadcrumbs I’m pretty sure they would have taken them right from my hand.  They weren’t so enthusiastic about the dogs which kept them at bay a little.

It was a little curious though to find all the power towers under garbage bags.   The rain continued steadily throughout the night.

Day 8 – Friday 24 June 2016 – Coober Pedy

Another nice bit of down time this morning and my biggest laugh for the day came from a phone call from mum to say it was snowing at home.  I has only snowed once in the 16 years I’ve lived at Barongarook so while I was a bit sad to miss it – I can’t say I was sad to have missed a day THAT cold and I’m pretty sure our water pipes would have been frozen just to add to the amusement.

We headed out to take a look around Coober Pedy about lunch time.  Fascinating town with so many tiny shacks serving as homes but what was really striking was almost every house with bars on the windows and many of those that didn’t had broken windows.  It put into perspective the grave warnings issued by the gentlemen ushering campers to their sites as we arrived to ensure everything was locked at all times and nothing was left out over night.  The underground homes tucked into the hillsides were deceiving.  Looking at the ventilation pipes coming from the hill, some were obviously very large.  I couldn’t help but think valuations for Council rates must be a complex operation!

Underground homes

We took a tour through an opal mine, spotted the local drive-in theatre and then drove out to the Breakaways – a spectacular series of multi coloured hills just a few kms from Coober Pedy.  Along the way it was mind boggling how many mines have been sunk in this area.  The little piles of rock and soil literally covered the landscape like thousands of miniature pyramids.  Unfortunately road closures meant we had to travel back into Coober Pedy to head out the Oodnadatta Track to the Dingo Fence – the world’s longest fence which stretches more than 5,600km.

Coober Pedy Drive-In

Old Timers Mine - Coober Pedy

The Breakaways

Discarded rock and soil from Opal Mines

Oodnadatta Track

The Dingo Fence

 An early night tonight as we set off again tomorrow to our next destination.

In the meantime – this was the view from my door this morning.

Day 7 – Thursday 23 June 2016 – Woomera – Coober Pedy

WOW day 7 already!  It was a very foggy start to the morning this morning with the fog hanging around until around 8.00am.  But it finally lifted and it was a beautiful clear sky the majority of the day.  The cold wind kept any real heat at bay but just having sunshine streaming through the car windows made all the difference.

A minor glitch this morning discovering as we were about to depart that one indicator globe on the van has blown.  After sharing our uneaten toast with a massive flock of pigeons, we set off to our next destination 375km away – Coober Pedy.  A quick stop at the Pimba Roadhouse to pick up a new globe and we were on our way.  

Pimba Roadhouse (really just to emphasize that crystal clear blue sky)

 Once again the changes in vegetation along the way were marked but I can understand why it’s a struggle for people to stay awake on this road – not the least of which is a lack of towns.  One of the things that kept me going was the reminder of the two pretty significant rollover wrecks we had seen the day before.  Along the way we stopped for a few photo opportunities – one being Lake Hart.  

Lake Hart

It was here we saw a massive rig free camping – solar panels, satellite dish, and even a couple of motor bikes tucked away in the section just behind the drivers cabin.  This was a home away from home that made our van look like a camper trailer! 

(did you see that blue sky????)

Lots of stops and plenty of water and we finally managed to reach our destination – Coober Pedy.  The van park filled up within a couple of hours and lucky me spent an hour or so at the laundry on arrival.  $40 later and we have clean, dry clothes!  OUCH!  Looking forward to exploring the town tomorrow as Coober Pedy has some special significance for me having had some dealings many years ago with the opal miners for exporting opals to the USA.  I do love a nice opal.

In the meantime – this was the view from my door this morning…………..

Traveller's Village - Woomera

Day 6 – Wednesday 22 June 2016 – Port Augusta - Woomera

Farewell Port Augusta.  We have officially named you  Aussie Azkaban as it’s a bit like being the victim of a Dementor.  You can suck the happiness right out of people! 

The morning started with clear skies and a little temptation of warmth, but it soon clouded over and cooled down.  Still I was determined to get Kitty bathed before we left so it was an early start and a chance to check whether the bathtub I built was going to work.  It worked a treat!  So much easier than the last time we holidayed trying to bath the dogs in a little tub on the floor of the shower.   Hence today’s “view from my door today” photo.

So we set off with one clean dog (poor Scheppi will have to wait a few more days for his bath) and determination that things would definitely improve!

On the way out of town we stopped to pick up a couple of things at the supermarket that I had forgotten and happened across a talkative local who obviously felt it was his duty to keep me entertained with conversation while Shane walked a block to the supermarket.  I heard all about Port Augusta, the Flinders, and all manner of shenanigans he and his 9 siblings used to get up to as children.  Then in the blink of an eye he spotted someone walking across the street and announced he had to catch up with that guy and off he went. 

It was another milestone moment to see the signpost indicating the Sturt Highway and Darwin – and so off we went.

The vegetation changes were marked and a little amusing to see the signs showing Cattle and Sheep on the road with some artistic additions including an octopus and a child.

Our next stop was Woomera and on arrival there were only a few vans set up.  We got ourselves organised and as it was still very early afternoon, decided to give the township of Woomera a look. 

I think this place will stay in my memory forever.  Originally built as a missile testing site it once housed 7,000 people.  Today about 120 people reside in Woomera and the result is the weirdest ghost town I have ever seen.  And it wasn’t only the empty housing that was eerie, it was the acres and acres of land that had roads, concrete gutters, street lights, brick paved footpaths, and even shop parking but the land contained by these streets and paths had nothing but scrub.  So much forward planning in preparation for a much larger population, that consequently deserted the idea and left much of the actual developed area with nothing but the false promise of inhabitants. 

Even the local supermarket which was once huge has been sectioned off to less than half its former glory.  The young lady who appeared to be the only worker there told us of the sad options for the locals in terms of entertainment.  We had driven by the massive school and were amazed to hear there were now only about 10 students there.  We mentioned the lovely green sports ground we had happened by during our drive.  We assumed there was still good money being driven into the local football club given the grass was so green and there were massive towers to light the ground at night.  She informed us that it was lucky to be used more than once a year for a grudge cricket match between rival companies.   

Driving into the car park of the supermarket mid afternoon on a Wednesday, and being the only car in a group of some 40 parks, it wasn’t difficult to imagine this was the beginning of the apocalypse or that we had somehow stumbled into some weird alternative dimension.  It wasn’t until school was out that we saw anyone walking in the streets and even then there were maybe 5 people.  If you ever get the opportunity to go to Woomera – don’t just go see the planes and rockets on display – take a good look at the town itself.

We returned to the caravan park some time around 5.00pm to find every powered site occupied and several unpowered sites also with vans.  A very popular stopover for the night with most of the vans still connected to their vehicles, there will no doubt be a mass exodus tomorrow morning – with us among them.