Alice Springs to Mataranka

Thursday 2^nd May 2013 to Saturday 25^th May 2013

We arrived in Alice Springs to a very warm day and thankfully the only caravan park here that allows dogs also had a pool. Our intention was to stay for one week but that was extended by 8 days due to unforeseen circumstances. We decided to send our dog Mister home, it was a difficult decision, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to travel with him for many reasons. We organised, after 3 days on the phone, to fly him out of Alice on Thursday 9^th May, it was a logistic exercise of huge proportions.  Unfortunately the day before he was due to fly out, he was attacked by another dog in the park and had to undergo surgery for damage to muscles in his tummy. The owner of the other dog stayed away and although a few days later offered to pay our costs, was not forthcoming.  The main thing was that Mister was okay and we were able to fly him home without incident the following Thursday. We miss him, but it a lot easier travelling without him and he is in a good home with Greg’s mum, who is spoiling him.

We were able to do some sightseeing in Alice Springs, including the old Ghan Museum and the Road Transport Museum which were very interesting and gave an insight into how our transport system has changed dramatically in really only a few short years. From camels to trains to road trains, it was an interesting journey through time. Anzac Hill is not only a memorial to our fallen soldiers but gives a fantastic view over the township of Alice Springs.

This town is surrounded by the beautiful West MacDonnell and East MacDonnell ranges, also some of the driest red desert in Australia. There is also a range of Gaps and Waterholes to visit and admire. It is really very pretty out and around the Alice and we are glad we had the opportunity to see a little bit of it. We saw Simpsons Gap, Emily Gap and Jessie Gap. Simpsons Gap is the only one with a waterhole, and it is very pretty.

View of Alice Springs from Anzac Hill

                                                   View of Alice Springs from Anzac Hill

Simpsons Gap

                                                   

Aboriginal art at Jessie Gap

                                                                                                    Emily Gap

When we finally left Alice Springs our destination was Devils Marbles. It was an interesting journey and we stopped a number of times to view some history of our outback. First stop was Alleron, which has an aboriginal art museum. Unfortunately it was closed but we were able to see the magnificent statues of an Aboriginal man and a woman with a child and goanna, very impressive and worth the stop. A little further on we came across the remnants of an old Well built by Ned Ryan and the Glenmaggie homestead. Ned built a number of wells which were vital for settlement in arid Australia and this particular one was funded by the government to encourage settlement in the Northern Territory. The Glen Maggie sheep and cattle station was established around the well and they charged a small fee for owners of travelling stock to water here. By around 1930, with motorised vehicles and machine drilled bores, this Well became redundant and of course the settlements did not occur as expected.

Glen Maggie Homestead

Ned Ryan Well

Alleron

 

We then headed onto Devils Marbles, what a spectacular site. We set up camp for one night and then went for a walk around these magnificent granite rocks. We spent over an hour and a half exploring through the rocks and climbing to the top of some of them. The camera got a workout as every turn we took gave us yet a different view, different colour and new perspective of these boulders. We loved it here and saw a beautiful sunset that evening and a gorgeous sunrise the following morning. The Devils Marbles are a must see if you are ever up this way.

Me at Devils Marbles

Devils Marbles

Devils Marbles

Devils Marbles

Devils Marbles

 

The next day we made a quick stop at Tennant Creek, before heading to Banka Banka Station for the night. On the way out of Tennant Creek we stopped to look at the historic Overland Telegraph Station which was built in 1872. It took seven hours to send a message from Adelaide to England and at that time was the fastest form of communication between Australia and the rest of the world. It was an important refuge for the linesmen and stockmen who worked this route. It closed in 1935 but continued to provide accommodation and storage for the linesmen for many years.

Part of the old Telegraph Station

 

We arrived at Banka Banka station in the early afternoon and what a treat it was. After Coober Pedy, Ayers Rock, Kings Canyon and Alice Springs and camping on red dust for weeks, we were delighted to be camped on a beautiful grassy site. Banka Banka was established as a cattle station and an army camp for soldiers during the 1940’s. The historical mud homestead is still on the property and houses a bar, kiosk and first aid room with a low beamed veranda all the way around it. Wardy and Ree who run the property are really friendly and light a campfire every night around 6pm. It is a great way for everyone to meet each other and have a chat, there are no less than 20 vans or tents and campers arrive on a daily basis.  Close by is the Cudjenbra waterhole, a 2.5 km walk along the road or you can go via the steep climb up the hill and along the ridge. Greg and I walked there on our second day; we took the road to the spot which took about 25 mins and then decided on the rough route on the way home. It took one and a half hours for the return journey over some really rocky ridges and then down some and up some more. I was exhausted when we got back, but enjoyed the walk nonetheless. We ended up staying here for 3 nights simply because it was so relaxing and nice to have grass underfoot.

The fire pit at Banka Banka

The waterhole at Banka Banka

Part of the old mud homestead at Banka Banka

 

After we left Banka Banka we headed to Daly River. This must stop site at the Daly River Pub was fantastic and you simply cannot bypass it if you’re up this way. The pub itself is full of memorabilia from rows of banknotes from different countries, to rows of bras and undies, football Guernseys, stubby holders, thongs, ID cards, caps and much more. Every corner you look in you find another collection of something. They have a pool which was very refreshing in this heat and a wonderful outdoor beer garden where there is entertainment every night. Their Beef and Barra should not be missed, it was mouth watering. This was a very worthwhile stop. We met a couple from Ballarat here; Dianne and Steve and enjoyed their company for dinner and the entertainment.

Daly Waters Pub (the money wall)

Daly Waters Pub (the bra collection)

Daly Waters Pub

Greg with a python at Daly Waters

 

Our next destination was Mataranka, we stayed at the Territory Manor Caravan Park only 3 kms from Bitter Springs. We drove down there and swam in the beautifully warm and clear springs and then followed that up with a dip in the thermal pool near the Mataranka Homestead in the Elsey National Park. I cannot believe how warm and clear the water is, we didn’t want to get out. This area was made famous in the movie We of the Never Never about Elsey Station and the Elsey Homestead Replica is situated at Mataranka Homestead. Mataranka had the Never Never Festival while we were here, with the Stockyard Gallery and Cafe showcasing aboriginal artwork with some of the local artists talking about their art and culture. They also had a family fun day with kids activities and some stalls, not anything like we  are used to but still a nice little income earner for the locals with plenty of tourists to cater to. I really liked Mataranka; it is a clean little town with plenty to offer tourists and it is a place I would come to again.

Bitter Springs

Us at Bitter Springs

Elsey Homestead Replica

Mataranka Thermal Pool

 

As we continue our journey up the centre of Australia towards Darwin, our next stop will be Katherine. We are really looking forward to seeing Katherine Gorge and the Nitmiluk National Park.

Cheers til next time.

The Stuart Hwy; Coober Pedy, Ayers Rock and Kings Canyon

April 15^th 2013 to May 2^nd 2013

Finally after a couple of more nights in Ceduna, we left the seaboard to commence our journey up the centre of Australia. We travelled along the Eyre Hwy and decided on an overnight stop at Kimba. We chose the Apex Park for this stay as it was clean with plenty of facilities. They only request a gold coin donation to maintain the area which isn’t much to ask. It is maintained by local retirees and they do a fabulous job, with clean toilets, an undercover barbecue area and an outdoor but undercover library facility. Kimba is halfway across Australia on the Eyre Highway and is famous for the Big Galah and is the gateway to the Gawler Ranges. It is a lovely rural and friendly community which opens its arms to travellers.

After leaving Kimba we went back to Port Augusta for a couple of days before embarking on our journey along the Stuart Highway. We left Port Augusta on Sunday 21^st April to head to Coober Pedy. Our intention was to complete this trip in one day, but it was just a little bit far. From observation and what others tell us, we were prepared for quite a dull journey. We expected the same scenery; flat uninteresting landscape for mile after mile, but we were pleasantly surprised with the changes in the landscape along the way. There were a number of great photo opportunities at Island Lagoon lookout and Lake Gardiner lookout.  As bare as this landscape is, at times it is truly beautiful.

We decided to call in to Woomera along the way to check out what that town has to offer. It is quite a nice town, a little village in the desert with an amazing history. It consists of only about 100 residents, but the town is so beautifully maintained. They have many sports facilities, swimming pool, bowling lanes, hotels, a library and a wonderful information centre and cafe. Woomera is most famous for its Prohibited area which is the largest land based missile and rocket range in the western world. They have a great free exhibition in the town at the Missile Park, which gives an insight into the activities of this area.

We moved along still with the intention of reaching Coober Pedy, but by 4.30 pm we were just too tired to continue, so we pulled in at a roadside stop called Bon Bon about 168 kms south of our destination to spend the night. There were a few other travellers here plus about 2 million flies, seriously. It was here that we met John and Janice from Innisfail in Queensland. The reason we were first acquainted is because they were towing the same brand van as ours Evolution and neither of us had ever seen one on the road before, so it was interesting to have a chat. When were in Tenterfield, NSW in 2011 a couple we met at the roadside stop there, write down all caravan brand names as they are travelling. Their count was up to 74 but they had also had not come across an Evolution. At this stop in Bon Bon we also met Peter and Corrie from Morisset in NSW. All six of us were travelling on to Coober Pedy, so we met up there and spent a few days together at the Opal Inn Caravan Park.  We enjoyed a couple of happy hours together swapping travelling stories and generally enjoying the company of two lovely couples.

Coober Pedy is an extremely interesting town and different to say the least. It is of course most famous for its opal mining and 70% of its population live underground, where the temperature maintains a constant 24 degrees. Coober Pedy is surrounded by a most amazing landscape, from the opal diggings to the Moon Plains and the exquisitely beautiful Breakaways, which are flat- topped colourful mounds that have risen from the desert floor. When we went on a tour we couldn’t help but be mesmerised by this quickly changing and extremely colourful landscape.

We visited a private underground home, the beautiful underground Serbian Orthodox church, an old mine, drilling shafts, The Breakaways, the Dingo Fence, the Moon Plains and various other points of interest around the town. Coober Pedy is well worth the visit and a great start to our journey up the centre of Australia. 

Island Lagoon Lookout

Lake Gardiner Lookout

                                                            

Woomera

Beautiful Opal

Opal diggings

The magnificent Breakaways

The Breakaways

The dingo fence

                                                                 Underground House

Underground mine

                                                                                     Serbian church

After we left Coober Pedy we were on our way to the magnificent Ayers Rock. It was a long journey and after three short stops, one at Marla, one at the SA/NT border and one at Kulgera for fuel, we found a roadside stop about 140 kms east of Ayers Rock to camp for the night. It had been another hot day, so it was nice to stop, refresh and rehydrate (if you know what I mean) before spending a couple of days at the Ayers Rock Resort Campground.  We arrived at the campground just before lunch the following day, so we able to set up, eat lunch and prepare for the wonderful sites that were to welcome us.

The campground is huge and is situated within the resort. The resort itself houses many forms of accommodation from over the top luxury to tent sites within the campground. It also has a supermarket, fuel, a few shops, a police station and a fire station among others. All of which are overpriced as you would expect for one of the biggest tourist destinations in Australia. Entry to the National Park, which is where you need to go to see Ayers Rock and The Olgas, costs $25 per person. We saw a lot of $25 in the 2 days we were there, so they are certainly reaping their reward. Aside from the expense, it is well worth the visit.

We took the 40km journey out to the Olgas and were suitably impressed.  They are truly spectacular and the walk to the lookout was more than worth the journey. We then went to Ayers Rock and drove around the base, it has many faces, and after only seeing photos from the one angle it was nice to see it from all sides. They discourage climbing the rock, but it is still allowed and many people (not us) did exactly that. It looked way too steep for me and a number of people commenced but did not complete the climb.

The sunset is the best viewing for the rock and we took our wine, beer and nibbles out there around 5.30 pm to watch the magnificent show. We were truly captivated by the colour changes; from a deep sandy colour to an orange to a bright red and then shades of lilac and back to orange all within an hour from just before sunset to just after. It was truly amazing and I guess is why some people fly in just to view the sunset and then fly out again.

Us at the border

Us at Kulgera he he!

The beautiful Olgas

Greg at the Olgas

Me at the Olgas

Us at Ayers Rock sunset

20 mins before sunset

5 mins before sunset

Sunset

10 mins after sunset

20 mins after sunset

 

On Tuesday 30^th April we headed for Kings Canyon, about 270 kms north east of Ayers Rock, but because we have a dog, we couldn’t stay within the resort as it is part of the National Park. Kings Creek Station is about 35 kms south of the Canyon resort and this is where we camped for 2 nights. This camp is set amongst natural bushland, which is very tranquil and has everything you need, including a pool, which we needed as soon as we arrived because it was very hot. They offer camel rides, quad bike tours and helicopter rides. It was the latter that we decided to indulge in and what a breathtaking adventure it was. We set off in the late afternoon so that we could take in the gorgeous colours of the sunset.

The helicopter took us on an unforgettable, awe inspiring 100 kilometre journey which we will never forget. We flew at 300 metres and at about 180 kph and at our own request and the blessing of the pilot, with all four doors removed. It was so magical; I can hardly find the words to describe it. We saw so much of this beautiful landscape that cannot be seen from ground level.  The flight through Peterman Pound and along the top of George Gill Range, a bird’s eye view of Carmichael Crag to the spectacular Kings Canyon, with magnificent views of the Lost City, the Garden of Eden and onto Kathleen Springs, Reedy Gorge and over two Aboriginal Communities, was one of the best experiences of our lives. We were able to take our Go Pro on board, attached to the windscreen, so have the most fantastic wide view video to watch over and over again of this magnificent adventure, one that was over all too soon.

Ready for the ride

From the air Carmichael Crag and Dingo pups

From the air The Lost City

Kings Canyon

Kings Canyon

Part of the George Gill Range

 

We left on Thursday 2^nd May 2013 to head to Alice Springs. We arrived in the late afternoon and plan to spend about a week here. We need to get the Cruiser serviced; the tyres rotated etc, all the things that can only be done in a major centre. So this is where I will leave you, until next time when our journey continues on towards Darwin.

Cheers til next time.