Aug 17, 2018 - Now that's a BIG RED ROCK!

We headed back into Alice for supplies before heading down the Stuart Highway to Stuarts Well which is conveniently located near a camel farm. For $9 you can ride a camel around the paddock which is more fun for me than Grae for some reason. Sadly Grae thought it was appropriate to eat a camel burger that night for revenge. We stopped in to Erldunda to book accommodation for our return journey and became involved in a real live rescue mission that would make Russell Coight proud. A tour bus of Italian tourists had broken down 20 kms down...

Aug 15, 2018 - Alice Springs and surrounds

Alice Springs is flanked by the West and East Macdonnell Ranges and as you drive through they form a gateway into town. The Alice is a modern town with a pedestrianised mall and airconditioned shopping centres. This weekend is the Henley on Todd Annual Regatta in the dry Todd River near town and there is street entertainment as part of the festivities. There are also lots of lovely and expensive Aboriginal Art Galleries and tour companies and overseas tourists. Not too sure why some of the aborigines need to sit on the footpath, they seem...

Aug 14, 2018 - Devil's Marbles, humbug and a large python

We visited the Devil's Marbles which are sacred rock formations to the local aborigines. They are massive granite rocks eroded into relatively round shapes, with some stacked on top of each other. Heading south from here we visited the Barrow Creek Inn. Here the old drovers tradition of signing a bank note and pinning it behind the bar continues, this is so that there would be money available for a drink on your next visit. The other dubious claim to fame is that this is the nearest pub to where Peter Falconio was abducted and killed in...

Aug 12, 2018 - Tennant Creek - hopefully things get better soon

We weren't really prepared for Tennant Creek, it was grim and sad. Lots of closed and boarded up buildings and those that were open had serious security screens. There were mobile police CCTV cameras parked in the street. The town has has been in the news recently for a horrendous crime that has shocked Australia and the world. We missed the Prime Minister's visit by a week, he'd come to talk to the residents about fixing their numerous problems. Living in Sydney we tend to forget that in some places around Australia people have huge...

Aug 10, 2018 - Goodbye Tropics and hello Desert

Leaving Daly Waters we headed for the one time droving town of Newcastle Waters which was a gathering place for drovers on their gruelling overland cattle drives. It is located at the junction of three major overland stock routes, and was an important source of provisions and a place to rest before drovers continued on their way. Pretty much a ghost town now with preserved National Trust historic buildings, there is also a Drover's Memorial Park, featuring a very life-like bronze statue of a drover. It was sad to think that with the...

Aug 6, 2018 - Made it to Darwin - now all we have to do is drive all the way back!

We made it to Darwin where the weather is hot, the grass very green and the breeze off the Timor Sea very welcome. It is very humid and tropical here and this is the dry season! We visited Parliament House which has lovely views out across the sea. The Library next door had a great exhibit about the history of Darwin and the local aboriginal people. We learnt Darwin has been almost entirely rebuilt four times, following devastation caused by cyclones in 1897, 1937 followed by Japanese air raids during World War II, and then Cyclone Tracy...

Aug 5, 2018 - Litchfield National Park

We've always loved Litchfield National Park more than Kakadu so decided to visit it again rather than do both. From the amazing Cathedral and Magnetic Termite mounds at the entrance to the park to the sublime waterfalls and cascades in the park it is a very special place. It was rather hot in the park and the flies allowed us to practice our aussie salutes! We spent two nights at Banyan Tree Resort outside of Batchelor which isn't too far from the park entrance. The word resort is a loose term as we were in a caravan park with onsite...

Aug 3, 2018 - Nitmiluk National Park

We spent a night in Katherine so we could visit Nitmiuk National Park previously called Katherine Gorge National Park. Katherine Gorge, a deep gorge carved through ancient sandstone by the Katherine River, is the central attraction of the park and is made up of thirteen gorges, with rapids and falls, and follow the Katherine River, which begins in Kakadu. We joined an afternoon cruise through the first two gorges and learnt that the gorges and the surrounding landscape have great ceremonial significance to the local Jawoyn people, who are...

Aug 1, 2018 - Iconic Pubs and Hot Springs

We spent a night at the iconic Daly Waters Pub, lots of underwear and business cards and foreign currency hanging everywhere. Lets just say the accommodation, a pub room with shared bathroom was an experience! There are two huge pools and a spa at the complex. We sat in the spa and shared horror renovation stories with our fellow travelers. It seems Sydney tradies are no worse than other states'. There was entertainment with a country and western singer of an evening and what sounded like staff karaoke well into the night. But the night sky...

Jul 30, 2018 - Northern Territory aka Nature's Territory

Leaving Mt Isa in Queensland we set off for our 449 km drive down the road and into the Northern Territory to the Barkly Homestead on Route 66 also known as the Barkly Hwy. Yes it was a long drive but once we crossed into the Northern Territory the speed limit was 130km/hr and with a straight road it wasn't too bad. We stuck to 100 kms/hr due to the age of our little car and broke up the journey with lunch at Camooweal and various rest stops along the way. You meet the most interesting people at rest stops like an English couple who are on...

Jul 2, 2018 - Back to Alice Springs

After exploring the parks of the Red Centre we retraced our route back to Alice Springs where we stayed for a few days regrouping and resting up before embarking on a 1500 mile trip to the east coast. In Alice we enjoyed visiting the Cultural Precinct which included an Aboriginal art museum that featured both traditional and contemporary art. We also visited the MacDonnell Range National Park which looks so much like Sedona.

Jun 28, 2018 - Day 23. Alice Springs to Taylor’s Creek. 320 Ks.

Day 22. 320 Ks. After finding the leak under the van again I didn’t have a good nights sleep. I was clock watching all night thinking of how to fix the problem. Bunnings don’t sell the stuff we need. When I eventually got up I got onto a search engine and looked up all the caravan repairers in Alice Springs. Most of them don’t open on a Saturday. There was one listed at the Heritage caravan park not too far away. I hopped in the car and found it just off the Ross Hwy. The office was open which made for a good omen. Inside there was an...