The Brooke Blog

We last left you, as we were about to depart Alice Springs for the second time. It took us a while to get organised Friday, with laundry, food shopping and vehicle refuelling. Once sorted it was a late departure and we still hadn’t decided where we’d stop for the night. In the end we pushed on and got to ‘Devil’s Marbles’ moments after sunset. ‘WOW!’ What a great spot! Yep, the Devil IS mad, because this is where he lost his marbles (but  ‘shhhh’… don’t tell him).

Dan got up early to see the formations with the sunrise, then dragged the rest of the family out and we explored with the kids loving climbing up and down everywhere over the rocks. Hitting the road after a quick brekkie we aimed to get to our next stop early.

Reaching ‘Newcastle Water’s’, a free roadside side stop, by about 2PM we set up just in time before many more arrived at this popular stop. Even when we arrived there was near a dozen vans and likely there was more than 25 in the end in a fairly small area. With our early arrival we relaxed and lit a fire early to cook a dinner in the camp oven – Mmmmm! Apricot Chicken!

The next morning, again leaving early for us, we continued north to Mataranka. The main attraction at this tiny town is the Elsey National Park and several hot springs in the area. We stayed at the Mataranka Homestead Caravan Park that is right by a couple of springs that feed into the Waterhouse River. You can swim in the river but it’s not recommended as it can upset the local fresh water crocs (‘freshies’), and we did see a couple. Swimming in the spring is nice, though not very hot at a comfy 30 degrees. Very pleasant when the outside temperature is 25 degrees!

The following morning we saw Barramundi feeding at the Territory Manor Resort in Mataranka, followed by devonshire tea in the courtyard. Then another swim in the Bitter Springs which was even nicer than the first ones being larger, slightly warmer and in a more natural setting. After lunch we’ve driven a relatively short hop to Katherine, and then out to Katherine Gorge National Park where we camped for the evening. It was a great spot with a very nice pool that the kids and Liz cooled off that afternoon. We were treated to friendly wallabies and squawky bats that evening!

The next morning was an early start with a Sunrise Breakfast Cruise up the Katherine Gorge (gorge 1 and 2). What a feast for our eyes!! It was an amazing experience, and we kept saying how much we want to go back there for more… perhaps even camping along the gorges. We enjoyed a hot breakfast of bacon, eggs, mushies, tomato and sausages whilst taking in the spendour of the sights around us. The photos don’t even do it justice, but show a little of what we experienced. It was definitely a nice time to be on the river, before it got too busy with all the other cruises, canoes etc.

Back at camp for a quick dip in the pool to cool off, pack up and then we headed off for the drive to Darwin.

Please see the post below for the most recent report on our journey, however here are some pictures that fit in from earlier posts. Rather than update and insert into the posts where they fit we’ve grouped them here so you don’t miss them.

Leaving the caravan in Alice Springs we repacked for camping and headed out feeling more free and fancy without the van in tow.

Making our way west we stopped at the most of the various gorges and points of interest along Larapinta Drive including; Standley Chasm, Ellery Creek Big Hole, and Ormiston Gorge(site seeing was limited though as the kids slept most of the way) . We stayed overnight at Glen Helen Resort (camping) which we knew nothing of, but found it to be real gem. There is a gorge there also which we didn’t have time to explore, however we enjoyed the sunset on the gorge wall and then we were treated to a starry sky and the gorge was flood lit. The lodge was true outback… nice bar, lounge and lodgings. Our dinner was our first on the open fire for the trip and the kids loved sleeping in the tent. The kids were a bit concerned about Dingoes when a lady camping near us said some had come around early in the morning, and they mostly believed us when we said they couldn’t open our tent.

Initially we planned to continue to Kings Canyon via the Mereenie Loop however we continued to Hermannsburg and looked around the old mission then drove out to Boggy Hole along the Finke River. This meant we didn’t get to Palm Valley however Boggy Hole was a real highlight. Literally driving along the riverbed for 20kms over rocks, sand and sometimes crossing through water we found ourselves a nice spot for the night. Again, we cooked a delicious meal on the fire and the kids had a great time running around on the sand and warming themselves by the fire.

In the morning Dan checked the thermometer in the car and it was 2 degrees at 8AM – yep there was a frost! Muffins and pikelets cooked on the fire for brekkie and taking our time we were packed and on the road (sorry, ‘on the track’) by 10:30AM. Liz says she was very nervous being in the this place as beautiful as it was, as there we didn’t see many people (passed one other vehicle coming in), and there was no phone reception or no major roads for 30kms. In driving out we continued on the track for another couple of hours then another hour or so on ‘better tracks’ – its all relative! Actually, as we were getting along Dan spotted some hawks that we stopped to photograph and Aidan’s says, “I see dog over there!” We look around and sure enough there is a Dingo! With camera already in hand we could get a good photo. The remain k’s for the day were split between pretty varying conditions on the Ernest Giles road which is first unmade then sealed to Kings Canyon on the section that links back to Uluru.

Thursday night we stayed in a room at Kings Canyon Resort because we couldn’t be bothered with the tent (yes, only after two nights!) but it had been a long day of rough roads and we were all pretty tired.

In the morning we walked along the bottom of Kings Canyon, even though Aidan thought he could climb to the top of the circuit walk! (3.5hrs walk). We did let the kids climb part way up and had to coax them back down. The Canyon is a special place that we enjoyed even though we had such a short time there. The remaining part of the day was essentially driving back to Alice Springs, backtracking along Ernest Giles road all the way to Stuart Highway, then returning to the caravan park where our van was stored and re-organising our gear.

WARNING: this post is a long one as lots has happened since our last.

Departing Coober Pedy at about 10 thirts after refuelling and ‘airing up the tyres’ we headed north up the Stuart Highway for ‘The Centre’. The highway doesn’t offer a great deal of sight seeing so we pressed on with one rest stop at Cadney Station then right on over the SA border to the Northern Territory to Erldunda. Some rain on the early section of the trip helped loosen some of the mud we’d not removed at the car wash.

Another top up of the tank at Erldunda (intersection of Stuart and Lassetter Highways) we headed west toward Uluru(Ayers Rock). Our overnight was at a roadside stop where we made our first camp fire and cooked damper and toasted marshmellows. The kids had a ball! When they were down to sleep, Dan and Liz enjoyed a bottle of sparkling wine around the fire and watched the mice which were still in large numbers, run back and forth. Occassionally Liz jumped when one ran across or near her shoe. However, while you chuckle and imagine Dan laughing at her as well and making some remark about being scared of mice, hear this… As we sat there enjoying the peace Dan suddenly leaps from his chair dancing around, slapping his pants and stomping his feet! Yep. You guessed it, a very quick and enquisitive mouse went exploring where he shouldn’t. Dancing the jig worked… so no claims will be made about a snake scaring it off. It was decided it was time to go bed.

The next morning we took in our surroundings a bit more then continued to Uluru. We only planned the day at Uluru and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). While much more time could be spent here it was enough with the kids. When the kids saw The Rock they were both saying,’It’s Massive!!!” with no prompting from us. We didn’t climb it, but took the kids for a small walk up to just below where the chain starts. They though that was great, and we couldn’t stop them climbing around the low rocks at he beginning area, especially Aidan. Missy had to follow of course. Missy keeps saying, “There’s the rock that we climbed.” whenever she sees and photo or picture of it.

Kata Tjuta was very nice too, and we took a short walk with the kids along the Walpa Gorge Walk and took plenty of photos. It was much quieter than Uluru and it would have been good to spend more time exploring. After this we returned to Uluru in time for the sunset which was sure to be good with the much inproved weather we were now having (finally, some blue sky and sun on our faces, with it being about 20 degrees).

The sunset on The Rock was pretty good, however we were not as early there as we might have been for the best position. Still we got to see it, and took plenty of photos to prove it. Dan then created an argument (discussion) about the tourism and how we all rush in to ‘get our photo’s’ and leave. Uluru is the pinacle of this side of tourism, and generates big money for the regional and national economy. So you can look at all aspects of it, but at the end of the day the park and resort of Yulara are managed really well which we were quite impressed with.

We ended up staying in the overflow camping area at Yulara as we’d not made a forward booking. Then (Sunday) we drove to Alice Springs. The landscape becomes more interesting as you near ‘Alice’ and the Macdonnell Ranges. Again we’d not made a booking but found an affordable powered site right near the Todd River and just on the outskirts of the south side of town at ‘The Gap’. We had dinner at the Tavern near the park which was a $10 special and there was a reptile show as well. The guy was excellent and at the end had all the kids line up while Barry the python slid along their shoulders. Aidan wanted nothing to do with it but Missy seemed happy enough to be involved. She smiled through the whole thing. When it was done she burst into tears, saying how she didn’t want to do it! We couldn’t believe the delayed reaction and just hope she’s not been scared for life!

Coming highly recommended from a number of sources is the Alice Springs Desert Park that we visited Monday(18th). All the exibits are well presented and the park it self is well maintained. There is loads of information about the area, including the geology, flora, fauna and culture. We watched one of those bird shows where the birds fly in on cue, which was really well done. All of this was made more remarkable with the West Macdonnell Range set as the backdrop. Just beautiful. In the evening Dan had a third attempt at washing the car and Liz and the kids feed some Wallabies that come down the hill each evening for handouts.

Alice Springs is a lovely town on the surface of things. It is well laid out, taking the natural landscape into account and respectfully managing it.

It seems we are writing an epic here, however for us this is also a journal of our trip. We understand you might want to skim over it all, but just remember you will be tested when we get back. Obviously that’s not true… just read what interests you and ignore us when it goes on a bit.

We’ll update with a full post soon, but now you can view our route day by day (not live updating) on google maps. See the ‘Map‘ page of the blog or click here to go the actual map.

Our route has taken us out of mobile coverage for a couple of days as we’ve progressed north, then west. After Leigh Creek the road went to gravel with a couple of newly made sections of blacktop. After Marree it was gravel all the way to our overnight stop at Coward Springs.

The road surface has generally been good. There’s been occasional sections of corrugations and rocky sections that make it rough, and naturally the frequent but irregular occurrence of dips, flood-ways and cattle grids. All of which require some caution on approach and often a foot plant of brakes for safe over.

We pushed to get to Coward Springs and arrived in the dark and rather too late. The sign said ‘Full’ but as there was little option other than to go on another 75kms to William Creek we went in anyway and found we could camp in the day parking area. This was a great stop with some interesting history, and lovely camp ground, camel treks, and the natural spring with water a temperature of about 28 degrees. An oasis in the desert. The kids and mum enjoyed a soak or “bath in the bush” as it was.

After some minor repairs to the van (the stones shredded the cable ties holding the electric brake wires, and we had to duct tape the back windows, and silicone and tape some holes to prevent dust entry), we headed off for the last hop to William Creek.

What can you say about William Creek other than there’s not much there! The sticker we purchased says “William Creek – the middle of nowhere” and it is just that! There’s the pub with what seems the obligatory menagerie of business cards, hats, thongs, notes, artwork, photos, Student IDs and so on that adorn the walls, ceiling and doors. The other establishment is Wright Airways who are kept very busy with flights over Lake Eyre. Dan took a 2 hour and Liz a 1 hour Wednesday morning. The patterns both on the landscape around the lake and in the water formed by the salt and wind are simply stunning and quite beautiful.

Our next leg was west to Coober Pedy. It should be pointed out at this stage that since leaving Melbourne the weather has not got any warmer, and we’ve experience wind and rain, wondering if the weather some how found out we were leaving and followed us! It rained the night before our departure from William Creek meaning there was a question as to if the road would stay open or close until it dried out.

We waited around to see if all was clear and several vehicles left, so we followed. Immediately we drove into sandy-clay and lost traction with the vehicle and van sliding all over the road. Once the centre-diff lock was engaged traction was regained though occasionally the van attempted to over take the car when we went sideways in a soft section. The worst of it was nearer William Creek and we averaged 70kms hour in the end. On reaching Coober Pedy the van and car were caked in mud and gritty sand. In 2 attempts and about $54 bucks in coin, pressure washing it has still not removed it all. It started out fun, but ended in tears! We need a river to drive the car into or a couple of hours driving in heavy rain to get it clean.

Coober Pedy is a strange place. Driving around town and everywhere you look there are stories of such hope for prosperity and riches that turned into tales of despair and misfortune. No doubt there is money in opals, however it seems not all make it.

We’ve had a great day here, visiting the underground home of Crocodile Harry, had lunch in the Underground Desert Café, then toured town visiting the local ‘underground’ churches.

Lastly we went to the Umoona Mine and Museum that was perhaps the highlight for all of us. There was a great display of both mining and local aboriginal history and information and a short film about opal mining that we watched. The kids maintained attention for the whole film, then at the end, part of the screen slid back and a man gave us a demonstration on opal cutting and polishing which was just fantastic! Lastly, Liz scored an early birthday present when she picked out an opal ring for which she is most pleased with.

After spending the night at the Angorichina Village we have taken a small detour off the main road to Beltana village then up the road to Leigh Creek for a quick restock. As we have phone coverage we’re taking to opportunity to update the blog and make a few calls.

Not far up the road the blacktop runs out, then its Marree and overnight at the Coward Hot Springs camp.

Liz has enjoyed getting behind the wheel on some tracks that have given the van a run for its money over dips, bumps, corrugations and small water crossings. The porta-potty hasn’t turned over yet! Liz also says she can’t believe how quickly we’ve come into an area that seems so remote… the outback?

More to follow in a few days.

While we have reception we’ll give you some pictures to look at. These cover the last few days from leaving home.

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The answer in our case is SLOWLY! We are two and a half days overdue to leave with certain preparation taking longer than expected or not going to plan. However by this days end we are hitting the road! We promise!

Welcome to our Blog, and the first post we’ve made. Currently we are madly preparing to get away for a long awaited family holiday. With last minute preparations underway (actually the truth be told – we’ve been preparing for weeks and are behind schedule!) and the tying off of work and business we’ll be on the road in a couple of days.

Ahhh! The open road! Our planned route is Melbourne to Lake Eyre, then Uluru, Katherine, Darwin, The Kimberley, around the coast to at least Port Headland then in land to Meekatharra and south to Kalgoorlie. Finally, if time a brief visit to Esperance then home across The Nullabor. We estimate in 8 weeks we’ll cover as much as 15,000 kms, staying in free camping spots as regularly as possible in our newly re-furbished 30 something year old 14ft pop-top caravan.

More to come, so stay tuned!