May 2024 – Chris & Merelyn's Travels

May 28th

Beautiful Alice, so much more than I expected.

We thought we would stay for a couple of days and it turned into 12 . The highlight for me was the Alice Springs Desert Park. There are many parks around town, but this one has it all , there are walk through bird averies and good walking paths. You can self tour or have free guided tours.

We did a bit of wandering around to start. And it’s so impressive how the enclosures are just like the natural bushland that they come from.

Next we went into the nocturnal museum. So many unusual specimens in there

Some creepy, some well camouflaged.

Some downright nasty !

Some cute.

Back outside we walked through another enclosure

In one of the small bird, walk through Avery’s, we kept getting attacked by a little yellow wren, that was building a nest. He loved picking the fibres out of my track pants.

Next was a wander around some water birds.

From there we went to watch a wild bird feeding show, in a natural Amphitheatre. Hills surrounding the seating area. The little willy wagtail had sat patiently on the log for about 15 minutes, waiting for the girl to arrive with some food. Then the wild birds flew in from the hills for their morning feed

I really enjoyed this show ,especially this little fellow that came up close to me for his food.

This is typical of the bird watch huts, and the wired mesh covers a huge area of natural bush, surrounding it. A bit like the humans are locked up and the birds are free. We were told that David Attenborough, rated the park as one of the top 10 in the world.!

We finished the day at the park with the overland walk , not many bush flowers out yet, but would be nice in spring.

The next day we drove out to Hart, to have a look around an old mining settlement in the White Range.

It seems to have been a big settlement in its day. Remains of buildings spread over quite a large area of bushland. Rough walking tracks, so a hot and dry couple of hours spent there..

Some of the old plaster walls had names scratched into them. I found one dated 1886.

I was amused to see this grasshopper, just like most things around Alice. Red !!

Next was a visit to the old Telegraph station and park in Alice. Many old buildings restored and completed with old world furnishings.

A park and restaurant there as well , which was very busy while we were there. Also some sheds filled with all sorts of gear.

You hear so much of the negative things about Alice Springs, but we were able to have a good look around over our stay there , we didn’t feel unsafe and thought it was a great town with lots to see ,has all the facilities and retail shops, moreso than a lot of coastal areas.

The old Ghan train was just behind where we were parked at the Transport Museum, so before we left town I thought I had better check it out. Some of the carriages have been restored, while most are just the way they were. Sure was a luxury way to travel.

Chris spent quite a few hours in the Truck Museum, while we were staying there. I took a couple of photos, but we all know what’s in a Truck Museum, trucks ,trucks and more trucks. This one is one of the best and biggest displays in the Country.

Yes ,even the ” last Cab to Darwin” is there.

So that was Alice , where the town is nestled through a gap in the ranges, in the middle of Australia. Glad we’ve been there and done that.!

May 22nd

May 19th

Time to catch up on more from Uluru…

Our Sunrise Segway tour started at 5.30 am. A bus picked us up and took a group of 20 out to the Rock. We were served breakfast as the sun rose. The beautiful sunrise promised a good day ahead.

The Olga’s came to light in one direction and the Rock in another

The birds hung around to pick up the crumbs from breakfast, and we were then taken back to the base of the Rock to get some training on the segways.

All kitted up, and feeling confident we were off.

We passed all the interesting formations ,that you don’t see from the road.

We stopped for photos every now and then, we had a great tour guide and we all were having a great time.

It didn’t take me long to get confident enough to take photos as we rode around. I was placed at the head of the line behind our guide, so I was able to chat with her most of the time . And take photos of those following behind. Great fun !

When we completed the ride around we went on a walk into a water hole. A nice serene place to finish off the tour.

On the way back we stopped in to view some Aboriginal rock art in a cave.

What a great tour ,we parked our segways and were bussed back to Ulara camp ground.

The next morning Chris and I drove out of town and did the Kathleen Springs walk

It was a lovely walk with a good mix of colourful rocky cliffs, bird life, wildflowers and waterholes.

We had moved on to camp at Kings Canyon and that evening we went up to the bar area at the park and sat around watching the sun set and the laser lights with the ranges in the background, Meanwhile a solo singer performed Aussie songs.

Just as well we had had a relaxing evening as the next day Chris and I drove out to Kings Canyon to do the rim walk.

The climb up at the start, was very steep, I mean steep!

There were many stops on the Way up. Just when you think you’ve reached the top ,another cliff pops up in front of you to climb up.

Wc think this is around the top, but as its a rim walk, there was no flat area. The going was still rough and rocky, up and down , one cliff edge after another.

Thank goodness I like taking photos as doing so, took my mind off where we were, there was no turning back ,it was a one way 6+klm trek, and the only way out was to go forward.

I’ve always like rock hoping, especially at the beach, but considering it was now the middle of the day, no shade and we were only just nearing the end of the canyon, like half way . How stupid am I..?

Finally we got to the the end and and crossed the little bridge to the other side of the canyon. Hoping that that side will be a easier walk ,we moved on.

Not so this side was still hard going and maybe even more spectacular than the other side.

We took a 600mtr diversion and went down into the garden of Eden. It was lovely, so worth the extra effort.

Back on track after having a quiet sit by the waterhole, we felt we were homeward bound.

How amazing are the cliff faces that we had just walked over.

The track did get a little easier on the way back, just a few cliffs to scramble around ,at least we were going downhill.

When we got back to the carpark we read a sign relating to the way we had just come back. Yes it was hot!

It had taken us 5 and a half hours, and we were quite pleased to have achieved the hardest walk we have even done.!

May 16th

Sunrise at Uluru, with the field of lights, was spectacular. We were also fortunate enough to see the glow from Aurora.

We did a tour, which included breakfast after a wander through the lights, the changing colours were beautiful .

The lights slowly dimmed as the sun came up and shone on Uluru

The Olga’s also came into view, as did the ground cover. A beautiful time of day, and well getting up early to see.

Once we were back in town we did some shopping and had a drive around, there is a lot of tourist accommodation as well as a shopping complex, parks and gardens, also I was able to see my favourite flower the Stuart’s Desert Pea. Love them.

That evening we all went up and sat at a view point to watch the sun go down

It ended up being a triple treat, as well as sun set we again saw the glow from Aroura and some of the Drone display at the Rock.

The next day Chris and I drove out to the base of the Rock and did the walk in to a water hole.

It was an easy walk and gave us an insight as to what is around the other side,as you usually only see photos from the main road side.

On the walk there is also a cave with Aboriginal art that we went into.,which was quite interesting.

It was a lovely walk in to the waterhole and there are nice timber seats scattered around .

As with all outdoor activities, flies go with it. !

That evening we went on a bus tour out to the Rock for sunset and the drone show, nibbles and drinks included

As we got out of the bus there was a dingo hanging around. Not a good photo as he wasn’t there long,

When we were all seated our snacks and drinks were served. A nice variety of cheeses and dips. We were also told that there was to be no photography taken. It was a nice venue, but disappointed that I couldn’t take photos of the drone display.

The story started off with drones then the wind became to strong for them to fly, so the rest of the event was done with a ground strobe light display. It was OK, but a bit of a let down.

We walked back to the bus ,which took us back to camp, passing the well lit sails in the desert resort.

Next will be the Segway tour….

May 12th

Our first sight of the Rock,

As we travelled towards it, it seemed to become bigger and more interesting.

We arrived at Eyers Rock Campground around lunch time and set up for the next 4 days.

I didn’t expect to see so many accommodation places out here. Sails in the Desert is a popular one, and has a nice pool and gardens surrounding it.

Not to waste any of our time here, once we were set up, we headed out the road further to walk through the sand dunes and view the Olgas

As they have had a good amount of rain recently, the desert wildflowers are starting to bloom.

How cute is this little fellow, and so well camouflaged, and what a long tail, looks just like another stick

Hope you all like wildflowers as much as I do, incredible that they can survive out here.

We still had enough time left that afternoon to do another couple of walks.

It was quite a decent walk over a rough rocky pathway. We could have gone further but chose to turn back after getting to the first lookout.

We drove around to the next walk , it wasn’t as hard going .

We had only been in the park for half a day but I was really enjoying the scenery, and taking lots of photos

What a perfect afternoon to be out there wandering around in natural beauty.

It only takes a little amount of water, to make the place come alive, and for me to have fun with the reflections.

This was as far into the Valley of winds that we could go , so we sat for awhile and just enjoyed the towering rocks around us. Ahh, and our phones, I’m thinking.!

I just had to stop a few times on the way out to take more photos of the rock pool and flowers

Well that was our look around the Olga’s. I really enjoyed the time there. That evening we drove out from the camping area to a viewing point ,a few kls away to watch the sunset on the rock.

Hundreds of people line the fence, sitting and waiting for the sun to go down. As I’m not one to sit around and drink, I just wandered around trying to get some different shots. After all, a rock is a rock, so it makes sense to me ,to give it some character.

The sun set and so that was the end of day one at Uluru

May 9th

Just us and a few cows for company back at the waterhole for the night…

It had been another warm day, so a nice clear sunset to finish the day.

We had a slow start to the day as we headed towards the South Australia/ Northern Territory Border. Not a lot to see ,just a few hills in the distance. We are surprised at the lack of wildlife through these areas, only saw a couple of Dingos. But not quick enough to get a pic.

We had a cuppa at Marryat Creek , no water, just millions of flies .

Not far over the border is Kulgera, The Roadhouse has most supplies as well as Telstra service. We spent a bit of time there before going out to a bush camp for the night.

Again the flies were relentless, so our fly nets, have become a necessity.

Today we travelled on to Curtin Springs. As we got close the view of Mt Connor was quite nice , it appears to have a purple colour to it,

Curtain Springs has a free camp as well as a Roadhouse where I paid $6,50 for a Lt of long life milk! The grounds surrounding the park are well kept and green. We have phone service, but it’s a bit hit and miss.

As I wandered around, I saw that the tables were set for the coach arrival. Annie and Guy also arrived this afternoon after their visit to the geographical centre. So we will move on from here together again.

Out the back of the park here, is a bird Avery, so I stopped for a chat and took some pics, I’d rather see them in the wild, however these seem happy enough.

Like I said service is a bit dodgy out here . But Chris managers to find a bar or two ,ha ha. Tomorrow we go into Uluru for 4 days so I’m off here till after that. Looking forward to getting my Segway licence.

May 6th

While staying at Cooper Pedy we did a couple of big day drives, there is a lot of open space and not much to see until you reach the point of interest. Our first day was out past Mt Barry and a stop at Patsies car.

We all had a bit of fun, but couldn’t get it started, so settled for some photos, which broke the monotony of the drive.

Obviously there is cattle out here, as we came across cattle yards, but not a beast in sight.

Further on, the hills at Arckaringa were a welcome sight, we got out and had a look from a viewing point, and took some photos

Now for what we had come out to see, the Painted Desert.

Quite spectacular on such a perfect day, but I guess it would be nice to see at sunset also.

A truly beautiful area to see. Then we were on our way to Oodnadatta.

The main attraction was the Pink Roadhouse ,where we had a lunch of huge hamburgers and chips. No need for dinner that night,.

We walked around the town, taking some photos and going through the old railway station museum.

The Transcontinental Hotel seemed to be closed. As was most other old buildings.

The Museum, was interesting enough, but I didn’t stay inside long, I prefered to go out into the park area and watch the little finches flitting around.

After that we were back on that famous Oodnadatta Track. In general what we did of it, the conditions were not too bad.

Next was Antakirinja Breakawaysi in the conservation Park not far from Cooper Pedy. We spent a couple of hours out there talking to other travellers and taking photos as the sun went down.

There were lots of emus out there, all bailed up by the dog fence. They are such stupid birds, they run beside the cars as you go past and crash into the fence, continually

The next morning we went to the underground church in town

Thank God the roof didn’t fall in,! I let Chris open the door and go in first.

Next we went and looked through some opal jewellery shops, hmmm, very nice but…

So much mining out here, we went into one area and dug around, but it was hot going, so drove back into town and settled for a waffle and ice cream at the waffle and Gem shop.

That evening I walked up the hill behind the caravan park as the sun was setting. A nice all round view to complete our stay in Cooper Pedy

There’s a nice restaurant on the hill with great views.

The next morning we drove further North to a lovely area at a waterhole, at the western end of the Oodnadatta track. Just out of Marla. Still in South Australia but not far from the Northern Territory border now.

It was a lovely evening sitting around the camp fire and watching the sun go down on another good day in the Centre.

Yesterday we went into Marla and stayed at the caravan park so we could do washing . Not a bad little spot, but nothing else to look at. The clothes are clean but I don’t think we will ever get rid of the red dust in the car and van.

Today Chris and I have come back out to the water hole camp, so a day of rest for us, while Guy and Annie have gone on to another camp and going in to be at the geographical centre of Australia. I’m happy to catch up with the blog today and wait for another sunset. Chris is sitting in the sun reading. Ahh the serenity… keep well everyone.

May 3rd

From Roxby Downs we headed up to Lake Eyre for a day drive…

Driving around here, the roads can be a bit challenging, but it’s all part of the adventure.

A couple of stops along the way, to stretch the legs

Parts of the Oodnadatta track, were a bit corrugated, but not as bad as we expected.

Our next stop was Lake Eyre South. Happy to say we’ve seen it, but nothing spectacular.

It’s exciting when you see a waterhole on these dry dusty roads, so we pulled up for a pic.

Our next break was to have a look around the remains of an old railway siding and take some happy snaps.

Further along the dusty track we called into Coward Springs. And no, I didn’t go for a dip

We paid our money but didn’t use the dunny, haha !

Had a quick look through the little museum,

A couple of aerial photos, complements of Guys drone.,of the old Ghan railway line and bridge, which access to is now shut.

Then we came across Mound Springs. Water all the way from Queensland, bubbling up in the middle of the desert.

The bubbler spring, further down the road was even more impressive. As the water bubbled up it made lovely patterns on the pond. Nice.

Back on the dry dusty track again we came across more salt lakes.

A short stop for a look around Mutonia Peace Park. Lots of objects made out of pieces of junk, no doubt collected off the roadside.

No sure what sort of mushroom type things these are, they were also in the park. Bit different eh!

We got back to our camp outside Roxby after one very big day out.

Moving on, we headed for Cooper Peedy, A stop for a look at Lake Heart, proved to be more interesting than our Lake Eyre viewing.

It had been another long day, so only a couple more break before we did the last leg of the trip into Coober Pedy.

A stop for a cuppa and fuel at Glendambo roadhouse.

A couple of fun pics as we entered town, then down to the free camp to get our sites for the next few days.

The camping area is behind the Old Timers Mine, it’s very rustic and in a cutting on the side of a hill.

That’s it for now xx

April 30th

I love the beauty of Port Augusta.

The white salt from the lakes, the blue hue from the surrounding mountains and wide open spaces.

The only thing that is ruining the views is the wind turbines.

Again we are having great weather, and the drive out the long straights to Woomera was nice.

We got to the space station in time to go through the museum and walk around the area

A great display of all things spacewise, lots of rockets, models and planes.

Not to be forgotten are the disasters, bits and pieces of mangled metal and wiring. All interesting to look and read about, especially for the boys.

An old medicine chest, caught my eye, complete with old bottles of remedies.

Back outside more rockets, weather stations and Data collectors. Could do with this one back in Casino, maybe we would get a better internet reception 😀.

Bit scary to think that this stuff is hovering around above us, some landings are good, others not too good.

That afternoon we pulled into a RV ground next to Spuds roadhouse. Many others there too.

It wasn’t the best sunset, but the sunrise the next morning, as a freight train rattled through close by, had the promise of a nice day ahead.

Next stop was Roxby Downs and a bit of a wander around the mining town.

It’s obvious that the mining company puts a lot into its town and community. A very clean town with well kept streets and parks.

We had our own little camping area not far from Roxby, which was handy to leave the vans and drive out to the opal fields around Andamooka.

One of the most interesting places to visit and walk around.

Little Dugouts built into the hillsides. Most of the ones we saw were old and falling to bits, however there are still people living in homes built back into the hills.

It seems like the miners just dug into the hills wherever, as there didn’t seem to be any plan to the town.

Driving around out here is quite spectacular.

Before we left town we had a visit to Cal, the Tiger Man. He lives up in the hills and spends his days and years, creating sculptures out of rocks. Very clever bloke.

The Tiger he has completed is ready to go on Display. Incredible that each piece of coloured rock is cut and placed in position to build such an amazing piece.