Victorian Alps, then Tassie.

After a quick study of the map I decided to follow Wayne's (Corryong Information Centre chap) suggestion and go along the Murray River, then head south along the Omeo Highway back into the mountains.  Setting out along the Murray, the first stop at Clarke Lagoon Wildlife Reserve and a camp spot right next to the River!  Bright, warm and sunny, so a lot of gear got a good airing, as well as using the solar hot water heater to have a bit of a cleanup myself in my shower tent.   For such a great spot there were not many other campers. From the Upper Murray Parks & Reserves information sheet, a plan for the next few days  included a walk up to the Kurrojongs Lookout, only 1.5Km one way, but all a strenuous uphill climb.  The view was certainly spectacular , looking out over the Murray River Valley, which was green and lush. 

Then  south along the Omeo Hwy, initially going through a beautiful valley of green paddocks complete with very contented cows.  After about 60Km the valley ended and a winding road up the mountain commenced; crossing over and dropping down the other side, I stopped for the night at Anglers Rest, a campsite along a mountain stream.  In the mid-afternoon a group of  about 15 grade 10 students walked in and set up camp.  Talking with one of the leaders, they were from a Melbourne school and this is part of the year 10 curriculum:  They were walking & rafting from Falls Creek to Mt. Kosciuszko, quite an ambitious undertaking.  The weather broke up and it rained all night, but they were off by 8am the next morning.  I, however, decided to sit another day as it rained all day as well.  According to the radio, it was the most rain received  in the period for a number of decades (which makes me wonder why the weather bureau totally got it wrong, predicting fine warm weather only two days before). 

Leaving on the assurance of "improving conditions" I then climbed another mountain before dropping into Omeo, filling with petrol and commencing a climb up to Mt. Hotham.  Just before reaching the top, I took a few photos of the mountains, well, the bits below the clouds.  On setting off, the clouds dropped, the rain set in and it was rather unpleasant descending along a very steep road with visibility perhaps 10m with speed about the same KMH - and even then came uncomfortably close to the rear of  a caravan being towed by a 4WD, almost invisible in the fog.  Finally reached the bottom, visibility normal again, great to travel along a reasonably flat road - until the turn off to my next stop Lake Catani, which is in the Mt. Buffalo NP.  Now, what looked like a slight distance on the small scale map turned out to be a 26Km winding narrow road up a dirty great mountain!  But what a great place!  Camped at 1300m elevation during a southerly change - it got cool but fortunately no rain. 

There are some great short walks so off I set to check out The Chalwell Galleries, only 750m but the sign stressed only to be undertaken by fit, agile people with sturdy walking shoes.  All went well until the summit, where a large rock blocking the way needed more agility than I could muster, so I turned around.  A lookout was 2km away so off I went, and what a great walk - alpine marsh, woodlands and a lookout perched atop a rock with panoramic views.  Returning to do the Lake Catani walk I turned too early and ended up on the 2km track to The Gorge, a lucky accident as it turned out, because this is another grand feature which I hadn't planned to visit.  Having covered about 10Km on returning, the Lake Walk was left for later in the day.  The walk to the top of The Horn, the highests point in the park, was done first thing the following day.  A 1.5km uphill trek to another great lookout!  It was cold and windy, real winter weather but no snow and the view was truly stunning, a fitting finale for the few days in this gem of a park.  The days travels took me through Beechworth, where there was a Gaelic Festival in full swing and included bagpipes on every corner! There were also many classic cars & hot rods driving about indicating a rally in one of the nearby towns.

All that remains now is to travel to Shepparton, clean and tidy the van and stock up with goodies from the SPC Ardmona Outlet before driving to Melbourne and crossing on the ferry to Tasmania.  A great 6 weeks through new country for me, certainly a good look at the mountains along the East Coast and meeting new people.  So all that remains is to say "auf Wedersehen" and await commencement of travels again in the new year.  Happy Holidays!

Snowy Mountains Part 2

From the Bullock Hill Campground I headed for Jindabyne, in the southern part of the Snowy Mountains, the ones with snow on them.  The excellent Information Centre at Jindabyne was my first stop, then off to the Kosciuszko Mountain Retreat - which claims to be Australia's highest holiday park - for two nights.  This is on Kosciuszko Road, which goes thru Perisher Ski Village and terminates at Charlotte Pass Village.  Guthega Road turns north off this and goes to Guthega Dam & Power Station (completed in 1955) on the Snowy River.   I  traveled to the ends of these roads, with short walks at the Charlotte Pass end and off Kosciuszko Road to Rainbow Lake, created in 1902 to provide water for a nearby resort, since burned down.   The walks were easy as the van had done most of the work trundling up the hills, often in third gear, and the views were terrific!  And there was snow!  Much of it had melted but large patches still remain, however, the ski season was well and truly ended. 

Touching back to the Snowy Hydro Scheme, some photos of other Stations were also taken as I passed and will post the photos of them in a contiguous segment of the web album.  I never could quite take in the magnitude of the scheme.   Between 1949 and 1974 some 100,000 men and women worked on the development, living year round in villages near construction sites.  It certainly must rank among one of the most ambitious schemes undertaken at the time, if not in modern history.

Then off to walk up Mt. Kosciuszko, however, that particular day was foul weather, so I sat out the winds and rains at Ngarigo campsite.  The next morning was a stunner - clear blue skies with very light winds, so after a breakfast of pancakes, shared with a German tourist also on his way to Mt. Kosciuszko, off we went!  The chairlift was about to open so timing was excellent and off to the top, a difference in 460m vertical.  The walkway to Mt. Kosciuszko is excellent, a gradual climb up another 291m vertical over a distance of 6.5Km.  It is an interesting meander over the top of the Range, with creeks, lakes, valleys and snow drifts providing a unique vista of Australian scenery.  Then at the top - at 2,228M the highest point in Australia!  The compulsory photos, a good look at the panorama, and then back along the same track.  Australia's highest restaurant is located at the top of the chairlift, so lunch and a coffee at 1937M was in order!  And from here on it is all downhill (metaphorically speaking - in reality it is up and down through the mountains):  The Alpine Way is a narrow windy road and is a favourite of motorcyclists which were plentiful.  That nite was spent at Geehi Campground, situated along a mountain stream and I slept well!

Geehi is a lush valley in the National Park and thus the happy home to quite a few 'roo.  Up until the 1960's it was used as a base for cattle, which were driven up from lower down to graze in the valley itself and also in the surrounding mountains.  There is a lovely stone cottage used as the summer camp in the lovely setting of the valley and stream.  Being such a lovely setting you would think that as I had one more day on my Parks Pass I'd have spent it there, but having to see what's around the next hill/bend I traveled up to Bradney's Gap Campsite, just north of Khancoban, which was very ordinary.  During the night, I heard a small critter scrabbling along my roof and the fabric sides of the poptop:  This has happened on other infrequent occasions also.  Now, since my unwelcome rodent companion, I awaken instantly to sounds such as this, and happily, they were outside but I've wondered what they could be - gliding possums, bats, birds?  Well at Bradney's Gap I happened to see the shadow of a small bird alighting on the roof, though in the moonlight I couldn't tell anything more than it was about starling sized.  Curiouser and curiouser. 

The following day - 3,485Km since leaving Brisbane - I crossed the NSW/VIC border; as I passed through Corryong, I stopped into the Information Centre and the kind gentleman talked me into altering my plans from going through the Victorian Alps to along the Murray River.  It actually looks as if I may have time to do both - we shall see.

Snowy Mountains Pt 1

Qwik stop in Tumut at the Information Centre, then onto the first camp on Blowering Reservoir.  on awakening the first morning there were roo everywhere!  Big greys mainly but a few reds also.  A walk up into the mountains to Blowering Cliff - a 2.5 km uphill walk, returning along the same track for 5km total.  Interesting bush, I anticipated wet sclerophyl but it is more woodland, still plenty of trees but also plenty of grass on the forest floor with some shrubs but reasonably easy to travel thru, if it weren't so steep & in some places rocky.  After two nights here I moved on to Humes Crossing, a similar campsite on a reservoir but generally flatter and more open - and plenty of roo again!

Then onto the Yarangobilly Caves (and thermal pool!), where there are three caves in close proximity but they are surprisingly different from each other.  A busy day as I visited all three caves and had a swim in the thermal pool, which entailed a steep climb down, then return up the same track.  As my last cave visit was scheduled for 3pm and it was 12:30 after the second cave visit, I thought if I needed more time at the thermal pool I would give the last cave a miss:  I had enough time and I am glad I did - it was certainly the best of the three!  I don't know how you can describe a limestone cave, there are stalactites (hanging down) and stalagmites (pointing up) but there are also pools, waveforms, different colours, virtually an infinite variety and amazing it is also.  A well spent day!

Continuing on and crossing over the top part of the Snowy Mountains (between Tumut & Cooma) the altitude is up nearly 1500 M; the Bullock Hill Campsite is near this height and that is where I camped, expecting to be cold, but it was very mild and quite a pleasant campsite right on the divide.  There is a grove of snow gums surrounded by open paddock, and while it was warm during my stay, I imagine it is generally cold as there were no roo, but along the way I saw brumbies in small herds out in the mountain meadows.  An interesting trip across the Snowies so far, the forest is a bit more open than in the northern parts of the Great Dividing Range, which I've been criss-crossing down thru NSW, with plenty of high country meadow on and close to the summit.  It is very rugged country with some steep and deep valleys and, just quietly, quite a strain on my minimally powered HiAce with its 2.4L engine, which physically shuddered when an emu ran past us.

In the late 1940's & 50's, the Snowy Mountain Hydro Scheme http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/snowy-mountains-scheme was developed throughout the Range.  This was a massive project with many of the employees being migrants who moved here after WWII.  I met a Ukrainian chap who was revisiting sites he'd worked on - it was an interesting chat.   They worked year around, winters being quite harsh, and living conditions were basic in the villages set up for the workers and their families.   He was involved on one project where they had 48 hours to change turbines on a pair of generators:  They increased efficiency by 1%, the main significance being that the contract was then let to an English firm, otherwise it would have gone to a Japanese firm.  They had two teams on 12 hour shifts, working flat out to complete the job.   More on that, plus photos, in the next post, after I've covered the southern portion.

Road to Gundagai

Dropping on the western side of the Blue Mountains  and traveling south, the country is magnificent!  Rolling green paddocks, orchards, historic towns etc. certainly proved false the notion I had that once you left the coastal strip the land was dry & barren.  Of course it was spring, never-the-less I heard complaints of it being too dry!  The pine plantations looked very healthy as well as extensive, with excellent growth rates, judging from some stumps viewed. 

Onward thru Lithgow, Bathurst and to a camp south of Blayney, where I planned to sit out a few days of predicted showers at the picturesque Carcoarn Dam campsite.  Compulsory stop in Bathurst at the well run Information Centre, laundromat and on to Mount Panorama, where I think - if I were brave enough - I could have gone around the entire racetrack!  Also, if I were brave enough I could have fished in Carcoarn Dam BUT warning signs of toxic algae curtailed such actions.  Word got out that I understood electrics and soon had a few jobs lined up; this led to an invite to the nightly fire and socialising it entails.

A check of the weather showed the initial forecast wrong and a dirty great high was moving in, so I left for the Snowies via Gundagai, where the famous Dog on the Tuckerbox statue stands - well, in accordance with the song, "..five miles from Gundagai." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_on_the_Tuckerbox).  It is quite a tourist attraction with vehicles pulling in the whole time I was there, including tour buses.  Lunch, some postcards and then on my way again, making my goal of a campsite on the Blowering Reservoir, just out of Tumut.  I am in the Snowy Mountains!  And the weather is great - so far; showers predicted early in the week.  Two and a bit weeks until the ferry.

Blue Mountains

Putty Road connects Singleton and Richmond in NSW; it is very windy in places and a favoured run for motorcyclists.   Part way along is a new roadhouse, The Grey Gums.  Camping is free, with a nominal amount if you want a shower.  The food is good and it is a comfortable place.  A mob of 'roo can often be seen in the surrounding paddocks, begging for their photo to be taken.

At Singleton I stayed in a special section of the RSLA carpark to encourage motorhomes & caravans.  Great spot, great base from which to tour the area. 

The Blue Mountains can only be described as Magnificent!  IF they had ghost gums THEN they'd be perfect!  Scenic World (no affiliation by author) have a great setup with a steep railway down into the valley & an old coal mine, boarded walkways through the valley, a cableway to get you back up again and a skyway to take you across the gorge & back.  Brilliant experience at a reasonable cost.  The Three Sisters,  some spectacular waterfalls and panoramic vistas will dazzle and amaze you (as well as the other 20mil tourists)!  Katoomba is a fascinating town, part hippy, part new age/alternatative but mainly geared toward tourists, in a good way.  

In Kurrajong is a Radio Museum that has a fascinating collection - some of it classified I'm sure, I hope my Secret clearance from the US Navy still applies!  There is the radio station off a North Korean boat running up & down the Australian coast selling drugs for a few years!  Many superceded military transmitters and receivers from over the ages, plus School of the Air equipment and just too much to describe.  Many of the items are in working order and the owner gives commentary on any item you (or he) wishes. 

The Mt Tomah Botanical Gardens are well worth a visit as they are beautifully laid out and give plenty of descriptions.  I'm not sure that they've correctly labeled their  'Nothofagus cunninghamii'  though, my opinion is that it is a S American nothofagus.   Their dawn redwoods are excellent specimens, a couple of the biggest I've seen.

The final day was overcast & blustery, limiting walks and the views were iffy so I continued on to just past Lithgow for a couple of days; then south to the Snowy Mountains, and with this cold snap present at the moment, it could well be snow (again).

Hunter Valley!

Specifically, the Wine Region of the Hunter Valley!  A couple of days touring this lovely region, visiting the odd winery and lunch at the Hunter Valley Gardens and Village.   My first visit - like a moth to a flame - was to a chocolate and ice cream venue!   A broad selection of lollies, chocolates and ice cream on display, but it was warm and I only stopped for an ice cream.

Then on to an outlet for the small vineyards of the region, where I bought a bottle of sangiovese to go with spaghetti one evening.   While I wasn't interested in wine tastings (I was driving),  I stopped in at Pepper Tree and Tyrrells vineyards, as I have had excellent wine from them in the past.  While tempted to pick up a dozen or two, space limitations put paid to that!  Plus, somewhere in the back of my mind the thought of an overstocked cellar at home eventually swung the decision.   The Lower Hunter is a very pretty valley and it appears that the grape growing bits are specific:  I drove to the town of Wollombi on the SW edge and noticed a few failed attempts to establish vineyards.  Wollombi is a tiny village but apparently jumps on the weekends:  It has historic buildings, remnants of more prosperous times and is close enough to the main tourist area to draw enough to survive.

Going back a bit, on the way through I stopped in Cessnock for a look around and saw where there is a railway museum a few km S, so I went there.  It is on the site of a disused colliery and wasn't open at the time of my visit, but I had a good look around anyway.  They have an interesting collection of rail artifacts and certainly plenty of opportunity for the societies members to indulge in any restoration urges they may have!  In fact, I heard some machines working in a far shed but didn't go to investigate as - while there were no signs to the contrary - I'm pretty sure I wandered into some areas the public isn't normally allowed.  

I am currently camped at Broke, on the W. edge of the wine region in a very pleasant camp.  On arriving, a chap came up and introduced himself , recognising "Loki" (large red letters on the back of my van) from the Grey Nomads Forum!  In fact, the three nearest vans were all solo nomads, one chap being 93 years of age!  So we had a Happy Hour, with wine supplied by Jonathan, cheese, salami & crackers supplied by me and other snakkies supplied by Colleen and Doug. 

Summit to Sea

A night was spent at Burning Mountain (Camps6 #187) and from there the intention was to turn E at Scone to Moonan Flat (Camps6 #189) but I couldn't find the caretaker to pay my fees or, more importantly, obtain a key for the shower - I really did need one at this stage!  NB Apparently they only charge $8.50/night for a powered site and it is a pleasant spot by a creek.  So I continued on to my main goal for the area, Barrington Tops, which was covered in snow!  Very pretty and while I had intended to camp there that night, the slush and mud soon changed my mind so I continued over the Range to spend the night at Copeland Reserve (Camps6 #359) near Gloucester, on the E side of the Range.  

The following day I went to #121, a day camp on the coast which listed showers amongst its virtues - nice spot but the showers were typical seaside affairs - cold water only and no privacy whatsoever.  Lemon Tree is a pleasant and popular spot, with a netted swimming area, boat ramp and a few shops.  

From here I headed back up the Hunter Valley, doing a quick hard left at Maitland at the "Market Today" sign pointing toward the showground.  It was as much a Boot Sale as a market, with stalls offering an assorted array of car and motorcycle parts.  With high hopes of obtaining a workshop manual for my Hi Ace, I was sadly informed that they are hard to come by.  As there was a Caravan Park nearby, I booked in for the night and tidied up before setting off to explore the Hunter Valley.

Waterfall Way

From Grafton NSW to Armidale follows the Waterfall Way:  It goes through the mountains and passes waterfalls, to which access has been gratefully supplied.  The first I stopped at were Ebor Falls where there are two waterfalls in close proximity.  There is a well set out picnic area and a walking track along the top of the gorge with lookouts over the falls.  A reasonable flow of water flowing over them made for a good view. 

A night was spent at Cathedral Rock NP campground.  A walking track looped around this feature, with a track leading off to the summit:  "..A short scramble track (400 metres)  leads off to the top of Cathedral Rock, where the climber is rewarded with expansive views."  It was a scramble all right!  Very steep, large rocks to be clambered over, under, around but the view expansive was!  Unfortunately, a vantage giving a clear view of Cathedral Rock was beyond this climbers ability, thus on the photo it is screened by a tree.  Then a slow walk back to camp for a rest!

The next stop was Wollomombi Falls in the Oxley River NP.  What a spectacular view that is!  The water (all but absent on the day) has carved a huge, deep bowl in the side of the tableland, continuing along in a steep rugged gorge.  Enough to make the most intrepid explorer shout "Mom!" and turn back toward home!

The photos tend to be a bit hazy, unfortunately, as well as being a wide angle but the actual views are terrific and well worth visiting if in the area - it is rugged and scenic country!

While camped at Oxley, I met up with another Grey Nomad, John (Yeoeleven), who has been on the road a couple of years, having 'Done the Loop'.  Naturally, we sat around the campfire swapping tales in the evening, then setting off this morning for our next stop, near Tamworth, via  Armidale, but rain prevented much more than a wander through a mall.  Weather could be worse, it could (Might!!) snow...

Depart Brisbane

After two months of Grandparent Duties in Brisbane, the plan is now to work my way thru NSW/VIC to catch the Bass Strait Ferry on 13th November.  My first night was at a free camp near Bonalbo, NSW, where I met a Victorian couple working their way N to visit grandchildren.  They very kindly wrote out a brief list of places along my general direction to visit, as they had traveled the route a few times!  I'm very grateful to them, as my normal experience is finding out where/what I should have visited AFTER I've been thru an area.  Thus, as I travel generally down the New England Highway, I have some recommended "Must See" & "Worthwhile Detours" to schedule in!  One that I would most likely have missed is The Firs, where apparently lyre birds abound and you can hear all of the sounds of the Australian bush as a result. 

As my route took me  thru Tenterfield, a visit to The Tenterfield Saddler shop was-to me- compulsory!  Peter Allen's song about his forebears certainly put this spot on the world map!   From there to Washpool & Gibraltar Range NP for a couple of nights.  An early morning walk to Boundary Falls and Lyre Bird Falls was invigorating, as the signage pointed out Boundary Falls was only 400M, they failed to add it was nearly straight down (coming back was the real heart starter)!  The walk was worth it.  Lyre Bird Falls was a kilometre away, on arrival it was straight down. but fortunately there was no track - too steep.  A walk to a small pool on a creek, then along the creek before looping back was also interesting, with informative signs adding to the experience.  

Its Over

"If time were not a moving thing and I could make it stay..." however the trip is essentially over but for the long run back to Brisbane.  On the way I stopped in Charters Towers at Barrs Tyres, the same shop that looked after me so well a year ago when I needed 2 new front tyres:  I arrived at 8am and drove away at 8:22am, with two new rear tyres!  I then did the walking tour of Charters Towers checking out its interesting history and heritage buildings before doing the tour of the Venus Battery, where they discussed crushing the gold ore plus the various methods for processing and extracting the gold.  The Charters Towers gold mines were unique in Australia as there were no placer deposits to indicate gold in the area, it was all hard rock deposits.  As it turned out, it was one of the richest mines in Australia if not the world.

Continuing south I stopped at a free camp for the night - and got bogged.  The ground was wetter than I thought and when turning around the next morning, the wheels spun ever so slightly but enough to dig into the jelly-like mud (those new tyres  sure had good tread!), so simple but soo-o stuck!  A couple from Victoria who were well set up for off road travelling/camping kindly unhitched their trailer and pulled me out; Thank you Thank you Thank you!  An entertaining mornings happenings for other campers, a certain relief for me when I was on the bitumen again!

From there to Emerald, with a significantly noticeable increase in traffic, especially on the road between Emerald and Townsville - Bye Bye Outback.  The night was spent with numerous other campers at the botanical gardens on the edge of town; through the night trucks would pass along the nearby highway, slowing by using their compression brakes, the loud staccato noise waking up all within hearing.  I think it was their revenge on the slower moving  campers and caravans they regularly get stuck behind on the road!  Before leaving I went to the nearby car wash and removed a significant quantity of red dust from my van, returning to civilisation clean and tidy as would be expected.  Two days later I arrived in Brisbane, pizza for tea and a real bed to sleep in.  In the 93 days travelling I covered 13,974 km, took some 3,600 photos and had the experience of a life time!

Thus, a close is brought to this part of my travels as I will be in Brisbane 6-8 weeks before setting off again.

Atherton Tablelands & Undara Lava Tubes

Only a few days were spent on the tablelands as the weather was not good.  Pity, there is a lot more I'd liked to have seen.  It was certainly different from most of the country I've been travelling through, hilly, green, very beautiful when the fog lifted.  Teaming up with another Grey Nomad (the first I've met through the Grey Nomads website), we visited Mareeba, stopping first at Coffee World, promising an indulgence of coffee and chocolate - like I could drive past that!  It was all it promised, endless coffee of an amazing varieties, ditto chocolate and also a coffee museum with a total array of artifacts past & present associated with coffee, it's preparation and drinking.  An amazing place-so absorbing I forgot to get any photos!  We then went to the rodeo grounds to look up another GN, to no avail as it turned out, BUT while looking I spotted a "Haircuts" sign in a caravan and got my first haircut in nearly three months!  In Katherine I could have made an appointment for a weeks hence, in Normanton I was told there are no barbers in the small towns, I'd just have to look bushy, which I did.  A good find.  Then deciding to return to Rocky Creek Campground, we passed an intriguing looking cemetery so stopped to have a look.  There were some remarkable raised graves and also some mausoleums, all very ornate - an interesting place to look around.  So, a great day and good to have some company - unfortunately no photos.

The next day I headed south through fog & winding roads off the tablelands, stopping briefly at a gas vent from an ancient volcano.  The hot gases formed underground blew up through the surface, creating a narrow vent going down 50m to the water's surface, to depths under water which haven't been determined (they got as far as 800m apparently but didn't reach the bottom).  I then continued to the  Undara Lava Tubes, where I spent two nights.  They were very interesting, a guided tour takes you into them, the guide giving a full explanation of the history, including the surrounding area.  The Undara National Park contains many old volcanoes which have spread lava over a vast area in the past.  The lava tubes are created when a lava flow cools on the outside but keeps flowing inside eventually emptying out, leaving the tube.  Nearby is 100 Mile Swamp, so named as it is 100 miles from the coast (this is QLD, remember). The swamp is about 8 km long and narrow, formed at the end of a lava flow which formed a dam.  A walking track along the edge is interesting, you are walking on granite ground but across the water you can see the edge of the old lava flow.  Quite a bit of wildlife can be observed on the walk, from a 15mm frog, many birds, 'roo and one - luckily not wild - huge cow sitting not far off the path contentedly chewing her cud. 

From here, the plan is continuing south through Charters Towers and on to Brisbane.

Gulf Country

I couldn't leave the NT cold, so spent six days at Elsey National Park as I really like it.  It was (and, I'm sure. always will be) wonderful.  The time went too quickly and soon I was on the road, to a nite at a rest area, then to Camooweal Billabong rest area just inside the QLD border for a couple of nights.  What a hidden treasure that place is!  It is a mini-wetland, brolgas, ducks, egrets and a flock of at least 1,000 noisy corellas.  Of an evening horses & cows come down for a drink to add to the overall ambience - a great spot!

Then off to Normanton for two nights, staying at a caravan park with showers, washing machines and such civilised luxuries, AND ALSO a very nice swimming pool & spa for that extra little bit of pampering!  A visit to the Railway Museum unfortunately didn't result in sighting The Gulflander, which was on a journey somewhere, nor did I sight it on my return a few days later - rather a disappointment.  But the town is very pleasant and friendly.  At one time it was quite a hub of industry, being a main port on the Gulf (the Norman River is navigable to Normanton) and hosting what was once the largest Burns & Philp emporium in Australia, trading with PNG & other islands to the north!  Gold from Croyden was freighted to Normanton by rail, fishing was a major industry and the Savannah Country is very good grazing land so cattle are a big industry to this day.  There is also a model of an 8+m croc on display, shot in 1957 by a lass!  "Oh, there are bigger crocs than that around" said the chap at the Visitor Information Centre! 

From there I spent a couple of days at Karumba, right on the Gulf, where the tourists outnumber the locals by about ten to one, I reckon!  Karumba is a pleasant little town and has an excellent coffee shop (its actually a bakery that serves coffee but the coffee is great!).  The caravan park was very full, many whom appear to be ensconced for the duration!  I saw freezers in the not-so-temporary annexes, pot plants & herb boxes tended in the 'garden' and plenty of boats parked on their patch.  You don't need an alarm, at 6am you can hear the vehicles start up to head for the boat ramps.  I also saw plenty of fish being cleaned, rather enviously.  Sadly, I also discovered from the poster of 'Fishes of the Area' that my barramundi was actually a bream of some sort:  I wanted it to be a barramundi and for a while it was. 

Between Normanton and Karumba is a coastal plain which looks like great cattle grazing country; the cattle were certainly numerous and healthy!  From Normanton south is savannah with grass and open scrubby trees.  Thus the name of the road through it - The Savannah Way, which runs from Cairns in QLD to Broome in WA. 

Once again the time to leave came too quickly so I am now heading for the Atherton Tablelands.

Link to Tassie Scenes web album

I have added a link to my Tassie Scenes web album for those interested.  The link is at the right near the top and titled "Link to Tassie Scenes web album".

Kakadu

Kakadu is unique on this planet.  It contains the oldest known continuous residence of man, as Aborigines have been living continuously for an estimated 60,000 years:  One rock shelter has been inhabited regularly for 20,000 years, based on an archeological study by Rhys Jones and local Aborigines.   Rock art exists here going back an estimated 20,000 years.  

Kakadu has some of the oldest exposed rocks in the world.  A massive escarpment - it formed the cliffs of the shoreline of an ancient sea - rises up to a high plateau.  Lowland between it and the current coast is a vast wetlands, mainly freshwater due to a three metre sand dune along the coast.  The wetlands is vital for many migratory birds that use the area as well as other water creatures, frogs, turtles, fishes, crocs.  In the wet season most of it is flooded; in the dry season some areas remain wet while others turn to dry land.

The South Alligator River is the only river in the world that has its total catchment within a National Park.  It was mis-named by early explorers who thought the crocodiles were alligators.  Two types of crocs inhabit the area, freshwater (freshies) and estuarine crocs (salties), the latter of which are to be avoided ("clowns" excepted).  They inhabit all waters going into the Timor Sea or Gulf of Carpentaria.  While hunted to near extinction, being protected since the 60's has seen their numbers increase (as has the number of tourists in that period - coincidence?). 

I was up on a bank on the Mary River - outside the park, but where I first camped along the way to Kakadu - enviously watching a fellow barramundi fishing from the shore, when the tour boat came along, told him it'd be a good idea to vacate the shoreline as the main saltie - a 5m male - was working his way upstream from not far away, patrolling his territory!  The Mary River is known for its number and size of salties.  I was informed it is not a good idea to be within 3 m of the waters edge at any time.

Moving on into the Park and a caravan park on the East Alligator River I visited the nearby Mamakula Wetlands, which included a Ranger Guided Tour explaining the ecology of the dry lands and also explaining the nearby billabong birdlife (in this area a billabong is more a lake or any large body of water, whereas in other areas it is a part of a river which has been cut off but still contains water). 

Travelling on to Jabiru, I visited Ubirr, which has excellent rock art and also an excellent outlook from the top of the escarpment.  A visit to the nearby Bowali Visitor Centre was very informative, giving both natural and cultural historical background of the area.  A flight over the NE part of the Park and a portion of Arnhem Land was fascinating - it is a rugged country indeed!

On the way to my next camp a visit to Nourlangie revealed some fascinating rock art!  Some of the later works are incredibly detailed and referred to as x-ray paintings as they show the internal structure of fish & animals.  As I headed up one track, a rare black wallaroo hopped along toward me, stopped to check me out (long enough to snap a couple of photos), decided I wasn't threatening and continued along his way past me!  The Gubara Pools walk is a 3 km walk under the escarpment into 2 pools, in themselves not exciting but important as permanent water is scarce; it was also a 3km return along the same track.  The night was spent at a nearby caravan park - the most expensive I've run across for an unpowered site so far -  and the next day I took the Yellow Water boat trip, an excellent cruise with plenty of birds and scenery as well as plenty of crocs - all salties - basking in the morning sun! 

That was my last day in the Park, as I then travelled to a free camp outside.  Looking at tourist literature, the steam train used for the movie "We of the Never Never", was on display at Pine Creek, just a short way off my planned route.  Now Bob is a real gentleman and a steam train officianado so it was a pleasure to nick in and get some photos for him!  The town looked interesting as well, but at 7am wasn't really humming so I continued on to Elsey National Park for six nights because it is so pleasant there.  Not wishing to tempt fate fishing off the river banks further north,, I tried again at the Roper River here, where salties are controlled (Ie, this stretch of river is heavily patrolled & trapped and any salties are soon moved on), I tried my luck once again and voila!  Caught one!  It was undersized but it was a barramundi!  I had previously decided any I caught would be photographed and released so at least in this regard I was not tempted to change my mind (the primitive, irrational nature of man is to bring it back to camp despite best intentions).  Tomorrow - 5th July - I will leave, heading south to the Barkley Hwy (Route 66!), east to Mt. Isa and Cloncurry, north along the Matilda Way to Karumba and then east along the Savanna Way to the Atherton Tablelands; the route from there to Brisbane is yet to be determined but will be inland as there are too many grey nomads lining up for a camping spot along the coast! 

This concludes the travels I had planned for the Northern Territory (some 8,400 km), which travels can only be described as, well, it is hard to find adequate words to describe them - I was completely overwhelmed at the natural beauty of The Territory.  While being limited to 2WD, the best areas proved  accessible.  Full marks to the NT Parks & Wildlife people, who provide excellent camping areas at very reasonable cost, great walking tracks to really get into/around the features, plus excellent Ranger tours & talks.  The Territory is a big open land with - I seem to recall  - lots of flat, featureless land between attractions;  the attractions I recall vividly.

Darwin

There is not much doubt as you travel up the Stuart Highway that the route was initially discovered by John McDouell Stuart - it took him a number of expeditions but he finally made it to Darwin and the road & rail followed his route.  Darwin, the northernmost point in my travels, rather apprehensive because on a map it looks pretty spread out, thus easy to get lost in (I worry a lot).  But with a trusty GPS, Oh Dear.  Mostly it's good, but on the odd occasion it tells you where to turn just after you pass the junction:  Other times it tells you just as you approach the street BEFORE your turn.  Sort of rattles you in a strange town.  But Darwin - it outdid itself!  It made me turn the street after, then tried to bring me along a service road that didn't exist.  I went back (on THE Stuart Hwy), turned left as instructed and it suddenly started screaming to do a U-turn:  I looked quickly at the huge sign in front of me & saw "Resort" and figured it brought me to the wrong place, I drove off to a safe place and pulled over as I decided to ring the caravan park for instructions.  Followed said instructions right back to the "Resort" sign, where I had to do the U-turn and yes-it was my destination after all - it is a resort catering to a range of accommodation including unpowered van sites.  I'm surprised the GPS didn't give me a cynical "Welcome to Darwin" message.

Two things you learn as soon as you arrive in Darwin (GPS bumpf not-with-standing):-

1.  Darwin was bombed during WWII, and

2.  Darwin was devastated by Cyclone Tracy in 1974. 

While you probably knew these two facts it is worth visiting the museums' excellent displays on these topics.  The Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory is excellent, covering a broad range of topical NT art and history including a small dark room where you can hear an actual recording of Cyclone Tracy - an eerie experience to say the least.  Unfortunately no photos were allowed, I'd loved to have got a photo of Sweetheart, the great big crocodile they have on display there.  The Darwin Military Museum has an excellent animated film of the bombing of Darwin, as well as historical photos and stories of that time. 

Downtown Darwin is not unusual, provided you are used to seeing pubs with names like "The Ducks Nuts Pub".  A few historical buildings were restored but by and large it is post-1974.  The waterfront and pier were visited, an excellent place for lunch or dinner, with cool breezes and a great ocean view.  While many people were fishing off the pier, not many were catching fish.    Perhaps one's time could be better spent at the excellent wave pool, a great many kids certainly thought so.  I did dip a toe in as it were, in the Top End ocean, as they have an area kept free of crocs, stingers and other assorted unhealthy inhabitants of these waters. 

I toured the WWII Oil Storage Tunnels also, constructed at great expense but never really used.  After the tour I was talking to the operator, who stated it looked like a cold winter as it was already cold; meanwhile I'm soaked in perspiration, rather pleased with the news actually.  He went on to tell me in February people climb up the water towers & jump off rather than face the continuing heat & humidity.

This is now the northern most point in my travels, certainly a city worth visiting but too hot even in winter for this Norwegian to contemplate living here.

Litchfield NP

Jump ups, they are referred to.  In the broad, flat expanse are areas of land that arise up.  I am not sure if they have been lifted by previously folding, extrusion or?? of the earths crust or are in fact areas that haven't been eroded down to the level of the flats - the latter I think.  At any rate, Litchfield is described as an uplift with a large plateau dissected by rivers creating some great waterfalls and plunge pools (pools created by water plunging down in floods scooping out a pool).  They are great swimming holes - once the saltwater crocs (salties) are removed.  Along the creeks & rivers there is rainforest, which soon turns to scrub & euc as you get away from the water.  Some of the walks to the upper reaches pass through both types, and the walks can get quite rough in some places, especially the Cascades walk which follows the narrow river course over its many small cascades rather than one larger falls:  Two water monitors were seen in one of the small pools, a rarity according to the chap who happened to be there at the same time.  He does surveys to monitor the monitor lizards distribution as they are becoming scarce due to cane toads, which they eat and thus are poisoned.

I had a good swim in a couple of the plunge pools, certainly a popular activity of visitors & campers to the Park.  You can swim right under the waterfalls, against the current of course, so you don't stay there long before you wash down to calmer waters. 

There are also quite a few termite mounds in the area and would you guess - these termites eat grass.  There are magnetic termite mounds which are long & thin and face north to minimise the temp in the heat of the day while catching the sun early & late when it is cooler.  Then there are the huge cathedral termite mounds which are more round.  Don't know why they don't have to be long & thin facing north, but given these critters are small, blind, related more to cockroaches than ants and don't get out a lot, there are many unexplained issues with them. 

Tourist traffic is increasing.  On arrival at Litchfield, I planned to start at the far end at the Wangi Falls Campground, but it was full (it was only noon!) and numerous campers were circling around, hoping someone would move; they all looked very settled to me.  So I immediately set off for the Florence Falls Campground, where there were three spots left.  The spots were designated and quite large, so later in the day when I saw people circling and leaving, I stopped a family with a camper trailer and offered to share my spot, if they were happy.  They quickly accepted - "We've had a bad day" the chap said and very much appreciated the gesture.  They had two boys, about  & nine so there was a lot of activity and a fire both nights.  The third night I stayed at Wangi Falls and that evening there was a slideshow put on by Parks, which was very enjoyable.

Then on to Darwin.

Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk NP)

There are nine gorges in this section of the Katherine River, walking & hiking tracks covering much of them which - other than the 4.7 km loop up to a lookout and back to camp - too much for me.  So I booked the Breakfast Cruise at the helpful Information Centre.  This is an excellent cruise, a substantial breakfast and all the coffee you can drink!!  It starts at 0645, a bit dark early on for photos, however the views of the Gorges in the early light are terrific.  We boated across the two lower gorges while the sun was rising and while it all looks very beautiful, the light is too contrasty for good photos:  My theory is the air is very clear, free of dust & other particles, thus creating a great deal of contrast.  As they say, "You had to be there", and I was!

The sandstone here is more of an orange, not the deep red of the W MacDonnell's but the landforms are super, the water adds another element and they are spectacular in their own way.  The gorge is deep, the sides are very steep and in some areas undercut, providing caves, many the home of bats during the day; some of the passengers weren't overly excited by our venture into a couple of them.  The river flows year around, being fed from waters stored in the surrounding tablelands feeding springs that supply the water. 

We travelled up to the top of the first gorge while having breakfast, then walked to another boat that took us through the second gorge.  The walk between provided excellent views and photo ops as well.  The cruise takes about two hours and was certainly a great way to see Katherine Gorge.

Further north is Edith Falls, part of the same NP but a different river and a 100km drive from Katherine Gorge.  At the campground, water cascades down a small waterfall into a very popular and accessible swimming hole.  A walking track goes upriver to another waterhole - also a popular swimming hole - and loops around back to the campground.  This track was steep and rough in places and at the crossing up near the top swimming hole some infrastructure was being repaired/replaced after recent floods damaged footbridges and some of the track.

Two nites were spent at each camp before heading north to Litchfield NP.  The increase in tourist traffic is very noticeable so I have been getting into campsites as early as possible as they are tending to fill up later.  Earlier in Alice Springs I commented on the number of tourists and was told that as it was only just starting to get cold down south the season was only about to begin!  There are a surprising number of WA and QLD vehicles about as well, I guess it is the time of year to visit the Top End.

Swimming with the crocs!

Leaving Alice Springs marked the first art of my travels completed and setting forth now to the Top End to see the rest of the NT.  On the way I stooped two nights at The Devils Marbles - there is just something about that place!  The duty dingo was on duty, being photographed by all who passed thru.  While not on my list, everyone kept telling me Daly Waters is a 'Must Do!'.  As I headed north, there were greener parts in amongst the desert and the temperatures were warmer, in the range of 15-30 degrees C.  Down south, of course, the temperatures were cooling with winter setting in, resulting in tourist traffic increasing with the migration north.  Free camps were getting very crowded so as I had plenty of time, I would not travel far ensuring I got to the next stop early.  At Newcastle Waters Rest Area, I was informed that the town of Newcastle Waters was only a few km away, but was mainly a ghost town now.  I was also informed that the pub at Daly Waters is a 'must do' so added it to my list.

Newcastle Waters was indeed well watered and thus became an important waterhole on the stock routes when cattle were driven to market.  A few of the original buildings remained and were reasonably well preserved, if basic.  The pub was by far the biggest complex, including rooms (bunkhouse-type?), a dorm and associated amenities.  It wasn't hard to imagine a busy night when a few herds were being rested nearby for a few days and the stringers were 'washing off trail dust' in the traditional manner.  The nearby store was also interesting, having one wall constructed by laying beer bottles and mortaring them in place.  The waterhole itself is quite extensive and is very popular with a variety of birds.

Then on to Daly Waters Pub for the night, arriving early to get a good spot but the critters put me in the overflow park, my guess is because my van was small and would take a spot where a larger van could be fitted.  As not much 'overflow' developed, it was quiet, if a bit lonely.  Daly Waters was a stop on another stock route, however with improved roads and road trains, the percentage of cattle driven increased from 3% in 1956 to 95% in 1958.  Rather than go the way of Newcastle Waters, the pub at Daly Waters turned to tourism, featuring an original Outback Pub.  A caravan park was added, meals are very good and reasonable and an entertainer - Chilli - puts on a nightly performance.  Also, the decor has been left to, well, whatever you want to leave!  So there are signed bras and knickers hanging from the ceiling, photos, ID cards, caps & hats, shoulder patches, license plates, money of various denominations from an equally variety of countries...  You can spend quite a few hours checking out the items!  The feature meal is Beef & Barra, it is a good feed and there is an all you can eat salad bar.  Chilli starts at 7:30pm and goes non-stop for an hour and a half!  He tells stories, jokes and sings songs.  He grew up in the Outback, worked stock, spent time on the rodeo circuit and now entertains.  Now I tell people that Daly Waters is a 'Must Do!'.

My next stop was Elsey National Park, known as 'We of the Never Never' country, as it is the former property Jeannie Gunn wrote of in her book "We of the Never Never" in 1908.  It is a very pleasant campground on the Roper River, quite a surprise in itself as the drive up was pretty dry and suddenly here is a river 50m wide!  Apparently the water comes from storage in the Barkley Tablelands and comes up as springs through a fault in the vicinity.  It reputedly contains fish, including barramundi, can't prove it by me nor have I found anyone who has caught any, but it is great for swimming in (all the crocs are freshwater crocs and harmless apparently)!  It is a very peaceful relaxing Park so I booked in for a few extra nights.  I also went to the Elsey Homestead, a replica used in the movie "We of the Never Never"; they show the movie each day at noon so I watched it over a barra burger:  Note in the "Maluka's Bar" photo that the Jan 27, 1998 flood level was a few centimetres below the ceiling!  Can't say this life is tough but for some reason it is nice to just have a few days of nothing - washing clothes & tidying the van aren't quite 'nothing', but it is comforting knowing I am keeping on top of such chores.  From here it is on to Mataranka and Katherine.

A Week in Alice

There is much to see and do in Alice Springs, plus some domestic duties that the convenience of a caravan park is very handy and a bit of relative comfort was welcome.  The self guided walking tour of Alice shows the city as it is today, modern convenience but with a sense of history as well.  The Todd Street Mall is the centre and this is where I watched The Bang Tail Muster parade:  Apparently it used to be a cattle drive through the centre of town but now is a civic parade.  A Bang Tail Muster is actually a muster of cattle which are tallied by cropping the hair on their tail (thus the term 'bang tail') to show they've been counted:  As it takes a couple of years to regrow, they can tell which cattle have been previously tallied.  The name for the event has stuck, though cattle no longer parade through the main street.

A walk up Anzac Hill gives a good overview of the city and the surrounding ranges.  The Gap refers to the opening in the range made by the Todd River, through with the Stuart Highway and the Ghan Rail travel as well as other facilities such as The Overland Telegraph originally with its subsequent evolved communication infrastructure.  Being a city it has the required Coles, Woolworths, Harvey Norman, Repco and service station chains.

The Telegraph Station is the original Alice Springs station restored to show life as it was in its early days.  It provided communications of course, but also acted as a supply centre including distributing supplies to Aborigines, a school, as well as having children boarders and a social hub for travelers.   There are also local walks setting out from the station, one which goes along the foot of the ranges and if you are lucky, you can see some rock wallabies on the hillsides.

The School of the Air started in Alice Springs and has grown out to other areas from there.  The Alice Springs School serves 120 pupils, the furthest being 1200 km away.  They now use modern communications so when a new student joins, they are provided with a computer and satellite dish so they can actually see the teacher and other students.  They have 2-3 get-togethers a year in which they participate in sports events, learn to swim and socialise with other children.  A map of Australia with other countries overlaid give an idea of the size of Australia:  Also, for the Bicentennial in 1988 students made a quilt square which was then sewn into a large quilt, which is displayed at the School.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Women's Museum are very close to each other and give a good coverage of the respective background and contribution to improving Outback life:  The knowledge that essential health and emergency medical is now hours rather than weeks or months away is a very important factor for families.

The Desert Park gives an excellent example of the range of desert ecosystems in the broad area, as well as an excellent bird show!  It is amazing the subtle changes that create entirely unique ecosystems, as well as how complex something that at first glance a rather barren landscape can be. 

The Ghan and Transport Museums have excellent examples of how they have taken on the challenges presented by the Outback,  the Ghan of course providing a rail service right through the Centre, bringing goods within trucking distance of remote stations but not quite trucking as we know it over well constructed bitumen highways, but rather somehow managing to take a mechanical vehicle over tracks previously a challenge to bullock wagons.  One unique vehicle - the A.E.C Truck - was specifically developed in 1934 and is the first road train used in Australia.  It was a tractor and 3 trailers, eight driven wheels on the prime mover and each trailer had eight wheels.  The driver sat in an open seat next to the engine, with the radiator behind him, no doubt a hot, dusty and noisy job.  It had a payload of 40 tonnes.

Being back in civilisation also meant a 'pizza fix', which turned out to be easier said than done!  As I hadn't noticed any pizza shops, I scrolled through 'food' on my GPS, which actually has a separate section on pizza!  It listed at least six, of which four no longer exist, one was closed and the last was hard to spot driving, but the GPS homed in rather precisely!  So Rocky's Pizza & Fat Kebobs were more than happy to supply a large Italian pizza and very delicious it was (though a bit of overkill). 

I went to Trephina Gorge - Yeah, another spectacular natural feature, this one in the East MacDonnell Ranges with some terrific walks and stupendous views.  This was my last nite in the Red Centre, traveling the next day north to the Devils Marbles.

From Brisbane to Tennant Creek, around the Red Centre & down to Coober Pedy and back to Tennant Creek I have traveled some 6900 km in some 40 days.  I have stayed in caravan parks (powered site) 13 nights at an average cost of $21.30, Park camps 14 nights at an average cost of $3.60 and free camped 14 nites.  So to date 28 days at unpowered sites which help write off the costs of deep cycle batteries, regulator and solar panel, as well as providing extra flexibility in camping sites.  Here I must give full marks to the Northern Territory for their parks - they are great!  They provide the basics at a very reasonable cost and access world class natural features!  It is no wonder about 80% of the vehicles on the Stuart Highway are campers of one sort or another! 

From here it is on to Katharine and the north end of The Territory.

Meteorite Craters, Finke River and Painted Valley

Henbury Meteorite Craters

These craters are the result of a collision some 4,700 years ago.   Three main craters from 44 gal drum sized bits plus other smaller craters are clearly visible.  One larger crater is wetter for some reason, perhaps a fracture thru to the underground basin?  A very pleasant and peaceful setting, interesting to see and camping is allowed.

Finke River

Off the Stuart Highway there is a free camp site next to this river, which is the largest river in the Centre.  It starts in the W. MacDonnells at Glen Helen Gorge, where two rivers join to flow thru the Gorge and continues for some 690km to empty into Lake Eyre.  It is often dry, except for some waterholes, as are many of the streams and rivers in this part of Central Australia:  When in flood, however, it is a natural phenomena to be reckoned with.  I walked about a km down the riverbed, 1/2 km up into the surrounding plain and back to the campsite, coming across a disused cattle yard along the way. 

Rainbow Gorge

23 km of corrugated & dusty road, 4WD recommended but the Ranger assured me it was OK for my vehicle and worth the visit.  He is a knowledgeable gentleman and but for his information I'd have missed this beautiful spot.  It is one of the few areas where a layer of pure white sandstone can be seen.  A rugged, multicoloured ridge rises up from a claypan providing one more unique geological treasure.  Plans are being drawn up to provide more walking tracks and this involves consultation with the Aboriginal people as the area is a sacred site.

Hot Air Balloon Flight

At long last - after a couple of unsuccessful attempts over the years - an ambition fulfilled!  Why else would I be up at 0445 in 2 degree C temps?  We were picked up at our lodgings, driven to a potential take off point where they launched a small helium balloon to check winds:  Not good, so we drove off to another point, unloaded the balloon and commenced filling it with air - cold at first just to get it filled.  Then the burners are lit and slowly the balloon rises (but still anchored, to the bus actually).  We then pile into the basket and when ready (ie, after photos taken by ground crew), we slowly arise!  Rather noisy when the burners are alight but as well as helping the balloon to rise, it takes a bit of chill out of the air as well.  We then gently float over the ground, reaching 4,300 feet above sea level - about 2,000 feet above ground - at one stage. 

Everyone is busy snapping photos, cameras exchanged so couples/families can have group photos taken and a few roo are also spotted hopping about.  We watched the sun rise from the air which was pretty.  Nothing overly exciting, but then in a balloon 2,000 feet above the ground, well, that's a good thing:  Just gently drifting along watching the world go by.  It was all over flat ground, with the MacDonnell Ranges in the distance, like one other passenger I thought we'd be a bit closer.  Perhaps the mountains confuse the air currents to make it more exciting, or more likely, the insurance policy is exorbitant when you mention taking passengers over mountains. 

All too soon we landed - smooth landing - launched (literally!) ourselves out of the basket and helped fold & pack the balloon.  Then a glass of bubbly, breakfast and home again.  It was great to finally realise that ambition!  A few people commented they can now cross that off their bucket list:  I don't have a bucket list as such for fear of the implications when you cross off the last item!  Rather, the strategy of "OK, what else is there to do/see?".  So I am now another step closer to more new adventures, and The Northern Territory has plenty - saltwater crocs included, but I'll be careful in there territory.

Kings Canyon

What a spectacular area!  The Canyon Rim walk takes you into visual treasures you could never imagine:  The scope and scale of the phenomena that is Kings Canyon just cannot be captured on camera!  The landforms are many and varied along this track, the views of the Canyon outstanding and the Garden of Eden an ancient relict of millions of years ago.  The walk is moderately difficult but the track is good and you are rewarded with a fascinating myriad of features and landforms in this area.  Best to avoid the heat and start earlier in the day, as you can spend 4-5 hours easily basking in the glory of the landscape:  I've subsequently recommended to others undertaking this walk to pack their lunch - I wish I had done so myself!  Interestingly, the upper layer is white sandstone, but the eroded surfaces get covered with iron oxide blown about and clinging to the surfaces to give them the red colour:  Apparently the oxide is affixed by a fungus which binds it to the surface.  The rare spinifex pigeon lives in the area - look for the photo.

Kathleen Springs is 20 odd km down the road from Kings Canyon, well worth a visit.  The track in is very easy being designed for wheelchair access.  This is a large box canyon with plenty of plant growth and a spring at the end which attracts wildlife.  It was a favoured dry season camping area for Aboriginals, though they never camped too close to the spring so as not to deter game from coming to have a drink.  They did hunt game tho, being relatively plentiful and easily trapped in the canyon.  They also gathered plant foods which abounded in the area.  During the wet season when food & water was available in the broader plains, they would leave the area to 'rest' and venture out into them. 

Waterholes are found at the base of some of the sandstone outcrops, as the sandstone stores water and it seeps out slowly.  Thus these waterholes will contain water in all but severe drought.  They are found around Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon etc.  They are also often sheltered so contain plant & animal species unique to the damper environment. 

Uluru and Kata Tjuta

No matter what you hear, the first time you see Uluru it is quite spectacular and a unique experience.  I can't begin to describe it so will leave it to the photos to do so.  They have a  Ranger guided tour which is great, giving a good introduction to some of the many facets of Uluru, as well as a brief history and explanation of its significance to Aborigines.  From this tour I continued on, circumnavigating Uluru as the track is easy and it is a very worthwhile trip, tho it took me thru the heat of the day and glad to rest at the end of it!

The Interpretation Centre is very well set up, interesting and informative.  It discusses some of the Dreamtime Legends of the area, the traditional use of the area and the current management by a committee of Aboriginals and white fellas.  This combines modern land/park management concepts with traditional Aboriginal values, both protecting the area as well as allowing it to continue to be a major tourist attraction. 

Kata Tjuta is a must see, and while the Valley of the Winds track is a bit of a challenge, goes thru some great areas!  Being a bit more difficult, slow and easy does it, plus the extra time taken gives you a better insight into this varied area.  I understand there used to be a road right around Kata Tjuta, giving access to a much greater area, the road now only goes to the Valley of the Winds take off with the shorter Walpa Gorge walk turning off on the way in.  I did The Valley of the Winds walk early, saving the shorter walk for the heat of the day.

Uluru and Kata Tjuta are within 40km of each other but the geology is totally different.  Uluru is sandstone which has been tilted nearly vertical over time while Kata Tjuta is conglomerate consisting of rounded granite rocks and is only slightly tilted.  Both, of course, contain iron oxide, giving them the red distinctive colour.

What an amazing area this Red Centre is!  Distances are amazing, petrol prices are amazing, the sites amazing and there are still more to see!  Along the Stuart Highway I reckon three out of every four vehicles is a tourist - and someone told me the Victorians haven't left in force yet!  Australian tourists tend to be in the older age group (Grey Nomads), while overseas tourists are mainly young:  Certainly the Grey Nomads are many and varied as well as being quite a friendly lot.  Now it is on to Kings Canyon, then work my way back to Alice.

Coober Pedy

Being so close to this unusual town, I travelled the mere 700km (one way) to see it!  Unfortunately I probably didn't do it justice, staying only one day however The Old Timers Mine was fascinating!  Original diggings were halted and closed off in 1916 by persons unknown for reasons unknown:  Much valuable opal still remained thus the reasons remain a mystery.  In 1968 an underground dwelling was having a bedroom added and in the process broke thru into the old mine.  Recognising the tourist potential, the whole affair was then developed into The Old Timers Mine tourist attraction, and a great one it is.  It was expanded to include an underground museum and a shop, all dug out of the solid sandstone of the area.  This sandstone is very compact and doesn't need shoring up when tunneling into:  Pillars are left to provide support though.

The Northern Territory is blooming after a very wet summer; moving south into South Australia, however, it got drier and drier and had a very desert look about it.  On approaching Coober Pedy, a unique landscape begins to appear 30km north of the town:  This is the conical shaped piles of stone dug up from a mine.  It looks a bit extra terrestrial, thus a unique setting for Mad Max and other movies!  In the town itself there are verandahs fastened to the side of a hill, with a house/motel/bar/whatever dug into the hill.  Apparently the temperature remains a constant 23-25 degrees and flies won't go underground - why wouldn't you live there!  There are quite a few conventional houses as well, for which air conditioning is a must as summer temperatures are HOT. 

The Old Timers Mine.  The admission price is very reasonable with only a small additional charge to rent an iPod with a self guided tour installed and which contained a wealth of information.  The tour starts in the old mine, which was all dug by hand.  Displays and information give a good explanation as you go from station to station and over at least two levels.  The access shafts were designed for a specific individual with handholds & footholds carved into the side, the width & shape of the shaft exactly suiting the person using it.  When a seam of opal was found, it was carefully and tediously dug out by hand with a pick or other suitable tools, so as to not damage the gemstone.  While powerful machines do the main digging today (a demonstration on the surface was included), the opal seams are still winkled out by hand.  After the old mine you come up into the living quarters, which are left as they were in the 1970's.  In the photo of the girls bedroom, on the right hand side you can see where the intended extension broke through into the old mine.  There was also an underground Post Office, apparently the only one in the world.  A great tour!

Being the Opal Capital of the World, there are quite a few shops selling a wide variety of the product.  All too confusing for me, but interesting to look at.

Coober Pedy is in a bit of a downturn as seems to be common in many outlying towns and while the Opal Capital of the World apparently there is a dependence on tourism as well.  A major attraction, The Big Winch ("Oh, if you're going to Coober Pedy you MUST see The Big Winch!") was closed with a 'For Sale' sign on the door.  I never did find the Serbian Orthodox Church, which was written up as magnificent.  The information was vague and I ended up at the Stuart Highway, hot, tired and a bit grumpy so I turned north. 

North of Coober Pedy is The Breakaways, an interesting geological feature.  I stopped for a quick visit on my way back north.

The Western McDonnell Ranges

To just go back to The Devils Marbles briefly, I failed to mention that the dingo in the photograph was a semi-tame dingo, hanging about the area living off handouts.  Everyone who saw him took photos and those on the tour buses - well, it was one continuous clicking of cameras!

Two days from the Devils Marbles saw me in Alice Springs getting information on the area, getting some supplies and heading off for Ormiston Gorge campground.  There was still enough time for a quick run (returning on the same trail) to the ghost gum lookout, so named for the ghost gum perched on the rocky top next to it (and a beautiful gum it is too!).  Showers were available at this site and I needed one, which is why I choose this campsite - the alternative was a caravan park in Alice so it wasn't a difficult decision.  The next day was early up to the lookout, then dropping down to the river running thru the gorge, where there were still pools of water.  The cliffs are nothing short of magnificent!  Sheer, red, rugged and beautiful, set off by the odd ghost gum clinging to a lnely crag, or from the top.  This walk was scheduled for about an hour, it took me four as there are so many interesting little scenes to take in.  There is a longer Pound walk of 9Km, but I had heard you virtually had to swim across the river at one stage, so gave it a miss as I didn't want to get my cameras wet.  The two nights camped here gave me an excellent opportunity to see it in various stages of light, critical to catch some of the scenes at their best.

The following day took in Glen Helen Gorge, Redbank Gorge, the Ochre Pits and Serpentine Gorge and scenic overlook (a heart starting walk to the top of the hill, but great views!) and then to the site of the now disappeared Serpentine Lodge area for the night:  On the way in I got hung up on a rock in a dry river bed, which took a strenuous hour to work my way out, fortunately with the help of a German couple who turned up shortly after.  A day to catch up on chores at a rest area and currently in Alice for the Bangtail Muster on Monday, then off to Coober Pedy.

The Western McDonnels are truly stunning, the views continue for the 100+km trip in and the gorges are spectacular.  The colours, or should I say colour as it is mainly red, the landforms, the Range itself.  It all started 800 million years ago with a large inland sea depositing sand and fine iron oxide deposits, followed by subsequent upheaval and erosion forming rivers & gorges to get to its present form - and for that rock to rise up and get me hung up.