Our first big stop was Pimba where there is just a roadhouse, petrol, toilets and showers, but 6km to the right is Woomera which is an Army base but in the past was used for rocket launches by the British. So in the town center they have lots of rockets and other military hardware.
It's starting to get really hot and the air con like most other things in this car doesn't really work and the left side wing mirror has decided to fall out so its held in with tie clips.
We drive onto another small town called Glendambo where we fill up at $1.56 so it's getting more expensive the further in we go. We made a sandwich and had a drink and because the town wasn't up too much we drove onto Coober Pedy which is another staging post. We roll into the Big 5 site about 4.30 and headed for a shower to cool off and we have to pay for it 20c for 2 minutes, but it was a good 2 minutes. They have a great lounge cook area so it's nice for cooking a meal and then relaxing. For dinner tonight it's steak and jackets with cake for pudding washed down with a Beck's, well earned after driving 340 miles.
Both of us are feeling the effects of the heat and constance driving but there is nothing we can do about it but keep going. We had decided not to do as much this day and just head over the Northern Territory border to Kulgera but when we arrived at the Kulgera roadhouse we both weren't happy about staying there. It was only another 60 miles to Erldunda so we pushed on and so glad we did cos for another $2 we got a great camp with a lovely pool and wifi. On the road to there we past an accident that involved an army truck that had turned over so a little hold up. We decided to put the tent up in the belief that it will be cooler than the van. That night we had a thunder storm with heavy rain and but we survived in our tent, but yet again a restless sleep. So after 304 miles and a very hot day I'm desperate for a good sleep.
So on the third day and 167 miles and fuel costing $1.81 we make it to Yulara camp site, nothing special but it's home for the next 3 days. Once the tent is put up we decide to drive to Ayers Rock to see what it's all about. It had been overcast all day but still very hot so when we arrived at the Rock we decided to do the base walk which is 10.6km and it took us 3hrs. Ulura (Ayers Rock) is a special and an amazing place, you do feel a sense of peace there. It's amazingly quite there, even with other people it's still quite. The climb is currently closed as the chain needs replacing, this then doesn't give us the dilemma of whether to climb or not.
Once the walk was finished we drove to the sunset viewing area and waited, not impressed and not sure what all the fuss is about.
So in the tent with wild dingos around for our neighbors and it rained in the night for a couple of hours, so no sleep also I woke up feeling dizzy and sick. Think I'm getting to old for this type of traveling, so up at 5am feeling like crap but we head for the sunrise viewing area with hundreds of others. And again not sure what all the fuss is about, the Rock looks no different from the sunset. We sat in the carpark with Ayers Rock in front of us and had our cup of tea and bowl of cereals, good start and I'm starting to feel better.
From here we head the 50km to Kata Tjuta to do a couple of the walks, arriving there around 9 it was getting really hot, but we did see a camel in the scrub. Started the Valley of the Winds walk ok but we soon got lost and couldn't find the track at all so we retraced our tracks back and after 3 hours we were back at the car both feeling tired and hot. The other walk we wanted to do there was the Walpa Gorge Walk which is an hour long. I'm feeling really rough and not at all well but I make it there and back in one piece. Once back at the camp site I headed for a cold shower to try and bring my temperature down and it worked as I started to feel better. We are allowed to use the facilities at the hotels and the Sails hotel was recommended as having the best pool. The pool is really big and not at all busy so getting two beds in the shade I was set for a snooze. After a gentle swim, a lot of water drank and a sleep I was feeling much better, just need a decent nights kip now.
The weather is not being kind to me as tonight we have another thunder storm with heavy rain and hail stones to follow but it has cooled it down a bit. Looking forward to doing nothing tomorrow before we start driving again to Kings Canyon. Up with the raising sun and I slept pretty well and no storms. After breakfast we drove into the park for another walk around the Rock as its a beautiful blue sky and we hadn't seen it in that light. It's mega hot today so I'm making sure to drink more as I don't want to feel ill again. A quick trip to the supermarket for some drinks and then spending the rest of the day lazing by the pool. Really nice time at the pool and now back at site cooking dinner and sharing our bench tonight apart from the mice, flies, moths we now have a lizard.
Awake really early so went to the camp view point to see the sun rise in our pjs and already the temperature was rising quickly. Shower and some breakfast and we were on the road to Kings Canyon. The road was pretty much the same as the last 1000km we had done and the heat was again unrelenting. We arrived at the camp site at 2pm and headed straight for the pool, not the best pool but it was ok. Run into a couple from the pervious camp and then met some Aussies and we chatted for about an hour, while we talked a dingo just walked past us without a care in the world. Pretty chilled afternoon and a nice dinner with no flys around to hassle us just the odd dingo walking past. Alarm set for 5am as we wanted to be starting the rim walk early mainly to avoid the crowds and the heat. That night it was extremely windy and we wondered if the Rangers would close the walk but it was still open and at 6.10am we started the climb up. Once we were at the top the views were amazing and so was the wind, at times you felt as if you were going to be blown over the edge. The walk took us 3.10hrs and we were both very hot and tired by the time we got back to the car. Sally was feeling very unwell so I drove for that day, I think the heat had got to her even through we had both drank a lot of water on route.
Right after we had finished the trek we started our drive back to the Stuart Highway where we were going to stay at Erldunda, the main junction and staging post for Ayers Rock, Kings Canyon and Alice Springs. From there it was another 200km to Alice Springs so after some lunch we decided to make the drive to Alice. Arrived quite late but there was still time for a quick dip in the pool to cool down, the site was really nice and the guys who run it were very helpful. G'day Mate site was 6km outside of town and a bit concerned when they said the site it all locked up at night. That night we had the worst thunder and lightening storm I have ever experienced and it lasted 4hrs. In the morning the site was a mess and our washing was all over the place. While there a family that had finished their trip gave us a ice box full of food and some noddles for playing in the water. As it was so nice at the site we decided to stay an extra night so before going into town we did some washing and dried it in the dryers as it was still raining a little. All our domestic chores done we headed into town and now I know why they lock the site down. The Aboriginal presence is very clear with groups of men, woman and children hanging around in group on grass verges, street corners and anywhere they can sit. I felt uneasy walking around Alice maybe also because Alice does have that bad reputation. Called in at the tourist center for some local maps and off we went exploring. There is Anzac Hill with memorials to those that had fallen in all the conflicts over the years. Driving around we came across the Telegraph Station within the Larapinta Trail and the start of the West MacDonnell National Park. Walking around we came across rock wallabies and some kangaroos, we walked along the river bed to where they had dammed the river. As it was a really hot day we went back to the camp site to relax by the pool for the rest of the day. Before we left for the West Macs we paid a visit to the Flying Doctors museum, which gives you the history of the service and how they help people from all over Australia not just the outback. On the way out of town we stopped at John Flynn memorial and grave, he was the Australian that started the flying doctors service.
We decided to go to the furthest point possible with our vehicle along the West Macs which is Glen Helen. Not much there but nice helpful people in the office as there is a camp site there. We walked to the gorge and sat by the pool, this is a lovely place where you can swim in clear water.
1km further on was Mt Sonder, a look out right across the ranges, so beautiful that we had lunch there and stayed quite awhile. The next gorge is Ormiston Gorge and it was so nice that we decided to camp there, once we paid and picked our spot we headed for the pool with our noddles in hand. Floating around with our noddles between two huge mountains is magical, it was so peaceful. They have a look out on the top of one side which we walked too, the colors the sun casts on the gorge just can't be captured by a camera. That night apart from the ants we had the dingo's wandering around but they were more scared of us than we are of them. The next morning awake at 5.30 so we watched the sun rise which was more magical that sunset. Was sorry to leave this place and hoping the other gorges are just as great. The next stop isn't a gorge but the Ochre Pits, this is where the Aboriginals cut away at the rock face to get the colored paint for their arts.
The next gorge is Serpentine Gorge but it was down an unsealed road and we tried but it shock the van too much so we gave up and headed for Ellery Creek Big Hole. This is a lovely place with a great pool to swim in and a nice gorge walk which we did even through it was extremely hot. We had an hours drive onto the next gorge which is just outside Alice, Simpsons Gap is the most spectacular gorge but you are not allowed to swim in the pool due to the Rock wallabies being protected in that area. There is some lovely walks in this area but a couple were far too long for us to do that day. Well I think we have now seen what we wanted to see in our unexpected trip to Alice Springs and now it's time for the dreaded trip back through the center of Australia. Before we left we had to have a Mac latte to see us on our way and our last bit of wifi for a few days. We decided that we would only go as far as Erldunda as the next stop after that is Coober Pedy and that's too far in one day. Once there we were straight into the pool to cool down as temperatures were still high, had a lovely sunset there, a decent meal and good sleep. I was up and drinking my morning cuppa when the sun rose and before all the other campers were up. We hit the road quite early as we wanted to visit the town of Coober Pedy as it has a lot of history with its Opal mines and underground living. We stayed in a different site this time as this one had water in its pool even through it was tiny and freezing but we still went in. While there we paid Faye's underground house a visit which took her 10 years to dig out and for $5 you get to walk around her 3 bed home. The town also has 2 underground churches and they say that 80% of the town lives underground due to the heat. Australia is the biggest supplier of the worlds Opals with Coober Pedy being the biggest.
The next morning before leaving we drove out to the Breakaways which is 20km out of town across unsealed road, this area you find the worlds longest dog fence which is suppose to keep the dingo's from heading south. This area is where lots of films are made like Mad Max so lots of memorabilia around town.
So leaving Coober Pedy we are now heading to Port Augusta and the same site we stayed at on the way north but this time the site was really empty compared with before. On route down we stopped at the salt lakes again as this time due to the rain fall they actually had water in them. I have never walked on a salt plain before, very strange. We a couple of girls on route who had a kitten that was only a couple of weeks old that they got from a local who was selling him for gambling cash, they paid 70 cent for the kitten. They were heading to Adelaide and we're going to take the kitten to a cat shelter as they couldn't look after him, I gave them $5 to buy some kitten milk for him. We left Port Augusta for our final leg to Adelaide and our friends Leah and Phil but we had to stop at Port Wakefield for a pie and coffee first.
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