September 23rd Friday 2011 Coober Pedy to Port Broughton

We're not far from home now. Robert drove from Coober Pedy to Port Broughton today which was a pretty good effort. He won't let me tow the van and he likes driving. We had a few stops - he had a quick power nap at Pimba.

It's great to be able to listen to local ABC radio again (although we switch to Radio National when Ian Henshke's on). I bought "The Advertiser" at Port Augusta and it was today's issue - most other places are a day late.

We thought we'd check out Port Broughton for future holidays. It's quite a bit place compared to Port Vincent. A couple of pubs, some restaurants, supermarket, nice beach, jetty and a lovely caravan park right on the foreshore.
Nice meals at the pub. 

It's been a great trip and we both thought that the Cooinda experience in Kakadu was the best part of the trip. Robert's worst part was the scrap metal merchant at Darwin working until 10:00 p.m. one night. My dislikes - the biting beasties.

I'm looking forward to catching up with family and friends - I know Mum and Dad will be waiting at home when we get there. Big family get together on Sunday. 

For those of you who have followed the blog - I hope it's been interesting and thank you for taking time to read it. I've tried to "paint a picture" of where we've been and what we've seen.

Not sure if we're doing a bit trip next year but when we do, there'll be another blog.
Catchya
Shaz and Bobby 
 

September 22nd Thursday 2011 (Happy Birthday Jedd)

Coober Pedy - it's changed a bit since 1988 but it's still dusty! It was really windy when we arrived although the locals didn't think so; to them it was just a breeze.

There are so many opal shops on the main drag; too many choices! I'm not a real fan of opals but Robert thought that I might find one that I could use to make a piece of jewellery. I ended up buying some earrings (triplets set in black resin).  

The International Desert Cave Hotel had a display area underground listing the different processes involved in opal mining. The texture and colours of the walls are really interesting and very tactile. It was about 33 C outside but underground the temperature was very cool and comfortable. 

Driving around the town, we noticed many old, rusty cars or other machinery littering the sites. They looked as though they'd been left where they'd stopped. No-one seems to get rid of anything.

With so many underground homes, you can see tall air vents poking out from the hillsides. There are several lookouts where it's easy to look over the town out to the mining sites. 

We drove out along the Oodnadatta Track to the dog fence which was 15 km from town. The road was flat as was most of the surrounding landscape. A water course must run occasionally here as in the distance, we could see a long line of trees that are synonymous with a creek or river bed. 

Next stop was The OldTimer's Mine; a self-guided tour of a mine and how it operated in times past.  Wearing hard hats, we walked through the mine looking at the different areas. Some were quite cramped and felt a bit uncomfortable. Luckily we had the hard hats because the 'ceilings' were very low in some places. This would have been a significantly hard life. 

On our way to the Italian Club for tea, we stopped at Josephine's Gallery and Kangaroo Rescue site. This is a great gallery and an indigenous artist was painting while we were there. He also played a didgeridoo. Fantastic!!!! Really friendly person. I asked him about the "ownership" of the dot paintings and he said that as an artist, what comes out is yours so I feel comfortable using this method now. 

The owner of the gallery took us out the back to watch the feeding of the kangaroos. He knew so much about them. There were 4 females, one male and a smaller female who was just learning to hop. It was like a little kid starting to walk; it hopped too fast and fell over.  The kangaroos are rescued after the mother has been killed and most of them are released into the wild. Glad we did this one.

Robert was looking forward to a real beer at the Italian Club - no beer on tap so we had pizza. 

When we arrived at the caravan park, there was hardly anyone here but by this afternoon, there were few empty spaces.   

September 21st Wednesday 2011 Kings Canyon to Marla

Our original plan was to leave Kings Canyon and head to Kulgera just north of the SA border. We were making good time so Robert decided to head for Marla instead and that was a good choice. 

The caravan park at Kulgera is sparse and dusty. Marla is a bit ad hoc as far as having a site and the layout is a bit confusing but it's only for a night. We were here on June 18th 2011 on our way north.

After such a long drive (539 km), Bobby thought a cooling ale from the pub would be just the thing. Unfortunately there was no beer on tap. 

Our revised plan is to head for Coober Pedy tomorrow (239 km). I'm getting quite  excited about getting back home now.  

September 20th Tuesday 2011 Kings Canyon Rim Walk

Robert left about 9:00 a.m. armed with water, nibbles, camera and hat. He returned about 12:15 p.m. after completing the rim walk around Kings Canyon. From the photos that he took, it looked amazing. Dome-shaped rocks were a feature and I imagine that The Bungles would have some similar features.

I wondered if I could have managed it but Robert said that the steps would have been difficult and there were many rocks to clamber over.  Robert doesn’t like heights and I was surprised at some of the photos that he snapped because they showed the depth of the canyon. He must have been close to the edge even though there were warning signs.

He recounted a “Michael Jackson” moment when he noticed a father holding his 3 year old son out over the edge of the rim; just listening to him made my hands sweat. There are some stupid people!

Feeling in need of some recovery time, Robert headed off to the resort swimming pool. He figured that the footy players have ice baths to help heal injuries and the pool was just as cold as an ice bath.  A shower and then a bit of sleep filled in his afternoon.

I spent my day cleaning out the fridge, cooking up all the vegies so that we can take them across the border and playing a variety of solitaire games on laptop. Housework doesn’t take long in a caravan!

I also checked out the distances between towns for our journey back home and our plan is to travel from here to Kulgera on Wednesday (359 km); Kulgera to Coober Pedy on Thursday (419 km); Coober Pedy to Woomera on Friday (365 km); Woomera to Pt Broughton on Saturday (about 300 km) and the home on Sunday.  That’s the plan anyway – it could change.

We made it to the sunset and I was able to capture the changing colours on the ranges behind the resort.No-one actually watches the sunset; the cliff faces is more interesting with the changing colours. While we waiting we started a conversation with a couple who had a lot in common with both of us. They live in Brisbane. They were both high school teachers and did work for a few years at the same school. She was an English teacher/teacher-librarian; he raced Formula 2 racing cars and has 3 Elfin racing cars that were made in Adelaide. (Robert’s always been interested in motor racing)  Apparently, he was very successful nationally in the 60s and 70s.It was really lovely chatting with them and the only reason we stopped was because we had a roast cooking and they were off to the restaurant.

Another couple camped behind us with their 10 year old grandson have a few things in common as well: Gordon was in Puckapunyal in National Service in 1972 (so was Robert); they were married on the same day in the same year as us! Campbell (their grandson) is really worried about the dingoes here. We saw another one while we were at the sunset platform.

September 19th Monday 2011 Kings Canyon

I woke up to the distinctive sound of a helicopter taking off for an early morning ride over the canyon. It’s been flying for most of the day. If I was brave enough, I’d love to fly over some of the places we’ve visited and there’s no shortage of helicopters up here. Most tourist places have one. I was speaking to one of the pilots at Glen Helen a few days ago and mentioned my lack of bravery. He told me that he’s such a smooth pilot that he put a crying baby to sleep the other day. He did say that it’s not for everyone. They employ 2 pilots at Glen Helen. They don’t just fly the helicopters; the work behind the bar and other odd jobs around the place.

We didn’t hear dingoes last night but the people behind us heard them scratching around. They don’t have far to come into the park as a national park borders the resort.

It’s been a windy day with a lovely breeze. Robert rolled up the van awning before we left just in case it got quite strong.

We set off about 9:00 a.m. and drove to Kings Canyon. Plenty of others had the same idea – my friend was right with the number of visitors to the canyon. Coaches and other adventure groups were already on their way.

  

There’s a rim walk that takes about 3 hours and there are many steps to climb before reaching the top so we did the lower walk to another lookout. The path has been constructed and made to look as natural as possible using rocks from the area and concrete coloured a burnt orange/red. It looks good and the path would help to preserve any flora and fauna as people should stick to the marked track. It must have been a massive task to complete and a cairn stands at the beginning of the walk dedicated to Jack Cotterill who had the foresight for this path into the canyon.

  

Just before entering the walk there’s an information shelter and a water tap that had made a small puddle. Zebra finches, a honey eater and few top-knot pigeons were making the most of this access. On our way back, their places had been taken over by bees and wasps that had climbed right up the tap spout.

Various grasses and trees line the path which shadows a river of rocks that lead into the canyon. Some of the rocks/boulders are enormous and it will take thousands of years of exposure to wind and water for them to decrease in size. The colours are vivid oranges, blacks, browns that change when exposed to the sun. Dotted along the way are tall ghost gums that provide a stark contrast to the rocks. The walk isn’t hard and near the end is a slight climb leading to a platform perched for visitors to look into the canyon.

Parts of the cliff face look as though they have been sliced with something sharp as the rise smoothly to the rim; others have edges and lumps and bumps making for interesting comparisons. As we looked into the canyon, we could see another lookout much higher standing on the rim with a view to the bottom as well as a panorama of the surrounding area. Robert’s planning on doing the rim walk tomorrow.

Our camera is still not fully functioning on automatic and I’ve had to delete some photos because I forgot to make sure the lens shutter was fully open. Bugga!!!! A call to insurance company next week when we’re back home to see if it’s covered.

Missed the sunset – forgot about the time. Tomorrow!

We did head off to see the sunset before realising it was too late and just near our site, we saw a dingo going towards a tent. Someone from the tent walked towards the dingo and it turned tail and went into the bush. Robert didn’t think it was a “pure” dingo. Its appearance did create a bit of excitement especially with the kids.  

September 18th Sunday 2011 Kings Canyon

On the way from Erldunda to Kings Canyon the landscape changed significantly from flat, treeless grasslands to forests of desert oaks to rising hills and ranges. The tall grasses looked like bleached blonde hair sprouting from red earth or blackened soil (from burnoffs). Desert oaks, in all stages of growth, lined the road. When we stopped for a stretch, the wind blowing through the long, slender leaves sounded like the waves on a beach. These are quite beautiful trees; the young saplings look like bodyless busbies growing from the grasses and the taller trees are quite graceful with their grey-green foliage. In the areas that have experienced a burn-off, these oaks stand like blackened skeletons forming interesting shapes along the way. 

Kings Canyon Resort is one of the dearest parks we’ve booked into - $41 a night! It is in the middle of a desert and boasts a restaurant, bistro, pool, motel accommodation, general store, clinic, coach camping as well as caravans, camper vans and tents so it’s quite a large resort. Water is drinkable and that’s a bit different to some places where we’ve stayed. I’m not a fan of bore water. The sites are of a good size with some lawn and gravel. Facilities are OK although they look a bit tired.

It was fairly warm when we arrived and after a reasonable trip, we just sat around. There were several burn-offs today (at least we hope that’s what they were) and the sky was an unusually eerie colour. The sunsets are supposed to fairly spectacular but the haze limited the view – there’s always tomorrow afternoon.

Dingoes are regular visitors here and there are gates on the ablution blocks to keep wildlife out. We were warned to remove towels, etc from the clothes line as the dingoes will pull anything from lines. We always make sure that all food is put away securely each night.

Tomorrow we check out Kings Canyon. A friend told me that when he visited Kings Canyon, there were so many people there that if they all joined hands, they would have circled the area. The park isn’t full so maybe it’s about the time of year.  From the weather report in the territory, it sounds like it’s getting humid.

Next Sunday (only a week away) most of me will be 60!!!!! I’m excluding fillings and pacemaker.

September 17th Saturday 2011 Erldunda

I was awake at 5:00 a.m. this morning and try as I might, I could not get back to sleep so read for a while then decided to get up. Checked out the gorge face with the rising sun - looked pretty cool.

Passed through Alice and arrived at Erldunda CP early this afternoon. It's changed a bit since 1988. It was a bit of a dust bowl and everything was very basic. I remember the pool here was extremely cold but we got in because we were so hot. Our short-wheel base landcruiser had wind-down air conditioning (windows) and vents that opened at foot level.

There's green grass in the camping area now and things have improved. I bet the pool is still cold.

We're just here overnight - it was too far to travel in one day to get to Kings Canyon. 
 

September 16th Friday 2011 Glen Helen

First time for months that I felt as though I was coming down with a cold but it could be hay fever with all the dust that’s here. Not long after getting up, I went back to sleep while Robert did the Glen Helen Gorge. Looking at the photos, it’s another lovely place with russet red, jagged rocks that hem the Finke River. To arrive at the gorge, he had to walk along a narrow path hemmed in by almost 2 metre high grass. Not sure I would have liked that bit too much – snakes!!! He didn’t see any but he was glad to get out of those grasses.

Glen Helen Gorge

Robert came running into the van, this morning to grab the camera as a dingo came wandering through the park and passed near the back of our van up the hill. He managed to get a couple of shots as it walked away through the long grass. It didn’t look skinny either.

Later in the morning we drove a short distance from Glen Helen to Mt Sonder Lookout. We could see Mt Giles in the distance with the Finke River meandering below. For those of you who are familiar with Albert Namatjira’s paintings, the mountains looked just like he painted them with purples, blues, greens and those amazing, ever-changing shadows cast by tall ridges as the Earth rotates and revolves around the Sun.

Mt Sonder Lookout

My crosswords and reading kept me occupied for most of the day (and another nap). Robert really wanted to check out the Finke River so armed with camera, I watched from the shade of the verandah of the pub while he went for a swim. He did get up to his neck and it wasn’t too deep but he didn’t stay in too long either – not far under the warm waters near the surface, the temperature changed very quickly and it was very cold.

While I was watching, I munched on a Calipo ice block. If you’ve had one, you’ll know that they are a cone shape covered in a water-proof wrapper. With the warmth of your hand, some of the ice begins to melt and once the whole thing has been eaten, tipping up the cone allows for the last bit of cool lemon to be savoured. I don’t know what happened but the front of my t-shirt looked as though I’d been splashed with water.

Bobby in Finke River

Robert was talking with some of the staff, who also had Calipos, down on the beach and theirs did the same thing but they weren’t holding a camera. I managed to wipe off most of the sticky bits but the automatic lens cover doesn’t close when the camera is turned off. The wide angle button is dodgy too. Could have been worse. I knew I should have bought a Magnum instead!

I know that feeding wild animals and birds isn’t the best thing for their survival in the bush but there have been a host of top-knot pigeons visiting us each day. I’m not a bird person as far as having them too close to me but out in the open spaces, I’m less phobic. We had plenty of bread so I threw a few crumbs their way. It started off with about half a dozen and by some form of communication, the numbers quickly grew to about 20 at least.

They’re a curious bird and a bit scatty and dithery; I through a few bits to my right and then quickly to my left and they didn’t know what to do. They looked like a pack of kids playing footy – following the ball en masse. So funny! They didn’t seem frightened of me because they came right up to my feet although they were quickly startled if another type of bird called or flew by. These birds make a very distinctive sound as they fly off all together – it’s like some sort of whistle that flaps at the same time. They also make a “hoo” call as they look for food on the ground. One male was putting on a display with his tail all fanned out whilst he did a dance in the hopes of attracting the hen but she was not at all interested.

Another bird that’s been a regular visitor is a piping shrike or Murray mudlark; mini-magpies with black bandit masks over their eyes. This one has been very insistent and is probably a regular caller with all the campers. It has been aggressive, persistent, pleading, piping and sometimes a nuisance as it wanders around the van looking for anything that may have dropped on the ground.

There’s no sullage here; all the water from the sink flows onto the ground and the piping shrike has heard the running water, found it and then enjoyed a sips. There’s plenty of water in the river for bird life and other animals. Apparently, dingos and wallabies are frequent visitors in the early morning and dusk.

Early start tomorrow as we have a long trip – first to Alice Springs to restock then we’ll see how far we get on our way to Kings Canyon. We may have to stop at Erldunda.

September 15th Thursday 2011 Gorgeous Gorges

Ormiston Gorge walk was short but rocky in places and very sandy near the gorge and pool. This is another peaceful place with a broad, dry river bed that has a large pond at the bottom of the steeper ridges. Across the dry river bed was another route that went further into the gorge and as it meant more sand and rocks to clamber over, I opted out (both my knees are gorged out) and walked back to the car for the icepack; Robert continued on the walk.

Ormiston Gorge

It was very pleasant sitting under a shady shelter at the beginning of the walk. There was an information room, toilets and hot showers. A ranger lives a short distance from here. I accidentally used the men’s toilets – luckily there was no-one in there. I only noticed the urinals as I was washing my hands (not in them!) and saw their reflection in the mirror. The toilet cubicles were in front of the urinals so I didn’t see them when I walked in. Must concentrate next time!

Atop a high cliff stood a lone ghost gum that had a lookout nearby. I couldn’t do the walk but Robert did and he said that it was worth it. When I saw the sign “Ghost Gum Walk”, I was expecting a walk peppered with ghost gums. Wrong! The walk was to the line ghost gum. As Robert commented, if there were going to be more than one, the sign would have said “Ghost Gums Walk”. Now depending on where you put the emphasis and punctuation, this could mean a couple of things – we won’t go there.

Ormiston Gorge

We now have a very tidy consul and glove box; I had to do something while I was waiting.

Redbank Gorge was the next stop. The promise of a fantastic place to swim didn’t state that this might happen in the wet season or just after the wet. Flotation devices and/or wet suits are needed when this is in flow because the water is deep and icy cold. Robert was quite disappointed after he returned as there was stagnant water and a ‘million’ bees. The sign said 20 minute walk one way and I did think of doing it but I’m pleased that I stayed in the car listening to ABC local radio. Robert returned after an hour and he had to clamber over rocks most of the way. He’s gorged out now but a couple of beers at the pub did a good job of soothing the aches and pains.

The caravan park/resort is filling up with people checking in all afternoon.

Tomorrow, we are going to explore the Glen Helen Gorge which is just a short walk from the caravan over flat land.

September 14th Wednesday 2011 to Glen Helen (Good luck John)

Gorges seem to be around almost every bend in the road up here and no wonder with all the evidence in the geography of this region. Simpsons Gap was the first stop today as we headed to West Macdonnell Ranges.  This short 10 minute walk into the area was on a good path (I wish they were all as easy as that one). Neither of us expected to find water here so it was a pleasant surprise when we started to see glimpses of puddles and small ponds which led to quite a long expanse of fresh water. Simpsons Gap was located at the end of the large pond. The reflections in the water of the large rocks and trees were lovely. It was a very peaceful space and very cool.

Simpsons Gap

Standley Chasm (Angkerle Atwatye) was next on the list. We’d heard that an hour either side of noon was the best time to be in the chasm as the sun (being directly overhead) lit up the different colours of the rocks. The walk in wasn’t as easy as Simpsons Gap even though it was only about 20 mins into the area. Rock wallabies frequent this area but not when people are present and it’s definitely rock wallaby terrain! Even the ice packs didn’t make the swelling of my knee go down but it was worth it.

Standley Chasm ( Angkerle Atwatye)

The sides of the chasm rise 80 metres from the relatively narrow, sandy floor to the sky. Some of the rocky walls are smooth where water has gradually worn down the rugged edges; other sections of the walls are jagged and irregular; seeds from plants (including flowers and trees) have lodged in the crevices and amazingly they have survived and grown clinging to the sides of the chasm.

The colours of the walls go from rich orange ochres to rusty browns and other shades in between. A small pond with an abundance of some water beasties, is at one end of the chasm. The water is crystal clear and cold. Some of this pond would rarely feel the touch of the sun.  This space would be spectacular when it rains.

Waiting for the sun to be directly overhead seemed to take longer than 30 mins and people were checking watches, looking at the shadows and the sun in anticipation of something spectacular. The colours were stunning as the shadows changed and the sun moved slowly over the chasm. I must admit that it wasn’t a sudden blinding light moment that I was expecting – many people on our travels had told us that the chasm lights up and my interpretation was a stunning, awesome light fills the space.  From the guide book: This narrow cleft in the ranges is best seen in the midday sun, when the walls of the chasm blaze a fiery red from the overhead Sun’s reflection.”

Being gorged and chasmed out for the day, we headed for Glen Helen Resort. First impressions: dusty, not many trees, another “resort”. After a couple of hours: not too bad with an escarpment facing our site, the Finke River behind the original homestead that is now a pub, reception area, shop, dining area and motel. Robert enjoyed the beer - best beer in best pub for a long while.

We sat on the verandah of the pub watching the sun set while we checked out the bird life in the Finke River. Robert plans to have a swim in it tomorrow – it felt pretty cold to me. Just around the corner from this area is another gorge that we’ll explore tomorrow as well as Oriston Gorge.