Monthly Archives: May 2022

Alice Springs NT – Day 1

Tuesday 31st May 2022
Today was a day of organising and planning. We booked our transfer for the Larapinta Trail to start on Friday morning. It was a little tricky as our Caravan Park is outside the pickup zone, do we get a taxi to centre early in the morning, stay in a hotel the night before we start or another caravan park closer. It became very difficult as the Finke Race is on starting 5th June so Alice is totally booked out. No cabins, hotel rooms, caravan parksites. We were lucky we managed this one.

We have lucked in, our transfer guy has said he will pick us up from outside our caravan park on Friday morning 7.45am. That has made it a lot easier for us.

I spent the morning packaging my breakfast for our 17 day hike. That’s 17 packs of cereal, sultanas, almonds and powdered milk. Weighing each ingredient to ensure the weight stays down, Very time consuming. Then we went into Alice to organise the key for food drop lockers, bought some more freeze dried food and groceries. It is really hard to make sure you have everything you need to pack your daily food needs. It is list after list after list.

We ran out of time to go to Bunnings and Desert Dwellers so that is now on tomorrows list of things to do. We managed to do the groceries quite late and hen had a lovely dinner at a sushi train.

: Preparing my breakfast packs. Maybe we should have bought the old fashioned individual boxes like you get in hospital.

Redbank Gorge, Tjoritja (West MacDonnell) Ranges to Alice Springs NT

Monday 30th May 2022
We had a lovely day today.

Firstly we enjoyed a beautiful morning at our campsite talking to Trish and Steve, a couple of travellers. Steve an indigenous guy a bit older than us and his wife Trish from Mareeba QLD. We traded stories and chatted for ages and before we knew it the time was already 10.30am. Steve was really impressed that I always try to use indigenous names I’m my blog and said it is great to see people making an effort even if I pronounce them all wrong. At least we try. We packed up and headed down to the Redbank Gorge trail and saw some people who had just finished the full Larapinta trail so we spent the next 30mins chatting to them and gleaning information, do’s and don’ts, etc. It was very beneficial.

We then headed to the gorge walk which was up the riverbed to a beautiful gorge. We enjoyed another chat to some people who were here for the Finke dirt race which starts here about 5th June. So looks like accommodations might be a problem. Only time will tell.

We then headed back and whilst preparing for lunch we met another couple who had just finished the trail. We chatted again some more. We finally headed on our way to Alice Springs at about 1.30pm. We stopped the Mt Sonder Lookout to take a photo of our climb and decided we should maybe check out accommodation. Availability. We were hoping to get a cabin so David could do some work and we could prepare for the hike. The weather is supposed to be rainy on Wednesday. There was not a cabin to be had, nor a cheap motel on booking.com, nor anything on Airbnb. So it looks like a campsite in a caravan park. We just managed to get a site at Temple Bar Caravan park a little bit out of town. We tried to stay here in 2018 as it has grassy sites and comes highly recommended on WikiCamps.

The drive to Alice Springs was along Larapinta Drive which is where we will be hiking in the ranges, the view was spectacular yet again. Unfortunately I had a little snooze along the way and missed some, but will get it at a lower speed over the next couple of weeks as we hike the range.

We will hopefully make a decision as to a start date for the hike tomorrow and do some more planning. We are feeling more confident about the hike after our training hikes over the last 2 weeks. Out fitness has improved and our bodies are holding up pretty well. David’s shin splints seem to be ok today.

: A little bit of information about life in Redbank Gorge and the Range.

: Love the trees in the gorge..

: As we walk through the rocky river bed towards Redbank Gorge..

: ..our legs are a little weary and my balance a little wonky after our big hike last night..

: A White necked heron at the gorge. He was eagle-eyed and protecting his territory..

: It was so peaceful and calm..

: ..we enjoyed the serenity after the other tourists left..

: The white necked heron was very beautiful, as always the details of the birds feathers are amazing..

: From Mt Sonder lookout we can see our walk from last night. We walked from down the bottom on the left to the highest peak.

: The Finke River – one of the camps along the trail. A bit closer to the range I hope.

: Close-up of Mt Sonder.

: A rock wallaby at our camp ground near Alice Springs. Home for a couple of nights.

Kings Canyon to Redbank Gorge, Tjoritja (West MacDonnell) National Park, NT

Sunday 29th May 2022
Well we have had an epic day today.

We had a lovely morning at Kings Canyon, but I am in trouble again. I had a big snoring night so DB got no sleep again. Oops!

We headed off on our way about 10am headed for Redbank Gorge. We were taking the Mereenie Rd which goes through Aboriginal Land so it has a $6.50 fee. It is a 200km or so dirt road which was graded about 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately it was already corrugated but not too bad. The scenery was amazing, the hills and plains were spectacular. On the way to Redbank Gorge we stopped at Gosse Bluff which was created by a comet which arrived 142 million years ago. Then we headed on to Redbank Gorge.

Larapinta Trail – Tjoritja Ranges – Alice Springs – Day 1
Sunday 29th May 2022
Redbank to Mt Sonder return – Section 12
Distance 15.1km
Moving time 4:04
Track time 4:44
Up 723m Down 716m

We were unable to book a campsite for tonight this morning so at 3pm we decided to walk to the Mt Sonter saddle to make a call to the NT National Parks office. Unfortunately when we got to the saddle there was no phone reception so we couldn’t book. Oh well, we decided to continue on to the Mt Sonter Summit as we were already a third of the way there. It was a big walk, 16km return with an elevation climb of over 750m with only 3 hours of daylight. The views were fantastic along the way but it was a shame it wasn’t sunny as it would have been even better. This walk is the 12th section of the Larapinta Trail which we hope to walk in a few days time. We paced it out up the challenging climb and made it in record time arriving at 5.23pm. Pretty good effort for 8km and 750m elevation climb. We hung around at the summit for about 20 mins but the wind was howling and we needed to make tracks so we made the most of the little light left today, sunset is 6pm so we will be trekking the rest in the dark. As always our had torches are in the backpack. So off we went, we paced it out again and the light lasted until about 6.20pm and then it was walk by torchlight. We kept up a good pace and got back to the car by 7.43pm. It was a shame we didn’t get to enjoy the view on the way down but maybe next time. We did get sunset so we were happy with that.

We headed to the campsite and had our first easy dinner as we were both pretty tired. Fried egg wraps. It was a fantastic but exhausting day.

: Another Ringnecked parrot at our camp this morning..

: ..we were also joined by a dingo..David says the healthiest he has ever seen..

: ..there had also been many walking through the camp ground last night.

: A couple of ring-necked parrots in the tree

: Luckily the roads are open..

: Right from the beginning the view was incredible..

: See the Turn in the road we had just travelled..

: We stopped at the lookout to let some air out of the tyres as the road was quite rough..

: The great view continued..

: ..and got better..

: ..and better.

: The first 3 or 4 caravans we came to moved over straight away for us to overtake but the last one couldn’t see us for a long time but then it went on and on and on and he didn’t even look for cars behind and DB was getting annoyed because we were eating his dust forever. Eventually we got on some bitumen for about 200m and managed to get passed before the next stretch of dirt. Thank goodness!

: Some more lovely scenery with the mountains just ahead in the distance.

: Hooded Robin

: Crested Bellbird

: The aboriginal legend of how the crater was created at Gosse Bluff

: Gosse Bluff, look at those clouds.

: And the science behind How the creator was created.

: David standing on the top of the Gosse Bluff

: The view from the Bluff into the crater

: Me enjoying the view..

: As we start walking to the saddle on the Mt Sonder summit walk

: David continues up the steep incline..

: We are at the saddle but unfortunately there is no phone signal.

: So we continue to the summit

: And we keep on going, the scenery is amazing..

: We have to go down and then follow that track up again.

: A little break for a second..

: Then onwards and upwards we go. The sun came out for a little bit.

: We are almost to the top.

: We made it to the top. Signing the National Parks Register..

: A bluetooth selfie at the top but we were lucky the phone didn’t get blown off the wind was sooo strong.

: As the messages from the last few days came in at the top.

: David tries again unsuccessfully to book us a campsite

: The view as we start to head back down..

: The rocks are amazing

: As we pace it out to make the most of the fading light..

: As the sun sets you can see me on the trail half way up..

: As we rely on our torches to see now..

: The final bit of light with a beautiful sunset on the horizon

: Totally dark now and a little tricky but we managed very well.

: Only 500m to go, our legs are very tired now.

Kings Canyon NT

Saturday 28th May 2022
Sorry for the delay in updates we have had no wifi for a few days.

After sharing more stories with our Tassie neighbours this morning, we headed to Kings Canyon to do the Scenic Rim walk. This was a 6km loop walk up to the rim of Kings Canyon and then a loop around the top. It was very like the Kimberleys WA and also some of the rocks looked like Purnululu (The Bungles) on a smaller scale. Again there wasn’t much birdlife or animals today but the views were amazing yet again. After the rim walk we then did the 2km return River Creek walk in to the Canyon. We took it pretty easy today, we only did about 10km with all the extra lookouts and gorges in about 4 hours. So a very leisurely pace.

We then headed to Kathleen Springs but decided not to walk anymore. It was another 2km return gorge walk and instead we headed back to camp for a rest. Very unusual for us.

We enjoyed the sunset over the Canyon whilst we ate an early dinner. It was a lovely day.

We have seen a few dingoes walking around camp tonight and I just heard one howling.

: A little ring-necked parrot having a little feed near our camp

: Close-up of the ringneck parrot

: Some information about the Landscapes of Kings Canyon

: The elusive Spinifex Pigeon drinking at the water fountain drain..

: The beautiful colours of the Spinifex Pigeon

: The initial staircase up to the Rim of Kings Canyon was very well constructed but looked in keeping with the natural rocks

: The views are immediate..

: ..and even better closer to the edge..

: With these warnings at every cliff edge and more dotted around the place..

: Looking in to the canyon

: Up some more stairs..

: Some information about the desert and ranges..

: Another beautiful view

: They have 3 or 4 of these emergency stations along this 6km rim walk with lots of warnings about starting early in hot weather.

: They also have a helicopter landing spot at all of these emergency stations.

: As David headed to the gap..

: ..it narrows..

: ..as we come out to another beautiful viewpoint.

: A tiny lizard..

: David’s photography is improving again. Great close-up of the lizard.

: Amazing trees.

: More information

: Another scenic view. Can you see the turtle?

: Looking out to the plains

: Getting ready for a photo shoot.

: A sneaky shot with the bluetooth remote. Loving its functionality.

: Bluetooth selfie makes for time efficient photos together

: Awesome new tripod

: More information

: Cotterills Bridge information

: Walking up to Cotterill’s Lookout

: Oopsey daisy!

: View from Cotterill’s Lookout

: Amazing rocks

: Looking out through the canyon, see the green following the creek below

: The trees take on all different shapes.

: Information about the formation of the rocks

: The sea ripple formation on the rocks

: Ladder on the other side of the canyon

: Heading down the stairs to the Garden of Eden

: More information

: The Garden of Eden..

: ..Where there is water there is life.

: The sheer cliff face of the rim

: My favourite – trees

: Information again

: Trees, trees, trees

: The directional signpost is right on the edge – TAKE CARE!

: As we head down the other side, the view is magnificent

: Looking at the grey spinifex..

: ..it is so dense, a tangled mess.

: Heading along the Creek Walk in to the canyon

: Information about the defacing of trees

: Some more wildlife..

: This time a lizard with a cricket for dinner..

: The cricket was almost bigger than the lizard.

: Looking up the face of the canyon through the trees.

: The artistic information boards shelter and water fountain.

: The setup for sunset is very well thought out by the caravan park. They have a little caravan where you can purchase drinks and nibblies, with a guy singing and playing the guitar on a platform to watch the sun set.

: The people bring their chairs and sit chatting whilst the sun sets over Kings Canyon.

Uluru to Kings Canyon NT

Friday 27th May 2022
Well my cold led to a very sleepless night for David, I apparently snored all night, so our plan to go to the Rock for sunrise was squashed. Instead I headed out on my own for a walk to Uluru lookout which was a 1.3km walk from the campground and left David to get some sleep.

It was dark at 6.15am as I left but the sky was amazing. I wished I had got up a little earlier but it is what it is. It was a lovely walk and the sky was so good. When I reached the lookout I was the only one there and the view of Uluru in the dawn light was magical. Yet again I am in awe of its splendour. After being mesmerised for a while I decided to do some yoga. Part way through in the middle of a pose I notice you could also see Kata Tjuta from there as well. It was a lot further away but was still magical. Is I enjoyed some more time watching the beautiful view.

My solitude was only interrupted momentarily by one runner tourist on his daily exercise run, apart from that I had it all to myself. At about 8.15am I decided I should probably head back to camp for breakfast as we are checking out of here today.

We left at about 2pm and had a lovely drive from Uluru to Kings Canyon. The vegetation was changeable and the views were lovely. The odd mountain popped up and the the beautiful Kings Canyon was in sunset glow as we arrived.

Yet again, the campground was at capacity and we were lucky to find a spot. We popped in between a couple from Narara and Hobart. We chatted for a little while with our Central Coast locals and then for a very long time with our Tassie neighbours. They were our age and also avid hikers. It was their maiden voyage with a rooftop tent and they were keen for all the tips, from cookers to blogging. We enjoyed a lovely night of travel stories from both of us.

: This was the spectacular sky I set out with, the moon was a small sliver like a banana. The colours were magical..

: As I walked up the trail I had a moment thinking about what the rules of engagement are if you come across a dingo. My thoughts were back away slowly and don’t stare it down. (the one I forgot was to stand Tall). Luckily I didn’t come across any.

: The big rock – Uluru – as the sun started to come up..

: ..Not only was Uluru magical but the sky and clouds were amazing..

: ..the sun still hadn’t breached the horizon but the sky was an amazing colour..

: ..the cotton balls in the sky as I did my yoga..

: ..as the sun starts to peak out above the horizon..

: ..Kata Tjuta from the same lookout..

: ..just another shot of Uluru because I can..

: ..and the tour buses are out and about all ready bringing people back to the resort after their sunrise tour..

: A poor little pretty male zebra finch found his way into our grill. Very sad!

: Then they disappeared all together.

: As the mountain range comes in to view..

: Information about the Watarrka National Park

: As the sun sets the light on the Kings Canyon range is spectacular..

: As the sun sheds its light the colours are beautiful.

Uluru and Kata Tjuta NT- Day 3

Thursday 26th May 2022
Today I woke feeling a lot better, but unfortunately I kept DB awake all night with my snoring so he was pretty tires. Oops!

After a slow morning with a bit of housekeeping we went for a walk around the village, hotel area and shops. The standard setup for any resort – food, cafes, souvenir shops and an IGA.

The after lunch we headed back to the Valley of the Winds walk at Kata Tjuta as I was well enough to walk today. It was a beautiful walk through Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) which are conglomerate rocks. There were a couple of beautiful lookouts and it was a reasonably easy 8km walk. Taking about 2 hours we unfortunately missed the sunset at the viewpoint by about 10 mins but managed too catch a beautiful skyline at the sand dune viewing lookout.

It was lovely day out and feeling well was a bonus. We then enjoyed a nice dinner at the resort. My first night off cooking since we set out a couple of weeks ago. Tomorrow we head to Kings Canyon.

: As we head back to Kata Tjuta – the rocks still amaze me.

: As we start the Valley of the Winds walk..

: ..heading up the steep conglomerate rocks..

: ..it is beautiful and green here as well..

: Looking out through the valley..

: ..gorgeous tree..

: ..as we continue along the walk..

: ..looking up to the amazing rocks..

: ..As you coming up through the valley you climb to the top to this beautiful outlook..

: ..another picturesque moment..

: ..selfie time..

: What a beautiful view..

: ..as we continue along the loop trail we pass many amazing rocks..

: ..it is a pretty easy walk but we are pacing it out to try to make it to the sunset viewing point before the sun sets..

: ..as the colours change with the fading light..

: A red-backed kingfisher..

: We have made it back to lookout no 1.

: ..as the light plays on the beautiful rocks..

: ..we continue the walk..

: ..it is such a beautiful time of day to walk, the temperature is lovely..

: ..and the colours are amazing..

: White-plumed honeyeater..

: We missed the sunset viewpoint but dashed up to the most amazing red sky on the other side of Kata Tjuta..

: ..the colours were spectacular.

Uluru and Kata Tjuta NT – Day 2

Wednesday 25th May 2022
Today we had a bit of a slow day. I had a really bad night and am not feeling that great. We went for a short walk into the Walpa Gorge at Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). This was only about 2.2km return, so a nice easy one. The Olgas are as magnificent as Uluru just lots of rocks as opposed to one big one.

After lunch David walked the Valley of the Winds in the Olgas which was about a 7.5km loop in to the Olgas. It was a lovely walk, he was gone for about 2 hours as he chatted with a few people along the way just to be his usual social self. I just had a snooze in the shade of a tree in the car.

Hopefully I feel better tomorrow and we will go back and do the walk again. I would also like to do the Dot Painting class but I will see how I feel.

Just did a RAT, result negative. Yay!

: Our first view of Kata Tjuta (The Olgas)

: Uluru from the Kata Tjuta Viewing platform

: Some information about the spinifex grass

: Kata Tjuta from a distance, the colours and size was amazing..

: As we walk in to Walpa Gorge – Kata Tjuta

: .At the end of the gorge..

: These rocks are mammoth. Can you see me standing on the Little Rock at the base.

: Looking back out of the gorge towards the entry..

: Zebra Finch..

: ..and their twins.

: The entrance to the Valley of the Winds walk..

: At Lookout No 1.

: Hot weather warning..

: ..as David continues on his walk, he is missing having someone to put in the photo to show the size of these rocks..

: Military Dragon..

: Apparently this view was spectacular and the picture doesn’t show how good..

: More of the Olgas

: .David doing a selfie with his bluetooth remote..

: Water station – not too nice, but better than dying of thirst..

: The Olgas as we leave and the sun is going down..

: Uluru as we head towards it. I love this view. The rock is so big and seen from such a long distance..

: The packed carpark when we arrived about an hour before sunset..

: A perfect view from in our rooftop tent..

: The ever-changing colours of Uluru..

: ..as the sun goes down..

: ..and a little bit more.

: Camp to The Olgas to Uluru and back to Camp 103km.

Erldunda to Uluru NT

Tuesday 24tgh May 2022
This morning we headed finally towards Uluru. After 4 years, we finally made it back.

We drove the remaining 268km west along the way we passed Mt Connor, an incredibly big mesa. Then we continued along to Uluru, when we first arrived, instead of checking in (silly us) we went straight to the rock. It was the most magnificent rock I have ever seen. It was totally mesmerising, even in the inclement weather conditions. I think the cloud made it look even better.

Then we headed back to the campground to check in which took forever as it was 2 o’clock. Grey nomad time. Eeeekkk!!. One day we will learn, but obviously not today. We finally headed back to the rock at 4pm where we did the base walk. This was a 11km loop around the base of Uluru. We watched the colours change with the fading light, enjoyed seeing the different formations, the gorge and the most amazing sheer rock face ever. It was quite spectacular. As you can imagine we hardly saw anyone on the track and when we returned we were yet again the last car left in the carpark.

Unfortunately we missed sunset but still managed some lovely photos as the light disappeared at the sunset viewing area.

It was a great day!

: Our early morning wake up call came from this friendly little creature this morning. Starting at 5am, then again about6.

: A quick photo of the emu before he pecked at my zoom lens. Scared the bejeebies out of me..

: A little sprinkle of rain as we drove all the way to Uluru.

: Mt Connor was a very big hill in the distance.

: The sign indicating closure of walking on Uluru. You can still see the track worn by so many climbers over the years. It looks like it was a very steep ascent.

: The rocks at the start of the base walk around Uluru..

: ..they were spectacular and so were the colours..

: Teaching cave information

: Teaching cave

: The Mens Cave information

: The kitchen cave information

: The kitchen cave

: The Old People’s Cave information

: Kantju Gorge information

: Looking up at the rock face of Kantju Gorge from the most amazingly carved chair..

: Kantju Gorge, unfortunately no water today..

: As we continue walking the loop

: ..a little bit further along..

: The is about the half way mark with a drink station and shade shelter..

: ..as we continue the light starts to fade..

: See the pieces of rock that have fallen from the main rock..

: The family cave information

: The family cave

: Bushtucker information

: Bushtucker bush

: As the sun starts to set the colours are incredible.

: Once again, the last car left in the carp[ark..

: Uluru just after sunset

: Erldunda to Ulura NT 290km.

Coober Pedy SA to Erldunda NT

Monday 23rd May 2022
Today was to be a big driving day. After topping up the fridge and food, then breaking the bank filling up the car at $2.25 per litre today, OUCH, we were on our way. It was a very long drive all the way into the Northern Territory. I have excelled myself this trip doing 1.5hr stints behind the wheel. I am definitely feeling a bit more comfy driving the open road. Along the way there were a few changes to the scenery. Starting with the sand hills of mine dumps at Coober Pedy, then the green shrub dotted plains, then a few sections where the trees were a bit taller and more dense preventing us from seeing across the plains, then back to plains and then a bit of mountain ranges in the distance. We were hoping to get a bit closer to Uluru today but decided to stop at 4.15pm at the turn off to Uluru at the Erldunda Roadhouse, it may have been a mistake as the truck noise at the moment is quite loud. Hopefully the road trains stop before bed time.

Well it has been 4 years since we drove passed this turn off and it looks like tomorrow we will finally reach Uluru. I am really looking forward to seeing this magnificent rock. Hope everyone is well. Talk soon. Big hugs to you all. Love Fiona and David xx

: The terrain was still the plains as we headed towards Marla, SA..

: As we reach the SA/NT border at about 3.15pm today..

: ..I suppose they couldn’t take their trash with them..

: Camel at the Erldunda Roadhouse this afternoon..

: ..one day we will see them roaming free..

: ..sharing the camel and emu with the girls..

: Another beautiful sunset.

: From Coober Pedy SA to Erldunda NT 497km. A big driving day today.

Mt Eba Homestead to Coober Pedy, SA

Sunday 22nd May 2022
After another quiet night we are on our way again today. We are driving to Coober Pedy today. Yet again the countryside is beautiful as we drive along. We arrived there at about lunch time, had a look at a few things in Coober Pedy, most of them were underground – The Catholic Church, The Catacombs Church. I think it is a bit of a debating point whether than are underground as really most of them are dug into the hill as opposed to down in a hole. We then went for a 70km loop drive through an Aboriginal Heritage site called Kanku – The Breakaways. This was a scenic drive alongside the dog fence, passed the Moon Plains, Papa Kutjara (2 dogs) and another lookout. The landscape was very impressive.

We are camping at Riba’s Caravan Park tonight where we will go for an underground mine tour after dinner.

: Peter has his gyrocopter out ready to go mustering the sheep again today. They are getting 3-4000 ewes back in to scan for pregnancy today. They will then separate the ewes and send them back out. Resting the rams for a bit.