Month: July 2020

 

Friday, 31st July 2020

 

We wake to a bit chilly but shorts are OK so we are out of the cold zone.

Not an early start but not late. We only have 104km to go to Katherine but we stop to fill up because our research showed while Katherine fuel is around $1.18 a litre and Mataranka is $1.20, we have a 5 cent per litre discount card for the Mataranka United fuel station. So it comes to pass we fill before we leave. I also buy a local pie specialty and while it is quite nice, there is a unique taste to it. Anne thinks ‘LIVER.’ I don’t know but it was good.

Like I said before, second hand pies don’t look that good. Just showing the meat content.

 

N.B. Now everyone knows the fuel gauge is not over accurate. In fact this one car does over 80km’s before the needle moves off full. So it is showing about 5/8ths of a tank. It takes 60 litres to fill it and the tank holds 122 litres so from that I can deduce that the tank is really only half full when it shows just under 5/8ths. That also means that given the average rate of 5.88km per litre, I can get around 700km from a tank or 350km is left when it shows 5/8ths. This is trivial statistics than no one except me really needs to know, but now it is recorded for my future reference and I only had to bore you for a minute or two. (if you read it)

The fuel station is next to the Mataranka Pub which is on the famous old outback pubs list, or mine anyway. My cousin Mal worked here way back with his old mate ‘Tuckie’ and has a thousand stories.

We also spot the local Museum and so head in. Most country places have a good little museum and this is no exception. We run into Kym and Linda, ex neighbours in Daly Waters and leave the inside displays till the power comes back on.

$3 per person well worth it, pay next door at the post office and also get a takeaway container of mango for $8 or three for $20, also pay and pick up at the post office. We got one. Space restrictions.

We roll into Katherine and immediately top up. $15.98 (?) then onto Woolworths for too much food then to BWS to purchase XXXX GOLD because that is chosen ale of most of the people we will be visiting. Also a Bombay Sapphire and a few reds. This was as per before, after 2pm with a police check and I.D. and no Port till after 6pm and only one PP PD. I would think this booze problem in the NT is overdue for being fixed, but I guess this is how they are addressing it, as opposed to a less non-political but more effective way. My opinion only but it’s not working.

Into the Riverside Caravan park around $43 and that’s with the G’Day group 10% discount. No reflection on the park. It’s good but all parks here are expensive.

Not quite ready to do the end of day thing, we take the 350 metre walk to the local Katherine hot springs. We do not avail ourselves but observe and note for future use. A top and bottom pool and very good.

Lots of interesting vans and trailers. This one has a double story frame with a boat underneath and tent on the top.

Anne prepares the Woolworths roast chook and vegetable for us to feast and enjoy, followed by TV, a few drinks and a good sleep.

Tomorrow, continue towards Darwin.

 

Cheers.

 

Thursday, 30th July 2020

 

We do well departing five minutes before check out of the usual 10am, totally ignoring that about 90% of the vans had already departed.

First things first. A drive to the dump spot to empty the toilet cassette.

Then up the track, pausing briefly at the Alexander Forrest Commemorative Cairn where Alexander intersected with the telegraph from W.A. A monumental effort (hence the monument) defined all these years later by this relatively humble display. Such is life. At least his name is recorded which is more than most of us will get, other than a head stone of course.

On to the memorable town of Larrimah. Memorable for many reasons but for the present, it is yet another unique bush pub on the track to now almost within reach Darwin. Memorabilia of days gone by including not just war time items but at some stage it picked up and ran with the theme of THe Pink Panther. This is a diversion from rustic image of out back pubs, but if you own a pub, you can do whatever you want with it I guess.

The owner is either no longer with us or particularly unwell, so as we understand it, the pub is under temporary management. A nice young girl from the Czech Republic is manning ( womanning?) the bar including making their own very good meat pies. They are good although the bottom pastry was a little underdone. I have has some experience in this. (Thanks Dean R) Although it did not particularly diminish the quality of the pie, I told her I had heard that can be fixed by a hotter oven. I hope this doesn’t mean a string of burnt pies.

Two significant memories.

My dad was stationed at Larrimah during WW2. In fact I have a vague recollection he told me he was in the forward party to set it up. He went where he was sent as a dutiful soldier and that was Larrimah. After the war, dad went to join the RSL. He was told he couldn’t because he had not been in the battle zone or whatever you call it. He enquired where that was. He was told it was Katherine, apparently because the naughty Japanese air force had bombed Katherine on several occasions. Dad said, ‘But I drove to Katherine every two days for supplies’ but was told that didn’t count. It was where you were stationed that was the determining factor. So I can imagine what dad thought they could do with their RSL (watch out for splinters off the roof timbers) and never tried again. I believe many other devoted soldiers got the same treatment and while I have nothing but the highest regard and respect for the armed forces of Australia, I believe that was a significant mistake on their part. All good soldiers went where they were told and did what they were told. I looked at the small museum there but found no reference to dad. But then again how many thousands of soldiers have no record of their duty.

As I have said before, I do NOT know what is so hard about spelling this word . It was two c’s and TWO m’s!!

Secondly, When we first stopped at Larrimah in about March 1996 on our way to Darwin, the pub was closed. While we were poking around, trying to look through the window, a voice behind us said, ‘It’s been closed for years.’ That was a ‘Dee’ and we stayed and chatted with her for hours. She had some raw meat and said, ‘Watch this.’ There was a black and white Butcher Bird sitting close. She threw a small piece of meat in the air and the bird took flight and got the treat on the wing. She informed us she was the local, official weather person, in that every 6 hours or so, he had to go to the weather enclosure and take temperature, rain gauge readings etc etc. Lots of insights and stories of the town. We found it fascinating. She showed us her house that she had just spent $65,000 on , keeping in mind this was 1996. I think she knew by doing that, she had painted herself into a corner and was there for the duration. We saw her house but it was totally different as it had a garden and now tall trees.

There was a name on the letter box but neither of the initials was ‘D’. We tried to call out but we didn’t get close because there was a ‘dog’ sign and barking. There was also a car that had not been moved for a while and an empty car port. That was the clincher. ‘D’ had moved on one way or the other and there was no-one home anyway. We guess she was about 55 when we were there so that would put her at 79 or 80 now. Hope you are still kicking Dee and if not, thanks for the memory.

On to Mataranka. The hot springs are via the homestead. We book in and spend the next half hour finding a park suitable. Get set up and for the first time in a long, long (long) time I slip (squeeze) into bathers! I have not swam for about 15 kilos now, but it is Mataranka’s crystal clear hot springs. Just to complete the interesting pic, we buy floating ‘noodles’ then off to the pool. A nice visit with long chats to other soakers, then back to the sanctuary for a nice little sit in the shade and a drink and nibbles.

Above the video, right. You can never have too many noodles, or can you?

A good feed and a couple of glasses (with alcohol in them) followed, then we both enjoyed a good sleep. The best for a while. Ah! The tropics.

 

Cheers

 

Wednesday, 29th July 2020

 

We pull out of the caravan park at Tennant creek with a few observations. Firstly I thought it was ironic when I drove towards these two site markers and they declared my age and what it will change to in a few days.

Secondly this has got to me the smallest chook pen I have ever seen, but it’s nor cruel because the chooks get a significant change of scenery whenever the boss goes out.

So up the track we hit John McDouall Stuart’s marker at Attack Creek where, you guessed it, he got attacked, in 1860. Apparently he got all that way then due to sickness and this attack, they had to turn all the way back. We can assume he named it Attack Creek, unless the aboriginals had pre named it in preparation. Then again they would have had to name it in English and then tell him it was named as such. No. We will have to go with Stuart naming it.

 

Lots of rocky outcrops and other scenery but we must push on as we have a mission. Cousin Mal and Kay have told us about the pies at Dunmarra. Chunky beef with red wine and Mal having told us previously, actually contacted us the day before to REMIND us. It seems that last time M & K where through there, they got too pies but they were too hot to eat. So they drove off down the track and didn’t eat them till then. He said they were so good, it was a tossup whether to turn around and go back for more. They also said, get there before 2.30pm or the truckies will have grabbed the lot.

So, at 2.50pm as we hurtle towards Dunmarra, we curse the fact that we read the Attack Creek plaque and inspected the whole site instead of just photographing it and dashing.

We arrive and burst into the Wayside Inn to be welcomed by a full, hot Bain Marie of meat pies and sausage rolls.

Not looking the best second hand but the idea was to show the meat chunks.

The whole establishment is being serviced by one (very active) chap named ‘Gary’ whom we tell the story of Mal and Kay’s experience and instructions to us. He informs us he is the owner and pie maker. He does two batches a day because, ‘yes’ the truckies do know about the pies and do clean them out and he has had the business and been doing it for 17 years.

We get a pic with Gary and depart happy people, with three meat pies and three sausage rolls. Two of each in paper bags and one of each á la stomachs (half pie and half s roll each)

We come to the now familiar turn off to the famous Daly Waters Pub, which is the end of the air strip. At the turn off that is. It is not clear so I have marked the pic with arrows too show four markers on the strip.

Further down the 4km road into the pub, we turn off to small hanger off from the runway.

It is now fenced off as apparently Care Flights (?) use it. However when we were first there and heard about it back in about March 1996, it was open, so we drove out along the taxi-ing tarmac to the bitumen strip and drove the full length. From memory it was about 2.3 or 2.4kms.

So what is a full length bitumen air strip doing in the middle of the outback. Back in 96, we were told it is there from the old propeller plane days. Apparently it was a refuelling stop for international flights from Europe. You have to snigger when you picture some Europeans migrating to Australia and they touch down at Daly Waters, thinking, ‘What the hell have we done?!’

This time we didn’t go to see the Stuart Tree. It is where Stuart carved an inscription in the tree but on our last two visits the carving was indiscernible. Just be aware, Stuart passed by here.

Well the old pub is the same only different. It is a hotch potch collection of anything and everything only now there is more of it both inside and outside.

Good live entertainment with Lou and Phil.

When we first came in 1996, there was no caravan park as such. There was just an area where you could put a van if you had one and we were the only ones with a van.

So they have cabins and all sorts, and including live entertainment. We chat with the next door van neighbours then proceed on to the bar.

Then … lo and behold from the corner of the bar comes the familiar face of Dave L from the old days of Patricks in Dili, East Timor. We sit and chat with Dave and other half shouting over the live entertainment and drinking the life giving beer elixir, till it becomes time when all good little vanners should be in bed, although we did have just one or two red wines (that also gives life) with out van neighbours, Kym and Linda.

By the way, all of a sudden, people are wearing shorts and thongs. Could this  be the start of the promised land of milk and honey and warmth and sun?

We shall see on the morrow.

Bon Nuit

 

 

 

Tuesday, 28th July 2020

 

We clicked some more pics of bloody great boulders balancing precariously on other bloody great boulders on the way out of the Devils Marbles this morning.

Not the last to leave. Two left. Had to make our final payment for last night of $6.60.

Then whoosh up the Stuart highway a whole 110km to Tennant Creek.

Never ceases to amaze me how many derelict cars dumped on the sides of the road way back from S.A. This blurred shot looks like someone has pulled up to check it out, but it’s way past retrieving.

Another one. This one looks a bit rolled.

We gassed up at the BP and immediately called a Caravan Park adjacent.

We had not had phone or internet for quite a while and there was money to be transferred to cards  and things to be taken care of, like this blog for example. From time to time I wonder just how many people actually look at it. I know Anne rarely bothers because she’s here first hand. I know niece Naomi and sister Jan do. Chris D, Rick M and a few others have had a look. It’s more my own record of our travels, but hope a few others get some amusement out of it.

So we basically stationed ourselves in the van and caught up on, banking, and posting items as well as cleaning and cloths washing for a departure tomorrow.

We will have a drive around before we go but everything seems down the main street.

My biggest memory of Tennant Creek was last visit about March 1996. I had successfully reversed our little pop top van into a tree in Camooweal in Queensland about 12 km from the NT border. The van wasn’t damaged. The air-cond I had installed in the back window took the shock. So we sweat like the proverbial than night and highballed it to Tennant Creek where a workshop allowed me to use their facilities to pull the air-cond out and get it fixed. It was a job and a half. I installed it knowing it would never have to be pulled out. (?)

The other memory is us returning to the car (Hilux dual cab 4WD  diesel) in the main street after some shopping, to discover that someone had decided they needed one of the front indicator lights more than we did.

Anyway, we kicked back and catch up today then have a good night doing nothing.

Short stop. Off tomorrow.

Cheers.

 

Sunday, 26th and Monday, 27th July 2020

 

A slow departure due to another farewell (no beer) and a dump spot visit. We retrace out 70km back to the Stuart Highway down the Plenty Highway. This time only seven coming the other way. The last 6km are double lane so it is time for Anne’s initiation. She takes the wheel to the Stuart highway, then another 20kms to get the feel of towing the van.

Enough. Lunch then on -on past Aileron to Ti Tree and the most expensive diesel yet. $1.90!! Two coffees in their nice little dining room ($5.50 x 2) and a cup of chips to go. ($5)

After 6pm… you must pre-pay or leave your licence.

What is this bewitching our of 6pm as in Alice Springs?

Ouch! But I was down to half tank and needed it.

This door with Mobil next to it is actually a bar. See a few pics below.

This restaurant is the pay station. I would change signage.

Nice little eatery with historic bowsers.

The most Central Pub in Australia.

Next stop, Barrow Creek. A rustic but very interesting and likeable pub. In the old days in Darwin I always noted Barrow Creek was mentioned on the weather report. While doing a few weeks work in Alice Springs, we met the owner of the pub, named Les. He had a lady friend, Helen and we had drinks and became associates/friends. That was 22 years ago so we knew they would be long gone but dropped in to ask how long ago they vacated.

Nice young lady serving (Candy) said, ‘He went to Alice Springs yesterday and won’t be back till tomorrow.’ Apparently Helen was in their Alice Springs house at the moment and he went down for a spell. So after 22 years, we missed them by a day, but we now have a bit of a schedule and had to keep moving. Damn!

Interesting memorabilia.

By the way, The Barrow Creek Pub featured in the Falconio case of the missing English, as Joanne Lees, the girl friend who escaped, ended up going to the Pub apparently. Hence the letter on the wall regarding Falconio.

On the road again.

Time marches on and we finally arrive at the Devils Marbles park behind the Marbles about 5.30pm. We took some almost too late, setting sun photos.

 

Then treated ourselves to some luxury and made a quick and very, very easy meal. Fish fingers, hash browns and coleslaw. Not Haute cuisine but the first two components done in the fry pan in 10 minutes.

I will get up early tomorrow to photograph sunrise. Well, I’ll try to.

 

Monday, 27th July 2020

I did indeed get up for sunrise photos. In fact too early. It was light but no sight of the sun.

The park was still choca-block except for one camper quietly packing up. I finally shot sunrise, such as it was and went back to the van for an hour or two.

About 10am I go outside and we are alone, the whole damn camp had cleared! It must have been something I said.

The ranger arrives for some maintenance. He confirms this ‘instant empty’ phenomena is quite normal. He also said, this is a new park. The old one was bulldozed and this schmicky one was installed a month ago. Apparently this one will be going up in price from $3.30 PP PN to maybe $10 (?) and there will be another built close, which will become the cheapy.

A Lazy day and we watch the whole park refill bit by bit till we are packed in. It has come to 4pm and time for a walk to the look out. A casual stroll taking all of about 10 minutes to the top.

We spend plenty of time up there recording inaudible videos due to the wind which was not severe. Just enough to kill audio recording.

Looking down at our ‘home.’

We come back to ground level and continue so as to loop the base of the outcrop. During this exercise we meet a pleasant couple who decide to head back the shorter way because time has clicked past wine o’clock. We get back later and find they are our next door neighbours so spend an hour or two taking in the setting sun and red wine.

Time for the evening ritual of bathing, cooking, eating, a little more drinking then TV and bed. It’s such a mad cap life we live, of never ending antics and pleasures. Seriously, it is good though.

Tomorrow, we leave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, 24th and Saturday, 25th July 2020

 

Friend Mick waves us farewell from the G’Day Mate Tourist Park (good park) and we look forward to crossing paths in the near future further north.

However first things first. Do the words ‘If we don’t have it, you don’t need it’ ring a bell? (or close to that) We have been hearing it for years on rural come country radio and or television. Yes. The slogan for Desert Dwellers! So we dropped in on the way out of town to see if the slogan rang true. Pretty accurate actually. The biggest range of car fridges I have ever seen. Impressive.

We drive out and go a short seventy km’s then turn right/east onto the Plenty Highway. There’s plenty of it alright. It goes all the way to Queensland. Mind you , not so plenty on the width. Most of it is one lane so when someone approaches, we either both slow and take one wheel off the road or someone pulls off and lets the other through. It happened about five times and I think two, they pulled off. Anyway, we are only going another seventy to Gem Tree.

 

Fossickers heaven. A good but sparce place in the scrub with a great history of the area including all the Stations for miles around and these, the Central Australian Gemfields. Sites are at least 50 metres or more apart. We come across Melinda and Chris who we met back at Coober Pedy

We arrive mid afternoon and check out the options. Fossicking tours start at 8.30 am. Only seven or eight hours late. We could turbo-fossick and catch up? Nope … so we book an extra night ($35) and the fossick tour, ($75 for two). Do we want to do the Garnet or Zircon tour? (NOT Zirconia. That’s man made) Neither are particularly precious but Zircon is clear and harder to find while Garnet is red and a bit easier. Garnet please.

N.B. Mandarins belong to the Citrus genus. It’s believed they originated in ancient China, which is how they got their name. Their peel is deep-orange, leathery, and protects the sweet, juicy segments inside. Mandarins grow on flowering small- to moderately-sized citrus trees.

Ouch ! on the diesel price here.

We have a good look at the gem store.

We also check out a local/original settlers house. It is remarkable how people got by. It also displayed the history of most of the Stations in the area with original owners and heaps of info Fascinating.

Late afternoon beers with Melinda and Chris, plus we meet Andrew from next door and ‘Nifty’ and wife. A pleasant group of happy people, a few beers and laughs then back to the fan for a shower, food, wine and TV, thanks to the auto tune Sat Dish. Just like Stuart when he came up through the centre.

On a serious note, we spotted a detailed map along the way of Stuart’s trek up through the middle. He blazed the trail not knowing what to expect and I will not even start to try and imagine the hardships he and his colleagues had to endure. Looking at old photos, most of the explorers were British/Europeans nearly fresh off the boat and decked out in their northern hemisphere THICK woollen trousers and coats. No T shirts shorts and sunglasses for those dedicated chaps. Stuart opened the path for the telegraph and all that followed. Forget the modern day ball sport heroes and such like. Stuart was a true, hero of his time and there are few to compare now.

The instructions were to meet at the equipment collection point at 8.15am suitably attired and with lunch and drinks. My goodness! we have to be up, functioning, bathed, fed, dressed, (suitably) packed and sensible at a time that normally, one of us would be up at the computer thinking of a cup of tea and the other in the land of nod, well before thought.

We collect our equipment. A 20 litre jerry can of water, a bucket for selected rocks and dirt to ‘fossick’, a larger wash bucket and 5 round screening sieves that fit in the wash bucket, a pick, a spade and an empty can I suspect held baked beans a year or two ago. Four sieves are with 5mm gap mesh and one with 3mm.

We convoy east for 30 kms (exactly) then turn off up the secret, dirt track to a clearing about 150 metres off the road, park the cars and carry our goodies to the fossick area. the many, many mounds suggest we are a long way past the first ones here.

 

The idea is, you find a likely spot (anywhere at all), scoop three spades full into the dirt bucket, take a dry, 5mm sieve and poor some of the dirt into it. You then shake it to annoy your colleagues downwind until you only have solids in the sieve. Then pull out anything past small gravel-like pieces. N.B. Initially you don’t pull the larger ones out because you hope they will be gems. However after half an hour, you give up all hope of such an incident. Then you pour 4 inches of water into the wash bucket, dip the sieve with gravel in the water and withdraw the washed gravel, lift it to the sun and look for the shiny, translucent, red stone. Pick them out and put them in the baked beans can. Empty the sieve and hang it on the side of the wash bucket to dry. Repeat with a dry sieve. There are four 5mm sieves so two each so both parties have a dry and a drying. They have to be dry so they don’t get muddy when you put the dry dirt in them.

Now …. I will give you a rough, general example of the success rate for ten sievings. 1, 2, 0, 3, 1, 0, 1, 2, 2, 0. Get the idea. The aim is to get what they call a gem grade stone. That is they have to be at least 3mm wide and clear stone. That is why later, when our approx 150 pieces were accessed, we ended up with five 3mm and two 4mm for our four hour effort. The rest are referred to as bombs.

When asked what we could do with them, we were told we could wash/soak them in white vinegar, then put them in a narrow glass jar with baby oil. It will look shiny and pretty but be of no other value than aesthetic.

By the way, the 3mm sieve I understand was for children who may lose interest quickly if they get, 1, 2, 0, 3, 1, 0, 1, 2, 2, 0 … whereas, with 3mm, they may get 4, 3, 3, 5, 2 etc. You get the picture. Plus if all the adults used them, they may collect three hundred and have the rug pulled out when they get seven as we did.

Finished by, 3pm, we hitch up, clean up, have a final farewell beer with the same nice folk from last night who, by the way were doing a camp oven feast, then off for our Chilli Con Carne. We will sleep very well tonight.

Moving on tomorrow to The Devils Marbles.

Wednesday, 22nd and Thursday, 23rd July 2020

Off to Ross River for a good look under the guidance of Mick and Lou.

First stop, Corroboree Rock, an impressive outcrop and not far from Alice Springs.

It has a hole or slit. Just a point of interest.

Cannot have a closer look as not allowed to climb.

Mind you who in their right mind would want to scurry up that?

Trephina Gorge is on the way.

Trephina Gorge.

Bee aware. European bees.

A walk in the sandy river bed is a good workout and the rock formations are just amazing.

There is even a water pool. Who knows what other fauna use it but immediately adjacent is a whole ‘city’ of Zebra finches

‘ N.B. The zebra finch is the most common estrildid finch of Central Australia and ranges over most of the continent, avoiding only the cool moist south and some areas of the tropical far north. It can also be found natively on Timor island. The bird has been introduced to Puerto Rico and Portugal. Wikipedia.’

Not my pic. Courtesy of Wikipedia.

The water hole.

The rocks are massive but you can’t fight nature. This tree has grown between layers and not only cracked but lifted.

Also, see the debris at the base and half way up the tree showing just how high the water can get.

On to the ghost gum. Of course there are many but this one is particularly spectacular and is reputed to be around three hundred years old.

Then the brilliant old Ross River Homestead. A serious chunk of history.

This was lunch spot.

The manager has a sense of humour. The pic on the left says, ‘Quarantine day 58. I built my self a Doberman’ and the photo is a sausage dog with four stilts.

Saddle seats. A novelty but not comfortable.

 

We must move on but this is a memorial to “Fish” who lost his life when his bike ran into a camel. It would have been bad enough in a car, but on a bike …..

A day well spent. We drop the knowledgeable tour guides, Mick and Lou back home and cave in to Micks suggestion to have a beer.  Just the one then home time. We have compared notes and we will see them down the track.

Thursday, 23rd July 2020

Our last day and due to have lunch with Rob.

However, several attempts to contact him and the phone is off. So we wait till well after lunch time then give up and restock . Supermarket and I go to the boozer while Anne is having her hair trimmed.

Now, as I may have said, the ‘boozerama’ rules are different here.

To start with EVERY entry to the premises is preceded by an interview by a police officer.

Then, be aware, Port or casks can only be purchased after 6pm and only one per person per day.

All other purchases like beer and wine as in red or white are unlimited and before 6pm but are still subject to police interview.

This liquorland didn’t open till 2pm, so I came back at 2.01pm. There was a line and interviews were in full swing. When I finally got in, I bought a six pack of beer and I think 4 red wines. When I got to the counter, there were approx. seven people behind me and I kid you not, they ALL had shopping trolleys choca with GROG.

N.B. Grog is any of a variety of alcoholic beverages. The word originally referred to a drink made with water and rum, which British Vice admiral Edward Vernon introduced into the naval squadron he commanded in the West Indies on 21 August 1740. Vernon wore a coat of grogram cloth and was nicknamed Old Grogram or Old Grog.

The photo below is taken well after I left and the line was down to the tail enders  with only moderate requirements as no trolleys.

So a quiet day and an early night.

Hyvästi

Goodbye in ….. ? Yes. That’s right. Finnish.

Sunday, 19th to Tuesday, 2ist July 2020

Alice Springs – origin of the name.

Between 1871 and 1933, Alice Springs was simply the name of a waterhole adjacent to the telegraph station and named after Alice Todd, wife of Sir Charles Todd. Alice Springs began its modern history as the township of Stuart.

The name Sir Charles Todd will forever be associated with the construction of the Overland Telegraph which opened up communications between Australia and the rest of the world. But Sir Charles was also an astronomer and meteorologist.

(Now this is new to me. I have always thought Todd was just the telegraph operator and Alice was his wife. The names go further up the chain.)

Sunday, 19th

Off to the Todd Mall market. It’s getting late and this lady appears to have finished.

You heard of having a spring in your step?

Well this lady has a BELL in her step.

Just ignore this till after the covid-19 is over.

Coffee. One of the main food groups.

Street art. Could have done without the sword through the skull.

Adelaide House. The first hospital.

Missed a visit to the café. The movie was great.

The mall done, we move on to ANZAC Hill.

The view is brilliant.

The view from the hill is excellent.

Now to home, which by the way is a very well run and friendly caravan park called G’day Mate Tourist Park. Also very secure. (Not to be confused with the G’Day discount park group.

Monday, 20th.

A big (ish) day is planned so we pick up friend Rob as expert local and off we go west. First stop is Flynn’s resting place.

The Rev John Flynn was founder of the flying doctor service.

His ashes are said to be buried under this stone. We didn’t check.

On to Simpsons Gap. A long walk down the sandy dry river bed was tedious going but worth it and the stone surroundings are just brilliant. Surprised to find water in the gap/gorge. Even more surprised to find a narrow dirt track running along the edge of the river bed which would have made the going a whole lot easier if we had spotted if when we started. Anyway, saved the walk back.

The track back.

 

Had a talk to the rangers on the way out and found the café is open at Standley’s Chasm, so off we go.

Here’s the proof. Rob and Anne had healthy salad sandwich and a BLT. I has a healthy cheese burger and some equally healthy chips.

A cheeky little chappy looking for some grub.

If you ever go there and they say it’s a fifteen minute walk, don’t believe them. It’s a fifteen minute walk for a reasonably fit and healthy 20 year old. Still a nice walk.

All sorts of Flora including cycads. Extremely old plants, well be for e flowering plants. In fact some of the cycads here are dated between 500 and 1000 years old.

Here’s the breakdown of the evolution of the surrounds.

Someone has translated to the local dialect.

With the trustee steed.

Rob and I contemplate life … and the walk.

… and this little guy obviously lived at the café and was not backward for trying to gain favour in the form of FOOD.

Flora AND Fauna.

Either a self portrait of she had the camera facing the wrong way.

 

Anne zoomed in on the table tops of the café.

Back to the Alice and we drop Rob home.

There was a time when this truck was the pride of the fleet.

A quiet time in town.

After we dropped rob we were off to Woolworths to spend more money. Food a plenty but we drop into BWS after, for the important stuff.

Now …. things are different here. To start off with, a copper (police officer) on the door. Questions. Do you live here? Where are you from? What are you doing here and can I see your identification please? We get inside and ‘things’ were missing. Turns out you can only buy Port after six pm and only one bottle per person per day. I keep quizzing and it seems the same applies for casks.

So we go home and sit till six. Then to Gap Road drive through and history repeats itself.

 ‘To start off with, a copper (police officer) on the door. Questions. Do you live here? Where are you from? What are you doing here and can I see your identification please? We get inside and ‘things’ were missing. Turns out you can only buy Port after six pm and only one bottle per person per day. I keep quizzing and it seems the same applies for casks.

It seems for some reasons, casks and Port are in the same classification. If for example I had actually wanted a cask, I could not buy a Port. Only one or either (not both) per person per day. So I and Anne both buy a Port. Then it seems there is no restriction on bottles of red wine. (?) So I pick up a bottle of red to try. By the way, the Port is almost double to what I am used to. Penfolds Club usually on special two for twenty or $10 each, $18.50. Ouch!

End of a fabulous day. Home for food and showers, a movie and a sleep.

Cheers.

Tuesday, 21st.

Slow day catching up on a few things. A bit cold and overcast. It rained last night. I am told point eight of a millimeter. And here’s me with out my Wellys. Some washing, a chat with the neighbour. Very relaxing and a 4pm meeting with our mates from Coober Pedy, namely Bob, Kingsley, Robin and Jan. They arrived at the showgrounds the day before and we are meeting at their place for nibbles and drinks.

A happy get together and as the sun goes down we are on our way home, except for getting out the showgrounds. The grounds are huge and the automatic gate is being naughty and will not open. After finally being forced to read the directions, we go looking for gate number one and not this number four that is not the exit gate at this time of night.

Number one works and we are home after the arduous two and a half minute drive across the road and around the corner.

Woolworths roast chicken and vegetables, a shower, couple of glasses of red (plastics technically) and an early night for a day with Lou and Mick tomorrow. ‘Lots to see in the NT.’ Should be a slogan, or maybe it is already?

Domani

Tomorrow in ….. ? (Italian)

 

Thursday 16th to Saturday 18th 2020

On the way out of Coober Pedy.

A few picks. First me and Bob from only 57 years ago.

Then the group of L To R, me, Anne, Jan, Robin, Kingsley and Bob.

What a group of dynamic individuals.

The last of the Mullock mounds.

Cadney Park Roadhouse. (Homestead)

Triple trailer road train dwarfs our 20 foot van.

Border before either of these.

Marla. Good Roadhouse.

Look for Marni’s facebook page of her travels around Australia.

Worth a look. ‘Living Barefoot Wandering Australia.’

In transit. Significant odometer reading, 135km.

Peppered all the way along the highway towards the border are hundreds oc caravan waiting for the midnight opening of 16th to 17th.

Bad pics on the move taken by me while driving. a glimpse of white is a van.

We make it past all the others to the border.

Pulled up. Talked to the border police and take up residence across the road with about six others. Then an epiphany. No it wasn’t It was a simple statement of fact by the border police and army. Yes. The army are there as well. And might I say, all very good people. Very helpful and accommodating.

We were told, we can use our current midnight cross the border passes OR we can fill out the Quarantine document for prior to 17th, go straight across the, quarantine in Kulgera, about 20km over the border, and the quarantine requirement will expire while we are in full slumber at midnight.

We return to our van and wander around for a short time pondering.

In the mean time while pondering, Anne strikes a classic pose of cowboy (girl) on the fence. Very rural.

On our walk from our van camp at the border we take a stroll which must have been theoretically into NT. We broke the law, I guess, by chance, but returned, so it was momentary infringement.

Interesting spot. We saw derelict cars all the way up and one at the border with camp fires around this one. Many people deserting cars and having camp fires near them. I wonder who.

Our border camp.

The border stop.

 

 

Talking to the police and army.

A road train goes through.

We take the quarantine suggestion ad go straight across the border, without a glitch.

On to Kulgera and get there at sunset.

Kulgera in the morning.

On towards Alice. This is the site of the Inaugural cannonball run in the NT.

The first and the last cannonball run, 24th May 1994. A Japanese crew of two, as I understand it, came into a check point too fast and terminated themselves and two officials. A sad and disappointing occasion. It could have become a world event.

Next stop Alice Springs.

Forgot the Stuarts Well Roadhouse stop. Not bad. There is a Stuarts Well but apparently it is on ‘the station’ as I was told and is now caved in.

However animals to play with.

We get there. The ‘Alice.’

Birds in the Caravan park.

A fab , unique van made in Canada,

Lou and Mick and Rob, out of shot, join us for a chat in the park.

Next door at the brewery for lunch . Bloody good Pizza.

The Park. Very good. We will stay a week.

Usiku Mwema

(Good night in Swahili)

Sunday 12th to Wednesday 15th July 2020

We have to back track to Pimba in order to move up the Stuart Highway to Coober Pedy. So we exit Andamooka after filling water tanks, dropping into Roxby Downs again for a gas bottle refill, Diesel, a Laundromat and shopping, so arriving back at Spuds Roadhouse in Pimba.

Anne makes our $5 donation. Cheap accomm. Then again we only use the toilet so that works out abut a dollar a visit.

We wake to a thick fog. Luckily we are slow starters so it does clear a lot before we leave. The photo immediately below is a triple road train. It’s standing still. Imagine if it was moving.

On the road. Spot this guy stopped. It wasn’t till I later blew it up, I see he was having a cook up.

 

 

Next stop Coober Pedy.

The name “Coober Pedy” comes from the local Aboriginal term kupa-piti, which means “boys’ waterhole”. The first opal was found in Coober Pedy on 1 February 1915; since then the town has been supplying most of the world’s gem-quality opal.

Next morning we waste no time and do a tour of town, including the fascinating ‘dugout’ living. That is living accomm, businesses and even churches were dug into the hills. amazing.

 

The golf course all dirt. We are told this is the only golf course with an official association with St Andrews in Scotland … we are told. (?)

A quick look in an underground home.

Then a mine.

Now we come to the opal. (!!)

 

There apparently was a movie called Pitch Dark with Vin Diesel.

It was  filmed here along with Priscilla of the Desert and a Mad Max.

We have a crack at ‘noodling’ with a bit of luck.

A little colour in the desert.

Then ‘The Breakaways.’  A unique group of formations.

A ‘blower’ is in fact a giant vacuum cleaner for sucking rock out of holes.

Another piece of equipment is a noodling machine for tumbling rock to get at the opal. Then entrepreneur made out out of a bus.

This is what happens when the opal seller comes across a group of ladies, my lady included.

Here id the seller with the buyer.

He is a good guy and reasonably priced. Look him up of you come here.

Now this is a clever business man. We ran out of time but would have definitely made a visit.

 

I had to rush this through as we are on a tight schedule now.

We managed to apply for a border pass on the internet and print them off.

Other highlights include meeting Bob, Kingsley, Jan and I think Chris? Sorry if I got that wrong.

Bob recognized me from Primary school 57 (!!!!) years ago. Give the man a medal. We had a brief catch up and exchanged contact details. One in a million shot.

We are on the road tomorrow so an early night. On the road to Marla, then the border! Now the action begins!

Oyasumi

(Good night in Japanese)