The first couple of weeks - somehow this one didn't make it online.

We spent the week catching up with everyone and trying (some might call it failing) to pack for our move. It was a whirl wind event. On Friday the 15th June 2012 we flew back to Alice where a worker from my new office picked Michael and myself up and drove us to our new apartment (provided by my new employer The department of children and families NT). Initially the oven, the bedroom lights and the bathroom sink didn’t work, but within the week all was well. I started my new job on Monday the 18^th and although a little slow to kick off, it is turning out to be very interesting, albeit a challenge. I currently have a few roles at work which keep me pretty busy, but at least I’m earning my amazing pay check! Michael is looking for work and just settling in to the Alice life style.

 Michael and I visited a couple of local landmarks too, we travelled to Simpsons Gap in the West Macs and Emily’s Gap, Jessie’s Gap and Corroboree Rock in the East. The local landmarks are beautiful. In fact I think we’re going to like it here – everyday is sunny and although the nights are cold, we have a roof over ourselves to make it seem a lot warmer than it did in the camper. The Hulk is currently sitting outside waiting for his next adventure, which shouldn’t be far away.

This blog may slow down in pace for a few months (you may have already noticed this over the past few weeks!), but eventually we plan to finish the rest of our trip, so I promise many more entries in the year or two to come.

Lesson of the week: Although money isn’t everything, it sure is nice! 

Oodnadatta and Beyond.

We were up before the break of dawn getting ready for our flight - I must say in the outback sunrises are every bit as beautiful as sun sets, often with reds, oranges and pinks. We got to the airport just before 8. And in a few minutes our pilot, another couple and ourselves were in the plane ready to go.  We each got a window seat and before we knew it, were in the sky.  We flew over Cooper Creek, Lake Eyre North and Lake Eyre South. In total we were in the air for two and a half hours. During this time we saw sand dunes, birds, water and great bodies of land. It really was a majestic experience. Eventually we came back down to earth and once again returned to Marree.

We then packed up, said our goodbyes and began our adventure along the Oodnadatta Track. The road was surprisingly not too rough, granted is was dirt and in occasions mud, but mostly it was fairly smooth. We stopped at the dingo fence (our first of many times crossing this mighty work of man) and then stopped at Lake Eyre South.  We could see that several other people had trekked down to the lake, so decided to try the walk ourselves. Eventually the sand/mud/salt/sludge mix was just too much, we got very close to the water, but did not touch it for risk of being stuck there for a very long time! We returned to the safety of our camper and began making our lunch. I should mention that at Port Augusta we stocked up with enough food for a month, now that we only had a week to get to Alice Springs we decided it was time to eat like kings, instead of wasting all of our food. We met another young couple at the Lake, we had spotted them at Marree and had said hellos, but this time we asked where they were heading and vice versa. We knew we wanted to stay at Coward Springs that night and somehow managed to talk them into the idea as well. So we left the Lake and headed onto Coward Springs. We had been told the campsite housed springs that were constantly at 36 degrees (this water came from the great artesian basin). We set up camp, checked out the facilities and then our new besties rocked up. Travelling in a Pajero with a bed in the back and kite surfing gear that had to be moved in order to sit/sleep in the car (nb kite surfing gear is not suitable for the outback), Mona from Germany and Ryan from Scotland were some interesting characters. We all went for a dip in the springs, which actually turned out to be a weird little hottub like setup. Eventually it was time for happy hour and tea so we all retreated back to camp. That night we all sat around a campfire, sharing stories – it was superb. Mona and Ryan were heading to Coober Pedy, something about the town was calling to them. Originally Michael and I were going to continue on the track to Oodnadatta but with time short, the potential of having some great times with our new mates and unique character of Coober Pedy calling we changed our travel plans (after talking to another couple a few days later we found out we didn’t miss much but a few corrugations and the chance to hire a canoe – except there was no water around – outback humour at its best).

Rubbish!

So in the morning  we left Coward Springs convoying all the way to William Creek. Of course there was a few stop offs along the way to check out rubbish littering the side of the highway – cars not as prepared as our Hulky. William Creek was an interesting town, with a population of 12, a pub, airstrip and the first ever solar powered public telephone. The pub was wall to wall in reverse souvenirs (tourists are allowed to staple pretty much anything to the walls or ceiling such as business cards, towels and photos – Michaels favourite was a shredded tyre left by an Irish tourist – typical). After William Creek we left the Oodnadatta Track and headed west toward Coober Pedy. Almost instantly the road conditions worsened, however were by no means bad for a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. We continued along William Creek Track until we reached a little turn off which we thought might take us to our resting place for the evening – Lake Cadibarrawirracanna. If you had to sound that name out a couple of times its fair enough,  considering it is the longest place name in Australia. The wind here destroyed the beautiful setting of the lake as a campsite, however it was a beautiful stop off – complete with a wedge tail eagle sighting. So we took to the roads again, looking for a place more sheltered. We did this for 50kms or so until all four of us decided to just continue onto Coober Pedy where the camps book promised a nice rest area. We spent the night at Hutcheson’s Memorial, a large rest area with some trees to shelter behind. We all sat around a campfire and once more shared stories and food.

Our set up near Coober Pedy

The next morning we all headed into town. Coober Pedy is really a place like no other. Half of the houses in town are underground, and the rest look like they’re straight out of the seventies. We looked in several opal shops and then went looking for a café for some coffee. We ended up finding an underground café that hadn’t been open in 5 years, but was willing to make us a cappuccino for a couple of dollars. We were very happy with that. Feeling reenergised, we decided to try our luck at noodling. Noodling is a method of mining for opal in left over mounds from mining excavation, without the use of tools. The odd few are known to make a bit of cash from the venture, however it is predominantly just another drawcard of the town and a bit of family fun. All members of our party decided to try they're luck,  at first this was a casual peruse through the rocks, but by the end I think everyone had caught opal fever as sticks, rocks and even an axe were used to try and uncover some opal.  Eventually it was time to give up and head for an underground tour. The tour began in an underground cinema, then took us into some underground houses, an old mine and eventually into an opal shop complete with a historical museum.  After the tour Michael and I were pretty beat so headed back to the previous night’s rest area for tea. Mona and Ryan stayed in town pursuing a potential job prospect. That night they returned and we all sat in the camper chatting away.

At the underground cafe!

The next morning Michael and I decided we should head on, considering our flights were in a few days. We said our goodbyes and travelled northwards. We stopped via the Breakaways and then drove for a very long time into nothing. Since there are no other tourist attractions along this stretch of highway, the next thing to mention is our stop off, being a rest area, and luckily one of the better on offer (we did, of course stop in at almost all along the way to compare and be choosy). Agnes Creek provided shady gums, red dust galore, the sound of the odd road train, but also the incessant noise of a generator. There was also some Norah Jones tunes belted out by a nearby hippie as she strolled through the campground.

The next day was boring. We crossed the border into the Northern Territory. I found some much needed distance from Michael ( a whole state!) then continued to jump to and from SA/NT. Stopped in at Kulgera for a quick look around, but luckily not a diesel top up, with it costing $2.10/L. We chose to stay at the closest rest area to Alice Springs, which also happened to be the smallest and most crowded of the lot. Luckily we were there in time to secure a position next to the fireplace, however being right on the highway meant no break in the noise of trucks, and also a large presence of four wheel drives towing motorbikes and quads, as we had managed to stumble into Alice on the busiest weekend of the year – the Finke Desert Race.

We arose early the next morning, eager to see our new home town. Our first destination was Alice Springs tourist information centre to ask about accommodation, but to get into town meant driving through thousands of budgies! Yup budgies! Apparently there are swarms of them in the Northern Territory, and they love nothing more than to fly back and forth across the main highway. Somehow I managed to not hit one – well there wasn’t one in the grill when we next pulled up – and sooner than we thought we’d reached civilisation of sorts. Alice Springs. There’s no other town quite like it. When you drive into town there are a lot of gum trees, red dirt and of course the beautiful McDonnell Ranges. Town is actually a lot larger than we thought and nowadays Alice houses a Coles, Kmart and Target – so everything we’ll need. We got to the info centre only to confirm what we had previously thought – town was filling up quick due to the race and we had better search for somewhere to stay fast! We ended up at the HeaviTree Gap caravan park, getting one of the last spots. We went into town then returned in time to cook tea. I managed to overhear someone mention some skippies out the back and before Michael knew what hit him, we were out the back of the park hand feeding black footed rock wallabies. They were ridiculously sweet and were quite happy to eat out of your hand, hop on your lap and be patted. That night we packed our bags ready for our flight the next day.

We flew back to the coast around lunch time and were greeted by Mum and Dad at the airport in Sydney. I think it’s worth noting that this was the first time in a long time that Michael and I had flown with an airline that cost more than 40 dollars to fly on, so when we received complimentary food, drinks and watched an in flight movie we were pretty impressed.  Saturday night we were home for the first time in a couple of months, it was nice to eat dinner inside in the warm, surreal compared with what we’ve been used to though. And that is the week that was epic travel.

Lesson of the week: Budgies are dumb.

The Flinders Ranges

Needing some serious R&R and to get a lot of odd jobs finished, Michael and I stayed at Mt Remarkable for a few more days.  Mostly we just had a campfire and enjoyed some of the finer things in life – wine, cheese and our beautiful surrounds. One evening, we perhaps indulged a little bit too much on one particular “finer thing”, but the result was pretty good - us running up a mountain to see the sunset over the Southern Ranges – if sober I think this definitely would not have happened as it was a very steep, rocky mountain. Good times!

Wednesday rolled around and we had achieved all we needed to and we also had a giant shopping list of everything we’d need to get for “up the middle”. Once more we set off to Port Augusta. We restocked and excitedly drove north. We stopped off at Quorn, got a few hints and tips as to where to go and what to see, then went to Warren Gorge for the evening. To begin with the campsite seemed quite small, but we found a track to the left and decided to explore – luckily we did so as it turns out that Warren Gorge was a maze of camping sites, rocks and huge gum trees set on many an acre! The gorge itself was also rather spectacular, large red and orange coloured rocks jutting out at sharp angles with small scrubs peppering the ground – beautiful.

The next morning we took a back road towards the Flinders Ranges National Park.  Along the way we stopped at some rather interesting ruins. Simmerston was the town that died before it came to life – literally, the railway was potentially going to pass by, thus a few hopeful go getters started to build a large hotel and a house, only to find out the railway was not going to be built there and thus all was abandoned half finished and still “standing” (however it was mainly only the foundations). We drove through Hawker then stopped off at some more ruins, this time of a huge homestead near a water hole. After getting a small history lesson, we moved on towards the Flinders. On this drive we spotted the first of many Wedge Tailed Eagles, we also saw several hundred emus and a couple of skippies.  We stopped at several lookouts and then settled for the evening at Wilpena Pound Resort. Once more the rain was looming, but we were eager to go for a walk. We put on our raincoats and left regardless. We ended up doing the Drought Busters Hike. This track had several desert plants along it with placecards to tell us what they were. It also had sweeping views of the ranges and the Pound. On the way back we spotted some feral billy goats and some absolutely stunningly coloured parrots.

Eager to find out about my potential job, I used the pay phone several times to talk to several people. This is where it gets interesting folks – I got the job and now Michael and I are going to live in Alice Springs! We went to the pub to celebrate and had quite seriously the largest meals we’ve eaten so far on the road.  At this stage I was to start mid August but had a lot of paperwork to do and had to also get it signed by a JP. The next morning we went to the information centre to ask where the closest JP would be only to find out it was Hawker (northward it would be a couple of weeks til we found one). As the rain had once again set in, all of our hikes were postponed, so the drive back to Hawker seemed like the best idea. When we reached Hawker (and reception) I received another phone call, apparently I was to start the job June 18! Eek! So with some serious planning, a lot of form filling then posting and a change in our trips route (we now had a week to get to Alice if we wanted to go home first to get everything we’d need to move – so much for two months!).We left Hawker, once more heading for the Ranges. 

This time we passed Wilpena, found a dirt track that said “scenic route” and decided to take it. The rain had made the track quite muddy and as a result our Hulky is still wearing a brown and orange coating. Despite the mud, the track was well worth it. It lead us to some amazing lookouts, and considering we now had to fast track our trek, it gave us an opportunity to soak in the beauty of the Ranges at top speed. Along the way we passed Buneroo Gorge and I somehow managed to spot a couple of yellow tailed rock wallabies in their den. Most will probably not know about this little beauty, once considered extinct the wallaby has fought the elements and predators and somehow managed to reappear, it is still considered a rare species to spot though. Excited from seeing the wallabies, we drove on to the Teamsters Campsite, where a yellow footed rock wallaby actually crossed our path! We couldn’t believe it, people were lucky to see one and we’d seen three! We started dinner, with spits of rain threatening. Michael being ever an optimist lit a fire to fend off the cold. Then suddenly a little head popped up over a nearby rock – another wallaby! This one was very game however and came extremely close. We think because we were the only people dumb enough to be out in the weather that we were lucky enough to see 4 wallabies and have one join us for tea!

In the morning the sun was shining, so we explored the campground. Set near a small billabong and with rocky mountain ranges surrounding us we were once again blown away by the beauty of nature. We knew we had to gain some ground that day, so packed up and headed north. We travelled via the Brachina Gorge Geological Trail, saw the Great Wall of China, Blinnman, Parachilna and then stopped in Leigh Creek for some lunch and some much needed reception and internet time. We also booked some flights home for Saturday the 9^{th June}. Then back to the road! We drove through Lyndhurst then lost all signs of civilisation. The road was so thick with mud it made for an interesting drive. Eventually we arrived at Marree. The last thing we expected to find out there was water and mud, but there was definitely no shortage - apparently the town had recently received 8mm of rain. This was enough to close the Birdsville track and coat just about everything in thick red mud.

 We headed straight for the pub. Yes we had earned a drink, but more importantly a family friend is currently managing the pub so we wanted to call in and say hi. For those who haven’t been outback, pubs are also a huge hub of information on where to go and what to do. So we said hellos, set up camp out the back of the pub and somehow ended up booking into a flight over Lake Eyre and Cooper Creek the next morning. But that’s a story for next week’s adventure! 

So we settled down, grabbed a beer and soaked in the local atmosphere. If you’re ever in the vicinity stop by, it really is a ripper of a pub and of course management are lovely!

Lesson of the week: Mother nature never stops surprising you, and if it does you definitely don’t have your eyes open!