Janet and Peter On Tour: August 2014

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Pub crawl to Mataranka

Where do I start? Alice Springs was great We didn't see it all but we had a good crack. Lots of bike rides, walks, historic sights, The Alice Springs Desert Park was fantastic. After 9 nights we reluctantly packed up and set off on the road again, visiting all the outback pubs with their memorabilia all over the walls and lots of fascinating characters. Our overnight stops have been so quiet and peaceful and you can't take your eyes off of the stars at night. They are so close and so many. The sunsets are amazing. The termite mounds are everywhere and sometimes it looks like there is an aboriginal child standing by the road because someone has dressed the mound in clothes which is really funny but I wonder what the ants think! Most of the traffic is caravans, motor homes and camper trailers but a good number of road trains too. They belt along. We encountered one on a one track road, luckily we weren't towing the van because we had to do a quick manoeuvre onto the shoulder because the Road Trains don't stop for anything! They can't get off the road because they are 54 metres long and if they swerved they would lose their third trailer. They are definitely King of the road!
I write this from the Caravan Park at Mataranka. Today we visited the Elsey Homestead Cemetery. Elsey Homestead is where Jeannie Gunn lived and wrote "We of the Never Never" It's also where Bitter Springs is and we went for a swim in them this afternoon. The water is crystal clear and warm.
Thanks to everyone for asking about my Mum. She is home from the hospital and on the road to recovery. We speak on the phone and Face Time. She is such a good Mum, we love her to bits.

This little character was part of the Bird Show at Alice Springs Desert park

so was this guy

We make FIRE!! (much chest beating)

but we didn't make this fire!

Devils Marbles

We found this spot after travelling 11km along a 4WD track

Well worth the death defying drive for the scenery

and birdlife

Cheers!

The Outback Pubs all have their own quirkiness

Memorabilia cover the walls as well as names & dates of travellers passing through

Daly Waters

Friday, August 22, 2014

Palm Valley

Today we were up at 5.45am to meet our 4WD vehicle at 7.00am to take us out to Palm Valley. After our attempt the other day and speaking to different people who had done the trip, we decided to do a tour and we are so glad we did! The tour was picking us up at the gate to where we are staying and to our horror, the front gate was locked! We tried pushing buttons to open the sliding gate but no luck. We were inside the park and needed to be out on the road before we missed the truck! I ended up shimmying under the gate with a lot of manoeuvrings and peter tried but couldn't fit. I was on the outside and he was still locked in. He ended up climbing over the barbed wire and finally we were where we were meant to be - before the truck got there. As we were dusting ourselves off and having a good laugh - a car drove up to the gate and it opened!
Anyway, the truck picked us up and we picked up 10 other people and settled back for the drive through the West McDonnell Ranges. Our driver was Jim Cottorill, he is famous in these parts for having the roadhouse at Stuarts Well for many years and having a singing Dingo. He has lived in Central Australia since he was ten years old and had many interesting stories as well as being very knowledgeable about the area. His Father started doing tours back in the 1950's and Jim and now his son continued on the tradition. When we were at Kings Canyon we crossed "Cottorill Bridge" which was named after Jim and his son who had built the original bridge with logs. It eventually fell down into the crevice and the remains can still be seen. The drive into the valley was definitely high clearance 4 wheel drive only! We shuddered over the deep corrugations and climbed "staircases", went through water, thick sand, over big boulders and narrow paths. It was so thrilling and so worth the teeth jarring bounces! It was a big day 7.00am to 6.00pm but we saw beautiful scenery, had such a good commentary, met some lovely people had a beautiful lunch in the historic Hermannsburg. We did a couple of 2km walks and when we walked back into the park where we are staying, Peter was pelted with beer cans from the two couples we have met here! They are lovely people and we have spent time with them around their camp fire at night. Peter knocked on the sides of their vans as we left this morning so it was pay back!
Mum is doing really well, she's up and about and is constantly having phone calls and visitors - sometimes I can't get through! While we were at Hermannsburg today, she Face Timed us and is looking as beautiful as ever.

Part of the drive into Palm Valley is along the Finke River bed

Palm Valley

Our 4 WD truck

Some of the Palms and Cycads are over 300 years old

Palm Valley

A tame part of the track

view from the ridge of Palm Valley

one of the water pools

the silence is amazing

walking up Kalarranga Lookout

Kalarranga Lookout

The photos don't justify the colours

Mother and baby along the track

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Alice Springs

There is so much to see and do in Alice. We have been cycling around the town as well as a few out of town places. The show grounds is a great place to stay, we've met some lovely people and shared a few drinks around their campfires. Last night we got the news that my beautiful Mum had a fall and was in the hospital with a broken hip and rib. Those of you who have met my amazing Mum will know how vibrant she is for her 80 years and it's disappointing that she will miss her next trip to China which was due to happen in 4 weeks. However they operated today and have pinned her hip so she should be up and about shortly and will replan her holiday for a later date. My daughter Bec has been with her constantly and I'm very grateful and proud. Mum is surrounded by friends and the hospital staff love her and are taking good care of her. Our hearts weren't really into sightseeing today but Mum insisted we go to Palm Valley. She loved it when she was here recently. We set off and 100ks down the road, a car passed us, kicked up a rock and cracked our windscreen! It kept getting worse so we turned around and came back. It is being fixed tomorrow so we will do some cycling and local sights. All our love to my beautiful Mum and wishes for a speedy recovery.

Our Home away from Home

I love old cemeteries!

The original 'Alice Spring'

Looking at the telegraph Station from 'Alice Spring'

A bit of BMXing!

'The Ghan' was in town

Alice Springs from Anzac Hill

Saturday, August 16, 2014

On the road again......

We have phone service and internet...yay!!
It's really great to not have the distractions of phone and internet but boy...after a few days it's so exciting to see those little dots light up on the phone and all the emails and messages come through!
We are currently at the show grounds campground in Alice Springs. We met some people here that said they pulled in for one night - four weeks ago! That's how it goes, you make loose plans but they always change. Here are some photos: