Alice Springs to Ayers Rock 18/9/12 - 28/9/12

Alice Springs/Uluru  18/9/12 - 28/9/12

Alice Springs fron Anzac Hill lookout



Alice Springs is Australia's most famous outback town. It has currently a population of 28,000 and is quite a modern town bordered by the magnificent Macdonnell Ranges which stretch across the horizon. A lot of people think Ayers Rock (Uluru) is close to Alice Springs but it is 450 kms away. A good day's drive.

The day we arrived into the town it was a hot 37 deg so it was a relief to cool off in an air-conditioned shopping centre. There was not a drop of water in the Todd River bed which runs through the town. We were told it is like this for most of the year. A superb view of Alice Springs and the Ranges can be seen from Anzac Hill on the edge of the CBD. Many tourists stop off in Alice Springs before travelling down to Ayers Rock (Uluru) and Kings Canyon. The Macdonnell Ranges are also popular with the tourists which includes the 223 km Larapinta walking trail.



While staying here we drove out to the Macdonnell Ranges 141 kms to the Ormiston Gorge, one of many gorges in the Ranges. We arrived to do the 8km circuit walk right in the hottest part of the day which was timed rather badly as there were signs around advising people not to start the walk too late in the morning. The temperature for the day was 37 degs but fortunately there was a breeze to keep us cooler. The terrain was very barren and rocky and the area reminded us of Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges. The walk concluded through the Ormiston Gorge coming out at a lovely cool swimming hole left over from the previous floods. It felt great to have a swim after walking for 2 1/2 hours in the heat




A coldl swim after a hot walk

Driving back to Alice springs we visited a few more of the gorges, Ellery Creek big hole, where we had another refreshing swim and Simpson's Gap, a narrow gap between 2 high cliffs.

Mt Conner near Curtain Springs

Caravan park with backdrop of barren hills. Alice Springs

We took 2 days to drive down to Uluru and stayed at a place called Curtain Springs Station 100km before Ayers Rock.  We got up early 5.45am leaving the caravan behind and drove to Uluru with the hope of being able to walk the track to the top of the rock and also see it at sunrise. There is an entrance fee of $25 per person which lasts for three days to enter the area. The weather was cloudy so we missed out on seeing the early morning sun striking the rock and we also missed out on climbing Uluru due to high winds and high temps. forecast. But that morning there was cloud and no wind so they obviously didn't want people to climb it. We were very disappointed as that would have been a highlight and a challenge for us both. We found out that the Aboriginies don't want people to climb up Uluru as they say it is sacred (due to ancestors having climbed it) and ask people to be respectful. The Rangers are trying to stop as many people as possible from doing the climb but it is still open for anyone to do it dependant on the weather and cultural days.  They feel if they closed it off altogether tourism would fall. There is a warning in the brochures saying how physically demanding it is and that 35 people have died while attempting to do the climb.

Seeing Uluru for the first time was quite exciting and was very impressive. It is one of the great wonders of the world. It stands 348 mtrs high is it is estimated that at least 2/3rds of it lies beneath the surface.

Ayers Rock (Uluru)

As we couldn't do the walk up Uluru we drove over to The Olgas, about 45 kms away, another unusual outcrop of huge rocks. Here we did an 8km walk which took us through the huge massive boulders.

The Olgas

We headed back to Uluru all the time hoping the walking track might be reopened but as there was no chance of it happening we did the next best thing and walked the 10kms around the base. This was very interesting seeing different views of the rock and areas where Aboriginal people lived.
We went to the viewing area to watch the sun setting on the rock along with many other people. The colour of the rock changed from orange to a deep purple.













Views of Uluru base walk


















We had to drive the 100kms back to Curtain Springs where the caravan was and as it was dark we had to be very careful not to hit any kangaroos. Made it safely.

Still feeling we wanted to do the climb up Uluru we were prepared to drive the 100kms back the next day if it was open but when we rang early the next morning and again over the next couple of days, it was still closed. We had spoken to people in the camp who had walked up it with their 2 children the day before we got there so we were still hoping. But when we couldn't after 3 days we were over it and resigned to the fact we were not going to be able to climb Ayers Rock.

The elusive track. So near yet so far

We packed up and left for Kings Canyon, 220 kms away. We had beautiful blue skies so good weather to walk the rim of Kings Canyon, just over 7 kms. The Canyon was quite spectacular with sheer cliffs and unique rock formations.











Kings Canyon Pictures

Just one more step back please

Finishing the walk at 4.30pm we had to drive 120 kms to our camp site, just a rest area on the side of the road. Being dark when we arrived there and the only ones there Nigel decided to have a shower without bothering to put up the shower tent. During the shower, wouldn't you believe it, a car pulled in with it's lights on and drove around looking for a spot. Nigel, who was soaking wet ran from one side to the other to avoid being seen.

"If you are ever in the middle of nowhere, feeling lonely and isolated, have a wash or shower in your birthday suit outside or go to the toilet in the bush and you can guarantee someone will turn up right at that time". Carol didn't have the camera handy for this one luckily.

Kings Canyon was the last attraction we came to experience during our massive side trip down to Central Australia. From here we retraced our journey back to Alice Springs for a night before continuing north back up to Tennant Creek where we found a lovely lake to cool off at. Just 25 kms north is the Threeways junction where we turned right and headed east on our way towards Queensland.

We had just completed our 2,000 kms, 2 weeks, side trip. We weren't sure whether to do it but were very pleased we did manage to fit it into our schedule.

Darwin to Devils Marbles

Darwin and down to the Centre

Darwin

Darwin is the capital of the Northern Territory and is the most northern City in Australia. We arrived into Darwin 1st September and stayed in another Seventh Day Adventist caravan park as we did in Broome. It had only 12 sites in a lovely grassy tree lined area. The only stipulation in staying there was that we didn't drink alcohol or smoke, so we had withdrawal symptoms after a week!! (joke). It was only 15 mins drive away from the CBD so it was very convenient.

SDA Caravan Park












  Nearby was a water park with waterslides and a huge swimming pool. Nigel enjoyed the enclosed twisting slides and it was all for free. Amazing.



Darwin is full of WWII history as it was heavily bombed by the Japanese in February 1942 with many lives lost. Quite a few ships were sunk or damaged in Darwin Harbour. Very similar to the Pearl Harbour attack. The City itself is attractive and has a laid back feeling as there doesn't seem to be the rush and bustle as there is in other major cities. Not very many high rise.




Gun from a sunken American warship

Government House Darwin

There are many attractions to go and see while in Darwin. Some of the attractions we went to were the Darwin Museum and Art Gallery where they had a room set aside for an exhibition for Cyclone Tracy which destroyed most of the city in 1974. It was very interesting and it included a small room where the sound of the actual cyclone was played. Following this we went nearby to the Mindil Beach Markets which are held every Thursday and Sunday evenings. It was full of colour and atmosphere ending with everyone going on to the beach to watch the sunset.




Darwin Sunset

Mindil Markets















Another great museum in Darwin is the Military Museum which also has a sight and sound display on the bombing of Darwin. It was most informative and we learnt a lot about what went on during the war in this area of Australia.

As Darwin doesn't have any beaches around the CBD and also because of the threat of crocodiles and stingers a newly developed waterfront precinct has been made to compensate. There is a great wave pool and an area of the sea sectioned off so people can swim without fear.







Swimming enclosure

Wave Pool












Beat that Crocodile Dundee

As Darwin has lovely warm evenings we spent one having dinner on the Stokes Hill Wharf. Nigel could remember having fish n chips here on his previous visit and enjoyed it so much he wanted to take Carol there to have the same experience. Unfortunately, the meal didn't match up to the lovely evening we had so it was a bit disappointing.






Kakadu

Leaving Darwin we drove through to Kakadu which is a national park full of Aboriginal culture plus tropical vegetation and wildlife. From the main highway south, Kakadu is a sidetrip of about 450km out to the furthest point of Ubir then back to the highway south again in the shape of a triangle. We timed it to arrive at Cahills Crossing Ubir at about 3pm. The reason for this is that the river at the crossing is tidal and high tide was about 3pm. Cahills Crossing is the border crossing between Kakadu and Arnhem land. At high tide the river floods the crossing and at that point fish swim across and crocodiles wait on the other side for a good feed. Well we did see the fish swimming across, but there were only two disinterested crocodiles who were obviously not hungry, so the fish lived to see another day.

Cahills Crossing Ubir

After dropping the caravan off at the campsite we went to see some Aboriginal rock art, then walked up to a lookout overlooking the wetlands and listened to a ranger give a talk on different facets of the area, the history, the flora and fauna. It was quite a beautiful setting as we watched the sunset with flocks of birds and the slight haziness of the smoke from burning off. In the evening back at the camp another ranger gave a talk together with photos on an outdoor screen of Aboriginal rock art and their interpretation which was quite interesting.

Rock Art

Lecture at the lookout Ubir

Another must do in Kakadu is the Yellow Waters Billabong cruise at Cooinda which is on the road back out to the main highway. We took the sunrise cruise so it was an early rise that day. The cruise took us up the river viewing much birdlife which were becoming active at that time of the morning. It was very serene in the early morning light. Quite a few crocodiles were also visible either lazing on the banks of the river or just lurking just below the surface. The vegetation was lush and green with beautiful water lilies out in flower. Following the cruise a hearty smorgaborg breakfast was provided at the hotel in Cooinda.





 

Yellow Waters Cruise at sunrise


Leaving Kakadu after 3 days we passed through Katherine once again, stopping off for a laze in the hot (warm) springs.

If anyone has read the book or seen the film "We of the Never Never" by Jeannie Gunn, Mataranka is the setting for this true story set in 1902/3, which recounts the story of Jeannie Gunn who travelled from Melbourne to live with her new husband on the remote Elsey Cattle station. The main attraction at Mataranka is the hot springs of which there are two. Bitter Springs and springs at the Mataranka Homestead. Both of these springs are crystal clear water. At Bitter Springs you can float down with the flow for a couple of hundred metres then get out and walk back to the beginning again or swim back against the current which is good to get the heart pumping. At the Mataranka Homestead there is the actual film set replica of the original Elsey station in the movie "We of the Never Never"




Bitter Springs

Jeannie and Aeneas Gunn

Elsey Station (replica)

Mataranka Springs



An overnight stopover at Daly Waters features the old historic Daly Waters pub. Also Daly Waters happens to be Australia's first international aerodrome as it was used as a stopoverfor the 1926 London to Sydney air race. Later the aerodrome was used as a refuelling stop by Qantas and as an airbase in WW2. The original hangar is still there which contains various memorabilia.

Inside Daly Waters Pub

Daly Waters Historic Pub

Daly Waters Aerodrome

We were now heading south to the centre, Alice Springs and Uluru (Ayers Rock). We passed through Tennant Creek and now commenced a huge side trip of hundreds of kilometres to the centre and back to Tennant Creek before heading East to Queensland.

On the way we stayed overnight at the "Devils Marbles" which is a popular stopover for travellers. These unusual rock formations have been shaped by wind and weather to form rounded shaped rocks which look as though they have been placed on top of each other. some of them look as though you could give them a push and they would topple over. Around the campsite it is not unusual to be visited by a resident dingo. During the night the howls of dingo's could be heard.











Further down the road we stopped briefly at Wycliffe Wells. This town has been made famous by the many UFO sightings and strange happenings that have taken place in this area over many years. More kilometres down the road and we came to the Aileron Roadhouse where there is an Aboriginal art gallery plus these enormous statues of an Aboriginal woman and her daughter spearing a goanna lizard. On the hill is another huge statue of an Aboriginal man.

Note size against Carol at base

Next stop Alice Springs.