Other NT icons

'You'll never never know, if you never never go.' Remember that slogan from the TV ads trying to coax the rest of us to the NT? Well it's true. There are so many extraordinary things to see and do in Central Oz that sometime, you just have to visit. Here's pics of a couple more of the iconic wonders we have been surrounded by in the past couple of days.....

Kings Canyon....looking up the canyon towards the walls

The walls of the canyon

On the Finke River 4 WD Route......this is Boggy Hole.....one of only 6 permanent waterholes in 600kms of the river. Very nice.

Our camp spot in Finke Gorge NP near Palm Valley. Very warm here...but Oh My Goodness! The stars!!!!!!

Palm Valley is full of palm trees and cycads....but not a drop of water.

The Climb

Jon gears up to make his dash to the top of Uluru.

The surface is very rough and rugged...on top as well as down the sides.

'Made it!'

Looking down towards the descent path.

The non-climber strikes the same pose she did 30 years ago!

Our stay at Uluru was highlighted by Jon being able to climb ‘The Rock’. It had been a long time dream of his, so we were pleased that ‘The Climb’ was open 1 of the days we were there. It was actually closed on 2 days for high winds and rain. He made the climb in almost record time to the top….I was amazed watching from the base how quickly he became a tiny figure high up on the steep red slopes. Once at the top, he spent quite sometime enjoying the extensive views and posing for photos – as you’ll see. He also made a couple of ‘Uluru TV’ segments for the one who didn’t climb. Says Jon, “I didn’t want to come down. It was an amazing experience being at the top. I felt quite privileged to be there, particularly as it seems that not everyone gets to climb.” Another one of those ‘ahhhhhhh life’s good’ moments. 

Yum-O!

‘Mr Gourmet’ showed up for dinner. After making an appearance on a beach in Tasmania, this time, he was creating sweet sensations in his outdoor kitchen for a most memorable dessert treat. Whoever knew a can of caramel, ginger nut biscuits and choc chips could look and taste so yummy. Wonder where he will strike next???

More to come....

After a quick change of plans, we decided to rocket into the Northern Territory. So we are now deep, deep in Central Australia, the Red Centre, or as I like to say 'The Home of the Fly'....make that 10 billion flies. We have seen and done so much in the past couple of days. But Uluru was great! Did the base walk....all 3 hours of it with my million fly buddies. Jon did 'The Climb'  - while I wrote postcards:) We also had a Sounds of Silence dinner....gourmet bush tucker dinner under the stars in the red dirt between Uluru and the Olgas. Saw the sun set on the rock with a rainbow above. Very special. We've hiked the Kings Canyon, roughed it on the Finke Gorge 4WD route and camped at Palm Valley. Now in Alice Springs. No pics this time....you'll just have to take our word for it.

O

Time Out: Coward Springs

A whole lot of nothing much: Lake Eyre

Crazy place: William Creek Hotel

Hear the whispers of history: Old Ghan ruins

Just one of those 'must dos': PRO

O is for Oodnadatta Track! We had lots of fun 'living the dream' by clocking up some 600k on this historic journey. It mostly follows the path of the Old Ghan Railway which used to connect Adelaide to Alice Springs. Fascinating ruins and bridges and stories along the way. Some other highlights were:

- a dip in the artesian spring at Coward Springs....bubbling, coolish and a welcome respite from the flies!

- seeing both Lake Eyres...the north and the south. No water in either where we could get to, but flights from William Ck are booked out as people head further north for a view of the water form QLD flowing into LE Nth.

- the most unusual 'insides' of William Creek pub....everyone who visits leaves something behind. So the walls and roof are covered in clothing, signatures, photos, underwear, pictures, business cards and almost anything else you could think of.

- dropping in to the Pink Roadhouse in Oodnadatta....their grocery store has to be one of the most unique and expensive in Australia! 

Lotsaflies!

Our trip north through South Australia has started....and watch out! We are headed waaaaayyyy north....almost right back to QLD! Tonight we are at Leigh Creek, a mining town 574k from Adelaide. We got here via the spectacular Flinders Ranges where we camped for 2 nights under clear, brilliantly starry skies. The pics below are all taken in and around the FR National Park, where we climbed another mountain, went 4WDing, snapped pics of some old copper mine and met up with the locals....mostly of the reptilian and insect species. Think I needed to buy a hat with corks before we got here!

'The Thinker' in action on Mount Ohlssen Bagge. This was a four hour hike on the edge of Wilpena Pound. 

One of the many locals we shared the mountain with. Very friendly!

Looking back over the Pound towards the southern ranges.

North of the National Park headed out to the ruins. Bare, rocky landscapes of the sheep stations. Saw a few emus and lots of kangaroos.

The Navara is still travelling well....in fact she just eats up these dry, dusty conditions.

So the fun continues and the adventure rarely stops. So much to see and plenty to do. We're both loving the trip and so thankful we have made it to week 8! Might be a while until you next hear from us because we're about to tackle the Simpson Desert!

Sensational SA

As each team got knocked out of the finals of the Sevens comp., they did a lap of the oval, signing autographs and shaking fan's hands. The kids loved it....even us big ones.

Victor Harbor's Granite Island is reached by a walk across the old bridge or a horse drawn tram ride. Misty the Clydesdale was doing great work this afternoon but I was particularly impressed by the stallion in the foreground:) 

The mouth of the Murray River, along Goolwa Beach. Great way to end the day....a squirt through the sand. Got stuck once, but letting a little air from the tyres was all we needed to get going again.

Across one of the Jacob's Creek vineyards in the Barossa. 3 sips of wine later and I was happy to say 'been there, done that' and head off to some cheese or chocolate factory!

Moonta Bay beach looked lovely on Good Friday. Plenty of people were enjoying the fine weather....lots fishing off the jetty and a few crazy kids in the swimming enclosure. Saw my first squid get caught....one of God's weirdest looking critters I reckon.

South Australia....it really is quite a nice place....despite how dry everything is at the moment. We have been in Adelaide a week now and filled our time with plenty of pleasant experiences....as the photos testify. A quick recap of the week - IRB International Sevens tournament at the Adelaide Oval last Sunday ( GO Kenya!); touring to the south (including a cold Victor Harbor and a sprint along the beach to the mouth of the mighty Murray River); a day in the Adelaide Hills (spectacular views over the city from Mt Lofty) and the Barossa Valley (wine tasting may not be our 'thing' but it's beautiful country up that way) and a day trip to the north-west of the Yorke Peninsula (the ocean sure is a welcome sight after the miles and miles of flat brown plains.) Our visit with Andrew and Susan is coming to an end but we have had a terrific time of resting, some Nav modifications and exploring. Thanks guys!

Bits and Pieces

We finished off Tassie with....a late lunch in Gladstone; camping the night under the Batman Bridge; a tour of Beaconsfield gold mine and heritage centre; a food crawl - raspberry farm, cheese factory and chocolate factory; a night in Devonport and another calm crossing on the ferry. I'll be back!

In Melbourne, we enjoyed a visit with long time Litzow family friends. Delicious brunch Sean and Emma and great hospitality Sally - thank-you! We made a quick trip south to Warrnambool and then followed the coastline round to Mount Gambier - their Blue Lake is amazing! and up to Adelaide. Took a  couple of days to do this and stopped in at Tintinara on the way  - where our camper was made. A few running repairs and we bought a fly for the tent and had it fitted. Also learnt how to set the tent up properly....oh the things you can THINK you are doing right. Staying with friends Andrew and Susan in Adelaide for.....???

Favourites

As we cruised on the Spirit of Tasmania back across to mainland Australia, Jon asked me for my 2 highlights of our 3 weeks in Tassie. Soooo many options, what to choose. In the end I nominated.....the views from on top of Mt Rufus in Lake St Clair NP. I have never seen so many lakes and mountains all at once...every direction you looked. Amazing! And my other highlight was our lazy morning at Cosy Corner which you read about in the previous post. Divine! Jon's choices were similar, but not so surprisingly, one did include food! He said the pancake and coffee breakfast cooked while checking out the surf from his outdoor kitchen and achieving the long-held goal of climbing to the top of Cradle Mountain. For both of us, we could make a much longer list, but as we look back on our time in Tasmania, we are so thankful for great weather and wonderful experiences and beautiful scenery and crazy adventures. And we HIGHLY RECOMMEND a trip to Tassie sometime in your life:)