Tuesday 1 June we arrived at Tennant Creek, NT - settling into the Outback Caravan Park for one night - the very same caravan park we stayed at back in 2001! Had a relaxing afternoon just catching up on emails etc and listening to the ABC radio - there was a "Juke Box Competion" on where listeners ring in to answer three questions relating to the song being played. Paulie couldn't help himself, so phoned in to enter the comp - got the questions correct, went into the weekly draw for a prize of three CDs - but didn't get drawn out for the prize.
Next day we drove 550kms to Alice Springs, arriving late afternoon and staying two nights at the Wintersun Caravan Park. Unfortunately whilst driving to Alice Springs, a passing car threw up a stone and put a small chip in our windscreen, so next morning we got that fixed. Had a walk around Alice Springs shops, paid 50c to use public toilet - yes you have to pay at some toilets! Had a lovely lunch at the Red Ochre Grill sitting in their pretty courtyard in the sunshine, thinking about all you poor suckers at work! Very chilly night outside but we were cosy in our van.
Friday 4 June we headed off for Yulara, 444kms south west of Alice Springs. About 130kms from Yulara, we first sighted a huge red rock formation and we got excited thinking it was Uluru - but then noticed it wasn't quite the right shape (too flat on top) - turned out to be Mt Connor - a mistake made by many we later found out! Then further on when we did see the real Uluru, it really was a WOW moment - it's quite spectacular. We checked into Yulara Resort/Campground which services visitors to Uluru - it's quite a big resort with various accommodation options - we found a spot for our van, the sites are only small so everyone is pretty close. Our first night there, we walked up the back of the campsite to the lookout for the sunset on the Rock - amazing!
Next morning we drove 22kms to the Rock, obtaining the three day pass on the way - this covers access to Uluru and The Olgas. When we arrived at Uluru, it was closed for climbing due to strong winds at the summit, so we did the 10km base walk, which was beautiful. We got back from the base walk around 2pm and Paulie noticed people climbing up the Rock, so with great haste and adrenalin pumping, he decided to go for it while he had the chance. I didn't climb the Rock but I did surf it!! With my dodgy knees (a gift from my dear mum) and low blood pressure, I decided against the climb as it is incredibly steep and I didn't want to risk an injury which would ruin the rest of our trip. Paulie said you can't appreciate how steep it is until you are standing at the bottom and the climb that is visible from the ground is only about half of what is required to get to the end of the chain, and then after the chain ends you are on your own with just a white dotted line to follow. Paulie caught up with a couple and their daughter and climbed with them (they were from Tassie - up here for the Finke desert race, which is a huge event from Alice Springs). Paulie said it was a tough climb, but the feeling of standing on the top and the view you see, far outweighed the exertion required! Paulie was absolutely buzzing after the climb and couldn't stop talking about it for days.
On the Sunday we did a couple of walks at The Olgas - The Valley of the Winds and the Gorge walk. The scenery was different to Uluru but just as spectacular. Next day we drove back to Uluru for one last close up look and visited the cultural centre and arts shop. That evening we got the Resort's free bus to the beautiful Kuniya Restaurant for a five star dinner as a special treat - our meals were delicious and we had a wonderful time. On Tuesday, our last day at Yulara, we caught up on some washing, did a bike ride around the area and watched our final Uluru sunset. We were also lucky enough to be given a beautiful roast lamb dinner by our caravanning neighbours - as they had way too much food for the two of them - how nice was that!
Wednesday 9 June we were up early to drive to Kings Canyon, which means backtracking 136kms to the turnoff to Kings Canyon and then 167kms into the Canyon. The cold weather had started to set in with cold and windy days and chilly nights but at least the days are fine. Fairly quiet day with a short walk to the lookout. Dingoes wandering freely around the campsites at dusk and then howling closeby throughout the night. Next morning we were up at 8am - yes 8am, which is so late for us but we have been sleeping like babies in our cosy van, sleeping for 12 hours some nights!!
We did the 6km Kings Canyon rim walk which took 3 and 1/2 hours - quite a steep section at the start and climbing up and down rocks, cliff edges close by, beautiful scenery including the Garden of Eden with a gorgeous waterhole. Very chilly and windy walk but well worth it. Friday morning we did the Kings Canyon base walk where we could see up the cliffs to the rim where we had walked the previous day. Another cold and windy day, but fine still. We also did the Kathleen Springs walk which had only just reopened after the heavy rains earlier this year. Saturday and Sunday were pretty quiet days catching up on cleaning the van etc, and did a 10km bike ride out the back of Kings Canyon. With our five night stay at Yulara and another five nights at Kings Canyon, Paulie's cider stocks had run dangerously low, and at $40 for a six-pack, we had to call on our emergency rum bottle which got us through!
From Kings Canyon turnoff, we now needed to backtrack through Alice Springs and Tennant Creek (approx 730kms) to be able to head north, so on Monday 14 June we drove to Stuart Wells, staying one night at the Roadhouse, camping out the back on some lovely red dirt - that's what you have to put up with when you are in "Centralia" as it's called by the locals! The owner of the Roadhouse, Jim Cotterill, has a pet dingo called Dinky and that evening Jim told the story of Dinky's piano playing and singing talent. At the end of the talk, Jim called up Paulie from the audience to sit at the piano with Dinky and play. There were strict instructions about no sudden movements or patting Dinky but Dinky was allowed to sniff and lick Paulie's head. Then the show began, as Dinky would walk on the piano keys and howl at the same time and then every time he stopped, Paulie would play a note and Dinky would howl again and stomp on the keys - it was quite a show, very funny. I took some photos and a movie of the performance - very entertaining!
We then had the next night at Alice Springs again, to restock the food pantry and grog supplies. Alice recorded a -1degree temperature next morning so we took off early without breakfast. We were then going to stop at Wauchope the next night (just before Tennant Creek) to listen to or watch the State of Origin but on arrival at Wauchope we discovered no radio, phone or tv reception, so decided to drive on to Tennant Creek. In the afternoon whilst listening to the radio, the "Juke Box Competition" was on again and Paulie phoned in, getting the correct answers to the three questions - so he's in the draw for a prize again! Will keep you posted on the outcome. Later we watched the SofO game on a tiny tv in the communal camp kitchen at the caravan park, together with one other Queensland couple and various other Aussie and overseas travellers. What a great game and a fantastic victory once again for
QUEENSLAND!
