Days 289-291 – Hervey Bay (28-30 June)

We said goodbye today (Monday) to Wendy and Rob who are heading home.  We had a fabulous weekend and it sure is quiet without them around.  The good news is we get to see them again at the end of year when they come to WA for a visit.  We spent the morning shopping for flea treatment and new bedding for the boys (Luke and Ben) who have a really bad bout of fleas.  Consequently Coco, Kady and Leica have got a flea or two which is unusual.  John washed Coco and the boys who were really dirty, flea powdered them, their kennel and their beds and replaced their bedding with the new blankets we got from the local op shop.  They looked much happier and certainly much cleaner.  Luke has such a soft coat now.  Next day we had a lazy start as it was cold and miserable then went out to get pick up my sunnies that I had left on the ferry on the way back from Fraser Island, luckily they had been found.  When out walking the dogs, poor Ben got bitten on the nose by a dog when Ben went up to the fence of its property to say hello.  It all started very friendly and then suddenly the other dog got aggressive and started to attack Ben.  There was a lot of blood and it looked very nasty but fortunately this morning it looks much better and was dry.  We will keep a check on it in case it gets infected.  So far have avoided the vets.  This morning (Wednesday) is a beautiful day with the sun shining and it is warm (25 in the van woo hoo!!)  We took the opportunity of a nice day to check out the beach and foreshore.  Just beautiful.  The tide was out again but still great for walking.  Took some nice sunset shots of the Urangan Pier which is 1km long, we were in our tshirts and shorts until 6.00pm – haven’t been able to do that for a while.  Fingers crossed the weather stays so good!

Cane Toad - heaps of them here 

Shark Show

Day 288 – Fraser Island (27 June)

We have had the best day ever today, it was just wonderful!!  We had absolutely perfect weather all day with the sun shining throughout our time on the island.  Couldn’t have chosen a better day.  We had an early start to begin our adventure to Fraser Island.  Needed to be at the barge landing at River Heads (10km away) by 7.45am for a 8.30am departure.  This meant we had 45 mintues to kill while we waited.  Can you believe there wasn’t anywhere to buy a coffee!  A great opportunity for an enterprising person with a mobile coffee van. Certainly a captive market.  The weather is looking promising so fingers crossed the forecasted clouds and rain don’t eventuate.  Not too many cars going over but a couple of busloads of people of tour.  The trip to the island takes 30 minutes.  We disembarked at Wanggoolba Creek – love the name.  The barge had a cat on board that obviously lives on the barge as there was kitty litter tray for it under the stairs but this didn’t stop it from ‘spraying’ on one of the crews backpack – he’ll get a nasty surprise.  Nothing worse than cat pee!  “Fraser Island is world heritage listed and comprising 184,000 hectares is the largest sand island in the world.   It stretches 123 kms in length and 22 kms at its widest point.  It is a place of exceptional beauty, with its long uninterrupted white beaches flanked by strikingly coloured sand cliffs, and over 100 freshwater lakes, some tea-coloured and others clear and blue all ringed by white sandy beaches. Ancient rainforests grow in sand along the banks of fast-flowing, crystal-clear creeks.  Fraser Island is the only place in the world where tall rainforests are found growing on sand dunes at elevations of over 200 metres. The low "wallum" heaths on the island are of particular evolutionary and ecological significance, and provide magnificent wildflower displays in spring and summer.  The immense sand blows and cliffs of coloured sands are part of the longest and most complete age sequence of coastal dune systems in the world and they are still evolving.  They are a continuous record of climatic and sea level changes over the last 700 000 years. The highest dunes on the island reach up to 240 metres above sea level.  The Great Sandy Strait, separating Fraser Island from the mainland, is listed by the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention). The wetlands include: rare patterned ferns; mangrove colonies; sea-grass beds; and up to 40,000 migratory shorebirds. Rare, vulnerable or endangered species include dugongs, turtles, Illidge's ant-blue butterflies and eastern curlews”.

Onto the day.  We arrived just after 9.00am and set off with a our tourist brochure map.  Speed limit on the inland roads (sand tracks) was 30km/h and beach 80km/h.   Easy to see why it is only 30km/h, our first adventure was through a deeply ridged mud track however it was not as bad as it looked.  Some of the tracks were quite rough and it was not possible to do more than and speed limit. As you can only drive on the beach two hours either side of high tide and high tide has just occurred we decided to stay on the inland roads and visit the rainforest and then venture onto the beach.  We were all surprised how deeply vegetated the island is and we soon came into rainforest.  You would not imagine it could be so lush and beautiful.   We stopped at Central Station where we did a short boardwalk through the rainforest - it was absolutely stunning.  It is much prettier than some of the other rainforest walks we have done, hard to describe what made it different but there were lots of tall fern trees, beautiful healthy staghorns growing off trees, trees with bright green moss and pristine creeks with flowing water.  There was so much bird life that we hadn’t heard in other forests.  It really was jaw dropping beautiful.  The forest reminded us of the rainforests further north Qld where it is more tropical and lush.  We all loved it there. Whilst we had a map it was not detailed so a bit of calculated guesswork and navigation by Rob got us where we needed to be.  Our next stop was Lake Birrabeen which is one of the largest and deepest freshwater lakes on the island.  It is a popular swimming lake and the water is pristine and crystal clear.  It is quite spectacular particularly against the soft white sand.  We stopped here for morning tea, just gorgeous. “The lakes have very few nutrients and pH varies, though sunscreen and soaps are a problem as a form of pollution”.  The freshwater lakes on Fraser Island are some of the cleanest lakes in the world.  The beach sand of Lake McKenzie is nearly pure silica and it is possible to wash hair, teeth, jewelry, and exfoliate one's skin.  Unfortunatley Lake McKenzie was closed to the public so we couldn’t see it but it is certainly one of the highlights of the island.  From here we moved across to the beach and entered the beach via Eurong which is a beach resort with a small group of shops and accommodation.  The beach is stunning and we are looking at the Pacific Ocean.  The sand is very hard and makes for easy beach driving.  Rob was the first one to spot a dingo which was a surprise as we didn’t think we would due to them being timid and shy.  It was gorgeous, just ambling along the beach.  Fraser Island dingoes are reputedly some of the last remaining pure dingoes in eastern Australia and to prevent cross breeding dogs are not allowed on the island. As of January 2008, the number of dingoes on the island was estimated to be 120 to 150, and sightings have become less common.  We stopped at the Maheno wreck for lunch.  The S.S. Maheno was originally built in 1905 in Scotland as a luxury passenger ship for trans-Tasman crossings. During the First World War the ship served as a hospital ship in the English Channel, before returning to a luxury liner. In 1935, the ship was declared outdated and on June 25, 1935 the ship was being towed from Melbourne when it was caught in a strong cyclone. A few days later, on July 9, 1935 she drifted ashore and was beached on Fraser Island. During the Second World War the Maheno served as target bombing practice for the RAAF and was used as an explosives demolition target by special forces from the Fraser Commando School. The ship has since become severely rusted, with almost three and a half storeys buried under the sand”.  It is a very impressive wreck and sits sedately on the shoreline.  Whilst we were beach driving we had a little light aircraft fly low over us and land on the beach behind us.  Not something you see everyday.  We think it was dropping passengers off but can’t be sure although we did see it a few more times along the beach parked near the highlights.  We stopped at the Pinnacles which are structured coloured sands.  Unexpected to see something quite like this on the beach!  On the way back to the barge we stopped at Eli Creek which is the largest creek east of the island with a flow of 80 million litres per day.  We walked on the boardwalk alongside the creek.  The creek is crystal clear and is popular for floating.  The idea being you enter the water at the top of the creek, lay on your back and float with the flow to the ocean.  On a hot day it would be a lovely thing to do.  There was someone in the water whilst we were there doing just that.  We opted to walk it – it is fairly shallow.  Surprisingly the water was not cold and we were tempted to put on our bathers and float.  The creek is lined with lovely trees and ferns and it very very pretty.   All too soon we had to move inland again and cross to the west of the island to catch the barge back to mainland.  Not before seeing another two dingoes on the beach though.  (One of them trotted to the car as we slowed to take photos which proved to us that people do feed them despite warnings not to.  We saw one guy trying to get the dingo to lick his face while photographing it.  Imagine what would happen to the dingo if it bit him!  There are some very stupid tourists). We also saw three whales not far from shore (well close enough to see with the naked eye) and they were giving a fantastic display with their dorsal fins well out of the water.  We watched them for a few minutes – wonderful to see.   It is incredible how soon after leaving the beach you enter dense forests – we saw a lot of scribbly gum trees, bloodwoods and tallowwoods and heaps of other species of trees that we don’t know.  Hearing the bird calls in the forest is wonderful.  We caught the barge back to the mainland at a different spot to where we departed.  We were leaving from Kingfisher Bay which is another beach resort.  This one looked more speccy than Eurong and we reckoned you could spend all your time there and find heaps to do.  There is a really nice day pavilion for day visitors where you can have a hot shower, swim in the pool, eat at the cafe and just relax in the forest surroundings, it was really well done. It took one hour to travel 20kms (east to west) which gives an indication of how rough and slow the sand tracks are.  Unfortunately we didn’t see all that we wanted to see and and a day just isn’t long enough.  You need to spend at least a few days there to really enjoy it and to soak up the atmosphere and relax.  There are some great camping spots around and for we will definitely try to get back there one day.  Wendy and Rob are already talking about doing another trip.

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Days 286-287 – Hervey Bay (25-26 June)

Rob and Wendy arrive today (Friday) for a few days with their van.  Looking forward to them coming.  We may cut the costs and go to Fraser Island if they are interested.  Rob phoned to say they had an issue with the van brakes but they got here eventually all OK thank goodness.  We have decided to go to Fraser Island on Sunday so went into town to get the appropriate permits.  Later in the day we sat around a lovely fire to eat dinner with the dogs, all five of them.  Saturday we went for a walk with the dogs to the mangroves and then drove into town to have a look around with Wendy and Rob.  We went to the marina and had a very reasonable lunch at the Boat Club (like a RSL).  The Boat Club overlooks the marina and it was nice sitting outside in the sun eating lunch (hey two days in a row of sunshine!)  We drove along the Esplanade which is the main drag through town and stopped at the beach to check it out, the tide is out again but still a lovely beach.  Later in the day got organised and car packed for an early start the next day to Fraser Island – we are all really looking forward to that.  That evening we decided to go to the RSL Club to see a tribute to Fleetwood Mac.  Not as good at the Neil Diamond tribute last week in Tweed Heads but not too bad and the second half did pick up.  All in all it was a very good night. 

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Days 284-285 – Hervey Bay (23-24 June)

Left Pomona to drive 160km north east to Hervey Bay.  We met Stephen (housesit owner) before we left so he could give us the heads up and the keys.  We are hoping the weather further north will be sunny!  Drove past Gympie and Maryborough.  Maryborough is an old town with lots of Queenslander style houses (wooden off the ground).  It looked like a nice town.  Went by quite a few sugar cane farms and the vegetation is different to SE Qld as it is not so lush and rainforesty. Reminds us a little bit of WA’s vegetation. We arrived just after lunch to begin our two week housesit.  The house is on 5 acres and 300m from the Sandy Straits beach (splits Fraser Island from the mainland) although we believe the beach is mangroves.  We are house sitting two cattle dogs, Ben and Luke who are very nice dogs.  Amazing how they don’t know us and at first were wary of us and obviously barking at us but didn’t take them long to relax and start to befriend us.  Don’t think Coco would be so obliging.  Although Ben and Luke have had housesitters before so are more used to strangers staying in their home.  We are staying in the caravan and decided to put the annexe up.  No sooner had we put the ground mat down and halfway through putting the annexe roof up and it started to rain, and it rained, and it poured and it poured and it bucketed down and it bucketed down for about 2 hours!  Our poor van leaked in its normal spot and our floor mat for the annexe is flooded.  Too wet to put up the sides.  We are so over the rain!  Does it ever stop here in Qld.  Locals told us from June onwards it dries up now they say July onwards!  So much for the sunshine state!  So consequently we haven’t been able to take the dogs down to the beach for a walk – hopefully tomorrow!  Hooray no rain this morning but very damp.  Went into town to check it out and to gather some information about Fraser Island.  It is a very nice town and has a nice feel about it.  First impressions it that we like it  Hervey Bay sits in the region known as the Fraser Coast.  The population is +55,000 and the predictions by 2020 is 80,000!  From what we have been told it is a fairly depressed area not as upmarket as you would think.  Similar to Busselton in that the population is growing but there is not a lot of work except for low paid seasonal holiday stuff so the demographics are changing.  The foreshore is very very nice and quite touristy with lots of restaurants, cafes and shops.  Went to the most unfriendliest information centre ever, all she wanted to do was sell us tours or accommodation.  We want to take our own car across and do our own thing.  Eventually went to the marina and found a very helpful person.  It costs $150 to take the car (4WD only) and four people over and $38 to get a vehicle permit.  One day tours cost from $165 onwards per person.  As the day progressed it got sunnier and sunnier we went down to the beach and found a nice cafe on the waters edge which was just lovely.  There are very high tides here and the tide was quite a way out.  Went back to the housesit and dried out the van and annexe mat whilst it was sunny and dry.  The housesit is very basic, 2 bedroom house but lovely gardens on 5 acres.  Stephen (owner) obviously has a passion for gardening and has many garden beds and vegetable gardens.  It is quite stunning.  Ben and Luke are lovely dogs both cattle dogs except Ben is very excitable when it walk time and tells the whole neighbourhood he is going out for a walk – ear piercing loud.  Neighbours must hate the noise.  The beach – well mangrove beach – is about 300m down the road so we walk the dogs there and they have a little run around. 

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Days 282-283 – Pomona, Qld (21-22 June)

Packing the van again. Off to Hervey Bay on Wednesday so all of our worldly goods have to be found and repacked.  We did find time however to visit the Buderim Ginger Factory in Yandina (30kms) from Pomona. It was an interesting tour particularly as Rob is currently working at one of Buderim’s Ginger suppliers.   Buderim Ginger is the largest ginger factory in the world and was established in 1941.  It has 23 local suppliers of the ginger rhizome.  This area is ideal to ginger growing due to its high volcanic soils, high rainfall and humidity.  Ginger is a rainforest plant.  Ginger is planted in September and harvested in February.  Ginger is also harvested in June and August when the ‘ginger’ is hotter.  Buderim Ginger produces confectionery ginger and it is sweetened accordingly by soaking in a sugar syrup for 8 days.  Buderim Ginger has the capacity to process over 5000 tonnes of ginger per annum and exports to more than 17 countries. Following the plant tour we then had a tasting tour which involved a tasting plate of their products.  (Good sales pitch – yes we bought!)  Apparently ginger is very good for you with many health benefits eg:

• Ginger has carminative properties (anti spasmic) and can be used to calm an upset stomach, providing relief for the relief of bloating and gas.
• The intake of ginger helps stimulate the secretion of mucus, quieting your cough and soothing any scratchiness in your throat.
• Ginger has been proven (in multiple studies) to treat feelings of nausea, particularly in the form of seasickness, morning sickness, motion sickness and as a side effect of chemotherapy.
• Ginger contains anti viral, anti toxic, and anti fungal properties, and is used for the prevention of and treatment against the common cold.
• Ginger acts as an antihistamine and aids in the treatment of allergies.
• Ginger displays anti inflammatory properties and can be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and various other muscular disorders. The chemical components of the root are instrumental in inhibiting the biosynthesis of prostaglandins which are responsible for causing inflammation. Thus the root has proven to be a highly effective form of treatment, in some cases, even more so than the NSAID's that are traditionally prescribed.
• Ginger contains special enzymes responsible for catalysing the proteins in your food, thus aiding in digestion and the prevention of cramps. The ancient Greeks used to eat ginger after a large meal in order to ease the digestion process.
• Due to its promotion of mucus secretion, ginger protects against the development of ulcers, unwanted holes in the lining of your stomach.
• Ginger has proven to help lower your cholesterol levels and prevent the formation of blood clots.
• Ginger is often used to settle an upset stomach or treat severe stomach ailments such as dyspepsia or colic. It is frequently used today in 3^rd world countries to treat diarrhea.

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Days 279-281 – Twin Towns, Coolangatta Qld/ Tweed Heads, NSW (18-20 June)

Coolangatta Qld, Tweed Heads NSW

Had a lovely weekend in Coolangatta and Tweed Heads which are the twin towns on the border of Qld and NSW.  We were catching up with an old workmate of John’s - Andrew and his wife Kym who live 15 minutes inland from Tweed Heads in the northern rivers area of NSW.  As John wanted to go to an investment expo at Southbank in Brisbane on Friday we left at 7.45am to get to Brisbane at 10.00am thinking that would give us plenty of time.  It took us 2 hours 45mins to travel 137kms!  We caught the tail end of an accident and a truck breaking down within 5kms of each other.  The traffic jam went on for ever and ever.  Eventually we got there with John being 15 minutes late for a Forex seminar he had booked into at 10.30am.  I had a great time walking around Southbank and crossed the river into the city centre.  Met John at lunchtime and we started our trek south stopping to buy a new 12volt battery for the van in a place called Slacks Creek (love the name).  We reminisced along the way at Palm Beach on the Gold Coast where we used to live 20 years ago (before we were married) when John was a partner in an advertising business.  John was able to drive straight to the house we used to rent which surprisingly is still there.  It was fairly old and rundown when we rented it so figured by now it would have been demolished and replaced but it was still there and looked just the same.  We had stopped at a restaurant in Burleigh Heads which is literally right on the beach shore, fantastic views of the ocean to Surfers.  It was fun going to all our old haunts we had forgotten how nice parts of the Gold Coast are although it is very busy and populated.  We stopped for the night in Coolangatta.  The information bureau suggested the Twin Towns Outrigger Hotel which is in Coolangatta and connects to the Twin Towns RSL in Tweed Heads!  Quite bizarre how it works.  It was a lovely hotel and we had a lovely room which overlooked the Tweed River heads.  We had already decided to have dinner at the RSL as they are usually very well priced good meals and whilst we were there checking out which restaurant to eat in (there were six) we also booked into a show – a Tribute to Neil Diamond.  A lot of the RSL clubs in the bigger towns have lots of entertainment, quite a bit for free and there is always something to do.  So we figured we would make the most of it.  Our meal was great, I had a 3 course meal for $19.00, soup, fish and bread pudding and it was very good (looks like another free day for my diet!).  The show was excellent – we thought it might be a bit ho hum but Bobby Bruce (Canadian Neil Diamond lookalike) did look and sound just like him – it was great.   The funny thing was that John and I were among the few youngest in the audience, average age 65 I reckon.  Doesn’t happen often these days.  The sad thing was we knew all the songs!  If Bobby Bruce comes to a town near you go see him!  We saw him and his entourage the following morning at breakfast and he still looked the part.  Our hotel room included a buffet breakfast so we made the most of it (looks like another free day for me).  After brekkie we wandered around Coolangatta and the ocean.  The ocean is just beautiful, white sandy beaches.  Very nice.  We met up with Andrew at lunchtime and we followed him to his home along some narrow winding roads – wondered how you would even know some homes existed here.  Beautiful scenery with Mt Warning in view, though rainforest.  Andrew and Kim live amongst the rainforest and it is just beautiful, so serene, lush and green. They have 11 acres with a creek bordering their property, nearest neighbour 700m away.  During the wet season the creek floods and can mean no way out of the property – so no work that day.  They have been here for 5 months so still settling in with their two cattle dogs, Sheba who is 16 years and Missy 5 years and just recently two baby goats joined the clan.  They are now 5 weeks old and still being bottle fed.  They are adorable.  We had a lot of fun feeding them and watching Kym run around the house cleaning up after them.  Yes they come in the house at night as it is too cold outside for them.  Both Andrew and Kym are animal lovers.  We had a lovely time with Andrew and Kym and just prior to moving to northern NSW they had been on the road for 10 months in their campervan travelling around Australia so we had a lot to catchup on.  We would have loved to have spent more time in northern NSW – Bryon Bay is 20 mins away, Ballina about 90kms and in hindsight we probably should have done a housesit on the Gold Coast or nearby but as we had lived there had discounted it which we now realised was not the best move and going there again reinforced how much we like it and one of the few places we have both liked and said we could live there. 

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Days 273-278 – Pomona, Qld (12-17 June)

Caught our flight back to Brisbane at lunchtime on the 12th June which gave us some time in the morning to do some last minute souvenir shopping in Alice Springs.  Arrived at Wendy and Rob’s about 8.00pm after we stopped at the Ettamogah Pub for dinner on the way home.  Coco wasn’t as excited as we thought she would be to see us, she has been too spoilt and well looked after in our absence however the next morning she was much happier to see us.  Wendy and Rob had friends over for lunch, Ian and Daphne who are moving back to WA as soon as they can sell their house in Imbil, Qld.  They are actually moving to the Lifestyle Village in Busselton.  I’m sure we will see them when they get there, hopefully for them it will be soon.  It was a long weekend in Qld so on the Monday we went to the Caravan and Camping Show with Wendy and Rob in Brisbane.   It was huge!  Lots of exhibits, caravans, stalls etc.  It would be comparable in size to the one in Melbourne.  Surprisingly we didn’t buy much which is unusual as there is usually heaps that John can’t live without.  Rob and Wendy specifically wanted to look at a brand of lightweight caravans but we were all very disappointed in them and soon found out why they were lightweight, very plastically.  After looking at heaps of caravans I think Wendy and Rob have come to the same conclusion as we have that it is best to stay with current van and revamp it.  John has been busy making new holland blinds for our van.  The ones we had were extremely shabby and dirty and we were able to get some holland blind blockout material from Spotlight that was on special.  He spent quite a bit of time making them with the aid of Rob’s sewing machine and he has done a fantastic job and they look great.  Not something I could have done.  Wendy and Rob’s block backs onto a forest and I have been going on some lovely walks with the dogs.  You can walk forever here and all the walks are lovely.  We are heading down to NSW on the weekend to visit with an old work mate of Johns who lives just across the border (inland from Lennox Heads where the tornado/cyclone went through recently). 

The spoilt girls.  Leica, Coco and Kady	The seamstress!	Kady and Coco forest walk	Common tree snake on forest track

Days 270-272 – Uluru (Ayres Rock) (9-11 June)

Be warned there of lots of piccies in the albums

Map of our tour

Day 1 – Kings Canyon

It is 6.00am, it is freezing, it is dark and we are waiting at the hotel reception for our tour bus to arrive.  We have sleeping bags and overnight bag, eight litres of water in tow and are ready to begin our 3 day/2 night budget backpackers tour to Ayres Rock with “The Rock” tour group.  It is so cold we have about three layers of clothes on.  The bus arrives and we are one of the first to be picked up.  The bus is toasty warm while we travel around Alice Springs picking up the other backpackers (incidentally we are the oldest!!) another 19.  After getting off the bus at the “The Rock” office to confirm our attendance we all rush back on to the warm bus for a two hour drive to our first stop.   It is dark and just about everyone is asleep.  We stop at a roadhouse for a loo break, coffee and to refuel the bus.  Back on the bus for another two hours, our tour guide Ryan tells us we have a total of 17 hours of driving time over the next three days and now is the time to introduce ourselves to each other.  A mixed bunch, us oldies, 2 Italians, 3 Americans studying in Melbourne (apparently not many Americans lately), 2 Welsh (both Doctors), 3 Germans, 3 British, 4 Taiwanese and 1 Thai (geologist).  Over the days we got to know them and they were a great bunch with some interesting lives.  The first day involved a lot of sitting on the bus driving to get close to our destination, I didn’t realise Uluru (Ayres Rock) was so far away from Alice Springs about 400kms!  However along the way we did stop at Kings Canyon for a 2.5 hour walk.  Kings Canyon is 330km south west of Alice Springs (and quite a big side track off the main route to Ayres Rock, adding a few more travel hours!).  It was still cold when we got off the bus just before lunch but we soon warmed up after our climb up a steep hill to begin our 6km walk around the rim.  But it was so worth it.  An amazing formation of rocks again in the middle of nowhere.  The canyon is 270m high.  Unfortunately it was very overcast day so not great for taking photos as the colours of the rock would have been stunning against a blue sky.  However it didn’t really detract from the beauty of the place.  Kings Canyon was only opened to the public in 1993 previously being private property owned by a cattle farmer.  Recently a lot of land has been claimed by and returned to the Aboriginals which in this case is great as it means we can now enjoy it.  The canyon has many cycads growing amongst the rocks and we did see two black flanked rock wallabies.  The walk and the scenery is truly spectacular.  We looked into gorges, ranges and rockholes.  The Garden of Eden was a real highlight and so unexpected as was the sheerness of the north and south walls and the honeycomb formation of the lost city.  Priscilla Queen of the Desert was filmed in the Amphitheatre, how incredible was that and no mean feat to get all the gear there.  After our walk we got back on the bus again and headed towards our first campsite at Curtin Springs.  We stopped at Kings Creek Station to refuel and afternoon tea.  The station is a working station with camels and cattle. The station is the largest exporter of wild camels in Australia and sells camels for live export, live domestic sales and meat.  They are known for their ‘camel’ burgers!  There was the cutest dog at this station (see pics). On the way to Curtin Springs we saw on the horizon a huge rock and were all thinking it must be Ayres Rock even though we were still probably 100kms away.  We stopped and Ryan informed us it is Mt Connor which has rock on top and dirt below.  Very deceiving.  It forms part of the range that contains Ayers Rock.  After a stop to collect firewood, yes all hands on deck we continued on for an alcohol buying trip at Curtin Springs station – amazing to think you can buy alcohol in such a remote area – we finally get to our campsite at about 7.30pm.  No-one else there we had the whole place to ourselves – bliss!  It is pitch black by this time and all hands on deck to get the fire lit and dinner cooking.  It is cold!  Dinner is a chilli con carne, rice and vegies.  Now when booking the tour John advised them I didn’t’ eat red meat and when we went in to the office on our first day we again confirmed it and we were told I would get my vego meal on the first night and we were having chicken the second.  So tad surprised that my meal that night was only the rice and waterlogged vegies!  The allowance Ryan made was not cooking the vegies with the meat.  Well we are on a budget tour after all – yes we had to all pitch in an cleanup.  After dinner and a few attempts to play the didgeridoo we all snuggled down into our swags.  This was the first time John and I had tried our –5 degree sleeping bags so were hoping they would work.  The swags were not quite what we were expecting – basically a sleeping bag made of canvas with a thin foam mattress that your own sleeping bag slipped into but they were surprisingly comfy.  We were expecting the type that has an arch and is pegged each end almost like a mini tent.  While it was tempting to sleep around the fire, we opted to move away from the group to get some peace and quiet.  Well not to be as we heard at least three snorers – hmm didn’t realise youth snored and footsteps walking by us during the night for wee stops in the bush nearby.  There was a long drop loo but it was disgustingly smelly and no-one wanted to use it.  With our beanies on we were surprisingly warm though.  Ryan had told us dingoes are around and to put our shoes under our pillow as they are like puppies and like to play and chew shoes – I thought he was joking but he was serious.

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Day 2 – The Olgas and Uluru

It is still dark and we hear Ryan getting brekkie out and stoking the fire and the ‘time to get up’.  It is 6.00am.  Very difficult to get dressed in private in a swag with 20 other people around so disappeared behind a bush with clothes in tow and moonlight.  Hoping I don’t leave anything behind.  Ryan is in a rush to get us on the road so a quick rushed brekkie of cornflakes, tea and after washing our dirty dishes in dirty washing up water (learnt not to look at the hygiene practices) we all get on the bus yet again. After another stop to collect firewood we then went onto to our campsite for the night at The Ayres Rock Campground to drop off the firewood and swags.  After this we drove to the  “The Olgas” or “Kata Tjuta” as they are now known.  On the way we got our first glimpse of Ayres Rock.  It was still early in the morning and the rock was a grey colour.  Once at The Olgas we got ready to do the Valley of the Winds walk 7.4km loop.  Ryan had warned us that it would be cold and it sure was.  It was unbelievably cold and windy despite having a beautiful clear blue sky.  I had three layers on and it was still biting through.  Kata Tjuta is an Aboriginal word for ‘many heads’.  The Olgas consist of 36 steep sided domes.  The highest dome is 546m above the plain, 1066m above sea level.  They are 50kms by road west of Uluru.  They are made from sedimentary rock called conglomerate which is a mix of gravel, pebbles and boulders cemented together by sand and mud.  It contains many minerals and other rock types, including basalt and granite.  Uluru is made from sedimentary rock called arkosse sandstone, a coarse grained sandstone rich in mineral feldspar.  The Olgas are truly spectacular and there is something about them that really gets to you.  They have significant meaning to the Aboriginal culture and is sacred under the Anangu men’s law.  The views are breathtaking and it was well worth facing the elements to do the walk.   Ryan told us about the formation of The Olgas, Mt Connor and Ayres Rock and how over the years Ayers Rock and the Olgas have literally turned upside down and it is possible the rocks extend 6km under the surface and what we see is literally the tip of the icebergs!  How amazing is that!  It also isn’t the largest rock, it is the third with the largest being under the sea so that doesn’t count, followed by Mt Augustus in WA which is twice the size of Ayers Rock however it also doesn’t count as it has a crack in out and therefore doesn’t count as a whole rock.  Fascinating.  The Aboriginal’s believe The Olgas, Ayers Rock and Mt Connor were formed by two young Aboriginal (Dowie) boys (Dowie being like Super beings who can do anything) going through the initiation process where they stopped to play in the mud after rain and formed mud packs which then became the rocks.  We stopped for lunch at a lookout that covered The Olgas and Ayers Rock.  From here we headed to Ayers Rock.  Wow when we first saw it it is memorising!  It is huge and absolutely beautiful!  There is nothing else like it.  Our first glimpse it was against the blue sky and was a grey colour and totally smooth but as we got closer the colour changed and it wasn’t smooth at all.  Lots of holes and curves and interesting shapes form the rock.  We were heading off to do the 1.2km Mala walk.  A Mala is a hare wallaby and the Aboriginals believe they developed from the mala.  An amazing walk and we were very close to the rock and in some places could go into the caves and overhangs where Ryan explained what the area were used for by the Aborigines.  Fascinating.  It is amazing how many holes and cracks there are in the rock.  The colours are stunning against the beautiful blue sky.  Our next stop was the Cultural Centre where we spent some time drinking coffee (to get warm) and mooching and learning about the Aboriginal culture of the area.  From here we went to our sunset viewing area to view Ayers Rock at sunset.  We were having dinner watching the sunset.  We were the first group there and snapped up a table and vantage point.  Tonight Ryan did dinner while we all stared in awe at Uluru watching the continual change of colours.  Over the course of the early evening coaches and other tour groups pulled in to enjoy the view.  Some were very organised with silver service tables and waiters ready and waiting to serve chilled champagne and nibbles.  Whist we were the budget group we had an equally good view and we had a good meal of chicken, vegies and noodles even if it wasn’t enough for everyone.  It was magic watching the rock change colour from brown to orange to a deeper orange and purple.  Absolutely stunning.  Whilst we were cleaning up an Aboriginal lady came by selling her dot paintings on canvas.  They were beautiful and so cheap compared to what we had seen in the stores.  We bought a couple of them.  It was nice to be able to give the money direct to her instead of a storekeeper.  She signed the back for us to authenticate them.   Reluctantly we headed back to camp for another night in our swags.  We had hot showers and flushing loos at this camp – lovely.  We chatted around the fire and all headed to bed fairly early.  Not to be kept awake again by the snorers John and I moved well away from the group and didn’t hear a murmur.  But we were so cold!   Our minus 5 degree bags weren’t doing the job tonight.  If it hadn’t been so difficult to get more clothes we would have layered them on.  It was freezing and we couldn’t wait to get up. 

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 The Olgas

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Ayers Rock at sunset and Mala walk

Day 3 – Uluru

5.30am and we are up – too cold to stay in the swags.  Off to the loos to get changed.  I saw a dingo, caught it in the torchlight.  It was quite a distance and stood looking at me as I stood looking at it.  Shame I couldn’t see it better but it was really dark.  Ryan said he had a camp dog around his swag which had a black body and blonde legs, I am convinced my dog was all blonde and a dingo!  It came out of the bushes near where John and I were camping.  Some of the group only had 10 degree sleeping bags and they froze all night and some even slept in the bus not that it was any warmer.  Don’t know what the temperature got down to but it was certainly much colder than the previous night.  Another rush to get to Ayers Rock to see the sunrise.  This time we were the only ones there and another magical experience.  But it was so cold.  Wish I had gloves.  Brekkie was cereal, bread and tea.  Think we would have all killed for some hot porridge.  It was still dark when we arrived so we had a bit of time waiting for the sun to rise and the colours this morning were black to brown to a slight orange colour as the sun hit it.  Unfortunately we weren’t able to stay once the sun had risen as we had a big drive back to Alice Springs and before we hit the road we were doing the 10.6km base walk around the rock.   I would have liked to have stayed longer.  We started our walk and it was still cold!  But what a wonderful walk.  It is so wonderful to be so close to the rock and experience every hole, curve and colour.  It really is so special.  The rock is 348m above the plain and 863m above sea level.  There is a big chunk of the walk where you aren’t able to take photos due to the spiritual connection to the Aborigines.  These were women’s and men’s sacred sites.  If you are caught taking photos in these areas you will be fined up to $15,000!  It is amazing how much vegetation surrounds and grows on or near the rock.  Just so unexpected when photos and pictures you see of the rock depict it to look so barren in an almost wasteland.  As we came to the end of the walk we passed the rock climbers.  Today it was open, yesterday it was closed due to strong winds.  There were a lot of climbers which was surprising but it was a beautiful day and more often then not it is closed so I guess people were making the most of the opportunity.  Have to say it looks dangerous and I was surprised by the age of some of the climbers – not all youngies.  Whilst there is a chain to help climb it is at knee level and the rock is so steep that if you fell that would be the end of you.  To date 35 climbers have died, 4 in one day.  There is a very strong push to discourage people from climbing due to the cultural significance and the Aborigines would prefer people not to climb, however climbing is allowed and some people come to the rock purely for the challenge. The Aborigines say they feel responsible if anyone should die on the rock. (however it would be very easy to set up a safety harness system similar to that used on the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb, if safety really was the reason they didn’t want the rock climbed!) Ryan our guide was very much against anyone climbing the rock so much so that we weren’t given the option of climbing it which is a selling point in their brochure.  There were some on the bus who would have liked to have climbed it.   I think it is wrong that Ryan forced his views on others, it is his job to be objective.  Apparently if the number of visitors to the park who climb the rock drops below 20% then the climb will be closed it is at 32% currently.  Although how they know this is beyond us as there appears to be no way of knowing who climbs and who doesn’t.  There is no-one at the rock climb monitoring numbers.  Judging by the numbers climbing today, can’t see it ever closing.   Reluctantly again we left the rock to head back to Alice Springs.  We stopped at Ebenezer Roadhouse for lunch and Stuart Well for afternoon tea.  Stuart Well is a camel farm and some of the group went for a camel ride.  There was a beautiful dingo that allowed you to pet it and some kangaroos that were being rehabilitated.  We got to Alice Springs at about 5.00pm and the plan was to catch up later for dinner and drinks.  John and I had booked to go back to the Italian restaurant for pizza so popped in afterwards to say goodbye to everyone.  We really pigged out out garlic bread and pizza – so yummy.  Very busy in Alice due to the beginning of the Finke Desert Race over the weekend.  Similar to the Gas Dash in Carnarvon.  Motor bikes and converted 4WD’s racing along the riverbed to the town of Finke and back again, 400kms over the weekend.  It is one of the biggest events of its kind. 

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Ayers Rock at sunrise and base walk

We had a fantastic time on this tour.  However you are always conscious of being on a time limit and everything is rushed.  I would love to go back and do it all again in our own time and really spend time enjoying the area.     

Day 269 – Alice Springs (8 June)

Day 2 of our “Hop on Hop off tour”.  We visited the Alice Springs School of the Air (ASSOA) which was more much interesting than we thought it would be.   It also happened to be their 59th birthday so they were celebrating with lamingtons and tim tams.  We were also so lucky in that a past ASSOA student was there for a week doing work experience so we were able to hear about the teaching from this perspective.  There are other School of the Air’s in Australia in WA, NSW, SA and Qld.  This one covers an area of 1,300,000 sq km.  The closest student is 80km away with the furthest being 1,300km away.  On average they have 120 students at any time including pre-schoolers and children up to year 9 at which time they usually go to boarding school or continue via correspondence.  Currently they have 133 students.  Children from Aboriginal communities also participate.  Each student requires a home tutor usually a parent or in some cases a private in-house tutor.  The school has been operating since 1951 and is due to the inspiration of a Ms Adelaide Miethke who recognised the lack of education opportunities for remote communities.  In the early days radio was used however nowadays computers are used with students being able to see each other and the teacher which makes learning much more interactive.  From both the student and teachers perspective it is as close to being in a classroom as possible.  12 full time teachers and 1 part time preschool teacher are employed by ASSOA.  The class teacher visits each students home twice a year and each term students meet in Alice Springs for sporting carnivals, swim week and get together week.   From here we visited the Olive Pink Botanic Park.  Olive Pink was an anthropologist in the early 1900s who designed the park whilst studying Aboriginal culture and how they use plants for medicinal purposes.  The park is a self guided interpretative walk with descriptions of what each plant is used for in the Aboriginal culture.   Quite interesting especially the sulphur tree!  John went to the local Rotary meeting, they run the Hedley on Todd boat race, the only boat race which is cancelled if there is water in the river!!! 

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Day 268 – Alice Springs (7 June)

West MacDonnell Ranges

Did a one day tour to the West MacDonnell Ranges which basically outline Alice Springs.  Some interesting facts we learnt along the way is that 50% of Northern Territory has Aboriginal claims with a lot of the remaining area being under National Parks.  This makes it very difficult for the Shire to release land for development resulting in shortage of accommodation.  There are many jobs in Alice but with accommodation being at a premium and consequently high rents results in jobs remaining vacant.  We were sort of surprised by the number of people we saw on this trip – the red centre is a very popular spot this time of year with lots of tour groups and others.  Due to the amount of rain recently the locals are calling it the green centre and it good for us to see it like this as it doesn’t happen often. 

All rivers are inland rivers and are dry riverbeds or “upside rivers” with the Todd River being the main river through town.  The Todd River flows on average three times per year and floods approximately every 25 years.  The other well known river is the Finke which begins at Ormiston Gorge. In some areas these inland rivers are below sea level.  Alice doesn’t have strict seasons and has had a lot of rain recently and although the rivers are dry there is the odd puddle around.   It is interesting to know that when waterholes fill with water they have fish and frogs in them. The burrowing frog hibernates in its burrows until it rains, sometimes for years at a time and when the water comes they come out.  Fish eggs stay dormant until it rains at which time it hatches.  A famous Aboriginal painter called Albert Namatjira hails from this part of the world. He is famous for his western style landscapes and he had a passion for painting ghost gums.  In 1957 Namatjira and his wife were the first Aborigines to be granted Australian citizenship at a time when Aborigines had few rights.  Being a citizen meant he could drink alcohol.  Unfortunately Namatjira was jailed for supplying alcohol to members of his community and served two months where he developed pneumonia and died shortly after his release.  He was 57 years old.  We visited the spot where he liked to paint. 

The highest point in the West MacDonnell Ranges is Mt Zeil at 1531m high the highest peak in NT followed by Mt Sonder at 1350m high. 

Our first stop was Standley Chasm, 50kms from Alice Springs.  After a picturesque walk along a creek bed with lots of ferns and greenery we reached the Chasm which is a deep red cleft.  It is truly stunning and what amazing colours.  “Standley Chasm (Angkerle) has been gouged into tough sandstone by the floods that, over untold millions of years, have surged down a narrow tributary of the Finke River system. The result is a deep red cleft crowded on either side by craggy slopes that rise 80 metres above the floor.  Standley Chasm is located in a private flora and fauna reserve owned by the Iwupataka Land Trust and is operated by Aboriginal family members that are direct decendants from Aboriginal people that have lived in this area for thousands of years. The Chasm’s European name honours Mrs Ida Standley who, in 1914, became the first school teacher in Alice Springs. In 1925, the school for children of Aboriginal descent was moved from Alice Springs to Jay Creek (Iwupataka) with Mrs Standley as matron. It was during her time at Jay Creek that she became the first non-Aboriginal woman to visit the feature that now bears her name”.

Next stop was the Ochre pits 110km from Alice.  “The pits have been used for generations by the local Aboriginal people as a mine for the colourful mineral ochre. Ochre occurs in a range of earthy colours and is the raw material for paintings and ceremonial body decoration”.  The Aborigines add water and animal fat to the powder substance they gouge from the rocks.  Colours can be black, brown, yellow, orange, purple and white.

Ormiston Gorge is truly breathtaking.  It is a near permanent waterhole estimated to be 14 metres deep in the southern end.  It rises up to 300m in some places.  From here to Ellery Creek Big Hole which is another permanent waterhole and a popular swimming hole for the locals and finally to Simpsons Gap which is a natural gap in the ranges.  The wonderful attraction of these waterholes is the beautiful white ash gums, ghost gums and red gums that surround the riverbeds and the waterholes.  And the backdrop of the beautiful shades of orange, red etc make the whole area truly magical and very special.   Very hard to leave could look in awe at these places for hours. There are many rock wallabies that live in these areas, however we didn’t see any.  We had lunch at Glen Helen Resort which is a restored station homestead.  It was a fantastic day and if you don’t see it for yourself it is hard to imagine these awesome spots are here in the middle of nowhere.  It is easy to see how people go to the Centre for a visit and end up staying.  It kinda gets to you.  That night we went to a recommended Italian restaurant known for its pizzas.  It is the real deal where they throw the pizza dough in the air, don’t know how they do that but it works.  The pizzas were divine, the dough was thin and soft – never had a pizza quite like it before.  Forget Domino’s and Eagle Boy’s, find a good Italian pizza shop!

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Day 267 – Alice Springs (6 June)

Left Pomona early – 5.45am to catch flight to Alice Springs.  Parking car at airport in long term parking area about 10mins drive from the terminal.  For seven days it cost $59 which is reasonable and a shuttle bus drops and picks you up from the terminal.  We had a lovely ground crew lady check us in at the airport who organised for us to have a spare seat between us on the plane.  It was a 3x3 seat combination.  Great to have the extra space.  She obviously loved camping and gave me a tube of camping towels (the ones you add water to).  A good flight over to Alice.  The population of Alice Springs is 27,000 including 7,000 Aborigines (those that can be accounted for).  Many Aborigines are homeless and live in the riverbed under the bridges.  We watched some of them sitting there in the sand doing the most amazing dot pictures, would loved to have bought one from them.  Within a 500km radius of town the population is about 50,000.  After checking into the hotel we went on a “Hop on Hop off” tour around Alice Springs.  The tour stops at all the attractions close to town and you can choose when you want to get on and off.  We opted to do the complete tour and then decide which places we would look at.  We stopped off at the Old Telegraph Station which was midway along the Overland Telegraph Line from Darwin to Adelaide.  The line was opened in 1872 which suddenly reduced the isolation of Australians from the rest of the world.  This meant that messages took hours instead of the months it previously took by sea.  By 1900 the station was home to a cook, blacksmith-stockman, a governess, four linesmen-telegraph operators plus the Station master and his family.  The station has been recreated as it was between 1895 and 1905.  It is protected by the Parks and Wildlife Commission.  We were lucky enough to see the Ghan train which travels from Darwin to Adelaide via Alice Springs at the station.  The Ghan is 1km long and seems to go on forever with many carriages.  (Apparently the Indian-Pacific is 2km long)!  We were told it costs from $200 to travel on the train (non sleeper).  The trip from Darwin to Adelaide takes 2 nights and covers a distance of 2979 kilometres.  The Ghan has been operating for 80 years. 

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Map of Northern Territory

 

Days 262-266 – Glass House Mountains, Qld (1-5 June)

Finished up our housesit at GHM, repacking van and tidying/cleaning the house.  Took van in for a service, believe it or not we have done 20,000 kms since we left Busselton last September!  Van cost more than we had anticipated as it had to have its suspension serviced and lots of bushes replaced.  Left GHM and headed to Pomona to stay with Rob and Wendy for a couple of weeks.  Pomona is about 30kms from Noosa and 2 hours from Brissy.  We are leaving our van and Coco with them while we go to Alice Springs.  We are getting excited for our trip to Alice Springs/Ayres Rock leaving on 6 June.