January 27th
At last! After all the strife involved in packing up and
shipping out most of our furniture and packing all those things that we think
we need into the Patrol and the HTC (Hard Topped Camper – the palace is just
too small to be a caravan!) we finally managed to set off on our way.
Day 1 of our trip took us to Mataranka where we stayed the
night in a small van park near to Bitter Springs. The Springs would have been a
highlight (they are MUCH nicer than the more feted Mataranka Hot Springs), but
the lowlight was definitely the bugs. We ended up diving inside to avoid the
bugs and once inside we found the bugs sounded just like hail or heavy rain
hitting the HTC until we blacked out all the lights. Even the plague of cane
toads didn’t make a dent on the damned things!
January 28th
We left Mataranka at around 10:00am (lazy start to the day)
and headed south. The country changed into the flatter and more open landscapes
of the centre, but you just wouldn’t believe just how green and lush the
country is! If this is a desert then bring on the deserts!
We ended up stopping some 500klms later at a free camping
area at “The Pebbles”, just north of Tennant Creek. This is a cultural site,
similar to the Devil’s Marbles, but with smaller rocks, and we had it all to
ourselves.
The shelter shed we parked next to had a heap of swallow or swift nests, all recently built and looking pristine. Interesting stuff!
The shelter shed we parked next to had a heap of swallow or swift nests, all recently built and looking pristine. Interesting stuff!
Well, I thought so anyway.
January 29th
On the road again, we moved on to Alice Springs and stayed
in a commercial van park. We’ll be here for a couple of nights and we’ll have
to see how we handle the place. At least it is cooler and drier than Darwin!
We took a drive up to the lookout on ANZAC Hill to get a picture of what Alice looks like - pretty isn't it?
We both enjoyed Alice, apart from the need to not breathe through your nose when walking past some of the residents (actually, holding your breath is preferred), although the two days we were there it was 41 or 42 degrees.
Why do they call it ANZAC Hill? Could be something to do with the pillar behind this good looking bloke!
Why do they call it ANZAC Hill? Could be something to do with the pillar behind this good looking bloke!
