Uluru, The Olgas & Kings Canyon

Uluru Continued 21/05/12

It was another bad start to the day, with Aaron and Di sick. Braydon was feeling fine. Di stayed in bed all day, so Craig took Braydon to do kids Aboriginal art at the resort in the morning. Then in the afternoon they hopped on the resort bus and went to see the camels and the rest of the resort. Let’s hope everyone is well enough tomorrow to go to The Olgas.

22/05/12

The Olgas 23/05/12

Finally, everyone woke up this morning feeling well. After doing 3 loads of washing to get rid of all the germs, we made our way out to The Olgas (Kata Tjuta). It was very frustrating wasting 3 days doing nothing as we were all so sick, so it was great to get out and see something again. It was excellent to see The Olgas up close, and we went on the Walpa Gorge Walk which was 2.6kms. We would have loved to do another walk (to the first lookout of the Valley of the Winds Walk), but Di was still not 100%, so we did not want to push it too much. The highest point of The Olgas is 546m (200m higher than Uluru). We then called in to the Cultural Centre at Uluru and had a good look around. Then Di dropped Craig and Braydon back at the town centre as Braydon wanted to show Dad the Cultural Dancers show, while Di disinfected the whole caravan. It was so lucky we purchased an annual pass into the National Park, as if we had bought the 3 day pass we would have had to buy another one. Craig filled up the car with diesel at $2.17/L - it is very expensive, but we are in the middle of nowhere. We hope to go to Kings Canyon tomorrow.

Kings Canyon  24/05/12

Fortunately, everyone has woken up today feeling well again. So we headed off to Kings Canyon. We left Yulara at 9.30am & arrived at Kings Canyon at 2.30pm. It was a beautiful, fine but cold day today, mainly due to the wind (Max. temp. 15 deg). Uluru would have been closed for sure today. We are staying at Kings Canyon Resort Campground & Caravan Park, costing $42 a night. Braydon had a play in the playground. We were thinking about going to the restaurant for tea tonight, but the menu didn’t appeal to us, & it was very expensive. So we had pie & home cooked chips. Today we travelled 301km.

25/05/12

It is another fine but cold day today – the wind goes right through you. We drove into Kings Canyon this morning & did the Kings Canyon Creek Walk (2.6km.), which goes right up in to the canyon. We then drove to Katherine Springs & walked in to the waterhole (2.2km.).  It was a nice easy day warming up for our big rim walk around the canyon tomorrow. We have been so lucky with the weather so far, with beautiful blue skies the whole trip, except for one day that was cloudy and we got a few spots of rain on the windscreen.

26/05/12 Rim Walk

A little bit of an early start this morning arriving at the walk at 9.30am. Before we started we did a deal with Braydon that if he did the whole walk and steps, we would buy him an iceblock when we got back to the campground. It is a 6.5km circuit walk that was classified as difficult, with a recommended walking time of between 3.5 – 4 hours. The start of the walk is climbing about 500 steep stairs straight up. Braydon led the way, keen to prove he could make it all the way. The stairs actually looked a lot worse than they were to climb. We had one rest stop on the way up, but then just kept pushing on. Once up the top, the walk flattened out and the scenery was spectacular. You look down the cliff face into the canyon, but also at the top you have got the lost city which is amazing rocks in various shapes. We held Braydons hand very tight in certain areas of the walk where there is just a huge cliff edge to the canyon below, but he did not seem concerned about the height. We made our way to the optional lookout track that takes you over a bridge that you look straight down the cliff face. We continued to the top of the first rock, to where you get a fantastic view, but then decided not to continue, as I didn’t really feel safe with Braydon climbing rocks with no edge protection even when holding my hand. Once back to the main track we kept on going to the “Garden of Eden”. There are a number of timber steps built on the side of the cliff to get across a bridge where you look down into the garden. We then took the second optional walk to go down to the actual garden and rock pool. After a bit of morning tea and a well deserved rest, we headed back up yet more stairs, & continued making our way around the rim of the canyon. We were feeling pretty good when we came across the direction marker that said 2km. We thought great, 2km to go, and continued on walking until the next marker with writing that said 3km. It then dawned on us we had just passed halfway, and there was a long way to get back to the car. Everyone along the track was commenting on how well Braydon was going walking all this way, and in Braydons normal style, talked nearly all the way. By the end he started to say he was getting tired, but both of us were also exhausted. My back was really starting to get uncomfortable from carrying Aaron in the backpack, but we finally made it back to the car. What a truly magnificent walk; we both agree it is the best bush walk we have ever done. Unfortunately I’m sure that the photos will not do justice to the scenery we saw. Once back at camp, which was only 12km away, we had lunch and everyone had a rest. Braydon of course won his deal, so he had a yummy iceblock. A pesky dingo was into some campsites scavenging for food and could not be shooed away. Craig and Braydon went up to the resort restaurant after tea, as the entertainment lady came around to the sites to promote the night, and said that they do a kids song at the beginning and get the kids up on stage to play some instruments.  It ended up that Braydon was the only kid up on stage along with other adults, and he had such a great time playing the Drums and Didgeridoo. The lead lady wanted him to play more songs with them, but it was already well & truly past his bedtime. She thoroughly spoilt him by giving him lots of lollypops, balloons & play money, & then even bought him a drink and a packet of chips. He got lots of cheers from the crowd.  

Alice Springs  27/05/12

This morning we packed up camp and left Kings Canyon at 9.15am, & headed back to Alice Springs. We stopped at Erldunda for fuel and lunch before arriving back at the Alice Springs Big 4 at 4.30pm. Braydon was happy to be back, & jumped on the jumping pillows before tea.

28/05/12

We took it fairly easy today. Dianne caught up on washing, & Craig took Braydon over to the jumping pillows. In the afternoon we went grocery shopping, & Braydon had a haircut. We went out for tea to the tavern down the road – it was quite nice.

29/05/12

We were going to head off today, but we decided to stay 1 more day so that Dianne could catch up on paperwork, & Craig could do some work on the caravan & wash the car.

There is still sickness in the camp, with Craig now in bed for the whole day. Di took Braydon to see the Cultural Dancers show, which he loved.

Devils Marbles  09/05/12

We left the Barkly Homestead at 9am & arrived at the Devils Marbles at 1pm. We planned to pick up some groceries at Tennant Creek, but just decided to get fuel & kept going. We stopped just out of town at a cemetery for morning tea. We hit the road again and stopped at the Devils Marbles. It is amazing to have such a nice place so close to the Stuart Highway. Braydon loved climbing all the rocks and we had a great afternoon. In the late afternoon we saw our first Dingo. It was also very cheap at $6.60 for the night. When we pulled in to the park there was only 3 vans, but by nightfall the place was packed with about 20 vans. We travelled 286km today.

Alice Springs  10/05/12

We left the Devils Marbles at 9.30am & travelled to Alice Springs, arriving at about 2pm. We stayed at the MacDonnell Range Holiday Park (a Big 4 caravan park), which cost $37.80 a night. It was so nice to have grass on the site instead of dirt. We had heard such bad reports from fellow travellers about Alice Springs, but we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived. Braydon was so happy that there was a good play ground and 2 jumping pillows. We travelled 402km today.

11/05/12

We took it fairly easy today. Dianne caught  up on washing. In the afternoon we went to the Information Centre to find out what we could do here, & then we went grocery shopping.

In the late afternoon we went for a walk around the caravan park, & Braydon played in the playground & on the jumping pillows.

12/05/12

Today we went to a place called the Desert Park. It was designed to teach you about the desert and the plants & animals that survive in this environment. You went on a self guided walk with a commentary headset. There were some parts that you could have an aboriginal guide, but we weren’t in time for this. There was also a bird show, where the ranger had a few different species trained & he told us all about them. He would throw little pieces of meat in the air, & the birds would catch it. They have excellent vision. It was a very professionally run place.  We had Red Rooster for tea as a pre Mothers Day treat.

13/05/12

Today is Mothers Day. The caravan park put on free pancakes. They used a huge hotplate mounted on a trailer. There was an excellent atmosphere. Then we went to the markets in the mall. They were quite different, with a lot of stalls selling different ethnic foods. It all smelt very nice. We all bought some Stockmans’ hats – well, except for Aaron as they did not have one that small. We had lunch at a local tavern which had a nice, relaxed atmosphere. We then went to the local lookout called Anzac Hill, which overlooks the town. While being dedicated to all soldiers who fought for their country, it was inspired by the men of the transport corps in World War 2 who were in charge of transporting the soldiers from their outback training camps up to Darwin.

14/05/12

We had a big day today. We drove out to Hermannsburg, & then on to Palm Valley which is in the Finke Gorge National Park. We found that Hermannsburg was fairly neat for an aboriginal community compared to some others that we had seen. The track out to Palm Valley was classed as “Severe 4 Wheel Driving”. It was about 46km, & the advice was that it would be a 3hr. return journey. We had morning tea near a creek early along the track. We then had a late lunch when we reached the place. The walk in to Palm Valley was a 1hr. loop walk. It was quite nice, & reminded us a little of Lawn Hill Gorge. I suppose the main feature of the place was the fact that there were palm trees in the middle of the desert, but for us it was more the mountain scenery and 4 wheel driving that we enjoyed. The track was not that extreme, although some people turned around.

15/05/12

Today we drove out to Standley Chasm (50km from Alice Springs), & then Simpsons Gap in the West MacDonnell National Park. We were at Standley Chasm at midday which was the perfect time because the sun was overhead & shone on the red rock. It was a picturesque walk in to the chasm. We had lunch there, & then continued on to Simpsons Gap. It was a nice place as well, & Craig spotted a few rock wallabies. Braydon had his last jump on the jumping pillows.

Uluru (Ayers Rock)  16/05/12

Today was yet another big day of travelling. We left Alice Springs at 9am, & arrived at Yulara at about 3.30pm. We got fuel at Erldunda, & then carried on. We were told that there is a mountain on the way in that many people confuse as Uluru. It is called Mount Connor, & it certainly does look like what you would imagine Uluru to look like. It is huge & red. But, finally, there it was. It looked very big & impressive. We couldn’t wait to go there tomorrow & explore it. There is only one option to stay in the area, & that is at Ayers Rock Resort. It is a self contained little town with its’ own Supermarket, Bank, Post Office & more. There is accommodation to suit everyone, & we are in the camping ground section. It costs $41.41 a night. In the late afternoon we went to the look out in the park to have a look at Uluru. Today we travelled 450km.

17/05/12

Today we went for a walk around the base of Uluru. As we were driving to it, we were both looking for the spot where you climb it. We both said that it must be on the other side because it all looked too steep where we could see. As we got closer, we saw the spot where there were people climbing, & said to each other that it must look worse than it really is from way back here. Then we pulled in to the carpark with Uluru right in front of us, & Dianne said to Craig “That’s way too steep – I’m not climbing that”. The walk around the base was 10.6 km. It took us 3 hours to walk. There was a lot of interesting information along the way about the history of the Aborigines & Uluru. Uluru reaches a height of 348m, & continues several kilometers underground; its' circumference is 9.4km.    

 18/05/12

We climbed the rock

Craig got up early this morning to watch the sunrise over Uluru. The sunrise viewing platform was packed with busloads of tourists. It was a bit disappointing as it did not appear to change colours a lot; more like the sun just shining on the rock. Once back to the van we decided that we would put Braydon & Aaron in child care so we could climb the rock. It was an expensive option, but was the only way we could climb the rock together, which is what we really wanted to do.It was yet another perfect day, so we headed down to the caravan park office to book the boys in. Unfortunately when we got there, the sign said that the rock was closed for climbing due to the wind, which was strange as where we were the trees weren't even moving. They say that any more than 20km/hr winds at the top of the rock, they stop everyone climbing it. With great disappointment we thought we would wait for the next update which was at 10am, and hopefully it would reopen. Luckily at about 9.50am they opened up the rock so we were off to take the kids to the child care so we could do the climb. With all the formalities out of the way at the child care, we  nervously drove to the rock. With our knapsack packed we headed to the rock and climbed the first section up to chicken rock. There Craig proceeded to climb the first section to where the chain started, but Di thought she couldn’t go any further as her shoes kept slipping on the rock. After three failed attempts, Craig climbed back down to see if she wanted to proceed, or at least give her the car keys so she could sit comfortably while Craig attempted the climb. With a huge amount of determination Di managed to climb up to the chain as she figured that once on the chain she would feel more secure. We both climbed the chained section relatively easily although we both had lots of rest stops to catch our breath and take in the view, and really we concentrated on just keeping going. We passed lots of people that said the chain part was the worst section, but Craig was thinking about getting down as he thought that would be worse. Once at the top of the chains, we had a good break as it was flat and safe, but we then had to climb a steep chain onto a ridge that you had nothing to hold on to with a drop straight down - or so they said as you could not see from where we were. One lady said that she had a look and chickened out, and the guy in front of us climbed the chain and then just froze. He was lying face down on the rock and said he couldn't go on. He very slowly made his way down. Craig went first, and once he started the climb yelled back to Di to say that it was ok, but he had to keep moving as if he stopped he might not be able to get going again. Di followed and we tentatively and carefully climbed that section. People continued to tell us it got easy from then on, but we still found it challenging as the markers kept going up and up. There was still a couple of really scary sections that we found challenging, but finally we reached the top. Believe it or not we saw a young guy climbing in thongs. We also passed an elderly Japanese man that had done it twice in three days, as he loved it. We celebrated the climb at the top along with a few guys that brought up some beer to have (they might have needed it for courage to come down). After about 30mins, we started to make our way down from the top. At about a third of the way down the rock Craig’s sole started to separate from his shoe, but luckily enough did not cause any real problems. We made our way down to the start of the chain descent fairly easily. On the way down the chain descent, you forget how steep it is, with some parts Di sliding on her back holding onto the chains. Craig found it relatively easy getting down the chain using the rock divots for hand and foot holds. When we finally got to the bottom we celebrated with a can of coke with Di saying that was one of her biggest achievements of her life. We then went into the village and bought some lunch from the coffee shop before heading back to pick the boys up. After picking up the boys we headed back into the village to have a look around and picked up some groceries from the IGA.  

19/05/12

Today was a funny day watching Di try to walk around and lift anything, after doing the climb yesterday. She had sore arms and legs and would have to walk out the van backwards so it did not hurt too much. She also could not lift Aaron. Craig pulled up ok with slight tightness in his legs. Today was spent catching up on cleaning up the van and washing. Craig took Aaron & Braydon to watch the Didgeridoo being played in the town centre. He also talked to a family that have been on the road for 3 years with two young girls aged 7 & 9. Braydon has played with these girls a couple of times on the playground, so it was good to catch up with their parents, who also gave us some places to see on the road. The V8 Supercars was on in the afternoon, so Braydon, Aaron and Craig watched it. We all went and watched the sunset at the Ayres Rock sunset viewing spot, which was definitely worth it. It was great to see the rock change its' colours, along with heaps of other people having happy hour.

20/05/12                                      

Not a very good start to the day today. Both Aaron & Braydon vomited through the night. We had planned on going to The Olgas today, but instead spent the day washing sheets, disinfecting the caravan and playing nurse to the sick boys. Both spent most of the day in bed. Luckily for Braydon we had the satellite set up so he could watch the V8 Supercars to take his mind off being sick. Craig was not feeling 100% either, & Di was still a bit sore from the climb.

  Leaving Home

We managed to rent our house out a lot earlier than we first expected due to a high demand for properties with pools in January. This meant a very rushed job of packing up the house and leaving within a few weeks. With lots of help from Craigs parents we managed to complete the task just in time. We spent the first few weeks living at the Durack caravan park, & then the last month at Craigs parents’ house in Ipswich which we were very thankful for. Looking back, moving out early was such a blessing as it took the stress out of moving and leaving at the same time. It also allowed Craig time to modify the car and caravan ready for the trip, and also to pack. Craigs last day at work was Wednesday 4^th April 2012. We spent Easter with Craigs family at the Gold Coast and then with Di’s family up at Hampton (near Toowoomba).

Craigs side of family before leaving

Di's side of the family before leaving

                        Chinchilla  10/04/12

 We left from Hampton at 10.30am where Di’s parents live, and made our way through the cotton fields (stopped so Braydon could get a sample) to our first stop at the Chinchilla Weir. On the way there we stopped for lunch & groceries at Dalby. The Chinchilla Weir was a free campsite (No. 635). It was a great little spot with free power but terrible amenities and water. We were amazed at the amount of mine cars and utes that drive past in the afternoon. We travelled 188km.   

Chinchilla Weir first night camp

Braydon with some cotton from a cotton tree

Roma  11/04/12

We left Chinchilla and made our way to Roma. It took a long time as there was lots of road works with Stop/Go men every ½ hour or so. We stayed in a nice little park called the Villa Holiday Park, which cost $32 for the night. Again we were amazed at the amount of people in the town that work at the mines. It was a bustling little town. We got some last minute groceries and filled the car up with fuel ready for our next stop. This day we travelled 208km.

Carnarvon Gorge  12/04/12

On leaving Roma at 9.30am there were a fair few trucks on the road. We stopped at the Injune truck stop for morning tea, and were amazed at the amount of road trains full of cattle. After we left Injune the road was empty with virtually no traffic. There is a gravel road leading into Carnarvon which has a couple of shallow water crossings which Braydon loved. Then we arrived at the Takarakka Bush Resort at 2.15pm which cost $42 a night, & had a late lunch. This is the only place to stay with a caravan at Carnarvon Gorge. We walked around the campsite & went down to the river. We travelled 241.5km.

Truck stop at Injune

Road into Carnarvon Gorge

13/14/12 

We drove to the Rangers Station in the afternoon & did the Nature Trail Walk – 2km. We then started to do the 2km Rock Pool Walk, but after walking about halfway, we realised it was getting late so decided to turn around. On both walks there were many creek crossings with stepping stones which made it interesting. Braydon only got his feet wet a couple of times.

14/04/12

Today we left camp at 8.30am & drove to the Rangers Station. We did the Moss Garden walk, which had many creek crossings. On the way back the ranger said to go up to Ward’s Canyon, as it was only 10 mins. up the track with only 2 creek crossings. It took us about an hour with 6 creek crossings & many stairs, but it was well worth it. We arrived back at camp at 3pm & were totally exhausted. In total we walked about 10kms, with Craig carrying Aaron in the backpack the whole way. He was a good boy all day and Braydon did an excellent job walking all that way. (The Cathedral Cave was closed due to recent flooding)

15/04/12

Dianne can hardly walk today. Her calves are very sore. In the afternoon we did 3 shorter walks. Firstly the Rock Pool walk – 600m; then Mickey Creek Gorge – 1.5km;  and lastly Baloon Cave – 500m. The cave had Aboriginal drawings in it. We also walked up to the lookout of the caravan park late afternoon to take photos of the sunset. We were lucky to get into Carnarvon as the roads were flooded just the week before.  

Lake Maraboon (Fairbairn Dam)  16/04/12

We left Carnarvon Gorge at 10am & travelled to Lake Maraboon, which is just south of Emerald. We arrived at 3pm. We had morning tea at a park in Rolleston, & had lunch & went grocery shopping at Springsure. The park cost $34 a night, & is run by a couple of guys, or is that gays, and it is full of caravans with tinny’s fishing for Red Claw. The park put on a sausage sizzle last night, and entertainment which was for the grey nomads, but it was still good. On arrival, Craig saw some Lorikeets on the ground, so he got some bread to feed them, but got attacked as they came from everywhere. It is a very friendly park with everyone talking to each other. We went for a walk to the dam late afternoon.

Attack of the birds

17/04/12

Craig & Braydon went fishing in the morning, but didn’t catch anything. In the afternoon we went for a walk to the dam, & Craig & Braydon put the red claw pots in. Then Braydon & Dianne made Craigs Birthday Cake – a chocolate swirl cake.

No we didn't catch this :(

18/04/12

CRAIGS BIRTHDAY!

Craig & Braydon checked the red claw pots first up before breakfast. They caught 4 little ones. We left camp at 10.30am for Emerald. We drove over the dam wall & saw the spillway. We went to the Information Centre to find out what we could do at Emerald. The best they could come up with was to go out to Fairbairn Dam. Maybe we wouldn’t be able to stay the whole day & have a special birthday tea for Craig....... We had a birthday lunch at a cafe. Craig had a works burger with chips. We then went to the Botanical Gardens – very disappointing. No gardens, just weeds & bushland. Some of it was flood affected though. We decided to head back to Fairbairn Dam. Braydon played with 2 kids from nearby. We had iceblocks late afternoon & ordered Meals on Wheels for tea – delivered to your caravan at 6pm. Craig had a Seafood Basket & Dianne had Sausages, Bacon & a Rissole on a bed of Mash Potato. We then skyped Craigs Mum & Dad – we had the birthday cake out with a 40^th candle on it & sang Happy Birthday to him.

Dont give Aaron a piece of bread with birds around

Jericho  19/04/12

Craig & Braydon checked the red claw pots again first up before breakfast. They again caught 4 little ones. We left Fairbairn Dam at 10.30am & arrived at the Jericho Community Park at 3.30pm. This was a free campsite (No. 342) on the banks of the river Jericho. This was about 85km east of Barcaldine, & was a nice spot. On the way there we saw up ahead a herd of goats crossing the highway. The first we saw of it was the car up ahead with his brake lights on. We had assumed they were cows. Craig & Braydon rode their bikes & then we all went for a walk along the river bank.

Didnt feel any smarter after visiting the tree of Knowledge

Longreach  20/04/12

We left Jericho at 9am & arrived at Longreach at 1pm & had lunch. On the way we stopped at Barcaldine & had a look at the Tree of Knowledge, which is the historical site of the 1891 Shearers’ Strike, & known as where the Labour Party was formed. We stayed at the Longreach Tourist Park which cost $27 a night. It was very hot. Craig and Braydon had a swim, & then we all went for a walk around the park. We went to the parks’ restaurant for tea. Dianne had the days special which was Lasagne & Chips for $10. The chips were excellent. Craig had Steak, Chips & Salad.

21/04/12

Today we went to the Qantas Founders Museum. It was very informative. Unfortunately we couldn’t do the tour of the 747 as the front wheel had sunk in too the ground. It had been out of action for about 6 weeks, & they hoped to have the problem fixed by early May. A quote from Braydon was “It must have been a really bad driver to crash when the plane wasn’t even moving”. We toured the smaller 707. It was still good. It had been decommissioned & was sitting doing nothing in Southern England. Some Australian engineers went over on their own time to get it up & running again. The process to hand it over wasn’t easy & took 3 years. It was finally official when Tony Blair handed it over to John Howard. It cost approximately $150000 in fuel to fly it from England to Australia. This is particularly significant because the Qantas Founders Museum isin’t owned by Qantas, but relies on the public to keep it running. This particular model of plane is the same as Air Force One, & also the same one that John Travolta owns. The plane had many owners in its lifetime, the last one being the Saudi Arabians. It was also leased out at one stage to the Jackson 5, & then later on to Michael Jackson when he was a soloist.

22/04/12

Today we went to the Stockman’s Hall of Fame & Stockman’s Show. It was very interesting learning about life for the early Settlers & Stockmen. The show was put on by a very funny fellow. It went for about an hour. The highlight was probably seeing the Bullock team. We had Burgers & Chips for lunch. Craig washed the car late afternoon.

23/04/12

Our mate Billy

First of all today, Craig washed the caravan & Dianne did 2 loads of washing. We then went to the School of the Air. We enjoyed seeing how school was done in the outback. They usually talk with their teacher via phone or computer video for an hour every day. They then work with their home tutor (usually their mother or sometimes a governess) the rest of the school day. They receive 2 home visits in the year, and have a couple of weekly camps where they get together with students of the same grade. While we were there, Billy Moore (former State Of Origin player) was there talking over the phone with students and answering their questions. We then went in to town & had a look around & bought some groceries.

Kynuna  24/04/12

We left Longreach at 8am & travelled to Kynuna, arriving at about 4.00pm. Our first stop was at about 10am at the Australian Age Of Dinosaurs Museum, just outside of Winton. We first of all had morning tea, & then went to the museum & saw some remains of 3 dinosaurs. They were still working on the reconstruction of all 3, and the dig sites were still operational. We then went to the laboratory where they store the fossils and then work at preparing  and identifying them. It is all painstakingly slow work, and they have years of work ahead of them, not to mention new dig sites to uncover. We then travelled on to Winton where we had lunch. Winton is the home of Waltzing Matilda, & the birthplace of Qantas. It was then a long drive to Kynuna. The caravan park was attached to the local Roadhouse. It was a powered site that cost $15 for the night (No. 367).

Cloncurry  25/04/12

We left Kynuna at 8.30am & travelled to Cloncurry, arriving at about  12pm. Our first stop was at Mckinlay where we looked at the hotel from Crocodile Dundee. It was closed up & wasn’t very interesting. After having lunch at Cloncurry & a little rest, we went & had a look around town, and then went grocery shopping & bought fuel. The caravan park cost $25 for the night & was called the Cloncurry Caravan Park Oasis. We had a pizza for tea. We travelled 366km.

Adels Grove  26/04/12

We left Cloncurry for Adels Grove at 8.30am. We had morning tea & bought fuel at the Burke & Wills Roadhouse. We then travelled on to Gregory Downs where we had lunch. We were going to stay here the night (No. 264), but there was a group of Aboriginals drinking. We found out later that they probably travelled a few hundred km. just to get grog because their nearest pub had burned down a couple of weeks ago. So we travelled on to Adels Grove (No. 265), arriving at about 3.30pm. What a beautiful place. It is a privately run park in Lawn Hill Gorge, costing $32 a night. The river is emerald in colour with many fish which we fed with bread. We built a campfire at night & toasted marshmellows.

27/04/12

This morning we explored the park further, & then in the afternoon we drove 10km. to Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park & had a look around. It was also beautiful. We had a scrumptious honey & macadamia roast chicken with roast vegetables cooked in the camp oven in the coals of the fire.

28/04/12

Today we hired a canoe & paddled (well Craig did) on the emerald green waters of Lawn Hill Creek up to Indarri Falls – 3km. Fortunately we were able to get a life jacket small enough to fit Aaron. There were spectacular orange sandstone walls on the paddle up the Middle Gorge to the falls. You then have the option of carrying the canoe around the falls to continue upstream to the Upper Gorge, but we were unable to do this with Aaron. At Indarri Falls there were 4 beautiful waterfalls created by the creek of the Upper Gorge flowing in to the Lower Gorge – it was fascinating seeing the creek at 2 different levels. The creek is fed from a natural spring. The water was beautiful and Craig & Braydon had a swim, even though there were signs warning fresh water crocodiles inhabit the creek. We met a lovely Christian couple, Chris & Sarah and their son Jack - 3 & daughter Leila - 10 months, & had a lovely chat with them late afternoon. He is the local policeman at Burketown (the place where the local pub burned down). He has a huge thankless job up there.

29/04/12

Today we did the walk to Indarri Falls. It is a 3.8km loop walk that takes you to the falls & returns via the hilltops and the gorge rim. We all certainly appreciated the swim at the falls – except for poor Aaron who just stayed in the backpack (it is self-standing). On our way to have a shower late afternoon, Braydon & I stopped dead in our tracks because there was a python blocking the path. We weren’t far from camp so Craig came to see what the problem was. Anyway, suffice to say, we didn’t have a shower that night.

Karumba  30/04/12

We have a big drive ahead of us today. We left Adels Grove at 8.15am and arrived at Karumba, in the Gulf Of Carpentaria, at 4.15pm. We had lunch (very expensive) & got fuel at the Burke & Wills Roadhouse. We booked in to the Karumba Point Tourist Park, costing $33 a night. Both boys were very good all day.

01/05/12

Today we all went for a bike ride up to the point. It was Aaron’s first time on a bike – he enjoyed it. It was good to see the sea again. Karumba is well known for its fishing, so there are heaps of boats. It was funny seeing so many 4-wheel drive vehicles with boat trailers lined up in the car park at the jetty. Many people, particularly from Victoria, come up here for 3 months at a time. It is a real haven for the grey nomads. During the wet season, from about November to the end of February, the town is isolated due to flooding. In the afternoon we had a swim in the caravan park pool – nice & refreshing. We met 2 lovely ladies here in their Winnebago – Debbie & Michelle. We had a look at the sun setting over the sea, & then had a lovely meal at the Sunset Tavern.

02/05/12

Craig was up early this morning & went on a fishing charter. The sea was very calm . He had a great day, & came home with 5 Blue Salmon. This was his 40^th birthday present from Dianne & the boys. We had another swim in the pool in the afternoon. We had Barramundi & chips for tea while watching the sun set over the sea (we decided to have Craig’s fish tomorrow night).

Mount Isa  04/05/12

                                     

We had a huge day of travelling today. We left Karumba at 8.30am & arrived at Mount Isa at 4.30pm. We managed to do the whole trip on one tank of fuel but the fuel light was on for the last  90km which Di got very excited about. We do however carry 20 litres of spare fuel just in case we miss calculate the fuel stops.  We thought we might only go as far as Cloncurry, but we had lunch at 1.30pm about 40km outside of Cloncurry, so we decided to push on to Mount Isa, only another 120km up the road. The drive into Mt Isa was really surprising  for us as we thought it would be a baron place but it  turned out to be a lovely hilly place with lots of vegetation, with a very clean town with the huge mine jammed in the middle of town We were all pretty tired that night. We stayed at the Sunset Top  Park, costing $31.50 a night. Today we travelled 644km.

05/05/12

We took it fairly easy today. In the morning we bought groceries & fuel, & went to the information centre to find out what we could do in the area. We booked an above ground mine tour for Monday. Braydon played with a couple of kids from next door. Craig & Braydon watched the motor racing in the afternoon. In the late afternoon, we had a walk around the caravan park. Debbie & Michelle arrived today from Karumba. You know you have been away from big towns for a long time when you have to really concentrate when pulling into traffic and even have to stop for traffic lights. Life seems so busy here the grocery shops seemed crazy.

06/05/12

This morning we went to the Underground Hospital. This was really interesting. It was built during the Second World War after the bombing of Darwin. It was thought that Mount Isa could be the next target because they were mining Lead & Copper for the war effort. Fortunately, it didn’t need to be used for its intended purpose. After the war ended, it was used by nurses on night shift as a cool place to sleep, & then for storage. It was then closed up & forgotten about. In the 70’s, a committee was formed to restore it, & found things pretty much as they were left, including equipment & medicines. We also went to the kids playground/water park that cost 4 million to build. The mine contributed 1 million to it. Braydon absolutely loved it. Craig & Braydon then watched the motor racing again in the afternoon. In the late afternoon we drove up to the lookout to get some sunset photos, & also to see all the lights on at the mine. As a bonus we watched a full moon rise from behind the mountains.

07/05/12

Today was our mine tour on the bus. It took 2 hours, so was very informative. The bus driver was an underground miner for 25 years, so he was very knowledgeable about all the aspects of the mine. It was particularly interesting hearing about the mines future. They are in the process of making the site all surface mining within 7 years. When leaving the mine site all vehicles need to be washed down to lesson dirt being transported in to the town. We then had McDonalds for lunch. The mine is expected to have a life expectancy of another 70 years.

Barkly Homestead  08/05/12

We left Mount Isa at 9am & arrived at the Barkly Homestead Roadhouse at 3pm. We stopped at Camooweal for morning tea, & then soon after crossed the border in to the Northern Territory.  Unfortunately we did not take a photo of the sign as we went past it and could not be bothered to turn  around. The roads in Queensland have been excellent but as soon as we entered NT the roads were in bad condition. Luckily enough it was for  30km or so and then the roads improved.  There was also vary sparse scenery once in NT where there was nothing to see for miles and the roads were straight and seemed to go on forever.  The speed limit also went up from 110km/hr to 130km/hr as well as the time going back ½ an hour, although we continued at do our usual 95 – 100km/hr. The Barkly Homestead Roadhouse is a haven in the middle of nowhere. We bought fuel here, & the caravan park cost $28 for the night. We went for a walk around the caravan park late afternoon. Today we travelled 445.5km.