INTO THE NORTHERN TERRITORY

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We got away from Mt Isa late as for the first time since leaving home we had to go to a Laundromat.

Finally $21 later all was clean and after a quick cuppa we set off for the west.

Standing beside a young Leichhardt Tree which reminded me of a jiant one that stood where we waited for Mum to pick us up from school in Proserpine in the '50's.



At the border, kids climbed up on top of their trailer and jumped up - this is my version

We got to the border at about 3pm and had to turn all time pieces forward ½ hour. Our first night was spent at a free camp called Woranah Bore Camp which is about 220 kms from the 3 ways on the Stuart Highway. This is signposted all along the road as SH and so Stuart is chuffed that it is named after him –yeah right.

As we travel along I am having de je vieu moments about the trip we did when the kids were much younger in 1974 with Terry, Val and Troy Moore.

We have already mapped out some of the places we hope to see including Kings Canyon, Flynn’s memorial, people sleeping in the bed of the Todd River, Devils Marbles, Ayers Rock, Standley Chasm, and hopefully find the caravan park where I thought native persons were trying to attack us running up to us brandishing spears, nulla-nulla’s and woomera’s when they were only trying to make a quick sale to some unsuspecting tourists.

So many places that we thought were such great tourist attractions apparently have closed down in Alice so I hope I don’t get too disappointed.

On our way along the barkly highway we stopped off the road for timber for a fire. It was here my hunter-gatherer collected firewood by starting up the chainsaw (newly purchased in Mt Isa) and filled the tray in front of the van.

Had a great stop at Devils Marbles. We arrived at the camp spot early and went for a walk through the marbles. It was so hard to imagine they started out as one solid rock mass millions of years ago and through erosion are now the round rocks we see today.

After dinner a park ranger had a big fire going and we were all invited to sit round while he gave us a bit of history about the marbles, the area and the local people.

I didn't crack this one open - it happeneds before I got here!!

A real native came wandering through the camp about 5 pm to check us all out and then again a bit later on and again in the morning to see us off.  The ranger said that he would have been as pure a dingo as we would see on the mainland.

What was very interesting was the straight road.  Going west from Camooweal to the Stuart highway and then south to Alice was like driving on the Nullarbor.  Fuel at tenant creek was $1.89 litre fortunately we didn’t need any.

About 50 Kms out of Alice we did a inside drivers tyre on the back of the beast and crawled into town to get 2 new tyres.

A camp still on the Stuart highway was it for the night and when we woke at 6.00 am it was -3' outside and 2'inside, we made a cuppa and set off for Stuarts Well where we had breakfast and saw the local tourist attraction, the singing dingo which was about 12 years old and not singing at 7 am.

ON the horizon on the left near Curtain Springs on the Lasseter Highway we saw Mt Connor which seems nearly as big as the Rock but with a very flat top.

We booked into a caravan park at Ulara with the backdrop of Uluru and Kata Tjuta ( the olgas). What a community - there were designated areas for different levels of accommodation over a vast area with a shopping area in the middle with a supermarket, post office, news agency and about 4 eating places and half a dozen touristy type places. It must be quite a permanent community as the post office had a bank of about 30 mail boxes. servicing the Rock, as I remembered how cold it was back in the '70's when we stayed there and I needed power and heated air con.

We set up on our site and gathered some nibbles and wine to drive to the designated viewing place to watch the sunset and had to stop at the entry into the sacred site and pay a fee of $25 each for 3 days entry. This is because the government purchased a 99 year lease of the area from the traditional owners.

The changing face of Uluru til about 6.00pm

 We set up our chairs and table and waited along with hundreds of other people for the spectacular event to unfold.  The colour Changes just had to be seen to be believed and with the lowering of the sun so too came the lowering of temperatures so we headed back to camp.

Next morning we headed back to the base where intrepid (interpreted brave or silly) made the climb to the top.

We had discussed it the previous evening and I suggested that Stuart not attempt it and stated that I on the other hand definitely wouldn't.

Next morning I relented and felt that it wasn't my place to say no and said so and after reading the safety notes about health requirements of climbers he set out - but not for long and came back to the ground to a much relieved wife.

A visit to the native cultural canter didn't tell us much except that not a lot has changed.   The guide for a bus tour didn't turn up for work (apparently a common occurrence) and the desk was unattended for over 1/2 an hour while we were there.

That afternoon we drove the 35 Km's further on to the Olga's where we took one of the shorter walks (2kms) in between 2 of the 32 large boulders that make up the Olgas.  This certainly gave us a glimpse of the magnitude of the boulders

We arrived home to a lovely corned beef, white sauce and veg in the dream pot that I had prepared before leaving camp in the morning, and got up next morning to go and watch the sun rise over The rock in the piccaninny dawn.

 I wanted to drive around the rock because I remembered many markings on it that I had seen 30 odd years before but the road now travels a fair way out from the base to protect sacred sights but I did get to see this one that stuck in my memory.
It is just a breakdown of the surface but depicts a warriors face in profile.

On the way out of the area we stopped at Curtain Springs for smoko and thought fuel at the rock where we filled up was dear at $2.04 but here it was $2.34 a litre.  We also didn't get any stubbies ($7 ea and $81 ctn) or cans of bundy and cola ($11,80 ea or $145 a carton.  We did get a nice bottle of port for $19 which included 2 commemorative small pannikins.

We travelled through to Kings Canyon Resort and checked in for the night on an unpowered sight. ( I hope it doesn't get too cold.) Kings canyon proved to be an expensive stop but in my opinion, worth it. 

 While there we walked 2.6 Kms into Kings Canyon along the floor and back which was spectacular.  A better walk would have been the 6 kms walk around the rim but it started with an almost sheer climb up the side and I knew my limitations.

That night we had a barbecue tea in the restaurant with live entertainment and were adopted by a little 8 year old named Zoe from Victoria

We found out that the road we intended to travel back to Alice Springs, was very rough and really only designed for 4 wheel drive and off road vans so we had to fuel up and head back the way we came which was an extra 250 k’s. Stuart only put $100 in the tank as the fuel was $2.33 a litre - the dearest we have struck so far.

Next day it was back to Alice to the show grounds where we will have no accommodation fees for the next week.
I make no appologies for the length of this but we saw such wonderful sights and I had to share.

THE QUICK TRIP HOME

Since we left Longreach we have been to Alpha, Capella, Clermont, Emerald, Winton, Cloncurry and now Mt Isa.

In between, I made a quick trip home from Winton to Rockhampton then Mackay and then flew from Mackay to join Stuart up in Mt Isa.

I had an appointment with the accountant while I was there and caught up with Kylie and Kathy and their families. I also caught up with Joe in Emerald while there and Tracy while in Rocky.

It was great to catch up but a very busy trip and tiring also.

I got the sad news that my cousin Bill Boland had succumbed to cancer while I was at home as well.

Mt Isa is a typical mining town with expensive housing but unlike the mines in Central Queensland they aren’t as dangerous as there isn’t the methane risk so we went on a tour of the underground mine.  This proved very interesting to Stuart and interesting for me although I have been underground before.

The show here was Friday and Saturday and was very windy and dusty.  The worst I have encountered so far.  Fortunately I could spend a great deal of my time in the van and Stuart only called on me when it got busy as we were parked right behind the stand.

Tomorrow we head west for Alice Springs and have 2 ½ weeks to get there so look forward to seeing a bit of the countryside along the way.  I just hope it doesn’t get too cold.  At least at the shows we have power and can run the airconditioner.  From here to Alice we will free camp and I don’t know how I will go with that at about 8’ C inside.  Stuart won't be working so maybe I can put in an order to cups of tea on the hour while I stay rugged up in bed with a book.  Unfortunately he can't bring the countryside to me so I will have to venture out.

It’s about 28 years since I have been to Alice Springs and I believe a lot has changed since then and not for the better.

I guess one change might be the model of car used for housing in the bed of the Todd River.

All will be revealed in the near future.

MAY 19 - LONGREACH

Since leaving home we have been to Chareters Towers for the music festival and I won't bore anyone with that as we covered it last year exct this year I ventured into the bush poetry field with a poem about the humble plastic chair. (I didn't write it) We also caught up with good friends Phyl and Rod; and Phyl and I went to a quilt show and found a great fabric shop which enticed some money off us.  Then being Thursday (our craft day) I suggested we have a session at my place. Unfortunately none of the rest of our "Tuesday Girls Who Meet On Thursday" could make it that day.It was great catching up with them.

We had a good show and left on the Sunday for barcaldine where we had 3 days before we set up for the show.  As our van was behind our stand I had a chance to relax while Stuart did his thing.

Right behind us was a group who had an animal nursery and I was concerned about animal smell but there wasn't any which was good.  They also had chooks and so we got a fresh egg as well.

We went to see the Australian workers heritage centre while there and although it proclaimed that it wasn't politically affiliated obviously it leant very much to the labor side.  We also saw the Queensland electoral role for 1992 where we found many names.that we knew including my own and some from Ferguson street Mackay.

We also visited the Tree of Knowledge which was regarded as the birthplace of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). This was because the town was the headquarters of the 1891 Australian shearers' strike where policy and decisions were made It was poisoned many years ago and after being sent away and preserved now stands on the original site.

Had a great show and for the $30 site fee we stayed a week and saw some history and made some money, along the way.

Then it was on to longreach where we got onto our site at the show grounds on Sunday and had til Friday to be tourists before the show starts.  I don't think this will be a resting place for me given the figures from last year but well see.

We did a river cruise on the Thomson river on a paddle boat originally from gympie which was just fabulous. 

 It started at about 4pm and we could take drinks.  So at 4pm we were waiting at the gate of the show grounds like Japanese tourists with cameras at the ready and our dilly bag of wine waiting for the courtesy bus to pick us up.

With glass of wine in hand and nibbles (which were supplied) we cruised up the Thomson river getting some spectacular photos of reflections oof the river and then the sunset on the way back. 

 When we docked there was a great camp fire with billy tha on the boil and after "Scotty" recited some bush poetry...

The "Chook" Wagon

Scotty

... we were all served up some good old bush stew and later a paniken of billy tea and damper folloepwed by more poetry before we all piled back on the bus for a ride back home.

Next on the tourist map was a visit to the qantas museum where we saw everything aeronautical pertaining to qantas emergence in Australia and how it all started.

Wednesday we spent the day at the stockmans hall of fame and although it was great I expected a little bit more.  We were entertained by a stockman with horses, cows and a camel for props which was very entertaining. 

The tour included lunch and this was open-air with a fan the entire width of the ceiling - huge!

The show here was only for Friday and Saturday but we were here for 7 days for about $75 rent as well as site fee with electricity which was good as it got down to 8' a few mornings so I needed the van warmed up and a cup of tea in bed before I got out - works for me!

Now its off to Alpha, Capella, Clermont and Emerald. Hopefully, the door hinge for the fridge catches up with us by Emerald and we can get it fixed and buy in some meat.  We bought a 60ltr Waeco portable fridge/freezer and it should arrive about Emerald as well.  That will give us a chance to stock up on extra frozen stuff and also give us room to put the red claw we catch somewhere to die humanely (if we get to catch some)

This was on a plaque at the Stockmans Hall of Fame and it reminded me on someone very dear to me.  I hope you like it.

THE DAY HAS ARRIVED - WE HAVE DONE IT

Yes, the day has finally arrived.  We are now officially Grey Nomads.
Yesterday, 1st May 2012 was not onlly the first day of May, but it was Kathy and Troy's Wedding Anniversary and on a personal note, also the start of our "ONE DAY" tour around Australia.  One Day - because we intend to see all the places we preeviously said we sould see "one day".
We got away late (3.00 pm) and got as far as the free camp at Guthalungra, just north of Bowen on our way to Charters Towers for the Country Music Festival.
This is the start of a dream Stuart and I have had since we met nearly 19 years ago (when I asked him if I could borrow his pen to write down some other man's phone number for a date).
The rest as they say is history.