29th Aug 2010 - Last Day in Alice

Sunday morning and bacon and eggs before heading to the Stuart Highway to see the procession of trucks of all types making their way past our vantage point. The afternoon was a final drive into the town centre to replenish the pantry as we are leaving for Kings Canyon tomorrow morning. We have thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Alice Springs and the McDonnell Ranges Caravan Park is excellent. On our way into town we had to stop to take a photo of the iconic Sturt Desert Pea which is a stunning native plant.

28 Aug 2010 - Alice Springs OT Station and Desert Park

This morning Pedro took Kev to the airport to fly back to Brisbane for a Boat Show function so Max and I took off to visit the Alice Springs Overland Telegraph Station. If you only want to see one this is the best as it is the most intact. I wondered why it was situated on the outskirts of Alice Springs as it is today when we were on our way there but of course sites were chosen for their proximity to permanent water....it is surrounded by small rocky outcrops and is a popular picnic spot today. The story of the overland telegraph line is very interesting and a truly magnificent effort on behalf of all the people involved in its construction and manning of these then remote posts. After lunch we visited the Desert Park which educates the visitor on the different aspects of what is considered an arid landscape but is actually quite the opposite.

27 Aug 2010 - Truck Show in Alice

Another lovely day in Alice Springs....the mornings are quite cold but warm up to a very pleasant 18. This morning we visited the Truck Museum where all the various trucks are assembling for the big procession on Sunday. Even without the big show, the museum is worth a visit. The boys went to the races this afternoon but did not hear of many winners at the end of the day. The old motorhome is opposite us in the park and the other photos show an early Diamond T Road Train and one of Lindsays first trucks. Max took the photo of the AA International as it is very similar to the farm truck his father owned and now with Ken at Rawdon Island. The restoration of some of the trucks is amazing.

26 Aug 2010 - Standley Chasm and Simpsons Gap

This morning we woke to a pea soup fog and as we had to shift sites at the park for the remainder of our stay we just starting to get organised when the power went off. The entire area was without power for several hours, however we were finally allocated our new site numbers and were on our way to Standley Chasm and Simpsons Gap before lunch. The fog cleared to reveal a beautiful sunny day and luckily we arrived at the Chasm just in time to see the sun shining into it to reveal the stunning colours of the rock. We had lunch before setting off to Simpsons Gap, then back into Alice for a drive to the Anzac Hill lookout which gives you a good view over the town and surrounds. Alice Springs is booked out with all the truck enthusiasts and the procession on Sunday should be very interesting.

24-25 Aug 2010 - Raining at the Alice

Well it is raining so we have had to put on hold our plans to further explore the McDonnell Ranges which is a bit of a shame as it is very beautiful. Yesterday we had lunch in the Mall and to fill in the afternoon I decided to cook a casserole (Beef Guinness and Colcannon) and some date muffins. The locals we spoke to did not seem too enthusiastic about the rain either which is a surprise as I thought they would be overjoyed. Alice Springs is the venue for the National Road Transport Hall of Fame 15th Anniversary Celebration at the moment so there are many old trucks arriving in town....the procession on Sunday should be very interesting so hope the weather improves. Max has gone to take a photo of water creeping down the Todd River. We went for a drive through the West McDonnell Ranges but will have to return to walk into the gorges along the way.

23 Aug 2010 - Day for Pampering

Where are you 'Wus'?....we are waiting. This morning the girls and Kev decided it was time for a bit of TLC so off to the hairdressers for wash, treatments and blowdrys as the chemicals in the water in the territory does seem to dry your hair a little. Alice Springs and the outback deservidly pays tribute to Dr. John Flynn, the man responsible for the Flying Doctors' Service, but not restricted to just that we find out. We had a couple of mls. of rain last night....apparently Alice Springs has an annual rainfall of just 20 mls. so this year has been 'wet' for here. We are lucky to see the country with more vegetation than normal. The photos I will add are some more taken yesterday of the road along the Finke River and a couple Max took of Alice Sprimgs while waiting for the hairdo's to be finished.

22 Aug 2010 -West McDonnell Ranges

After having a late night waiting for an election result we were all a bit bleary-eyed setting off on our trip into the beautiful West McDonnell Ranges visiting Ellery Creek Bighole, Serpentine, Glen Helen, Redbank & Ormiston Gorges before driving 22ks into Palm Valley down the Finke River....4WD only dirt road basically driving on the riverbed until arriving at the parking spot to finish by walking along the banks of the river lined with ancient palm trees and cycads. Max says he has turned into a mountain goat negotiating the rocky walks....it is great to walk through such breathtaking scenery. The drive into the Finke River is quite demanding and I am wondering where the races are held annually for the dirt bike and buggy enthusiasts.

21 Aug 2010 - Happy Birthday Cooper

Happy Birthday to our youngest grandchild Cooper who is a big One today....have a great day Cooper and looking forward to seeing you all. Love & kisses from Grandma & Grandad
After calling for the birthday wishes we went to the 'Henley on the Todd' festival which is held on the dry Todd river bed. A morning procession ends with races of various kinds. Lots of visitors were among the crowd watching the antics from the banks of the river. We are hoping to catch up on the election result before dining out tonight to celebrate a wedding anniversery of Colin & Elaine (cousin of Kev's) staying in Alice as well.

20 Aug 2010 - Arrive Alice Springs

Another beautiful morning on the road, the nights however are getting cooler but the days are still quite warm. We did not have much to see between our overnight stop and Alice....only calling into Aileron where there were a couple of large sculptures. Aileron has a hotel with park attached and an art centre which was closed. The publican said the sculptures were by Mark Egan (son of the country and western singer Ted Egan). A little further along we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn which was our morning tea stop before arriving in Alice Springs to head for the Macdonnell Range Holiday Park which would have to be the best park we have stayed in during this trip. It was then time for catch up again on washing etc. after being on the road for a couple of days.

19 Aug 2010 - Barrow Creek

The morning sunrise saw a hive of activity at the "Marbles". There were about 40 campers that stayed overnight and among them some keen photographers with tripods to catch that perfect shot. Our two nocturnal members Pete & Kev were up on the rock at dawn as well. Max was content to capture the two of them from ground level. Hitting the road again we travelled through subtling changing countryside to Wauchope (pronounced Walkup) for your benefit Ken. Then onto Wycliffe Well (apparently the site of numerous UFO sightings) and further to Barrow Creek where there is another Telegraph Station. The hotel at Barrow Creek is original and we could not help but ask for the local opinion on the Peter Falconia incident. I think the locals are tired of the questions (understandable) and replied the courts decided so why should we question the decision. We then headed for another night on the road where we filled the afternoon with another game of Rummy O and Bocce (I'm not sure of the spelling).

18 Aug 2010 - Devils Marbles

Leaving Tennant Creek our journey south meant we were without phone signal for a couple of days as we planned an overnight camp at Devils Marbles....an outcrop of unusual shaped rocks....arriving around noon and after setting up we took off for a walk around and over them. The colours change with the time of day so is worth camping overnight. Max sighted a strange man (I think the 'marbles' must have gone to his head). We were camped right under the big outcrop so it was a very pleasant backdrop to wake up to in the morning. Pedro, Kev and I climbed to the top of that outcrop to witness the sunset.

16-17 Aug 2010 - Tennant Creek

We left our overnight stop after a windy night....the girls were a bit spooked at times as the wind played tricks or so we thought. Just before Tennant Creek we called into the Tennant Creek Telegraph Station which was established in 1870, one of the repeater stations for the overland telegraph that connected Port Augusta to Darwin and then the world. In those days it was the only thing here as the town did not eventuate until gold was discovered in the 1930s I think. We set up our camp in Tennant Creek and had a drive around to acquaint ourselves with the town driving out to see 'The Pebbles' before returning to our camp. Today the morning was occupied with housekeeping and a relaxing afternoon catching up on phone calls etc. as we have not had signal on our phones off and on for a week. To 'littleladylollipop' the soapbox was not my idea and the snake is in hibernation at the moment, somewhere in Kev's car....not discovered yet or if he has he is not letting on. (Photos) Kev had a turn on the box and the girls love to watch the men cooking. The old road north would have been a different experience to that of today!!!!

Corrugated Iron

The store was of particular interest to Max as he also has a late uncle Jock Jones, so was interested to read the history of the store. The hotel was also built in the manner of the day.....what an important building material was corrugated iron and in this case 2" angle iron. Buildings out the back were the hotel rooms and amenities. To us it is hard to contemplate doing our cooking and cleaning in buildings such as these but I guess it proves that we owe a great gratitude to these tenacious people who made the most of what they had and to the weary traveller a bed and hot meal would have been heaven.