Thursday 14th August - After the poor weather on our first visit to Sydney and the wintry weather in Victoria we are glad to see very mild temperatures and blue skies. Our hotel is just south of the city center but convenient for buses and trains so it is easy for us to head into Circular Quay for some tourism. After grabbing breakfast from a cafe and enjoying the harbour view from our park bench we wander slowly east past the opera house and into the botanical gardens.
Here we're just in time to take a walking tour of some of the gardens which is very informative and proves a pleasant way to wile away the middle of the day, before Tracy opts to take the City Circle train back to the hotel while Tim walks back past Sydney Hospital and through St James and Hyde Park to get pictures. In the evening we meet up with the Sydney Thirsty hash for a good run in the Roselle area before we retire to a nearby bar.
Friday 15th August - Today we begin by taking a look at Darling Harbour on the west side of the city centre. Here we eat the brunch we grabbed at an interesting Indonesian bakery (and keep the aggressive gulls at bay) before walking around to the ferry terminal and catching the ferry around to Bradley's Head where we take a walk in the remnants of the native forest that once grew all around the Bay. This gives us city views and a look at the typical sandstone geology on the beach before riding the bus back to Milson's Point at the north end of the Harbour Bridge. Here Tim takes a walk for pictures on the north shore and over the bridge as the sun sets while Tracy takes the train back to the hotel.
We grab dinner in one of the many cheap and cheerful Chinese restaurants in the area of the hotel, which largely cater to Asian students. The food is good including dumplings that are sold in great quantity at the restaurant door for take-away. Noticably every restaurant seems to boast a brand new big flat screen TV, I'm sure these are for the Olympics that attract a big Chinese crowd every day. The Aussies may not be so keen as the look like getting less medal than the Brits, a serious failing!
Saturday 16th August - A day for some serious packing where we get the bike boxes reorganized one last time and make sure that all the bags meet the requirements for the next leg of the flight. In the afternoon Tracy opts for lazing while Tim trains over to the 2000 Olympic Park to have a look at the area and take in an Aussie Rules Football game. While this is the code favoured in Victoria (as mentioned before New South Wales is dominated by Rugby League) the local Sydney Swans are reasonably good and boast a large support in the impresssive Olympic Stadium, however today they come up against the all conquering Geelong and the match is never close.
Sunday 17th August - The city is currently hosting the Sydney Biennale, a large festival of contemporary art with venues all over. We opt to ride over to Cockatoo Island, both to look at the installations and see this historic place which has functioned as an imperial prison, industrial school, gaol and most recenty one of Australia's biggest shipyards (closedin 1992). The modern art fits well with the decaying industrial architecture and it proves to be an interesting and stimulating experience.
Next stop is back at Circular Quay where we meet the local hashers for a special full moon run. We get a short trail but good views of the Harbour at dusk and the rising full moon from the walkway on the road past the Quay, before moving to a nearby bar.
Monday 18th August - After the partying we get up late and relax. Tim walks over to our favorite Indian Restaurant with internet access for a few hours online, other than that we accomplish a bit more packing.
Tuesday 19th August - To compensate for yesterday's sloth Tim is up early for pictures around the harbour and The Rocks, before picking Tracy up for a trip out to Bondi Beach. It is a little cold for a dip despite the clear sunny weather and we opt for some walking around the area on the sand and around the sandstone cliffs. More pictures in the afternoon... and more Asin food and internet in the evening.
Wednesday 20th August - Our last day in Australia and Tim takes a run with the camera for some of the few views he's missed so far. Then we ride down to the Harbour where Tracy hangs out while Tim rides the ferry over to Manly to enjoy last views of the harbour. This fills the time before we return to the hotel, haul our baggage down to the foyer and pick up an airport shuttle with very grumpy driver en route to our Hawaii flight.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Victoria (part 2)
Tuesday August 5th - We have to be back in Sale by evening for a dinner with Ada, Don and friends of theirs from Switzerland, but also want to see the parts of the Great Ocean Road we missed in April. This requires an early start in the cold but the day turns beautiful as we approach the Bay of Islands, a bay full of small islands and rock pillars which give a flavor of the natural features that make this coast famous. A description doesn't really do justice to the coast so check out pictures here.
From here we visit several of the famous features on this coast. Loch Ard Gorge is the most interesting with both spectacular limestone formations, caves, and a shipwreck history from whence the name comes. The clipper Loch Ard ran aground in 1878 having nearly reached it's destination in Melbourne from the UK. Only one crew member and one passenger survived of the 51 aboard, others are buried on top of the cliff.
The misnamed Twelve Apostles are our final destination. Once known as the "Sow and Piglets" the 12 sea stacks were renamed for the tourists in the 1950s despite numbering 9. One collapsed in 2005 so the proper name is probably the "8 Apostles and one rubble pile". Very impressive collection of stacks though.
Now we have to haul our way back to Sale in time for dinner and this we manage in reasonable time and without hitting too much traffic around Melbourne. The crew were only on starters and after being introduced to John, Rashana and their 3 kids (visiting from Switzerland though the parent hail from Canada and the US) we enjoy an excellent meal.
Wednesday August 6th - Having made it "home" we now have a few days to sort out our possessions and work out how to get them all back to the US. However first we spend a day sightseeing with Don, Ada and the ? family at up in the hills where large gold reserves were mined in the 19th century and where gold mining is still carried out on a small but commercial scale.
The ride to the historic mining town of Walhalla takes us through fog in the Latrobe Valley (no doubt worsened by the pollution from the brown coal burning power stations) and up into wooded hills once stripped bare of trees to feed the insatiable power needs of the mines. In Walhalla we take a tour of the oldest mine, a fascinating glimpse of how ore was brought to the surface by brute force, dynamite and steam power. Then we look around the remaining village and have a quick picnic (the weather is none too warm) before riding back down to Sale, this time with good views of the power stations.
Thursday August 7th - Today it is time for us to complete the emptying and cleaning of the camper, a process that leaves large piles of "stuff" to be sorted. Luckily the weather is dry as we haul it all around Ada's yard. Don and Tim take the camper off to clean the holding tanks and we then situate it back where it began under a shelter beside Ada's garage. We also complete the business details of handing the rig back to Don.
Friday August 8th - The piles begin to diminish as we decide what we'll donate to Ada, what will go to the charity shop and what is ready for the bin. It is amazing how much we have and it's a challenge getting it anywhere near ready to transport to Melbourne.
Saturday August 9th - More packing, sorting and organizing in the day before we spend an excellent evening with Ada's friends Dennett and Peter fueled by outstanding homemade pizza courtesy of their son Tim and a pizza oven they built in the garden.
We'll be staying at Peter and Dennett's apartment in Melbourne and Peter kindly offers to drive us there as he's heading that way for work. That will save us a lot of hauling stuff on the train!
Sunday August 10th - The winter weather actually threatens snow near our route to Melbourne but fortunately only at altitude while the road follows the valley and we only experience driving rain and high winds. We spend the day making final packing arrangements and hoping that the stuff will all fit in Peter's average size saloon/ sedan car. And it does... just. With a borrowed bike carrier and very little room for Tracy in the back!
Monday August 11th - The apartment in the city is very pleasant and nicely situated... just a pity about the continuing bad weather. We spend the early part of the day working out how to ship some of our possessions to the UK to avoid carrying quite so much on the many flights we have ahead, in the end posting it works out best and we duly fill a couple of boxes with the maximum 20kg (44lbs).
In the evening we join the Melbourne Hash House Harriers for their run, taking along Dennett's 18 year old nephew Matt. We all have fun despite the average age of the hashers being about 60!
Tuesday August 12th - Better weather today but we begin indoors by packing our bike boxes with the maximum allowed by the airline and then trying to fit everything else in within our weight limit... a tough job! We meet Matt for lunch and aim to have dinner with Don and Ada who are passing through the city en route to the airport. Somehow Tracy and I manage to lose one another on the 5 minute walk from the apartment to the restaurant, which is a problem as she doesn't know where she's going. However while Tim searches the riverside area she manages to find them herself and we finally get to say our goodbyes.
Wednesday August 13th - Tim is up early to get some pictures around the city as the weather is finally clear and crisp, then it's time to get our belongings into Peter's car, even more of a challenge than before with the bikes boxed. Tracy has even less room this time but we successfully make the airport where a helpful traffic minder allows us plenty of time to unload and helps us find baggage carts.
The flight to Sydney is incident free, but it is quite a challenge getting the bags and boxes through the airport, down to the railway, onto the train, off the train at the other end and finally from the station to the hotel. Though we selected a hotel beside the station it is beside the other end and Tim gets exercise carrying everything while Tracy stays with the diminishing pile.
At least the weather is mild and beautiful, and the hotel is both as good as advertised and has a large room with plenty of room for all the stuff. We relax for the rest of the day, luckily there is plenty of food options nearby for picking up lunch and dinner nearby.
From here we visit several of the famous features on this coast. Loch Ard Gorge is the most interesting with both spectacular limestone formations, caves, and a shipwreck history from whence the name comes. The clipper Loch Ard ran aground in 1878 having nearly reached it's destination in Melbourne from the UK. Only one crew member and one passenger survived of the 51 aboard, others are buried on top of the cliff.
The misnamed Twelve Apostles are our final destination. Once known as the "Sow and Piglets" the 12 sea stacks were renamed for the tourists in the 1950s despite numbering 9. One collapsed in 2005 so the proper name is probably the "8 Apostles and one rubble pile". Very impressive collection of stacks though.
Now we have to haul our way back to Sale in time for dinner and this we manage in reasonable time and without hitting too much traffic around Melbourne. The crew were only on starters and after being introduced to John, Rashana and their 3 kids (visiting from Switzerland though the parent hail from Canada and the US) we enjoy an excellent meal.
Wednesday August 6th - Having made it "home" we now have a few days to sort out our possessions and work out how to get them all back to the US. However first we spend a day sightseeing with Don, Ada and the ? family at up in the hills where large gold reserves were mined in the 19th century and where gold mining is still carried out on a small but commercial scale.
The ride to the historic mining town of Walhalla takes us through fog in the Latrobe Valley (no doubt worsened by the pollution from the brown coal burning power stations) and up into wooded hills once stripped bare of trees to feed the insatiable power needs of the mines. In Walhalla we take a tour of the oldest mine, a fascinating glimpse of how ore was brought to the surface by brute force, dynamite and steam power. Then we look around the remaining village and have a quick picnic (the weather is none too warm) before riding back down to Sale, this time with good views of the power stations.
Thursday August 7th - Today it is time for us to complete the emptying and cleaning of the camper, a process that leaves large piles of "stuff" to be sorted. Luckily the weather is dry as we haul it all around Ada's yard. Don and Tim take the camper off to clean the holding tanks and we then situate it back where it began under a shelter beside Ada's garage. We also complete the business details of handing the rig back to Don.
Friday August 8th - The piles begin to diminish as we decide what we'll donate to Ada, what will go to the charity shop and what is ready for the bin. It is amazing how much we have and it's a challenge getting it anywhere near ready to transport to Melbourne.
Saturday August 9th - More packing, sorting and organizing in the day before we spend an excellent evening with Ada's friends Dennett and Peter fueled by outstanding homemade pizza courtesy of their son Tim and a pizza oven they built in the garden.
We'll be staying at Peter and Dennett's apartment in Melbourne and Peter kindly offers to drive us there as he's heading that way for work. That will save us a lot of hauling stuff on the train!
Sunday August 10th - The winter weather actually threatens snow near our route to Melbourne but fortunately only at altitude while the road follows the valley and we only experience driving rain and high winds. We spend the day making final packing arrangements and hoping that the stuff will all fit in Peter's average size saloon/ sedan car. And it does... just. With a borrowed bike carrier and very little room for Tracy in the back!
Monday August 11th - The apartment in the city is very pleasant and nicely situated... just a pity about the continuing bad weather. We spend the early part of the day working out how to ship some of our possessions to the UK to avoid carrying quite so much on the many flights we have ahead, in the end posting it works out best and we duly fill a couple of boxes with the maximum 20kg (44lbs).
In the evening we join the Melbourne Hash House Harriers for their run, taking along Dennett's 18 year old nephew Matt. We all have fun despite the average age of the hashers being about 60!
Tuesday August 12th - Better weather today but we begin indoors by packing our bike boxes with the maximum allowed by the airline and then trying to fit everything else in within our weight limit... a tough job! We meet Matt for lunch and aim to have dinner with Don and Ada who are passing through the city en route to the airport. Somehow Tracy and I manage to lose one another on the 5 minute walk from the apartment to the restaurant, which is a problem as she doesn't know where she's going. However while Tim searches the riverside area she manages to find them herself and we finally get to say our goodbyes.
Wednesday August 13th - Tim is up early to get some pictures around the city as the weather is finally clear and crisp, then it's time to get our belongings into Peter's car, even more of a challenge than before with the bikes boxed. Tracy has even less room this time but we successfully make the airport where a helpful traffic minder allows us plenty of time to unload and helps us find baggage carts.
The flight to Sydney is incident free, but it is quite a challenge getting the bags and boxes through the airport, down to the railway, onto the train, off the train at the other end and finally from the station to the hotel. Though we selected a hotel beside the station it is beside the other end and Tim gets exercise carrying everything while Tracy stays with the diminishing pile.
At least the weather is mild and beautiful, and the hotel is both as good as advertised and has a large room with plenty of room for all the stuff. We relax for the rest of the day, luckily there is plenty of food options nearby for picking up lunch and dinner nearby.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
South Australia
Sunday 27th July - After chatting to the other couples at the camping spot and getting some suggestions about our travels in the next few days we continue south towards the infamous opal mining town of Coober Pedy. In years gone by this town with virtually no rainfall, intense summer heat and surrounded by enormous numbers of waste piles was truly the wild frontier and though things have calmed down since the highway was sealed in the 1980s it is still a unique place.
We roll into the tourist information centre for a map and walking tour then walk down into town where Tracy checks out several opal shops while Tim looks for pictures. We meet up for a tour of one of the original mines and the underground homes and Post Office constructed in later years (the summer heat is so intense that many homes utilize mine workings that are enlarged into very pleasant dwellings). We also get a show of modern mining equipment.
In Coober Pedy opal is found in seams within sandstone and most is worthless "potch". The key to success is finding veins of valuable opal, which is done by sinking a vertical shaft and using a machine like a snow blower to break up the rock in a horizontal direction, looking carefully for the telltale signs of opal. The waste is drawn to the surface by a suction, effectively a giant vacuum cleaner which leaves a telltale dust pile.
After learning all there is to know about opal (!) we continue south into the late evening, stopping at a rest area that promises views of dry lake beds when the sun rises tomorrow. Unlike some of our stops this one is rather noisy as a couple of road trains stop for the night after running their engines into the small hours.
Monday 28th July - We'll finally reach the sea today, and will also have to confront winter (while cold at night the desert has not put us in mind of the season). First though we wake to the glorious panorama of open desert where water collects over a wide area if it ever rains, with even less growing than in any other of the barren areas we've passed through. We get to enjoy more of this scenery than we bargained for too, our petrol/ gas calculations have been thrown off by a head wind last night and we have to backtrack a few km for a refill before ploughing on towards Port Augusta with the mountains of the Flinders Ranges rising to our left (sadly we don't have time to visit this gorgeous area).
The transition in terrain is pretty swift, the desert reaches close to the sea before suddenly transforming into views of water and the industry around Port Augusta. Then we climb east into the hills towards the Clare Valley where the contrast to the desert is amazing. Here despite fairly low rainfall the fields are green, the livestock well fed and the towns and villages full of attractive and historic (for Australia) sandstone buildings. We could almost be in parts of England and it's no surprise the area was settled by Brits in the 1850s.
We find a campground near the village of Clare among an interesting combination of bare and wintry deciduous trees and leafy eucalypts (while the weather is still generally dry it settles into a pattern of temperatures around 15C (60F) in the day and 8C (47F) at night). We head quickly into town to visit a couple of wineries and get some pictures in the evening light before retiring for a night of laundry.
Tuesday 29th July – We spend the early part of the day driving through the southern Clare Valley, taking in a couple more wineries (including the excellent Annie's Lane) and taking a walk around Auburn with its attractive sandstone buildings. The rolling scenery around here make it the most scenic of South Australia's wine areas.
Driving on to Gawler we book into the campground we've been recommended as a good location on the railway to Adelaide but convenient for the wineries of the Barossa Valley, the largest wine producing region in South Australia. Luckily the Hash run is also north of the city on the rail line and we find our way there for a good long run on a dry evening after quite a bit of afternoon rain.
Wednesday 30th July – The day dawns dull but brightens into a crisp and springlike afternoon so we jump on the train for a look at the city of Adelaide, which proves to be our favorite of the major Australian cities. It is attractive, has a compact centre, effective public transport and a pleasantly laid back atmosphere. Combine this with the moderate climate and range of scenery nearby and we could certainly live here.
We put in a few miles of walking checking out the city centre, covered market, riverside and North Adelaide before jumping on the train for a ride north to the historic port area of Port Adelaide. This area was once very wealthy from trade in and out of the state and the impressive buildings are a testament to past success. Now it is nicely restored with a good selection of restaurants and we find our way to a very good brew pub.
Thursday 31st July – Time for some exercise as the weather is good once again so we get on our bikes for the ride east into the Barossa Valley. Despite the name the terrain is only gently rolling and we soon arrive in the main town of Tanunda. From here we ride north and east, being particularly impressed with a visit to the Seppeltsfield Winery which is housed in a spectacular collection of buildings and produce excellent fortified wines including Port, Sherry and the rarely seen Tokay. Weighed down with a few purchases we continue on to Greenock which bears no resemblance to its Scottish namesake before riding back to Tanunda. Here Tracy settles into a pub while Tim races the fading light on an undulating road back to pick up the truck and pick her up.
Friday 1st August – It's a wet start to the day so Tracy opts for doing chores and relaxing while Tim heads into Adelaide today for a look at some of the indoor options on offer. The State Museum has excellent and highly informative displays on Aboriginal history and life, which contrast with older displays of much more intricate Polynesian artefacts.
After a couple of hours here the weather is brighter so Tim takes the opportunity for more pictures in the city before visiting the Botanical Gardens where highlights include a hothouse full of the enormous "Giant Amazon Water Lily" and a fine collection of desert plants contrasting those from the old world and new. Final stop is the small but informative immigration museum where the story of immigration into this free state (as opposed to the penal colonies in New South Wales and Victoria) is detailed.
Saturday 2nd August – Time to begin the ride back east but we start by heading south around Adelaide and down to the Coorong, the spectacular but threatened wetlands at the mouth of the Murray River. Low river water levels from drought and overuse mean the encroachment of salt water into the area affecting the delicate ecological balance.
We had lunch at a rest stop overlooking the wetlands and its huge flocks of birds and had time to stop briefly for photographs when we spotted some emus before driving south to the small town of Kingston SE. This was mostly notable for having been founded by members of the Cooke family.Next stop was the village of Robe, which boasts a spectacular walk along the limestone cliffs between a modern lighthouse and a historic coastal marker. Here we enjoyed an impressive rainbow and then watched the sunset before heading for a historic local pub.
We wanted to camp near the wine region of Coonawarra so we drove to a spot that claimed to have space for us to spend the night In the camper. Despite having exact GPS coordinates the best we could do after searching up and down the road was a pull off used to store road surfacing materials. Not our best camping spot!
Sunday 3rd August – We get up really early in case anyone complains about out impromptu camp and move to the town's lake, which has not had water for some years by the look of it. Tim runs early, then we get the bikes out for a dead flat ride north to check out a few wineries.
First stop is the town of Penola for pictures and to get some tourist info, then we ride north to the tiny village of Coonawarra, home of the large Wynn winery and on to take in three of the smaller establishments. The big find is Rymill's which boasts an excellent building where you can see the production floor, a very knowledgeable host in the owner's brother, excellent presentation (glasses washed between each sample and warmed for the reds, good pour of each wine) and fantastic wine. Anyone visiting Coonawarra must visit this place, and we'll be exploring how to get supplies from their UK importer. Overall we were more impressed with wines in this region than anywhere else in Australia.
After a leisurely day we finally get on the road to South Australia's second biggest town, Mt Gambier. Here we find a cosy little campground near the center of town and Tim takes a short walk to check out the several takeaway food options nearby, finally opting for Indian. Later in the evening Tim takes a run up to one of the volcanic craters the town is famous for, of course all he sees is a black hole!
Monday 4th August – We are up early as there is lots to see here, packing the camper quickly and parking it conveniently on a sidestreet outside the campground. The climb to the crater rim of Mt Gambier is fairly easy and the view impressive. One crater is wooded with signs of the formal gardens once laid out at the bottom while the main one has a beautiful deep blue crater lake.
We take a walk around the larger crater for more lake views then walk back into town for a look at a one of the limestone "holes" (circular depressions in the ground where the limestone collapsed into a cave). Formal gardens were built in the hole many years ago and it is still well maintained as a somewhat unusual town park. After picking up the camper we visit another larger hole on the way out of town before finally crossing the state border into Victoria and a return to the south coast.
We pass the time in the afternoon by exploring the attractive old port town of Port Fairy, enjoying both its interesting historical buildings and some good fresh seafood before ending the day at a nearly empty seaside campground in Warnambool, a town that will be bursting with tourists in the summer months. We soon make our way to the local hash run and after a short trail we join several of the members in a fine local bar for dinner.
We roll into the tourist information centre for a map and walking tour then walk down into town where Tracy checks out several opal shops while Tim looks for pictures. We meet up for a tour of one of the original mines and the underground homes and Post Office constructed in later years (the summer heat is so intense that many homes utilize mine workings that are enlarged into very pleasant dwellings). We also get a show of modern mining equipment.
In Coober Pedy opal is found in seams within sandstone and most is worthless "potch". The key to success is finding veins of valuable opal, which is done by sinking a vertical shaft and using a machine like a snow blower to break up the rock in a horizontal direction, looking carefully for the telltale signs of opal. The waste is drawn to the surface by a suction, effectively a giant vacuum cleaner which leaves a telltale dust pile.
After learning all there is to know about opal (!) we continue south into the late evening, stopping at a rest area that promises views of dry lake beds when the sun rises tomorrow. Unlike some of our stops this one is rather noisy as a couple of road trains stop for the night after running their engines into the small hours.
Monday 28th July - We'll finally reach the sea today, and will also have to confront winter (while cold at night the desert has not put us in mind of the season). First though we wake to the glorious panorama of open desert where water collects over a wide area if it ever rains, with even less growing than in any other of the barren areas we've passed through. We get to enjoy more of this scenery than we bargained for too, our petrol/ gas calculations have been thrown off by a head wind last night and we have to backtrack a few km for a refill before ploughing on towards Port Augusta with the mountains of the Flinders Ranges rising to our left (sadly we don't have time to visit this gorgeous area).
The transition in terrain is pretty swift, the desert reaches close to the sea before suddenly transforming into views of water and the industry around Port Augusta. Then we climb east into the hills towards the Clare Valley where the contrast to the desert is amazing. Here despite fairly low rainfall the fields are green, the livestock well fed and the towns and villages full of attractive and historic (for Australia) sandstone buildings. We could almost be in parts of England and it's no surprise the area was settled by Brits in the 1850s.
We find a campground near the village of Clare among an interesting combination of bare and wintry deciduous trees and leafy eucalypts (while the weather is still generally dry it settles into a pattern of temperatures around 15C (60F) in the day and 8C (47F) at night). We head quickly into town to visit a couple of wineries and get some pictures in the evening light before retiring for a night of laundry.
Tuesday 29th July – We spend the early part of the day driving through the southern Clare Valley, taking in a couple more wineries (including the excellent Annie's Lane) and taking a walk around Auburn with its attractive sandstone buildings. The rolling scenery around here make it the most scenic of South Australia's wine areas.
Driving on to Gawler we book into the campground we've been recommended as a good location on the railway to Adelaide but convenient for the wineries of the Barossa Valley, the largest wine producing region in South Australia. Luckily the Hash run is also north of the city on the rail line and we find our way there for a good long run on a dry evening after quite a bit of afternoon rain.
Wednesday 30th July – The day dawns dull but brightens into a crisp and springlike afternoon so we jump on the train for a look at the city of Adelaide, which proves to be our favorite of the major Australian cities. It is attractive, has a compact centre, effective public transport and a pleasantly laid back atmosphere. Combine this with the moderate climate and range of scenery nearby and we could certainly live here.
We put in a few miles of walking checking out the city centre, covered market, riverside and North Adelaide before jumping on the train for a ride north to the historic port area of Port Adelaide. This area was once very wealthy from trade in and out of the state and the impressive buildings are a testament to past success. Now it is nicely restored with a good selection of restaurants and we find our way to a very good brew pub.
Thursday 31st July – Time for some exercise as the weather is good once again so we get on our bikes for the ride east into the Barossa Valley. Despite the name the terrain is only gently rolling and we soon arrive in the main town of Tanunda. From here we ride north and east, being particularly impressed with a visit to the Seppeltsfield Winery which is housed in a spectacular collection of buildings and produce excellent fortified wines including Port, Sherry and the rarely seen Tokay. Weighed down with a few purchases we continue on to Greenock which bears no resemblance to its Scottish namesake before riding back to Tanunda. Here Tracy settles into a pub while Tim races the fading light on an undulating road back to pick up the truck and pick her up.
Friday 1st August – It's a wet start to the day so Tracy opts for doing chores and relaxing while Tim heads into Adelaide today for a look at some of the indoor options on offer. The State Museum has excellent and highly informative displays on Aboriginal history and life, which contrast with older displays of much more intricate Polynesian artefacts.
After a couple of hours here the weather is brighter so Tim takes the opportunity for more pictures in the city before visiting the Botanical Gardens where highlights include a hothouse full of the enormous "Giant Amazon Water Lily" and a fine collection of desert plants contrasting those from the old world and new. Final stop is the small but informative immigration museum where the story of immigration into this free state (as opposed to the penal colonies in New South Wales and Victoria) is detailed.
Saturday 2nd August – Time to begin the ride back east but we start by heading south around Adelaide and down to the Coorong, the spectacular but threatened wetlands at the mouth of the Murray River. Low river water levels from drought and overuse mean the encroachment of salt water into the area affecting the delicate ecological balance.
We had lunch at a rest stop overlooking the wetlands and its huge flocks of birds and had time to stop briefly for photographs when we spotted some emus before driving south to the small town of Kingston SE. This was mostly notable for having been founded by members of the Cooke family.Next stop was the village of Robe, which boasts a spectacular walk along the limestone cliffs between a modern lighthouse and a historic coastal marker. Here we enjoyed an impressive rainbow and then watched the sunset before heading for a historic local pub.
We wanted to camp near the wine region of Coonawarra so we drove to a spot that claimed to have space for us to spend the night In the camper. Despite having exact GPS coordinates the best we could do after searching up and down the road was a pull off used to store road surfacing materials. Not our best camping spot!
Sunday 3rd August – We get up really early in case anyone complains about out impromptu camp and move to the town's lake, which has not had water for some years by the look of it. Tim runs early, then we get the bikes out for a dead flat ride north to check out a few wineries.
First stop is the town of Penola for pictures and to get some tourist info, then we ride north to the tiny village of Coonawarra, home of the large Wynn winery and on to take in three of the smaller establishments. The big find is Rymill's which boasts an excellent building where you can see the production floor, a very knowledgeable host in the owner's brother, excellent presentation (glasses washed between each sample and warmed for the reds, good pour of each wine) and fantastic wine. Anyone visiting Coonawarra must visit this place, and we'll be exploring how to get supplies from their UK importer. Overall we were more impressed with wines in this region than anywhere else in Australia.
After a leisurely day we finally get on the road to South Australia's second biggest town, Mt Gambier. Here we find a cosy little campground near the center of town and Tim takes a short walk to check out the several takeaway food options nearby, finally opting for Indian. Later in the evening Tim takes a run up to one of the volcanic craters the town is famous for, of course all he sees is a black hole!
Monday 4th August – We are up early as there is lots to see here, packing the camper quickly and parking it conveniently on a sidestreet outside the campground. The climb to the crater rim of Mt Gambier is fairly easy and the view impressive. One crater is wooded with signs of the formal gardens once laid out at the bottom while the main one has a beautiful deep blue crater lake.
We take a walk around the larger crater for more lake views then walk back into town for a look at a one of the limestone "holes" (circular depressions in the ground where the limestone collapsed into a cave). Formal gardens were built in the hole many years ago and it is still well maintained as a somewhat unusual town park. After picking up the camper we visit another larger hole on the way out of town before finally crossing the state border into Victoria and a return to the south coast.
We pass the time in the afternoon by exploring the attractive old port town of Port Fairy, enjoying both its interesting historical buildings and some good fresh seafood before ending the day at a nearly empty seaside campground in Warnambool, a town that will be bursting with tourists in the summer months. We soon make our way to the local hash run and after a short trail we join several of the members in a fine local bar for dinner.
The Longest Day
So far we've been "enjoying" August 20th for 35 hours with another 9 to go... and not getting a great deal of sleep in that time. Such are the pleasures of crossing the International Date Line. We are currently in a hotel room in Honolulu that we rented for the day awaiting a return to the airport for an evening flight to Kona on the "Big Island". I have added quite a few pictures from South Australia to www.timcooke.com and will get the blog updated soon.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Nearly Outta Here
We leave Sydney tomorrow after nearly 5 months here in Australia and 18 months in the southern hemisphere. Hope to get the blog up to date and more pictures up as I stave off boredom on our travels. Sydney is a great city to spend time in and though it's been cold (record lows for the time of year in places around the city) at night the days have been bright.
We'll be sad to leave but glad to get to the warmth of Hawaii, though tomorrow will not be fun. With our current time zone 20 hours ahead of Kona we will get to enjoy the 20th August for almost 2 days!
We'll be sad to leave but glad to get to the warmth of Hawaii, though tomorrow will not be fun. With our current time zone 20 hours ahead of Kona we will get to enjoy the 20th August for almost 2 days!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Back in Winter
We have now safely completed the main part of our journey and have brought the camper back to Sale. It was great to see greenery again as we approached the coast in South Australia but some cool and damp winter weather was less welcome. We enjoyed time in Adelaide, visited 3 wine regions and took in some of the south coast before getting back to our starting point. From here we spend 3 days in Melbourne, a week in Sydney and then goodbye winter, Hawaii here we come!
Northern Territory
Monday 14th July – Once again Tracy gets up early to bike, after we enjoy a spectacular sunrise enhanced by the appearance of high cloud which lingers all day and keeps the drive pleasantly cool (the last few days have been warm for driving but fine with windows open). Tim meanwhile takes a run around Camooweal (whose most exciting history was in WWII when it was a staging post on the supply road and a US army camp) before driving the camper about 40km, picking up Tracy and continuing past many more km of grass.
Eventually we reach the Stuart Highway (which runs north-south through the middle of the country linking Adelaide to Darwin) and take a left to begin a long haul south. Our next stop at Tennant Creek is close and having forgotten which of two campgrounds we were recommended by Dave, our hashing contact in town we book into the closest which is a bit small and dusty. We find out the location for the night's run and walk down there through the centre of a town that is in the middle of nowhere but has a good range of services and a very large and mainly poor aboriginal population.
The run is pretty good and brings us to a viewpoint that would be more scenic if not situated beside the town dump, before we return into town for good snack food and some excellent home brewed beer. It is only a newish and small hash group but we had a lot of fun... and they kindly drove us home.
Tuesday 15th July – We move around the corner to the much more highly recommended Outback Campground and find it very nicely set up with shady sites and plenty of drive-throughs for big rigs like us. Then we settle down for a day of cleaning, laundry and doing all the chores we have put off for too long. The weather has returned to warm and clear again which helps get everything dry and by the time the sun sets we are in much more organised shape.
Dave, whose wife left today for a work trip up north, comes around for a drink at the campground bar (which makes the barmaid nervous as she recognises him as a policeman and suddenly becomes a stickler for the Territory's rather complex drinking laws) and dinner. He is a useful source of information about life in the Territory if not Tennant Creek where he only moved recently.
Wednesday 16th July – This is our day to explore the area and we get on our bikes early to ride out west of our campground to the town lookout then on to the mining museum. Here we opt not to go underground again but they do have an excellent little museum about frontier life in the 1930s during the gold rush here and a fine display of natural crystals collected by a man with local connections from near and far. They also have a working battery which is similar but more modern than the one we saw in Charters Towers.
After stopping at the camper for lunch we ride north to the old Telegraph Station, 7 miles (11km) away (that was the legal distance any town development had to be undertaken from the Station in the 1870s). A series of 25 Stations were built in 1871-2 when the overland Telegraph line was built from Adelaide to Darwin to connect with an existing undersea cable all the way to London. Here operators listened to faint degraded morse code from the previous station and relayed the message so it could be sustained up the line. Each station housed operators and line crew for maintenance and were located near water sources. They therefore became a magnet for overland travelers (one visitor in 1897 passed through en route to pedaling his bike from Adelaide to Darwin!) and sometimes for local Aboriginal people in times of drought. Much of the line followed the overland route forged by John Stuart, the first European to travel across the continent from south to north, a decade before the Telegraph... and then the road we use today (the Stuart Highway) followed the Telegraph line.
From here we ride 6km west on a red dirt road reminiscent of Africa to Kunjarra, a weathered granite outcrop leaving piles of rocks, sacred to local women. Returning south on the main road we detour to see the local lake and recreation area where a seasonal stream has been dammed. Though the water level is low it is a pleasant spot for a rest before we follow a purpose build bike path back through a low ridge of hills to Tennant Creek and the campground.
This evening we sample the limited nightlife the town has to offer, first meeting Dave at the Police Club for a couple of beers before we grab a bottle of wine (from a girl behind heavy bars in the bottle store!) and a couple of pizza's (not at all bad either) in a new pizza shop opposite.
Thursday 17th July – Time to get on the road again heading for Karlu Karlu or the Devil's Marbles, 100km to the south. The short ride allows us time to visit the local Aboriginal cultural centre and get in some internet time in Tennant Creek before returning to the endless highway. At Karlu Karlu another granite outcrop has weathered into a spectacular collection of rock piles and apparently precariously balanced spherical boulders, all in bright rust red colours from the high iron content and spread over a wide area. There is a basic but very popular campground here run by the parks department and we find a good spot before taking a long walk in the late afternoon sun to look at the many intriguing formations. Sunset is beautiful as the rocks glow in the last of the sun and we have an early night in preparation for the obligatory sunrise rockwatching. Tim does find time to run in the fading post-sunset light and we both use our outdoor shower after strategically placing the truck. Fortunately none of the dingos wandering the area want to complete for our water...
Friday 18th July – Another fine day dawns with more great rock colours and Tim takes another stroll for pictures while Tracy preps the truck for the haul to Alice Springs. After this brief scenic interlude the terrain returns to the same old scrub but as we climb slowly to Alice at 600m (2000ft) there are more outcrops to be seen.
We break the journey with a stop at Barrow Creek which has another Telegraph Station and a strangely decorated bar in the Roadhouse before rolling on to Aileron. This is the site of another Roadhouse, but also has a historic cattle station on site as well as an amazing statue of an Aboriginal warrior set high on a hill behind and a gallery of local Aboriginal art. The statueis is the work of a sculptor friend of the Roadhouse owner and Tim opts to take the short climb up the hill it is set on while Tracy checks out the pictures.
The walk is well worth the effort, the statue is even more imposing close up with great views from the hill, there is also a paddock of captive Red Kangaroos en route (we see quite a few Kangaroos early morning and when we occasionally drive after dark but few close up). Meanwhile Tracy has selected a few pictures and we decide on a colourful rendition of an emu dreaming story.
The final stretch in increasingly attractive scenery brings us to Alice Springs where we visit the Tourist Information to find a campground and settle into one on the west edge of town, but within easy walking distance. As sunset approaches Tim takes the chance for a long run on the dry Todd River to the Telegraph Station, the most developed of the three we have seen.
Saturday 19th July – We take the bikes out to look at the city on what begins as a pleasant and warm day, riding down to “The Gap”, a narrow cleft in the Quartzite Ridge of the MacDonnell Ranges cut by the Todd River. Then we ride up the river which is merely a strip of sand most of the year studded with River Red Gums that sink deep roots to find water trapped far below, and again stop to answer a couple of questions at the Tourist Information. From here we plan to ride north, but the wind is whipping up dust all of a sudden, and a short but stiff climb to a lookout on Anzac Hill demonstrated that the wind is not only howling but dust clouds are rising all around the city.
We do have to do some restocking of the food and drink supplies before embarking back into the outback so we occupy the early afternoon with a major shop and refuel. Then Tim gets on his bike later in the day while Tracy avoids the dust, riding through the city and up to the Telegraph Station to get pictures. It is a pleasant city to ride around, weather notwithstanding, with a number of bike paths, but the local thorns do a number on a rather worn front tyre and 6 repairs are needed by days end.
In the evening we decide to walk in and look for an Indian restaurant we've seen advertised, only our map is wrong and after wandering the middle of the city (not exactly hopping even on a Saturday) we opt for a so-so eatery and repair to the local pub afterwards. Having got used to Queensland's draconian no smoking rules it is a surprise to find a smoky bar where the divide between the smoking and non-smoking areas is a line (strictly enforced by the bouncers however); we are also surprised that even here in one of the world's more isolated cities there is a live internet feed from cameras in the bar. Yes, you can dance like an idiot and the whole world can watch... we avoided embarrassing behaviour.
Sunday 20th July – We have decided to skip town quickly and get on our way to see some of the spectacular natural features in southern NT, but plans are stymied when Tim's attempt to manoeuver and back onto the camper hitch reveal a sudden failure in the power steering system. A trail of power steering fluid on the truck's short route suggests a sudden leak but with no obvious loose hoses a call to RACV (the Victorian equivalent of AA/ RAC/ AAA who we signed up with at the start of the trip) is in order. They send out an NT affiliate who confirms that yes we have a problem, no he can't see anything obvious and that we'll be doing nothing till the place wakes up Monday.
No point moping about so we change plans and take a ride out to Simpson's Gap, a narrow cleft in the West MacDonnell ranges. There is a purpose built bike path out to the Gap through the bush running 17km and connecting with another path that leads 7km from our campground. We really enjoy the trip, the weather has turned much colder today but it is cloudless, there are great views of the ranges and interpretive signage informs us about the desert plants we see. The whole area has had 30 years to recover from the destruction wrought by cattle grazing and it is interesting to see where some areas recover fast, other places have barely begun to regrow.
In the evening we begin to plan for an extended stay in the city, even if the local Holden dealer can fit us in quickly it takes a while to get parts in. It could have been much worse though, on many other mornings we've been in isolated areas without cell service and even our camping site has plenty of room to fit in a tow truck. Plus there is plenty to do in Alice compared to almost anywhere else in the outback!
Monday 21st July – Tim is up early and onto RACV for a tow and to arrange a hire car (we opted for a deluxe level of membership so the camper will be covered, and it comes with benefits we are now glad of!). The truck just makes it onto the towtruck, but the Holden dealer can't fit us in till Wednesday so we leave the truck there and pick up the car.
The weather is not that good today, cool, windy and overcast early with some improvement after lunch. We spend the afternoon looking around the town on foot and use the car to visit the town's Indian restaurant in the evening.
Tuesday 22nd July – The weather is a bit clearer today, and we'll use the car to ride out along the West MacDonnell range as far as the sealed road goes, taking in several natural features on the way. The ranges are the remnants of a huge ancient mountain range that once stood here and eroded leaving the hardest layers, often Quartzite. Geological upheavals 350 million years ago have left some of the rock layers in waves while other more ancient layers up to 890 million years old were thrust to the surface. Early in the day we get the good news that the truck's problem was simply a blown hose so it'll be ready shortly, they found time to check it out in case parts had to be procured and fixed it as soon as they could. Good service!
First up on the ride west is Standley Chasm, a 2.5m (8ft) gap between sheer Quartzite walls where water pours through after rains. We take the walk to the chasm up the dry creekbed, then opt for the more challenging option of climbing to another smaller chasm, then up and over a ridge for great views of the surrounding hills. From here we drive to Ellery Big Hole, a large permanent waterhole at another break in the ridge, to Ochre Pits where local Aboriginals dug the red, white and yellow ochre that was important for ceremonial decoration and in trade and finally to Ormiston Gorge.
Here water that falls in Ormiston Pound (a wide flat bowl between rocky ridges) races down through the Quartzite layers leaving an impressive gorge and towering red rock formations (a high iron content explains why everything is red in central Australia, it is all rusty!) Tim jogs around a circuit up the gorge and skirting the Pound while Tracy enjoys a talk on identifying animals from their tracks before we ride home to beat the sunset.
Wednesday 23rd July – With the truck fixed again we can finally leave Alice but not before we spend the day at the excellent Desert Park run by the Parks Service. This has plantings representing three desert environments, aviaries with native desert birds, examples of lizards and lots of information on desert survival strategies. We go to a talk about how Aboriginal people used the sparse resources and a show about birds of prey before hitting the road south late in the day.
Our plan now is simply to cover as much distance as possible towards Uluru and after about 320km (200 miles) of the 440km (275 mile) journey we pull off at a rest stop which we have to ourselves. It is a cold night without our heater (it only worked when we were plugged into the mains electric) but with no other people for a long way around the lack of light pollution and no moon made for spectacular views of the stars, especially the Milky Way.
Thursday 24th July – We get up swiftly in the morning chill and get straight our on the road, stopping only for views of the little known mesa of Mount Connor. We are at Yulara (the resort village housing all the accommodation in the area) by 10am and soon get settled into a pleasant campground before unhitching the bikes and heading out on the 55km journey to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). The roads are smooth and relatively quiet as we pass Uluru and ride west with increasingly impressive views of the 37 rocky sandstone outcrops that make up Kata Tjuta. We ride around to the west side where there are two walks, one running into a crack between two outcrops that we both do and another around and among several of the smaller outcrops which Tim jogs while Tracy rests up for the long ride home.
The setting sun makes for excellent colours but we have to ride hard to avoid a long stretch in the dark (and cold), and we only have to put on the lights for the final 10km. The road is busy at this time with people returning from the obligatory sunset views of Uluru but the cars move slowly and we get home safely.
Friday 25th July – We are going to spend today at Uluru (probably still better known to the rest of the world as Ayers Rock) and have an easier 25km ride to get around to the south side where the main tourist facilities are located. First up we take a fascinating Ranger guided walk around the south-west of the rock which provides a good background about the history, geology, mythology and ecology of the area around the rock and shows us some of the caves, cave paintings, rock features and the waterhole which feature in this area. Then while Tracy headed for the Park museum Tim embarked on a 14km (9 mile) run around the rock, camera in hand, to have a look at all the features which are explained in Aboriginal myths.
Pictures tend to make the rock look like a smooth, grooved, colourful lump but up close it's a complex mass of cracks, caves and weathering patterns which makes moving around the base a fascinating exercise. It also has an abundance of life at the base (not counting the tourists) because of the water run off that is trapped by buried rock (there is at least 2x as much mass of rock below the surface as above).
We ride back to the campground in mid afternoon in time for Tim to get a shower and return to the classic sunset viewing point for a succession of pictures as the setting sun emphasises the rock's colours from red through orange hues to a dull brown after dark. This time he travels in the truck to avoid riding in the dark!
Saturday 26th July - We are up in time for the ride back into the park for sunrise, from the classic and popular spot on the east side. With some cloud in the sky it is an attractive sunrise and the rock glows briefly until the sun rises far enough to disappear behind the cloud... not that we care as we head straight back to collect the camper and hit the road back east. The early start allows us to really put in some distance today, back to the Stuart Highway and south again, finally exiting the Northern Territory and getting into the final new State we'll visit (Tasmania will have to wait).
Again tonight we stop at a roadside rest area and this time we have some companions, so Tracy joins a retired couple at their camp fire while tim does the cooking. One couple heading north have the most impressive bus we've seen yet looking brand new and complete with garage... or at least a trailer containing a car, tools and spares.
Eventually we reach the Stuart Highway (which runs north-south through the middle of the country linking Adelaide to Darwin) and take a left to begin a long haul south. Our next stop at Tennant Creek is close and having forgotten which of two campgrounds we were recommended by Dave, our hashing contact in town we book into the closest which is a bit small and dusty. We find out the location for the night's run and walk down there through the centre of a town that is in the middle of nowhere but has a good range of services and a very large and mainly poor aboriginal population.
The run is pretty good and brings us to a viewpoint that would be more scenic if not situated beside the town dump, before we return into town for good snack food and some excellent home brewed beer. It is only a newish and small hash group but we had a lot of fun... and they kindly drove us home.
Tuesday 15th July – We move around the corner to the much more highly recommended Outback Campground and find it very nicely set up with shady sites and plenty of drive-throughs for big rigs like us. Then we settle down for a day of cleaning, laundry and doing all the chores we have put off for too long. The weather has returned to warm and clear again which helps get everything dry and by the time the sun sets we are in much more organised shape.
Dave, whose wife left today for a work trip up north, comes around for a drink at the campground bar (which makes the barmaid nervous as she recognises him as a policeman and suddenly becomes a stickler for the Territory's rather complex drinking laws) and dinner. He is a useful source of information about life in the Territory if not Tennant Creek where he only moved recently.
Wednesday 16th July – This is our day to explore the area and we get on our bikes early to ride out west of our campground to the town lookout then on to the mining museum. Here we opt not to go underground again but they do have an excellent little museum about frontier life in the 1930s during the gold rush here and a fine display of natural crystals collected by a man with local connections from near and far. They also have a working battery which is similar but more modern than the one we saw in Charters Towers.
After stopping at the camper for lunch we ride north to the old Telegraph Station, 7 miles (11km) away (that was the legal distance any town development had to be undertaken from the Station in the 1870s). A series of 25 Stations were built in 1871-2 when the overland Telegraph line was built from Adelaide to Darwin to connect with an existing undersea cable all the way to London. Here operators listened to faint degraded morse code from the previous station and relayed the message so it could be sustained up the line. Each station housed operators and line crew for maintenance and were located near water sources. They therefore became a magnet for overland travelers (one visitor in 1897 passed through en route to pedaling his bike from Adelaide to Darwin!) and sometimes for local Aboriginal people in times of drought. Much of the line followed the overland route forged by John Stuart, the first European to travel across the continent from south to north, a decade before the Telegraph... and then the road we use today (the Stuart Highway) followed the Telegraph line.
From here we ride 6km west on a red dirt road reminiscent of Africa to Kunjarra, a weathered granite outcrop leaving piles of rocks, sacred to local women. Returning south on the main road we detour to see the local lake and recreation area where a seasonal stream has been dammed. Though the water level is low it is a pleasant spot for a rest before we follow a purpose build bike path back through a low ridge of hills to Tennant Creek and the campground.
This evening we sample the limited nightlife the town has to offer, first meeting Dave at the Police Club for a couple of beers before we grab a bottle of wine (from a girl behind heavy bars in the bottle store!) and a couple of pizza's (not at all bad either) in a new pizza shop opposite.
Thursday 17th July – Time to get on the road again heading for Karlu Karlu or the Devil's Marbles, 100km to the south. The short ride allows us time to visit the local Aboriginal cultural centre and get in some internet time in Tennant Creek before returning to the endless highway. At Karlu Karlu another granite outcrop has weathered into a spectacular collection of rock piles and apparently precariously balanced spherical boulders, all in bright rust red colours from the high iron content and spread over a wide area. There is a basic but very popular campground here run by the parks department and we find a good spot before taking a long walk in the late afternoon sun to look at the many intriguing formations. Sunset is beautiful as the rocks glow in the last of the sun and we have an early night in preparation for the obligatory sunrise rockwatching. Tim does find time to run in the fading post-sunset light and we both use our outdoor shower after strategically placing the truck. Fortunately none of the dingos wandering the area want to complete for our water...
Friday 18th July – Another fine day dawns with more great rock colours and Tim takes another stroll for pictures while Tracy preps the truck for the haul to Alice Springs. After this brief scenic interlude the terrain returns to the same old scrub but as we climb slowly to Alice at 600m (2000ft) there are more outcrops to be seen.
We break the journey with a stop at Barrow Creek which has another Telegraph Station and a strangely decorated bar in the Roadhouse before rolling on to Aileron. This is the site of another Roadhouse, but also has a historic cattle station on site as well as an amazing statue of an Aboriginal warrior set high on a hill behind and a gallery of local Aboriginal art. The statueis is the work of a sculptor friend of the Roadhouse owner and Tim opts to take the short climb up the hill it is set on while Tracy checks out the pictures.
The walk is well worth the effort, the statue is even more imposing close up with great views from the hill, there is also a paddock of captive Red Kangaroos en route (we see quite a few Kangaroos early morning and when we occasionally drive after dark but few close up). Meanwhile Tracy has selected a few pictures and we decide on a colourful rendition of an emu dreaming story.
The final stretch in increasingly attractive scenery brings us to Alice Springs where we visit the Tourist Information to find a campground and settle into one on the west edge of town, but within easy walking distance. As sunset approaches Tim takes the chance for a long run on the dry Todd River to the Telegraph Station, the most developed of the three we have seen.
Saturday 19th July – We take the bikes out to look at the city on what begins as a pleasant and warm day, riding down to “The Gap”, a narrow cleft in the Quartzite Ridge of the MacDonnell Ranges cut by the Todd River. Then we ride up the river which is merely a strip of sand most of the year studded with River Red Gums that sink deep roots to find water trapped far below, and again stop to answer a couple of questions at the Tourist Information. From here we plan to ride north, but the wind is whipping up dust all of a sudden, and a short but stiff climb to a lookout on Anzac Hill demonstrated that the wind is not only howling but dust clouds are rising all around the city.
We do have to do some restocking of the food and drink supplies before embarking back into the outback so we occupy the early afternoon with a major shop and refuel. Then Tim gets on his bike later in the day while Tracy avoids the dust, riding through the city and up to the Telegraph Station to get pictures. It is a pleasant city to ride around, weather notwithstanding, with a number of bike paths, but the local thorns do a number on a rather worn front tyre and 6 repairs are needed by days end.
In the evening we decide to walk in and look for an Indian restaurant we've seen advertised, only our map is wrong and after wandering the middle of the city (not exactly hopping even on a Saturday) we opt for a so-so eatery and repair to the local pub afterwards. Having got used to Queensland's draconian no smoking rules it is a surprise to find a smoky bar where the divide between the smoking and non-smoking areas is a line (strictly enforced by the bouncers however); we are also surprised that even here in one of the world's more isolated cities there is a live internet feed from cameras in the bar. Yes, you can dance like an idiot and the whole world can watch... we avoided embarrassing behaviour.
Sunday 20th July – We have decided to skip town quickly and get on our way to see some of the spectacular natural features in southern NT, but plans are stymied when Tim's attempt to manoeuver and back onto the camper hitch reveal a sudden failure in the power steering system. A trail of power steering fluid on the truck's short route suggests a sudden leak but with no obvious loose hoses a call to RACV (the Victorian equivalent of AA/ RAC/ AAA who we signed up with at the start of the trip) is in order. They send out an NT affiliate who confirms that yes we have a problem, no he can't see anything obvious and that we'll be doing nothing till the place wakes up Monday.
No point moping about so we change plans and take a ride out to Simpson's Gap, a narrow cleft in the West MacDonnell ranges. There is a purpose built bike path out to the Gap through the bush running 17km and connecting with another path that leads 7km from our campground. We really enjoy the trip, the weather has turned much colder today but it is cloudless, there are great views of the ranges and interpretive signage informs us about the desert plants we see. The whole area has had 30 years to recover from the destruction wrought by cattle grazing and it is interesting to see where some areas recover fast, other places have barely begun to regrow.
In the evening we begin to plan for an extended stay in the city, even if the local Holden dealer can fit us in quickly it takes a while to get parts in. It could have been much worse though, on many other mornings we've been in isolated areas without cell service and even our camping site has plenty of room to fit in a tow truck. Plus there is plenty to do in Alice compared to almost anywhere else in the outback!
Monday 21st July – Tim is up early and onto RACV for a tow and to arrange a hire car (we opted for a deluxe level of membership so the camper will be covered, and it comes with benefits we are now glad of!). The truck just makes it onto the towtruck, but the Holden dealer can't fit us in till Wednesday so we leave the truck there and pick up the car.
The weather is not that good today, cool, windy and overcast early with some improvement after lunch. We spend the afternoon looking around the town on foot and use the car to visit the town's Indian restaurant in the evening.
Tuesday 22nd July – The weather is a bit clearer today, and we'll use the car to ride out along the West MacDonnell range as far as the sealed road goes, taking in several natural features on the way. The ranges are the remnants of a huge ancient mountain range that once stood here and eroded leaving the hardest layers, often Quartzite. Geological upheavals 350 million years ago have left some of the rock layers in waves while other more ancient layers up to 890 million years old were thrust to the surface. Early in the day we get the good news that the truck's problem was simply a blown hose so it'll be ready shortly, they found time to check it out in case parts had to be procured and fixed it as soon as they could. Good service!
First up on the ride west is Standley Chasm, a 2.5m (8ft) gap between sheer Quartzite walls where water pours through after rains. We take the walk to the chasm up the dry creekbed, then opt for the more challenging option of climbing to another smaller chasm, then up and over a ridge for great views of the surrounding hills. From here we drive to Ellery Big Hole, a large permanent waterhole at another break in the ridge, to Ochre Pits where local Aboriginals dug the red, white and yellow ochre that was important for ceremonial decoration and in trade and finally to Ormiston Gorge.
Here water that falls in Ormiston Pound (a wide flat bowl between rocky ridges) races down through the Quartzite layers leaving an impressive gorge and towering red rock formations (a high iron content explains why everything is red in central Australia, it is all rusty!) Tim jogs around a circuit up the gorge and skirting the Pound while Tracy enjoys a talk on identifying animals from their tracks before we ride home to beat the sunset.
Wednesday 23rd July – With the truck fixed again we can finally leave Alice but not before we spend the day at the excellent Desert Park run by the Parks Service. This has plantings representing three desert environments, aviaries with native desert birds, examples of lizards and lots of information on desert survival strategies. We go to a talk about how Aboriginal people used the sparse resources and a show about birds of prey before hitting the road south late in the day.
Our plan now is simply to cover as much distance as possible towards Uluru and after about 320km (200 miles) of the 440km (275 mile) journey we pull off at a rest stop which we have to ourselves. It is a cold night without our heater (it only worked when we were plugged into the mains electric) but with no other people for a long way around the lack of light pollution and no moon made for spectacular views of the stars, especially the Milky Way.
Thursday 24th July – We get up swiftly in the morning chill and get straight our on the road, stopping only for views of the little known mesa of Mount Connor. We are at Yulara (the resort village housing all the accommodation in the area) by 10am and soon get settled into a pleasant campground before unhitching the bikes and heading out on the 55km journey to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). The roads are smooth and relatively quiet as we pass Uluru and ride west with increasingly impressive views of the 37 rocky sandstone outcrops that make up Kata Tjuta. We ride around to the west side where there are two walks, one running into a crack between two outcrops that we both do and another around and among several of the smaller outcrops which Tim jogs while Tracy rests up for the long ride home.
The setting sun makes for excellent colours but we have to ride hard to avoid a long stretch in the dark (and cold), and we only have to put on the lights for the final 10km. The road is busy at this time with people returning from the obligatory sunset views of Uluru but the cars move slowly and we get home safely.
Friday 25th July – We are going to spend today at Uluru (probably still better known to the rest of the world as Ayers Rock) and have an easier 25km ride to get around to the south side where the main tourist facilities are located. First up we take a fascinating Ranger guided walk around the south-west of the rock which provides a good background about the history, geology, mythology and ecology of the area around the rock and shows us some of the caves, cave paintings, rock features and the waterhole which feature in this area. Then while Tracy headed for the Park museum Tim embarked on a 14km (9 mile) run around the rock, camera in hand, to have a look at all the features which are explained in Aboriginal myths.
Pictures tend to make the rock look like a smooth, grooved, colourful lump but up close it's a complex mass of cracks, caves and weathering patterns which makes moving around the base a fascinating exercise. It also has an abundance of life at the base (not counting the tourists) because of the water run off that is trapped by buried rock (there is at least 2x as much mass of rock below the surface as above).
We ride back to the campground in mid afternoon in time for Tim to get a shower and return to the classic sunset viewing point for a succession of pictures as the setting sun emphasises the rock's colours from red through orange hues to a dull brown after dark. This time he travels in the truck to avoid riding in the dark!
Saturday 26th July - We are up in time for the ride back into the park for sunrise, from the classic and popular spot on the east side. With some cloud in the sky it is an attractive sunrise and the rock glows briefly until the sun rises far enough to disappear behind the cloud... not that we care as we head straight back to collect the camper and hit the road back east. The early start allows us to really put in some distance today, back to the Stuart Highway and south again, finally exiting the Northern Territory and getting into the final new State we'll visit (Tasmania will have to wait).
Again tonight we stop at a roadside rest area and this time we have some companions, so Tracy joins a retired couple at their camp fire while tim does the cooking. One couple heading north have the most impressive bus we've seen yet looking brand new and complete with garage... or at least a trailer containing a car, tools and spares.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)