Uluru at Sunset!

It was amazing to watch the changing colour of the rock and the sky as the sun went down!! These 4 shots were taken over 30 minutes, in the order shown!

Uluru (Ayers Rock)

What a landscape! And what a night last night, a massive thunderstorm, it lasted for hours and hours. There was very little sleep for the adults, the kids seemed to sleep through it despite the tents lighting up with each strike and the rumbling that followed!  Yesterday was overcast so the light on the rock was different to today where it is bright and glowing red.  We are heading back out there for the sunset tonight.

Uluru on an overcast day

You have to stay at the Uluru Resort camping ground at Yulara and then get 3-day passes to enter the National Park during the day.  Leon and John biked out there today and then biked around the base of Uluru, a big ride in this heat!  Enzo and I went picked them up so they didn't have to bike back to Yulara in the heat of the day. The views from the base of the rock are amazing and it is so peaceful. There are caves, gorges, bush areas, scattered boulders, pitted surfaces, its just surreal!

One of the surreal spots around the base of the rock

Coober Pedy (population 3500) Opal Capital of the World

This outback town was established because of Opal mining.  A young chap called William Hutchinson found the first opals around 1920.  The returning soldiers from WWI joined the hunt for opals and using their trench making skills built shelters in the soft rock, known as ‘dug outs.  The local aboriginals called the set up kupa piti (white man in a hole), the English version of that phase ‘Coober Pedy’ then became the town’s name.  Now days half the town lives in dug outs and half in normal above ground houses.  If anyone has seen the first CARS movie then just visualise Radiator Springs and that’s Coober Pedy!

Coober Pedy (or it is Radiator Springs?)

It is very dry and hot, the only grass area is the schools playing field where they use the grey water to irrigate it.  We stayed at a camping ground with an inside pool (inside what looked like a water tank), the boys loved it for cooling down, but it was too cold for me!  The flies are something else, they go for your face as that’s where there is moisture, drove poor Enzo nuts!  Nichola the hat you made me was no deterrent, you basically need a net, but I am wearing the hat all the time (minus the hanging beads) because of the wide brim (and it makes me feel like a cowgirl), so thanks for that!!

The indoor pool at the Oasis Camping Ground

We went on a tour of the town with local guide Rudi (an ex-Austrian who has lived there for 40 years and was an opal miner).  He showed us the golf course (greens are sand sprayed with waste oil, the up side is there are no water hazards), the speedway, horse race track (a meet once a year) and the very cool Serbian underground church.  We also went noodling, that is scratching around the mullocky heaps (the excavated material) looking for opals, no luck to be had by us.  The final stop was an old opal mine where he took us down into the tunnels, very cool temperature down there, I can see why so many people live in the dug outs!

Leon noodlng on a mullocky heap!

John in a opal mine tunnel

Woomera (population 120)

So here I (John) am sitting in the camping ground listening to 107.3 FM Woomera and what a beautiful camping ground it is. White hard backed grit which we were shown to by the helpful Shane on his motor scooter.  Woomera is a desolate place no wonder it was chosen as a missile test range.

Woomera Missile Park

There was a strange bar at the camping ground where I (its Jeanette now) had several Bundaberg rums with Shane and the local electrician while their Shelia’s’ got getting dressed up as zombies for the big night of the year at the local pub in Woomera.  The rest of the bar patrons were part of the ‘grey nomads tribe’, that’s the retired white Aussies that head north for the winter, we feel really young!  There was something about Woomera that we couldn’t quite put our finger on, it’s like it was from a spooky movie we just can’t remember.....

We had a night in Port Augusta on the way to Woomera, one night in Woomera and we are now in Coober Pedy for a couple of nights.

Adelaide - by John

So we have arrived in Adelaide, nice quiet town a lot more relaxed than Melbourne with a great art gallery.  A step up in temperature, 12 overnight (sounds like a Christchurch high). Enzo our resident arracnophist was happy after seeing a live redback at the museum.  The boys were happy at the camping ground which had a heated pool and bouncing mat .Made a few purchases before we headed up the middle like extra fuel and water containers …baked beans….etc. I’ve found I really like cruise control but the fuel needle seems to go down surprisingly quick at $1.60ish / litre.

Visited Cleland Wildlife Reserve where we hung out with Arthur the 12 year old Koala.  They can live to 20 years in captivity and about 10 in the wild.

The Ward-Murrays and Arthur

Little Dessert National Park – by Jeanette

What another great spot, camped next to the Wimerra River in a reserve full of red gums.  You have to be careful where you pitch the tent as the limbs of the red gums are known for dropping dramatically onto campers.  Love the warning sign!

Limb humour!

There were kookaburras laughing their heads off in the mornings, one friendly fellow sat on a branch watching us for ages after breakfast.  Once again kangaroos lounged around grazing and sunbathing.  Nights were cold but days were warm.  Had our first outdoor wash downs standing in a tub as we were the only campers around!

Friendly kookabura

Now for the real camping!

After 4 nights in a BIG4 camping ground in Melbourne we finally hit the road and camped in National Parks on our way to Adeladie where we are now.  Although the BIG4 had an ensuite next to the tent (very hot showers yeah!), a games room, a movie room etc. the noise of the city was unbearable at night.  It was near an airport and I swear that one night a helicopter hovered directly over our tent for at least 10 minutes.  We managed to catch up with a few friends while there and visit the central city but most of the time was spent getting the gear sorted, although we still keep finding things that we need as we go.

So off we set to Bendigo where there is a National Park north of the town, all I can say is there was grim ‘way finding’ within the park, and it was lucky we came across a dude who knew where the camping area was before it got too dark!.  Anyway life is very different with no on-site facilities except for a long drop.  We have a 12V battery that we can run the fridge off and charge things (e.g. the tablets which the boys consider vital for survival, imagine talking to your parents!) and a solar panel to charge the battery.  There are so many crazy birds here in the bush, the gallahs are rowdy as hell but look great in hot pink feathers.  We saw our first live kangaroos (as opposed to road kill) and they were curious little fellows, not getting too close but happy to hang back and observe the noisy homosapiens. 

The first kangaroo spotted so far!

Two guys camping there were prospectors, looking for gold from the remnants of the old mining days here in the bush, not sure if they actually find anything but they look happy enough!  The camp set up is working well so far, Leon is in the tent above the 4WD, Enzo has a platform in the back of the 4WD and the John and I are on the platform above the trailer.  We cook and hang out in the awning off the main tent and store bikes etc. under the awning off the 4WD.  I enjoy the outside cooking and it's fun thinking up meals with minimal supplies at hand.  Looking forward to heading north so we can do outside showers in the warmth.  

Camp site at Greater Bendigo National Park

We then went to Little Dessert National Park and spent two nights there, amazing spot, flush toilets this time.  I will post another account soon on that one!

Hi, we are in Melbourne at the moment, it has been raining alot and cold at night in the tent. We have been very busy getting all the gear together, including a few bikes, and also catching up with friends. Tomorrow we are heading north to Bendigo.

The truck and camping trailer tent