Tag Archives: Camping

Coastal Queensland

A Wet Expedition Through Atherton Tablelands

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As we continued our crawl along the Cassowary Coast we decided to stop off at a couple of beautiful beaches for a days rest.  One in particular, Etty Bay, was a quiet tucked away cove with an extremely low population.  Lucky for us as we lounged in the sun a cassowary emerged from the shrubbery to have a suss of what we were up to.  Not intimidated at all, he slowly  strolled only 1 metre from us!  After these peaceful relaxing beach stops it was time for us to make our way towards the Atherton Tablelands.

Starting down the southern end of the tablelands we set up camp at Henrietta Creek Camping Area.  Here we were able to set up right in amoungst the rainforest, what a living room!  From this area there were also fantastic walking trails to a variety of waterfalls nearby.  All were on our to do list.

Arriving late afternoon we took full oppurtunity while the sun was still out to go for a swim in the brown yet flowing “Bush Pool”.  Even though it was murky compared to our other freshwater holes, it was still great for a swim.  As the sun slipped away over the horizon, we thought we were in for a treat with beautiful clear days to explore the area.  Oh how we were wrong.

We woke to the continuous sound of a seriously heavy downpoor of rain, our activities for the day were delayed.  Hiding in the tent all morning lead us to almost losing sanity as the dry season seemed awfully wet!  Lacing up our boots, we put our rain jackets on and set off into the miserable flood-like rain.  Aiming to complete a 6.6km loop to Nandroya Falls, we had a positive mindset that at least the falls will be cranking with all this rain!

Initially doubting our small expedition, the path was saturated and river crossings were already starting to look flooded!  After a short navigation through puddles and an overgrown walkway, we made it to Silver Falls with the entire rock wall powerfully flowing from the extra rain.  Slowly we were becoming more and more saturated.

Another half hour in, we had made it to the main attraction, Nandroya Falls.  The rain did not disappoint, demonstrating the crushing impact these falls had to offer.  Below were smaller overflows of water which with quick realisation would not be cascading if it weren’t for the rain.  Continuing around the loop the rain didn’t ease off. Being the optional longer circuit, we gathered it was less traversed as there was more shrub and fern attempting to take over the track.

Soaked to the bone, we soldiered on over waterways.  Regular leech checks lead to peeling an odd one off the leg as we walked until Nay felt something on her back.  Mark checked it out to discover a blood sucking parasite mid way up Nay’s back!  Fun times!!  As we arrived back at the first river crossing of the circuit, we were gobsmacked that it was no longer a rock crossing but an unbroken torrent of water.  From the torrential rain our past crossing had been engulfed by the river.  Left with only one option, we staggered  shin deep through the swell.  Upon conducting our now regular leech check, we discovered we had acquired over a dozen leeching friends, soon to be swatted like flies!

Back at camp, we dried off and laughed at what we had just been through.  It was already late arvo at this stage but the rain had not let off.  Cowering back in the tent with a cuppa, we threw a movie on until it was time for bed. 

Waking up the next day to our astonishment, the rain was just as heavy!  Having to cross off a couple of the smaller walking trails off our list we departed for the hope of drier pastures.  While still drizzling, we made our way to the Milla Milla Waterfall Circuit (a small 15km loop).  Home of Ellinjaa Falls, Zillie Falls and of coarse, Milla Milla Falls.  These all entailed a short walk in to see each cascade and as with previous waterfalls, each had their small differences that made them amazing in their own way.  Some even included small waterholes for a swim which may have of been appealing if we weren’t already so wet!

Back in town they had a display of a fallen Giant Kauri Pine Tree which had fallen only 20km from Milla Milla due to the root system no longer being able to sustain the tree.  This mammoth tree was approximately 870 years old, with a 2.7m diameter and an 8.5m circumference.  1m of the trunk was equal to 4 tonnes of timber – impressive!!  This would not be the last of these beasts we were to see.  As the weather was clearing, we cruised further around to discover what else the Atherton Tablelands had to offer…

Queensland

A hidden tableland leading to an unexpected destination

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The morning after our massive hike at Carnarvon was fairly painful to say the least.  Sitting up in bed the muscles were aching and the legs weren’t too keen to carry us.  This didn’t stop us from looking over some pamphlets to discover the Blackdown Tablelands weren’t too far away and had already been recommended.  Arriving into the National Park early afternoon and bodies still very weary, we decided to have a lazy afternoon and take on the two short walks we had lined up the next day.  Having to pre-book our campsite at the Munall Campground, we decided number 9 looked good.  Upon arrival we discovered that someone had taken our spot, so instead we moved onto 13 as there were plenty of free sites.  Having fully set up and just starting a fire, we noticed a couple of vehicles slowing as they were approaching us.  Murphy’s law, with soooo many free campsites still unoccupied, we had unknowingly relocated into this groups pre-booked site.  Old mate grumpy pants was quick to have a go at us and threatened to call the ranger to have us moved.  It wasn’t until his wife calmly said “Lets just go to another site, there’s plenty around”.  The rest of the night was peaceful.

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The next day lead to a quiet, simple 2km walk with more Aboriginal heritage.  Information boards were scattered with knowledge of how they used the land and various plants in day to day life, such as grinding seads off wattle flowers to create flour for cooking.  We even came across a fence from old stock yards that were ingeniously crafted into the tree.  After this leisurely walk we headed south in the Tablelands to the Gudda Gumoo track for a lookout.  A short 1.9km to the lookout and we had breathtaking views over the national park.  From this point there was another section with 240 steps that lead to the Rainbow Falls.  Still a little sore from the other day, we clumbered down to see how magnificant they were.  We both agreed afterwards that these were by far the most stunning waterfalls we’d ever come across.  Crisp, fresh water cascading down numorous cliff edges into a pool of clear water, plus it had a sandy river bed!  Not knowing we were able to swim, we hadn’t brought bathers.  As we couldn’t miss this opportunity we stripped down into our jocks and went for a dip!  Having had a blast, the consequences of a commando walk back to the carpark, was well worth it.  We would definitely recommend the Blackdown Tablelands to anyone whe finds themselves in the area.

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Unfortunately, we had to keep moving on from here as we had found ourselves on a rather tight schedule.  A few days earlier, we had decided we’d reached a stage where we were ready for a short working gig.  Nay trawling over Gumtree, had stumbled across an ad for a “Home help and Gardener” position on The Brook station 2 hrs from Charters Towers.  Knowing this could be an in for some cattle work with a little cleaning on the side, we applied.  Less than two days later, we’d recieved a call from the station owner who said “You fellas sound great!”.  After working out the minor details, he was keen to take us on for 3-4 weeks.  The commencement date needed to be within 5 days as he was about to muster his 4000+ cattle. 

We were now having to make some distance back and bunkered down at Bedford Wier (45 mins north of Blackwater).  Luckily we only stayed here for a night, as our running theme of unwanted neighbours continued.  While enjoying the sunset at the wier with a delicious goon cab sav, a group of 3 men set up camp only 5m from us in a spacious paddock. Waking up this next morning, we had one of the laborious days of driving ahead of us.  Squeezing in the Tablelands meant a solid 6 hours of road trip classics. Nay occasionally napped, many licorice allsorts and party mix lollies consumed, before finally finding ourselves in Charter’s Towers.  A phone call to the station lead to the owner suggesting a night in town to arrive at his station with fresh faces the next morning.  We both had a restless sleep from excitement and nerves, for the next day we were to wake as farm hands and work at a station in Central Queenland!!

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Queensland

One hell of a trip through Carnarvon…

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As we weren’t able to camp at the actual Carnarvon Gorge Campground outside of school holidays, meant an early wake up from Nuga Nuga.  Burning down the highway we were finding ourselves closing in on Carnarvon as our surrounds were becoming that of a rainforest.  Now, the days hike ahead was no simple feat.  A 9.7km one way track lead to the furthest point of interest, the “Big Bend” and along this track there were several other fun filled landmarks to see along the way.  Quick calculations demonstrated that this walk was going to be over 22km (seeing all sights) and surely one to remember!  With our bags packed full of food for the trek ahead, we psyched ourselves up and made our way along the first river crossing into the Gorge.

Into a Moss Garden and onto the Amphitheatre
3.2km into our journey we came across our first turnoff, the Moss Garden.  Temperatures pleasantly dropping we found ourselves in a magical lagoon where all we heard was water trickling from the sandstone formations.  This garden is solely created by the mass of sandstone in which rainwater slowly penetrates until reaching solid rock and is forced out of the gorge wall.  The process of water flowing from the wall creates a mossy covered sanctuary where we found ourselves in.  A further 1.2km along the track and we came to a steep climb of stairs through which a tiny crack in a sandstone wall gave a greatness to behold – a natural occuring amphitheatre.  Over thousands of years through erosion water had created this hidden wonder.  During times of flash floods, the amphitheatre acts as a giant washing machine on spin cycle and with the subsiding water, all the contents are thrown out through the entrance.

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An Art Gallery like no other
With a total of only 4.3km down, we had made it to our third turnoff.  Not knowing what to expect from an art gallery in the gorge, we found ourselves quite lucky to experience this rich Aboriginal history.  An entire wall was covered with a plathora of detailed Aboriginal stenciling.  These included a range of stencils of hands, fishing nets, weapons of both Aboriginal and Europeans and even dark evil spirits from the dreamtime.  We stumbled across a visitors book which we quickly discovered the pen didn’t work and unfortunately couldn’t leave a memo.  Lucky for us someone had already written what we were thinking! After a late morning tea at this unique art gallery and only a quarter into the journey we continued deeper into the gorge.

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To the Big Bend!
From the art gallery, our ever changing surroundings became denser and more overgrown and at every rivercrossing it was a gamble on which stepping stone to take along the unmarked path.  This also lead to finding a vine to have a swing off!  Before we knew it we had arrived at the final three points of interest, all of which were 500m apart.  The first was a smaller version of the art gallery, the second was another gorge off the main path and the last, but definitely not least, was the “Big Bend”.  Being 2pm when we sat down, we knew we had enough time for a bit of tucker and a refreshing dip.  At this magnificant bend along the river, there was the most tranquil, crystal clear waterhole, which consequently made our quick swim bloody cold as the water was like ice!

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The long struggle home
Having a gruelling 9.7km walk back, we pumped ourselves up and started on the return journey.  Wanting to tick off all of the landmarks, we had to make one more stop on the way back, Ward’s Canyon.  Just to add to the burning sensation in the legs there was a steep 270 step climb to reach the canyon.  Nevertheless it was well worth it, home of the king fern and a peaceful waterfall.  This is the only location the king fern can be found in central queensland as it’s family is mostly on the coast.  Another fun fact is that the fronds on these ferns can grow up to 5m long!  Not your everyday garden fern!  Ticking off all the points of interest, we churned through the last of the kms and found ourselves back at the carpark. Entire bodies aching by the time we were there, we spent $1 for cold showers, with satisfaction knowing we had conquered the mighty Carnarvon Gorge!

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With no idea of where our next major destination was or how bad our bodies would wake up after this epic trek, it was all a suprise to where the next stage of this undetermined adventure would head…

Queensland

A Springsure Massacre to a peaceful Lake Nuga Nuga..

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Over the past few days, Nay had been reading about a terrible and gruesome massacre which happened near Springsure in 1861.  As we were very intrigued to find out more about this event, we pulled up just north of town to stay at a rotary park.  From here we had a great view of a sheer mountain cliff and reading further we discovered it was named Virgin Rock.  The rock had been given this title because if one were to look closely, carved by the wind and water over time, is Mary nurturing baby Jesus.

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Heading west from Springsure approximately 13km we stumbled across a small sign that pointed out “Wills Graves”.  Due to lack of tourist information, we only knew this would lead us to the massacre site from our prior research.  A further 21km down a dirt track, which farmers frowned upon tourists entering as it unsettled their cattle, we made it to the carpark.  With another 1km walk, we finally came face to face with the graves which held a very haunting past. 

The fascinating back story of these murders was that a rich white man (Horatio Wills) had taken a hefty amount of land to run cattle.  Due to another recent killing of many Aboriginals on a nearby station and their dispair of more land being stolen, they decided to take action and retaliate.  Under the cover of darkness they snuck into the Wills camp near the homestead where they murdered 19 members of the Wills party.  This Springsure Massacre was the highest number of white people murdered by Aboriginals in history.  In a total uproar from this deliberate attack, the whites went on a rampage and slaughtered over 250 Aborigines.  To date the numbers are still unknown of how many died but we quickly discovered there is minimal information on this disgusting period in the Australian Frontier Wars.

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After this history lesson we had lunch in the national park where the Virgin Rock was hidden.  Looking at breath taking views, we found ourselves high up over the town centre and its vast surrounds.  We left the memories of Springsure in the rear vision mirror to make a v-line to Lake Nuga Nuga (we even bumped into farmer George on the way with his 15 dogs in tow!).  As beautiful as Lake Nuga Nuga was, it appeared to be like Lake Eildon during a drought and we wished we could of seen it at full capacity.  It had fantastic surrounds, amazing camp spots with fire pits and many varieties of birds which were calling throughout the day, making it a magical time.  With Mark feeling a little sick we camped here a couple of nights and Nay even spoilt the crew with a mouth watering rum-raisin damper loaf! Delicious!

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These few days were very restful and did wonders for Marks illness.  Both fighting fit we were ready for the challanging 20km+ walk that Carnarvon Gorge had to offer us the next day…

Queensland

Disappearing in the depths of a Sapphire..

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A rather large drive from Barcaldine and we’d made it into the vast fossicking grounds of sapphires, The Gemfields!  A late arrival lead us to a quick and simple option of camping on a dustbowl of a reserve with some fellow caravans.  As Mark was keen to get a hold of some gems, some researching was done and he found a reasonable looking fossicking tour.  A restless sleep filled with excitement lead to an early 6am rise to see the red skyline as we crawled out of the camper to jump into our mining clothes.  In ragged singlets and shorts, pumped to dig up our fortune, we arrived at the meeting place where we followed our guide Keith to the dig site.  We were quick to discover he was one character of a bloke.

A short demonstration of what to do and we were thrown straight in a hole with a pick and shovel.  We had to dig away the dirt and get down to the old river bed where volcanos, millions of years ago, had erupted shooting various materials (including sapphires).  Here we shovelled the mess into buckets and seived them to a finer rubble.  We then used a smaller seive and put it through a process of washing.  This allowed the heavier material (including the precious sapphire pieces) to move into the centre of the seive.  After flipping it over after a wash we were able to spot if we had any rare and valuable stones in the mix with their glassy edge gleaming at us!

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After a solid day (with a smoko and lunch break!) and many buckets washed, we were quite successful with a small bag of treats!  Reaping our rewards after getting our hands dirty, we had them inspected by the professional cutter in town.  He informed us that three were of decent quality each worth approximately $100 after cutting!  Rather tired from the days events we retreated back to our reserve where there were only toilets without showers.  Improvising as we do and being so dirty from a days mining, we filled a bucket with water and had a make shift cold shower to the side of the reserve (we’re sure some caravaners were entertained!).

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The next day lead to some pottering around in the various towns of Sapphire, Rubyvale and Anakie to see what they had to offer.  We ended up stumbling across a grave of a humble piano tuner who was advised not to venture out fossicking due to recent flooding.  Nevertheless, his body was found at a later date.  The good samaritans tried to bury him but since the ground was so swampy, the coffin simply floated!  To finally lay his body to rest, they drilled holes in the coffin so it would sink!  Nearly 100 years after this incident, the “Piano Tuner” still had no name. Finally in 1992 his name was discovered and two plaques (a bit of a mix up there) were made for his restored grave.

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After this fascinating piece of trivia we left the Piano Tuner to rest and went into Emerald.  After restocking, we took the road sout to soon explore the National Park of Carnarvon…

Queensland

A prehistoric drive to Barcaldine..

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Coasting down the Capricorn Way, windows down, music up, we had not a worry in the world as the town of Winton approached us.  This little piece of outback Queensland is famous for their dinosaur exhibitions as it stands to have found fossils from the age of the great beasts.  As we originally planned to see a museum filled with these great dinosaur bones, this little town offered us other amusements.  We had been informed by the same lovely old mate from the Crocodile Dundee pub, to check out the famous Arno’s Wall in Winton.  Although tourist information didn’t explain this at the site, he gave us the back story behind the wall and how it is famous today.

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Arno’s Story
There once and still is a gentleman that loves collecting god forsaken rubbish and hoarding it on his property.  Several years ago now there was an exceptionally large and hidious pile alongside council property.  The council had forever harrassed poor Arno to remove this rubbish or they would take action to have it removed as it was an eyesaw.  Now as no tourist information reveals, Arno’s response to the council was to concrete his belongings into a stone wall to stick it to them and forever his hoarding memories remain.  This wall is now a tourist attraction adjacent to Arno’s Park in Winton.

After a bit of messing around at Winton – chatting to a local for a solid hour or so in regards to work, camping at their local billabong and sharing Arno’s memories, we kept heading east to Longreach.  Arriving at Longreach on a Saturday only meant one thing which hadn’t happened for a solid month, a night out!  Staying at a caravan park (with a spa for an afternoon relaxation session), having some afternoon beers with a couple of friendly neighbours, we then found ourselves at the local pub for our first counter meal of the trip!  After a delicious parma and chips, we walked down to another pub to be subjected to some great creative live music and a dj.  Here where we danced the night away and Nay even found herself gaining the attention of an extremely friendly female!

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You could only imagine the next day was a bit of a struggle.  Leaving after the 10:00am departure time (we had also made good mates with the park managers) we struggled merely 80km east that day to land at Charles Lloyd Jones Weir just south of Barcaldine.  At this tucked away location we rested and spent two nights of free camping chilling by the Weir and they were very protective of their toilet paper in the loos!  We did experience however, our first sight of drizzle since leaving Melbourne.  This didn’t effect us too much as the awning was quickly erected and we took shelter.  Unlike any normal camping adventure we got stuck into a 100 piece jigsaw puzzle!  The rest of the time here flew by and we were back on the road as Mark, like a little kid, was getting very excited about digging up sapphires in the Gemfields!

Historic Road Trip Fact
Barcaldine is home of the Tree of Knowledge and its current housing sadly due to vandalism.  Although deliberately poisoned in 2006, this tree still stands today as a marker for the founding of the Australian Labor Party. 

Queensland

The Lawn is Greener on the Hill

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A short drive the next morning lead us to an oasis beyond belief.  From an unsealed road with minimal flora or fauna to be seen, we landed in the most beautiful untouched gorge of Boodjamulla National Park (Lawn Hill).  A well deserved swim was had before we sussed the area out to see what adventures this magical place had in store for us.  Already after midday, we had seen that you were able to hire canoes and paddle up the gorge.  Being late in the day we planned this for tomorrow and found ourselves a camp site to rest at for the afternoon.

Tingle the Termite Mound!
Driving along the roads we have come across many a termite mounds.  Talking about it for a while we decided to pull over by one of the larger ones, dress him up, and call him Tingle!!

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Once again using the trusty Wiki Camps app, we dropped in beside a river about 100m away from some other campers.  After just seeing the Boodjamulla Gorge in all of her beauty, this private little paradise we stumbled across was picture perfect.   Straight from a postcard, was a crisp lagoon with crystal waters and palms all around which gave plenty of shade.  Having a cruise on the surfboards and a peaceful afternoon of nothing, we started up the fire as the sky grew darker and the cane toads emerged for the nights event…

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As we settled in we saw some torches from a distance emerge over towards our campsite, assuming our neighbours coming for a chat. As three Aboriginals emerged, our neighbours were in fact the Waanyi people, traditional owners of the land in which we were camping. At first we thought we were in trouble, us white fellas trepassing on their land – but they were however, just coming over for a chat. 10 minutes earlier Nay had spotted a snake shoot after a toad at lightning speeds only a mere half a metre away from her chair.  Slightly on edge but thinking this reptilian predator was long gone, came the arrival of our Aboriginal neighbours. 
After informing us that the snake would have only been a harmless tree snake, Nay casually says “There’s it is.” as a brown snake slithers out from some local shrubbery less than 2m away from us!  As the five of us shot backwards one yells “Throw me ya shovel brudda!” and without hesitation starts wailing on the dangerous snake with weapon in hand.  After many a hits the snake went limp and was quickly thrown on the fire.  Adrenaline pumping and repeated phrases of “That’s a brown snake, dem snakes will kill ya!”, there had been some form of twisted fate that had brought them over at the right time, and our snake problem was solved.  You can only imagine after those events that the night was wrapped up quickly and we were tucked away safely in our roof top tent.

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The next day brought an early rise as we were to walk the gorge before the heat kicked in.  Back to Boodjamulla Gorge we completed the 4km loop that included the lookout which gave breathtaking views.  Once this walk was complete we headed over to hire a canoe.  A robbery of $27/hr with no other canoes 200kms in all directions, we sucked it up and went.  Least to say it was worth every dollar.  A short row up stream and we hit a series of large waterfalls and a swimming hole which was spectacular to explore.  From here we dragged the canoe along a short path and dropped it in the upper gorge.  Continuing to paddle upstream we had lunch along the way on the water (delicious gourmet tuna and saladas) and made it to a couple of smaller waterfalls where no one else had bothered to traverse.  After swimming, snorkelling (seeing an abundance of sealife in the shallows) and just generally enjoying the waterfalls we decided we should be making tracks back down.  With a solid 6km row back to the hire depot, we returned our canoe and jumped in the gorge for one last refreshing swim.

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For the better of not bumping into another snake companion, we set our sights on Gregory Downs after our massive day of activities at Boodjamulla.

Queensland

A Fork in the Road..

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The next day we arose from our slumber just out from Tennant Creek with a slight buzz, for the morning ahead was to bring a well planned twist in the adventure.  Along the road was a place by the name of Three Ways.  After a discussion a couple of days earlier, instead of back tracking 800 kms south again after Darwin and heading north at Three Ways, we were heading east!!

This last minute unplanned twist added some excitement to the day as we were venturing into greener yet still unknown pastures.  Burning down the Barkley Hwy we had to pull over at the border to have another glamorous photo with the sign!  With the road blurring by at 100kms there was one lucky fellow who wasn’t quite ready to kick the bucket as he missed our wheels by mere centimetres.  A wild and displeased looking blue tongued lizard was hissing on the road when we chucked a u-turn.  Disgruntled as the lizard was, Mark was quick to pick him up and sneak him into the bushes not before a quick photoshoot.

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Once everyone was safe we were back on track to make it to our destination of Camooweal.  Here we were able to duck off the track beside a billabong where stunning water lillies were flowering and native birds were keeping us entertained around the water.  When the sun had dropped over the mountain range another friend emerged from the dark, the cane toad.  This was not the last we were to see of this plague as it unknowingly had a great impact on an event to happen in the near future.  Rediculous humidity also seemed to give us a slap in the face while entering QLD as you could see from the pic… Mark was sweating serious balls that night!!

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With a fresh morning we regathered from a rough sleep and set our minds on our next destination, Lawn Hill.  Leaving Camooweal we took a shortcut through unsealed roads where we arrived approx 100km south of Lawn Hill itself beside the O’Shannassy River.  Ducking down another 4WD track after sneaking past a caravan we arrived at our own littlr remote riverside getaway.  We spent some time here to relax and swim while Renee was throwing ideas of homemade scones for afternoon tea!  As the arvo passed Mark was using a creative rock and reel to catch dinner, sadly only caught a small fish not worth cooking.  As the days activities where winding up, Renee had indeed whipped up a scone mix and thrown it in the camp oven.  Before we knew it there were scones with jam and cream for arvo tea!

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After a change of pace from the billabong we were finding ourselves having another leisurely swim in the river the next morning.  Once refreshed we jumped back on the unsealed track that lead to Lawn Hill..

Northern Territory

Alice and Her Desolate Surrounds

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At the far eastern end of the MacDonnell Ranges the road lead us straight into the town of Alice Springs.  We spent the opportunity here to regather ourselves, stock up, and catch up on the world around us.  It had been since Coober Pedy (8 days previous) that we’d seen a supermarket!  Staying at the Stuart Caravan Park we were also able to catch up with the folks as phone reception was flourishing!  Well reminded by them that we also landed in Alice on a public holiday and had Anzac day to follow.  Being the good people we are we made our way into town for the Anzac Parade down main street and up to Anzac Hill where we watched the Service.  A great way to start the day and a good excuse to end up at the pub for lunch.

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These few days of doing very minimal flew by and it wasn’t too long until we were off to our next destination.  There was only one small pocket of national park close to Alice we hadn’t yet explored, Owen Springs.  Only 45 minutes back south down the Stuart Hwy we made it to the turn off.  Name sounds promising, tourist information said there were water holes, the pamphlet even stated “water holes”.  To our demise we found no such signs of water but rather the contrary, we camped in the river bed itself.  Totally remote and only wildlife around us in the outback, even with no water we had ourselves a blast with a fire and homemade cheese/herb damper (getting experimental now!).  Cruising through the rest of the national park was rather disapointing as the brochure also stated points of interest alog the way.  Only 2 of 9 were actually signposted which was the first homestead built in the NT and an old Aboriginal dwelling where they lived when working on the station which included a small tin shed to sleep in, a shower shed and outhouse.

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Finding ourselves back on the hwy north of Alice we were heading toward Tennant Creek.  We stayed at another couple of overnight camps thanks to Wiki Camps and Nay.  Maybe make that one of two as the first night every road train that passed would wake you up, a train with a solid number of 30 carriages passed and to top it off a mindmill no more than 20m away from the tent made a loud “clunk” as it was blowing gracefully in the wind.  On this stretch of the highway we were also able to explore the Devil’s Marbles (Karlu Karlu).  We would definitely suggest now to travel central Australia north to south.  As impressive as these granite marvels are, the sheer magnitude of Uluru was uncomparable and too fresh in our memories.

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Making it to Tennant Creek we had another relaxing day by their man made oasis in the desert, Lake Mary Ann.  This was one of the first days we hadn’t planned a walk or any sight seeing, and it felt wonderful to just swim in the water and lay in the sun with a good book..

Northern Territory

Exploration of a King!

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As the adventure continued from Uluru, we once again made it back on the highway up north to our next destination, Kings Canyon. We camped in another excellent bushcamp rest area (starting to realise NT dominate in this market) where once again had unwanted neighbours drop in on us. All set up facing what we thought was the bush, a family decided to roll up late and camp about 5m right in front of us on the side of a track and ruined our privacy. While we were trying to eat our romantic dinner for two, one of the kids decided to shine his torch right in our faces which obviously the parents thought was fine! On a good note, we were able to use our shower tent and had the first battery powered shower for the trip!

The next day brought the exploration of Kings Canyon. In the morning, after ducking into Kathleen Springs for a stroll down the beautiful and historically rich valley to see the old stockade, we made a late arrival at Kings Canyon. Full spirited we began the 6.7km walk (not reccommended at this stage of the day!) up and along the rim of the Canyon. Absolutely spectacular. The walk took us up and along cliffs, down the valley, into the peaceful Garden of Eden (rainforest like waterhole), and back along the opposing side until we were lead back to the carpark. I don’t think we could of finished the last of the trip quick enough. As we were approaching 3:00pm we were buggered, smashing through the kms, guzzling as much water as we could and wiping the sweat off our brows. Even with a difficult conclusion, we conquered it with smiles and could only laugh at the end with recommendations to never start a walk that large, that late in the day.

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Interesting Historic Fact..

The palm in this below picture is somewhere between 350-400 years old!! These Cycads were scientifically proven to be around back in the dinosaur age!

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Once we had a few lolly snakes and recovered, we jumped in the car and made it to the servo before the Mereenie Loop (an unsealed road joining Kings Canyon, Hermannsburg and the MacDonnell Ranges). This is unfortunately a permit road as it is on Aboriginal Country. We decided the $5.50 for the permit was a lot cheaper than a $1000 fine if caught without one!! We ended up camping at Morris Pass Lookout which is situated on the Aboriginal section of the loop. As we arrived we were welcomed by a couple of friendly dingoes which happily wandered around the camp, sussing our kettle out during the night (see paw print on the table) and giving us the occasional howl. Now, the land here was phenomenal, so untouched as we sat with a 1.25L bottle of coke, some Bacardi and Jim Beam. Tough as it sounds we sat on a cliff, drinks in hand, and watched the sun set, with the all mighty Kings Canyon off in the distance..

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