Edith Falls to Darwin.

As we were leaving Daly Waters we saw our first live kangaroo of the trip! All the rest were road kill.
We stopped at Katherine and refuelled, shopped, washed the car and made phone calls. We then drove 40 kms up the road to a campsite at the turn off to Edith Falls. Two others were camped there and we had a drink and a rather intense chat about Gonski and other education matters. One woman was rather bossy so we made our escape and enjoyed my lasagne that had been in the freezer from home and salad, finished off with a meringue case with strawberries and cream. We certainly eat well when we are away.
We drove into Edith Falls the next day and walked up to the swimming holes, a 15 minute walk. The holes were a welcoming sight and we had several swims before heading back down to the day use area. We needed another dip in the bottom pool after that !!

We drove back to our campsite at the start of the road and stayed another night. It was very hot. Thank goodness for our fans that Randall installed - one over the table and one over the bed. The one over the bed went all night!!

From there we headed to Pussycat Flats at Pine Creek. Pussycat flats is an old racecourse that is now a caravan park. We have stayed here before and it has real atmosphere. The caretaker remembered Randall from our last visit - we had run into some fellow Tasmanians that we knew and we enjoyed quite a few bevies. Randall had pulled out the bagpipes late in the evening much to the annoyance of some of the campers there. Luckily she enjoyed bagpipe music, so she had a bit of a laugh about it.

We plugged into power this time, as our battery needed a top up. It had not been on charge since we left home. The evening was lovely, so we went for a bit of a walk.

 The next morning I went for a walk around the race track. It is the only time to go for a walk - so nice and cool! I saw a tree full of galahs as I went around.

It is nice to have the air conditioner going while we are on power - a rare treat!

The open air bar opens at 4pm each day, but you can sit and do your computer stuff in the cool of the shade. I took the opportunity to update the blog. It is hard on the road to upload photos without good service.

Randall practised his pipes one morning and the caretaker loved it - she even put a video up on Facebook!

We spent 3 nights here and really enjoyed it. On the last night we had the roast dinner on offer - roast pork and vegies followed by apple crumble. It was the first bought meal of the trip and very enjoyable!

From there we headed to Litchfield National Park. Initially we were headed to Buley Rockhole, one of our favourite places to stay on each of our visits up north. Randall had read that it was now only a day use area, so we went to Florence Falls nearby and found a nice spot there. In his search for phone service we moved when Randall got one bar of 3G. He had bought these special aerials at home that enhanced the signal, so here we are walking around, me with one aerial and Randall with the other and the wireless hotspot connected to them. It was so hot and we were both getting grumpy. We ended up going back to where we were, and funnily enough the next morning we got 1 bar of 4G, enough for us to download The Mercury newspaper and for Randall to make a phone call.

We set up and went for a walk. You have to go down quite steep flights of stairs, 135 steps in all, to get to the bottom and swim in the plunge pool. On talking to the ranger, there are some other shallower pools you can swim in that don't involve the steps. We ended up doing a loop and walking the 1 1/2 ks to Buley rock hole and were very sad to see that the lovely camp ground is now an ugly sealed carpark. We had a swim in the pools there then walked back, had another dip where the ranger suggested and another dip in the plunge pool. It was very hot, and by the time we had walked up the 135 steps, we felt like another dip!!

Our solar panels were really struggling to keep our fridge cool, so Randall gave them a bit of a wash with the car brush. It seemed to help a little bit. We only have one 'house' battery to run the fridge, lights, water pump etc. In our caravan we have two, one just for the fridge, which made it easier. We weren't allowed to run the generator here, but we started up the car one evening and used the car aircon to cool us down a bit. A couple of campers knocked on our door and asked us to turn off the car - I suppose it was too noisy!

A lot of campers here light up their camp fires to cook. I couldn't stand being near the heat up here!!

This was our last stop before Darwin. As we headed up the Stuart Highway we finally saw the Ghan, with lots of carriages. We had been looking out for it all the way up.

Alice Springs to Daly Waters.

As we left Erldunda Randall messaged an old work friend who worked at Alice Springs, and we arranged to meet up with him on arrival. We enjoyed a cool drink at a cafe and then he visited us at our campsite in the late afternoon. The weather was really warm - about 24 degrees - and we sat outside enjoying the sunshine. It is always nice to see a familiar face from back home. 
The place we stopped at was just near the Alice Springs airport. There was more of a mixture of people stopping here from young backpackers to families and the older grey nomads. In the morning Randall was gobsmacked watching the young backpacker girls having an outdoor shower only a few metres away from us!!!  
On our sojourn to find water we went into The Ghan museum. It was really interesting to walk through the old train carriages and imagine what it would have been like travelling  in it. I would love to do the Ghan trip one day. 

Finding water when you don't stop at a caravan park is not always easy, but Randall and I are really good at spotting a tap from 100 metres now. We found one just near the library, and Randall whipped out his trusty tap handle and expandable hose and we were filled up in a few minutes.

We stayed two nights in Alice Springs catching up with shopping and stuff, and then headed off for warmer climes.

We headed north past the Tropic of Capricorn and the highest point on the Stuart Highway, 727.2 metres above sea level. We had a fairly high fuel consumption and could only put it down to the wind until we saw the sign. Anthills start appearing about now and get bigger as you head north. 

We stopped overnight at the John McDouall Rest Area, the third time we have stopped there. There was no phone service, however you could make a phone call by putting your mobile phone on a stand and use speaker phone. The signal was enhanced by a satellite dish next to the stand.

The next morning Randall put his phone there and put on his hotspot, so were were able to download our local newspaper - we like to keep up with what is happening at home.

It was a very grey morning and as we drove the rain started. It was quite heavy at times. When a big road train came towards me the spray was awful - I could hardly see where the road was! It continued raining for about two hours, but thankfully it eased off and made driving easier.

We pulled into a place called Wycliffe Well and couldn't believe the price of diesel there - $127.9! Way cheaper than home and in the middle of nowhere, so we took the opportunity to top up.

There is lots of roadkill around and usually with big eagles enjoying a feed. We hit one big bird, not an eagle, and it stayed stuck in our nudge bar. We had to pull over and Randall got a stick to push it out. It was not a pleasant experience and one we hope won't happen again.

We passed through Tennant Creek and again we were on the lookout for a water tap. We managed to find one at the local fire station - where else of course!

Our next stop was Daly Waters, a pub and caravan park. We stopped here for two nights and it was the first time we had paid since we left home. It has quite an atmosphere as caravans and motorhomes roll in and leave the next day. We enjoyed sitting outside chatting to people and having a beer or two. 

Uluru and Kings Canyon

We got to the Northern Territory border at 8.38am in the morning. The speed limit sign went up to 130 kph! Needless to say we didn't travel that fast. As we were driving along we passed a cyclist - quite weird when you are in the middle of nowhere. 

We wanted to visit Uluru again as it is such an amazing feature of our country, so we turned off the Stuart Highway and headed for a camp spot we had stayed at previously, 30 ks outside of Uluru. We passed a caravan in a million pieces by the side of the road, and felt very sorry for its owners.

We stopped at the Mt Connor lookout. Apparently lots of people think they are seeing Uluru when they see this mountain. It is quite spectacular, and we walked up the red sand for a better view.

 

Each time we have been here the weather has been amazing! Beautiful blue sky days and crisp nights. 

After we had pulled in I saw a dingo nearby and after talking to another camper, we heard that they were hanging around looking for food. We had arrived early afternoon, so I took the opportunity of lying on the bed in the sun and reading my book - I felt a bit sleepy so had a lovely afternoon nap!

The next day a friendly neighbour came over and offered us their entry tickets to Uluru. They last for three days and were no longer needed so we gratefully accepted them! We headed for the rock via the laundry at the campground. We cheekily did our washing, hung it out and then went for the base walk around the rock.

 It is 10 kilometres around. By the end my right knee had started to give out, so I was glad we didn’t have to go any further!

Our vehicle is so fantastic we can’t believe it. Before our walk we were able to make lunch, have a drink and go to the toilet- so convenient!

We had heard about a campsite closer to Uluru from our neighbouring campers last night, so checked it out on our way in. It looked really good, so we stayed there after our walk, along with many others, after we had stopped to collect out dry clothes from the line. One poor fellow had booked into the caravan park, and when he got there he was sent away as there was no room - not even in the over flow area! I would not have been happy.

We decided to visit Kings Canyon as well. So we packed up and drove straight there, do the rim walk and head back to a camp spot 100ks back. We saw two dingoes as we turned into the canyon car park, the most dingoes we’d seen on any of our trips. We were lucky enough to get a carpark right at the start of the walk. It was quite warm, so we changed into shorts. It took two hours with spectacular scenery all around.

It was a busy day but enjoyable. We’ve done lot of driving, so being out in the fresh air walking, and in warm sunshine, was really nice.

Our overnight camp was good, and we chatted to a few people stopped there. In the morning I opened the blinds to see another dingo lurking around the water tank there- obviously looking for a drink.

From there we drove towards Alice Springs. I did the first bit of driving so Randall could practice his music. We stopped at Erldunda for a break. There was no need to fuel up at their inflated prices as our 120 litre fuel tank gives us a range of 1,000 kilometres.

Our 3 month trip commences

It was a whirlwind few weeks before we left Tasmania to head off on a three month road trip to the north of the country.

My mother had her 90th birthday celebrations the week before we left and both our daughters, sons-in-law and grandsons came to celebrate this special occasion. We had a busy day washing and visiting the laundromat to dry stuff after they all left.

Our trip on the Spirit of Tasmania was the calmest I have ever experienced. There was almost no movement the whole night. Even so, I did not sleep well - I never do on the boat.

We headed to Greensborough to look after our little grandson Zachary as he had not been well when he visited us only days before. We were happy to spend the day with him and get lots of cuddles and help by keeping away from daycare for a few extra days.

Our day of departure we called in to see our other daughter Katie, to return a misplaced IPad from last week. It was great to have some last minute cuddles from little Otto.

Then we were off! We decided to go up the Calder Freeway towards Mildura and then across to Port Augusta to get us on the Stuart Highway. I saw my first solar farm on the way - big fans of solar panels that could swivel to catch the sun. We had a stop at Charlton for brunch and a swap of drivers, then off again to Mildura for a fill up of petrol. On the way there were so many wheat fields as far as the eye could see, and closer to Mildura there were so many vineyards all around.

Randall and I played our usual game of Spotto. We were looking for pods on top of cars, Tasmanian number plates, wind socks, emus, a motor home like ours, and Nova and New Age and Kimberly Caravans. Randall of course, being quite the smarty pants always wins - he’s the only man I know who can multitask! When I’m driving I’m only concentrating on the road!

Our first stop was 100 kilometres west of Mildura at a roadside stop. We had driven 650 kilometres so we were both glad of the break.

 We crossed the border into South Australia without too much hassle about fruit and vegetables. The girl that greeted us only took a few things. We told her most of the stuff was from Tassie, which has a fruit fly free status! From there we kept driving past heaps of fruit farms and vineyards as far as the eye could see! Renmark looked like such a lovely place - it is one for a return visit when we have more time. We put in another solid days driving, and arrived at Pimba near Woomera for our overnight stop. There weren't as many campers this time as we are a month later travelling. We watched a couple set up their camper trailer. There had obviously been a tiff as things were quite cool setting up, but in the morning the lady got a warm cuddle so things must have improved!
The sunrises and sunsets are amazing in the outback.

We headed up the highway towards Coober Pedy. We called in to the Information Centre to see what the road was like in to a place called The Breakaways. The was an old bloke standing outside asking for money - Randall the softie gave him a few dollars. We decided not to do the Breakaways in the end.

We went straight for the cheap fuel at the back of the town and filled up. It was significantly cheaper than the fuel outlets in the tourist part of town. We filled up with water - $1 for thirty litres! It had gone up a lot since 2015.

We drove on to a place called Marla for a rest break. Randall disappeared and then I found him chatting up a young police woman. He said he was checking the price of fuel! (He had a silly look on his face!)

From Marla we ended up at a place called Agnes Creek, where we stayed on June 2nd 2015. Then I'd woken up to my birthday. We were so glad we had our fly screen fixed for this trip - the flies made their first appearance here!

 We chatted to a young couple and their children before settling in for the night. I still had Thomas the Tank Engine song on my mind from minding the little boys, but is starting to be replaced by Click go the Shears, one of the tunes Randall is practising for the Darwin Show! 
The sunrise here didn't disappoint.

Tarraleah

Our caravan club was headed to Tarraleah in the central highlands of Tasmania. Tarraleah is an old hydro town, that is now owned privately. The owner has done up the remaining houses in Art Deco style and the Lodge is also done up the same. There is a pub, a church and a caravan park, also a golf course.

Our daughter, Katie and her husband Matt got married there in June 2014. It was a lovely ceremony, held outside in a rainforest setting, so Tarraleah has got fond memories for us.

When we arrived the weather was quite cool, but was expected to warm up in the next few days. Chris and Tom had set up a shelter for us, so we gathered around in our chairs with a few wines and nibbles, and squeezed closer and closer as the rain came down!

 Teatime and Nita discoverd her microwave oven wasn't working. It took a few people to sort it out - it wasn't plugged in!!!
We had an early night as Randall was a bit worn out - he has had a virus for a couple of weeks and is still recovering.

 We found a nice spot to park the Motorhome. Tarraleah doesn't have much in the way of phone service but we managed to find a spot with 2 bars which was enough for us to keep in touch with the  world..
The next day a few of the group headed off to various places like The Wall, which we had already seen. We had a quiet day, and I read and then wandered around the village while Randall rested.

In the evening we all gathered at the pub for a meal. It is a bit of a tradition that Randall pipes us in.

The next day we did a few walks around the area. In the morning we walked to Tarraleah Falls. It was a lovely walk through the rainforest, with a pretty sight at the end.

 In the afternoon we headed off for another walk or two. We did the Quoll walk which joined up to the Eagle walk. Unfortunately we missed the track to the Eagle walk, so ambled along the track back to the start, and found the bottom end of the Eagle walk. We decided to do it, even though we had been walking for over an hour. It was quite steep in parts, and a few of us, me included, had had enough by the time we got back to camp!

All too soon our time was up. We had a lovely few days catching up with our friends. It was Ros's birthday so we all wished her well for the rest of her day. Another gathering is in the pipeline, so watch this space for our next little adventure!!

A Trip to Quamby Corner

A group of Cambridge Caravan owners, meet once or twice a year and this time it was decided that we would go to Quamby Corner.
We took our motorhome, even though it was the caravan club! (We love our motorhome too much now!) We decided we would head off on Sunday, and stay somewhere overnight before meeting up with everyone on Monday and Tuesday. We had heard that the Midlands Highway was quite bad, with roadworks and so on, so we turned off at Melton Mowbray and went through Bothwell up towards Great Lake. We really enjoyed the different scenery on the way, and found a nice place to stop at a lookout at the bottom end of the lake.

It was really quiet here - no sounds of traffic or city noises and we really loved it.

                                   

There was a little walk that lead up to a grave. 

 We had to laugh at the inscription!

It was quite cold overnight, but we were toasty warm with our diesel heater going! The next day we got going and headed towards Deloraine, and our caravan park where we were gathering. It is in Golden Valley, just out of Deloraine, and it really is a beautiful place.
It was certainly nice catching up with our friends again!
It was quite cool and windy on the Monday night, and the camp kitchen was a bit open to the elements,  but David had his fire pot so we all gathered around for a bit of warmth!

Randall pulled out his bagpipes and gave them a blow. We always enjoy listening to him!

Some of us headed back to the Great Lake Hotel for lunch the next day. We enjoyed the fire and the chat with people who came in for a meal. 

The weather was a bit better in the afternoon, and we stayed around the fire for a bit longer in the evening, thanks to Chris and Tom's great wind break!

On our last morning, Ros wanted to walk up the hill to get some duck eggs. She had noticed the sign when driving towards the caravan park the previous day. A few of us walked up the hill in glorious sunshine, only to find the sign covered over, so no eggs for Ros! The view was lovely looking back down to the park.

We headed for home mid morning, back down past Great Lake, detouring through New Norfolk to call in and visit Randall's Mum and Dad.

We had a lovely few days renewing friendships and having lots of laughs, and will look forward to the next time we can all meet up.