Uluru – Kata Tjuta - King’s Canyon

This week was amazing. Having never been to the red centre I wasn't sure what to expect. What we discovered was an amazing Indigenous history of some truly awesome geological formations. The sheer size of Uluru was incredible. No we didn't climb it but instead listened to a fantastic ranger give an hour –long talk about the Aboriginal history surrounding different places around the rock. We did 2 short walks which was good preparation for our next day.

 The boy in the boy hunting cave!

Kata Tjuta (The Olga's) was more amazing – it is not like Uluru as it is formed from conglomerate rock. It was breathtaking and we all enjoyed it – even Miss T who managed the 6 km walk whilst chattering (most of the time!) It was also Miss E's 12th birthday which was a hoot – we sang Happy birthday to her in the Valley of the Winds! We did another 2.5 km walk at Walpara Gorge in the afternoon but most of us had run out of steam by then and was not as well-received, particularly by Master J who managed to roll down a rock path collecting multiple grazes. (And yes he had been warned to not run! Maybe he’ll listen the rest of the trip!) That evening we celebrated Miss E's birthday with chocolate ripple cake and her favourite dinner. I still can’t believe she is now 12!!!

 Valley of the Winds

The next day we packed up and drove to Kings Canyon – 240 km NW. We stayed at a fantastic Bush Station camp which had camels (ask the kids what camels sound like – it’s now a family joke!) and also wild dingoes howling at night. We also camped next to a family from….Bayswater North!

We got up early the next morning to attempt the King’s Canyon Rim walk – 6-7km. It was absolutely incredible – the first km is pretty much vertical steps (just like the 1000 steps melb friends – except hot & dry!) Then the next 5 km is walking around the amazing edge of the canon. We had a “Dad at the front, Mum behind and all kids in between” policy near the edges but they did brilliantly. They got a free geology lesson from the Rotary Club of Brighton gentleman that we trekked beside and also saw fossilised jellyfish and water ripples embedded into the rock. We found 2 baby bearded dragons and a larger one that Kieren nearly stepped on it was so well camouflaged!

 nearly on top of the sheer cliff you can see 2 photos below! thank goodness i didn't know what was underneath!

 The Garden of Eden at the bottom of the Canyon.

 1930 that white section fell. That still wasn't very reassuring considering that's where we were standing (2 photos up!)

All our shoes & socks are stained red from this dirt. But these little legs carried her nearly 15km in 2 days - sensational effort by our littlest. :)

We had hoped to do our first off-roading section to the West McDonnell Ranges but the road was too corrugated after recent flooding so it was the long way around for us…and back to the Grey Nomad campsites! 

Dusty Coober Pedy & the Red Centre

Coober Pedy. An interesting town! It was dusty with fine yellow sandstone dust that permeates everything. Yes even our refrigerator ventilation which caused the freezer to seize. And ALL our belongings are covered in dust. Even our books and kitchen tools.
We really enjoyed our stay though. The water was lovely (thank you desalination plant!) and Gary & his grey nomads were a very hospitable group!
 

We toured the Umoona museum where we saw an underground house & an old mine underneath. We also were able to see a lot of fossils that have been found during excavations. We also saw Fayre's house who is a bit of a legend in Coober Pedy - a true pioneering woman.

 Miss T in particular seemed to get "April" fever (her word for opal) so we went to the public noodling area and fossicked for an hour. Miss T found 3 opals and the rest of us not that many altogether! Maybe she'll be a bit like Fayre!

 We also spent quite a bit of time with our older travellers which has proved very helpful. They saved us the last spot on the border of SA/NT in another free canmp the next night and have also helped us plug our first punctured tyre and point us towards some points of interest near Uluru. We also narrowly missed a flock of emus who attempted to outrun the Patrol!

 

 We arrived in Uluru yesterday and finally set up camp for 3 days with no winds or rain! We enjoyed our first outdoor dinner although it did get down to 4degrees (feels like 2) last night.
Today we did walks around the base of Uluru and watched the sunset over it. A truly magical experience (except for the 7 year old throwing a tante). Ahhhh...you can't win them all but we are making the most of every experience!

Adelaide

We based ourselves south of Adelaide at Maslin Beach so the kids could play and so we could prepare for the next big stretch through the centre. 5 days of mostly free camping taught us what works and what doesn't!!  Being next to McLaren vale we also got to visit Tintara Cellar Doors (Hardy’s) much to Kieren’s delight! (The only wine tasting we’ve ever done at 10am in the morning but at least the children were well-behaved!) 

We also got to visit our friend’s coffee shop which was absolutely delicious! (Nutrition Republic if you’re ever in Adelaide)

The grey nomads are fantastic at sharing advice so we’re always keen for a chat at rest stops and overnighters. Some details they neglect to tell you though! Like our next stop – head for the RV Motorhome stop in Port Augusta – they said. Only $7 a night with water & a dump point in a quiet area of town.

We turned up to a dust carpark behind the local AFL club in the industrial area of Port Augusta. With barb-wired fences, and a dirt pile for the kids to play in and a group of 10 vans flanking the edges we weren’t sure but it was a bit late to change plans. None of us slept very well with hoons driving up & down the straight stretch of road just outside the fence. But for $7 what can you expect? Nevertheless, the next morning as I started preparing breakfast, I gazed through the barbed-wire over the wetlands opposite and mused out loud “it’s not that bad – the lake is quite pretty” to which Kieren retorted “unless you read the sign!”

It read “DANGER! When red flags are flying, shooting is in progress!” Needless to say, we were out of there within the hour. We had to stop off in town and saw Army personnel doing (we think?) a training session with machine guns in the main street in town!!  Agh Port Augusta, I was glad to see the back of you! 

Today we arrived safely in Coober Pedy. Accommodation in another dirt carpark but this one much safer and only $5/night with free wifi. Cheap! We are very thankful for lots of solar power and large watertanks! The kids watched a documentary tonight on opal mining and tomorrow we get to see a real life mine and tour the museum. We might even try some “noodling” (Opal fossicking) in the public area.

Homeschooling is interesting – journaling is difficult but maths work books are easy as the kids are able to complete work in the bumpy car rides. In fact, Jesse & Tessa have already completed a whole terms work! We even skyped Tessa’s speech therapist yesterday for an appointment in the middle of nowhere. That was great until a Roadtrain came within 2 inches of our caravan & nearly gave me a heart attack! 

Mother's Day in transit

Today started blissfully with a cup of coffee & toast in bed , and snuggles with my kiddos. Super easy to supervise the kitchen happenings a metre away too! Then we attempted to pack up in gale force winds &  rain.... not so much fun. The kids entertained themselves with charcoal drawings under a shelter whilst Kieren and I got saturated trying to man-handle slippery wet bikes onto the roof of the 4Wd. Next stop is definitely a bike shop for some bike racks!

We travelled another hour & a half through the beautiful Adelaide hills to Maslin Beach. Thankfully the winds had died down although it was still drizzling for most of the afternoon. The kids had to abandon go-karting due to rain so we watched "Mars Needs Moms" all squished up together on our bed. Fun memories! Pizza for dinner cos this mum ain't cooking on Mother's day! (thankfully 2 free camps allow this into the budget ;) )

And Melbourne......we miss your water~!!!!!! But really wish this southern weather would leave us alone! Must be time to head north...

Naracoorte Caves

Yesterday we arrived in Naracoorte in South Australia and drew up next to another homeschooling family of 6 in the local showgrounds. Instant friends all exactly the same ages! Bliss!! We have power and toilets/showers all for a very cheap nightly rate. There's also a football oval amount of grass for all the kids to run around on.

Homeschool today was a trip to the local limestone caves and fossil museum which was fantastic. The rangers there were more than happy to talk to the kids and show them some extra museum displays. We visited 'Wet Cave' - Miss T was petrified after looking at all the fossil museum exhibits (picture Aussie animals on steroids) - and wasn't keen in case there was a bear in the caves!

So excited that our kids are learning so much on the road already! Life is such an adventure!

And we're off...

Amidst gale force winds, and frantically finishing off work & errands, we managed to s-l-o-w-l-y wind our way out of Melbourne by about 4 oclock!

We arrived at our first free camp beside Lake Burrumbeet just in time to cook some noodles and hunker down for the night. Did i mention it was freezing?? As in thermals, and extra sleeping bags, and my goodness if you need to go to the toilet, you come out blue!


We are the only ones here tonight. Hopefully tomorrow will bring some sunshine!

Practise Run

We said goodbye to our house & dog today. :(
Then we got our van for our first weekend practise run!
Failed first dinner - mum forgot the cutlery :P
So friday night fish & chips it was!

It's cosy. And interesting jamming 6 bodies in a small space.
But it's home for the next 6 months...