June 24th

The morning was quite cool as we left the foothills of Mt Connor. I was not prepared, so early in the day, for the 13 kms of severe corrugations. The bitumen felt so smooth as we drove the Lasseters Highway to Curtain Springs and on to Yulara.

Desert Oaks are standing tall across the surrounding dry and stressed country.

Curtain Springs Road House was very busy with several buses arriving before us. The aviary of parrots was interesting but I really don’t care for birds in cages. However we were able to get a really close look at the Princess Alexandra parrot with its beautiful soft pastel colours and very long tail. So sad to see such a beautiful bird unable to fly free.

Yulara is a busy resort with roads and buildings in unexpected places..a very modern design to blend with the ‘desert’ scenery. We stocked up on goods at IGA and Shell.

 Off we went on the bitumen road to see the Olgas. What an amazing formation of sedimentary rocks. Lots of different pebbles and stones show through the layers…pebbles which were once washed by a river. John walked for awhile through the rocks while I stayed and tried to draw these wonderful icons.

We planned to camp at the Docker River Campsite. It was a long way on an extremely corrugated road. We were quite late arriving. Left overs from last night made for an easy dinner. The campsite is set among an extensive stand of Desert Oaks. Dingoes howled as we sat by another warm campfire. Another day of fun and enjoyment in the Outback of this great land of ours.

A quick 'shot' of Uluru as we were driving

HE & ME with the Olgas in the background