August 6th 2017

After 11 hours in bed we both woke early and were up and ready to leave our camp by 9.00 am. The Stuart Highway does not have a lot of interesting points of interest. We checked out where others had camped and admired the lovely Cassias in bloom by the road side. Of course the bitumen road is in excellent condition. Upper most in our minds is a meeting point with Beth and John Harrison—our friends from ‘way back’ Late morning we stopped at Marla which has a Roadhouse, café, caravan park, Restaurant, swimming pool, laundry etc. We decided to book in for the night and hopefully the Harrisons would catch us tomorrow.

June, John, Beth & John eating out at the Marla Roadhouse

We were just getting settled when John Harrison appeared and then Beth of course. We do not see one another often so it is a fun reunion chatting about our rigs, roads and trips. Tonight we plan to dine here together and possibly travel together tomorrow.

August 5th  2017

Late last night, unbeknownst to us, a cyclist arrived and set up camp a short distance from our van. We both had a short chat with him. He was a South Korean fellow. He had spent 30 years in the South Korean Army and was now, in retirement, he is exploring the world on his bicycle. Yesterday he had ridden 170 km from Alice Springs and was heading for Uluru today which is over 200 kms. Next was south to Adelaide and then Melbourne..what a ride. He spoke very little English.

We have had news from Beth and John Harrison who seem to be going is a similar direction to what we are. We are hopeful of meeting them but as yet have had no message or call. I had good service at Erldunda where the Lasseter High’way  meets the Stuart Highway . After that we have had very little service ….only Roaming WiFi.

Blue Bush in flower

Lunch was enjoyed under a small tree on the road to Finch about a km from Kulgera. We watched cattle being herded by two guys on motor bikes. When they were done they both took off after an emu which seemed to out smart them. PS we accidentally left our van step in the sand near the cattle yards!

We crossed the border soon after Kulgera and found a roadside camp early in the afternoon. The clouds in the sky have disappeared with no rain in sight but probably another cold night.

August 4th 2017

Off to a good start after the temperature dived own to 1 deg by 6.30 am. We were glad of our generator and little heater.

The sun and a clear blue sky soon warmed the day to about 18 deg. It took us 1.5 hours to drive, on an excellent road, to the Curtin Springs Roadhouse . Yes, they have room for us in the 10.30 am tour of the paper making factory. In fact we were the only two participants so we had a very personal tour from our very little Japanese girl called ‘Maya’. She was competent at her job so we were able to ask whatever questions we wished.

Stirring the grass pulp

Flower heads and seeds to be used in the paper making process

The Papermaking process has been set up in an old abattoir building which allowed for water to drain and provided a good wash-down area. The paper is made from grasses and a few other products collected on the property.....kerosene grass, kangaroo grass, spinifex spikes, mulla  mulla flowers, cow poo, red clay or sand,  bark, flowers and seeds. The native grasses are harvested by hand using a pair of secateurs, a hessian sack and the knowledge of the Curtain Spring lands and grasses. We actually made an A5 sheet of paper while we were there. The paper is suitable for an endless array of uses. My immediate thought is to use some in bookmaking. I was able to purchase quite a few pieces so we will wait and see the results. The gallery displayed many creative ways that the paper could be used including  pendants and earrings.

We enjoyed a hamburger at the Curtin Springs Roadhouse then drove slowly on to find a camp for the night. On the way we called at the amount Ebernezer Roadhouse. This was a complete surprise for us. The Imanpa Aboriginal Settlement is nearby. Those residents who are interested in painting, work in the Art Room at the Roadhouse and display their work in the Gallery. The Roadhouse is very nicely operated with a café, small shop, a dining room and a gallery where the art work is displayed so very artistically. Once again, I was tempted to buy a couple of items. I met the young Imanpa lady artist who painted one of the items that I purchased. She was pleased to speak to me and brought her small daughter to meet me. This same lady has painted the tops of the Restaurant tables as well as the doors in the toilet. She is a careful and creative artist.

We have enjoyed our ‘creative’ day and tonight we are camped by the side of the Lasseter Highway at a Truck Stop.

August 03^rd  2017

What a privilege we have had today! We both walked the Rim Walk of Kings Canyon. The walk is 6 km in length and we took exactly 3 hours. Words are difficult to find when describing this natural formation of nature. It has taken millions of years of weathering, growth and change to appear as we saw it this morning. I found it to be sensational and inspiring  for the colours, the shapes, massed rocks and the special feeling of being amongst all the age old natural formations…enough said. I do hope that all of ‘my readers’ will make the opportunity to climb and walk around this amazing formation. Don’t be put off by the very steep climb to actually be able to walk around the rim. This first climb took us 30 minutes to complete. I was glad of my hiking stick and my sturdy shoes. When we first set out, the sky was completely clouded but very soon we realised the sun was out and by the time we had returned to the car park the sky was clear.

Red Red Rocks of Kings Canyon

The afternoon was spent driving, quite slowly, along the Luritja road which allowed us to enjoy all this magnificent country. It leads down to Lasseter Highway and then out to the Stuart Highway. An interesting program at Curtin Springs is the making of paper. We are still hoping to take part in a tour but have not been able to contact the Roadhouse.

June & John walking the rim of Kings Canyon

This morning, at Kings Canyon Resort the temperature went down to 1 deg and already, with a clear sky at 4.45pm there is a nip in the air. We have camped by the road side amongst the Desert Oak trees and John has collected some wood to make a fire, primarily to cook some steak for dinner...a celebration of a great day. The Desert Oaks are gently whispering in the breeze. They are distinctive trees and very pretty to camp among. 

August  2nd  2017

When we rose this morning the temperature was 5.1 deg but within an hour it had dived down to 4.1 deg. This is much colder then we have had. We were keen to leave early and actually drove out the Redbank Campgound gate at 8.15 am. Our Permit to drive the Mereenie  Loop was dated for 02-08-2007. This was to be a continuous trip with only one stop allowed and No Camping. Surprisingly we had more bitumen road than expected. The Namatjira Drive connects with Larapinta Drive to form the Mereenie Loop  It was originally developed when the Mereenie Oil Wells were opened. Most of the Mereenie Loop was a wide gravel winding road which varied in quality. We took one diversion and that was to take a closer look at Gosse Bluff which is actually part of a meteor site. It is a beautiful area with a wide variety of trees and beautiful red/brown rocky crags and bluffs which at this hour of the morning appeared to be dark red/purple in colour.

Gosse Bluff

There were very many trees and bushes to be seen ..some of  which were flowering. We could not identify them all but many we familiar with….Desert grass- trees which have an unpronounceable name  ‘Xanthorrhoea thorntonii’, Mallee trees with lovely blue/green glaucous leaves, Kurrajong trees, Acacias, Cassias, Spinifex, Desert Oak trees, Euclyptus socialis which was displaying cream coloured  flowers, Thryptomene and Grevilleas.

The drive was enjoyable with wonderful scenery nearly always dominated by beautiful rocky ranges displaying the ‘bones of the earth’.

There was much evidence of brumbies but we did not see a single horse. We saw no other animals and only a few birds..finches and a few budgies. An interesting Speed restriction sign was

 LIFT UM FOOT.....get the message

Speed Restriction message

We booked into the Camping Ground at Kings Canyon Resort so I did some  much needed washing..everything becomes so dirty with so much dust everywhere. The background mountain to this park is the magnificent range that encompasses Kings Canyon. The park itself is crowded and facilities could be a lot cleaner

August 1^st 2017

Ghost Gum Lookout in Ormiston Gorge

Another great day in the Australia Inland. We woke to hear very strong winds but no rain only clear skies. We continued with our plan which was to climb up to Ghost Gum Lookout  and continue along the Ghost Gum walk which returns to the Camping area via the gorge. The views were spectacular and the wind very strong. I have skied in such winds but this was a little different with spinifex and red rocks to edge the pathway. The last section of the track was over very large rocks which were challenging for me with short legs! We completed the walk in good time.

With our ‘pack up’ finished we left Ormiston Gorge with a call at Glenn Helen, again, to fill the rig with fuel and water. Today I was able to tune into the free Wi-Fi which enabled a broken chat with Anneshka. She and John are now back in Peru with EC22.

By lunch time we were at Redbank Gorge. After a quick lunch we set out for the water hole at the top of the gorge. It took us a surprising amount of time because there were large rocks and sand to  battle through. Again I must say that climbing large rocks is not easy. However we did reach this very attractive narrow gorge and water hole. We were here about 20 years ago and I remember little about the walk along the dry river bed. The main thing I remember is that a member of our party stripped her clothes to the bare essentials and dived in, only to find the water was very chilly. The water today appeared green with algae.

Straw Necked Heron In Ormiston Gorge

From the riverbed there is a second path which leads off toward the summit of Mt Sonder..this is the final step of the Larapinta Trail. Cynthia and David did this climb leaving camp for the assent at about 3.00 am with the aim to see the sunrise.

We are both weary this evening, but we are making plans for an early departure as we will travel the Mereenie Loop which is over 200km of gravel road.

^{July 31st 2017}

Ochre Pits

^{After a windy night while a cold front went through the West MacDonnell Ranges we awoke to a 6 deg morning. Our day has had some plan changes but we have enjoyed the Ochre Pits and Ormiston Gorge, where we are camped for tonight. The Gorge itself has a wide sandy beach and clear green water. Prior to lunch we decided to drive to Glen Helen, the 2 Mile Camp in the Finke River and the lookout for Mt Sonder, which is a majestic mountain at the most westerly end of the Larapinta Trail. Our lunch time arrival at Glen Helen,  quickly made us alter our plans to lunching at the Resort Cafe….a pleasant change from regular salad, sandwiches and rice rolls.}

^{The camp area here at Ormiston Gorge is nearly full this evening. It has basic facilities and is dusty under foot. It is unusual that there is a daily kiosk which is very popular. Red Gums, Bloodwoods and Mulgas are the most common trees. The  little red and black Mistletoe bird has been very active because the infestations of mistletoe are large and there are many of them.}

^{There has been a little R&R to complete the day and sausages with salad are on the menu tonight.}

Mt Sonder