The Hole.......In The Ground!

We had a very relaxed start to the day today. Once we were up and at 'em we headed to the Breakaways. Along the way, we marvelled at all of the holes in the ground, which are all mine shafts. We stopped to take a few photos and found all of the shafts are uncovered. As opal is generally found at about 30m below the surface, these shafts are generally 30m deep. How dangerous!!

The Breakaways were about 30km out of town, and so not worth the drive! We took a pic for evidence and returned back to town. 

We went to an art gallery that also had kangas that they had rescued and now looked after. We got chatting to the owner, who is also an opal prospector, and he was saying there is about 4 million mine shafts in the area. 4 million!!! And only a small percentage of those are active mines. Surely they should be making these people back fill the mineshaft if they stop digging it. That would save a few rescue missions!! 

We then went to do our own noodling! The term noodling came about as people used to go looking for opal nodules, which became noodles. We just liked the idea of going noodling!! Sadly it is basically sifting through other peoples diggings to see of they have missed any opals. Quite a dusty and dirty activity really!! 

It kept the kids amused for a bit, Ronan even found a few shards of opal vein, so he was pretty stoked! 

We then returned to the kanga park for feeding time. There were four big kangas and they were also caring for five joeys, one of which he bought out to show us. He was sooooooo cute!! 

We returned to the park to find a gazillion people had arrived while we were gone. They squeeze people in like sardines in this park that's for sure! 

Coober Pedy

We left the border this morning, another chilly one, bound for Coober Pedy. We knew we were getting close when we saw all these mounds of dirt scattered all about the place! 

We checked into the caravan park, set up camp and went into town to explore. We started at the Old Timers Mine and museum, only because this was the number one thing to do in Coober Pedy on Trip Advisor. There are so many mines, museums, opal stores and underground houses to visit that we had no idea where to start!! The opal mine was quite interesting, Troy enjoyed the audio guide while the kids and I explored it ourselves. 

As well as the mine, the original owner of this mine had also dug out a house for his family, so we were able to see an underground house too. 

The museum gave some history of the town, the overland telegraph line and of outback South Australia. Overall this was quite an interesting place. We also went to see the big winch.

From here we went to a hotel that was partially underground too. This also had a whole lot of information about opals, and about Coober Pedy. 

We then went to an underground restaurant for dinner. Once seated, it was hard to tell we were underground.

The food was excellent, and we had an enjoyable night.

SA Border

This morning we had a sleep in, well deserved after our last few days of go go go!!! The last few mornings have been very cold, but then it's blue skies and warm sunshine, today being no exception. We have lucked out with the most awesome weather on this trip, just a few rainy days, although we are expecting a few more getting closer to Victoria and all!!  We packed up camp and headed into the community of Yulara to have a look around, to see the market stall, yes stall not stalls!, and also for the spear and boomerang throwing demonstration. There was audience participation, and Troy, Graeme and the kids gave the spear throwing a good go, nearly hitting the stick they had set up as a target. 

We then went to listen to some bush yarns, a Traditional Owner sitting by the fire telling stories of his ancestors, that contradicted all the other stories we have recently been told! 

We then said our goodbyes to the Sydney crew and set off, destination SA border. The drive was pretty uneventful, although we did stop at Erldunda and the kids got friendly with some emus!

The scenery turned more barren the closer we got to SA! We arrived by late afternoon and set up camp in a free stay right on the border. 

The kids got a fair amount of homework done tonight, as there wasn't a whole lot else to do!! We were off the grid again, so absolutely no idea what is happening in the outside world, not that we've had much of an idea for quite some time!! We cooked dinner and snuggled up against the cold, closer to home once more!!

Kata Tjuta

This morning we woke early and drove into the National Park to see the Rock at sunrise. It was very chilly, Stella stayed wrapped in her blanket while we walked to the photo point along with the hundreds of others all here for the spectacle! It was the least impressed that I have been with the Rock, not nearly as good as the sunset. The area they allocate for the sunrise doesn't actually get much sun!!  

We later realised that the point where the sun does come up over the Rock is a sensitive area that the Traditional Owners don't want photographed.

We then went to a ranger guided walk around the Rock. Ranger Mick took us on a very cold journey around the base of the Rock, pointing out bits of interest and giving us a bit of history about the area and the Traditional Owners. It was quite interesting.

We then jumped on our bikes and rode around the base of the Rock. This was great fun, and gave us some great views of the rock. 

It is certainly not the smooth surfaced rock I have seen in postcards. There are heaps of holes and ridges from water running down the surface. It is so impressive, I am completely in awe of it!

We then went to have a look at the cultural centre, and although the bike ride had warmed us a little, a hot chocolate was just what we needed!! We also had a bite to eat before heading to Kata Tjuta, or the Olgas. The Olgas look like they are similar to Uluru but on closer inspection, they look like they are made up of lots of smaller rocks all crushed in together, whereas Uluru looks like one big rock, which it is!! 

We started the Valley of the Winds walk, but decided to turn around after the first lookout and go to Walpa gorge. This walk was excellent and very scenic. 

We returned to town, and went to watch a Traditional Owner dancing demonstration. This was quite entertaining.

We went back to camp to freshen up before heading out for our last dinner with the Sydney crew. Tomorrow we head south and they are heading back north, lucky buggers!!! Dinner was great. While most of us chose a meal that was cooked for us, Troy ordered a raw T-bone he had to cook himself. He was very impressed with the BBQ's they had there, and thoroughly enjoyed his meal!! The kids enjoyed a few games of pool, before we headed back to camp for our last round of 500 with Sue and Graeme. Til next time anyway!!!

Ayers Rock

We left our little free stay after a bit of a slow pack up, and set off for Ayers Rock, or Uluru. We past the fake one, Mount Connor, and even that was quite impressive. We reached Yulara at about lunchtime. On arrival we were advised that the Rock walk was closed due to the wind, so we unpacked and settled in for some lunch. Troy checked on the Rock status again a little later, and the walk had been opened, so we set off. Uluru was breathtaking, much more than I had expected. 

On arrival at the base of the rock, we geared ourselves up, and then we were off! 

It was hard yakka, apparently a 10% steep grade, and it felt like it! I could feel my calves by the end of the first 100m!!

It was a little hairy in some places, I can understand now why they close it due to winds on some occasions. We climbed, and we climbed and we climbed some more. The kids did a fabulous job, although Stella bailed out just near the end! Every now and again, we would stop and enjoy the view and absorb the feel of the rock. The view of the Olgas was great! 

We finally made it to the top, feeling very weary but exhilarated! 

Coming down was almost as hard as going up and reaching the bottom felt amazing!! 

We returned to camp for a shower, then went back for the sunset view of Uluru. It was special and it did change colour, contrary to my belief!! 

We returned back to camp for an early night, tired and weary from a big day!! 

King's Canyon

This morning we left Alice quite early, bound for King's Canyon. We stopped at a campground along the way, dropped Oz off there, had a bite to eat, and continued on to the canyon with the Sydney crew. While I wasn't sure what to expect from the canyon, it was fabulous, with heaps of picturesque scenery. 

The hike was a bit of hard work, but so worth it. Not sure where the recent tragedy occurred, but we all survived, safe and sound!

We returned back to camp, lit a fantastic fire and settled in for the night. The stars here are amazing and Troy tried to capture them. He did a pretty good job too!!

It has certainly gotten a smidge cooler, hitting about 0C overnight! We must be getting closer to home!!! 

The Cattle Muster

This morning we went to visit School of the Air, a fantastic program for remote children to attend school. 

I am sure this would have to be the most popular teaching job of all. The computers have mute buttons for when you need a bit of peace and quiet!! It was very interesting, and even though the kids are on school holidays, we saw a pre-recorded lesson and also a short video on how it started and the technological improvements that have got it to how it is today, 60 years on.

We drove up ANZAC hill for a view over Alice Springs. It was also a great way to see the Ranges and the Gap.

We then restocked for the next leg of our journey before heading out to try and find Ben and co who were doing a muster. We drove past Jessie and Emily's Gaps, and also some other of Undoolya's yards that Troy had visited on a previous visit.

We found Ben and the family at some of their other yards, tagging and sorting some of their cattle. Troy and the kids jumped in to lend a hand. Troy looked right at home!! 

They had the process down to a fine art, and it was quite enjoyable to watch, a lot harder actually doing the work, I'm sure!! We stayed here until all cows were counted and tagged before heading back to camp, a little dustier than when we started, and had an early night!

A Day in Alice Springs

This morning we hit the town and went into the Todd Mall Market. It was actually very good, heaps of craft and food stalls. There were some circus performers that kept the kids entertained and we also visited the didgeridoo man's store, again captivated by the tunes! 

From here we went to the Reptile Centre, and Ronan finally saw a frilled neck lizard! Although he didn't put up his frill he was still pretty impressive, as were all the other reptiles in the centre. We got another chance to hold a snake, which Ronan and Stella both jumped at, and also some bearded dragons and even I held one of those. 

It went to sleep cosied up in my neck. The centre also had more snakes, more lizards, some turtles, goannas, and a salt and fresh water croc. We had a great time there. A big favourite was the thorny devil. He was awesome!

We then got in touch with Ben, a guy Troy used to visit to help muster cattle. We drove out to Undoolya station to visit with him and his family. Troy got to reminisce with Ben about the times he visited to muster and about the original homestead as he remembered it. Not a lot had changed. We had a few beers with Ben and his wife Nicole, before heading back to town.

Tonight, Sue, Graeme, Troy and I left the kids to run amok in the caravan while we went out for Thai, and then to see Hughsey. Turned out he was in town for a show, and he was very funny!! We had a fantastic night, then returned for a few hands of 500 before bed.

Simpson's Gap

This morning we set off for Simpson's gap. Ranger Dale, a Traditional Owner and park ranger, guided us through to the gap, chatting about various plants and animals of the area. He had also bought along his own hand made boomerangs and a spear thrower. The spear thrower was complete with kanga sinew binding and spinifex resin, so very authentic! 

Simpson's gap was very picturesque, and we even spotted a few rock wallabies. 

The creek apparently always has water in it, but is called semi permanent as it is not spring fed. Even the dry creek bed has a constant supply of water underneath it. Ranger Dale stayed on after he had finished his presentation and we learned a little more about the Traditional Owners. He himself is hoping to be initiated and return to the land soon. 

We then, on recommendation, went to Standley Chasm. Without going into the whole story, we paid our entry fee and walked up to the chasm. We arrived right when the sun was passing over the gap, which illuminated the chasm, and that was stunning. 

We hiked back to the car and drove back to town. 

We then went to the beanie festival. There was a great display of handmade beanies of all different types of genres. 

Some were made by local aboriginal women, but many came from all over the world. There was also heaps of beanies for sale, as well as some demonstration areas on how to make your own felt and crotchet beanies. It was quite good, but not Troy and Ronan's cup of tea. 

We return back to camp, just as the Sydney crew were arriving. After our greetings we went to see a didgeridoo player, curtesy of the caravan park, who had us all mesmerised with his talent playing the didge. He was amazing. 

A Little Town Called Alice

This morning I woke early to watch the sunrise over the marbles. It was a beautiful view, especially watching two yogis performing some sun salutations on a huge marble. We had some breakfast and set off for Alice. 

Along the way we stopped at Wycliffe Well, a small town that apparently has the most UFO sightings in Australia. There wasn't a whole lot to do here, leaving the locals a lot of time to conjure up some apparitions to create a reason to get gullible tourists to stop in your town!! We stopped so apparently it's working!!

We then continued on, Troy slowed down a little so I could get a pic of the giant Traditional Owner at Aileron!

We arrived in Alice Springs by early arfternnon and splurged on the Big4 park here. Once unpacked Troy took Yeti into town and got her some new treads!! The kids explored the park, it even has a BMX track and basketball court so Ronan is very happy. We have also arrived on time for the Alice Springs beanie festival, so that's exciting!!! Tonight the park had a wine and cheese tasting (BYO wine!) and also line dancing, that Ronan, Stella and I had a go at. It was a bit of fun!!