Uluru to Alice Springs

Only drove 130 km today – too hot. Stopped at Cadney homestead roadhouse. $25 for power & water! Very featureless country today – so flat but came into more scrubby land. Seem to come to a different pastoral station about every 50 km and plenty of girds again.  Checked a couple of rest areas. Although they have ‘carports’ there really is no shelter from the sun. I think the aircon unit might be just too high for me to sneak the van under them.  Pretty dusty otherwise but managed to park under 2 trees.

Saw an ‘utter nutter’ on the road – guy running around the world!!!!! I know this is the shortest route to Darwin but surely running during the day is madness in this heat. He has a support vehicle now – was doing it solo I heard on the radio a few days ago. Pretty skinny bloke totally covered in lycra and wearing a blue fly net!

Gave the pokie machine $15, had a couple of small bottles of wine and a very ordinary chicken wing and rice dinner.  Met the nutter- Tony Mangan from Dublin. Left there October 2010 and jogging around the world – back to Dublin by Oct. 2014. Had a mate in a car for his Australia trip up to Darwin, but pushes a hand cart with his gear otherwise! Tells me it is hotter in the Mexican deserts by a long way!  www.theworldjog.com

Restless night – some idiot had a gen going all night – so annoying. Then they all start leaving around 7am – not like the GN who seem to stay in bed until 9!

Fri 12^th

More interesting country now – actually seeing grass a lot more and came across ranges north of Marla. I think this road has more dead vehicles  than livestock road kill – only a couple of cattle, no roos but lots of cars burnt out. Saw a couple of flocks of birds – galahs and cockies. Have only seen a few crows and eagles otherwise.

Stopped at Agnes rest – lovely shady spot well off the road. Read for 3 hours then realised it was 4pm and no one else there so drove another 30km to  Marryat Creek – one couple so  stayed here instead. Beautiful peaceful night – no wind either but did put the blankets on – got a bit cool early morning.

Sat 13^th    Off at 9 to the NT border. Sealed park area there and toilets. I think you can camp. No time change – SA finished daylight savings last week. A sudden change in scenery it seemed though. Rocky out crops, and those wonderful wide mown verges. At 130 km one would need to see anything on the side of the road well in advance I guess. I am still amazed at how much grass there is along this road. Goes right back into the farms now so not just the urea from the roads any more. A few cattle, better fences. Stopped at Kulgera for fuel – that must be the place the guide said to avoid - $2 per litre! Escarpments, knobby hills and more undulations in the road but feel as though I am going downhill a bit. Stopped at Eridunda for lunch – a busy road house on the Uluru corner, then headed towards Uluru. The road is still good but not as wide as the highway. Mt Connor is pretty spectacular with it's very flat top. Also stopped for the eagles eating road kill but they

wouldn’t come back to the road for me! Stopped at a couple of rest areas with plenty of space, and water but finally drove to Curtin Springs. All the powered sites have gone but can free camp here. 

Sun14th

To Yulara.  Nearly had a run in with a dopey Roo that was on the right hand side of the road but decided to turn and jump back to the left in front of me!!!! Lucky I was expecting trouble – stopped before I hit it. Also some young cattle wandering towards the road there! Been fires through here – some fresh green grass but lots of very red bare sand dunes as well.

Yulara is mainly a tourist resort – tucked in amongst the tress and hills – quite pretty.

Anyway – got a bit of fruit and lunch at the IGA, filled up with fuel  - $2.10 litre but 6c cheaper than Curtin Springs,  then off to Kata Tjata – The Olgas. Stunning from a distance I decided so drove the 44 km to there first. Pretty amazing jumble of rocks.

Too hot to think about walking anywhere so back to Uluru and drove right around the base. Pretty enormous when up under it, but still like the Olga’s better! Trip of 140km, plus 80 each way from Curtin springs and $25 for a 3 day pass. Good thing the camping is free! $3 for a shower so using my own.

Mon 15^th

Spent the day on the bed reading. Back feeling better by afternoon. Cool breeze most of the day so pleasant.

This seems to be the time - or place - for Whizz-bangs full of young Europeans travellers - I am missing the nomads who sleep until 9am and who are quietly tucked up after dark!

Talking to a couple who came via Kalgoorlie to Uluru. Good dirt road nearly all the way, and they don’t have an off-road caravan either! About 40km of rough stuff but just went slow. Only needed a 3 day pass to come across the permit area, and didn’t have to pay the NP fee at Uluru either.

Fuel ($1.98) and lunch at the Erldunda roadhouse then on to camp #61. Near a bridge over a dry river, some trees, and a couple of others camped here as well. Nice to see gums again and  a few bigger trees – black bark and quite ‘weepy’ looking – must have water in these ‘rivers’ sometime. Getting in to more hilly country but still with large flood plains. Hills are very rock. Happy hour chasing flies – not easy to drink under a net.

Wed 17^th

Drove to Alice Springs. Good road, into rocky hills, still heaps of grass around. Saw a few cattle. Flood plains amongst the hills. Alice is a pretty town with a dry river through the middle and lovely big white trunked gums. Not at all what I was expecting after the negative comments I have heard, but then I think some people are pretty one eyed about places and cant see the beauty - only skin colour. How sad. McDonald ranges either side. Booked the  Caravan Park for 2 nights, then off to Jesses Gap. No water but amazing rocks.You have to wonder what is stopping them sliding or breaking away when on such an angle.