Its to early to come south. Its freezing down here.
14' Series Marv_Mart-Trip to the Kimberleys 2016
- Thread starter Marv_mart
- Start date
Day 22: Some points of interest around the town,
From the top of Anzac Hill is an ideal location to view the surrounding MacDonnell (Sth) and the Gile Ranges (far North West). The famous Gap through which all traffics both road and rail must pass to get into Alice Springs from the south. Quite spectacular views!
Some shots of the Anzac memorial including the Anzac contributions to various arenas of war from the Boer war through to the latest UN peacekeeping efforts in Afghanistan.
On the drive up to the car park near the top of the hill, the road is lined with the plaques and colours of the various theatres of war. On the reverse side, etchings of scenes of diggers in action.
The Todd river flowed again while we were in Katherine. Severe storms hit here and further south with Alice Springs blanketed in hail. Some dribbles still coming across the ford.
Further around the Todd I managed to get a closer shot of the Todd through the Gap. Standing on the Ghan Railway looking south, missed the Ghan by about 12 hours, we heard it coming through late last night, would have been quite a sight as these trains are often 20-30 carriages long with both passenger and freight cars.
The story of the Ghan found on a plaque near the river bed at the Gap.
My family worked on the Overland at Tarcoola when we first arrived in Aust back in 1952 so these trains have significance for us. If you get a chance, visit the Railway museum a little south of the town on the road to the airport.
Finished off the days exploring with Pavlova, cream & strawberries courtesy of Strawberries Galore, here every June til Aug. they come from the Adelaide Hills every year to the MacDonnell Range CP.
Well, off to Agnes Ck FC tomorrow and then Coober Pedy when I should have Internet access back again.
Cheers all, Marv
From the top of Anzac Hill is an ideal location to view the surrounding MacDonnell (Sth) and the Gile Ranges (far North West). The famous Gap through which all traffics both road and rail must pass to get into Alice Springs from the south. Quite spectacular views!
Some shots of the Anzac memorial including the Anzac contributions to various arenas of war from the Boer war through to the latest UN peacekeeping efforts in Afghanistan.
On the drive up to the car park near the top of the hill, the road is lined with the plaques and colours of the various theatres of war. On the reverse side, etchings of scenes of diggers in action.
The Todd river flowed again while we were in Katherine. Severe storms hit here and further south with Alice Springs blanketed in hail. Some dribbles still coming across the ford.
Further around the Todd I managed to get a closer shot of the Todd through the Gap. Standing on the Ghan Railway looking south, missed the Ghan by about 12 hours, we heard it coming through late last night, would have been quite a sight as these trains are often 20-30 carriages long with both passenger and freight cars.
The story of the Ghan found on a plaque near the river bed at the Gap.
My family worked on the Overland at Tarcoola when we first arrived in Aust back in 1952 so these trains have significance for us. If you get a chance, visit the Railway museum a little south of the town on the road to the airport.
Finished off the days exploring with Pavlova, cream & strawberries courtesy of Strawberries Galore, here every June til Aug. they come from the Adelaide Hills every year to the MacDonnell Range CP.
Well, off to Agnes Ck FC tomorrow and then Coober Pedy when I should have Internet access back again.
Cheers all, Marv
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Great update mate. Always love seeing people post about Alice. It's funny, as I never saw it as a tourist destination, just a place where I grew up. But really looking back on it, it's a beautiful landscape and quite a unique town.
And you are right with the Ghan... if you got caught at a crossing, it was "turn off your engine to save fuel" kind of thing. Quite the wait at times...
And you are right with the Ghan... if you got caught at a crossing, it was "turn off your engine to save fuel" kind of thing. Quite the wait at times...
Update: Managed to upload the panorama shots I took at the Bungle Bungles.
Had to resize them using an iPad app called ImageResizer.
The first is from the South track showing the stratified layers typical of the Bungles.
The second is from the North track near Echidna Gap
The third is of the Cathedral gorge at the end of one of the walks along the south track, worth every step, the trip on the rough track and the punctured tyre!
Brought them down from the 15-20Mb originals to 3Mb limit for uploading to ExpandasDownunder.
Enjoy, Marv
Had to resize them using an iPad app called ImageResizer.
The first is from the South track showing the stratified layers typical of the Bungles.
The second is from the North track near Echidna Gap
The third is of the Cathedral gorge at the end of one of the walks along the south track, worth every step, the trip on the rough track and the punctured tyre!
Brought them down from the 15-20Mb originals to 3Mb limit for uploading to ExpandasDownunder.
Enjoy, Marv
Day 23: Alice Springs to Marla
Dist: 480km Fuel: Marla 159¢/l @ 15.4l/100km Prices are up 10¢/l now that it is peak tourist season maybe?
The day started with a heavily overcast sky and a light shower overnight. Didn't have the Bed end 'raincoat' on but no issue, very light and straight down. Will definitely need to put on the Bed end covers from here on in me thinks looking at the forecasts for Marla, Coober Pedy & Woomera.
As we headed out the clouds became more threatening.
By the time we reached Erldunda the drizzle & showers had started. Erldunda had obviously had some very recent rain as everything looked very wet as we passed through and some incredibly dirty cars that must have come of some of the dirt tracks, Oodnadatta maybe?
Decided to stop at the Kulgara pub, last pub in the NT or the first if you are heading up to the warm, dry North (miss that already). A nice break, some chicken wing dings and of course a nice cool FUIC (Farmers Union Iced Coffee for the un-educated). More popular than Coke by 3:1 in SA, just ask the tradies! Ran out over 2 weeks ago!
Passed Agnes Creek FC about 87km out of Marla. Saw just one van there with the occupants huddled up under the meager shelter all rugged up against the cold and drizzle nursing hot drinks. No, not appealing for us, drove through to Marla.
Looks like a nice spot to stop though next time we come North, grant Sunsets and away from the road according to WikiCamps.
We did have mobile phone connection in Marla so Ms Marv was able to watch her Crows beat the Kangaroos by 33 points, 28 of those behinds! Being on Telstra gives us data free access to the AFL live app. Lots of buffering at least for the first half of the game! Can see why people in the country are not happy with the Nationals reneging on decent NBN broadband!
Too chilly to cook dinner outside so enjoyed a mixed grill from the local diner in the Marla Service Centre before the game. Well off to Coober Pedy in the morning as a stepping stone to Woomera for our final night on the trip.
Never been there before so with 1 day up our sleeves decided it was about time.
Cheers until tomorrow, Marv
Dist: 480km Fuel: Marla 159¢/l @ 15.4l/100km Prices are up 10¢/l now that it is peak tourist season maybe?
The day started with a heavily overcast sky and a light shower overnight. Didn't have the Bed end 'raincoat' on but no issue, very light and straight down. Will definitely need to put on the Bed end covers from here on in me thinks looking at the forecasts for Marla, Coober Pedy & Woomera.
As we headed out the clouds became more threatening.
By the time we reached Erldunda the drizzle & showers had started. Erldunda had obviously had some very recent rain as everything looked very wet as we passed through and some incredibly dirty cars that must have come of some of the dirt tracks, Oodnadatta maybe?
Decided to stop at the Kulgara pub, last pub in the NT or the first if you are heading up to the warm, dry North (miss that already). A nice break, some chicken wing dings and of course a nice cool FUIC (Farmers Union Iced Coffee for the un-educated). More popular than Coke by 3:1 in SA, just ask the tradies! Ran out over 2 weeks ago!
Passed Agnes Creek FC about 87km out of Marla. Saw just one van there with the occupants huddled up under the meager shelter all rugged up against the cold and drizzle nursing hot drinks. No, not appealing for us, drove through to Marla.
Looks like a nice spot to stop though next time we come North, grant Sunsets and away from the road according to WikiCamps.
We did have mobile phone connection in Marla so Ms Marv was able to watch her Crows beat the Kangaroos by 33 points, 28 of those behinds! Being on Telstra gives us data free access to the AFL live app. Lots of buffering at least for the first half of the game! Can see why people in the country are not happy with the Nationals reneging on decent NBN broadband!
Too chilly to cook dinner outside so enjoyed a mixed grill from the local diner in the Marla Service Centre before the game. Well off to Coober Pedy in the morning as a stepping stone to Woomera for our final night on the trip.
Never been there before so with 1 day up our sleeves decided it was about time.
Cheers until tomorrow, Marv
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Day 24: Marla to Coober Pedy
Dist: 235km, Fuel: 144.9¢/l @ 16.0l/100 km.
We left Marla for Coober Pedy, a town we have visited back in 2012 in the Penguin. Some visitors don't seem to like this town but considering its history, a mining town built by fortune hunters highly suspicious of everyone, digging giant holes everywhere in search of the elusive opal and not really a tourist centre, it is a quirky and very interesting place with its unique underground accommodation that includes Housing, Hotels and B&B's.
You just need to take your time and ask at the information centre and you will get good information about things well worth seeing even if it is somewhat of a Wild West and unusual place. Most of the roads and streets have absolutely no planning to them, they are just tracks to mining claims made semi-permanent by use, many with no names and seemingly heading off in many random directions. The only reference really is the Main Street through the town (nearly straight) called Hutchinson Rd, one of a number bituminised with a supermarket, bank, a few service stations and many random shops stretched along its length. Parking also seems a bit haphazard but, hey, what do you expect in a frontier town! It still has a working Drive In theatre.
We left Marla and took note of the Oodnadatta Track coming in just at the southern edge of town. The track is open at the moment but described as wet, probably passable by 4x4 with more wet weather looming.
The road south to Coober Pedy consists of long flat stretches through basically treeless, flat country with low bushes only recently greened up by the rains with the occasional windy bits just to keep you on your toes.
A few Brumbies grazing on the fresh growth and roadworks just out of CP where the lowly pop man kept us waiting for about 20 min for our escort to arrive. This did hurt our fuel eff a bit but we were in no hurry as this leg was relatively short.
Marv kept his eyes on the escort!
Mullock heaps! Must be getting close to Coober Pedy. These dot the landscape for seemingly hundreds of square kilometers.
After setting up, we made a visit to John's Pizza Bar for a delicious Pizza for lunch and then to the information centre at the entrance to the town. Heaps of good suggestions, so many to choose from!
First on our list was Faye's Underground Home and Opal mine. Faye and two other women dug out their home by hand with pick, shovel and wheel barrow in the 1960's (no mechanical diggers available in those days) doing this while all holding down full time jobs around the frontier town.
Next was to seek out 'The Big Winch' a great lookout to survey most of the town. Originally also located here was apparently a tourism venture now neglected, boarded up and run down but still an ideal lookout point.
Then a trip out to Crocodile Harry's Underground Dugout but look out, big holes and pitfalls abound!
About 7km out of town along a fairly good dirt road that weaves amongst mullock heaps and mines.
Harry was of Latvian background and spent 13 years hunting crocs up north before trying his hand at opal mining in the 1970's. His dugout was used in Mad Max 3 and is adorned with relics of his eccentric lifestyle and the many tourists who have left their mark when visiting this bizarre home.
The Serbian Orthodox Underground Church is probably the best of the underground churches in the town with striking sculptured ceilings, carved icons and colored glass windows.
Last but certainly not least is a visit to the Desert Cave Hotel with its underground museum and opal exhibition.
This is a must see to get a full history of the historical development of the town, it's colourful characters and the full opal story. It gives visitors a good idea how the outback and the Stuart Highway was developed with the changing transport technology.
You can finish of course with an ice cold beer in the underground bar and like all the underground accommodation, dwellings and mines around the town, are always a comfortable 21° - 25°C no matter how hot or cold it gets outside.
50°C in summer is not uncommon nor are night temperatures near freezing.
It does mean though that swimming in Faye's in ground pool can be a bit chilly!
Off to Woomera tomorrow for our last night away from home.
Catch you all then. Marv
Dist: 235km, Fuel: 144.9¢/l @ 16.0l/100 km.
We left Marla for Coober Pedy, a town we have visited back in 2012 in the Penguin. Some visitors don't seem to like this town but considering its history, a mining town built by fortune hunters highly suspicious of everyone, digging giant holes everywhere in search of the elusive opal and not really a tourist centre, it is a quirky and very interesting place with its unique underground accommodation that includes Housing, Hotels and B&B's.
You just need to take your time and ask at the information centre and you will get good information about things well worth seeing even if it is somewhat of a Wild West and unusual place. Most of the roads and streets have absolutely no planning to them, they are just tracks to mining claims made semi-permanent by use, many with no names and seemingly heading off in many random directions. The only reference really is the Main Street through the town (nearly straight) called Hutchinson Rd, one of a number bituminised with a supermarket, bank, a few service stations and many random shops stretched along its length. Parking also seems a bit haphazard but, hey, what do you expect in a frontier town! It still has a working Drive In theatre.
We left Marla and took note of the Oodnadatta Track coming in just at the southern edge of town. The track is open at the moment but described as wet, probably passable by 4x4 with more wet weather looming.
The road south to Coober Pedy consists of long flat stretches through basically treeless, flat country with low bushes only recently greened up by the rains with the occasional windy bits just to keep you on your toes.
A few Brumbies grazing on the fresh growth and roadworks just out of CP where the lowly pop man kept us waiting for about 20 min for our escort to arrive. This did hurt our fuel eff a bit but we were in no hurry as this leg was relatively short.
Marv kept his eyes on the escort!Mullock heaps! Must be getting close to Coober Pedy. These dot the landscape for seemingly hundreds of square kilometers.
After setting up, we made a visit to John's Pizza Bar for a delicious Pizza for lunch and then to the information centre at the entrance to the town. Heaps of good suggestions, so many to choose from!
First on our list was Faye's Underground Home and Opal mine. Faye and two other women dug out their home by hand with pick, shovel and wheel barrow in the 1960's (no mechanical diggers available in those days) doing this while all holding down full time jobs around the frontier town.
Next was to seek out 'The Big Winch' a great lookout to survey most of the town. Originally also located here was apparently a tourism venture now neglected, boarded up and run down but still an ideal lookout point.
Then a trip out to Crocodile Harry's Underground Dugout but look out, big holes and pitfalls abound!
About 7km out of town along a fairly good dirt road that weaves amongst mullock heaps and mines.
Harry was of Latvian background and spent 13 years hunting crocs up north before trying his hand at opal mining in the 1970's. His dugout was used in Mad Max 3 and is adorned with relics of his eccentric lifestyle and the many tourists who have left their mark when visiting this bizarre home.
Last but certainly not least is a visit to the Desert Cave Hotel with its underground museum and opal exhibition.
This is a must see to get a full history of the historical development of the town, it's colourful characters and the full opal story. It gives visitors a good idea how the outback and the Stuart Highway was developed with the changing transport technology.
You can finish of course with an ice cold beer in the underground bar and like all the underground accommodation, dwellings and mines around the town, are always a comfortable 21° - 25°C no matter how hot or cold it gets outside.
50°C in summer is not uncommon nor are night temperatures near freezing.
It does mean though that swimming in Faye's in ground pool can be a bit chilly!
Off to Woomera tomorrow for our last night away from home.
Catch you all then. Marv
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Well done on the trip report @Marv_mart. Really enjoyed your posts and photos over the past few weeks mate.
Many thanks for taking the time out to share it with us.
Many thanks for taking the time out to share it with us.
Day 25: Coober Pedy to Woomera
Dist: 33km touring Coober Pedy, 407km to get to Woomera
Fuel: 139.9¢/l @ 15.8l/100km
Left Coober Pedy and no more of these (1) but maybe some of these (2) 'Tiere am weg' (deutsch - beasts on the route) or even these (3) (RFDS aircraft landing strip on the Stuart).
Spotted an ore train on the Ghan/Trans Continental rail line heading Nth or West. The line splits at Tarcoola, our first home here in Australia back in 1952.
Lake Hart seems to have a lot of water after the rains as well.
The Eastern shores of Lake Hart is where the launch pads for Woomera are located, still restricted areas though.
Coming into Woomera, a short 5km diversion off the Stuart highway at Pimba seems at first to be a neglected tourist destination but once in the CP, we found it filled to capacity by the late afternoon.
Woomera is of course the site of many Aust/British/USA/European/Japanese rocket testing programs starting back in 1945. Although the pop. grew to 6000 in 1964, mostly military of course, it has now dropped to less than 1000.
Rocket launches and testing still takes place but not very often.
Here are some of the pics from the open air museum in the centre of town.
Australia's first satellite, the WRESAT was launched from Woomera in 1967
Projects included;
- Long Range Weapons testing 1947
- Black Knight & Blue Streak rocket testing 1958
- Blue Steel missile testing 1956+
- European Launch development 1961
- Black Arrow launch of a British satellite 1971
- NASA rocket testing 1995
- Auto Landing Flight experiments 1996
Quite an illustrious history!
Various military exercises still take place here as do Private rocket launching tests
This plaque shows the various displays in the outdoor museum then there is the Woomera 'Obelisk' and the Mural.
The town is very neatly laid out with seemingly military precision. Many houses/ barracks are currently empty but very carefully maintained and seemingly instantly habitable if required.
The town itself still has a School, excellent and well maintained playing fields, basketball and tennis courts, a bowling alley, swimming pool & hospital.
Just about every amenity you would expect in a large military base of 6000+ people.
The Visitor Centre with dining area and the life blood of any outback town, the water supply tapped from the Morgan to Port Augusta pipeline.
There is a Museum adjacent to the outside displays that contains a wealth of very interesting displays, pictures and Journals from the various clubs that used to run in the town and the old local newspaper 'Gibber Gabber'.
Well worth a visit!
Well, off to Adelaide tomorrow on the final leg of our Kimberley trip. I will do a final post on this blog once I get home to summarise the distances, fuel etc and then start planning our next trip in the Sea Dragon, possibly the opposite side of Aust, the South Eastern corner but definitely in the spring when warmer weather prevails!
Cheers for now, Marv.
Dist: 33km touring Coober Pedy, 407km to get to Woomera
Fuel: 139.9¢/l @ 15.8l/100km
Left Coober Pedy and no more of these (1) but maybe some of these (2) 'Tiere am weg' (deutsch - beasts on the route) or even these (3) (RFDS aircraft landing strip on the Stuart).
Spotted an ore train on the Ghan/Trans Continental rail line heading Nth or West. The line splits at Tarcoola, our first home here in Australia back in 1952.
Lake Hart seems to have a lot of water after the rains as well.
The Eastern shores of Lake Hart is where the launch pads for Woomera are located, still restricted areas though.
Coming into Woomera, a short 5km diversion off the Stuart highway at Pimba seems at first to be a neglected tourist destination but once in the CP, we found it filled to capacity by the late afternoon.
Woomera is of course the site of many Aust/British/USA/European/Japanese rocket testing programs starting back in 1945. Although the pop. grew to 6000 in 1964, mostly military of course, it has now dropped to less than 1000.
Rocket launches and testing still takes place but not very often.
Here are some of the pics from the open air museum in the centre of town.
Australia's first satellite, the WRESAT was launched from Woomera in 1967
Projects included;
- Long Range Weapons testing 1947
- Black Knight & Blue Streak rocket testing 1958
- Blue Steel missile testing 1956+
- European Launch development 1961
- Black Arrow launch of a British satellite 1971
- NASA rocket testing 1995
- Auto Landing Flight experiments 1996
Quite an illustrious history!
Various military exercises still take place here as do Private rocket launching tests
This plaque shows the various displays in the outdoor museum then there is the Woomera 'Obelisk' and the Mural.
The town is very neatly laid out with seemingly military precision. Many houses/ barracks are currently empty but very carefully maintained and seemingly instantly habitable if required.
The town itself still has a School, excellent and well maintained playing fields, basketball and tennis courts, a bowling alley, swimming pool & hospital.
Just about every amenity you would expect in a large military base of 6000+ people.
The Visitor Centre with dining area and the life blood of any outback town, the water supply tapped from the Morgan to Port Augusta pipeline.
There is a Museum adjacent to the outside displays that contains a wealth of very interesting displays, pictures and Journals from the various clubs that used to run in the town and the old local newspaper 'Gibber Gabber'.
Well worth a visit!
Well, off to Adelaide tomorrow on the final leg of our Kimberley trip. I will do a final post on this blog once I get home to summarise the distances, fuel etc and then start planning our next trip in the Sea Dragon, possibly the opposite side of Aust, the South Eastern corner but definitely in the spring when warmer weather prevails!
Cheers for now, Marv.
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Day 26: Woomera to Adelaide
Dist: 496km Fuel: Pt Augusta 120.9¢/l @ 15.2l/100km, Adelaide 119.7¢/l @ 14.3l/100km
Set off from Woomera early in the morning , always good going home after a trip away.
South of Woomera is treeless, barren and flat but after the heavy recent rains it has really greened up.
Caught a freight train heading north to Pt Augusta and at last the Sthn Flinders ranges, a friendly reminder of home.
Boy, has this area really greened up in just 4 weeks! The sheep love it!
Ah, at last, regular overtaking lanes, SA at last. The section of road between Pt Augusta and Pt Wakefield was very heavy with traffic! Felt like peak our it people escaping Nth before the school holidays start.
Once we hit Pt Augusta, the traffic changes from endless streams of caravans to what you might class as normal traffic. Did include numerous Army trucks etc heading to Cultana for the big Army, Navy, Air Force exercise there until mid July.
And Wind Power! We really are nearly home!
The pink lake at Lochiel, oh, oh! Storm clouds are looming as we approach Pt Wakefield.
Will it come pouring down before we get home?
The Lake Monster is still there!
After Pt Wakefield the road is dual lane both ways with heavy traffic. Ah, home with only minor showers.
............................
Did find these 'steps' so helpful when getting stuff on & off the roof rack. So handy when lifting off the spare wheel at the Bungle Bungles. Hooks over the wheel and folds up flat when traveling. Won't leave home with it!
Bought them at the Caravan & Camping show last year, a must have in my opinion.
Home at last, unpacked the van and the BeasT, washed down and mopped, refilled the tanks, washing done and van stored ready for the next adventure. All in one day.
==============================
Trip summary
Days away: 26 days, too short but committments......
Dist: 9479km to Broome & back via GRR & Bungle Bungles.
Fuel: 1451 litres @ 138.7¢/litre, 15.2l/100km average
Spent: $1993 on Diesel, $873 on accommodation at CPs, 4 nights free camping.
Average cost per day $114.
Does not include food, drinks, meals out as we spend on this whether we are traveling or not.
----------------------------------------------------
Well, that's the end of this travel blog, keep an eye out for our SE Aust trip in Oct/Nov possibly.
Cheers,
Marv
Dist: 496km Fuel: Pt Augusta 120.9¢/l @ 15.2l/100km, Adelaide 119.7¢/l @ 14.3l/100km
Set off from Woomera early in the morning , always good going home after a trip away.
South of Woomera is treeless, barren and flat but after the heavy recent rains it has really greened up.
Caught a freight train heading north to Pt Augusta and at last the Sthn Flinders ranges, a friendly reminder of home.
Boy, has this area really greened up in just 4 weeks! The sheep love it!
Ah, at last, regular overtaking lanes, SA at last. The section of road between Pt Augusta and Pt Wakefield was very heavy with traffic! Felt like peak our it people escaping Nth before the school holidays start.
Once we hit Pt Augusta, the traffic changes from endless streams of caravans to what you might class as normal traffic. Did include numerous Army trucks etc heading to Cultana for the big Army, Navy, Air Force exercise there until mid July.
And Wind Power! We really are nearly home!
The pink lake at Lochiel, oh, oh! Storm clouds are looming as we approach Pt Wakefield.
Will it come pouring down before we get home?
The Lake Monster is still there!
After Pt Wakefield the road is dual lane both ways with heavy traffic. Ah, home with only minor showers.
............................
Did find these 'steps' so helpful when getting stuff on & off the roof rack. So handy when lifting off the spare wheel at the Bungle Bungles. Hooks over the wheel and folds up flat when traveling. Won't leave home with it!
Bought them at the Caravan & Camping show last year, a must have in my opinion.
Home at last, unpacked the van and the BeasT, washed down and mopped, refilled the tanks, washing done and van stored ready for the next adventure. All in one day.
==============================
Trip summary
Days away: 26 days, too short but committments......
Dist: 9479km to Broome & back via GRR & Bungle Bungles.
Fuel: 1451 litres @ 138.7¢/litre, 15.2l/100km average
Spent: $1993 on Diesel, $873 on accommodation at CPs, 4 nights free camping.
Average cost per day $114.
Does not include food, drinks, meals out as we spend on this whether we are traveling or not.
----------------------------------------------------
Well, that's the end of this travel blog, keep an eye out for our SE Aust trip in Oct/Nov possibly.
Cheers,
Marv
Thanks for sharing your adventures @Marv_mart and looking forward to your next jaunt 
Almost felt as if I was sitting in the back seat along with you!!!
Almost felt as if I was sitting in the back seat along with you!!!
If going to Alice Springs, don't forget to do the West Gorges trail, will take at least 1 full day. We drove out and started from the most Western one and worked our way back to AS. That was on our big 'Up the middle and Western Half Loop of Aust' back in 2012 in our Penguin prior to our Expanda.
Are you going to Uluru and King's Canyon? Can give you some hints on what to see if you are.
Have 2 nights in Coober pedy, 6 nights in Alice, 3 nights in Kings Canyon and 4 nights in Uluru booked. Any hints would be great.
When we did this trip as part of our big west loop, did;
Coober Pedy - visit Desert Cave Bar and Faye's house, Serbian Orthodox Church (bit hard to find as many streets not named), one of the 'Working Mines' (Tom's working Opal Mine), Old timer's mine etc.
Uluru - walk the base ( we refused to climb in respect of indigenous wishes), local art gallery, Olgas ( make sure you do a few of the walks)
Kings Canyon - Rim walk a must but take plenty of water, probably whole day trip
AliceSprings - The gorges
Alice springs cont - Telegraph station, the Spring, lookout, Eastern gorges, railway and transport museum (about 2-3 km out of town on the south side) Might find that Standley's Chasm has been taken over by private firm and basically very limited access, probably not worth what they ask to get in.
Forgot to add, if you can afford it and don't mind a bus tour, do the Palm Valley bus tour, all day trip but well worth it. Did it in 1990 when my boys were young teens.
Hope that helps
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Lol. We left a lot of the stuff out going up the Stuart as we had done it before (2012) so that should make a whole new pictorial.
Thanks @Marv_mart this trip report will be a great resource for anyone heading out that way. I know I'll be using it as a reference for our trip out there next year.
Thanks again!
Thanks again!