Easter Trip Summary

Here's the trip in brief:

Fueled up Saturday 17.04.11 in Darwin.
Odometer reading: 106337 km
Litres: 119.6
Cost: $1.597/L
Total: $191.10

Thursday 21.04.11
Home in Darwin to Paul's Dad's place in Katherine - 314km

Odometer reading: 106739 km

Litres: 56.24

Cost: $1.569/L

Total: $88.24

Katherine to Elliott Roadhouse - 421km
Elliott Roadhouse to Telecomms Repeater Station near Attack Creek  - 183km

Total: 918km

Friday 22.04.11
Telecomms Repeater Station to Tennant Creek - approx 70km

Odometer reading: 107367 km

Litres: 60.25

Cost: $1.73/L

Total: $104.23

Tennant Creek to Devil's Marbles - 114km
Devil's Marbles to Heritage Caravan Park, Alice Springs - 418km

Total: 591km

Saturday 23.04.11

Odometer reading: 107858 km

Litres: 109.45

Cost: $1.749/L

Total: $191.43

Heritage Caravan Park, Alice Springs to Rainbow Valley - 168km
Plus approx 20km backtracking

Total: 129km

Sunday 24.04.11
Rainbow Valley to Mt Ebenezer Roadhouse - 234km
Mt Ebenezer Roadhouse to Yulara Campground - 231km

Total: 465km

Monday 25.04.11
Yulara Campground to Uluru - 18km
Uluru to Yulara Campground - 18km
Yulara Campground to Kata Tjuta - 51km
Kata Tjuta to Yulara Campground - 51km

Total: 138km

Tuesday 26.04.11
Yulara Campground to Redbank Waterhole, Owen Springs Reserve - approx 400km

Total: 400km

Wednesday 27.04.11
Redbank Waterhole - nil

Thursday 28.04.11
Redbank Waterhole to Alice Springs CBD - approx 30km

Odometer reading: 108982 km

Litres: 156.64

Cost: $1.749/L

Total: $273.96

Alice Springs CBD to Trephina Gorge Campground - 85km

Total: 115km

Friday 29.04.11
Trephina Gorge - nil

Saturday 30.04.11
Trephina Gorge to Paws n Claws, Alice Springs - 76km
Paws n Claws, Alice Springs to Tropic of Capricorn - 29km
Tropic of Capricorn to Stuart Memorial - 173km
Stuart Memorial to Tennant Creek - 314km

Odometer reading: 109608 km

Litres: 91.27

Cost: $1.73/L

Total: $157.90

Tennant Creek to Morphett Creek - approx 80km

Total: 672km

Sunday 01.05.11
Morphett Creek to Larrimah - approx 370km
Larrimah to Paul's Dad's place in Katherine - 184km

Total: 554km

Monday 02.05.11
Katherine to home in Darwin via the Post Office - 320km

Total: 320km

Grand total: 3,919 km in 12 days
Fuel used: 593 litres
Fuel economy: approx 15.14 litres per 100km
Most expensive fuel - $1.749 per litres in Alice Springs
Fuel cost: $1,006.86 or $83.90/day

Saturday 30.04.11 Trephina Gorge - Alice Springs - Morphett Creek

We managed to get away the earliest on the trip at about 9.15am, probably the anticipation of getting the boys back from the kennel in Alice Springs was motivation enough! They were very excited to see us, and within 5 minutes they had assumed the position and were asleep on the back seat.

We stopped briefly at the Tropic of Capricorn monument, then continued on for close to another couple of hundred kilometres to the Stuart Memorial rest stop, approx 15km north of Ti-Tree, where we had lunch.

The next stop was Tennant Creek for more fuel at around 4.30pm, and we drove on for another half hour or so looking for a track off the highway to camp for the night. We considered going back onto the Old Stuart Highway to stop at the repeater station where we camped on the way down, but liked the idea of staying somewhere different. We found a spot just as the sun was going down on the banks of Morphett Creek not far from Muckaty Station where the Federal Government is considering putting a radioactive waste deposit site.

The temperature quickly dropped, but we weren't bothered with too many bugs, or mice, this time. Off in the distance on the other side of the creek we heard dingoes howling and yipping, perhaps one adult and two pups. Fortunately, they were far enough away not to attract the boys attention.

Thursday 28.04.11 Redbank Waterhole - Alice Springs - Trephina Gorge

Another nice warming breakfast of freshly ground coffee and porridge was had before the inevitable pack up and move on to the next and final destination before heading home - Trephina Gorge. Instead of going back to the Stuart Highway to Alice Springs we continued on the 4WD track up Owen Spring Reserve towards Larapinta Drive. This is a gorgeous drive winding along the Hugh River, requiring a couple of easy river crossings. We stopped at the ruins of the Old Owen Springs Homestead for some photos and marvelling at what a place to live with such a spectacular backdrop, then just past the Ranger's station Steve got his first ever flat tyre. That delayed our lunch stop in Alice Springs for a short while, but we survived.

We went back to the Red Dog Cafe in the Todd Mall so Rachel could have another roo burger, then Paul and Rachel spent a good hour in a camping shop trying on half a dozen pair of boots before Rachel settled on yet another pair of Scarpas. A bag of replacement supplies at Woolies, and then we were off to Trephina Gorge.

We got to the Gorge Campground around 5pm and quickly set up. This campground is in a bit of a valley, with sheer ochre red cliffs on one side where the setting sun hits them brilliantly. The temperature quickly dropped, while the numbers of mice exploded. A quick and easy dinner of pumpkin, feta and sage risotto with a creamed rice chaser meant we were in bed early at around 9pm. Just as well, for what was soon to come, as we discovered in the time it took for us to get dessert out from the stash of food under the bed in the camper and in bed about an hour later, there was evidence of a mouse in da house. We pulled everything out, but it appeared to have gone.

Around 11pm Paul woke up from a mouse crawling on his arm that then went into one of the storage spaces next to the bed and couldn't get out. it was lifted out with some "gentle persuasion" from Paul, and we spent the next hour watching about half a dozen mice getting in and out of the camper from four separate places. The camper is virtually weather-proof, but it appears not to be vermin-proof, and the spots the mice could access are not ones that can easily be sealed up. Paul plugged up the gaps with gaffer tape, and we seemed to have a relatively quiet night after that. Not happy, Jan.

Sat 23.04.11 Alice Springs - Rainbow Valley

We didn't have to rush on Saturday morning as we had until 10am to put the boys in the kennel, and Steve, Lucy and Sophie were leaving the Devil's Marbles for Alice Springs, and weren't due in until lunch time. We dropped the boys off at Paws n Claws, refuelled, went to do our final shop, until Rachel realised she had left her credit card there, so back to pick it up. We then went back into town to park up, whereupon Rachel couldn't find the keys for the trailer. So we re-traced our steps back to the kennel again, but we couldn't see them en-route, nor were they at the kennels. It would have helped if we checked the centre console, which was where they were all along. Hmmmm.

Back into town was where Paul had a chicken burger and Rachel had the best kangaroo burger ever. By the time we had shopped, Steve and Lucy were in town, so we caught up with them before arranging for us to go on ahead to Rainbow Valley, in the hope we would secure two of only seven camps sites. We got there at about 3pm, found only one camp set up and 2 other vehicles, and the perfect site for two vehicles.

Steve and Lucy arrived shortly after and we got all set up at the only section on the grounds that permitted two vehicles side by side.

A steady stream of vehicles and tour groups turned up in time to get photos of the rocks at sunset, all of which disappeared soon enough once the sun went down. And this is what they were after, as were we.

We also found this little fella, who was quite inquisitive and not at all fearful.

One the sun went down the temperature dropped quite quickly. We put some warmer clothes on, reheated some pre-cooked chicken curry and cracked open a couple of beers. Perfect. Apart from multiple and fearless mice benefitting from the recent rains and abundant food supplies. With no ambient light, the stargazing was amazing, and we went to bed to single digit temperatures.

Friday 22.04.11 Attack Creek - Devil's Marbles - Alice Springs

Friday morning gave us a beautiful sunrise, and without rushing we were away at about 9am. We were delayed somewhat by the mother of all spiders sitting in wait to get inside the car - it didn't (as far as we know), but after a bit of a chase we never did find out where it went to.

Another fuel stop at Tennant Creek, then lunch at the Devil's Marbles where a few people had already called it a day. We took a few shots of the rocks - they are not as spectacular in the midday sun as they are at sunrise or sunset, but still they are pretty impressive.

From there it was all the way to Alice Springs, stopping briefly to stretch the legs. We were slightly bemused by one of the GPS's wanting to send us to Alice Springs via Ali Kurang, and then the Plenty Highway, not getting us in to Alice Springs until at least after 11pm! We ignored that one, and the other GPS was pretty accurate, getting us into the Heritage Caravan Park at about 5.30pm.

The Caravan park was surprisingly not fully booked, and we got 4 sites to ourselves. It was quiet, and the amenities were very good too, and pet friendly as well. We had a fennel, chestnut and truffle oil risotto for dinner (as you do), hot showers, and an overnight temperature inside the tent of 8 degrees.

Yet another change of plan - this time for Easter

Finke National Park has been planned for Easter, however Paul rang up the Rangers and they got bogged there over the weekend, and the website says the tracks are currently impassable. So unless things dry up, and quickly, it looks like Boggy Hole and Palm Valley will have to be visited another time.

So...what to do! There's plenty of places to check out in the Alice Springs region, and what better time to see Uluru and Kata Juta after the most rain in years, so it's likely to be bloomin' good! Paul is itching to get his hands on his new camera - a Nikon D3100, so there's no excuse for ordinary photos.

Word is the Red Centre is actually the Green Centre, and watching the current temperatures, Alice Springs is getting single figure nights, so some thermals and flanny jammies will be the go.

8 more sleeps until an overnighter in Katherine, and then our second visit of the Devil's Marbles!

First "real" camp - Douglas Daly Tourist Park

FINALLY! We get to test out the camper trailer properly, and not in our own or someone else's yard!


Rachel had scored Friday off, and by the time we had squared everything away, with beagles looking a little worried because they knew something was up, it was time for an early lunch and a bit over a 2 hour drive. Darwin was still under a cyclone watch, but we were confident we would be out of the windy zone, but not necessarily the rainy zone!


Lesson #1: When the road you wish to take has "road closed" signs blocking your way - heed the directions and don't say "Nah, she'll be right!" All was good for about 5km until we saw up ahead a very chopped up bit of road that had been seriously undermined. Paul hit the anchors and we skidded to a stop, creating a bow wave of gravel and bitumen. He checked it out a bit further and decided the verge was even worse, and did a 7 point turn to head back the way we came. Not really clever on both our parts, when the detour was only a few kilometres away!


We then came up against about a 500m stretch of road covered in floodwater. Paul did a recce, and determined that it wasn't too swiftly moving, and a pretty constant 0.4m depth. We ploughed on through with no issue to either the car or the trailer, and got some good video of the experience.

Arriving mid-afternoon, we discovered the park has well over 50 powered sites and numerous unpowered sites as well, and we were just the third set of visitors. Where we camped last year closer to the Douglas River would have easily been about 6 feet under water.


Lesson #2: When choosing a site to set up camp when rain is imminent, go for the sand and gravel site rather than lush grass. Sand and gravel is more likely to allow the all night rain to drain away, instead of requiring you to make breakfast in ankle deep slop.

We settled in to the sound of steady soaking rain with a couple of Heinies and Wild Turkey and coke, after grabbing a bag of ice from the park's pub. The camper's inaugural meal was a couple of good scotch fillet steaks cooked on the new camp cookware. Delish!

Lesson #3: When taking the boys for a walk to get a bag of ice, and you get chatting to the proprietor, take notice of what contraband Indy might be eating. It might mean that in the middle of the night he gets the urge to christen the camper in his own special way by chucking up his stomach contents. On the bed. Under the sheets. And on the floor matting in two places. Sigh.


With such a disrupted night's sleep, the stead soaking of rain ALL night, the niggling worry that the camper MIGHT leak (only a couple of dribbles along a seam or zip), and a very grey morning, we slept in until 9.30 on Saturday morning! The freshly made Aeropress coffee hit the spot, and we had bacon, egg and cheese wraps for brunch.


With a lull in the rain, we decided to head out for a drive down to Oolloo Crossing, finding quite a slushy road and some water crossings as well. Whilst enjoyable, and going down a road we hadn't previously been on, in the scheme of things it may not have been worth the two hour clean up of thick sticky red mud once we got home.


We got back to camp in time for beer o'clock, and preparations for a beef stroganoff and smashed taties. This was accompanied by a superb 2008 St Hallett Shiraz Cabernet - highly recommended for one's second night in your Aussie Swag camper.

Lesson #4: Don't drink and dry up. Or at least attempt to do it more carefully. There is the possibility someone might accidentally slice their thumb with the peeler. The upside is it doesn't hurt as much - then. The downside is it doesn't get you out of doing the rest of the drying up.


We had a good night's sleep with less rain, and awoke Sunday morning to - shock, horror - a bit of blue sky! After breakfast came the dreary task of packing up - the canvas was mostly dry, but certainly not fully dry. As we had all the awnings up, pack up time was about 1 hour 45 mins, also trying not to bring half of the park's mud with us. This time will come down with more practice.


We got away just before midday and headed home, stopping in at Adelaide River for lunch and a leg stretch and got home about 4pm to start unpacking, washing the car and trailer. The down sides to every trip, but this was a great shakedown to the next instalment just a couple of weeks away - all the way to Alice Springs and out to Finke National Park!