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

Tuesday 26.04.11 Yulara - Redbank Waterhole

We got away from Yulara about 10.30am and headed for Redbank Waterhole in Owen's Springs Reserve about 60km south of Alice Springs. Rather than going on the Stuart Highway where we had already been, we planned on going up towards King's Canyon on Luritja Rd, and then east along the Ernest Giles Highway. We had a roadside stop for lunch, then onto the wide dirt road of the Ernest Giles that had a few ditches and corrugations along the way but was otherwise a good dirt road. It's a little bit more picturesque than the Stuart Highway as well, and provided the opportunity to see some countryside we hadn't seen before, and may not get a chance to see again, even if it is more of the same!

We then turned off this and back onto the blacktop of the Stuart Highway heading north, with just a short stretch before the turnoff to Owen's Springs Reserve. Redbank Waterhole was only about 6km from the turnoff on an easy but sandy 4WD track, and there were numerous choices for setting up camp along the waterhole. 

We set up, had a hunt for timber to set up a fire, and settled down with a couple of wee drinkies and bikes and cheese watching the sun go down through the gum trees - a very picturesque and peaceful setting.

Paul got to play with the new camera some more, and tested out some night time star shots. We didn't get to see any shooting stars or satellites, but we weren't disappointed.

Despite being the last day of an unusually long 5 day long weekend (Easter and Anzac Day back to back) there was little evidence of intensive recent use in the area and we only saw two other cars parked nearby. One car followed us in just after dark and continued along past us and camped at least another 500m away, so they may as well not have been there. We had dinner and watched the bush tv for a while, then headed for bed. The mice were friendly here too and kept Steve awake all night; they scrabbled on the canvas of the camper a few times but not enough to bother us too much.

Sunday 24.04.11 Rainbow Valley - Yulara

We awoke to the temperature inside the camper being slightly colder than the fridge! 4.8 degrees compared to the fridge temperature of 5. Once up just after dawn, the temperature slowly came up. Bacon, eggs and baked beans was the way to refuel, and we did another walk towards Mushroom Rock and more photo opportunities. We packed up and were away at 11am and stopped about 1pm for a quick lunch at Mt Ebenezer Roadhouse after the turnoff to Yulara at Erldunda.

We also did a quick stop further on at the viewing area to get some photos of Mt Connor, which is an impressive monolith in its own right. The expected desert ochre colours are actually hard to find right now - we were surprised that this stretch of road has many trees looking a bit like pines - tallish skinny ones (desert oaks, I think) and then shorter squat trees as well, and plenty of pale green/cream grass.

We continued on to Yulara, arriving after 4pm, quite amazed at the size of the resort and campgrounds and the number of people already here so early in the season. We did a slight choke on the camping fees - $72 for two people for two nights! And the advertised "Sounds of Silence" dinner excursion prompted an even bigger sound of choking at $165 per person.

We went to the viewing area at the campground to see the sun go down over Uluru - unfortunately it is impossible to get photos of it without resort buildings in the foreground. Some judicious cropping will be required. Once back to our camp, we were met with a sense of foreboding of the raucous sound of our immediate neighbours with no volume control. Rachel had a quiet but friendly word with them to tone it down a bit, however their half volume was still intrusive, and became even more so with the addition of further alcohol.

With no letup to the noise at 11pm, an hour after the campground's 10pm noise curfew, another more sterner visit was required in preference to Paul going over there with his axe. That option is still available to us, and may well still be required. We shall claim justifiable homicide.

Dinner was very tender vacuum packed scotch fillet and salad, washed down with a De Bortoli shiraz or three to keep the chill away.

Monday 25.04.11 Yulara - Uluru - Kata Juta - Yulara

5am seemed to be the start of stirrings for people to go to The Rock for sunrise, plus the fact that it is Anzac Day prompted Paul and I to get going too. Might as well, we were awake, and a sense of duty and national pride helped us along on this special day. We managed to get to the viewing area just in time for the first rays to hit The Rock, along with hundreds of others. It really is a magnificent sight, and photos just don't do justice to its size. Albert Namatjira also got his palette amazingly right, especially in his sunset paintings, the varied hues of purples, violets and blues don't sound right for rock, but they are.

The walk back to the car saw Rachel blow out her second pair of boots - the sole came apart from the upper on one shoe as it did on the Katherine Gorge to Edith Falls walk. What a place for it, looks like I have to walk everywhere now in Crocs, otherwise Yulara is no doubt the most expensive place in the universe to get a replacement pair. I'm too frightened to check.

But check we did at the Yulara IGA, where a pair of sneakers went for $60. Oh damn, not in my size. Paul and I did the Mala walk at the base of Uluru as the climb up the top was closed and I didn't trust my boots not to fall apart, then we went back to the campground for lunch.

Afterwards, Steve, Lucy and Sophie went to climb Uluru while Paul and I went to see Kata Juta and went to the first lookout. By this stage, we were fairly jaded about the commercialisation of both places - the outrageous camping fees, the requirement to get a three day pass minimum to get into the National Park, and the fact that there are no other options in the area to camp. Even the walk to the first lookout at Kata Juta is like a four lane highway for the bus loads of tourists.

We got back to the campground to find our noisy neighbours quite subdued, no doubt from a busy day, and for which we were supremely thankful. We had previously seen the Hema Navigator Patrol with an older model Aussie Swag, and an even older one about 4 campsites away, and had also seen another couple with an Aussie Swag setting up. "Wendy's husband" (we forgot the niceties of introductions) came over to check out our set up, and was impressed with the new stainless kitchen splashback, as we were with their soft and supple canvas that allowed them to keep their side awning attached to the camper, which we haven't been able to fit in as yet.

We managed an early bedtime, and had a good night's sleep with few disruptions.