Day 6 6-8-11 Up the Tanami

 

Today we started our trip up the Tanami Track.  We had bitumen for about 100 km, then corrugated gravel and sand.  We kicked up lots of dust and had to maintain a reasonable distance from each other.

We have been told that this section of the road is good and that the WA side is much worse.

It’s quite a learning curve for us, we discovered that there is a ‘sweet spot’, a speed fast enough so that we drove over the corrugations instead of up and down.  The sweet spot was 90 km/hr.

Tony and John were held up this morning with a fault in something that was installed (loss of power steering oil) in John’s car only 2 days ago, they had to wait until 9:00 to get any attention.  The rest of us started out.  We were getting fuel in Yendamu when they caught up with us.  Yendamu is an aboriginal settlement, travellers are only permitted to enter for fuel and supplies.  It was pretty awful, rubbish everywhere and so run down.  The diesel pump failed to work and we were a little worried, but the guy at the pumps took us to another place, I think the pumps were old, we worried about the state of the fuel but it seems OK.

Peter from Qld blew a tyre today, it was absolutely and symmetrically shredded.

Jill has been sick (vomiting), but is recovering, Peter thinks a combination of dehydration, heat and rough road.  It has been really hot, most of us sat in the shade and watched Tony and Michael rush about.

There were alcohol and pornography warnings on the road, no open bottles of alcohol and no pornography allowed, there was a bin placed under the sign to put it in.  Peter C stopped to look in the bin – it was empty.  He was disappointed Hehe.

Dean is sitting next to me Karen, he sends his love

 

The handwritten sign says – place porn here.

Day 5 5-8-11

Spent the day in Alice Springs today, we all went our separate ways to do whatever we chose.

Most of the morning was spent shopping for our supplies.  It will be 10 days until we get to the next reliable shopping centre.  I may not have Internet access either.  I will attempt to write daily and upload when I can.

Rhoda your dad is sorry that he missed his timespot for his phone call to you. Alice Springs is an interesting town, but the plight of the aborigines is heartbreaking, no one seems to know what to do for them.

Michael, me, Dean, Wanda and Greg went to the Desert Park to learn about the different aspects of the desert and to see desert creatures and wildflowers.  They have a bird flight show much like Healesville Sanctuary, and although interesting was not as good as the one Healesville has.

I think we all went to the information centre to check on the road conditions on the Tanami apparently OK NT  side and as rough as guts on the WA side.  It appears that the road into Wolfe Creek Crater is bad too.

Tony, a marvel of all trades has had to repair/adjust the following so far (and we haven’t even got onto rough roads yet):

His own CB radio aerial (something needed welding)

Our fridge slide which would not lock back

Something in Peter’s engine when a red light came on on his dashboard

Loose connection on Deans battery

What would we do without him?

Day four 4-8-11

 

Up at 5:20 SA time this morning , getting so efficient now that we went for  a 1/2 hour walk before leaving at 8:00.  The sun came up while we were walking, huge and blood red – quite awe inspiring, I have never seen the sun look so huge, unfortunately did not have my camera with me. Camped rough again (ie no  facilities) but the camp site was great although very stony.  Still quite close to the railway track. The company is great – good company around the campfires at night.

Michael and I were the lead vehicle all day today.  Belle, I was the leader for one hour while I drove Pa’s car.

Wild flowers are everywhere, heaps of cassia, wattles and other things I can’t as yet identify.  We have seen bearded dragons (at least I think they were) on the road, emus and brumbies, corellas, parrots and a wedge tailed eagle. The road is excellent but has very long straight sections, making it easy for a driver to doze off. Maximum speed limit in the NT is 130k. The country however is so huge, flat and very empty, lots of salt scrub and spinifex until we reached the NT when the country changes dramatically.  The sky was very hazy, apparently it is smoke from fires lit by campers in the Todd river.

We are staying in luxury tonight – a motel with shower, bed, toilet.  Never thought I would appreciate a shower so much after 4 days without.  Thank god for baby wipes!

The other 2 couples joined us in Alice Springs so our company is now complete.

We have a full day in Alice tomorrow

Day three 3-8-11

 

Had another good day.  Up at 6:00 Vic time (tony has yet to change over to SA time)  to leave at 8:00 AM.  We camped at what looked like an ideal spot – Hehe – right near a railway line.  The trains went by all night and judging by what we saw in daylight, had 80 plus trucks on them, I counted one at 88 not to mention the many road trains that went by.  Huge noise.  We called in at Woomera for coffee and fuel and were lucky enough to find an airforce guy at the weapons display area, the men were really pleased, he was a mine of information and comes up once a year to check on things.  He was supposed to have come yesterday, so how lucky can one get?

Today we saw quite a few emus and some flowering Sturts desert pea – fabulous, Tony even allowed us to stop, look and photograph.  We stopped at a very pleasant rest area and again the wildflowers were great.

Went into Coober Pedy for coffee, sigh didn’t get time to look at opals – maybe next time.

We are now camped about 100ks the other side of Coober Pedy, very stony, but off the road.

Today, the leaders alternated, Greg, Norbert, then Michael and me.

It’s winter and it’s 31 degrees we are all complaining about how hot it is.  Rhoda, Michael and I are not holding your dad up – travel at the correct speed, ready to leave on time etc, I don’t think he will be disappointed in us.

We travelled 610 kms today – Tony tells us that tomorrow is a bigger day. 

Day Two 2-8-11

It was a lovely night last night, fantastic sunset, a little cold, but I think everyone was warm enough although the night was very cold. The stars were amazing.  Up early today, had the tent shaken at 5:59.  We were on the road just after 8:00.  Had a little slower trip than Tony would have liked, lots of small towns and roadworks.  We passed lots of lovely citrus groves and acres of vinyards.

Greg was our leader today, one of the experienced people does this (of course).  Tony took up the rear and 'geed' us all along.
Had to go through the fruit fly inspection as we entered South Australia and they went through our cars, they take almost all the vegetables now too.  It appears that pretty much only lettuce, carrots and cabbages can pass.
Jill P ran into her sister (Berry and Geoff on their way home from Darwin) in middle of nowhere (Peterborough to Port Augusta road)
We are camped 50 ks outside Port Augusta tonight.  Really nice acres of room.

Day One 1-8-11

We have arrived at the Murray Sunset National Park about 100 kms outside Mildura.  This Park is scrub and saltbush, no probs with trees falling on us.  The trip up was smooth, no dramas. The weather is pleasant but we expect it to get very cold this evening.  I hear people complaining about being HOT!!!!
The 2 Toyotas outperformed the Nissan Patrols as far as deisel consumption was concerned.  Hehe.
Jill P is making a comeback with her foot and her camping skills.
Only 6 cars started out together this morning, we are to meet John and Lanlan and Sue and Peter (from queensland) in Alice Springs

Our Members

Tony and Jenny Prowse
Dot and Michael Gavin
Peter Conroy
Wanda and Greg Fitzgerald
Dean and Karen Richards
John  and Lanlan Walshe
Jill  and Norbert Schaber
Sue and Peter Daunton
Jill Phillips