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Published: March 5th 2007
Joe is off picking up new bike tires (spelt tyres here) for us - I got 2 flats last night and Joe got one…more on that later. Anyway, I’ve been left with the task of updating the blog. Not sure if I’ll be as detailed as Joe is, and I’m for sure going to let him fill in the stuff about our continuing saga of van repairs (yes…there have been more in the past week). I hope you enjoy our update, and don’t forget to comment or email us!
Mt. Isa continued
Feb 19: Joe was supposed to work in a café clearing tables, but when he went not only had the owner been expecting me (I guess in a mining town, the guys are all working in the mine?) but the restaurant wasn’t too busy, so he didn’t end up working at all. Oh well. We didn’t do too much else that day, relaxed in the A/C watching TV, went swimming… We’d arranged to meet up with Courtney & Simon to play some more Yatzee and Euchre, but when they didn’t come knocking for a while, we figured they’d just gone to bed. Around 9:30 they knocked and invited
us up to a friends place for a few drinks and if we wanted to, we could swim. Joe and I gathered our stuff, but didn’t care for a swim, so we just went. In hindsight we should have brought our swimmers because as with most pool parties, we eventually got thrown in the pool. I put up a good fight, but eventually gave up, and went in. It was pretty fun to meet some more Aussies and we all enjoyed a good night.
Feb 20: I can’t really remember what we did this day…I know we slept in…. probably biked into town, watched TV and swam….
Feb 21: We packed up and checked out of our “studio unit” and biked into town to pick up Betsy. We ended up having to wait until the afternoon, so we checked our email and hung out in the air-conditioned library reading books and magazines. We didn’t pick up the van until about 3pm, and then went for a bit of a drive to make sure everything was okay. It was so hot in the van. There were a few rattles - one that Joe fixed by tightening the licence plate
on the front, but the other wasn’t such an easy fix. The van was running much better though, so we went back to the caravan park and got comfortable in the van again. Courtney & Simon came down to check Betsy out and we ate dinner with them later. Simon was back to work so we all went to bed early. It was a bit harder to sleep in the van compared to the room with A/C, but we survived with the fan cranked.
Feb 22: We got up early (not long after the sunrise blinded us through the windows) and ran a few errands before we set off towards Alice Springs. I finally got paid for my work at the pub, and we picked up some more groceries (yummy canned spaghetti), we took Betsy for a quick once-over at the mechanic and then set out. We found out that Betsy had an exhaust leak, but it wasn’t major. We were on the outskirts of town, when I looked over at Joe and noticed him looking pensive. So I asked what he was thinking…he was thinking about the noise and the exhaust leak. After a bit of discussion, we
agreed that even though the leak wouldn’t hinder us from getting safely to Alice, we might as well get everything fixed before going anywhere. So, we turned around and went back into town.
We were able to leave Betsy with the mechanics at noon, and relax at the caravan park for a few hours by the pool and in the shade. We made a few phone calls home by the poolside (weird to be sitting by the pool when your family is in the snow!). Joe picked up the van around 3:30, and they replaced something, (luckily charging us nothing) but the leak was still there. They said they could replace the whole exhaust, but that would cost $1500… we’ve already spent far too much than we wanted to on Betsy, so Joe opted out of this repair.
We spent another “last night” eating dinner with Courtney & Simon and said another round of goodbyes before heading off to bed.
On the road!
Feb 23: We FINALLY got on the road out of Mt. Isa around 7:30 am. We drove over 600km to Tennant Creek, stopping only for fuel and lunch. The drive through the outback was incredibly
Welcome to Alice!
After over 3 weeks we FINALLY made it!flat and straight, Joe kept track, and at one point there was 74km between any sort of bend/curve in the road. It’s kind of funny, they actually put signs up with there is a slight curve in the road to warn you! We arrived in Tennant Creek around 3:30 and checked into a caravan park. We went for a swim to cool off, then relaxed in the shade until dinner time. We’d heard Tennant Creek was a bit dodgy of a town, so we just stayed at the park, cooling off in the pool every so often.
Feb 24: We were on the road around 7:30 again today. In addition to our fuel stops at the roadhouses along the way, we got to do one touristy stop at a place called Devils Marbles. There are heaps of large round rocks spread across the landscape. They are from a volcanic explosion thousands of years ago and look pretty cool. The Aboriginals believe they are eggs from the Rainbow Serpent.
ALICE SPRINGS!!!!
We pulled into Alice Springs around 2:30 in the afternoon. We went into town and to the Tourist Office before calling Andy - a friend from University who
lives in Alice. We made our way over to his place and started meeting his 10 roommates…His place is fun and interesting with 7 of the roomies being tour guides or working for one of the tour companies! We parked Betsy in the back yard and spent the rest of the afternoon getting to know Nat (Andy’s girlfriend) while he went off to work (at a pub, not as a guide!)
After dinner Joe and I biked over to Bojangles to visit Andy at work and check out the very interesting pub. There are all sorts of things on the wall & ceiling from cowboy boots to huge buffalo horns to an enormous crocodile skin! Nat had told us to check out the toilets there too. First off, the door handle is on the wrong side, so it looks like you are to push the left side of the door to get in, but actually you need to push the right. (Lucky for me, I didn’t look stupid going in because I’d seen someone else going in earlier!) Then when you go to wash your hands, you turn on a tap and the water comes out of the tap
about 2 sinks over! Too funny. I’m sure a ton of drunks have been so confused by the toilets! When I came back to the table, I sent Joe to check out the toilets without telling him what was so special. He tried to guess, unsuccessfully before he went, and had a good laugh too.
Feb 25: Joe decided to take Betsy apart and check out the exhaust leak for himself. I’m going to leave it to him to describe this one….
Joe: Face was warped on the manifolds, so had them machined in town and put it all back together with a new gasket. It was a little tricky getting all the vacuum lines all back in the right place, but eventually she was running perfect - no more exhaust leak!
Meanwhile, I sat around most of the day reading, watching TV, and chatting with the people who live in the house. In the afternoon Joe and I watched
Animal House and tried not to overheat.
For dinner we decided on another Mexican Fiesta and enjoyed it with Nat while Andy was at work. We relaxed and watched TV until Andy came home and then
checked out some of his old photos from VOC (Frosh leader stuff at UW) - aren’t we so exciting??
Feb 26: Another relaxing, uneventful day. Andy had the day off, so he and Joe took the van part in to be machined.
We’d arranged to meet up with Julie for dinner.
How we know Julie: This part might be a bit confusing but shows just how small the world is…
Part 1 - We met Julie, a Canadian in Fiji and she told us to look her up in Alice whenever we came through (she’s also a tour guide)
Part 2 - My best friend Corrie’s parents traveled to NZ a few years ago and met a Canadian girl working there, whose parents live near their cottage and they are now friends. As it turns out, the Canadian girl they met in NZ now works in Alice Springs. Corrie’s mom sent me a big email a while back telling me all about their NZ trip, and about this Canadian girl they’d met again and gave me her contact info…I’m sure you can guess by now, that this Canadian girl was named Julie…weird eh?
Part 3 - when we
Rock Wallaby
Joe and Andy climbed off the track to get closer to the wallabies. arrived at Andy’s place, we found out that Nat works for the same company as Julie does and had actually worked with her that morning! Told you the world was small!
Anyway, Joe and I went with Andy and Nat to Bo’s to meet up with Julie for dinner. I tried some Barramundi (fish) and Joe opted for the Outback platter - kangaroo, camel, buffalo & crocodile! I tried a bite of each and they were all pretty good. Joe liked the buffalo best, I found it a bit chewy for my liking and preferred the crocodile - it has a really unique taste - kind of like fish, but with other flavours too. Yum!
Mt. Gillen
Feb 27: We got up before sunrise (not my favourite thing to do) and went and climbed Mt. Gillen with Andy. You have to do things early out here because if we waited until even 9am it would just be too hot. It was already probably in the high 20s or low 30s before the sun had fully risen! The hike was nice and not too long, nice exercise after sitting in the van or in front of the TV for
so many days! On our way back down Joe spotted a rock wallaby so he and Andy went over to get a closer look. They ended up getting pretty close before it hopped off.
On the way back to the house, we stopped and got some food for a big breakfast then relaxed again for most of the day. It was weird to have done so much before 9am! In the afternoon Joe and Andy went to pick up the part.
Around 4 Nat took us to a little party at her 2nd job. One of the ladies was leaving, so they were having a few drinks after work. Nat drives the
Bush bus once a week to Tennant Creek, then back the next day. The
Bush bus is a bus that takes Aboriginals back and forth from some of the more remote towns into the larger centres, often for appointments or shopping etc. At the party we had fun meeting a few more Aussies, and enjoying some delicious homemade spring rolls!
We stopped on the way home to get cheap pizzas for dinner, and grabbed another quick drink and played some darts at the Irish Pub (yes
Fly nets
We soon found out what a necessity the fly nets were on our tour. Despite being extra hot, they helped keep your sanity from having a million flies land on and buzz around your face! Irish pubs are EVERYWHERE). When we got home we ate the pizzas (no worries of them getting cold in the car - it’s like an oven in there!) and watched
Hoodwinked before heading to bed.
Oh the lazy days of summer
Feb 28: Another day spent with Joe out working on Betsy and me watching movies! A couple of Andy’s roommates were watching movies so what other choice did I have! Joe spent most of the morning working on Bets, so I watched
Shindler’s List and then
Pride & Prejudice Joe watched most of the 2nd one while we ate lunch.
We’d decided to take an organized camping trip out to see Ayers Rock rather than driving ourselves the 1500km circuit, although this meant returning to Alice Springs. Nat recommended Mulga’s Tours, which is where some of the roommates work, because it’s the cheapest, but the most rustic, and therefore authentic and fun! The trip is 3 days and you get to camp outside and go to Kings Canyon, The Olgas (Kata Tjuta) and Ayers Rock (Uluru).
By late afternoon, Joe and I made it into town to book the tour and ended up on the trip, leaving the
Heart Attack Hill
We took a 3hr hike around the canyon, first having to takle Heart Attack Hill - where the dirt is darker is actually the bottom of the hill... next day! We dropped in at Bo’s to see Andy who was just about finishing work, so we had a drink with him before heading back to the house together.
After dinner, Joe and Andy went back to Bo’s to celebrate one of Andy’s friend’s birthdays. I opted out because I was already tired, and we had to be up at 5am to leave for the tour.
Mulga’s Rock Tour
March 1 (Holy March ALREADY??): Joe and I were up before dawn to be picked up at 5:45am. We met our group - 19 of us, and our guide Sean. We began our 500km trip to
Kings Canyon Most of us slept most of the way out, rousing only for our pit stops at the small Roadhouses along the way. We arrived at the canyon not long after noon, so it was ridiculously hot. We all lathered up with sunscreen, filled our water bottles and donned our fly nets. Luckily Joe and I had been warned so we brought the fly hats we bought in Stanthorpe to help protect ourselves from the annoying flies. Even though wearing the net is hot, I can’t even begin to describe the number
of flies buzzing around and landing on your face. We all had a layer of them on our backs following us around where ever we went.
The Canyon walk is about 6km around and starts with
Heart Attack Hill a really steep incline that really has claimed lives in the past. We took it slow and made it to the top with no problems. Five people from our group dropped out though and took the shorter base walk. The canyon is very beautiful with interesting rock formations all around. Thousands of years ago it was under an inland sea, so there are all sorts of ripples in the rock. Half way through the walk we enjoyed a swim at the
Garden of Eden it was so nice to jump in and cool off.
After the hike, we drove another 200km or so to our bush camp site at Curtain Springs Cattle Station for the night. We stopped on the way at Mt. Connor Lookout. Mt. Connor is the largest flat top mountain in the world, and is often mistaken for Ayers Rock. When we arrived at the bush camp, we set up our sways (bed rolls) and while Sean started
on dinner, our group gathered on a bit of a hill to enjoy sunset. All 20 of us enjoyed our camel dinner around the campfire, and headed to bed pretty early because our wake up call was coming at 4:30….argh. I can’t say I slept too well, it didn’t cool off much, so it had to be at least 35C and I was worried the cattle roaming around the Station would wander through our camp (we were warned they do on occasion). Sleeping under the stars is still pretty cool though.
March 2:
We were up early to drive another 200km to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. We arrived not long after sunrise and while Sean prepared our breakfast, we walked up to a Lookout to see
The Olgas (Kata Tjuta) in the distance. Kata Tjuta is a group of large rock domes, and the red rock catching the sunrise looked amazing.
After breakfast we drove around to Kata Tjuta and began the
Valley of the Winds hike. If the forecast is over 36C, this hike is closed at 11am, so we were there nice and early because the forecast was 42C! The walk was relatively easy and really beautiful,
Mt. Connor
Often mistaken for Ayers Rock, it's not the real McCoy walking through valleys and between large rocks. We stopped a few times on the way to lean a bit of history from Sean, enjoy some snacks and fill up with water (they recommend 1L of water for each hour of your hike). When we got to a 2nd lookout, some people opted for a shorter walk back the way we came, but most of us took the longer walk all the way around. In total the hike was 7.4km. Joe and I were in front the whole way, and even ended up passing the people who took the shorter way! It made me feel fit for sure! By the end of the walk it was really hot, I really don’t think I’ve ever sweat so much in my life. I felt like I was constantly drinking water, but the hike was definitely worth it.
Once everyone was back, we drove back towards Ayers Rock and the Cultural Centre where we all helped out to make lunch. After lunch fighting off the flies, we all went through the Cultural Centre and saw some Aboriginal paintings and learned some Aboriginal stories. From what I’ve learned Aboriginals are quite a bit different than
Natives in Canada with sharing their culture and stories, there are many things that are sacred and can only be passed on to certain people. Even many of sites around Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park you aren’t supposed to take photos or walk on because they are sacred sites.
We spent the late afternoon cooling off in the pool at the caravan park at Ayers Rock Resort. It was so nice to cool off! Then we went for a short walk to the rock to check out some old paintings on the walls before driving up to a sunset viewing point.
Our sunset dinner at
Ayers Rock (Uluru) was a bit disappointing because there were rain clouds scattered everywhere so the sun didn’t quite have it’s normal effect on the red rock of Uluru. Our group didn’t mind the drizzle of rain while we ate sitting in the parking lot on our rolled up swags. There were a bunch of other groups there enjoying fancy dinners with wine and champagne - I guess you get what you pay for!
Due to the impending thunder storms, our group voted and decided to camp at the campground - still in our swags but
Adele & Guillaume on their swags
We even had some Frenchies for me to practice with! Vive la France! if it did rain there was shelter there we could all crowd in to keep dry. Before we all went to bed early we sat around and chatted. Joe continued an interesting conversation with Sundeep - an Indian guy who had been studying in OZ for a year and was heading back home in a couple weeks. The interesting part was that when Sundeep got home, he was going to meet the 20 women his parents had selected for him to choose his wife from! A bunch of us sat around while Sundeep asked what type of things he should look for to decide which person he wanted to marry. Personally I hope he doesn’t take all the advice some of the guys gave him, but I’m sure he’ll make a good decision!
March 3: We were up before sunrise again and were driven over to watch the sunrise on Uluru. We were unlucky with clouds again, so we actually parked on the other side to see the sun through the clouds behind Uluru. It was amazing, but of course no ones camera seemed to be able to pick up all the colours as well as we could see
them! It was ridiculous that morning because as soon as the sun was barely peaking over the horizon, the flies were back with a vengeance! No one quite knew where the flies go when it gets dark, or how they suddenly reappear with the light of day.
After breakfast we drove closer to the rock. A few of us were hoping to climb it, but the climb was closed because of the clouds and potential for rain and lightening. We all had to do the base walk around (about 9km) it was a really easy flat rock and since it was still early, it wasn’t too hot. The walk wasn’t super exciting, but it was interesting to see how different the walls are at different spots - some are very steep and flat, others have eroded a bit so they have weird holes in them, or rock falls.
When everyone arrived back at the bus, we began our trip home. We stopped again at the same roadhouses for pit stops and a picnic lunch. We made one additional stop at a camel farm. A few people went for short camel rides around the paddock; it was pretty funny to watch
them bounce when the camel started to run!
Back in Alice
We didn’t arrive back in Alice until around 5. Sean had arranged for our group to meet up for dinner at 7:30 at the restaurant at Annie’s (the hostel where everyone was staying because organizes the tours too). Joe and I went back to Andy’s to shower and relax for a bit before biking over to Annie’s. On the way there, I got my first flat tire - there are this little spiky seeds all over the ground in Alice, Andy had warned us, and I finally got one. I had to walk my bike the rest of the way. We enjoyed dinner with our group; I got to have some more kangaroo (it was in a curry though, so it really didn’t taste much different than any other curry!) Some people were leaving Alice early the next day, so they went to bed not long after dinner, but about 8 of us went to Bo’s for a few drinks. Joe texted Andy, so he met us there too. As it was Saturday night, the bar was pretty full, so it was a good night. Bo’s has a
really neat live internet broadcast so I texted home to see if anyone was awake (it would have been 8am at home) so they could log on and see us. My brother Eric ended up replying so we got to wave to him back home! Bo’s also has a cool thing where from the site people can buy drinks for the people at the bar, so my amazing brother bought Joe and I a few drinks from home! Isn’t that the coolest thing? Really, more places should do that, it made the night that much more fun, even though it was weird that we knew Eric could see us, but we couldn’t see him! Thanks again Er, you’re the best!
On the way home Joe rode his bike off the sidewalk a bit and ran into a bush with all those spiky seeds. Andy and I waited while Joe picked them all out of his tires - miraculously, he only got one flat. Somehow, even though I had to walk my bike the whole way home, and didn’t run off into the bushes, I ended up with a 2nd flat!
March 4: Despite wanting to sleep in for a
change, Joe and I were up around 7:30 because once the sun is up, the van gets ridiculously hot. We checked our email, did some laundry, and I started typing this while Joe fixed the bikes. In the afternoon we went with Nat, Laura & Eva (some of the roomies) to the public pool for a swim.
For dinner, Sundeep invited whoever was still in Alice from the trip to enjoy some Indian food at the hostel. We met up for another meal with 8 of our tour group. The food was delicious!
March 5: Today we are finish up the blog and packing up the van to get back on the road super early tomorrow morning. Joe wants to get going before the sun comes up because it is so much cooler, then we can drive the 700km to Coober Pedy before the day gets too hot. So we are back on the road tomorrow!
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Ben
non-member comment
Feelin' hot hot hot!
I can almost feel the Outback heat from my desk in Oakville! Woo-ee! Next time you run across one of those internet hot spots, give me a shout, and I'll make sure you hate me in the morning! Keep on rockin'!