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Gidday,gidday to you all.
Well here we are out in the middle of the desert doing our first ever blog!!!
We make no apologies, it will partly be our diary and we’ll probably only submit, once a week or so or when we can, but if you want to know what the two nomads (bald and blonde) have been up to it’s here for you to read and comment on if you wish.
Will be great to hear what’s happening your end of the world too.
Before we begin, we just want to say a big thank you to all our friends and family that sent or gave us such kind wishes of a safe and happy journey before our departure, they are special memories.
Friday 27th April 2007 5.14 am DEPARTURE !!!! Sydney to Bourke, 850kms, a long drive, but we didn’t mind, we were retired and on our way to the Kimberleys.
It rained all the way, but who would dare complain the countryside needs every drop,
plus much more, it is just soooo dry out here!!!
Along the way we completed the first two of our French lessons, and 8 chapters of the first
of our audio books, great way to help a long drive go by.
Our 2 night stopover at Bourke was spent in the historic Riverside Motel due to the rain.
It was a smaller town than we both expected, with a reducing population due to lack of employment and many of the old historic buildings boarded up, due to vandalism, but the local agricultural show was on so the town was alive and kicking with all the country folks and cowboys, so we joined in for our 2 nights. First one, at the Back of Bourke Hotel and the next at the Bowling club where we met up with some beaut locals, one who was a particulary handsome( right aged) gentleman ,with a great personality,(and could touch his toes!!) so we gave him our best mate Barbs ph no and low and behold he followed up with a marriage proposal a few days later, we did ring and warn her, a call may be forthcoming, but didn’t expect the proposal,
I must have described her so well , he couldn’t resist!! Will keep you posted if it progresses further.
Sunday 29th April Our first day on the dirt
as we made our way to Tibooburra and with our Ians’ new senior’s card we got to camp for just $6 in the Sturt National park at Dead horse gully, great spot, no other campers, just us.
Monday 30th April Up for our morning walk in the Gully then off to Camerons corner where SA, NSW and QLD all meet and into the Strzelecki desert and onto the Old Strzelecki track to just beyond MertyMerty where we pulled up for a free camp in our 5 million star resort for a chicken curry, a glass of red and some opera, we thought we had arrived in heaven.
Tuesday 1st May Further on up the Old Strz and plenty of bull dust along the way, by now our Land cruiser was a lighter shade of red !!!!! From here we wanted to head via Walkers crossing to the Birdsville track but due to rain the road was closed so it was up to Innaminka for lunch and the pub for a cleansing ale and a shower at the ablutions block across from the pub.
All cleaned up, looking so smick and on the road again heading for the
Cordilla downs track and passed by the largest Sheep station in Australia and up th road to yet another one of those amazing free camps in our canvas chateau at the 5 million star resort!!!!!
It’s a magical experience, everyone should try it at least once !!!!
Wednesday 2nd May- On the road to Birdsville and on arrival of course the first port of call was the very famous Birdsville Pub, after a cleansing ale a a good chat with the barmaid we then went and got ourselves set up at the local camping ground and off out for tea and another visit to the pub, it was just as I had always imagined it, only minus the racing crowd, that arrive in September, all 6000 of them ( the local population is less than 1000, so one can imagine the town would be jumping.
The next evening has been our highlight so far, when at about 5pm we drove 35kms out west of Birdsville to the edge of the Simpsons desert (minus the camper.)
Ian then prepared the tyres so we could climb to the top of the very famous “BIG RED”- a 35metre, ie 110 ft high sand dune which supposedly is the first of about 3000 sandhills to climb in the Simpson.
After our 2nd attempt we made it!!!!
I just held my breath until we got to the top. It was the most exhilarating feeling when we got there.
The BIG red sand dune was covered with a ripple effected fine red sand, created by the winds, that no man had ever walked on,it just seemed so perfect, it was like arriving on a virgin planet.
We enjoyed 45mins all to ourselves, then the tourists arrived. Not quite the same, but it didn’t stop us enjoying the desert sunset in the West , and then 20 mins later the FULL moon rising in the East.The colors in the sky were transferring from one to the other, it was just so amazing !!!!
We felt very blessed to have had such a unique and very special experience.
Friday 4th May - Up nice and early for our morning walk, where we meet Berta and her husband from California, out walking with their fly nets on, she exclaimed to us “how could we not have any on??” We said we didn’t think they were too bad. Realising they were American visitors we proceeded to have a chat to Berta, and ask her how she was enjoying Australia, only to be told “ to her it was the asswhole of the world” -oh boy what a lady, turns out she was a Psychologist who had just attended a Sexology conference in Sydney.Maybe that explained her description of our beautiful country ??
Funny lady.
Back to the park, packed up and on our merry way. 2 hours up the road and whammo, a flat tyre,Of course we had all the tools and off to work we went, what a team.
Just a little further and our third bit of excitement for the day - when we were pulled over for “will you blow into the bag, please Sir”, a copper from Mt Isa getting up his numbers!!
All that before lunch !!!
After all that excitement we decided it might be good to pull up in Bedourie for lunch and a swim at the local pool and get our tyre repaired before we went any further.
The rest of the day was very normal---
lots of laughs about our morning adventures, some great music from John Williamson, plenty of bull dust and the excitement of crossing of the border from Qld to Northern Territory and getting petrol for only $1. 35. (the most expensive we have paid was $1.50 and only once, been averaging about $1.40)
And then another great evening in the Canvas chateau, in the 5 million star resort with a few glasses of red and atlantic salmon from the fish shop at Terry hills, via our new fridge/freezer- thankyou Mr Engel.
Saturday 5th May - Off to Alice ! Another big drive so we got away nice and early passing Emu’s, Kangaroo’s and even managed to miss hitting 2 perentie Lizards on the road.
Hit Alice at 6pm, set up camp at the Big 4, cooked some tea, showered and hit the hay.
Sunday 6th May- Day of washing, doing repairs and maintenance , on ourselves and the vehicles and studying the guide form for The Alice Cup that we were going to on the Labour day holiday, next day.
Monday 7th May- NT labour day and The Alice Cup !!
All frocked up and with hat!! Free bus and half price entry for seniors all seemed like the start of a good day, And that it was!!
Ian won the Cup at 7.5/1 on Catecism, yahoo!!!!
All up it was a beaut day out with all the local Alicites!!
Tuesday 7th - Friday 11th - we did our chores, like mail, this blog,stocked and cleaned up for the next stage of our journey and of course did some sightseeing around Alice, highlights were a 10km walk on the Larapinta trail, out to the West McDonald ranges, and an 85km drive out to Santa Teresa a catholic missionary settlement, where we saw some amazing Aboriginal art by Kathleen Wallace, very tempting!
Watched some good movies on the lappy and generally just enjoyed a little break in Alice Springs, getting ready for the 1000km drive across the Tanami Desert, which we will depart on tomorrow morning.
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Rowy Weatherill
non-member comment
Time of your lives!!
Thanks so much Corrie and Ian for an interesting and amusing Blog.