Alice Springs area

1st March,

We are now into March where has the time gone. 

We have now completed two weeks work. Everything is going great. John enjoys getting behind the lawn mower and mowing the lawns that look a lovely green colour before all the caravans arrive. We both enjoy a swim in the afternoon after work for half a hour in a large salt water swimming pool at the park.

The highest temperature we have had since we arrived in Alice Springs is 42 deg and that was in the caravan . Very hot. Most nights are around 25 to 29 degs which is quite warm until around 4 am then it gets a little cooler but by 7 am its back up around 27 degs.

Today being our day off it was time to be the tourist for a few hours We went to see Desert Park 10 minutes drive out of Alice Springs. This is based on the edge of the MacDonnell Ranges. It is a fully protected area.

Wow this place is amazing . As you walk around on a very easy flat path of around 2 1/2 kms you  will come across many different aviaries, in these you can see up to 8 different birds at a time flying around. Great for photos. The different plant life that is used for survival. An aboriginal Survival in the desert talk is very interesting. Then onto  Red kangaroos, Dingo area, salt pan and a clay pan area. We made our way to an amphitheatre were we where given a great presentation of Free flying birds that have all been bred  at the centre or found injured on the side of the road and brought to Desert Park. We managed to get a few photos of the birds. 

pair of Bustard birds

Beautiful walkway around Desert Park

Thorny Devil lizard

Barn Owl in flight

A wild  Whistling Kite at Desert Park

 

The Nocturnal House has a lot of lizards and night creatures that can be seen . Many of these are very rare.

9th March,

We have both been very busy at the park . Many of the cabins have been booked out so there have been big cleaning days. They started trimming trees through out the park last Thursday so no branches etc will fall when the season starts. John has been feeding the mulcher with the tree Branches and raking up the leaves . With the heat during the day still around  35 degs it can be quite hot.

I did the local market on Sunday , very slow with no sales . It was interesting talking to other stall holders as they said also the sales were down.


 

11th March,

Today we are going to Uluru for a sunset bbq. We left G'day Mate caravan park at 6.20am . It is a beautiful sunny day with temperatures getting to 33 degs.

Our first stop is Stuart's Well Roadhouse where we had breakfast , bacon and egg on a bun and a cuppa . We left here at 7.50 heading to Mt Ebenezer roadhouse  around 9.30 for a cuppa and a stretch of the legs. Seeing some of the local art work with the bright colours at a gallery here is a great stop for tourist, 50% of the sales goes back into the local community .

10.00 am we were back on the road to Uluru .

morning tea

 

 

We stopped to view Mount Connor and  the salt lakes of this area. A great area for Ufo sightings with no lights only stars and moon at night.

Mount Conner

John and Marg at the Salt lakes opposite the Mount Conner lookout

Uluru at midday

Snake Rock at Uluru

John walking towards Elephant Head at Uluru

                                                      Swimming hole at Uluru

entrance to the Uluru Rock climb

Uluru at sunset

Marg and John at Uluru at midday

rest chair made out of trees brought down by a cyclone

 

If the temperature is 36 degs the rock walk is closed to the public due to the heat. The rock walk was closed today due to the heat . There has been 35 deaths from doing the rock climb, which is very sad. due to slipping  etc. We went on several walks around the base of Uluru and saw rock paintings and water holes .

 

Here is a small Uluru story that the indigenous elders tell the children . Hope you enjoy it.

The Willy Wagtail ( this is a small bird found around Australia with white eyebrows and its tail is always wagging).

The Willy Wagtail Woman,

Tjintir-tjintirpa, the Willy Wagtail Woman, lived at Ikari, the smiling cave , on the eastern side of Uluru.

This Ancestor used to laugh cheerfully to herself as she listened to the faint sounds of the Mala ceremonies coming from far away on the other side of Uluru.

Tjintir-tjintirpa was a very  friendly women who smiled at everyone who passed by. She was interested in everyone's business and knew everything about everybody.

Even today Aboriginal people in Central Australia are very careful not to talk too much when the willy wagtail is nearby. She might fly away to tell other people your business.

This is an example how stories can cross from one language area to another. The Luritja people, who live at King's Canyon, 200 kilometres to the north , tell how the Willy Wagtail Woman came to their country to spy on some travellers from Uluru.

From here we went to Kata Tjuta ( The Olgas ) which consists of 4 large rocks side by side. 

We returned to Uluru (Eyres Rock) for the sunset which was specular and a Bbq and a few glasses of wine . What a way to spent a wonderful day . We left Eyres Rock at 7.30pm for Alice Springs . On our way home we stopped at Mount Conner and looked up at the Milky Way.  Standing In the middle of a main road looking up to the heavens with not a vehicle light or other lights around was so clear, seeing a few satellites and checking out the galaxy's . We got home at 12.50 am . A total of 1100 kms of travelling today no wonder we are tired . We were up at 7.20 to start work at 8.00am  a early night for both of us tonight.

The Olgas

 

29th March,

Our day off yah. That is once we give the toilets and showers a clean.  We decided to have a look at the Ross Highway.  It is a very scenic drive to the Ross River Resort 85 kms away.  We stopped at Emily Gap, and Jessie Gap , but no water in either of the rivers . Then onto Corroboree Rock Conservation Reserve .

Here we came across a very peaceful caravan park , with great walking tracks around the rock and other walks. One of the walks we came to a beautiful Ghost Gum tree , it is over 300 years old . The trunk of it is so smooth when you touch it. If there was water in the river we have been told that it water is very cold even in the summer which surprised us.

 Then it was back to camp to watch the cricket test between NZ and Australia sad to say we lost .

 

11th May,

All of a sudden we are in May, the time here has gone very fast. With getting up at 7.00am and starting work at 8 am . John finishes his section of cleaning around 4.00 and myself I finish around  5.30- 6.00 every night. Once I have cleaned the cabins and ensuites  I go into the office for the rest of the day. The park is now in full swing with up to 30 plus vans coming in everyday . The park is 99% full each day.

Marg is still knitting at night to relax here is her latest project .

 

Whilst here at the park we met Brenda and Brian Graham who were travelling to Darwin . We had many wonderful happy hours with them and have kept in touch.

Brian & Brenda Graham with John at the ANAC

 On the weekend of the 8th of June it was the 40th Anniversary of the Finke Desert  race. 226 k from Alice Springs to Finke. then the riders had a night stop over and returned the next day to Alice Springs a total of 452k.
The Finke Desert race is an off road, multi terrain two day race for bikes, cars, buggies and quads through desert country from Alice Springs to the small Aputula (Finke) community. The race is held each year on the Queen`s birthday long weekend in June. "Finke" as it is commonly known , is one of the biggest annual sporting events in the Northern Territory and has the reputation of being one of the most difficult off road courses in one of the most remote places in the world . There was over 600 bikes, 200 buggies .

Sunrise at the Desert  Finke race



John , Greg and Christine Shaw getting warm by the fire

Marg nice and warm at sunrise

leading buggie

Gunter and John watching the bikes come over the hill

Woops front wheels going in opposite directions

Winning bike rider jumping over the hill

Marg, Chris and Greg relaxing

David the owner of G`Day Mate caravan park said to John and I we could swap our day off  so we could go and see the end of the race on the Monday . We were up at 4.30 am getting organized with sandwiches etc. . We arrived just before sunrise and set up our chairs to watch the first place riders to return home. A wonderful day was had with our friends Greg and Christine Shaw.