Palm Valley Drive

From Hermansburg we travelled to the Finke River National Park to see Palm Valley.  This valley has around 12,000 palm trees.  The road is a dedicated high-clearance 4WD track.  Down thru wide river crossings, some with water, mostly just nasty big river rocks.   Sand embankments, sand tracks covering up rocks, boulders etc.  You name it we travelled over it or thru it.  I was totally packing myself.  Whilst we had already done a couple of 4WD tracks that showed the Suzuki was capable, this was another story.  I so wanted to turn back, but of course, you didnt have anywhere to turn around.   21kms. in just to the Campground and then a further rugged 6kms to see Palm Valley.   It took us more than an hour and I was beside myself by the time we got there.  On the other hand, Rick was having a ball.  He was so over the moon with the handling of our Suzi.  It is now called "Mighty Mouse".  Once we got to the carpark, we walked down a long path, which we beleived, lead to the Palms.  How wrong we were.  By the time we got to the end of the pathway, we realised that from the carpark, we should have gone UP and across the top of the valley and descended downwards.   BUMMER.   We had run out of time and energy.   We couldnt stay any longer as we were running out of daylight hours to get out and return to the Campground.  So once again, in our cars, we tackled that miserable track.   All the while, I was thinking we were going to rip the guts out of the car and be stranded their forever.   What a disappointment for us all.   That much time and energy invested and we missed out.  On the other hand, there is no way I would go there again.  Sorry Rick, he prob. would love to tackle it again but Im over it.  I needed a hot shower when we got back to the Campground just to clean myself up from those "sweaty moments"   I vowed NO MORE OFF ROAD for me. But the next day, guess what, we were up for more.   We had been told about a gorge that isnt well known and not listed in the tourist brochures.  You had to traverse a dry creek bed (horror story again) for 8km. to access this place.  Roma Gorge - a sacred aboriginal rockpool, used for male initiations - no women allowed.  This place has some beautiful rock carvings, possibly the oldest in Aust. between 6-8000 years old.   Naturally we had to see them, Only 50km from Camp.  I must admit by this time, I was a little less nervous and almost enjoyed the trip in.   The access to the rockpool meant clambering over some very large boulders.  These contained many of the carvings and once your eye took it in, you saw more and more.  The rockpool itself was magic.  You could almost feel the spirituality surrounding this place.  There were more rockpools behind this one, but the aboriginal people asked that you respect their culture and not visit them.  It seemed that it was almost impossible anyway, as even climbing to high spots on the rocks, we couldnt see any access any further.  We were really happy to have visited.   We had spent four days camped out at Ormiston Gorge and so our last day, we tried to take in as much as we could.  Visited the Ochre Pits, used by the aboriginal people for their body art.  Then off to Serpentine Gorge (stunning) and Ellery Creek Big Hole.  Both of these are beautiful in different ways.  Serpentine had running water and huge gums growing in the rockpools.  Thru the distant rocks you could see Palms growing amongst the craggy rocks.   Ellery Creek is a campground that must be hugely popular in Summer.  The Big Hole is a fantastic swimming hole with wide sandy beaches.  Unfortunately for all those visiting, no swimming at the moment, cos there are too many dead fish floating on the surface.   I could only estimate that there were at the very least 600 dead fish lying on the surface.  We could actually smell the waterhole long before we saw it.  Considering the walk from the carpark is only 5mins. the smell was potent.   The West McDonald Ranges were amazing.  Loved everything that we saw and were sorry to be leaving the ranges to head back into Alice.   We needed to go back to go into a caravan park as we needed water, power, laundry, shopping, grog etc.  Got back to Alice  on Sunday morning in time to visit the Todd Mall Markets (arty/crafty type thing) then hit the supermarkets.  Surprise Surprise, no alcohol is allowed to be sold on Sundays.  Bummer.  We were leaving the next morning so figured we would have to go back in Monday morning and stock up then.   Guess what - no alcohol is allowed to be sold until after 2pm on weekdays. Bummer again .  Back we go in the afternoon - stocked up on beer and red wine.  I wanted a couple of white wine casks and couldnt find them.   The security guard on duty (Woollies liquor) asked me what I was looking for and then told me, the wine casks were behind locked  roller shutter door - they cant be sold until after 6pm at night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   I know the aboriginal people are addicted to buying cask wine but surely "out of towners" travelling thru should be made exceptions for.  Naturally they then make more money cos we ended up buying 1/2 dozen white wine bottles instead.  No way were we going back again just for casks.  You have to give them your drivers licence when you purchase any alcohol.  It is put into a scanner and checked to see if you have any convictions or restrictions that have been court imposed to stop you purchasing alcohol.    The next stop for us is the Devils Marbles.  Hopefully we will have service along the way as that has been my biggest problem.  Being out of range for so long.

Gorges and more



There are a number of gorges here to visit, and we did them all.  Not all were outstanding though.  From Ormiston we travelled 4kms up the road to Glen Helen above(not that nice) then onto Redbank.  A huge walk over the roughest river rock, supposedly 20mins but it was hell.  The gorge ended in a rockpool that was nothing short of  disappointing.    No photos here for that reason.  Then we travelled around 130kms on the dirt to Hermannsburg.  This is an aboriginal town.  There is a historic village precinct here, whitewashed buuldings built in the 1800s by a german lutheran minister.  It was once a thriving community but closed down and is now just a tourist thing, empty buildings, very little effort (my opinion) made to make anything of it.   Lots of tourists visiting but not enough here to make you feel it was worth it. Nice scones and pies, but so that made up for it.   The main town itself looks pretty derelict.  As with most aboriginal settlements, houses looking like crap, lots of broken/wrecked cars, dogs everywhere. you get the picture.  Its the sort of place you have to see cos you are here and its on the tourist brochures.  Cant say it was worth the trip out, but thats just my own opinion.   Next stop Palm Valley in the Finke River Nat. Park.  Should be fun I think.





Heading out west

Ormiston Gorge was our destination.  We decided to camp up overnight at a lookout 28kms from the Gorge.  Werent sure if we could fit  (big rigs) in the campground, so decided mornings were the best time to move in as others hopefully moved out.   The campground was great, the managers (from Ararat) were nice people and the facilities were basic and clean.   Once we settled in, we took a walk, firstly to a lookout high above the gorge.  Not a hard climb, but a steady high climb thru narrow paths.  The views were great but we couldnt wait to get down to see the rockpool we could see from up high.   Itwas really beautiful here.  We scrambled over rocks and walked around the rockpool to the sandy beach on the other side.   Didnt want to leave it was so special.  The only thing to detract from it were - dead fish.   There were probably 100 or more dead fish lying on the edge of the water, some the size of sardines, others quite large.  It is a natural thing that occurs when the water in the gorge becomes too cold.  The fish suffer with a parasite (I think) and it causes them to sufer from a lack of oxygen and they virtually suffocate.   There are signs everywhere letting people know the reason the fish are dying, so as to not upset anyone.  Apparently some of the fish are taken by the wildlife that visit the pool, but Im not so sure about that one.  Perhaps the ranger tells us that.  We all felt they should be scooped up and disposed of each day.  Rock Wallabys are here, but didnt get to see them. The hills are full of growth.  Everywhere we have visited so far is full of wildflowers, in the strangest of rocky ledges, as though they have deliberately been landscaped that way.   We are repeatedly told we are so lucky to see the Red Centre so green (it still looks dry to us) as they had the biggest dustbowl ever around 2009, then lots of rain in 2010 and now the bush has regenerated.  In Aug/Sept they wildflowers will be out in force and their colours are said to be amazing.  That will be another trip we will have to do.   We had booked only two nights here at the Campground, but with so much to see and do in the vicinity we have extended it for another couple of nights.  Apart from the campground managers from Ararat, we met people from Horsham, Colac, Bundoora and Hoppers Crossing (they have had Rubys Pizza !!!!!!!!!)

The water here is deep and is far too cold for swimming.,  Warning signs telling people now to attempt to cross over the water as it is far too cold to enter.

Leaving the East Ranges

The days here have been beautiful.  Ice on the roof hatches every morning, freezing cold (our first day it was supposedly -3oC) but then it warms up to around 20oC.  The skies are the bluest I have ever seen.  Not a single cloud.  Just bright blue against a backdrop of red rock.  The nights are as clear as can be, but by 4pm the day starts to cool down really quickly.  Out at Trephina Gorge, I can honestly say I have never seen a sky like it.   The number of stars lighting up the night skies were amazing.   Spent the night star/heaven gazing.

The bus gets a splash as we cross a river

Had a picnic at Corroborree Rock.  An amazing piece of rock, supposedly sacred to the aboriginal people, but noone really knows if anything ever took place here.  Nice spot for a picnic and a stroll though.   Lot of dirt roads and a couple of water crossings on the way, the bus was filthy, my car even worse but hey thats what its all about.   Now its time to go back to Alice Springs and then head out west.  Off to Ormiston Gorge, 135kms the other side of Alice Springs, supposedly the Jewel in the Crown of all the gorges here.

Trephina Gorge

Camped up and ready for a great day



Getting dirty in the sand



Took ourselves approx. 80kms out of Alice Springs to the East McDonald Ranges.  The scenery was nothing short of jaw dropping.  Constantly on the CB radio bet. vehicles decribing the views we were seeing.  The mountain ranges were beautiful, lots of red rocks and lush green foliage. against the brightest blue skies.  Not a cloud to be found anywhere.   The campground was great but far too small for us, we managed to tuck ourselves into a great little spot though, 5 mins from the river and room for a campfire, of course.   The gorge was stunning.  The river was slowly flowing, in we went paddling upstream, the water alternatively warm or cold, depending on the depth.  We couldnt help but go nuts, such a lovely day in such a special place.  It was the first time where we actually felt like we were in the Red Centre.   We had been told the gorges on the west side couldnt compare to this one, but we kinda feel its up there, I guess cos it was the first we saw.   Such a nice spot it was sad to leave.  On the way back we visited by 4wd the Johns Hayes Rockpool.  What a trip.  For high clearance 4wds only. Down a creek bed, it was horrendous, not sure the rockpool was worth it but we were so happy to get there in one piece, we had to have a coffee break to calm us down.

Still in Alice Springs

As I write this blog tonight, we have actually been in Alice Springs and her surrounds for 12 days.   Five days here at the Park were hectic, out every day catching the touristy stuff.  Our friends were in a different caravan park, so happy hour was always between two caravan parks, after a busy day out.  No time to blog. and in some cases, too much wine, meant no sane blog was capable from me.  Then when we hit the road to go bush - no service for the next 6 days.   You can travel 15kms out of town and instantly no service.!!!!!!  No TV, no news, no email, no phone - bliss as far as Rick is concerned.   A highlight for our first night here, was our friends Andrew & Joanne, the caravanners that we met in Gippsland in Jan and who came to stay in our backyard back in Feb.  They were here in Alice Springs for their last night and so we managed to catch them for a drink and a chat.  It was really nice to see them again and hear where they had been and what their future plans were.  They are possibly heading into outback Qld by now.

Alice Springs

Yippee - hope its warm and sunny

Transport Hall of Fame/C a slice of what is there

Parked up at the Big 4 Park and spent everyday out and about in Alice.  So much here to do and see.The very first thing you see when you arrive, are the aboriginal people, deserted by their Community because of their alcohol or gambling etc. addictions., They live along the banks of the dry Todd River that runs thru Town. During the day they wander the streets and the Mall and by night, go down to the river banks to drink.  Mums,dads, kids and toddlers.  What a sorry sight it is.  They never make eye contact with you as you pass by.  Mind you, they represent a tiny percent of the aboriginal people here.  First stop was the Transport Hall of Fame, a boys paradise full of cars, trucks, buses etc.  Even I enjoyed it.  The reptile park was next where we were draped with large snakes, lizards, geckos etc.  It was a really enjoyable outing. We also visited the Desert Park.  This was truly boring, the only saving grace was the "Birds of Prey" Show.Visited Todd Mall for the art galleries, souvineer shops, and the Market.  The views from top of Anzac Hill were great and gave us an idea of the layout of Alice.  All the land surrounding the City is fully owned by the Aboriginal Council and no development can take place unless their is a great deal of

consultation first.  Then out to the old Telegraph Station where two old blokes entertained us with their use of morse code and the sending of telegrams.  It was here that we came across Ian "Huey" Hewitson filming for his cooking show.  Nice guy, posed for pics and had a chat with him.   Hot Curry on the menu and beleive me it was a nice hot day, he was sweating it out big time.

A visit to a local pub called Bojangles Saloon was a highlight.  Someone has spent $$$$$ on old memorabillia for this pub - a real tourist drawcard.  We had to stay for lunch and enjoyed a platter of Camel Kebabs, Croc Paddies, Emu Snag, Buffalo medallion and Kangaroo Fillet.  Naturally everyone there was a tourist, taking photos of every inch of the place.   Huey was there too and sang out a cherry hello, no doubt enjoying the meat platter was well!!!!!!!!!!!

The beer garden, rear of Bojangles Saloon

Helen has a family friend who works for the Imparja TV Station, her name wasVanessa.Imparja is the only fully digital Tv station in Oz.  Wholly owned by the Aboriginals.  She gave us a guided tour of the station and we watched the female news presenter get ready and then film a short news update. So much effort goes into a very short 1-2 min of footage.  Hair, make up, lighting, backdrop, sound etc.  It was really very interesting for us all to see what happens before someone  goes on air.

That night Vanessa, took us out to one of her favourite places to watch the sunset.   It was out in the bush, high on a hill, we had a great happy hour and campfire and when darkness came, we jumped in our 4wds to head back home.  Unfortunately for Vanessa she got totally lost in the dark and we ended up going round in circles on a bush motorbike track trying to find ou way out.  She was so embarassed and we were hysterical with laughter.  First time the Suzi had to go into 4WD and we had an absolute ball lost in the bush.  When we finally found the right road, we headed into town for a Thai dinner.  She continued to apologise and we all told her it was the best night ever!!!!!!!  Hadnt laughed so much in ages for all of t us.  Next stop for us was Quad bike riding out at Undooyla Station. A  cattle farm running around 5000 cows.  It was a huge day of fun and dust.  Frosty was a great host, filling us all in on not only the stations history, but also the community at large and also the life the family live being on the station.   Great day out (thanks for the tip Andrew)

On the way to Alice Springs

We left the Kings Canyon Campground and detoured to do the short 1 hr. walk thru the valley at the base of the Canyon. It was a pretty walk from a different perspective but nowhere near as spectacular.

Truckie Yve

We stopped for coffee at a rest stop and two big roadtrains also "dropped by".  They heard us talking on the CBs about a coffee break so invited themselves along.  There were 2 trucks, each carrying 3 trailers. Each trailer had 24tonne on it.   Nice guys from W.A. delivering track chains off an enormous digger (the digger was so big it could pick up the semis prime mover in its bucket).  They were delivering their load to Qld.  They were quite happy for us girls to climb in the truck and pose for photos, also some young kids pulled up and they were only too happy for the kids to experience "driving" the trucks.   Then we set off on the road again.  Stopped about 110km out of Alice on the Finke River.  Pretty dry at the moment, but the camp was a beaut and we found plenty of firewood for a really good fire.  So nice, we all cooked our dinners over the fire and then sat outside drinking and talking till sleepiness took over.

Rick, Ros and Tony,( Caravan couple from Adelaide) who are now part of our convoy.

Alice Springs in the morning. Cant Wait.

Kings Canyon Stay

At the campground, there was a bar a restaurant and a BBQ Shed.  The dinner menu looked quite interesting. 

 Tasting Plate of Smoked Kangaroo, Emu Pate, Camel Meat Balls  or Crocodile Fettucine.

We ended up in the BBQ shed two nights running.  A husband/wife team called "The Roadies" played every night.  Pretty simple popular music, lots of fun/comedy and audience participation.  Rick received a Diploma for being a fan of Heavy Metal.!!! The shed was heated which made it a better place to be than anywhere else as it was freezing cold here at night.

We woke up the last morning of our stay here to the sounds of dingos howling nearby, it was a really nice sound.    As we have travelled down the Highways we have seen herds of camels off in the long grass, and also one dead camel by the side of the road.  Big eagles, wild brumbies, lots of birdlife, only 1 kanga, sheep all over the roads and lots of mice.    Plagues of mice everywhere, which is prob. pretty good for the birds.

Kings Canyon was another big highlight for us together with Ayers Rock.  Cant say that we would ever do the walk again but would go back to the Rock definitely.

Canyon Walk

You can see someone standing on the opposite side of the canyon

One of the staircases, we had a picnic here it was so pretty, shared our picnic with some very friendly birds. They love chocolate!!

Walking thru the rock formations, no set path as such, just little arrows here and there to make sure you know where you are actually going.

This is the top of the canyon that we walked around

You can see the stairs that we had to negotiate before we even got to the top of the rim.  This was very hard going and we huffed and puffed our way up, laughing at how unfit we all were.

Kings Canyon

From Uluru, we headed off to Kings Canyon.  Stopped at Kings Creek Station for a picnic lunch.  This is a working cattle and camel farm, exporting camels worldwide.  You can camp up here but its 40km drive into the Canyon so we opted to stay at the Kings Canyon Resort & Campground.   It was over 300km between Ayers and here. Arrived just as a dingo was making his way thru the campground, tried to get his photo but he was too quick.  There are gates on the shower complex to keep them out!!!!!.  Five of us decided to attempt the walk around the  top of the canyon, whilst Helen decided to just do the canyon floor walk.  There are over 600 natural rock steps cut into the side of the canyon wall that you have to climb up before you actually get to the top and the walk.   It was exhausting just doing this part, lots of stopping to sit on rocks and get our breath,  Sometimes we were scranbling on hands and knees to get up the steps.    We had already started to think "Was it worth it" but you simply couldnt go back down the way you were coming up, so there was no choice. Mind you a 71yo passed us, he had done the walk the day before, and decided to do it again the next day for better photos.!!!!!!!!   Not even a little puffed.    Bugger.   This canyon walk was on the list of Must Do's.     Didnt think we would be capable of it, especially Rick.  He took his walking stick, which helped tremendously.   The walk took us 3hrs and 55mins.   We stopped numerous times, for photos, to rest and to have a little picnic. The walk takes you up and down and around the top rim of the canyon.  The views are nothing short of spectacular, everywhere you look, there is something to excite you.  We had a beautiful sunny day and the colours of the rocks were changing all the time.   There were a number of steep climbs, lots of pools with water from recent rains lying around,  plus a few sets of wooden stairs to negotiate and some foot bridges. you could walk right out almost to the edges of the canyon for magic views and photos.    We loved it but were thoroughly exhausted by the end.  We would be walking, thinking "are we there yet back at the car park" and then look up and see people high above us and realise we have to go "way up there" yet and think damn.    There were cheers and laughter when we finally saw signs of the carpark down below.  Medals all around were deserved.   Rick did so well to walk that distance, it was hard going but he was determined.  Mind you he got stuck into Johnny Walker ASAP after that

Uluru

At the N.T. Border early in the morning.  We are so happy and excited to finally arrive here. 

Ayers Rock at Sunset.  It is almost too cold to enjoy our Happy Hour drinks.  Who said it was hot up here in the Territory.

The Rock at Sunrise - as you can see its still freezing.  Got up in the dark for this one, but it was worth the effort.Carved our name in the ice that was on the handrails of the viewing platforms.

One of the waterholes we came across at the base of Ayers Rock.Short walk thru some beautiful scenery, and then this waterhole at the end.  It was a lovely surprise and because it had rained for 4 days before we got to the rock, there was a steady stream of water coming down the rock into the waterholes.

Sunset at the Olgas, another beautiful place, but it was just as cold as Ayers Rock.  Sun is shining but the nights are freezing cold.   Happy Hour didnt last too long.   Its a 60km drive out and back from Uluru

Uluru/Ayers Rock

Coming into Uluru, our first impressions of the Rock were "Awesome".   It has a special effect on you when you see it up close and personal for the first time.  We camped at the Ayers Rock Campground and once set up, headed out to the Rock.    The must dos for photos etc. are the sunset and  then the sunrise over the rock. Loaded up with chairs,tables,happy hour food & drink.  We had been warned to rug up and so glad we did.  Beanies, scarves, gloves & heavy coats.   It was crazy to see people everywhere, from all over the world, here just to see A ROCK.   Must admit, it was a pretty good show, the sunset put on for us.   The next morning, in the darkness Rick and I rugged up and headed out around to the opposite side of the Rock to watch the sunrise. Helen & Eric, opted for a sleep-in.  Huge bus loads of people here.  Took cofee with us this time.   It was so cold here that we carved our names in the ice of the viewing platform handrails.   Bumped into some caravan  friends and so took lots of photos of us all out there in the early dawn.   Once that "show" was over, we warmed up back at the bus and then headed back out (its 20km from the Campground) to the Rock.  Visited the Aboriginal Cultural Centre to read and understand the spirit of this place.   This time we did some walks around the base of the Rock.   It was truly magic.  Came upon waterholes, rock paintings, beautiful rock formations etc.   Can only imagine what this place must have meant to the Aboriginal people before the white man arrived.   Wasnt interested in attempting to climb the rock and it was closed for that, the two days we were there, anyway.   It looked like a crazy thing to do.   The visit to Ayers Rock, for us, was the highlight so far.   We just had such a memorable time there.
Then it was off to the Olgas, a 60km trip away, we did a big walk thru one of the Gorges, and then settled down for sunset.   We had a group of backpackers, german/dutch/french nearby.  They were so funny as they posed for pictures, one getting part naked, after much urging from all of us..  We were all having such a good time, almost missed the actual sunset.  Really nice bunch of travellers.

Andamooka to Coober Pedy.



A view of the town from the Medical Centre



 Left the sunshine of Andamooka and camped up at the Pimba Roadhouse with prob. another 30 or so RV vehicles., then it was off to  Coober Pedy to cold and overcast weather.  We camped up at a caravan park, the first job was laundry and then of course Happy Hour.   We stayed out too late and it was dark and cold when we all retired.  Helen had to go off to the local Hospital to see a Doctor for a bad chest infection and the next day we were at the Doctors for Rick who had a Sinus Infection.  .  The Town is made up of 80% of underground housing and the rest is pretty ramshackle.  A large amount of empty boarded up houses and businesses here.  There isnt anything much to do other than the touristy things of opals/mines/underground buuildings.   It feels like a town just hanging in there.  Cant say I liked it much.  We visited a 50 y.o. underground house that was a  warm 24oC almost all year.  With temps. up to 50oC, you can see why they would go underground.  Not sure if I could handle it, but a really top shelf 4 bedroom underground house will set you back $210,000.  We also saw underground churches, mines and museums.   Everybody sells opals here and virtually nothing else other than the usual tacky giftlines.  Our friend Grant has an old mate called Yarnie, who works at the Umoona Underground mine.  So we looked him up. He gave us a talk on the very different types of opals and how and why they change in value so greatly from 100s of dollars to 10s of thousands.   That was very interesting, especially if you are in the market for such a thing.   We all went out to Tom and Marys Greek Restaurant for a great feed which was a good way to say goodbye to Coober Pedy.    After two days it was time to hit the road again .  We drove out about 34kms. and turned off to see "The Breakaways" a rock formation.  About 1 klm. in we decided it was too rough for the motorhomes, so we parked them up on the side of the road and hit the dirt in the Suzi.   They were great to see, extrememly windy out there, but we were glad we made the effort.  



Having a "drink" in the underground house





We left Coober Pedy and headed out to the Breakaways, a group of rock formations about 34kms up the road.  The road going in was pretty bad, so we decied to park up the buses on the side of the road and drive in with the Suzi.  It was a good decision, the roads were corrugated but the views were beautiful.  The wind was howling and it felt like an arctic winter.   A hot coffee was the next best thing back at the buses.Then we hit the road, did 100kms and ended up at Cadney Homestead/Roadstop.   There was a great wood fire going in the bar, so Happy Hour took place around the fire.  We were joined by some others and it was so nice, we all decided to stay on and have a meal. Roast of the Day was the popular choice.   The next morning, Helen and Eric opted to "chill out" and Rick and I headed out to the "Painted Hills".  This was a 200km round trip over the roughest, rock/corrugated /mud/water/creek crossing roads.  Rick loves to sit on 120 on these roads, but we were down to 50 in some spots.  Once again, I thought we were never going to find it, and then there they were.   Words cant describe the views.  Just amazing rock formations in the middle of what looks like simple arid flat countryside.  We parked the car up and took a long walk up to the top.   That was worth the effort.  Lots of photos taken to capture the right one.  The sun kept hiding behind the clouds and the colors changed constantly.   Left late in the afternoon, camped up just before the N.T Border and then it will on to Ayers Rock/Uluru.  More pics no doubt to come.

Andamooka Opal Fields

Rick, Eric, Helen and "Doc"

 Saturday saw a  "Doc" a local Andamooka miner come to the campground and get us to follow him out to his Opal Mine.  He has mined here for a very long time with some success. It was amazing to see how he had established his mine and the work it took to extract the opal.  The mine was huge, full of caves of varying length.It was a good introduction to the history of the opal.  We then jumped into our 4wds and followed him out to vast opal fields.  Many years ago big companies have turned over all these mounds of dirt with excavators and now its left to locals/tourists to have a go.  We all got down and dirty with our little hammers, chipping away at the ground, naturally we all had big expectations, but luck wasnt on our side.  There had been on previous days, good finds here.  We then followed Doc around the town and then had a meal with him and pumped him for info on the population etc.  This town is dying, very little tourist stuff here at all.  Even the local caravan owners walked away from their business.  Doc likes to take out the campers that come in, so that word of mouth will spread, and more people will make the effort to see Andamooka.   The homes here look like dilapadated dumps, people here live quite simply, amongst the dirt and dust, and its hard to understand why they can live the way they do.   The town is also full of wrecked cars, sadly for Rick, no vintage/hot rod/GTs were discovered on our drive around.We enjoyed our time in Andamooka, staying an extra day.   Had a couple of other motorhomes here and also a couple of Caravanners. On Sunday it was Ricks birthday and we decided to go for a "little" drive.  I wanted to see Lake Eyre South and Coward Springs so the two of us set off, it took 3 hrs of rough dirt/gravel road to get to see the Lake.  That was fantastic.  Just the tip of Lake Eyre as such, but it was good to see such a mass of water in such an arid place.   Then we drove further onto The Springs.  The site of a big railway landing once upon time, now just a couple of restored buildings amidst a camping area.  Their is a natural bore here which they have turnd into a"spa" pool and the water is lovely and warm.  Naturally we jumped in and enjoyed the warmth.  It was hugely relaxing.  Rick was the first to get out and I shouted out to him to pass me the camera.  I wanted a pic of him in his BIRTHDAY SUIT, after all it was his birthday but he wouldnt comply.  Hence I have posted a pic of him submerged.   Then it was time to have a quick picnic and a long drive back to Andamooka.  7hrs all up, on gravel and dirt, wondered sometimes if it would be worth it but we had fun, so thats what its all about.   We are packed up now and are heading off to the Pimba Roadhouse to camp up for the night and will then make our way to Coober Pedy.

Rick laying down on the job looking for opalsAdd caption

Camping with Andamooka in the background.

The house made of beer bottles

The birthday boy

We love it and want to bring it home!

We are on the move

We left Auburn and headed to Port Augusta.  Stopped for coffee at Snowtown. This is the town famous for the "Bodies in the Barrels" now a movie.

Sad town known only for this.  Onto Port Germein for lunch and a look at the longest wooden jetty in Aust. Parked up for the night behind the Pt. Augusta Footy Club along with dozens of other motorhomers and then onto Woomera, defence force town, sadly, almost ghostlike, full of empty housing,  then to roxby downs. Would love to have done a tour of BHP Billiton Mine, but would have to have waited a week to do so. We have now arrived at Andamooka in the Opal Fields.   The sky is blue and the weather is sunny so looking forward to getting out and looking around tomorrow.  One of the local miners has offered us a guided tour of his mine tomorrow.