TRIP REPORT: Central Australia, Oodnadatta and Flinders

[ntp Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close ntp]

Okay - I will start my first Trip Report to document our travels from Darwin to Alice Springs, Oodnadatta Track, Flinders Ranges and also the PP GTG in the Red Centre. As we're travelling and have limited internet access - photos will be added sporadically. I'll just keep updating the thread as I go. So stay tuned.

Day One
We left Darwin EARLY on Wednesday morning to get to Katherine for breakfast. Having lived in Katherine before, the kids know a local coffee shop that makes their favourite chips & gravy while Mum and Dad can have a cuppacino, read the newspaper and prepare for our next 600km leg.

We stopped near Adelaide River to double check the rig and to make sure that everything was still tight and in their proper place:



When I stepped out of the car I quickly felt the cool Dry Season air at only 13 degrees Celcius. Now you Southerners might laugh at this - but once you've lived in Darwin for a while you soon realise how cool this is for a Territorian.

The Prado travelled excellently. We sat on between 100-105km as we weren't really in any rush and wanted to see how everything goes with the new camper trailer. I am glad we were heading South - because everyone else was heading North. I reckon we passed at least about 100 caravaners heading towards Darwin, sometimes is convoys of 5-9 in a row. Thank God I didn't get stuck behind one of these!

We arrived at Banka Banka Station just after 3pm as planned. I've not stayed here for a long time - actually when I was a child. Nowadays it is a commercial set-up but with limited space. I reckon we were about the 4th last to arrive - so we only just made it in time.



The campsite areas are well grassed and very pleasant. While no power is provided - each campsite does get unlimited water through a tap which comes from the local springs (apparently). The toilet and shower block is a demountable building and very well maintained. The showers are definitely HOT!



It cost us $30 for the family for one night. There is a small shop there for some basics only. They also put on a slide show about the Station and also allow you to try whip cracking and water divining. Best of all, with no ambient light after dark, the night sky was just brilliant. As my 10yr old daughter remarked - wow Dad, you can actually see the Milky Way!

Day Two
A slow start from Banka Banka because it was pretty cool overnight and our sleepy heads didn't want to leave their warm beds. Can't blame them really - neither did I.

Today's goal was Alice Springs. The kids haven't really seen the Devil's Marbles before, so we planned to stop their for a picnic break.

Again, the Prado towed the camper like a dream.

At the Devil's Marbles, the kids had a ball exploring around all the mammoth rocks. Got some great family shots too.





After lunch and a quick restroom break, we were back on the road for the final run into Alice Springs. We had added an extra 40L of diesel from our jerry cans to make sure we made it with plenty of reserve - and we easily did. Although we confused the scanguage because it reckoned we should have run out of fuel around Wauchope. I can now tell you all that once it says you've reach zero fuel it doesn't go into negative figures but just remains on nil. The fuel usage figure however just keeps rising above the 180L.

We got into Alice Springs around 4pm and booked into the MacDonnell Range Caravan Park. This place is first class, but busy. Great facilites and well maintained. Those of you that will be staying here as part of the PP GTG in the Red Centre shouldn't be disappointed.

After unpacking and having a great feed of spaghetti and garlic bread, I treated the wife and kids to a special desert from a vendor van conveniently located at the Park entrance, which sells strawberries and cream deserts, pavlova, cuppacinos and yummy desert mousse. Thanks Dad!

I'll add photos to the thread as I can - so please be patient.

[ValleyGXL120 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ValleyGXL120]

Re: TRIP REPORT: Central Australia, Oodnadatta and Flinders

Great report so far NT, looks like everything is going smoothly and your having a great time. Look forward to the updates

[D4D Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4D]

Re: TRIP REPORT: Central Australia, Oodnadatta and Flinders

How do you find the Prado with all that gear on the roof?

[ntp Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close ntp]

Re: TRIP REPORT: Central Australia, Oodnadatta and Flinders

How do you find the Prado with all that gear on the roof?

D4D - The items up top are light - clothing and sleeping bags only. These items sometimes take up heaps of space - but weigh little. So easier for us to store there than to take up valuable room elsewhere. Its only the extra spare tyre that has any real weight - however the upgrade front OME suspension can easily cope with this. We've done the same on our previous 4wd - never been a problem so far. 8)

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Day Three - Alice Springs

Day Three
Today's a rest and re-stock day in Alice Springs. Nice and cool this morning: only 1 degree when we got up.

After a quick breakfast we shot up town for a Gloria Jeans coffee and to read the newspapers while we made some calls to family. After this we did a tour of the town to see all the chances since we lived here in 2000. Even went and checked out our first house, which we still own. Everythings looking good and it made us a feel little homesick to return to the desert country.

Just doing a wash to ensure all clothes are clean and ready for the next week. Will go to Woolies this afternoon to get our final shop done for the trip. I've double-checked the car and camper trailer again. Everything looks okay and ready. Just need to re-charge batteries, re-fill water tanks and top-up the gas bottles and we will be ready.

The road conditions and weather reports for the next few days look good too. So hopefully some pleasant travels ahead. Can't wait to see Dalhousie Springs tomorrow - neither can the kids.

A SUGGESTED HINT: For those attending the PP GTG in the Red Centre, you might want to consider pre-ordering your meat supplies from Milner Meat Supplies phone (08) 8952 1171. They will take phone orders and can cryovac your meals individually to suit your needs. They have even pre-frozen our order for us ready to collect this afternoon.

[Golly Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Golly]

Re: TRIP REPORT: Central Australia, Oodnadatta and Flinders

Good report NTP, congrats on your first matey! :mrgreen:

[ntp Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close ntp]

Re: TRIP REPORT: Central Australia, Oodnadatta and Flinders

I'm back online now for a few days while based at Wilmington. Here's a couple of tempter pics of what's to come:




Stay tuned - will have plenty of time over the next couple of days to update this thread on our Oodnadatta and Dalhousie Springs adventure. :lol: :lol: 8)

[AJ Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close AJ]

Re: TRIP REPORT: Central Australia, Oodnadatta and Flinders

I like the action shot there nt, looking forward to the rest of the write up.

Cheers,
AJ

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Days 2 and 3 - Alice Springs

Days Two and Three - Alice Springs
These days were spent in Alice Springs in final preparation for the commencement of our journey along the Oodnadatta Track. We stayed at the MacDonnell Range Caravan Park, so this also provided us with a really good chance to reconnoitre the area in preparation for the PP GTG in July. We also got to enjoy our last day just sitting and reading a newspaper while enjoying a very hot coffee at Gloria Jeans in the Yeperenye Centre on a cold morning in Alice Springs.

While there, we also got to meet Mav for the first time - thanks Mav for taking the time to call in and say hi!

We love Alice Springs and really miss this place. There's been so many changes to the town since we 'officially' left in 2000. There's something about the Alice that I cannot describe. I think the dust gets into your blood - well it did mine.

Our kids loved the MacDonnell Range Caravan Park. Its a beaut place and very well operated. They especially loved the playpark and also the Sturt's Desert peas.




The wife also enjoyed the Hot coffee, strawberries and dessert van that operates on site between 5-9pm each day! There's a pretty well stocked convenience store on site along with fuel bowsers and water hoses to fill up your car/camper/caravan as needed.

After dinner at Sammy's Pizza joint on Friday night (which has a children's playpark included alongside the restaurant), we returned to the caravan park to set the kids down to bed and do our final pack/double-check. That's the best thing about the camper, you can easily just throw things in and all the other essentials (water, gas, electrical, fuel, etc) are stored on board. We filled our Prado and four extra 20L jerry cans again with diesel to ensure that we wouldn't have to refuel until we reached Port Augusta (near Wilmington). Our camper also carries 190L of water and 9kg of gas - so we were definitely self-sufficient for the next 5-6 days.

Alarm set for a 4.00am wake-up so as to be on the road heading due South by 5am. Day Six will be a long day and drive (almost 900km) out along the Oodnadatta Track to Dalhousie Springs!

[ntp Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close ntp]

Day 4 - Alice Springs to Dalhousie Springs

Today was always going to be a long day starting at 4am when the alarm went off. Our plan was to be on the road and heading due South by no later than 5am. We had a long way to travel today from Alice Springs to Dalhousie Springs.

We got everything into the car pretty well including the kids, who were a little slow given the time of day and the coolness of the morning (only about 3 degrees Celcius).

On the road, the Prado was going well but could feel the camper towing behind with all its extra weight on board.



Our first scheduled stop was Kulgera for breakfast. The road to Kulgera was uneventful. Fortunately, we didn't see any animals on the way which was unusual as we had always experienced this in the past.

At Kulgera, I topped up the fuel tanks to be doubly sure that we woudn't need to refuel again until we reached our final destination at Wilmington SA. We also filled our bellies with some hot bacon and egg sandwiches. After stretching our legs in the cool morning air, we were back on the road all primed to cross the border.



We soon crossed the border and headed straight for Marla, which would signal the start of our Oodnadatta Track journey. We got to Marla no worries and again stopped for morning tea. This was also the last chance to use some proper toilet facilities for a while.



We then drove to the start of the dirt and were pleased to see all roads were open.



I aired down the tyres to 27 psi all 'round and did a final double-check of everything. Nothing loose or out of place, so we were good to go. No turning back now! I turned to the wife and said, "Well, here we go into the Desert". She simply replied, "I hope we haven't forgotten anything". This immediately caused us both to start to doubt each other about what we might have left behind. Fortunately we hadn't left anything behind!

The Oodnadatta Track was pretty good although obviously corrugated with a pretty rocky base. Soon after leaving the bitumen we were being pursued by a keen 4wd drive that obviously needed to get somewhere fast. So being the courteous driver I am, I pulled over and signalled for him to pass. He did so and we continued on our way behind him. There was a slight breeze so the dust quickly moved off the track and didn't cause us any problems at all. Funnily, this was the last vehicle we saw until we reached Dalhousie Springs later that afternoon.

Around 12.30pm we pulled over at a dry riverbed crossing to have lunch. We chose this spot for no particular reason other than it looked nice and had some shade. We had cooked chook for lunch on fresh bread rolls.



Unfortunately, we weren't alone for lunch.



The kids enjoy a quick explore of the area. My two girls then exclaimed that they thought something was dead near one of the trees to which I laughed. I said that it was actually the tree that stank - it was a gidgee tree!

After lunch we set off again for the Dalhousie Springs turnoff. We reached this point about 2.15pm. The sign told us we only had 165km to go, but it didn't indicate how long this would take or how damn rough the road would be.



We also came across a lot of cattle which gave the kids some moments of enjoyment. On one occasion, a young calf ran in front of a car for a stretch turning left then right before deciding to just move off the track. This had my kids in hysterics as we followed the calf in our car and beeped the horn. Another time, we pulled up alongside a cow that just stopped and started at us. I wound down my eldest daughter's window right alongside the cow and it looked straight at her.



My son joked that there must have been something between the cow and his sister, being a reference to a joke from the movie "Land of the Lost" that we had recently seen. If you have seen the movie, you'll understand why this made me laugh.

The track to Dalhousie was quite rough but entertaining. It had everything from claypans, to fine dust, to gibber rock plains, to clay mud, river sand and sand dunes.







Indeed, the stretch of dirt from Sarah Station was Hamilton Station was very entertaining, especially going over the succession of large sand dunes - sort of like a poor mans 4wd rollercoaster ride!

Some of the areas were very rough and really slowed us down. I was keen not to damage a tyre so early into our trek - indeed I didn't want to damage any tyres at all! At a couple of points along the track there were a few options, which caused a few moments of hesitation.



But we seemed to choose the right ones and eventually made our way from the middle of nowhere to Dalhousie Springs.

Just prior to the Springs itself is the Dalhousie ruins. We didn't stop on our way in due to being a little behind schedule. But we knew we had more time tomorrow and would explore them properly then. More about this in my next post.

Funnily, we had only seen one other car all day - and this was on the Oodnadatta Track itself. So as we reached the T-junction turn into the campground area, I jokingly asked my wife if there were any cars coming. She began to say "All clear" when all of a sudden she yelled - "No, car coming!'. Who would have thought that we'd meet a car at this exact point. Knowing that the other car would only be going very slow because of the rough roads, I turned in front. Plus, I didn't want to be beaten to the campsite thinking we would be the only ones there.

We turned into the campgrounds and soon saw that we weren't alone. There weren't too many others there, perhaps about 8-10 others all neatly spread out. We found a quiet spot away from the others, but only 25m from the facilities and 50m from the Springs.

We quickly set-up camp before changing into our swimmers to test the temperature of the water.







The water was fantastic. About 37 degrees celcius. Very warm but enjoyable. After such a long day's drive and the dusty and dirty tracks, the water was so refreshing. We could have easily stayed in all night, but my skin eventually started to resemble a prune so I knew it was time to get out. The kids, however, stayed in a while longer.

Interestingly, there are small fish in this hot water that surround you as soon as you enter and nibble at your skin. I warned the kids to be careful as they were a form of Piranha. The kids didn't believe me. The kids loved the water and were also amazed by the birdlife and scenery.



After our swim, we did a little exploring of the area before returning to camp to start our campfire. The wife had prepared a pre-cooked meal that we had frozen beforehand so that we only had to re-heat it for dinner. This was a superb idea and saved heaps of time. The dinner cooked over the campfire was very yummy and went down a treat. Afterwards, the kids got to toast some marshmellows on skewers - it is amazing how much they enjoy this. Sometimes the most simple of things are the best!

I don't know if it was some magical powers of the heated waters, or the long drive, or the fantastic campfire dinner, but our kids wanted to go to bed very early and we soon in bed after sun fall.

This gave my wife and I some much enjoyed quiet time to sit before the campfire and reflect on our travels so far and the journey ahead. It is a wonderful thing to sit out in the open before a campfire with a beer and just want the embers glow, the flames dance and to talk beneath an open sky with all its stars shining brightly overhead. After a little while, another couple from Alice Springs came to say hello after noticing our NT number plates. We invited them to join us and they brought over some extra wood and a bottle of red wine. Needless to say we had a very enjoyable evening regaling about our travels and everything.

While talking we heard many dingoes howl in the distance. Best not to leave any food, clothes or shoes out overnight when camping here! Indeed, the sounds of the dingoes also helped to keep our kids in their beds overnight. No one was game to leave the tent without Dad coming with them.

At one stage, a couple of dingoes walked through the campgrounds but didn't cause any problems.

Unfortunately, our drinks seemed to quickly evaporate and before too long were all gone. So we each committed to getting up before sunrise to go down to the Springs to see the mist above the warm water and to take a dip and to get some brilliant morning sunrise photographs.

So we turned down for the evening and easily sank into a deep sleep. Tomorrow we would set-off again, this time for Algebuckina Bridge via Oodnadatta.

[photoprado Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close photoprado]

Re: TRIP REPORT: Central Australia, Oodnadatta and Flinders

Great report ntpryce!

Back in the old days, before Dalhousie got 'organised' all the camping was along the outflow of the spring. When we were there, we had a 1 y.o. and a 4 y.o and we literally had to drag them out of the creek to feed them and put them to bed. The fish would be nibbing on their toes!

Glad to hear that with the changes all the magic is not lost.

Michael

[Malcur Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Malcur]

Re: TRIP REPORT: Central Australia, Oodnadatta and Flinders

Great report, thanks for sharing. It certainly brought back memories of our drive to Dalhousie Springs last year, although we travelled in the opposite direction, from Oodnadatta.

Mal

[MickL Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close MickL]

Re: TRIP REPORT: Central Australia, Oodnadatta and Flinders

Top stuff NT , I'm itching for our August trip now.

Can't wait to get up there again... It's great country....


Mick

[ntp Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close ntp]

Re: TRIP REPORT: Central Australia, Oodnadatta and Flinders

Top stuff NT , I'm itching for our August trip now.

Can't wait to get up there again... It's great country....

Thanks MickL. :wink:

Actually heading up to Willow Springs tomorrow for a couple of nights and to do SkyTrek. Just hope the weather holds out for us. :|

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Day 5 - Dalhousie to Algebuckina Bridge

Day Five - Dalhousie to Algebuckina Bridge
True to our word, we woke before sunrise to greet the morning day and to visit the Springs one last time. Funnily enough, despite a few drinks the night before, everyone got up pretty easily.

Over night there had been some winter rain. I woke during the night to hear the pitter patter of the drops falling on our camper tent's canvas: it seems our 'wetting' of the canvas was completed properly as no leaks were detected anywhere.

When we stepped out of our tent, it was sort of surreal as the morning light started to glow over the far horizon prior to the sun breaking. Clouds were scattered overhead and must have provided a sort of blanket to keep the morning temperature very reasonable. Maybe it was all that heated water running underneath the ground too!

The whole family walked down to the Springs expectant to see a deep mist above the water, but there was not. Not yet anyway. There were already a couple of other campers, including our after dinner drink guests, having a morning swim. The water was beautiful again. The family then walked right around the Springs area to see what we could see in the soft light of the morning skies. The soft hues and amazing contrasts in colours between the salty white stains, greens bushes, red foliage all radiated in their own special way as the morning sunlight greated each of them. I tried to best capture these colours and the light conditions - I hope some of these photos due it enough justice.





The area around the Springs itself is quite unique and interesting. New Springs seems to be appearing all around. The whole place is alive and quite a special environment.

After our morning walk and photographs, we returned to the campsite for some brekkie and coffee. Morning coffee and a hot breakfast around a campfire to me is very special and always enjoyable.

Once our stomachs were filled and we were all primed for another full day's adventure, we packed up the camper and got ready to depart. We said farewell to our friends from Alice Springs and wished them well. While it was very tempting to stay another night, the distance rain clouds and overnight rain convinced us to keep moving - just in case!



Having seen some of the damage and river crossings that we travelled on the way in, the last thing we wanted to have to do was try and navigate them in wet weather!

Car packed and final check of the campsite to make sure nothing left behind (we have learnt this the hard way previously). Then to drive back along the same route we came in. This time, we wouldn't be in such a hurry racing against the end of the day.

It didn't take long to reach Dalhousie Ruins. When we stepped out of the car, it was noticeable colder with a slight chill in the air. But the kids enjoyed walking around all the ruins and thinking about how it might have been for those early settlers. The ruins are located near its own Springs, which is obvious by the amount of green surroundings and the wonderful date palm forrest on site.




This is a good spot for a short break and to get some great family photos with the wonderful backdrops of the old ruins steeped in all their history. If only the walls and stones here could speak.

After a really good walk around the entire area, we got back into the car and headed South again. The trip back was a little more enjoyable the second time around. Maybe its because we knew where we were going this time and were more confident in ourselves, our car and our camper trailer.

The sandhills run between Hamiton Station and Sarah Station was a lot of fun for the kids, although one did start to feel carsick in the end.

When we reached Fogarty's Claypan, we stopped again to get some good action and family shots. This is a wonder spot to do this. The openness of the area, being so flat, and the dust trails your car can make behind it make for some spectacular action shots.



After our fun on the claypans, we continued on determined to reach Oodnadatta for lunch. Our two girls were keen to see this place, as I had told them that there was something special about this spot that they would both enjoy.

The Pink Roadhouse doesn't disappoint. It certainly has an unique character and charm.



Surprisingly, there weren't too many other travellers there when we stopped. The kids loved looking around the strange pink roadhouse and we collected some souvenirs, including the mandatory pink stubby coolers. I ordered us a bag of $6 chips to go with our chicken rolls that we were going to make. I was a little worried for a while that the chips might come out pink, but fortunately they didn't. By the way, the hot chips were superb and went down a treat with our sandwiches.

The girls then enjoyed a quick play on the local playground while I repacked the car and discarded our rubbish.

After lunch, we headed off again destined for Algebuckina Bridge. We arrived there about 3.00pm. We drove around the Bridge area looking for a campsite but there were already about 3-5 other caravaners and campers already there. So with a little time up our sleeves, we decided to go over the road and checkout the Algebuckina waterhole area - and we were very glad we did. There is a superb camping area here only 5 minutes away right alongside a huge waterway. And best of all, we had this place to ourselves, at least for the time being.

We quickly scouted the area and found what we believed to be the absolute best location. We marked our spot and set-up the camper. We then grabbed some nearby wood and set about to making a wonderful campfire for the kids.



After establishing camp, we got ready to go back to the Algebuckina Bridge for some sunset photographs and to explore the Bridge itself. Just prior to heading off, two other campers also discovered our secret and set up their own campsites. But they each located an area well away from us and the other person - so that was good. Just the three campsites and all were very discrete.




Back at the Bridge the kids had a ball exploring the area and walking all over the Bridge.




We also go some fantastic photos and the background of the Bridge and the wonderful sunset light just topped it off. After this we returned to our campsite and fired up the campfire ready for a BBQ dinner - steak, sausages, onions, potatoes, etc. After making a fantastic dinner, I enjoyed a cold beer around the hot camp fire. The kids loved sitting around the fire and watching the embers, flames and sticking 'fire sticks' into the fire before writing their names in the dark.

We sat about and reflected on the days travel and also leaned back and just wondered at the night sky and scanned the horizon for satellites. The skies this time were very clear and all the stars, constellations and milky way were completely visible. And before too long, we also counted about 8-9 satellites and a few falling stars, to which my daughter's each made a wish. It might have been for toasted marshmellows, as we did this next and their faces lit up again. When I asked the kids what they thought of camping and the fire - they each just said "we love it". And this made my day!

We stayed up for a little while as the fire was so warming. But all good things must come to and end. So we each retired to the camper and easily fell asleep. I must say, sleeping on an inner springs mattress in our camper trailer after years of inflatable mattresses and sponge rubber bases is just heaven.

Tomorrow morning, we would head off for William Creek and the mighty Lake Eyre. It just keeps getting better and better. 8)