A few flights & a 5,000km Outback Adventure from Adelaide to Darwin

[Heleigh]

Thanks RB haven't seen much of central Australia apart from flyng over it - enjoying all aspects of this TR.

 

[RB]

Day 7
Mainly a driving day. Morning tea was at a highway lookout for Lake Amadeus salt pan & had a good view of Mt Connor.
We booked into Yalara Resort campground at Uluru – tents were put up for 1[SUP]st[/SUP] time with varying success in the wind. Great stretchers & sleeping bags or some people had opted to use swags. Late lunch was at the campground - smoked chicken, cranberry sauce & salads on fresh buns-our driver had restocked on fresh food at various times & we ate fresh all the time-no compressor or “engel style fridge freezer” just multiple big ice boxes that fitted well in the purpose built trailer.
We made a visit to the cultural centre for self paced viewing of aboriginal history and art as well as videos of male & female ceremonies-well organised & some people splashed out on art.
We made a quick drop off of some fold up chairs to claim our spot for the sunset viewing of Uluru – this was enhanced by a full moon as well. It was back to camp to tidy up then out to the sunset viewing with about another 15 or so coaches/mini buses. Some groups left immediately (actually a bit before the sunset was fully completed) we stayed behind & ate tacos. Many of our group didn’t drink at the sunset spot - we observed the request to not pee anywhere away from toilets (none around here & a bit scarce around Uluru generally) because of the artesian water basin-average 8,000 visitors each day can create problems. Other groups had champers & canapes. It was then back to camp for some cold drinks and jokes. The facilities at the camp were fantastic-heaps of showers, hot water, plenty of toilets & all spotless although various groups set out very early in the morning & you are liely to be woken up but thats camping!


Lake Amadeus salt pan
Our tent
Uluru from bus viewing area
Part of the sunset viewing crowd
Full moon rising

 

[drron]

Thanks RB.I do enjoy the outback.
One thing makes me sad-you did not mention seeing my addition to the mementos at the William creek pub.So sad.
I agree the flight option is well worth while.we flew from Coober Pedy on Opal air a few years ago-Lake Eyre appeared then much as you saw it.We overflew the Painted Desert and had stops at Oodnadatta and Williams Creek-taxied to a very short distance from the pub then.
Keep it up.

 

[RB]

Thanks RB.I do enjoy the outback.
One thing makes me sad-you did not mention seeing my addition to the mementos at the William creek pub.So sad.
I agree the flight option is well worth while.we flew from Coober Pedy on Opal air a few years ago-Lake Eyre appeared then much as you saw it.We overflew the Painted Desert and had stops at Oodnadatta and Williams Creek-taxied to a very short distance from the pub then.
Keep it up.

Not sure I saw it! Any details? Things seem to get overlapped a bit too. I did notice that you didn't repair some of your divots on the golf course, with the depth of them you must have been lucky to get out of there alive!

 

[RB]

Day 8
We were up at 5am for drive out to the sunrise viewing near the Kata Tjuta/Olgas & then a cooked breakfast of pancakes - pretty cold but the early start gave us prime view at the platform spot & the full moon background added to the occasion.
We then had a walk around various options at the Kata Tjuta-otherwise known as the Olgas. The Valley of the Winds was a very enjoyable hike. It was at this point that our camera died!-lucky in a way as we were close to Alice Springs so we could check our options.

We returned to the Cultural Centre for some extra viewing & buying & lunch of an excellent tuna mix & salads.
Some did a walk around the base of Uluru & other less enthusiastic people opted for a drive around & short walk into 2 easily accessible sections. The walk around was bloody hot, the cooler part of the day had been spent at the Olgas

We topped off a long day with the famous Sounds of Silence dinner – we were picked up & dropped off by bus. We arrived about 10 minutes away from the resorts past the town tip (other buses go to other viewing spots) as part of a group of 50 odd. We were treated to champagne/beer/wine/soft drink & canapés at a viewing platform above the dining area. Then we had first drinks down in the dining area while a didgeridoo was played. Dinner was served out of an impressive permanent kitchen -our group enjoyed the advantage of 1[SUP]st[/SUP] table up so the impressive buffet had not been picked over by people of questionable dining habits! Plenty of quantity & superb quality - pumpkin soup, crocodile Caesar salad, salads with tasty bush sauces (wattle seed etc), kangaroo, chicken sausages, barramundi, lamb cutlets, lemon myrtle potatoes, marinated baby carrots etc. There was a big array of sweets-apple crumble, bread & butter pudding, chocolate brownies, fruits etc. Penfolds port (I think one of our group excelled in consumption, it helped him overcome his singing shyness) rounded off the array of drinks (unlimited white/red wine & beer). Bush camp toilets were well maintained.

We were given a basic but entertaining astronomy talk with identification of the night sky-this was limited a bit by the full moon.
Back at camp a fantastic day was finalised with a couple of the group entertaining us with some singing-an ex-opera singer doing White Cliffs of Dover etc. accompanied on some songs by the port man


Beginning of our sunrise show
Olgas at sunrise
Another fine day
Pancake scraps justify a cold, early start
heading towards the Valley of the Winds walk

 

[Shelf]

Not sure I saw it! Any details? Things seem to get overlapped a bit too. I did notice that you didn't repair some of your divots on the golf course, with the depth of them you must have been lucky to get out of there alive!

Great TR!

I've had a number of trips in 'outback' SA, sometimes I miss the red soil and natural environment.

For the golfing fans, the Coober Pedy golf course has reciprocal rights with St Andrews!

Coober Pedy - - Opal Capital of The World

 

[RB]

Day 9

Breaking camp & the first pack up tents & swags provided a few challenges. Breakfast was at the campground & then we departed for Alice Springs. This was a long driving day with lunch by the side of the road & a couple of stops at roadhouses.
I have posted a review of our Alice Springs motel here http://www.australianfrequentflyer....-reviews/all-seasons-alice-springs-43869.html

Around Alice Springs-Days 10, 11,12
An opportunity to get some individual space & everyone was left to do whatever interested them. Plenty of washing was done & then some wandering around the many attractions around town. It was a 10 minute walk from the motel to the mall & plenty of taxis were available. The casino was pretty so so, but the Desert Park was widely enjoyed - the nocturnal house was fantastic. Bojangles Bar was a great spot for a beer & good food & an amazing array of memorabilia & gimmicks - trick taps, toilets etc. Les, a local gave us a good overview of the hotel.
Alice Springs was certainly big enough to have many facilities & services eg Harvey Norman, Coles, Woolies, Dick Smith, Camera House etc. Advice was our camera was dead so after some quick googling back at the motel we opted to buy a Sony HX20V with a price match-since getting home more googling led us to give the old camera a good shake & a reset & we now own 2 cameras.
We also found Alice Springs much neater & tidier than our prior reading had led us to expect.

Photos below are of the Desert Park. Bottom 4 photos are from the nocturnal house so we were impressed by the new cameras ability in the darkened conditions-believe the snake was shedding skin

 

[RB]

Hey I really enjoyed Bojngles bar.


Back bar
Plenty of traps for the unwarry
Griffo the python lives in this enclosure

 

[jetlagger]

Thanks RB! Truly delightful TR so far.. The photos are splendid.. I have done some outback travels some years ago venturing around some of the places you covered.. The Bojangles bar is definately on my bucket list.., as is flight over Lake Eyre.
keep up the good work

 

[RB]

Day 13
Alice Springs to Tennant Creek - early start with a 7.30am departure - most people well organised to have bags out for packing, again some were not.
1[SUP]st[/SUP] stop was at Ti Tree –an amazing general store with everything - fridge, tvs etc. There was plenty of frozen food available including kangaroo tails. On the front door patrons were advised that babies must wear nappies. There was a Centrelink check screen available-one of our fellow travellers advised this is part of a new rollout.
We also called at Wycliffe Wells –this was a UFO themed roadhouse. Some people purchased paintings from a local artist sitting out the front.
We also grabbed a photo of Wauchope NT –the namesake of our NSW hometown & maybe where our lost mail goes!!
Devils Marbles was ideal for lunch – time for a walk around and get some photos –we met a push bike rider who is riding around the world and supplied him with some appreciated quiche leftovers.
We spent 1 night at Tennant Creek Elderado Motel –smelly rooms but free, quick wifi! Some had a beer at the pub and experienced some local atmosphere. The motel bbq’s were rusty, grubby messes but we cleaned them up & enjoyed an early BBQ dinner.
Tennant Creek seems like a really big service centre but the road trains didn’t seem to bother our sleep. The road north of town was blocked because of fires that afternoon but was clear the next morning.


Wauchope pub
I'm not that strong
Amazing array of rock just off the highway
Tennant Creek welcome
Downtown Tennant Creek

 

[Shane B]

Thank you, have been enjoying your TR.

 

[RB]

Day 14-Tennant Creek to Mataranka
At Elliott we enjoyed morning tea in the park. We had a beer at Daly Waters pub while a picnic lunch was prepared nearby. In the afternoon we paid a visit to Elsie Cemetery (we had been listening to an audio book of We of the Never Never on the bus).
That night was spent at Mataranka Homestead camp-a busy location. The rooms were basic but clean. Many enjoyed the swimming hole. After a tasty dinner of Thai Tom Yum chicken some visited the camp bar & were entertained by Kerry the onsite singer-some of the visiting dancers were of varying rhythmic awareness!



Basic but comfortable rooms at Mataranka
Daly Waters Pub
Across the road from the Daly Waters Pub
Inside the bar
Good setup for camp ground-meals, bar, nightly entertainment & short walk to great swimming hole

 

[RB]

Day 15
We had an early start from Mataranka to ensure we made time for our Katherine Aviation flights (an optional addition) again in Cessna 210’s. This was the “Scene It Up To Kakadu” option and enjoyed by most although some reported being too hot & uneasy with some of the tight turns. There was also some smoke through various spots. We saw the 13 gorges, Nitmiluk National Park, Kakadu National Park, Jim Jim falls, twin falls, 17 Mile Valley and also flew over the Katherine township. The flight was great & we saw some brumbies, wild pigs, various birds etc. Our pilot believed the best time to see the Kakadu Escarpment is in April.

We followed our flight with fresh sandwiches and then the Katherine Gorge cruise of 2hrs. Because of the season we had to transfer between boats at one stage. There were quite a few people kayaking around at their own pace.
We restocked our drinks and headed to camp at Edith Falls for 2 nights.

Edith Falls are a great but popular camp spot. Again there were good shower & toilet facilities and some clothes lines but limited power and kitchen facilities meant we ate early each night.-Hawaiian hamburgers night one & Gourmet appeterizers/antipasti etc on the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] night. This was an easy time with people making there own choice of walks, swimming etc. A couple minutes walk took people to a large, fantastic fresh pool.

Drinks were enjoyed around camp & the crumbling of some camp chairs provided some comic relief.




Brumbies from the air


Katherine Gorge cruise

 

[RB]

Swimming hole, couple of minutes flat walk from camp
Another great pool close to camp
Sweetwater pool

 

[RB]

Day 16
Edith Falls to Litchford National Park

We broke our trip with mango slurpies & pies at Batchelor. Lunch was at Litchford Safari Camp, our home for the next 2 nights. Some people opted for the safari style accommodation but while they were comfortable most people thought (in hindsight) they were not good value compared to the touring tents. The camp was very comfortable with grassed tent sited, clean but limited showers/toilets, an onsite shop and a very handy camp kitchen. The advertised above ground pool had to be accessed by milk crates on the outside & inside and the noisy generator ran 24/7!
Lunch was at camp and then we enjoyed a swim at Wangi Falls-another refreshing break.
A birthday dinner was celebrated for 2 travellers with bruchetta, capers & basil pasta and lemon curd pie or cheesecake.

Day 17

The next morning was a revisit to Wangi falls – while some climbed the Wangi Falls, others swam & some of the boys enjoyed a strip show by a tourist.
Lunch was back at camp & then we enjoyed Florence Falls-heaps of steps down to a crowded, difficult to access but refreshing pool and then a beautiful walk meandering back to the carpark. We also visited nearby Buley Rockhole with plenty of rock pools to choose from-we met a neighbour from Wauchope NSW.
Our 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] dinner was Thai vegetarian curry.
The next morning was a big pack up with a few challenges-wet tents from the dew, fights over turns with the brooms (the joys of travelling in a group!), ants in tents and bags had to be packed in order because people were staying in Darwin at different hotels.





Florence Falls on the walk down
Our campground above ground pool
Swimming Warnings
One of the choices at Buley Rockpools
Wangi Falls pool

 

[Simo]

Any photo's of Katherine Aviation PB and lounges!

Also the legroom photo and in flight catering meals as well.

 

[RB]

Any photo's of Katherine Aviation PB and lounges!

Also the legroom photo and in flight catering meals as well.

Waiting room was totally uncrowded! No boarding pass issued so I insisted I sit in front beside pilot as I didn't think I could fit in other rows. No legroom shot as I couldn't angle the camera down because of lack of room. We were issued with a bottle of water to take onboard & a certificate of flight when we landed.
Pilot did mention security such as gate opening to get to plane was very strict with air force sharing the facility.

Think this was the emergency assembly point

 

[RB]

Day 18- Out of Litchfield to Darwin

Our first stop was the Termite Mounds where there were plenty of photo opportunities. We again stopped at Batchelor and were greeted by a newspaper poster headline of “fisho boat eaten by croc”-no mention of the fate of the fishemen!
The Didgerdoo Art Hut was the site of our last lunch. The line was very orderly and we witnessed a new person being 1[SUP]st[/SUP] in line-maybe everyone was clocking off after 18 days together!
We visited the Original Croc Jumping tour-the suport cast of Steady Eddie. Boggart, Thin lizzie, Tripod and other crocs provided plenty of photo opportunities. Raptor birds were fed on the way back and a sea eagle swooping was an amazing sight.
We had an uneventful trip into Darwin and the relaxed driving of the locals enabled quick drop offs & the bags were generally in good access from the trailer.
There was a breakup dinner at Fannie Bay Sailing Club attended by many but not all-the scenery was terrific with an excellent sunset and good food and a generous salad bar.
Hassles of organising group taxis back into Darwin probably highlighted the fractured relationships that had developed between groups on the trip & it was a relief to many to head their own way.
Perhaps 5000km over 18 days in a 20 seater bus shared by strangers and a driver is not the formula for eternal harmony & happiness but we enjoyed friendships and experienced exploring Australia from coast to coast that we were unlikely to do under our own steam!

More to come re our time around Darwin





Fannie Bay-relaxed Darwin dining
Great outlook for Dining

 

[RB]

I have posted a link to our fantastic Darwin apartment here http://www.australianfrequentflyer....d-reviews/a-deici-apartment-darwin-44041.html

Around Darwin
We walked to the Entertainment Centre, Bicentennial Park, Waterfront & Convention Centre, Oil Storage tunnels, Cenotaph, Deckchair Cinema, Parliament & Govt House, Darwin Mall, Lyons Cottage etc.
We also visited the Darwin Military Museum (excellent) and Minil Beach Sunset Markets (crowded and more about the food it seemed) & Skycity Darwin (certainly more impressive than the Adelaide & Alice Springs casinos). All the taxi drivers we encountered were efficient & we got some interesting background stories of their lives.
We also enjoyed drinks at Shenanigan’s and The Fox Ale House. We enjoyed a lunch at the Darwin RSL Club & it delivered on its claim of cold drinks & good food. We also enjoyed breakfast at the Duck’s Nuts Bar & Grill
Darwin was very enjoyable but would seem to get too hot & humid from a long term living arrangement

More to come on our return flights




Darwin Military Museum
Government House
Just liked the building
Very few swimmers while we were there
Early attempt at using panorama feature of new camera

 

[RB]

QF 843 Economy DRW-SYD 737-338-V2 according to seat guru
We had checked in online & printed boarding passes for ourselves at the airport & then went to bag drop-our mates were quicker by just lining up for boarding passes & the bag drop at a counter. Progress through security was quick & orderly. We had guest passes and enjoyed the facilities of Darwin Qantas Club-it was crowded on arrival but cleared out somewhat while we were there and we found 4 seats together. Drinks were cold & the wedges, sandwiches, ham, salami etc were more than adequate. Boarding was painless & we pushed back close to time.
We enjoyed comfortable seats in 27J & K. Row 26 had 2 windows & the next window was set back from us but we still caught a good look at the sunset-seat E in rows 26-34 was vacant & I don’t think it was all to do with platinum shadows! The dinner was served very early in the flight & the chicken noodles & lamb curry were both good. The FA did a couple of runs of ice creams. It seemed very few people in economy were prepared to pay for alcohol. The seat belt sign came on a couple of times but it was a generally smooth flight that arrived officially 8 minutes late. It was announced onboard that baggage would be available from carousel 2 but this proved to be incorrect & it was close to 25 minutes before the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] bag appeared

QF 2170 SYD-PQQ
We checked in online & printed our own boarding passes (6A & 6B) and bag drop was easy at the short Qantas lines at T2. The security check seemed to work how it always does with a smattering of people being confused & not ready for the process!
This flight has a pretty ordinary 59% on time rating according to FlightStats but does rate better than some flights on the route. Our day coincided with Calibrations of the Instrument Approaches-this seemed to cause general delays, we boarded a bus & then parked between the QF & DJ gates & then were dropped at Dom 4G right near the DHL shed. We eventually arrived at PQQ approx only 30 minutes late (helped by the bloated scheduled flight times) and baggage was soon available.

We very much enjoyed the trip & it was fantastic to see Central Australia. This was a trip much different to our customary independent travel but we went with a positive attitude and met plenty of good company. We remain good mates with our friends who travelled with us & we are keeping in contact with some of the other travellers. Differing attitudes to food hygiene & pulling your own weight, moving around food in the same direction & being ready on time were perhaps the biggest bugbears-so perhaps it was no different to everyday life.




Mindil Beach
Mindil Beach
Mindil Beach