2020 NSW, QLD, NT

19/6/20

Non essential travel was finally off the table and we could now travel freely within our state and New South Wales. South Australia to the left of us was still a no go zone as was all the other states besides NSW and Canberra. 

Our original plan was to go through the Flinders Ranges, Oodnadatta track, the centre and north but as those borders were closed I started looking at NSW. I had been collecting pictures of seascapes along the coast and had marked them as saved places in Google maps. So instead of going outback as we normally would it was time to explore the east coast. 

Lindsay had a school friend in Bairnsdale whom he hadn’t caught up with in a long time. Rob hadn’t always lived here and as we drove into town I did wonder why you would move here. Until we arrived at their house. They had built a modern single storey house two years ago that overlooks the river on a 1.5 acre block. On the other side of the river is a forest and the view is very serene. Two Adirondack chairs sit at the top of the bank to take in the view and a fire pit with more seating is next to the raised vegetable gardens closer to the house. Dee has decorated the house very nicely and the garden complements the area. I could move into the house tomorrow, it is exactly the layout that I would choose if we were ever to build.

To see the slideshows in full, click the arrow on the top right of the album, once opened, click the play button on the bottom menu

20-23 June 2020

The next stop was just outside of Bega to see our long time friends Clinton and Brenda. Last time we stayed with them all the kids were still at home and we slept in our camper in the garage but this time we had the luxury of being inside. They are on top of a hill and snow had been dropping at the nearby mountains so even though we had blue skies and sunshine it was very crisp. We caught up on each others news from the past few years and talked about doing a trip across the Simpson desert together sometime.

24 June 2020

Bermagui State Forest $0.00

With a mindset of Bermagui being our next stop I completely forgot about Mumbulla Falls that John and Jo had told us about. That might have to be on our next trip. We weren’t impressed at our campsite in the state forest as it was uneven so we went back to the water tank which puts chlorine in the surrounding towns water supplies and camped there. There were three main places I wanted to photograph here – Camel Rock, Horsehead Rock and the Blue Pool – all of them are morning shots.

Lindsay remembered that a couple we had met in Nova Scotia, Canada lived somewhere here on the East Coast. Peter and I had been photographing the same black and white church and then we all ended up in the same coffee shop afterwards. I found their details in my phone and Lindsay sent a text to say we would be heading up their way in the next week or so. They were in their car on their way to Bermagui! Who would have thought? so we caught up with them the next day for coffee. They were heading south to Mallacoota so if we had contacted them when we reached Kiama we would have missed them.

Setting up camp is always difficult the first day as you need to try and find everything. Lindsay had left the shower awning behind! I have no idea where it could be as I didn’t see it when we left. At first we thought I had left the US to Australian lead at home and we didn’t think we would be able to charge anything on our car inverter. Lindsay bought some bits from the hardware store to make one but then I found it under the bed. My little camping mozzie zapper manged to snare quite a few of the little monsters, now I have to figure out how to get them off the grid.

25 June 2020

Bermagui State Forest $0.00

An early 6am start to get down to Camel Rock for sunrise. We had been down there the day before to check things out; it looks like a camel sitting down from the steps but it wasn’t the angle that I had seen. While I was setting up Lindsay went exploring, I know where they take the photo from he announced, but it meant climbing over rocks and I had wet sand on my shoes. After my slippery accident a few weeks beforehand I wasn’t very excited about climbing over rocks again. My bruise still hasn’t healed and my brain may never get over it. Lindsay took all my camera gear and I stuck mainly to all fours as I didn’t want to take any chances. The tide was coming in so we didn’t have a lot of time. It was the perfect composition and I took a few pictures. The sunrise was pretty non-existent but you can’t always get a good one.

At 10am we caught up the Peter and Leanne for coffee. It was like we had seen each other last week.

While we were in town we took advantage of checking emails etc at the library. I wanted to get a NSW national parks pass which you can get online. To get a seniors discount though is a bit more difficult as they want proof. I had printed everything off at Brenda’s but there didn’t seem to be anywhere close by that we could take it to, so I rang them. You can email everything, which was perfect.

At first we couldn’t work out how to get to Horsehead rock. The lady at the Big 4 caravan park said you had to walk around at low tide; that there was no other way. The lady at the information centre said there is a track along the cliff and that walking around the rocks was dangerous because of rogue waves. That afternoon we went in search for the track along the cliff. There was really only one clearing that you could get a photo and we could see another photographer down on the beach so we kept walking to see if there was another way down. Lindsay found a very steep track down to the beach but decided it would be too much for me. Over on some other rocks we could see four young guys; they then scrambled up to us like ninjas. Fit, 20yr olds that all work for the defence force; nothing that describes me. They had been down to Melbourne to buy a car and were on their way back to Canberra where they would have to quarantine for two weeks at the base. They weren’t the only ones who told us that cars are more expensive in Canberra, who knew? Pollies obviously get paid way too much.

26 June 2020

Bermagui State Forest $0.00

Another 6am rise to photograph the Blue Pool. Another dud sunrise unfortunately. Great location for swimming in the warmer months I expect. There are two pools, one more rustic than the other. Two swimmers got in while we were there, I can’t understand how people can just sit in freezing cold water, they weren’t even swimming. Lindsay got the drone out after checking with them that it was okay and did a few aerial shots. 

On the way back to camp we stopped at a bakery. While Lindsay was leaving two guys with a fishing boat parked out the front. He went to walk passed but I could see he just couldn’t help himself. He had to go back and talk to them. They were after 70kg Tuna, some serious fishing indeed.

After breakfast we went back into town to get some veggies and check emails. The national parks people had sent a message, did we want a one or two year pass? Within half an hour our pass was approved and emailed. While the sticker gets sent to home we were able to print off a copy and stick it to our windscreen.

I did a bit more investigating about where one tree hill might be, between a discussion I had with the information centre lady the other day, the library staff and google – it turns out it’s in Cuttagee. One tree hill is not an official name and while it’s not as spectacular as the trees on sea stacks in Oregon, it’s the only one I’ve seen in Australia. It’s about a ten minute drive south of Bermagui on the coast road not far from the Cuttagee single lane bridge. I knew that to get a really good photo you needed to walk on rocks and low tide and that wasn’t going to happen. So we took a side road that went close and then walked through the bush. There is a clearing at the point that allows you to see the rock. I then took another shot from the beach and Lindsay got the drone out but he had the settings wrong and it wouldn’t go close enough as it said it was out of range. This drone is going to take a while to master. 

There are a couple of jetties on the Wallaga Lake but it was debatable whether we could get to them. We started at the public boat ramp and were able to walk quite a way but then someone has a sign that says private property, whether there is a public access all the way around and they are just trying to deter people, who knows. We didn’t take the chance. We found one jetty which was accessible from the caravan park and the property next door and I could have got there but decided that it would be mostly in shade and it wasn’t that beautiful. The jetty I wanted was on private land, I found it but I could also understand the signs that said private jetty and keep off and wasn’t prepared to push my luck.

27 June 2020

Mystery Bay Campground, Mystery Bay $19.00 Seniors Discount

Another early rise to photograph Horsehead Rock. Initially Lindsay was adamant that I could get over the rocks but then changed his mind that morning. The starting point is the Camel Rock carpark and you walk along the grassy tracks at first, then through the scrub. The clouds were quite heavy along the horizon and the sky gave a little pink but because of the angle I was shooting at I wasn’t really getting the sky unless I shot it in portrait. Now we wanted the sun to rise above the clouds so that it lit up the rocks. There was so much cloud that it took nearly an hour and it was cold. Lindsay had the drone but had forgotten to recharge the battery or to even put a new one in since the afternoon before. He had charged the handset. So many things to remember. So he wasn’t going to take off until the light was optimal. By the time he took off I was packed up. He flew down to the rock, if we couldn’t be on the beach we could get the drone down there. At one stage it looked like he was really close but when you looked on the screen, he wasn’t. We met some other photographers in the carpark who had been photographing Camel and Horsehead, they had walked around and said that it was fine. Who knows, maybe we could have made it. They had been staying at Mystery Bay, which was our next stop as it’s the only campground near Narooma.

We continue on our slow itinerary to the state park of Mystery Bay which is only twenty minutes away

28 June 2020

Mystery Bay Campground, Mystery Bay $19.00 Seniors Discount

We couldn’t find the glasshouse rocks using google yesterday and had asked two locals who worked in the street named after them but they had no idea. We went to the visitors centre, which the council wants to close down. Yes, back up to the cemetery where we were but there was a turn off before going to the carpark. At the end of this road are two cemetery plots and beside the right one is a track that leads down to the beach, don’t follow it around to the right when you see a track going off to the left, go down the left one, it takes you to the beach where the rocks are.

There are a couple of walks around town and we walked from the visitor centre to the bridge, there is a boardwalk beyond here but Lindsay was getting antsy as it was lunchtime, so we had to turn around. On the way home we visited Australia rock, this time I took some photos with my Canon and Lindsay got the drone out. You can see a few seals sunning themselves on the rocks further up the causeway. As they were mainly sleeping I didn’t think it was worth going back to get a longer lens. 

Back in camp I read some of the tourist blurb to decide where to go next and what to do. I didn’t have any photographic spots until Kiama, but we decided we would stop off in Bateman’s Bay and Jervis Bay along the way. There are a number of birds here: Laughing Kookaburras, Eastern Rosellas and Magpies. On our second night we were visited by not one bushy tailed possum but the whole family. We had to put the kitchen away as we found one sitting up on the bench and the next morning we could see dirty footprints all over the stainless steel.

There was one huge long clap of thunder but then nothing for about fifteen minutes. Then the heavens opened. We had been lazy and not put the flaps over the corners of the camper so Lindsay had to go out in the rain and pull them all out. Not knowing if it would jeopardize our photo shoot the next day we looked at the radar and saw that it was just one isolated area right on top of us. The rain was very heavy but about an hour later it stopped.

29 June 2020

North Head Campground, Murramarang National Park $6.00 booking fee

An early morning start at 6:15am to get to glasshouse rocks. The clouds were thick and Lindsay is saying you won’t get a good sunrise this morning. No we didn’t, but you always keep going because you just never know. It was low tide and even though I took both lenses I only used my 24-70, it actually would have been better using Lindsay’s 16-35mm which I had left at home. The day before we hadn’t walked up far enough to see the other rock hiding behind the big one. This place would be a geologist’s dream, lots of rocks with stripes and swirls. Along the cliff are a row of conifers which make a lovely composition. There are two houses on the cliff, what a magnificent view they must have.

The day before I had noticed some wet spots on the ground and asked Lindsay if that was our car, he replied that it was the air conditioner. When we got back to camp he got a torch out and realised it was a leaking fuel regulator. Luckily he had brought a spare one. He changed his shirt and got under the car to try and take the old one off, there were three bolts, two could be moved, the third could not. He was so dirty I had to brush him down before he could get into the car. He went into Narooma but the grouchy mechanic said he didn’t touch Landrovers. As Batemans Bay was our next stop he rang a couple of places there. The first one was busy and wouldn’t be able to do it until next week but he had luck on his second. No, he hadn’t done one before, no problem said Lindsay I have.

Our campground at North Head in Murramarang National Park was half an hour out of Batemans Bay. It is a free campground if you have a National Parks pass but because of Covid-19 they have to take bookings and charge you a booking fee. We supposedly got the last campsite, although a few of the sites were empty that night. It really is a 4WD track down here but you could do it in a 2WD if you went slowly. You can walk to the beach or there is a walking track to a lookout which takes you around the point through a forest of cycads, it is just gorgeous. Lindsay said he was too tired to explore but when I came back from my walk he wasn’t at our campsite. I found him chatting to a group from Canberra, so we had drinks together and then went back for another chat after dinner. They were spending four nights at Jervis Bay, which is also our next stop, as we hadn’t booked our campsite we will go to theirs, it will be nice to wash my hair!

We have three nights here as one day was taken up with the car which left only one day to have a look around the area.

30 June 2020

North Head Campground, Murramarang National Park $0.00 

We were woken up by the Kookaburras; I just love them but they were elusive and I never saw one.

The fuel regulator took two hours to fix as they didn’t listen to Lindsay about what to do and told him to go for a walk.

While Lindsay was away I rearranged things out under the bed and went for a walk to Honeysuckle Bay.

That afternoon we got a text from a Clinton advising us that the Queensland border was about to be closed to Victorians at 12pm on Friday. If we entered after this date we would have to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks at our own expense. After spending the last few months in quarantine at home we had no wish to be confined to one room for two weeks, so we made the decision to head to the border in time before the closure.

1 July 2020

Port Macquarie – Chris & Liz

We woke early and set off on the 1000+ km dash to the Queensland border. Even though it was only Wednesday, we wanted to arrive there on Thursday. We had originally contacted Chris and Liz who live in Port Macquarie and told them we wouldn’t be able to catch up but then found that we could easily stop at their place and still get through the border at a reasonable hour on the Thursday. We hadn’t seen them since before we went to the USA so there was a lot of catching up to do. We hadn’t been to this house and the driveway was incredibly steep but there wasn’t anywhere to leave our trailer in the street as it was a court. Lindsay drove the car into the garage leaving the camper outside. Then we had to try and open it to get out what we needed for that night as we hadn’t planned on staying with them. They were getting Marley Spoon dinners a few times a week and were trying one that a friend had recommended. Did we like Kale? No, but we will try it again. They baked it with olive oil which made it crispy and surprisingly really nice.

2 July 2020

Mt Nimmel Lodge, Austinville $40.00 (school holiday rate)

Our first day in Queensland – we made it. We crossed the border on the Bruce highway with our permits on the windscreen. Even though there was a big queue it was moving along quite smoothly. The only people they were pulling out of the line were those with Victorian number plates so we weren’t surprised when he asked us to pull over. The policeman asked us a number of questions such as where we had been, why we wanted to come to Queensland and how long would we be there. Lindsay had said we would be in Queensland for three weeks when we actually had no idea what we were planning to do at all. It all depended on when or if the Northern Territory borders would open and if we could get in there. While the copper was waiting to get the paperwork we would have to fill in, he stayed by our window and we chatted some more. We explained where we lived and where the hot spots in Melbourne were. Since we had left there had been an outbreak in the Western suburbs and the debacle with the security men sleeping with the quarantine women. We had no chance to talk amongst ourselves. If he had made us go into quarantine, we would have gone back into NSW. 

The first campground I had listed we couldn’t find and when we rang he said he had no sites. We wanted to stay away from the Gold Coast so found another place in the hills. Lindsay had sold our old DC to DC charger online so had to go into town to post it and we also did some shopping. It felt really weird to see so many people around.

3 July 2020

Mt Nimmel lodge, Austinville $40.00 

Springbrook national park is about half an hour away. Lamington is longer but it is close to the border so we didn’t really want to go there at the moment, so we went to Springbrook. Being school holidays it was extremely busy and the car park was full so we had to park a fair way up the main road. There is one main walk to do here, from the lookout on the left hand side of the trail it then goes down in front of the waterfall and back up in a loop to another lookout, about 4kms. I was allowed one more short walk so we choose the “Best Lookout” which has also had some trees from Antarctica and a gorgeous view of the valley below. The narrow roads through this park take you through the rainforest and are very pretty. Before we leave the next day Lindsay notices that a pin on the tow bar is missing. There is no way this pin could have come out by itself, someone had to have taken it out. We had heard some stories about Victorians being targeted (slashed tyres, key coding the duco) because of the high numbers of Covid-19 down there. Hopefully this is our only encounter.

We should take a drone shot from above if we go back.

4 July 2020

Wallaby Retreat, Redland Bay $25.00

We actually had no idea of where we wanted to go in Queensland. Not only had all my research had been on NSW, but we have been there a number of times. Lindsay suggested I look up lighthouses and I found one at Redland Bay but it was difficult to get a picture of it and really not worth the effort of coming back at a better time when the light was right. Our campground was someone’s backyard (a few acres) that they were trying to turn into a You camp type of thing. They had a porta-loo which kept getting clogged with toilet paper. She really should have built a toilet and shower before she started accepting guests. While the camp area was really nice, I couldn’t get passed the loo so we left the next day.

5 July 2020

Wescloud Retreat, Burpengary East $15.00

Another backyard campground; these people train track horses. They had a shower/loo and a second loo in a corrugated hut which was nice and clean. I sent a message to my Aunt in Noosa to see if they would like to catch up for a drink. I thought texting gave her the opportunity to make up an excuse or just say no if she had any issues with the whole C-19 thing as they are in their 80’s. What were our plans she asked? Staying with friends in Pelican Waters (Caloundra), coming to Noosa and then catching up with a friend who was camping at Inskip Point. She would love to see us and could fit us in to stay for a few days if we skipped Caloundra and came straight to Noosa as her grandson was coming at the weekend. We could do that, plans are meant to be flexible. We had already paid for tomorrow night so we went up on the 7th.

6 July 2020

Wescloud Retreat, Burpengary East $15.00

The Glasshouse Rocks National Park was only thirty minutes up the road. The most popular trail was very crowded as was the parking area as it was still school holidays. No social distancing here as you had to pass people closely as there was human traffic both ways on the trail. There were many many steps to a magnificent view of the Glasshouse Mountains at the top. Many steps down and Lindsay hears a snap as he rolls his ankle. There goes all the good work the surgeon did two years ago. He manages to get down but his ankle is hurting. At the next trail I go alone while he waits but I feel guilty leaving him in the car and only go as far as the lookout where I can see people walking up the mountain.

7 July 2020

Noosa – Phillip & Rosemary’s

We last saw Philip and Rosemary two years ago when we came to Queensland to pick up our camper. They are always good company and we enjoyed catching up with them. They had moved house since we saw them last and while all their houses we have been to were really nice, this is my favourite – and she has a butler’s pantry (I’m jealous). In the late afternoon we took their Labrador Maddy for a walk and met some of the neighbours in the process. Rosemary cooked a yummy meal of Pork Belly.

NSW closed its border to Victorians today. The daily Covid-19 cases have been increasing steadily since we left.

8 July 2020

Noosa – Phillip & Rosemary’s

Last time we were here we had tried to take a walk in the Noosa National Park but the carpark is small and always full. It was no different this time but we managed to snare a spot in the two hour section. That only gave us time to walk to the Hell’s Gate point and back again. It was very busy and there were people everywhere. Lindsay reciprocated and cooked his Asian chicken stir fry.

9 July 2020

Noosa – Phillip & Rosemary’s

We had planned to do the Woodlands walk which had been recommended by John and Jo but it rained most of the day so it will need to go on the list for next time. Rosemary and Phillip had discovered some lovely home made pies that they were excited about, so we all got one for lunch.

10-11 July 2020

Caloundra – Steve & Caroline

We met Steve and Carolyn in South Carolina in the States a few years ago and kept in contact. We had tried to meet up two years ago when we were up here but they were away, so we were hoping we would make it this time. Lindsay had wanted to buy a shanghai. They are illegal in our state but not in Queensland and Steve knew just where to take him. Steve and Carolyn took us on a sightseeing trip around the area and we ended up in the highlands at a very unusual restaurant that looked more at home in the USA than Australia; it was very quirky. 

12 July 2020

Freshwater Campground, Cooloola National Park $13.50

We opted for Freshwater instead of Inskip thinking we might be able to see some whales coming up the coast. Apparently there were but you would have had to sit on the beach all day to maybe see one or two. The track in was similar to the inland tracks on Fraser Island, very sandy, single lane but a whole lot busier as it’s the last track in from the people driving up the beach.

13 July 2020

Freshwater Campground, Cooloola National Park $13.50

The campground was really nice and there were only a handful of us in there. We had a couple of resident goannas that would go through our campsite and I thought one was going to come straight to my feet. The trail to Freshwater Lake was closed so the only walking I could do was to the beach which was 850mts from our campsite. 

14 July 2020

Freshwater Campground, Cooloola National Park $13.50

The second time I went down to the beach I walked a fair way up the beach where there were many fishermen and I could see a lighthouse up on the hill. I scanned the sea for whales with my binoculars but nothing came into view

15 July 2020

Gayndah, Zonhoven Park $0

Overnight road-side stop. Our neighbour came over while we were eating dinner and an innocent question of where are you heading turned into a deep probing of the worlds main problem, it took a number of questions from us to realise he was talking about money. He was a crackpot and we were both wondering how to get rid of him. He was still there while I was washing up and I just had to say that his conversation was a bit too heavy as we had had a long day and were tired. He finally took the hint with a parting comment that we may meet up again. Not if we could help it.

16 July 2020

Cania Gorge Resort, Cania Gorge NP $30

We secured a great unpowered site at the back of the camp and it wasn’t long before Lindsay made a few new friends. All the walks mentioned lots of steps which eliminated Lindsay’s participation. There are two main starting points for the walks and while they both can be accessed from the campground, you cut out 1.8kms (return) from the further one if you drive to the picnic area. I drove. I had told Lindsay I was only doing Big Foot and the Dragon cave but they were actually from different starting points. I did the Dragon Cave and Bloodwood Cave first and then the Dripping Rock and The Overhang. Feeling guilty that Lindsay would have expected me back in half the time it was going to take me; I still kept going. The tracks led from one to the other so it would have been pointless only doing one and then coming back for the other. On my way to The Overhang, you are walking in a rainforest and it starts to get dark. I had no idea what time it was, my watch was tracking my walk so I had to end it to see the time (a very annoying point with the Fitbit). It was only 3pm, so there was plenty of time to finish as it was only 1.2kms to the end. This was my favourite track. There were lots of steps, so it was lucky that Lindsay didn’t come.

After my shower Lindsay said come on, we are having drinks with Mark and Jane. I really just wanted to chill, no time for the wicked. They had a Kimberley Camper and were from Maryborough, Queensland.

Victoria’s Covid-19 new cases hit over 400 today, I am so glad we are not there.

17 July 2020

Cania Gorge Resort, Cania Gorge NP $30

After doing some washing, Lindsay called me over to Steve and Andie and asked me if I wanted some company on my walk. It turned out they were doing the same one I was which was great. Andie and I had lots to talk about and it was so much better than walking alone. We left from the campground and visited Big Foot and then did the Fern Pool circuit the opposite direction to what was recommended as they had heard it was easier that way. It was a really pretty walk with the hills covered in grass trees. Again there were lots of steps; so no good for Lindsay. 

While we were out on our walk Lindsay went off to find some wood for a fire and invited our new friends plus the guy and his wife who gave us some newspaper to start it. Two of us had ordered Pizzas from the campground which they only do on Friday’s. I was nice that we didn’t have to leave the campfire to go and make dinner.

When the newspaper guy heard that we were from Victoria, it was like he did a double take and started questioning us on how we had come in and told us that the police had been rounding up Victorians in campgrounds and sending them out of the state. I don’t know if this was true and we had passed plenty of Police and they didn’t question us. Later on his starts quizzing Lindsay about how we can afford to travel which really makes me angry. Some people just don’t have an off button. They have no idea what lines they shouldn’t cross. I nearly said something but then decided to ignore him. 

18 July 2020

Duringa, Macquenzie Park

I had originally decided to go to Isla National Park but on looking again at what to do, there really wasn’t anything. At our campfire last night newspaper guy mentioned they were going to Blackdown, so I looked it up. I had thought it was too far out of our way but it wasn’t really. By the time we rang to book there weren’t any camping sites for tomorrow, so we had to wait an extra day. The rest stop we are in is 90 minutes from here but it’s a nice place with hot showers so we have decided to spend our extra day here.

19 July 2020

Duringa, Macquenzie Park

A day to catch up on my diary and try and work out where to from here, well from our next stop actually. Word has it that the coastal areas are really busy, so best not to go there. We might just work our way north inland, so just find points on the map and check our camping options around there. Our neighbours from Brisbane are in the same boat but are heading south, so I suggest Cania NP and they book in. They had wanted to go to Blackdown but they have a caravan which aren’t suitable for the road in.

We checked online to see what the requirements were for getting into the Northern Territory. Apart from our details we had to answer a number of questions including what highway we would be coming in from in. We only have one choice from Queensland – the Barkley Highway which goes across to Tennant Creek. It’s too far south as we want to come in on the Savannah Way, the top road, so we will ring them tomorrow and see if there is any leeway. We will also have to list where we have been for the last 28 days which will be a long list as we have moved pretty much every two days since coming into Queensland.

The national park campground in Carnarvon gorge is only open during the school holidays which no one can understand. There are only two campgrounds outside the park. One had a very bad reputation and doesn’t answer the phone or emails. The other is booked out until next month, which means we won’t get to see this park. We could stay at the nearest town which is an an hour and a quarter away but the walks in the park are long and it might just be better to do this when Lindsay can come with me.

20 July 2020

Blackdown Tablelands NP (Munall campground) $13.50

The drive in is very beautiful with palms everywhere. Caravans are not advised to enter as the road is very steep in places, windy and narrow. As Lindsay had hurt his ankle I did all the walks by myself.

On the first day I did the Goon Goon Dina (Lightning Lizard) cultural trail in the morning. It’s a 2.5km circuit that tells you about farmer Yaldwin who named the place in 1868 after his family home in Sussex. The cattle developed chalky bones due to the phosphorous deficient soil if they stayed here too long. So they were moved to Planet Downs regularly which was a three day horse ride away. The Zamia palms caused rickets in the cattle which caused them to loose control of their hind legs. Nothing remained of the cook house, except a few rocks as it had been made of bark. The rest of the trail explained what the aboriginals used the different plants for. Stringybark were used to make ropes or nets. The cabbage palm leaves were made into twine which was then used to make baskets and dilly bags. The sticky resin from grasstree trunks was used as a glue.

Then the Mook Mook trail (2.4 km return) to the edge of the tableland lookout in the afternoon. Both walks started from the campground.

21 July 2020

Blackdown Tablelands NP (Munall campground) $13.50

The last walk I wanted to do was 8km down the road. As we couldn’t get two nights in the same campsites, we had to move the following day and had to wait until the people in our new site had left even though I was itching to get going. I had no idea what the road would be like and I was a bit worried as I haven’t done much four wheel driving. It was rough and corrugated for the first 6km, then the last 2km was steep and narrow with a few “hoop de doos” to stop the erosion. Thankfully no-one came up as I was heading down.

I spent a few hours at Gudda Gummo gorge (Rainbow falls), the 4km walk is two hours and I explored lots of side paths after going down the 240 stairs to the bottom. I was worried if I would need low range to drive out but it didn’t seem as steep going up as it did coming down. Only one person came down at the same time and they pulled off to let me through. Phew! How did I like my first four wheel drive Lindsay asked. What a question, what do you think?

Lindsay had been chatting to the ranger while I was out. He works with one other person and between them they look after 19 national parks. He burns a lot of undergrown each year, not when he’s told to but when he thinks it’s right. He was Aboriginal and they know how to back burn.

The Currawongs and Kookaburras were pests, they have obviously been fed. A Currawong stole a packet of our coconut powder off the kitchen bench and his partner in crime laughed as they flew off together. I don’t know if it was the bright blue packaging he liked or whether he could smell the coconut. I hope he got a stomach ache!

22 July 2020

Homevale National Park, Mt Bretton Old Mining Town $0

This is the site of an old gold mining town. Not much exists anymore as the original buildings were made from wood and bark. There are signs saying what building used to be where and it wasn’t surprising to learn that the small area had once had six hotels. 

We picked a spot in the large township area and set up just before the heavens opened.

23 July 2020

Homevale National Park, Mt Bretton Old Mining Town $0

The morning was very misty. Wez and Lou had been staying there a couple of weeks and they had got to know one of the miners named Steve. Steve had invited us up to see his mine later on in the day. The track was very muddy, his mine was at the end of the road passed many shanty houses. Steve doesn’t live at his mine though. His parents were there and were very interesting to talk to. His father had worked in many mines in places like Kalgoolie in WA and Tenant Creek in NT. He originally came from NZ and stowed away on a ship to get to Australia.

That night while we were having a drink around the fire in a makeshift hut, we could see the three mountain peaks light up as it was sunset. Our site was a fair way from the hut so it took me precious minutes to run there grab my camera and tripod. Running back I gave the tripod to Lindsay who opened it for me and I managed one shot before the colour disappeared. 

24 July 2020

Eungella National Park, Broken River Bush Camp $13.50

Our national parks booking was for Fern Flat campground which turned out to only cater for tents or small vans. It was a bit awkward getting back out of there. We stopped at the information centre which was closed to they were no help but luckily someone from the café next door told us to go to Broken River just across the bridge. I had chosen this spot as it was in a rainforest and you could see platypus in the creek. There were a number of walks we could take through the rain forest from the day use area back over the bridge.

We could see the platypus from the side of the creek in our campground. You look for bubbles and rings in the water and up they come, only to dive down again pretty quickly. They say the best viewing times are between 4am-8am and 3pm-7pm, but we found it could be anytime. They were first described as duck-faced moles that lay eggs and ate the same food as hard-shelled reptiles.

During the Rainforest discovery walk 780mt, I lost Lindsay in the first few minutes. I had stopped to read a sign and he hadn’t stopped at all. Then I got to a Y intersection and took the wrong turn, so when he came back, I was nowhere to be seen, so we both ended up walking alone! It was really beautiful but not the same when you are walking alone.

Later that afternoon I did the Granite Bend circuit walk which is 1.6km.

We had a drink with Geoff and Ingrid who had just bought an AOR Matrix, the hybrid offroad camper built by the same company that made our camper. Ingrid was grateful of some of my camping tips as they were newbies to the world of camping.

25 July 2020

Eungella National Park, Broken River Bush Camp $13.50

We only went part of the way on our second rainforest walk on the Clarke Range Track, never intending to go all the way as it’s 8.2kms. and a bit boggy. When it started going uphill we turned around. We met an Iranian couple here on a working visa. They were getting regular work, some good, some not so much.

There was a notice on the café sign that said free wifi. As we had no mobile service I took my iPad and Lindsay’s iPhone up to investigate and download our emails. The information centre’s wifi was locked so I asked the café if they knew the password and they gave me theirs instead which was nice. Outside the information centre they had a computer screen which allowed you to make national park campground bookings – the first one of these I had ever seen.

That night we invited a couple to come and have a drink with us. They were on their first Australian camping trip in an RV they had hired, they had hired one in NZ previously. It’s a good way to decide which way you want to go: RV, camper or caravan.

26 July 2020

Homevale National Park, Mt Bretton Old Mining Town $0

We went back to Mt Bretton as Lindsay had promised Steve that we would come back and take some drone photos for him which was a bit annoying as it meant we were going backwards and missed out on another place I had only just found out about. Unfortunately when we got there Waz had been drinking for two days and was very drunk and very annoying. When Lindsay went to find Steve to talk about the photos, Waz and Lou had a fight and she took off. Waz became a bit paranoid, asking her where she had been for the last hour, then accused Lindsay of having an affair with her as they had been gone at the same time. He proceeded to shout about cutting main arteries in Lindsay’s thigh and something about his knee caps. Not pleasant. We wondered if we should leave. He calmed down a bit and we decided to stay but took some precautions, just in case things got ugly. Luckily everything was fine. In the morning Lou came and apologised but we didn’t speak to Waz again.

Steve had said he didn’t need to photos after all; so we could have avoided all of that unpleasantness if he hadn't asked us to take them in the first place.

27 July 2020

Oh Deere Farm Stay, Calum $17

This farm stay is only 50km north of Mackay. There was a shopping centre 11kms from town that had everything we needed, so we bypassed Mackay. The campground is around someone’s house surrounded by sugar cane fields. Karinda crushed the sugar cane to release the juice. It was delicious and apparently in it’s raw form, very good for you. Karinda is a bit of a card and swears like a trouper. She told us stories of how a number of past guests would pray for her, something to do with Satan and her swearing. She has been dealt a raw hand, she had a brain aneurism in her 20’s when she was on a quad bike and spent 6 months in hospital and another 6 months before she could look after her children again. Recently she has been diagnosed with leukaemia. So when the last guy said he would pray for her, she said F* me, I’ve got leukaemia, so if you are going to pray for me, pray for it to go into remission! 

 She told us how only 10% of sugar cane is for the Australian market, the rest goes overseas and the price is based on the international USD. Most cane growers have two jobs as they can’t make a living from cane alone. The cane will last for many years but the production of juice reduces as it gets older and depending on how well it has been looked after. A farmer has to decide when it is time to pull out the old crops and re-sow, which means they won’t get any income for two years. Otherwise it is slashed by a contractor. It’s not worth harvesting it themselves as the machinery runs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Janine (a fellow camper we had met on arrival) showed me her photos of places they had gone around the Atherton Tablelands, all the way down to here, places to stay and see which was very helpful. Before we had finished everyone had gathered around the fire for sunset drinks.

I made time to have a shower while Lindsay was still around the fire before he started dinner as I know he likes me to keep him company.

28 July 2020

Oh Deere Farm Stay $17

A day for washing and saying goodbye to fellow campers that were leaving today. Not a cloud in the sky, 24°C, mostly calm but every now and then a gust of wind. I had to do some banking that I should have done a month ago, normal stuff just gets forgotten when you are travelling. One of the guests had a Majestic offroad caravan that Lindsay likes to the look of. He has decided that we won’t want to travel in our offroad camper for much longer and has set his sights on one of these.

Victoria hits a new time high of 500 new cases of the Corona Virus, 6 million people are going to be in lockdown and business will have to close unless they are petrol stations, supermarkets or hospitals.

29 July 2020

Lake Prosperpine-Peter Faust Dam, Prosperpine $0

We came here as I’d been told it had abundant bird life. I don’t think the birds got the memo as there were just a few ducks. In the morning I did see a couple of pelicans but they were too far away to get a decent picture.

We met a couple from Argentina who were here on a holiday visa which expired in April. They have been here for eight months and don’t know when they will be able to get home as the borders to Argentina have been closed since I left on the 20/3/20. There must be so many people in this situation, you just wonder how they cope financially being stuck in a foreign country, travelling.

We had one of our worst camping experiences with a group of young French backpackers with the odd German thrown in who decided that it was okay to beat bongo drums, play guitar and sing all night. Lindsay asked them to quieten down but they just laughed at him. When he threatened to bust their bongos if they didn’t stop playing them, they did stop those, but continued to laugh and talk until after 2am.

The facilities at this site were fairly new but they may have to bring in timed paid showers as people are just taking advantage of them. There was no water left when we went there in the morning. The cleaners said she had scolded a girl for taking a half hour shower and got a reply that it was a short one. The water has to be trucked in, so when it’s gone, it may be some time before it’s replaced.

The word has it that Victoria may have to be locked down for two years. I hope not. It will be awful if we aren’t allowed to travel next year. Queensland has closed it’s borders to NSW, ACT and of course Victoria.

31 July 2020

Bluewater Park, Bluewater $0

It was time to explore Townsville which is mainly a university and military town, right on the water’s edge. 

Castle hill lookout is a very popular place for walkers, we have never seen so many people walking up a steep hill. Once at the top, you get a birds eye view of the town. There are numerous walks that allow you to see the full 360°.

Kissing Point was used during WWI & II to protect Australia. The Japanese flew over Townsville three days in a row during WWII, dropping bombs into the water

1 August 2020

Bushy Park, Rollinstone $0

Lindsay didn’t want to do anything today, so I caught up on some financial stuff, the bills don't care that you are on holidays. We spent a bit of time with our neighbours Lucy and Joe who were travelling with their chiwawa. I normally don’t like these dogs but theirs was extremely entertaining to watch.

Andrea and Lucia, our Italian friends we had met down at Philip Island were on their way from Cairns to Airlie Beach. They would be passing by around 9:30pm and wanted to say good-bye to us as they were flying home on the 9/8/20. It was really good to see them. They had been to a number of places that we had recommended and thoroughly enjoyed their holiday in Australia.

Victoria has gone into stage 4 restrictions with the Coronavirus, which includes an 8pm to 6am curfew.

2 August 2020

Bushy Park, Rollinstone $0

Paluma National Park is very near here and we went exploring the Little Cascades, Big Cascades and Paradise Pool. The road through the park is very narrow and winding. There is actually a town in the middle of the park, I would hate to have to drive this road on a regular basis. Both of the cascades are popular swimming spots, especially the Big Cascades. We had a look at the Bagal Beach camping ground and agreed that our camping ground was better.

3 August 2020

Forrest Beach, Ingham $10

The camping ground at Forrest Beach was a bit further out of town than I had anticipated. The campground is for fully self contained vehicles but there is a toilet block next to the park and SLC for the beach goers. It had started spitting as were were driving and as soon as we started opening the camper it got heavier. It didn’t last long and after lunch we were able to go back into town to do some sightseeing.

The Tyto wetlands were a bit disappointing. We saw three of the birds on their list. There were some beautiful blue water Lillie’s in the first pond; the pink ones in the main billabong were nearly all spent. As we were walking back we heard a rustle in the long grass. Lindsay though it was a goanna, my money was on a crocodile. There are two in the park. The park staff assured us that they are a lot further away. I wasn’t as sure as she was that they wouldn’t come that far in; they do have feet, they do wander. We also walked on the ramp to the sugar cane history display and art gallery. I went up the Tyto tower but the view wasn’t very impressive.

In town, not far from the pub of “Pub with no beer” fame, is a mosaic mural depicting the towns history which was very interesting and very well done. It tells of a dark part of our history where South Sea Islanders (Kanakas) were brought to Queensland to work in the cane fields. In 1891 Italian workers were brought in as indentured labour.  The Islanders were no longer welcome because of the White Australia policy and anyone that had come after 1896 was sent back to their homeland. There is also the story of the cane toad. The cane farmers were desperate to control the cane beetle. The toads were brought from Hawaii. It has become a massive problem and has no predators. Remarkably, some native wildlife are evolving to tolerate its poison.

The no beer incidentally happened during one of the world wars when the army came to town and drank the pub dry.

 On the way back to camp with had a look at the 4.7km pier in Lucinda which takes the sugar (we aren’t sure in what form) to the ships. The fishing must be good here as the caravan park we passed was very busy.

4 August 2020

Tully Gorge National Park and campground $13.50

Today was all about Wallaman Falls in the Girringun National Park, the highest permanent waterfall in Queensland. The day started out overcast and I was hoping that it would clear by the time we got to the falls. We did out shopping before we went to increase our chances of the sun coming out. I had asked the Tyto Information centre if the carpark at Wallaman was big enough to leave our camper and they said that the road up there wasn’t suitable for trailers and that we could leave our camper in their carpark. Wallaman Falls is an hour out of Ingham and you have to come back to town to go anywhere so that worked out well. The road up was indeed windy and sometimes narrow. Most of it goes through rainforest which in itself is a reason to go there. Once at the top, the carpark was full but as we were getting my camera gear out, someone left. The view from the top is spectacular and if it’s a sunny day, which it was, you will get a rainbow through the water flowing to the bottom. Lindsay couldn’t do the walk down to the bottom and I was in two minds as to whether I should as he would be waiting for me. I am glad I did go as it was one of the most rewarding walks I have ever done. There is a sign at the top which informs you that you are in for a difficult walk and that people have died. It was steep with lots of steps and rocks, with some steps being 2-3 times the normal height of a step, which makes it tougher. The other thing that makes it difficult is the humidity as you are walking through rainforest nearly all the way. So those rocks are wet as is the ground in between. It was a very slow trip down and up again. At the bottom the spray of the waterfall is everywhere and pretty much any one under 35 was swimming for had been in the water, even a pregnant lady. There are many boulders to go over to get to the water, I have no idea if there is an easy way as I didn’t go looking for one. I just stayed long enough to eat a muesli bar before heading up again.

Once at the top I asked Lindsay to get the drone out to try and get a shot. It was very difficult seeing the screen in the sun and at one time the app closed when Lindsay was trying to look at the photo he had taken. We actually lost contact with the drone. Hooley dooley, I thought we would be coming home without it. But it locked on again and we got it back. There was someone else with a Mavic Mini. I asked him if he was happy with the pictures and he said yes, this drone is a much more affordable option. My main concern is that it is such a light colour which would make it very difficult to see in the sky.

We got back to fill up with fuel and pick up our camper at 2:30pm. As Lindsay hadn’t wanted to stay another night in Ingham we had to drive an hour and a half to Tully Gorge National Park. Driving to the park seemed to take forever. We couldn’t believe how many sugar cane fields we drove by, there were more here it seemed than further south. As we got to Tully we started seeing banana plantations, this is the Tully we remembered

We were both very tired for different reasons by the time we arrived.

5 August 2020

Tully Gorge National Park and campground $13.50

The Tully River isn’t what it used to be as they use it for hydro-power. A few times a year they let excess water go and white water rafters take advantage of the rapids. The waterhole in the campground would be wonderful in summer for swimming but it was way too cold in winter. There is also a Butterfly walk, there weren’t any butterflies there when I went through, apparently I need to be up early in the morning to spot them. They have information boards with pictures of the many varieties that you may find here. Someone saw the blue ones this morning.

We went for a drive further into the park to see what cascades we could find, but there weren’t many. We did see our first little black pigs. We also found the remains of a town. The national park must have taken over the land and demolished all the houses. Anything concrete, including some of the roads and gutters have been left as it would be too expensive to remove. Then we went passed the campground until we came to the 4WD track that goes into the rainforest. There were some rivers with cascades here and we saw my first Cassowary. Lindsay saw one years ago further north, so it’s his second.

Back at camp, Lindsay needed to fix a fitting that controls the camper brake lights. We both washed our hair. He used the cold shower that is supposed to be off limits. It started off warm but then he reckons it was colder than the river. I heated some water on the stove…

6 August 2020

Bonadio RV & Nature Park, East Barron $22.00 (powered)

Before we left Tully Falls campground the ranger came in so we were able to ask him a few questions about the booking system. They don’t like the new system either and know that it is flawed. What happens if you get in somewhere and free loaders have taken your site. He said go to the next campground, but that isn’t always possible. What if you want to stay an extra night but don’t have mobile reception to check if there is availability or to pay. He said you can pay on the way out but that doesn’t check the availability.

We took the Palmerston road to the Atherton Tablelands via Paronella Park. The highway is really beautiful with large fern trees.

Our camp for the next few days is in a corn/maize farm. There must be forty caravans here; we are the only camper trailer, so a nice little sideline business for the farmers.

When I had heard that you couldn’t travel more than 5km to a supermarket in Victoria, I realised that if we had been at home that would mean we would have to shop at the little IGA in our village. Our closest Woolworths and Aldi supermarket is 10km away, which is where we do all our shopping; the IGA is just too small. Our neighbour also had the same concern so we decided to ring the police to see what their thoughts were, because if you are in breach of the rules you can be fined $1500. The officer we spoke to said he didn’t have a problem but said that others might. Arggh. I hope this is over before we go home because I know Lindsay won’t be shopping at IGA.

7 August 2020

Bonadio RV & Nature Park, East Barron $22.00

I moved our Nerada farm tour to the afternoon as rain was expected but it didn’t arrive. It was better to visit the waterfalls in the morning anyway as less people are around. On the way we stopped at the Curtain Fig Tree which Lindsay says is one of the most amazing things he has seen, he was very impressed. It is beautiful. The Fig tree seed started growing in the host tree’s crown. It then developed aerial roots and strangled the host tree. When the host tree died, it fell on a neighbouring tree. The fig tree then sent roots down to the ground.

The first waterfall was at Maranda, then the trio waterfall trail of Millaa Millaa Falls, Zillie Falls and Ellinjaa Falls. Mungalli Falls which were disappointing and finally Wallicher Falls. Tchupala Falls is just near Wallicher but we were running out of time for our 2:30pm tour. Lindsay flew the drone at a couple of them and got some good shots. 

We had enough time to grab some lunch before heading to Nerada Tea. I had tried to change the booking to Saturday but they had function on and were not doing tours. Everything I had read said the farm tour was free but they now charge $30pp and include a Devonshire Tea. It was interesting finding out about how tea is grown and processed, especially as we drinks to much of it. And Lindsay was a happy vegemite with his own pot of tea and huge scone with jam and cream. I chose Earl Grey which wasn’t grey like the Twinings one.

8 August 2020

Bonadio RV & Nature Park, East Barron $22.00

It rained for a few hours in the morning but the forecasted thunderstorm didn’t eventuate. It became a sunny, humid 30° day. Yesterday was quite exhausting, so all we did was some shopping in the morning and visited a local dairy in the afternoon and got some ice-cream. Lindsay made a Bunning’s sausage sizzle for lunch.

9 August 2020

Speeway Conservation Park $13.20

The original idea was to go to a place near Port Douglas. On our way to Cairns to return our porta loo we saw a sign for Barron Gorge so we went and had a look on the way back but didn’t stay as there wasn’t a spot big enough as we still had the camper on the back. The campground was about 12kms away at Speeway Conservation Park. There was one spot left but we decided to go and look before committing ourselves as the reviews said that the tent campers took these spots when they were supposed to be in the grassed area. As we only had one bar I rang to book when we got there. In the meantime Lindsay had backed into site 1 as all the sites were empty and started to unpack the camper. Booking took forever, about half an hour as his computer was on go-slow mode. I was worried someone could be booking online before he got it reserved for us. We were given site 3, so we had to pack up and move but Lindsay never wants to completely close the camper when we do this, so I had to hold the spare tyre bracket as he drove the camper to the new spot. As we were setting up for the second time, another camper came in looking for a spot, that was a close call. What a lovely campground. We had a huge site, with a grassed area either side of our “driveway” which fitted our camper and car. Being in site 3 gave us more privacy for night-time, so I am glad we had to move. I did some washing and hung a line up between some trees.

10 August 2020

Speeway Conservation Park $13.20

The idea to go to Barron Falls early was to beat the crowds but it meant the sun was shading the rocks too much. A lovely tree top walk takes you through the rainforest down to the falls. We saw a gorgeous lime green butterfly. I’m sure if you just sat here for a long time you would see more. The Kurandra train came through when we were there, I love the aboriginal paintwork on the engine. Lindsay took a drone photo which was pretty much the same as my still on a tripod.

The washing wasn’t drying so Lindsay put up a new line in the sun which made all the difference. The rangers came in to move some leaves around and clean the amenities, but it baffles me why they don’t check that we had paid.

There are a number of walking trails from our campground so I went on the Djina-wu track through the rainforest. Once you pass the boardwalks the scenery is pretty much the same. I continued on the Douglas Track in search of the falls but I became bored, hot and tired, so I gave up.

11 August 2020

Cumberland Historic Chimney, Georgetown $0.00

It was time to move west. We would be going through Atherton again so we stopped for fuel, Bunnings and groceries.

We were planning on stopping at Millstream Falls but we also went to the Crater and Dinner Falls along the way. The bottom of the crater lake from the viewing platform is 130mts and is home to thriving population of freshwater shrimp that are not found anywhere else. It is thought a violent gaseous explosion blasted the deep hole in the earth.

We were hoping to catch up with Jane & Mark from Cania Gorge on the way as they were coming back from Cobold Gorge in the west and we were coming from the east, but we missed each other.

Our campground was next to a lake with lots of birds. The old chimney was from the old gold mining days. We met a Canadian couple from Townsville. An Australian scout had visited his university to find people towards the end of winter. The idea of sun and palm trees had a strong allure. Their parents thought it was fantastic idea to study in Australia, thinking that they would be back. But they changed their minds when they realised how well work/life balance was over here. In Canada, he would be expected to work 80 hours a week even though he was only paid for 40 and be grateful for having the opportunity.

12 August 2020

Gulflander Motel and Campground, Normanton $24.00 (powered site)

It’s 33°C today, probably the hottest so far on the trip.We had decided to stay in Normanton so that we could do a day trip to Karumba. Lindsay wanted to experience Barra and Chips. We got a powered site as it would be best for the batteries to be at full charge before we went into Boojamulla National Park. Our neighbours were Tony & Lyn last main address being from Jindabyne; they have been on the road for quite some time. It turned out we were going in the same direction, going to the same places most of the time.

We made a booking at the Purple Pub early on in the day so make sure we could get in. But when we went to place our order the cook said he wasn’t taking any more orders. He had 30 meals to cook. But we booked we said… He then relented but said it would take over an hour. So we left. We went to the restaurant at our campground/motel but it had a horrible atmosphere, so we went back to our camper and cooked spaghetti. Lindsay was so annoyed that his dinner had been cancelled that he vented online.

I had Optus reception but Lindsay didn’t have any Telstra, that was when we realised that his plan was a cut back version of Telstra. He doesn’t get the really remote areas of Australia. I went on a 4-week plan and got 30gb for $30. Boy would have we loved this in the USA when we were travelling there. It used to cost us $US80 for 5gb. Optus doesn’t have the greatest coverage and it probably wasn’t really worth it for the number of days that Lindsay didn’t have reception. Next time we travel we are going to take the EPIRB from the boat and out satellite phone. 

13 August 2020

Gulflander Motel and Campground, Normanton $24.00

As we drove up to Karumba we could see this amazing cloud formation, it turned out to be the tail end of the Morning Glory.

There is a Barramundi information centre which gives you lots of information about them. Two interesting things: they only have one tide per day up there. The second was, Barrumundi eat small crocodiles.

There is a pub on the water where Lindsay ordered his Barra and chips and salad. I stuck to Chicken Parma that was so big I didn’t need dinner that night.

Optus & Telstra reception, but no Woolworths Telstra

14 August 2020

Leichhardt Falls $0.00

Lindsay said he could see the Morning Glory again this morning, but he didn’t tell me until it was over. 

Coming from Normanton, you drive across the river and find the track on the right hand side, this takes you beyond the rocks to some sandy campsites overlooking the river. There was no water coming over the falls as they have been in drought for a few years. We stayed here on our first Simpson Desert trip and it was the first long exposure I ever did with a circular polariser as I didn’t own any ND filters.

One bar of Telstra reception, no Optus.

15 August 2020

Gregory Low Impact Campground, Gregory Downs $0.00

The four of us set off on a walk around the Leichhardt Falls rim looking for freshwater crocodiles and sitting on the sand just taking everything in. Three of us did more exploring over the rocks and Lindsay went back to camp. The wind was a lot stronger now and he had come back in time to put extra guy ropes and poles on our camper’s awning. It’s possible that it might have been wrecked if he hadn’t gone back when he did. We only had an hour’s drive to Gregory Downs according to Google Maps but in reality I think it took 90 minutes. We took the southern road, you can also travel via Burketown which takes you on a northern route. We left after lunch as there was nothing to do in Gregory Downs it just meant we got into Boojumulla earlier the next day. There weren’t many people in the main camping area and it wasn’t until we set off the next day that we saw a large number of caravans parked either side of the river. Way too many people for my liking. While I did have to put up with the sound of music until after midnight from the town, Lindsay managed to sleep.

There was a place to put our rubbish and water to fill our tank.

No mobile reception for us.

16 August 2020

Boojamulla National Park, NP Campground $13.50

It is only about an hour and a half drive from Gregory Downs via the southern road to Boojamulla. There were a few Wedged tailed eagles along the way but they would fly off if we stopped anywhere near them. We arrived at 10am, set up, had a cup of tea and headed off to the Indarri Falls. Lindsay had a swim in his shorts hoping to clean the red dust off them but it didn’t work. I just took some photos but wasn’t really happy with them as I didn’t have my ND filters or a tripod. We took the turn off to the Indarri Lookout intending to return to the falls trail but headed to the Duwadarri Lookout which meant we had done 2.5km there, then it’s another 920 metres back to camp which doesn’t sound much but there is a very steep track down which was not good for Lindsay’s damaged ankle. Plus we were walking during the peak heat of the day.

We had parked east/west on our site with the kitchen side of the camper facing south. This gave us shade under our awning all day.

Just before dinner I went for a walk along the gorge near the campground and came upon a wallaby who was happy to let me watch him for a while as he ate.

17 August 2020

Boojamulla National Park, NP Campground $13.50

After waiting for the sun to be in the right place for the solar panel we took the drone, my canon camera and tripod up to the Indarri Falls to take some photos. This time we retraced our steps which makes the hike only 3km return. After a cup of tea and a bit of a rest I set off again to walk the Wild Dog Dreaming track. It is not a very picturesque walk and the rock art is minimal and quite faded. By the time I arrived back Tony and Lynne had arrived and were set up in a site near us that Lindsay had decided was their best option for solar.

After lunch we all set off for Indarri Falls again in bathers and had a swim. We had borrowed a noodle from Richard. It was already broken in two, so Lindsay had one bit and I had the other. It wasn’t long before it broke into smaller sections! – they obviously have a limited life span. Lindsay and Tony were able get themselves under the falls and get a back massage. The force of the water was too much for me and it just spat me away.

I left a bucket of water of water out in the sun all day. In the late afternoon when I wanted to wash my hair I took the bucket into the shower cubicle which only had cold water and scooped bowls of delicious warm water all over me. It was so good I did it the next day too.

We had drinks with Tony, Lynne and Richard and Colleen. We had been saving a bottle of champagne and decided this was the night to open it.

18 August 2020

Boojamulla National Park, NP Campground $13.50

I gave the parks brochure to Lynne and Tony for them to decide on a walk and also whether they wanted to go before or after breakfast. They chose the Island Stack, a two hour hike with a steep section. The alarm was set for 6:30am and we set off at 6:45. Tony lent me his walking poles which made walking up and over rocks so much easier, so I will be buying some.

The day has started really hot and the flies are buzzing around, not many but you don’t need many to compare it to a non fly day!

We decided to stay a third day but as we couldn’t book we had to wait to make sure we weren’t taking anyone else’s spot. It was a hot 38°C day and instead of walking the kilometre to the falls to swim we just went in down near the campground. As there are no rocks to stand on, you can only stay in there as long as you can tread water.

Lindsay had good intentions of doing a sunset drone shot near where I walked that morning but the idea of drinks with our friends from the night before took priority as the times clashed.

Around 9pm the winds started up, hot and gusty. It probably lasted an hour or so. It would have been nice if we had a 12v fan near our bed. My histamines went into overdrive. The midges that night had been ferocious, even biting Lindsay and the next morning there were thousands dead on every surface.

Telstra works here but not Woolworths Telstra. We got Optus reception as we drove past Adele’s Grove. It works better in the morning but very sketchy in the afternoon when everyone gets on the network.

19 August 2020

Kangaroo Creek, Calvert $0.00

Lynne and Tony had come over to say good bye when were packing the camper up and Lindsay didn’t go through his normal routine. He hadn’t pressed the little button on the hitch to lock it in. So a few kilometres down the road we felt this lurch as the camper came off the car. We had been discussing camper horror stories the night before at drinks. I think we jinxed ourselves. Luckily nothing was damaged and we were able to get it back up using the jack. He had also forgotton to put the hatch on the tent pole hole, so we stuffed a couple of towels in there so we didn’t loose any.

Instead of going back to Gregory Downs and up to Burketown we took the short cut through Lawn Hill station to Doomagee. There are two creek crossings, a few gates to open and close and one small area where the road has collapsed but otherwise it’s a good track.

Lindsay had heard that Doomagee had a bakery. In case you don’t know. Food is a very high priority for him and if it’s not healthy, that’s even better. We asked if they had wholemeal bread. No mate, it doesn’t sell up here. Doomagee is an Aboriginal town. Plenty of pies, sausage rolls etc, white bread, white rolls, meat and TV’s. An electrician had some TV’s from a motel job that fell through, so the bakery was selling them for him. A horse was eating out of a 240lt rubbish bin in the next street.

We put air in our tyres thinking it would be bitumen the rest of the way and it was for a some of it, then it went to dirt. Hell’s gate roadhouse is the last place to get fuel for the next 320kms. We didn’t need any fuel but we were able to fill in the form for crossing the border. They said the Police were a few kilometres over the border into the Northern Territory. They were about a 100kms down the road! We gave them our forms and they took copies of our licences for ID. We had to write down all the places we had been for the last 28 days. They asked how long we had been in Blacktown. Blackdown I corrected him; it’s a national park. So no problems there. They asked us were we were planning on staying the night. I told him. Just don’t stay in Borooloola he said which meant it must be an aboriginal community.

A number of kangaroos crossed the road in front of us after lunch. I also saw two red tailed cockatoos, four wild horses and a number of wedged tailed eagles on road kill. At about 3:30pm we started looking for a campsite. We passed one that would have done, went over the river and went into another that had two cars in it. We decided to leave them to it. In hindsight we should have gone back to the first one. We couldn’t find the next one, but the one two further along from that was good, it was close to 5pm. Another camper followed us in and there was plenty of room for more. The flies were so awful, even Lindsay requested his hat fly net.

When panel beaters replaced the rear door they didn’t fit it properly and we had red dust all over everything in the back of the car, including us as I later found out when I wiped my face with a baby wipe. My hair felt disgusting. I don’t know why the aboriginals drive with their car windows down, they must always be covered in dust.

There were three water crossings, lots of bull dust, corrugations and rocks. Then a few single lane bitumen sections, which means you have to go off to the side when an oncoming car goes passed you. Not everyone slows down unfortunately. I wouldn’t recommend the Savannah Way for any type of caravan. I kept thinking about Lynne and Tony coming down this road in their caravan.

20 August 2020

Daly Waters Pub Campground, Daly Waters $20.00

The heat started early as did the flies. The road this morning towards Borooloola was probably the worst. Lots of corrugations. From Borooloola to Cape Crawford there were lots of one lane bitumen road, sometimes two depending on when a grant came through, then roadworks of 5.5km which meant we had to go on dirt to detour around it.

We arrived at Daly Waters Pub before 4pm and were able to hose down the car and camper before finding our spot. The unpowered sites were at the back. We have Telstra reception here but not Optus. I sat down after setting up to read the emails that had banked back for the last couple of days. I knew I must be hot when a dollop of sweat dripped onto my iPad. Only 36° but it’s humid. They charge 60% more for powered sites here, so the caravans must draw a lot with their air conditioners on all day and night.

The girl who took our booking at the bar had camped next to us in Rollingtone and she remembered us. We remembered her boyfriend who was the waiter as he had just had a tattoo the day before.

We went to the bar for happy hour and dinner afterwards. There was a husband and wife singing country music. They weren’t bad but you could understand why she hasn’t got the fame she seeks. A bit like our photos, they are good but not outstanding. She asked where everyone was from starting going around the different states of Australia. Most of the audience were from South Australia. She got to Victoria at the end, there were four of us. She said they had a cage in the back for us!! The other couple were from Mansfield and had snuck over the border. Why wouldn’t you, no chance they would have come into contact with Covid up there.

A couple at the next table are from England and the Netherlands who are travelling the world. They were in Japan when Covid hit in mid March and rang Australia to see if they would be welcome here. They were. They came and are really enjoying it.

Can't remember if we had Optus or Telstra, but we did have connection

21 August 2020

Daly Waters Pub Campground, Daly Waters $20.00

A lazy lie in this morning as we aren’t packing up and don’t have anything to do. Lindsay wanted a break so we are here for two nights. Lynne and Tony arrived at about 5pm. They had stopped off at a Conservation park on the way in which has a Lost City. Their trip was non eventful and they didn’t even think it was as horrible as we did. So there you go.

22 August 2020

Darwin Freespirit Resort, Darwin $31.00 (powered site)

The original plan was to visit places like Elsey NP, Mataranka and Katherine on the way up but we also wanted to go to Midil Market which is only on Sunday afternoons at the moment so it made more sense to go up now, than possibly having to fill in time for the following Sunday. Everyone was saying that Darwin was hot. The temperature stays about the same all year round but the humidity changes. They haven’t had a good wet season for two years and they think it is coming early this year.

On the way up we came up behind a guy travelling at 40km/hr in a 130km zone. We had to brake heavily as Lindsay hadn’t realised how slow he was going. As we passed him he looked at us. He was completely out of it or very tired, I’m not sure which. We got into Darwin around 3pm. It turned out to be the same caravan park we came to in 2002, just with a different name. There are two swimming pools and the closest one to us is the smallest. The water must have been about 28°C which isn’t to every one’s taste but it is to mine. Our power went out just after dinner and they couldn’t fix it until the next day. Lindsay put the car on another site so that the Engel freezer would have power and our camper fridge ran off battery. We got a powered site up the back where the sites are larger and with grass. The people with dogs at the pool were complaining that they were all grouped together on small sites without any grass to run their dogs. We are close to the road and for a small town, there is a lot of traffic that runs late and starts early.

Telstra and Optus as expected.

22 August 2020

Darwin Freespirit Resort, Darwin $31.00

The original plan was to visit places like Elsey NP, Mataranka and Katherine on the way up but we also wanted to go to Midil Market which is only on Sunday afternoons at the moment so it made more sense to go up now, than possibly having to fill in time for the following Sunday. Everyone was saying that Darwin was hot. The temperature stays about the same all year round but the humidity changes. They haven’t had a good wet season for two years and they think it is coming early this year.

On the way up we came up behind a guy travelling at 40km/hr in a 130km zone. We had to brake heavily as Lindsay hadn’t realised how slow he was going. As we passed him he looked at us. He was completely out of it or very tired, I’m not sure which. We got into Darwin around 3pm. It turned out to be the same caravan park we came to in 2002, just with a different name. There are two swimming pools and the closest one to us is the smallest. The water must have been about 28°C which isn’t to every one’s taste but it is to mine. Our power went out just after dinner and they couldn’t fix it until the next day. Lindsay put the car on another site so that the Engel freezer would have power and our camper fridge ran off battery. We got a powered site up the back where the sites are larger and with grass. The people with dogs at the pool were complaining that they were all grouped together on small sites without any grass to run their dogs. We are close to the road and for a small town, there is a lot of traffic that runs late and starts early.

24 August 2020

Darwin Freespirit Resort, Darwin $31.00

A day of shopping, reading and swimming at the pool. We got a small fan as the nights up here are very warm and we need to move the air around. It has a rechargeable battery that doesn’t go the whole night and I was ready to take it back. Lindsay didn’t think we had charged it properly so we charged it all day. It still didn’t last all night, so the following night we plugged the USB into the camper so that it kept charging and therefore it kept working.

25 August 2020

Florence Falls 2WD campground, Litchfield National Park $13.20 cash

While having our gas bottle filled in Batchelor we found a tennis racket mozzie zapper to replace the one that I had left by the bed. When I had lifted the bed up it had slipped and then got crushed when I lowered it again. I’d heard a crunch but didn’t know what it was. I think I did it twice, so it was badly crushed.

When we last camped in Litchfield 18 years ago there had been a campground at Buley Rockhole but it has been demolished. The closest one is Florence. The sites in the 4WD campground weren’t really long enough so we found one in the 2WD section, just across the path that led to the falls. You access the falls by a metal stairway with lots and lots of steps. I don’t think I swam in Florence the first time as I thought it was too cold but we were so hot I had to go in. As with most swimming, it’s a little cool to start with and then you get used to it.

In the afternoon we had a dip in Buley Rockpool. It wasn’t anything like I remembered.

On the way in we had seen a number of scrub fires. The wind had come up and the day had been designated a total fire ban. That night our neighbour had approached me to point out the fire he could see in the distance. He was a volunteer fire fighter and was concerned. He said we needed to make sure we had our valuables in the car (he had seen me with my camera) in case we had to evacuate quickly. There may not be enough time to pack the camper up. He was wrong and we got to sleep through the night without any panic.

Our little fan made sleeping much more pleasant as it was very warm at night too.

Telstra reception.

26 August 2020

Florence Falls 2WD campground, Litchfield National Park $13.20 cash

The temperature gauge in the car said it was 43°C outside as we left the campground. 

As we had been to Litchfield before I wanted to visit places we hadn’t been to previously. It was hot, so we had to limit the walks we did. We visited Tolmer Falls and the Cascades. The Cascades turned out to be a mistake as Lindsay slipped, hurting his ankle, again and his arm. He didn’t want to sit and wait and we continued to the end of the lower Cascades.

Lindsay must have had reception because Tony and Lynne let us know that they were coming to Florence after lunch for a swim. I was getting Edith Falls and Elsey National Park mixed up, thinking they were the same thing but they aren’t. When Tony said that Elsey was 90km from Mataranka I realised we were going to be passed Edith by the time we got to Mataranka. I quickly changed our plans.

The soles of my Tevas (rubber sandals) had come away when we were at Lawn Hill and Lindsay had reglued them with quick grip. Because the floor of the swimming hole was questionable I had worn them into Florence Falls. It turned out that the quick grip was water soluble and they started separating again.

I had brought my camera down to take a long exposure of the falls but had to navigate over the rocks to get into position, which is a bit difficult with no shoes so I had to borrow Lindsay’s runners. It took me ages to find a route I felt comfortable crawling over between the rocks, water (didn’t want to get his shoes wet) and slime. When I got to the top, I went to the lookout and tried to take a long exposure from the top. The railing isn’t really suited to a tripod, this would defiantly be a candidate for the drone but it was too windy.

We heard a few days later that the campground was evacuated the morning that we left because of the fires.

27 August 2020

Edith Falls Campground, Edith Falls, Nitmiluk National Park $20.00 Seniors price

It was lunchtime by the time we arrived. That afternoon we went for a swim down at the “pool” which is the lake at the bottom of the falls. The warm wind was horrible all day and we had red sand all over our kitchen benches. During the night I heard the Kurlews screaming. I swear it sounds like they are being murdered.

28 August 2020

Edith Falls Campground, Edith Falls, Nitmiluk National Park $20.00

Straight after breakfast we set off for a walk passed the falls. How long is the walk Lindsay asked. Eight kilometres but I’m not planning on doing the whole thing. We can just do as much as we feel like I said. Lindsay suggested that we only take one water bottle with us but then left it behind. The walk starts with a straight up hill climb so I was already regretting not going back to get my water bottle. At the first lookout you get to see a number of other water pools. The next stop is the Upper Pool which is really pretty. The trail is a circuit if you continue along the 8.6kms, we went up the right hand side which took us to the Bemang Lookout which is about a kilometre from the campground with the first half going straight up. The Upper Pool is supposedly another 540mts after that, but it felt a lot longer on both legs.

The afternoon agenda included reading by the pool and then another swim.

29 August 2020

Devil’s Marbles Conservation Reserve $13.20 cash

Before we set off we were visited by a kangaroo and her joey in the campground. I've never seen a joey before, so it was pretty special.

Lindsay had decided that he had had enough swimming and didn’t want to go to the thermal pools at Mataranka (which is part of Elsey National Park). As we were planning a stop over on the way to the Devils Marbles I suggested that we did stop for a swim as we had plenty of time and he agreed. I’m glad we did as it was lovely. Northern Territory Parks have been hard at work since we have been to these places eighteen years ago and have put in lots of infrastructure.

Our overnight stop was okay but the toilet was horrible and I didn’t want to stay there. We had organised to catch up with Pauline in Alice Springs but she couldn’t make it on Monday night. If we drove through to the Devil’s Marbles today, photographed them in the morning, we could be in Alice on Sunday night. It was a long drive of 839kms. We normally don’t drive passed 4pm but this time we did.  Luckily we hadn’t seen much road kill so I hoped that meant there wouldn’t be many kangaroos around. The campground was very full but we managed to fit on someone else’s campsite as he didn’t mind.

We weren’t originally going to Yulara but when we heard that they had waived the $50 entry fee it was just a little bit enticing. They were also doing a pay for 2 nights, stay for 3 nights in the caravan park for a powered site (all the unpowered sites were closed so that they could make extra money). Neither of us had reception but there 

was free WiFi at the day carpark where we had breakfast so we booked our three nights for Yulara. 

Reception patchy along the highway, sometimes we had it, then we didn't. Could only text.

30 August 2020

Temple Bar Campground, Alice Springs $24.00 cash

We caught up with Pauline for dinner at the local pub. She has been living in Alice Springs for about five years, so there was a lot of catching up to do.

Telstra and Optus connection.

31 August 2020

Rainbow Valley Campground and National Park $6.60 cash

I’m clearly getting tired because when Wiki camps had put Rainbow Valley and Chambers Pillar after Yulara, I hadn’t noticed that it was wrong. It was Pauline who picked up on it. We had booked the campground the day before and rang to see if we could move it. Which we could. Fixed.

When you drive into Rainbow Valley and get your first glimpse of the rock, it is just majestic. We last went here in 2004. The wind that had been annoying us for two weeks continued. When we came back from Namibia we had bought a burner that can fit onto a gas bottle so if we ever had wind and couldn’t use the stove, this could be moved to a more sheltered area so we could cook. As the sun started to lower itself towards the horizon I started taking photos. I had already walked to Mushroom rock earlier on in the day and worked out where I wanted to take photos. Incidentally the Mushroom seems to have fallen apart since I was last here, it just looks a mess. After the sun had gone down I decided to take some more photos with long exposure. The colours were amazing.

No mobile reception as expected.

1 September 2020

Chambers Pillar Campground and National Park $6.60 cash

Sixteen years ago there had been a shortcut track between Rainbow Valley and Chambers Pillar but it doesn’t exist anymore. We had to drive back to the highway. Lindsay didn’t want to pump up his tyres which meant we couldn’t go more than 80km/hr on the highway. Down passed Stuart Wells is a track heading east. There is no sign saying anything about Maryvale or Chambers Pillar. The original plan was to go via the Aboriginal Community of Maryvale before heading into Chambers Pillar. On our Hema Map we could see the Ghan Railway that took us in a more direct route but the map didn’t show any track or road. When we got to the railway there was a track that ran beside it, for how long we didn’t know but we decided to take it. Would this be a mistake? We didn’t know that either. The track was in pretty good nick. When the map showed that we turned left there was a big sign on the railway track that said no trespassing and all previous passes were void. No problem we weren’t going there anyway. The next section was a bit more challenging. Narrow, sandy, rocky. A bit of everything. You wouldn’t bring a caravan of any type down there. You wouldn’t bring a nice car down there as ours got bar coded. As the track started to head up a hill it petered out. We drove over the some rocks looking for a new track but didn’t find anything. Drove back to the fence line to see if we had missed anything. Nothing. Back over the rocks again and went a bit further and picked up the track again. Not long after this is suddenly stopped. There were bushes and trees in front of us. We could see the road to Chambers Pillar in the distance but had know idea how to get there. We got out and had a look around. There was no way this track went anywhere. We had been driving for more than two hours, did that mean we had to go back to the Maryvale road? We retraced our steps a few hundred metres and found a fork that we had missed as the track we had taken was more prominent. We finally got onto the Chambers Pillar track. Neither of us remembered the big hill that you have to drive up and over. I don’t think Lindsay used low range on the way there but he did on the return trip.

There were no other campers when we got there. Although a couple who had left their caravan a Stuart’s Well had come in for a few hours. It was very hot and windy. About 45 minutes later Geoff and his wife who had been at Rainbow Valley arrived, they had gone via Maryvale. Which meant our route wasn’t that much quicker, but it was more adventurous and interesting. Two ranger’s came in to clean the toilets, empty the firepits and collect the camp fees. The girl was originally from Mt Martha, just around the corner from us!

The wind sounds so eerie through the Desert Oaks.

No mobile reception as expected.

2 September 2020

Yulara Campground, Uluru $57.00 (powered)

Uluru-Kata Juta National Park Pass $0.00, normally $50 but waived for Covid-19.

We came out through Maryvale this time. There is a track that heads south and then west to the highway but we didn’t want the chance of taking too long as we had booked our campsite at Yulara. From Maryvale to the highway was a pretty good road. The previous section had been a bit corrugated and a piece of trim had come off the car somewhere along the way.

At the highway, Lindsay wanted to go back 20km to Stuart’s Well to get fuel even though I reminded him that Eridunda was on our way; he had got the two places mixed up, he did actually want to go to Eridunda! He wanted to use their air compressor to pump up our tyres but it was broken. no air came out. When he told to them no air was coming out they weren’t very helpful. Yep, we should have gone to Eridunda.

If we had realised how far it was from Chambers Pillar to Yulara, we probably would have scheduled a night in between. We got into Yulara around 4pm, hot and tired. We were in no mood to go and photograph anything that night. The flies here are little sticky bush things. Lindsay had left the light on in the camper with the door open which they took as an invitation. I’ve never seen so many flies in one place – there must have been more than 50. They don’t go to sleep at night like normal flies either so we had to spray them and then we had flies dropping everywhere which was awful.

Telstra and Optus reception.

3 September 2020

Yulara Campground, Uluru $57.00

The next morning we noticed that our fridge was open and a couple of things were on the ground. Lindsay had slid it back into its compartment last night but never locked it as we never have. That will change. The wine was missing and maybe some beer – which means it was an Aboriginal. We are at the back of the campground that has no real fence, so there is easy access for them. I have always asked Lindsay to lock our car at night as our camera gear is in there. He thinks I’m going overboard. He said that we would hear anyone opening the door. No we wouldn’t. Just as we didn’t hear them rolling the fridge out last night. It was bad enough that they stole our wine but they couldn’t have shut the lid. Lindsay reported it to reception but they didn’t seem very interested – may be it happens all the time?

I checked the weather and wasn’t going above 25C before lunchtime so we left after breakfast to go down to Uluru and did a couple of walks and worked out where I wanted to shoot it at sunset.

When we got back we noticed a piece of trim above the bumper bar was missing. As we had been over lots of corrugations in the past month, we just assumed it must have come off then. 

We had dinner at lunchtime so that we could set off at 5pm to set up for the sunset shot of Uluru. We took our chairs and Kobos so that we had something to read while we waited for the change of light. As we drove into the sunset carpark we noticed a black thing in the middle of the road. It was the piece off our car! How lucky was that. The only reason the one on the other side hadn’t come off was that Lindsay had glued it on, I think this one will get the same treatment.

The sunset was not amazing, nor was it even great. In the dry season which is winter, most of the days are sunny and cloudless. Zero clouds means an awful sunset. I was trying to get some spinifex into the foreground to make the picture a bit more interesting but some of it was just a mess and you can’t walk in there and tidy it up. As the sun comes down, the foreground starts to go into shade. By waiting 25 minutes until after sunset, I got the best colour with no shadows.

4 September 2020

Yulara Campground, Uluru $0.00 (pay for 2 nights, stay for 3 Covid-19 deal)

Kata Juta was on today’s agenda, which is about a 50km drive from the campground. There were two main walks. The first one we did was into Walpa Gorge a 2.6km return trail takes you to a platform that looks onto the gorge which isn’t very exciting. What it does show you is that Kata Juta is made up of small rocks stuck together with mud.

The next walk is the Valley of the Winds which Lindsay decided quite rightly to skip. He thought I’d said I would be an hour but I had told him that most people did it between two hours. The full circuit takes 3-4 hours. It is classed as a grade 4, steep, rocky and difficult in places. I was only planning on going to the second lookout Karingana which is about 2.7km one way. A sign at the start says not to attempt the walk after 11am if the temperature is going to be over 30°C. It was about 26 and wouldn’t get to 30 until around 4pm, so I ignored it. A very challenging walk and I had my heavy camera. I wish I’d had a pair of walking poles. I did it in 105 minutes.

Like the day before we had dinner at lunchtime so we could leave at 4:50pm to get to the sunset viewing area for Kata Juta. There were clouds today so I was very optimistic that we would get a good sunset. The sun sets behind you so that the colour is projected up onto the rock, the same as the Uluru sunset viewing spot. I set up my camera and waited. The clouds were too dense. Urgh. I didn’t think I would get anything. I just needed the sun to poke through on its way down through a small slit in the clouds. Sunset was at 6:35pm and we had been there since 5:30pm hoping to get the golden light pouring over the rock. At 6:30pm it popped, at 6:33 I got my best shot and then it was gone.

5 September 2020

Agnes Creek R.A. $0.00

Last night was awful. After being robbed two nights before I was on full alert. When I woke up around midnight I could see someone walking around with a torch. On a closer look I could see the security guys were looking for someone. By then Lindsay had woken too so I opened the zipper when the security guy walked through our camp and told him that we had had stuff stolen two nights before.

The next morning we heard more. Someone had their bicycle stolen, another two boxes of beer and two bottles of whiskey, and a number of wallets. One poor backpacker who was sleeping in their small van had her wallet stolen, which meant he had to open their van to get it. And we know how difficult it is to replace your credit cards when you are in another country – she now had no money and no credit cards, how was she going to travel?

Apparently the security people had seen an aboriginal in a car outside the campground who said he had run out of petrol and was waiting for a friend. Really, did they not realise that was a ruse? Did they even check his fuel gauge? That really put a damper on our visit to Uluru.

It is a fair drive back to the Stuart Highway and we filled up with fuel at the roadhouse on the corner. Mid afternoon took us to a road side stop near Agnes Creek which like most creeks in the centre was dry. We were now in South Australia. There hadn’t been anyone to ask us for our permit as we entered. There were a group of policemen on the other side of the road to check people coming from South Australia going into the Northern Territory. We stopped but they waved us on.

Even though we had set up camp a fair way from everyone else it didn’t stop the noise from a few British backpackers talking and playing their music. By 1am I went over to them and asked them to turn it down, they said sorry and turned off the music and half an hour later they went to bed.

6 September 2020

Lake Hart $0.00

I had found a spot to stay in Pimba but when we realised that we were close to our favourite spot near Lake Hart we made a bee line to there. The roadhouse at Pimba was on a hill and very exposed so we were glad we weren’t staying there. The wind has continued which makes cooking very difficult. The Ghan went past us at 4pm and the driver toots us as we are only a couple of metres from the train line. A goods train goes by around 10pm and then I don’t think there were any other trains that night. It’s Sunday, so I’m not sure if the scheduling is different to a weekday.

Optus was available at all the roadhouses down the highway from Alice Springs but we didn't get Woolworths Telstra until the Breakaways. Will be looking at Boost Mobile in December when the rollover comes due. Boost is the only one that has access to the full Telstra network, all the others are only partial, which means they don't work in the obscure outback towns. If you only stay in the main populated areas of Australia, then Woolworths 12 month plan is excellent value with 84gb of data and unlimited calls and text on Telstra.

7 September 2020

Bon Accord Hotel, Burra $:dinner at the pub

Our friends in Port Elliot weren’t going to be there on Wednesday night, so we had to catch up with them on Tuesday, which only left one night for Burra. 

I wanted to photograph an old house in Burra which Ken Duncan had made famous when it was put on the cover of a Midnight Oil album. Sunset would project a glow onto the front of the house. Ken’s picture had a manicured dry crop around it but it’s winter and the grass is green, which was not quite the look I was hoping for. There were two contenders for camping. Behind a pub and the showgrounds. The showgrounds were a bit exposed so we chose the pub. Lindsay of course wanted to have dinner there, so we booked in.

Sunset was a fizzle, it was very disappointing. There were too many clouds and they just strangled the sun.

Just as we went to order our meal the lights went out. The whole town was being affected. This was the only place open for dinner as they had a generator but the lights still went out periodically. The owner wanted to serve the people who had ordered before we came in before he would even let us know if we could eat there. The generator must not have been enough for the kitchen. After a couple of drinks we did manage to get dinner.

8 September 2020

Port Elliott – Lee & Yvonne’s

After the dismal sunset I wanted to visit the house at sunrise so I set the alarm for 5:30am. It was very dark when we arrived so I sat in the car for about quarter of an hour. At ten to six, I set up and started taking photos. The sky behind the house was starting to light up in purples and pinks. By 6:13am it was amazing.

It was about three and a half hours to Port Elliot. As we were driving through Adelaide we passed a JB Caravan dealership. We had decided that our camper trailer days were over and we would upgrade to a caravan. It was interesting to see a couple of layouts. The salesman wasn’t really interested in helping us as he knew we wouldn’t be buying off him, but really what else was he going to be doing? He did suggest that we look at the different layouts with the door near the front and the door near the back. We defiantly like the door at the rear. Having it at the front means you walk passed the bed and we didn’t like that.

We haven’t seen Lee & Yvonne since, well I have no idea. A long long time and they didn’t look any different. It was lovely to catch up with them.

9 September 2020

Bordertown Recreational Lake 

Melbourne still has a curfew of 8pm and if you are caught outside your house after this time you could be fined $1,500, so that would be $3k for both of us. I felt much better that we spend the night at Bordertown which is on the border of South Australia and Victoria. This left us all day to cross Victoria and get home. It also meant that we didn’t get home in the dark. Win, win.

We had seen lots of canola fields in bloom all around Burra and again going through Victoria’s west. It’s so pretty.

10  September 2020

We were worried that once we hit the outskirts of Melbourne that we would be picked up and fined for being outside the 5km radius of our house for none of the 4 permitted reasons. No one else thought we would be picked up and we weren’t. It was good to be home even though it meant going into lockdown again.

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