Ti Tree to Tennant Creek ...

About 20km North of Ti Tree was a pleasant rest area.  

There were two memorials.  One commemorated the 1860 discovery of the centre of Australia by explorer John McDouall Stuart.  The other plaque recognised Ian Dahlenburg, who founded Ti Tree Grape Farm in 1975.

I was interested in the information board, which gave detailed information on how mulga trees channeled water to their roots.

From the memorials, we headed another 90km to Barrow Creek Telegraph Station.  It was a great building and I took lots of photos.

It was another 90km from Barrow Creek to the Devil's Marbles Hotel.  

Somewhere between the two, we saw smoke from quite a long way off before coming to the stretch of road where the fire was active.

There had been police cars travelling in the opposite direction but nobody flagged us down.

 

We had great hamburgers for lunch in the beer garden, while admiring a big mulberry tree!

As we were leaving, Nick chatted to the local fire person whose job is to monitor fires in the region. He doesn't have any fire-fighting staff but landholders assist when necessary. 

Visiting the Devil's Marbles / Karlu Karlu was the day's highlight.  Bandit was allowed on leash in the carpark, so we took turns to walk around theGorgeous!

Tennant Creek was another hour up the road and we booked to stay two nights.

I was reading the biography of John Flynn (founder of the Royal Flying Doctor Service) before we leaving home.  We'd seen where he was born in Victoria, so viewed his grave when in Alice Springs.

A granite monolith from the Devils Marbles was placed over the grave in 1953. For over twenty years the traditional owners of the Devil's Marbles, the Warumungu and Kaytej people, fought for the stone's return. Eventually the problem was solved when the Arrernte people, acknowledging Flynn's contribution to life in the outback, agreed to replace the original stone with a similar stone from a local Caterpillar dreaming site. 

The whitish boulder in the collage is the one returned from Flynn's grave in 1999.  The distance between the sites is about 420km - so a long haul in 1953 and 1999.

Alice Springs to Ti Tree ...

Ti Tree is a town located on the Stuart Highway about 193 km north of Alice Springs. At the 2021 census, Ti Tree had a population of 88. It is the closest town to Alice Springs.

We farewelled our friends and then headed North from Alice Springs, making a quick stop at the Tropic of Capricorn, about 30km up the road.

I was very taken with all the gumnuts on one of the trees - just amazing!  We saw lots of changing vegetation as we travelled 95km to our next stop, which was Ryan's Well Historical Reserve.

The well was named after Ned Ryan, a stonemason who became an expert at sinking wells. 

As interesting as the well site was, my favourite part was watching a central netted dragon, busy catching ants next to the path!

We made another quick stop to see the Aileron Man (but liked the Woman more) - then checked into Ti Tree Roadhouse caravan park, about 200km North of Alice Springs. 

Mr Dog happily dozed on the grass, while Nick played and I cheffed. 

West MacDonnell Ranges ...

Both of us had expected Alice Springs to be very flat - whereas it was actually plonked in the middle of some absolutely stunning ranges.  It was such beautiful, rocky escarpment country.

We'd been able to book dog-sitting after arrival at Uluru but weren't so lucky at Alice Springs, due to our visit being in Northern Territory school holidays (which we hadn't thought about).  

Our friends had a secure enclosed area and offered it to us, so Bandit could be safely penned while we did a daytrip to explore the West MacDonnell Ranges.

Tjoritja / West MacDonnell Ranges stretches for more than 160kms, featuring a series of spectacular chasms and gorges.

What a marvelous day we had!  We were able to venture to view stunning scenery and lots of special places. 

We started with Simpsons Gap, then arrived at Standley Chasm around lunchtime.

There were lots of other sites we could have seen but we were very conscious of having left Bandit penned up at camp - so continued to Orminston Gorge.

I didn't think to take my swimmers but had an awesome, impromptu float there, looking up at snow gums, clinging to the ledges. Wow!

While I wallowed, Nick had taken a rocky path, to walk around the Gorge itself - and then experiment with the sounds of the rocks.

We had such a magic day! Perfect!

National Road Transport Museum

Bandit was allowed at the National Road Transport Museum.  So many displays! 

We arrived later in the day and our  need for lunch interrupted a full visit - otherwise we would have stayed a lot longer.

I was so impressed by the Wall of Fame!

" ... over 1800 stories of men and women who have been recognised for their contribution to the transport industry."

All those stories, with one person honoured in each frame.  I expect it would take months to read them all!

Faye Naylor, whose house we'd toured in Coober Pedy, had been inducted to the Wall of Fame in 2011.  You can read her story and those of many others, here.

My favourite exhibit was the green "Mulga Express" built by Kurt Johannsen.  What a beast!  He designed a "wood-gas producer" to run it, due to war-time petrol rations.  (It needed 1kg of wood to travel 1km). 

It seems there is a book of Kurt's story:  "A Son of the Red Centre" and I've now put that on my reading list.  

Alice Springs ...

Neither of us had been to Alice Springs and we both loved the landscape.

There were rocky hills in town and as we drove past some busineses, we could see that their land sections backed onto rocks at the rear!  

I was particularly impressed to see desert peas growing in town, along verges and in some gardens.

We'd been offered accommodation at a friend's place, so stayed out of town in lovely surrounds.

It was school holidays at the time of our stay, not something we'd thought about, so there were no dog boarding vacancies.

In between our dog-friendly exploring, we'd sit quietly at camp, watching Splendid blue-wrens and other birds.  

There were eight black cockatoos one morning. Gorgeous!

I visited the Olive Pink Botanic Garden one morning, while Nick and Bandit walked elsewhere.

" ...  one of the lesser known Alice Springs attractions, the Ilparpa Claypans."

There were several references to the Claypans being dog-friendly and Bandit really enjoyed his time there. 

We took turns to have a solo walk around Jessie Gap Nature Park, while the other one sat in the car with Mr Dog.

We did some day-to-day stuff - shopping, washing and I wrote a few postcards.  

Nick found a better jockey wheel on the FB marketplace, so we spent $50.00 on that upgrade.  

We also picked up some canvas repair tape from a camping shop in town, to deal with a small split on the camper door.  

I took my laptop for photo processing - and thinking I'd blog of our adventures along the way - but there wasn't a lot of time for those activities.  We were busy being where we were, taking in all the newness.

Kings Creek Station to Hermannsburg

Although the rain was only light overnight, it became heavier when it was time to break camp. 

Our wet pack-up was a bit painful but we were on the sealed road before 10:00am.  

I liked how there was a dry patch under the camper - and I laughed when I saw the stark contrast between the wet parts of my shirt and the dry bit that had been sheltered by my hat!

We drove about 40km, admiring the soggy landscape - and turned around at one point because we'd spotted a dingo and wanted to try for a better look.

We called into the carpark of Kings Canyon (where Bandit was allowed) and had a quick walk around.  We'd already decided exploring there would be another trip's adventure.

What I found really interesting was water boatmen and other swimmer critters already in the carpark puddles, where we'd only had overnight rain!

It wasn't long afterward that the tar ran out. From there the first part of our "scenic route" was along dirt/mud road, with the rain becoming far heavier. 

Nick was our driver and had this to say:  "Sliding sideways one way then another wasn't fun ...  until we put the car in 4WD and traction was much better."   

I took some footage of the roads we were driving on but not many pics of the worst conditions.  It was fairly full-on and stressful cos at that stage, I envisaged the full 150km being mud.  

When the rain eased and 4WD was no longer required, after about 30km of travel, we then appreciated our decision to push forward - cos the scenery was stunning, even on a grey day. 

We arrived at Hermannsburg Historic Precinct around 2pm. Bandit was allowed to visit and we enjoyed our time there.

Kings Creek Station

We checked out of Uluru on time - though typically Mr Dog was packed and ready to go, long before departure!

We then travelled 280km up the road to Kings Creek Station, where I'd made an overnight booking.

It was an interesting drive. There were many desert oaks and other trees to admire, an impromptu stop to ensure a beautiful sand goanna made it back to safety, a few finches and budgies spotted ... 

We arrived in time for a late hamburger lunch, which we ate on the verandah (where Bandit could sit with us).

As much as we enjoyed our time at Uluru, we really appreciated greater space between us and our neighbours at Kings Creek - plus we had a fire!

It rained lightly overnight, though not enough to dampen our spirits or put out the fire! 

The small drops made a pretty sound on the canvas, when we went to bed.

I'd done a load of washing earlier - well before the rain - so the camper had morphed into a laundry room.

Uluru (Day 6)

Talinguṟu Nyakunytjaku is the main sunrise viewing area for Uluṟu.

On our last full day, Nick was up early to see the sunrise (along with many other people) and then he returned to some sections of the base walk. 

I went out later in the day, to listen to a cultural talk and see the Talinguru Nyakunytjaku tracks.  In contrast to Nick's busy sunrise visit, I was the only one there in the middle of the day.  Well, just me and the grasshopper!

Take one or both of the short walks at Talinguṟu Nyakunytjaku to increase your understanding and appreciation of Aṉangu Culture and survival skills. Men and women are welcome on both tracks.

I returned to the beautiful waterhole we'd seen on Tuesday, during our base walk - and I was able to sit quietly, appreciating the peaceful stillness, in a break between large tour groups. 

We had a very full week at Uluru, glad we chose a longer stay. It took a while to process all we saw and heard. There was a lot to take in ...

Uluru (Day 5)

We had a quieter day, taking turns to do activities closer to camp, while the other stayed behind with Bandit.

Nick wore my "girly shirt" to the 10am ranger-guided Mala Walk at Uluru.

I later went to a free bush food talk in the Resort's Arkani Theatre, which was very well attended - and where we could sample some fruits.

Uluru (Day 4) - Walpa Gorge

Kata Tjuṯa is sacred to Aṉangu men. 

Our people have always shown respect when visiting this special place. They would camp a short distance away and walk in quietly. They would not swim in the waterholes. 

Women entered this area to collect food and water but always behaved appropriately. 

It is the same now. It is the same for you. 

Hold in your heart the knowledge that this is a special place. 

Walk quietly, tread lightly. Stay on the track. 

Enjoy this place as it is.

After our exertions of the previous two days, we opted for much easier walking on Day 4 (while Mr Dog visited a friend).  

Walpa Gorge was an easier, one-hour walk.  There was more stunning scenery and such interesting facts about the local flora and fauna. 

Once back at camp we had a small antipasto platter to celebrate the end of our third week away and all the awesome we’d experienced till that point.

Nick played his guitar and galahs sat in the small tree above, dropping seed pods down! We weren't sure if they were impressed by his singing or trying to shut him up!

We caught up on some general missions.  I did some washing and Nick tidied his Pepsi Max stash.  Some of the cans hadn't fared well over all the bumpy roads and there were casualties.

We'd only booked three days of dog-minding - and  felt we could take turns doing some of the closer exploring, as well as attending a few of the free cultural presentations.

Uluru (Day 3) - Base walk ...

We weren't too stiff after our Valley of the Winds walk, so Bandit spent time with a different new friend - while  Nick and I did the 10km Uluru base walk.

The base walk is the best way to discover the diverse plants, animals and geological features of the park.

Mr Dog wasn't overly keen to be parted from Nick, so we were a bit slower starting the walk, which was estimated to take between three and five hours.

I covered up and as you see, there wasn't much skin exposed to the sun. I did marvel at some of the attire worn by other walkers. One very fair girl wore not much more than a bikini top and mini skirt. Many weren't wearing hats.

As a giggle, despite covering up as much as I did, I still managed to get sunburnt - in the area between my socks and pant legs! 

Although you could hire bikes or take a segway tour, I was glad we chose to walk and quietly appreciate encounters with lizards and finches along the way.  

A couple of segway groups rolled past us at different points and I doubt they would have heard all the pretty chatter of the finches, due to the noise of their transport devices.

We took about three and a half hours to do the walk and were a bit late getting back for Bandit - but all was fine.

Even though it was our third full day, it still felt quite surreal to be driving beside Uluru or seeing it in the rear mirrors! 

Uluru (Day 2) - Kata Tjuta (Valley of the Winds walk)

We were up with the stars to drop Mr Dog to his new friend - then we saw the full moon set and the sun rise at Uluru. 

It was about 8 degrees with a chilly wind at 5am.  We ate our cereal huddled in the car!  

There was a 50km drive from our lookout spot to Kata Tjuta.  The only (waterless) toilets were in the carpark, so we made sure to go before walking!  

I'd read lots of info about the area and photography before visiting and was happy to comply with the requests.

"The Valley of the Winds is a culturally sensitive men’s area. We ask that you don’t take any video or photographs of Kata Tjuṯa throughout this walk. You are welcome to take close up photographs of flora, fauna and people, however; please refrain from capturing any images of the rock formations." 

Even though the walk was rated as grade 4, I still carried my camera - cos if I was only allowed some pics, I wanted them to be really good!

Much of the time, we walked in silence - taking in the magnificent site.  There were tricky parts.  One section was quite steep and I was glad to continue rather than descend the same area.

Due to our 5am start I'd worn jeans, a thermal top and polar fleece vest - with my rain/wind jacket. I shed layers but would've been more comfortable in my cropped pants and long sleeved cotton shirt.

Uluru (Day 1)

We took turns for our first close-up views of Uluru, which was a 25 minute drive from the campground. 

I pulled over, cos I was a bit emotional to be finally there.  

Nick and Mr Dog stayed at camp in the morning, enabling me to join a ranger-guided short walk and spend time at the Cultural Centre. 

While I was sight-seeing, Nick sorted dog-sitting for a few days, so we could explore together. 

Nick had his time later in the day while Bandit and I are relaxed in the van.

Understandably, Bandit was not allowed in the National Park but he could walk through the resort grounds to several lookout points - and we watched the sunset from one of those.

We had a lovely time chatting to a young couple, who took photos of us and then I took theirs.  

They'd taken advantage of a Jetstar sale to do a last-minute trip from Sydney, staying in modest accommodation.

Dinner was delayed due to our sunset viewing but we ate well back at camp.

Erldunda to Uluru ...

Erldunda Roadhouse is also known as Desert Oaks Resort, so called because of the desert oak trees growing there.  I picked up a few of the small cones, cos they were quite neat.

We saw many more desert oaks on the drive to Uluru.  They had different forms, depending on their age and to me the young trees looked like Cousin Itt (from the Addams family)! 

It seemed to me that many then morphed through a heart lollipop phase also, before they spread into a larger tree-shape. Marvellous!

In stopping to take photos of flowers, we spotted this wonderful ant nest - and I've since learned it was made by nocturnal mulga ants, who use the fallen mulga stems to protect their home from heat and rain.  It seems the  mulga trees also provide nesting material and food.

We lunched at Curtin Springs and enjoyed their burgers, away from their dining space - cos that area was off-limits to Bandit.

I booked a powered site at the Ayers Rock Campground in January, to ensure we could be as close to Uluru as possible.  Given it had been on the wishlist for most of our lives, we opted to stay for a week.  

Mr Dog was fine to be at the caravan park and we planned to find a dog-sitter to mind him while we explored Uluru.

We arrived mid-afternoon, set up the Spacevan and then relaxed.  I was looking through brochures when I spotted a fabulous striped lizard!