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After our walk we decided it would be a nice time of day to be driving along the Finke River to Boggy Hole so it was about 4.30pm when we went through Hermansburg and just on sunset when we made it to the waterhole at Boggy Hole. It was a sensational drive, extremely scenic and varied. Sometimes we were driving along a rocky section of the creekbed, other times it was soft and sandy. At time the cliffs glowed red with the afternoon light and there were many good spots we could have stopped to camp. We continued on though so you can imagine our dissappointment to find 7 other campers at Boggy Hole, including a real loudmouth discussing in great detail how the charging system works in a 4WD.
We didn't have much information about the camping sites at Boggy Hole and infact missed the main area and drove through the sandy crossing on the way south before we realised our error. This sandy section is meant to be the notorious Boggy bit of the area (but had no trouble at all) and with our trailer we attracted a bit of attention as we drove backwards and forwards trying to find a campsite. To be honest I think, and I think I speak for David too here, that Boggy Hole is overated. Admittedly, anyplace overcrowded with campers and low on water is not seen at its best so we'll just have to come back here another year to give it another go.
Our 5th day out of Alice Springs and we were leaving Boggy Hole on our way to Kings Canyon. We'd planned to spend the day around Boggy Hole but so had the other campers. There just weren't enough trees to go around so we drove until lunch looking everywher for a half-decent place to stop. Everywhere was hot and there just wasn't a tree giving any shade in sight! We even got bogged in a sandy creek going too slow looking at the view (after going way off the track) but deflating the tyres some more got us out soon enough. Dave was pleased to have the opportunity to finally use the scuba air tank he'd rigged up for inflating tyres quickly (compare 5 minutes to inflate 4 tyres to 40 minutes using air compressor - Blue TongueII).
Boggy Hole to Ernest Giles Road is only 68km but it took us most of the day. 20km from Boggy Hole (about 2 hours), we came to Running Waters (not sign posted). This looks like a great place to stop if there's ever any water in it! Anyway, 44km from Boggy Hole you come to an intersection where the road is now a wide open red sandy highway. We took the diversion out to Illamurta Springs but it certainly wasn't as lush as the guide books make it out. There's an interesting ruin of a police camp and yards but the spring is reedy and you've got no hope of getting wet!
When we finally reached the Ernest Giles Road we sat at the intersection and discussed where to next? Instead of turning right to Kings Canyon where camping is $26 and its a return trip of 196km and we've both been there before, we turned left to the Henbury Metorite Craters and agreed to do Rainbow Valley, Chambers Pillar and Finke that neither of us had seen.
The craters were formed when a meteor hit the earth about 5000 years ago and there was camping here. We thought we'd stop for the night as it was nearing sunset but some thoughtless tourist had dumped their filthy rubbish in the BBQ which ruined the atmosphere. A quick look at the map and we found a pub with a camp ground and a swimming pool just 59km away (48km up the Stuart Highway at Stuart's Well). That sounded about perfect so we got there just before the dust storm and spent the evening in the bar with a fascinating host Jim Cotterill (son of Jack Cotterill, pioneer of the Kings Canyon tourist area in the 1960s).
Jim's story is really interesting and you can read all about his family history on the walls of his bar. They serve meals, snacks, fuel, etc too so if you're in the area stop in for a chat. There were only 3 other patrons, 2 girls going on a 3 day camel tour to Rainbow Valley, and an itinerant opal miner who gave me a huge solid opal stone which I'm looking forward to having set.
Rainbow Valley
Jim gave us a "locals only" sneaky way short cut to get from Rainbow Valley to Chambers Pillar without going back to the the highway, saving about 70km but it was still about 4.30pm by the time we got there. Again, the track to Chambers Pillar is not recommended for trailers, which is stupid because other than a bit of sand, a rocky low range 2nd steep descent and patches of corrugations it was straightforward. David has driven so many roads now with this trailer that I don't think anything would come close to stopping him.
Yes, there were people there when we arrived. One older couple with a caravan! An hour later 2 more vehicles arrived, German tourists in hire 4WDs and then a 4WD tour operator with a trailer.
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The camp sites were excellent - great views of both Castle Rock and Chambers Pillar, free gas BBQs, hotplates, fire pits and large picnic tables. |
But as for many places we visit the national parks people go a bit overboard with their bollards which can be a bit of a nuisance for those who want to keep their car cool or who have camper trailers - the shadiest part of the campsite being behind the fence!
We set up a tarp and made a great camp and waited for the sunset. We'd come so far we wanted to get some good photos - but it was a cloudy, dark sunset. We stayed the following day, all the previous nights' campers having left before we'd even woken up. You can climb up to the base of the vertical section of the pillar to view the inscribed names of the famous explorers who passed here before the Telegraph and Ghan was built and there's a nice walk around the base of Castle Rock. Since we didn't get up early this morning it was deemed my turn to take the next day's sunrise photos.
Sunrise at Chambers Pillar |
Sunset at Chambers Pillar |
We finally left Chambers Pillar on Thursday, our 7th day out of Alice and headed for the aboriginal community of Finke following the old Ghan line.
Along the Finke Track
The Finke track is a great drive, the scenery even better than in the Simpson desert. There are red dunes on either side of the track, bits and pieces of historic ruins, and not a car in sight. It started to rain but the track was sand not clay and was no trouble.
We didn't actually stop in Finke but turned west along the Goyder-Kulgera stock route to the turnoff to the Lambert Centre (23km). Another 12km on a track brought us to a flag pole and marking of the planimetric centre of gravity of Austalia... interesting.
Lambert Centre
From here it was a fairly long drive after lunch all the way back out to the Stuart Highway at Kulgera. We found a bush camp on the NT/SA border, its an excellent roadstop with good shady trees. Here we discussed going to Sydney for Xmas - early. To drive instead of fly from Perth. We put together a plan, composed email and agreed to drive to wherever we got mobile service to send it tomorrow. Probably Yulara Resort near Ayers Rock.
It was through talking people that we learned a few tricks about travelling to Ayers Rock (Uluru). The National Park entrance fee is $15 per adult and is valid for 5 days. We heard that Curtin Springs collect second hand passes that haven't quite expired and provided it corresponds to your vehicle type (4WD, 2WD, bus, motorcyle, bike etc) then they'll sell it for $5. Seems fair enough.
It took us nearly all day to get to Yulara on Friday 29/10/99 as there'd been more rain overnight and during the day which made it hard going on the Old Gunbarrel Road (from Kulgera - Curtain Springs via Mulga Park HS). To make matters worse, the "cheap" Uluru tickets we'd heard about weren't available (they'd sold out). When the phone came into service just out of Yulara we sent our email (hoping to get some work to make the trip to Sydney worthwhile). Not more than 5 minutes later the mobile rang and David had a job waiting in the city. It was still raining and miserable and we mistakenly thought that it was not worth going to Uluru today.
No camping is allowed in the National Park but there is a camping ground at Yulara, the township for the Ayers Rock region. The entire place is called Ayers Rock Resort and has absolutely eveything you could think off... bars, restaurants, cafes, bakery, supermarket, clothing shops, souvenir shops, photo lab, and every imaginable style of acccommodation starting at $26 per night for a camping site!
Adding up the cost of camping and park entry opted for bush camping but had to go a far way out of town and over a few dunes to get out of the "No Camping Allowed Zone". Can't complain though - we had better views of Uluru and Kata Tjuta that even those paying $500 per night in the best resorts and we were still in mobile range.
The following day was still overcast but we went touring around the touristy Yulara Resort, had film developed and talked to people. Someone showed us their photos they took yesterday and we were amazed at the rain pouring off the rock and the sensational photographic subject Ayers Rock is during rain. Make sure you don't make the same mistake as us - this was a real sight!
Anyway, we bought our two $15 passes and entered the National Park. Ayers Rock is another 13km away from Yulara so unless you are on a bus tour or have your own car its a bit far to walk. Ayers Rock is huge, I'd forgotten how much. The road around the base of the rock is now tarred and you can can get great photos from just about anywhere. There are two designated sunset photo areas, one for bus groups the other for cars or 4WDs. Although it was overcast it was quite humid and we didn't feel much like walking the whole way around the base of the rock and we'd hoped. Instead, we'd heard there was a significant amount of water in the waterhole so we took a short stroll to Mutitjulu. There was a group of a dozen little aboriginal boys, the Anangu people. They literally jumped all over us, pulling at our clothes, grabbing our cameras, snatching our notebooks, one danced around with David's sunnies on and two others picked and laughed at my shaven underarms.
When the novelty of us wore off, we saw the boys hurling rocks at a goanna. They'd already tried to break into our car and set off the alarm when they opened the door and now they were tormenting an animal for sport. They ruthlessly killed it with stones and sticks and left it for dead while they ran off to talk to more tourists. I was really cranky - all the signs and info centres impress upon visitors the importance of this land to the aboriginals. If this was true then why were these kids just toying with the animals and not taking their catch home for dinner? I could see no difference between these kids and any others. The cultural centre near the rock is full of stories about how the local people pass on to the younger generation all the bush tucker and traditional laws but all we saw was these rotten kids, and another black man fanging an old car over shrubs in the bush behind the cultural centre. So much for traditional.
We spent 2 days and 3 nights in the area and climbed the rock, walked the 8km Valley of the Winds walk at the Olgas and watched 2 sunsets. There are enough walks and activities to spend another full day or even more but we'd had enough. Now that we are turning east back to Sydney we won't be going to Perth this year. Our original plan was to drive out the back of the Olgas to the Gunbarrel.
Our biggest dilemma now is how to plot a route back to Sydney without backtracking over any roads we've already done.
Monday 1/11/99 we drove back from Ulura - Alice Springs to restock. Our agreed plan was to return east via Frazer Island. To get there we were going over the Sandover Highway to Mt Isa and down part of the Matilda Highway to Longreach, to Carnarvon Gorge and finally out to the coast at Harvey Bay and onto the car ferry to Frazer Island for sun, water and fishing.
