Friday, Mar 21, 2014 at 19:59
Thanks Peter,
You have done a great setup. I like the way you've minimised weight by smart use of aluminium and plastic.
Yeah in some ways I miss the traytop - it was the most practical desert vehicle I've had and setting it up was an absolute blast - I really enjoyed the shed time and the trips. But after 8 years, I was struggling to stay interested - I started changing things...and making them worse.....so figured I needed a new project, and seeing we had the Tvan and we now have grandkids, went back to a wagon.
The 200series is quiet, smooth, powerful, swish and capable.......not necessarily good though! - I've done a pretty good fitout so it works nice on the desert trips....but one day..one day I might just give it the chop and turn it into a traytop :-) We were thinking of stepping up to a 4.5T truck, but living out of the vehicle is not something I want to do and a bigger vehicle becomes less capable in the
places we like to go.
Yeah
Alice Springs area is a favourite - met my wife there 34 years ago! We've been back fairly often. We'd tend to do a loop these days and not camp at
Alice Springs - prefer to use the town for a visit, a restock and camp outside the town. This is my suggestion for you for 9 days, bearing in mind it will be pretty warm in April and a few flies around:
Day 1: Not sure which direction you're coming from, but I'll assume its from the south. So Day 1 camp at
Rainbow Valley off the Stuart Highway. Sip a glass of
Adelaide Hills Sav Blanc from those nice wine glasses you carry as the colours change on that brilliant rock face!
Day 2 Turn left and drive through
Owen Springs. Its a nice "shortcut". Call into Hermannsberg and check out the great restoration of the old mission and grab a
scone while you're there. Head out to camp at
Palm Valley for the night.
Day 3 Do the valley part of the walk (it's shaded whereas the hilltop walk is not). Maybe one hour up, then 1 hour back. Then leave
palm valley via Gosses
Bluff (quick look when you drive in there for lunch) and drive past
redbank Gorge towards
Glen Helen Gorge. Just before
Glen Helen you'll drive across the Finke River, turn left onto the track that follows the river and it's the best
free camping you'll get for the next few kilometres - watch the sunset over Mt Sonder with a glass of Barossa Shiraz.
Day 4 Visit
Glen Helen Gorge and splash around in the water, then drive to
Ormiston Gorge for morning tea (have a swim to cool off (its pretty cold all year!)) Drive to Ellery Gorge if you wish (its a similar gorge to Ormiston) then towards the end of the day camp near Reedy Hole waterhole, off Namatjira Drive about 9 k's west of the intersection with Larapinta drive - its nice camping in shady river beds.
Day 5 Bacon and eggs morning, then off to
Stanley Chasm at midday if you want to see it in full light. Head for
Alice Springs - do your shopping, refuel them take the road east to camp at
trephina Gorge. Nice shady camps here.
Day 6 Walk the gorge - it's nice, then maybe have a free afternoon to take a breather
Day 7 Drive to Arltunga in the morning and do the drive and look around. Then move onto N'Dhala Gorge to camp the night.
Day 8 Walk the gorge in the morning to check the rock carvings at N'Dhala, then drive out south to the Numery road (start of the
Old Andado track) Head down the track, probably
bush camp along the way towards the Mac Clarke Acacia Peuce Reserve.
Day 9 Walk the Acacia Peuce Reserve then visit
Old Andado, and head south from
Andado to
Eringa waterhole or go via Mt Dare (check conditions of the Mt Dare track before attempting it).
Anyway dinner is on the table...I'd better go :-))
Cheers
phil
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