Rear sway bar link on Landcruiser

Jim,
with a week to spare, 4 days on the bitumen is not how I want to spend my time. But I take your point. Unless I had done the drive about thirty times I would consider it a quintessential part of the holiday.
The roads were in good nick. The wheel tracks that we left in May to the west of Haasts Bluff (the back way to Mt Liebig) had been obliterated by rain. The road from Yuendumu to Papunya was in good condition, and the main Kintore Rd was fair with some corrugated sections. The road in to Glen Helen was the same as usual - fair. The Tanami as far as Yuendumu was good. There isn't much that hasn't been sealed.

Bob, what a difference a month makes. Few of the locals were going anywhere when I was there, including the police. I think the supply truck came through just as the rains started and the Tanami was closed, tar and all. That tar runs out 2k before Tilmouth Well. The road down to Glen Helen had a lot of water on it, I'm surprised that it survived. The first 20K from Papunya to the tar was as rough as. If I'd of walked from Kintore to Papunya I'd of needed slush puppies :) The water had pooled across the track every couple of K, and had left deep ruts across the track as it ran off to one side. Surface was like a skating rink into Kintore.
But once the clouds lifted from the hills the scenery was magic :))

Willem
I bought one small item for myself (I was given an ultimatum before I left home), but was able to select some absolute crackers for a charity auction later this year (fund raising for cataract operations for those in a remote community).
The FF points come easy-every business and personal expense I have earns points - eg indemnity insurance is worth 18,000 points a year. Phone bill: 10,000. Fuel: about 300 a week. It doesn't take long.