Navigating the Covid Maze July-August-September 2021

The Red Centre Blog 7

Our next destination, a short 300+ Km's, saw the 'ticking the box' off a long standing bucket list destination being Kings Canyon. It also was the first of 5 locations where our alternative accommodation option of 'tenting' was utalised.  The drive to Kings Canyon has you head east from Yulara before turning north onto the Red Centre Way (Luritya Rd) then heading the 200+ Km's into the Watarrka National Park, home to Kings Canyon.   

Sculpture at Junction depicting Kings Canyon as destination on the

Red Centre Way

Our campsite. Solar panel for the car fridge.

 Regular campsite visitors

A must do attraction located in the camp grounds is a sunset viewing platform with a unique pop up bar serving bubbles and soft drinks.

Sunset Viewing

There are 3 walking trails on offer. A short drive to Kathleen Springs has a most scenic, short 2.6 Km round trip walk. Kathleen Springs was a cattle mustering point with stock yards and water troughs filled from a large holding tank which was served from the nearby permanent spring.Another short 1.5 Km round trip is the Kings Creek walk which runs through in the base of Kings Canyon. The creek was dry at the time we were there.

The Kings Canyon walk has 2 options, short and long. The shorter more moderate 4.8 Km walk offers spectacular views from the top of the canyon. This walk is the last 1/3 rd of the much more arduous 6.5 km canyon rim walk which, if capabilities allow, is a must do.

 

Kathleen Springs

Scenes along Kings Creek

Scenes around the rim

There are 2 options for the onward journey to Alice Springs. The most direct is to head north east through the West MacDonnell Ranges. This involves obtaining a permit for the first 90 Km unsealed section which is through community land, which is easy done, but also needs assessing as to road conditions. If the road is good it is suitable for 2wd vehicles, but if heavily corrugated or the creeks are running a high clearance 4wd is required. The conditions were not in our favour with the road heavily corrugated. We had the 4wd option but with our load,the rear of our wagon was lower than normal and with non off road shock absorbers and tyres it wasn't an option.

So we had to take the indirect route, an hour and a 100 Km longer, which meant heading south the way we came, back to the Lassiter (Yulara) highway then east to the Stuart Highway then head north to Alice. Not having the high clearance or off road suspension restricted our sightseeing options along the way but not to a major degree over the entire journey.

Alice was to be the first of two, the second at Darwin, what I describe as 1/2 camping experiences with onsite safari/eco tents and using our own gear for cooking etc. This turned out to be a great mid range economical option.

Alice Springs Safari tent

Morning view from tent bed

Alice Springs offers many amazing attractions but there is one very unique 'attraction' that is, hopefully, of a temporary nature. Alice Springs airport is being used by international airlines, primarily from Asia, to 'park up' their planes during this period of minimal air traffic. Alice Springs has been chosen because of the dry climate which is required for long term parking of such planes.

A380 being prepared for return to Singapore. Departed within 24 hrs

What would have to be a big % of Hong Kong based Cathay Pacific's fleet

The permanent attractions are too numerous to mention. Some are in very close proximity to the town while others are all within reach in a days drive some being worth a longer stay of a day or two to explore more fully, which we did not do on this trip. This was not our first visit here but we were able to see some places we hadn't seen before with others being a return visit which is well worth it.

Emily Gap was a 10 min drive from our camp site.

The very popular Old Telegraph Station a short drive north of town

Most of the attractions out from Alice are to be found through the West MacDonnell Ranges. The furthest out and most spectacular is Glen Helen Gorge, close to the historical site of  Hermannsburg, but it was closed. What we did visit was well worth the drive.

West MacDonnell Ranges

Simpsons Gap

Standley Chasm

The Ellery Big Hole. It so so deep the water is freezing cold regardless of the temp. People have gone into shock arriving here in the extreme heat and diving straight in. That's me on the right and that's as far as I went. The character on the left took a plunge and was soon out.

A constant road trip travel dilemma is the feeling of regret that descends upon one when departing a highlight location. Alice Springs generates such a feeling not only for the amazing features it has, but having family who lived and died and are laid to rest here amplifies the regret that it is time to go! 

Forward: Into the tropics. 

   

 

    

  

Navigating the Covid Maze July-August-September 2021

NT-WA Road Trip Blog 6

This trip has been planned, bookmarked and placed on the back burner  from early 2020. It was March last year, upon our return from Cairns, that the first wave of Covid 19 swept through the country. As had been our travel routine since 2017, we had our 2020 O/S trip fully planned and booked for mid year then the barrier was erected around our international borders, entry and exit. Still have a British Airways flight credit up our sleeve!

Plan B, NT & WA, was activated to replace the O/S plans. Some initial  accommodation bookings were made but all to no avail as the pandemic took control and we were now unable to leave South Australia, hence navigating the Covid maze blogs 2,3 & 4. 

Now to the present and in many respects things are getting diabolical  but we have been able, thus far, to keep ahead of the curve. The day after we arrived in the NT on July 19 South Australia went into lock down. The WA leg was contingent on WA opening the NT border which had been closed since the previous NT clusters, some 3 weeks earlier, which saw Darwin and Alice Springs have short,sharp lock downs. Fortunately it was only a week or so after entering the NT that WA downgraded the NT to 'very low risk' which meant so long as we had spent a minimum of 14 days in the NT we could enter WA once having been issued a G2G border pass. The 14 day minimum stay in the NT was required as WA had not relaxed the quarantine requirements for SA residents who could not enter from SA or only enter from a 'very low risk' declared state or territory only if 14 days had been spent in that state or territory. Hence my description of these blogs: 'Navigating the Covid Maze'. 

As far as this blog is concerned, it certainly will not be the case of producing a single blog from SA back to SA via Darwin, Broome, Perth and places in between, some 10,000 + Km's later. The outcome of that approach would be a blog to end all blogs. I am commencing this blog in Broome and due to network and wifi deficencies I will have completed this blog in Coral Bay 4 days and 1000+ Km's later . So to kick it off, here is a summary from the start of our journey, which practically begins at Pt Augusta which is the gateway to the north of South Australia, to our arrival at Yalara, home to Uluru and Kata Tjuta. 

Saturday July 17th  Pt Augusta 

Short 270 Km leg to Pt Augusta having left home at Kapunda late morning after all the necessary final checks in and around the house and the vehicle which was at capacity with a fully loaded roof rack. The trip was to be a mix of tenting (6 person), with all necessary gear for camp sleeping and cooking along with car fridge and portable solar panel, and resort and tourist park cabins, hence the loaded car.

We had a couple of breaks, one for coffee at Melrose in the Southern Flinders Rangers, a favourite spot of ours, in a quaint and rustic cafe targeting the'niche' bicycle riding cohort who frequent the area regularly.

Melrose

Pt Augusta was an overnight cabin prior to an early start for the 775 Km leg to Marla which is 165 Km's south of the NT border.

Leaving Pt Augusta for Marla

Within a few short kilometres after turning right onto the Stuart Highway you are immediately introduced to the vast expanse of the South Australian outback. Services along the 775 Km trip to Marla are surprisingly regular spaced a few hundred kilometres apart offering fuel, refreshments and accommodation which able's you to break up the trip as frequently as required. I make a habit of refueling regularly at intermediate stops despite carrying 25 Lt's of spare fuel.

Taste of the outback

Over night stop at the Marla Travelers Rest, complimented with a comfortable cabin and roadhouse meal, had us up and rearing to go for our 525 Km leg to Yulara. The SA,NT border is a short drive from Marla followed by the NT police checking station for Covid border pass check. The junction at the Stuart and Lasseter highways for the turn off for Yulara is home to the Erldunda Roadhouse, one of the busiest, if not busiest, roadhouses on the Stuart Highway. We arrived at Yulara late afternoon for our 3 night Covid cancellation credit voucher with an upgrade as a bonus.

Mt Connor from Lasseter H'way (Uluru preview)

Palya - Local indigenous greeting

THE TWO ICONIC ATTRACTIONS

Uluru

Kata Tjuta

Having visited here in 2013 we decided to explore these sacred sites choosing alternative options. We did not, nor had any intention, to climb Uluru on our previous visit but explored areas by road and foot. This time we chose the 10 + Km base walk, a circumnavigation stroll that exposes features that are not recognised from a distant view. Climbing Uluru has not been allowed, nor is it possible, since October 2019.

Kata Tjuta offers two walking choices, the Walpa Gorge which we did last visit and Valley of the Winds. We only completed half of this walk due to time restraints but the Valley of the Winds is a great experience.

THE BASE WALK

Climbing location (posts and chain for safety of climb removed)     

VALLEY OF THE WINDS

A New Attraction at Yulara is 'The Field of Lights' display

As darkness falls and Uluru is thrown into silhouette, Field of Light illuminates. As far as the eye can see gentle rhythms of colour light up the desert.

The critically acclaimed Field of Light Uluru by the internationally celebrated artist Bruce Munro is on display and due to popular demand, has now been extended indefinitely.

he exhibition, aptly named Tili Wiru Tjuta Nyakutjaku or ‘looking at lots of beautiful lights’ in local Pitjantjatjara is Munro’s largest work to date. Overwhelming in size, covering more than seven football fields, it invites immersion in its fantasy garden of 50,000 spindles of light, the stems breathing and swaying through a sympathetic desert spectrum of ochre, deep violet, blue and gentle white.The exhibition, aptly named Tili Wiru Tjuta Nyakutjaku or ‘looking at lots of beautiful lights’ in local Pitjantjatjara is Munro’s largest work to date. Overwhelming in size, covering more than seven football fields, it invites immersion in its fantasy garden of 50,000 spindles of light, the stems breathing and swaying through a sympathetic desert spectrum of ochre, deep violet, blue and gentle white.Jump to navigation

Jump to searchThe Field of Light is a large-scale site-specific light-based 

The exhibition, aptly named Tili Wiru Tjuta Nyakutjaku or ‘looking at lots of beautiful lights’ in local Pitjantjatjara is Munro’s largest work to date. Overwhelming in size, covering more than seven football fields, it invites immersion in its fantasy garden of 50,000 spindles of light, the stems breathing and swaying through a sympathetic desert spectrum of ochre, deep violet, blue and gentle white.

Sounds of Silence Desert Dinner

We finished off this visit the same way we did on our final night in 2013. The Sounds of Silence Dinner was a most memorable experience that was well worth a repeat. The dinner is complimented with a sunset platform pre dinner drinks and canapes accompanied with a Didgeridoo. Between courses an astronomer describes the desert night sky with emphasis on indigenous interpretation. A great way to end a visit to Uluru.

Next Stop: Kings Canyon & Alice Springs