Alice springs to Hugh river ( west macdonnell ranges )

Another early morning but I let Corinna brew our morning fix as I was stuffed as young Shahla had forgotten her iPod password and to fix it it took me nearly 3 hours and an Internet download to fix while everyone slept , but I passed the time in between playing pocket planes on the iPad lol.

It was nearly 8 am when I got out to my awaaitng cuppa the. I set off to make bacon and egg sangas in the camp kitchen where we met up yet again with the same travellers who I think we may meet a few mores times this week as our itinerary was similar .

Packed up and we seemed to have a bit of room in the car which was a real treat .

After we hitched the camper I scampered off for a quick shower and shave then we took off into town to get  gas in the camper and some advise from the tourist info in the Todd st mall .

Handy info was gained from the tourist info as is typical in many towns we have visited in the last 18 months .

On the way back to the car we picked up yet another novel for Ej then Pointed  the caravan of love towards Simpson Gap and a quick walk down through the gap which still had a scattering of water puddles in it , what a lovely little spot .

The next side trip was to Stanley Chasm and even though it was just past  the magical midday hour we still we excited with the walk along to the chasm and some great snaps and a educational talk with the rangers who pointed us towards our free camp for the night here on the Hugh river not far from the Chasm .

We setup early to make the most of the day and to ease the driving load on myself , and within the hour we had a decent pile of firewood and camper setup where we all had some relaxing time exploring th large dry riverbed before stoking the fire and starting our dinner of apricot chicken .  

After dinner it was journal and kicking back by the roaring fire .

Alice springs - re supply and Road Transport Hall of Fame

The warming red centre sun awoke us from our restless slumber but the breeze was still chilly so I stayed in my furry pyjama bottoms while we made a cuppa then a mad a large batch of apple pancakes which I cooked in the handy camp kitchen across from us , this saved our gas , cleaning up water and had a good size hot plate and all next to a table and chairs in a common area .

Plenty of comments from friendly travellers about our beautiful kids and tales from our travels shared between each other , I enjoy this part of caravan parks and outdoors in general as everyone has a story and all a different version of travelling the same track .

Everybody showered as it had been a few days without one and the girls loved being clean a girls are supposed to be lol.

Two loads of clothes washing g and a bit of a sort out from our roof top bag where we got all of our NT weather clothes out that had been hidden while down south and then all the winter clothes and jackets back into the rooftop bag which was fully laden the placed back up top where we wouldn't probably use any till next year with all things going well.

Lunch was a simple affair of cheap ass burgers from maccas while we drove to the truckies hall of fame  .

The family ticket cost us $42 which is supposed to be  2 adults 2 kids but he let Shahla in for nix as she was a " squirt " .

The sheer delight in Dashiell's face was a real joy to see as he spotted many ken worth t100 and other versions and the rest of us took in many other interesting facts especially Kurt johansen and Tom kruse 

I enjoyed the vintage car displays and military vehicles a couple of which I had the luck to drive when I was younger and I cut my teeth on a series 2 and 3 land rover , but shhhhh don't tell anyone !

After the first shed with both wings we moved outside over to the pommies corner then onto the kenworth museum where most trucks are sent here soon after manufacturing each year a couple where only 3 days off the line and only 3000 Kms old which isn't far off the drive there , not even demo models , one of the dealers from the factory who volunteers here every year was telling us that each kenworth dealer puts a little of their profit aside each year to buy the new truck from the Kenworth factory at a discounted rate so it could be put on display here in the hall of fame .

Dash and Shahla were lucky enough to get a ride into the 2014 T108 kenworth rig being moved back into the shed from out the back , this made dashmans whole year , and to top it off they got kenworth key tags stubby holders pin lapels and drink bottles , top effort from the volunteers .

Then we moved over to the last pavilion where family friends Graham Leech , his brother and both parents were inducted into the hall of fame on Saturday night which eeven missed but were able to see their plaques and stories on the new wall .

Great afternoon thoroughly enjoyed .

Then it was off to the supermarket to get a few weeks food and supplies sorted for our red centre sojourn .

Bit off excitement in the plaza as one of the locals tried to pitch a massive rock through a store window but was apprehended by a smaller NT female police officer and within minutes plent were there to assist her .

A quick stop at uncle eddies ice cream parlour on the way back to the park where weackeed it all away and cooked snags and salad in the camp kitchen area again catching up with fellow travellers and sharing tales of the area and future campsites .

It had been a big day and we all were pooped from walking a lot .

Beresford ruins , Oodnadatta ,todmorden station

Another early morning wake up this time mostly die to sunlight and cockatoos around the dam , noisy bastards but nice just the same.

It didn't take a lot to for the mrs to stoke the fire and get a coffee sorted and we were all soon up .

As everyone stayed in the camper overnight it was quick and easy to pack up excepting the pans left from dishes the night before ( doh!).

We made our way up to the railway siding ruins which is still in relatively good shape considering its age .

Back on the track we soon passed strangways springs then William Creek where we had hoped to see some bronco branding but once inside talking we completely forgot about it till we drove off.

Some grey nomads who were camped close to us the night before had blown two tyres and were getting another repaired while we talked to them at William Creek, then shortly after some taswegians who had earlier passed us in haste also called in and after a bit of a chinwag he told us he had broken his rear window on the prado ( been there done that !) just as he overtook us as I felt empathy for him I could feel karma kicking in , but as it turned out they were very nice people the fellow actually had not not retired from the antartic division and had done many summer and also a winter tour of Antarctica both at Mawsons camp and two others .

It was an early beer but had to be done before we made tracks again and an hour or so later took the turn off down the 21 no 19 no 16 Kms ( so many signs all different) down to the Peake telegraph station and settlement .

It's hard to imagine times back then when someone decided we need a repeater station here in the middle of bum stuff nowhere .

Having said that it obviously flourished as a telegraph station for a brief 21 or so years before being upgraded to the Oodnadatta station then the settlement became home to a mine and smelter .

You can still see the many palms and springs there today , it was a great walk around the 4 or 5 still standing buildings with interpretive signs handy to read on the area.

The drive in and out was slow and mostly very corrugated so we took our time on low tyre pressures.

Back out on the Oodnadatta track we took the slight detour to algebuckina mine and bridge the bridge being the longest single span bridge in South Australia to date.

We took a walk out along the bridge works for 100 or so metres and dared not go past the walkway although the fence was cut open and you could easily manage to put your feet either side of both the narrow and wider gauge rail line and sleepers to the other side where the mine was.

In retrospect I wished we had of camped here as none of us thought much of Oodnadatta or the caravan park so we grabbed a ice cream each ,milk and a tin of apricots for the next nights dinner and kept on going up the road to camp here on Todmorey station nestled between a couple of jump ups out of the wind if it decided to spring up though the night.

Etienne and I made spaghetti bolognaise ( a large pot too !) and sat around our burning old ghan sleepers and were startled shortly after by popping volcanic rock .

Another big day probably one more to go before we reach a sealed road and maybe one more before phone reception .

Farina station to Beresford dam ( ruins )

The birds were chirping but it was drowned out by another family and their noisy kids at 6am , not that it was an issue as we had a reasonably early night and were well rested.

I opted to make the cuppa this morning and already the boys were up and clambering on the rocks above camp towards the war memorial .

It was great to have egg and ham toasted sangas for breakfast while some had avocado egg and ham or toasted cheese with homemade sauce.

Pack up was short and sweet and within the hour we had a quick stop at the John McDough stuart memorial made from local boulders , then through Marree  but didn't stop to toil as we had been here only a few years ago .

The first real stop for the day was at the sculpture park at Alberrie creek home of the Ghan hover bus and plane henge not to mention meany quirky handmade art forms from leftover scraps of metal and assorted supplies.

The kids enjoyed playing on the Hover bus for ages before we urged them on .

Not long after we were sightseeing over lake eyre south from several vantage pints not far off the Oodnadatta track and ran into another family travelling oz who ewe into their tenth month and were staying at Farina tonight .

After the lookout we came across the mound springs area (Wabma Kardabu ) where the great artesian basin forces water under pressure to the surface depositing minerals which form mounds with ponds forming on top which trickle or flow all around the area bringing greenery and birdlife to the area , it really was quite nice to see in this harsh environment .

At the climb to one of these mounds called Blanche cup we actually found a desert gobi a small very well camouflaged little fish smaller than your little finger on the edge of the warm pool of water .

Coward springs was only a few Kms further north so we partook in a customary dip in the spa to refresh and wipe of some and from our pores, as we did I spied a brolga in the wetlands only metres from us .

We had decided ( well I had decided !) on a late lunch then setting up camp here at Beresford ruins in the old dam site only a short distance from the old spillway .

Apparently spring was upon us as Shahla and I were both angrily swooped by a nearby magpie , the new no go zone for us all  , lol.

There was quite a bit of firewood here along with some of the old Ghan railway sleepers I had scavenged along the way so tonight's fire was a rippa as Etienne and mum made tuna pasta and toasted tortillas for tea.

Kids schoolwork was done via headlamp and a little bit of gameplay for them before we scampered into bed , it had been a massive day yet again 

Merna Morna station to Farina station

We weren't real sure how far we were going to go today but there wasn't a real rush anyway .

Simple brekky of toasted cheese on bread or avocado on roast .

The sun rose quickly above Branchina gorge and the western part of the Flinders we were on and soon the friendly flies we had forgotten about from not so long ago were back in avengence packing up was the priority till I remembered I still had to cut and fit the new truck mud flaps I had brought the day before , nothing fun about getting in the dirt under a camper but I soon had it complete and was happy with the result .

Back out on the track which was soon non bituminised I felt more at home and I think we have settled nicely into our routine of travelling outback style .

We were a little disappointed that the Leigh creek coal mine viewing site was no longer operational although we did sneak past to confirm this anyway after topping the fuel up at Leigh creek minutes before .

Just after this turnoff we got some happy snaps of an old ruin then a stone water tank and race bing fed by a updated windmill .

We talked about the old days before motor vehicles were popular and how cameleers made a living before the Ghan and then followed the old Ghan railway along the road to our stop for the night at Farina which is an amazing place to explore.

Only $5 per person the grounds. Boasted concrete floored flushing toilets and donkey heated clean showers as well of plenty of room for campers tucked away in nooks and crannies or on the open campground.

We setup made lunch the took off to explore the old town of Farina and the railway station area with its variety of gauge lines each telling a story of past hopeful ventures whether it be in pastoral leases , sheep cattle or cropping , the optimism of yesteryear is I guess what shaped this beautiful land we call home .

It was a real pity the old bakery wasn't being run today by the restoration committee it's generally between May- July so I guess another time .

The kids schoolwork was easily planned for the next few days with few projects on this area .

The railway siding for loading two levels of sheep became the kids play area and they really enjoyed the place .

Donkey heated showers were a outback treat before tea around the fire and we talked about the next days travel .

Adelaide to Merna Morna station ( Flinders Ranges ) S.A

The young campers next to us were up early owing to a small toddler with a cold ( been there done that ) so not long after that we got up with the sun and I set about pancakes for the crew since there was a well set up camp kitchen with a perfect hot plates for pancakes by the dozen .

Maple syrup ( pure or not at all I must add !) and jam was the order of the morning and we soon consumed over 32 pancakes between the 5 of us OMG .

Back to camp we rolled swags , packed the camper,  organised the car then headed off on a lovely late winters morning ( more like mid spring ) , we needed to get some beer for me and Midori for the handbrake as well as some soft drink treats for the kids if they behaved .

Bread top Japanese bakery just happened to be on our way out so we stocked up for lunch and the. Got a prescription for corinna's non flip out pills ( lol) it's ok just thyroid .and the ladies sneaked in a  perfume fix , this being a first for Shahla who got a Britney Spears perfume and Corinna got a bottle of Giorgio Armani SI , which she was tempted into at David jones in the city on the previous day .

back along the main north rd out of town we made good time towards the impressive flinders ranges through the Clare valley famous for early varieties of Riesling true to our German heritage .

Not long later we then passed through Auburn  the birthplace of famous Australian author C.J Dennis , then the place where he grew up as a child in Laura where we stopped for snacks and a rest stop.

Plodding on again we passed through Quorn then Hawker where I took the opportunity to top up the fuel tanks and yak with the some Adelaide motorbike riders kitted out on a Yamaha wr 450 and a ktm 525 who were headed to Blinman with a large continent riding the magnificent Flinders .

The light was fading so we made for Merna Morna station to bush camp there as we had heard many good reports about the place .

While the caretaker was friendly enough once we eventually found them after little help from some odd old campers in front , they certainly didn't go out of there way to tell us where we could camp or of the tracks surrounding it , no loss it was still a beautiful location .

Wood abounded along the once flooded creek the kids tried out their ration ack meals but Mexican chicken was hot and not terribly well tasting so they were happy to tuck into the savoury mince on smashed potatoes we prepared.

The boys slept soundly out in their swags while Shahla and the parents retired at an early hour .

Rest and repairs in Adelaide

The morning was very fresh and dew coated the ground everywhere but soon after we arose for an early brekky and did the ring around on repairs pro4x4 was a possibility on Tuesday but wouldn't guarantee it would be done before the end of the day so I tried pedders as that's what the specialise in and he could fit me in straight away and two hundred dollars cheaper than the previous quote.

So we skulled our cuppa's and headed down grand junction rd to Prospect a 20 minute trip by car.

Once satisfied they knew what I wanted done we took off across the rd to the nearest bus stop and were picked up within minutes and whisked into town on a day ticket for under $20 for the whole family , god I hadn't been on a bus for years but it was fun for the kids.

Bread top Japanese style bakery was only two shops from the bus stop in the city so we took this as an omen for breakfast , every one loves this shop.

We were now in Rundle st Mall so the parents grabbed a copy then we all did some shopping first a new decent sleeping bag for Shahla as her old hand me down from Ej had ripped and quite frankly was really a zippered Doona cover disguised as a summer sleeping bag.

Of course being at Aussie Disposals Dashiell (nee Bear Grylls ) decided on a outer steel canteen to match his army canteen  so he could heat food and drinks on his recent survival style outings , god this reminds me of my childhood big time except not bear grylls probably more Rambo , chuck Norris and Malcolm Douglas .

Around the corner from here was a comic book shop so Ej conned us into the store much like a young Shelton cooper !, Shahla was also enjoying it as this was a first for her and she soon had her first comic , a my little pony cartoon comic book , Ej decided he would get a novel in the mall instead .

So two bookstores , a reject shop , Kmart and some Italian for lunch later we headed over to the Museum of South Australia only across the road.

On our journey around Australia we have been to many museums and galleries and they always filled out our day beautifully and adelaide was no different except that Shahla was now quite a fluent reader and read nearly every story board she walked past.

We made it in time for a guided tour of the Egyptology section on the top floor of the museum , this was intriguing for us all even if we probably were more proficient in the Egyptian world than our host owing to being to two other exhibitions in Melbourne and Canberra  in previous years as well as the kids recently studying Egypt at school both in Bendigo and Darwin.

About 430 as we were making out way out I received the call to pick up the car , great timing so we walked two blocks back to the bus terminal, man we were all completely stuffed from walking everywhere .

The bus was packed with school kids heading home  and 15 minutes later we were disembarking out front of the workshop.

Happy with the job done and the price we took off for some groceries for tea but took too long getting so e other essentials so settled on take away .

Once back at the van it was cold so we had a quick shower then warmed in our heated camper reading a little and journals before sleeping soundly till morning .