Van Report

It is with great relief that I hereby report that

i) I did not put a hole in the side of the van (which I might add opens with the ease of a sardine can when run too closely to a tree)
ii) I did not crush the side right light of van to a pulp thereby putting out all the electrical components in said van and car!
iii) I did not rip off the right hand side handle (which had no obvious use anyway and has just added to gaping hole in side of van)
iv) I did not yell, scream, abuse or even utter a sound at time of impact or for sometime afterward

I can thankfully report that I was not behind the wheel of the car at the time of the tree encounter nor was I supposed to be behind the wheel or guiding car and van in any direction. I am completely off the hook and sooooooooooooooooooooo relieved it wasn’t me who caused the latest damage to anything!

We bypassed Kakadu to head into Darwin for repairs - which turned out to be quite minor - and have thoroughly enjoyed our six days in Darwin What a fabulous city! This morning we head into Kakadu for four nights with all lights, Gary etc functioning.

PS Gary has not gone near the ‘snake’ toilet block today even in broad daylight. I suppose he does realise it has friends and it doesn’t just hang out at one particular toilet facility! It’s quite amusing to see a grown large man pale with fright with beads of perspiration standing out on his forehead whilst the little ten year old girl is enthralled with the ‘gracefulness with which the snake moved – it was so beautiful Mummy’!!!!!

Crocodiles!

We spent a wonderful afternoon at The Crocodile Farm, where we were treated not only to nearly 10000 crocs of all shapes and sizes, from babies less than a metre in length to gigantic crocs over 5 metres, both saltwater and fresh, but also to their American cousins, the alligators. We were able to walk around a range of lagoons, seeing crocs in their natural habitat. It was quite disconcerting how often one could walk past a crocodile without noticing it was there. Imagine what that would be like in the wild! As we were walking on a pathway between two of the swamps, one of the crocs made a lunge for Rachel. The vibration of her running caught its attention. Fortunately there was a fence between them, but it was still a little discomfiting! We might need to consider changing nicknames which had been handed out earlier!
The afternoon at the park finished with a croc feeding – giving them whole chickens. I don’t fancy actually sitting in one of the areas smashing dead chickens on to the ground in an effort to tease crocs out of the water for a feed. They sold croc meat for food, so we purchased some to snack upon. It is not unlike chicken in taste or texture.
However, I did manage to discover some secrets if you are ever confronted with a croc. They have a sensitive part on the top of their nose which, if hit hard, can cause some pain to the crocodile. Similarly vunerable are the eyes, which they close during eating because they are so prone to injury. Keep these useful pieces of information under your hat if ever you come to the NT! But - and this is most important - I did notice a large number of ducks sitting on the ground near one of the more aggressive crocs, which eyed them off regularly but never bothered to chase them. On the other hand, the chickens which were offered to the crocs were swallowed in about two or three munches. So - and here's the important part - if you want to avoid being eaten by a croc, don't be a chicken. You simply need to learn how to duck!!!!! (boom-boom!)

This is NOT funny!

I was doing the fatherly thing by escorting my daughter to the toilets after dinner this evening. As we both emerged from the toilet and began our conversation, a nice lady doing her dishes at the communal sink asked us to stop for a moment. The reason was soon obvious - a black snake was wending its way across the pathway that Rachel and I were heading down. Now let me scotch two rumours straight away. ONE - I did not need to return to the toilet immediately. TWO - Rachel did not need to escort ME to the toilet later that evening. I will, however, admit that the hair gel brand I am using is not strong enough to keep the hair on the back of my neck in place in face of such obstacles (I must complain to the manufacturer), and TWO, a journey to the toilet later in the evening was much less relaxing than any previous such journeys. Why is it that cracks in the pavement never looked so ominous as they did tonight?

Introduction to Outback Travel: The Wave

One of the first courtesies to be introduced to when driving north of Port Augusta is ‘the wave’. In recognition of the shared challenge which is being undertaken, drivers (and sometimes passengers) acknowledge one another with a wave as they pass. Complete strangers, who will never see one another again – or recognise them even if they did (“Hey, didn’t I pass you doing 110 km/h on the Stuart Highway 100 km south of Marla on July 6 2006??? Yeh? Maaaaaate!”) acknowledge one another as co-travellers on a shared pilgrimage. As simple as all this sounds, it is actually a complex skill to add to one’s driving repertoire. Among other things, timing can be a real issue. But first let me introduce you to some of the characters who reveal themselves in their wave:
The Politician – a single finger raised from the steering wheel as if to emphasise a point in a speech;
The Goal Umpire – raises both fingers as if to signal a goal (Aussie rules style).
Foo – you barely see three (sometimes four) fingers appearing above the dashboard.
Sleepy – who remembers to wave just as the cars meet. You only manage to see an upward movement from the steering wheel (which could have been a movement to pick one’s nose, but more likely the driver has been daydreaming and forgotten their travelling responsibilities.
Royalty – the sort of ill-defined wave that could mean there is a fly loose inside the vehicle.
The Faker – who moves as though beginning a wave, but only shifts the hands on the steering wheel for driving comfort.
The Clampetts – a special bunch here, as it involves everyone in the vehicle waving like you are some long-lost relative. Of course it could mean that they are about to run out of petrol and are trying to gain your attention so that they don’t need to walk 100km to the next stop to get a jerry can, but... hey, we’re on a holiday here! Some Clampetts have been so exuberant that you can see handprints on the inside of the windscreen.
The Throwback – this driver clearly knew the Stuart Highway before it was sealed, and places a finger against the windscreen to prevent it shattering should our vehicle kick up a rock in its path.

And then there are those who simply do not wave:
The Road Train drivers. But when you are over 50 metres in length, have 15 or more axles and even 7-foot roos bounce off your front without interrupting the air flow past the cabin, who needs to acknowledge that there are others on the road?
The Tourist, who is too distracted by something interesting on the side of the road to acknowledge a passing pilgrim. Of course, whenever we were looking at the sights, there were no others passing.
The Statue, who has been frozen in one place for the last 20 km of straight road and is barely capable of any movement and is at risk at the next curve in the road some 5 km further down the track.
The Too-Late, who has just woken up that another vehicle has just passed, and waved to the thin air in its wake.
And then there is the one who is so sick of having no response from the last three drivers that they are in a snit and not participating in this stupid ritual any more.
A WORD OF WARNING. Do not attempt the wave in the middle of Alice Springs. One needs to be at least 50 km in either direction before attempting this arcane yet deeply moving practice of community. This practice also ceases a similar distance south of Darwin. (If you try it north of Darwin, you are in a boat!)

Sunset at Darwin

We had heard that the sunset over Fannie Bay in Darwin was an experience for which Darwinians journeyed regularly to the beach, but words could not have prepared us for the sheer beauty of the experience. We had enjoyed the atmosphere of the Mindil Markets - itself something worthy of a visit without the sunset experience - as the temperature hovered around 30 degrees. Then as the sun moved towards the horizon people in their hundreds moved from the market to the sea shore to savour the experience. To watch the sun sink into the sea is to see creation at its most beautiful, where two wonders intersect.
Might we suggest that you place Darwin on your must-do list of places to visit. At this time of year it is sublime. We've extended a couple of days already!

New Driving Challenges

OK, I know what to do when you come to a zebra crossing, but what do you do when you come to a goanna crossing???

Change in plans

BTW - Slight evolution in the trip schedule due to a tree, a fuse and a missing light. We are in Darwin... more details to follow.

How to start the day...

You wake up in the morning. It is 24 degrees already. What do you do?

Saving Space

Seeing that we have arrived in warmer climes, it was decided to pack away all our clothes which require single degree temperatures to be worn. Ev had thought ahead about this and purchased a "Space Saver Bag" which compresses clothes into a much smaller space than in a normal drawer. So yesterday after lunch we went through all drawers and cabinets sifting and repacking. We didn't actually find the Space Saver Bag, but we did manage to create more room in all our cupboards and drawers. It is a marvellous invention - I recommend buying one and storing it in a safe place.

Alice (another retrospective)

Gary was keen to cover both the West and East MacDonnell Ranges. On the Sunday we hiked and looked at gorges ad nauseum all over the West MacDonnell Ranges and the kids and I were seriously gorged out. ABC in Europe – this was ABG!!!!! On Monday morning the kids and I are still wallowing in bed like CFS sufferers whilst Gary’s bouncing around the van like he’s stoked up on Eveready batteries singing “East MacDonnell had a gorge EIEIO”. I won’t even print the responses he got. Finally we dragged ourselves out of bed on the assurance that the hikes today were short ones!!!

(Trephina Gorge)

Since we left Alice Springs we have camped a few nights in the scrub without power, where we encountered another set of people, who seem on the whole a lot more environmentally aware and have a much finer appreciation of the silence and unique sounds that the Australian bush offers. At the moment we are back in a caravan park only out of necessity to charge up a few lights etc. We are missing the sense of isolation which comes with bush camping. Since Tilmouth Well, even in the "cold" conditions, we have slept with the canvas windows open, which helps take away the feeling of sleeping in a coffin. This can only be a good thing.

(Standley Chasm)

And since we had to endure all these gorges, we thought you should have a reasonable sample...

Glen Helen

Glen Helen

The Ochre Pits

West MacDonnells

West MacDonnells

Ellery Creek Big Hole

Ellery Cree Big Hole

Ellery Creek Big Hole

Nicknames

Every tour brings with it new nicknames for its participants. So far we have three:
MG: This one belongs to Rachel who has astounded us with her dexterity on slopes and climbs of all descriptions. Thus "Mountain Goat" seems an apt appellation.
CB: A new nickname for Samuel since we have entered the Top End. When he lags behind on bush walks and hikes, we call out "Come on, CB!" which results in him scurrying to catch up... He has no desire to be real Croc Bait!
NSOD: "I would have turned left at that corner," she says... "I thought we were camped over there," she cries. "Can you take me to the toilets (again!)" (she can't find them - light or dark!) You don't even have to turn her around in the bush five times to lose her. And so Ev gets NSOD = No Sense of Direction. I believe she thinks we are still only five minutes from home!

Yuendumu

(retrospective)
One of the standout highlights to date has been the few days we had in Yuendumu. We met up with some friends of ours in Alice Springs who had kindly applied for permits for us to join them. They have been meeting annually with the Warlpiri Tribe in Yuendumu for about twelve years just to sit and learn from them and their rich culture. We were very privileged to be in the right place at the right time to tag along. We spent time with the most amazing people and I can honestly say this was life changing stuff! We started by driving down the Tanami to Tilmouth Well where we realised on the few kilometres of corrugated track that our van and car wouldn’t be able to go past Tilmouth Well. It was bone jarring stuff. Our friends were not deterred and around the campfire they planned for us all to cram into their Pajero with bedding and supplies for a couple of days. Rachel and Sam looked like they were encased in cocoons of bedding in the back seat. Tilmouth Well itself was special in that it was just us in all this space next to a huge dry river bed and the most spectacular sunsets and bird and animal life I have seen.

In Yuendumu we were given skin names which Sam particularly remembered instantly and would introduce himself and us using our new names to any indigenous person we met which endeared him to all. He just has a knack of breaking down barriers that kid and to see him enveloped in a indigenous woman’s hug on our final day with tears running down her face saying ‘God Bless you baby’ brought a tear to all of our eyes. Sam has no prejudices no matter what the circumstances. What a different world this would be if we were all like that.

On the third day I was particularly blown away when my friend introduced me to a tribal elder who decided to give me a bush name, which is a real honour. I sat in the red dirt with this woman and her gaze seemed to penetrate right through me. In English my bush name means ‘Water Dreaming’. Ironically the only piece of Indigenous art I owned before Yuendumu is hanging in our beach house and it is ‘Water Dreaming’. Go figure!!!

To be taken hunting by the Warlpiri people and to see the bush through their eyes was like learning to see and feel again. It heightened every sense. To comfort me and my paronoias we were told that the snakes and goannas were underground until the thunder wakes them up at the start of the wet season – that was a little more comforting considering where we found ourselves. Gary’s effort at digging up Witchetty grubs was a guide to all other poisonous creatures in the outback! Scorpions, centipedes and spiders were the only thing that was going to appear on his menu without some local help!

Sitting around the campfire with our new Indigenous friends miles out in the bush away from all that I know was an experience that will always live with me. It was like time stood still and for a short while it was like nothing else existed. I wasn’t even aware of Gary and the kids. I did wonder later if there was something hallucinogenic in the smoke as I tried to logically explain what had happened. A lot of what we experienced will take a long time to process but as I said before it was life changing stuff. These people are brilliant in their own right. Most of them speak four languages and I don’t just mean a different dialect – these tribal languages are as different as German is from French. They do think differently to us across the board but guess what? They actually make a lot more sense in understanding this amazing land and connecting their spirituality to it. I may write a bit more when I finish connecting the dots for myself.

Back at Tilmouth Well the night before we headed back into Alice Springs the full moon brought with it a huge thunderstorm. The ethereal howling of the dingos metres from us heralded the thunder and lightening. I was hoping the goannas, snakes etc knew it was a false alarm and that the wet season is still months off. Gary suggested yelling “hey fellas - it’s a false alarm” into the wind was not going to keep them underground. It did scare away the dingos though.

In Alice we visited the Desert Park but after the real bush experience this was incredibly sterile although we did notice things we might not have otherwise picked up.

Ev: Snakes Alive!

I hate to take away one of Jesus’ party pieces but after cooling off in the river yesterday in the Nitmiluk Gorge (formerly known as Katherine Gorge) I spotted a snake swimming alongside me. I can now say with all honesty that it is possible to walk on water – I’m living proof! Oh to be able to turn the water around here into wine!

Neighbours from he..!!

There’s a perfectly good reason why you haven’t been getting updates on the blog site and it wasn’t exactly, totally my fault. To assist my lack of sleep in the caravan environment due to a lack of suitable chemical assistance I resorted to a nice hot mug of milk whilst reading email on Gary’s laptop. Needless to say Gary’s size 13 hooves tripped over the cord, milk all over the keyboard and the keyboard went to sleep instantly!! Still the man of the van did not yell – he didn’t even raise his voice which leaves me convinced I am dying of some incurable disease.

Not much self-control in the voice department in our neighbours quarters to the rear. Even working with the grafitti artists and some of the roughest gangs in Melbourne did not prepare me for the “Mother from hell”s verbal attack on her family at full volume. Caleb stuffed his hand down his throat to muffle his convulsions and now thinks I’m OK after all. The air wasn’t just blue – it was thick navy blue black. I didn’t know the F word could be used quite so creatively and Rachel now thinks we look like the Flanders in comparison! We are very thankful Sam was asleep – could you imagine his not so subtle comments???

This could be serious - Ev's response

The billy was only purchased to save hours scrubbing the black off my silver saucepan before restoring it to its Windex perfection! There are only two types of people in this world - those that windex their kettles, and those that don't.

This could be serious

Ev was seen wandering around a camping store in Katherine this morning... without hyper-ventilating... she has even purchased ............... a BILLY!

A Tale of Two Irishmen

As we enjoyed our four-hour trip up Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge), we were privileged not only to see four of the 13 gorges, we were treated with a half-hour swim in the river on our return. As we cooled ourselves in the water and were refreshed with cake and oranges, a lone rower approached from upstream. As every canoe we had seen to that stage had two occupants, I joked about him losing his partner overboard. In a thick Irish accent, the gentleman responded matter-of-factly, “He’s coming.” Sure enough, we could see another man (or just his head) floating down the river about 100 metres away. Further enquiries revealed that the boat was sinking with both aboard. When asked whether they had drained the hull, the quizzical look gave the complete answer. Ev, herself no rower, walked over and unscrewed the plug which resulted in water spilling out. The look of surprise was priceless, particularly when Ev commented, “You realise you’ll give Irishmen a bad name!” “Really?” he seemed surprised by the comment.

Needless to say the rowing companion had arrived, been fed two oranges and pieces of cake. Water was still spewing from the hull. One could almost ascertain a rise in the water level in the river. Some twenty minutes later, water still flowing from the hull, and Ev and Gary still struggling to keep a straight face and offer some compassion to the tired (half-drowned) swimmer - at the same time seeking to reassure them that the last part would be much easier from here, seeing they would be about 150 kg or so lighter, the Irish gentlemen were still talking about botting a lift from the cruise captain. When the boat had finally drained, we set them on their way, with a blessing that the rest of their holiday would be a little easier than this.

Ev vs the Insects - Episode V (who is smarter?)

Having spent three nights out bush without electricity, our battery-operated lights were running flat. It wasn't until two days later that we realised we could have used the lamp with Citronella oil for van lighting! I can hear the insects laughing already! This is the same person who changed Caleb's clothes six times a day for the first week of his life until a random thought entered her mind.... "Bibs!"

A Taste of Heaven!

If you have never enjoyed the thermal pools at Mataranka, you don't know what you have missed. After four weeks of largely desert and no baths, this was amazing. The water temperature is a natural 34 degrees Celsius! Ahhhh, this is bliss!

(in case you are wondering, there are two different pools!)

Have you ever watched the night rise?

One of the great discoveries of our tour has been to watch the night sky rise in the east as the sun is setting in the west. While the golden glows illuminate the western sky, there is a deep pink which first shades the eastern horizon, then as the sun drops below the western horizon, one notices that the pink gives way to a deep blue, which gradually grows into the night. It is soothing and colourful. Of course, the evening sky is filled with stars - many more than we see in West Melbourne (which usually amounts to no more than a handful in number). At Mataranka I took the opportunity to use the binoculars, and the number of visible stars multiplied! It was breathtaking to have such a panoply opened just through the simple use of binoculars! While I can't take photos of the stars, at least I can show the rising night sky (he says hopefully - sunset on the left, nightrise on the right~!)

This is getting serious!

It has now been three nights with no power and no running water. We pulled into the main van park at Mataranka, which was about 50 metres from the thermal pool, but they could only offer a place near the bar, which was a running live show... so we jumped back into the car and drove out to the 12-Mile-Yards campsite, itself offering no power, and no running water, which was Ev's preference. I can offer no rational explanation for this strange turn of events. The peace and quiet of the unpowered sites is a real gift in comparison with the powered camp sites, where all manner of noises play on into the evening. But... who can explain these strange turn of events?

Ev vs the Insects - Episode IV

We had encountered a spell of cool weather in Alice Springs, which meant that the insect population had taken its own holiday elsewhere. Not to be deterred, Ev emerged triumphantly from a shopping trip to Coles where Baygon Insect Spray was on special at one-third of the price. Said Baygon was added to our 1400 litres of Citronella oil, 12 dozen citronella candles, numerous Mortein plug-in Ozzie zappers, fly swats, as well as arming children with fly guns, and an oil lamp (purchased on the journey because it was established that one could burn citronella oil in it.) Not to be deterred at all, Ev has since purchased two new hats with insect nets which cover one's face to add to the fly net which has journeyed with us from Melbourne. Pity the poor first fly to appear through the door!

Camping Convert!!

It wasn’t me, I swear! REALLY!

The camp site at Devil’s Marbles was small and overcrowded, so we decided not to stay the night and move north. Ev jumped behind the driver’s wheel and took off, only to turn into a way-side stop abut 20 km up the road. It was here that we spent the night! No electricity, no running water, no booking office, just the road on one side, the Northern Railway about 50 metres away on the other side, and two other vehicles parked for the night! I looked quizzically at my camping-outback-converted wife, then set up the van. We were near a river bed, so the boys and I collected fire wood, and we made our dinner over an open fire.

Who is this woman??? I swear – it wasn’t my choice!!!

Travel Summary

The journey so far
June 23 Adelaide
June 25 Wilpena Pound
June 27 Coober Pedy
June 29 Uluru (Yulara)
July 5 Kings Canyon (Watarrka)
July 7 Alice Springs
July 8 Tilmouth Well
July 9 Yuendumu
July 13 Alice Springs

To come:
Devils Marbles
Mataranka
Katherine Gorge
Kakadu
Darwin by the end of the month

Desert Perspectives

Being in Alice Springs has offered a different perspective on our desert experiences around Uluru and Watarrka, as well as Yuendumu. We visited the “Desert Park” in Alice and realised how sterile a zoo can be, and what it does to you when you visit. We raced around all the exhibits, seeing animals in captivity and being annoyed when they were off hiding somewhere. If we didn’t see what we wanted, we quickly pushed on to the next one.
In the desert, our attitude was different. We were not conscious of time, and much more aware of the surrounds and alert for its inhabitants. We didn’t ‘push on’ so readily if we didn’t see what we were expecting, but were often surprised by the creatures we did encounter – wild camels, wild horses, birds of many varieties (black cockatoos, wedge-tailed eagles, kestrel hawks, peregrine falcons, honeyeaters, and Mistletoe birds among others), kangaroos and wallaby, lizards and NO SNAKES! Rather than being an ‘observer’ of the desert, we found ourselves to be a part of it. Not consumers but integrally related.
We have enjoyed exploring both East and West MacDonnell Ranges, and are heading north tomorrow, first stop Devil’s Marbles. Thanks for all the comments and feedback. We have loved hearing from you all. Only ten weeks to go?!?!?!!@#

Caleb Update

Heardaboutaustralia2:
CALEB TYPES BACK!!! $4.95c
Issue 2/10 Volume 1/?, 15/7/06
“I don’t put a lot of info in because Mum and Dad do that 4 me”

Ok.
Yeundumu has been the best place yet because there has been sooo many different things done, like witchetty grub hunting and… and… yeah.
We went to the art centre there quite a lot, I got a couple of gud paintings ($90 + $15 lol)J
We are in Alice atm and have just been 2 the camel cup.
When cooked, Witchetty grubs smell like roasted peanuts and taste nutty with an eggy texture, they r actually nice!
I also received my skin name: Japaljarri

Sports Scores:
Table Tennis
Caleb vs Gary
Gary won 12-21 12-21 1-21 7-21 8-21

Caleb vs Ev
Ev won 16-21 Caleb won 21-17

Missing regular sport at home J, cant wait 2 play bball lol

Fishing Reports:
None (cant wait till we get up north [norther])

Definitions:
Table Tennis: A form of sport that is normally played in caravan parks by pple who r desperate 2 play sum kind of sport
Carpark: Warlpiri for ‘white man gathering in metal tin’. Even in the middle of nowhere, there are white men gathering in this area.

NOTE:
Definitions are running low atm because of a mental problem in Caleb’s “hilarity”
Definitions will be running low until Caleb WANTS 2 do a blog… *sigh*

*YAWN*

Ngakarnangku nyanyi (goodbye in Wulpiri [hopefully I spelt it write lol])

Rachel in the Outback

Rachel in the Outback

*issue 1*
“Back to the shops”

When we arrived back in Alice Springs, the first thing we did was go to Coles. I am obviously not much of a desert person, as I loved being back in a place where you have access to every type of food and utensils possible. I think we over-stocked! *lol*

Anyway, I’m just saying it’s so nice to be back in a place where you can get whatever you want.

Bliss!

We met with some friends of Mum and Dad. While they were have a very very long chat, Sam and I bought a milkshake each. We hadn’t had one of those in ages. To me, it tasted like the best thing in the world. I can’t describe the feeling I felt when I took my first sip. But I can say, it felt really good.

We had finished our milkshakes and Mum and Dad were still talking. Earlier Caleb had found a miniature umbrella, so I took the top off my milkshake and, putting them together, we made a temporary spinning top. That kept us amused.

Caleb and I were finally able to do some sort of sport again. As soon as we got back, we headed straight to the arcade with the table tennis rackets and ball. We really enjoyed having access to exercise once more. We played for ages, not scoring, just having fun. When we eventually had to come back for dinner we were feeling much better after stretching our cramped muscles.

Sleeping tonight was much easier as there was no loud *TAP* *TAP* *TAP* on the roof at four o’clock in the morning like last night. The problem of fitting the shopping in the small pantry would not worry me till morning.

Aboriginal Art

Check out the art work from Yuendumu from the Warlukurlungu Art Centre

Rachels' Thoughts

Climbing Uluru was interesting and challenging. When we were climbing we had to follow white lines which showed the easiest way up Uluru. The view at the top was exquisite. You could see long distances – seeing Mount Conner and Kata Tjuta which were both over 30 km away. The steep bits on the way up now became a different challenge – coming down without toppling over.

Tilmouth Well was great fun as we ate around an open fire with our friends from Melbourne. The food tasted smokey but good. Our friends slept in a swag. In the morning and at night we lit a fire. At the Indigenous church, we got our skin names. Mine is Napaljarri. We went Witchetty Grub hunting with Nancy and you had to look for the Witchetty Grubs in the roots of the Witchetty Bush. All Dad found was centipedes and a spider’s nest. After that we made a humpy. It was interesting to see how they were made. I went inside and dusted the footprints off the dirt floor using a small branch as a broom. It was very hot inside the humpy.

Nancy cooked up the Witchetty Grubs in the coals of the fire we had made. I tried one but I thought it tasted disgusting! I was surprised that Mum liked it. She usually hates things that come out of the ground and the coals without being washed!

The humpy was made out of the same bush as we found the Witchetty Grubs under.

Our friends taught us a few Warlpiri words which we were able to speak and be understood. Ngaka –Nganka-Niyarni (see you later!!)

Samuel's thoughts

Climbing Uluru was scary. At the top it was spectacular. I saw Mount Conner and Kata-Tjuta. At Yuendumu the boys had to sit on one side and the girls on the other. There were dogs in church.

In Tilmouth Well we had camp fires every night. We went down to the river bed to collect wood for the fire. The river was dry. Maurice and Barbara, our friends, drove us into Yuendumu. We left our van in Tilmouth Well. In the morning before we went to Yuendumu, I made my own breakfast. Rachel and I were snuggled in the back seat of the Pajero surrounded by doonas and pillows and sleeping bags.

Today I fed a camel which was going to run in the Camel cup. I was told off for doing so, but the camel actually won the race!

Heading up the Tanami

We have just returned from five days in some of the most remote parts of Australia - about 300 km north-west of Alice Springs along the Tanami Road. This road eventually crosses the border into Western Australia, and is broken up by small homesteads about 300 km or so apart. We took this trek with friends from Melbourne – Morris and Barbara Stuart – to visit Yuendumu, an aboriginal community. It was an open question when we set out whether we would be able to take the van or the car that far. We spent the first night in Tilmouth Well, which is about 5 km into the unmade section of the road – enough to tell us that there was no way that we could take either car or van any further. On Sunday 9th, we all piled into Morris and Barbara’s Pajero and drove the last 100 km from Tilmouth Well. Yuendumu was very quiet as many of the residents had come into Alice Springs for the local show that weekend. We went to the Baptist church service that morning (scheduled start 45 minutes before actual start), and were given skin names which gave us a place in the local Warlpiri community. Gary is Jungarrayi, Ev is Nangala, Caleb and Sam are Japplejarri, and Rachel Napplejarri. We spent four wonderful days in Yuendumu, exploring some of the bush country surrounding the area, and meeting some of the local leaders and artists. We were privileged to be taken hunting for Witchetty Grubs and to build a humpy. Everyone was taken with the taste of this aboriginal delicacy – tastes a lot better than it sounds! Rachel had to be convinced (with some incentive) to try it.

In the middle of the Tanami desert, this area offers some spectacular landscape, including encounters with dingoes, brumbies, kangaroos and camels. Fortunately the goannas and snakes are sleeping at this time of the year. Gary was much more relaxed after hearing this news. On our last evening, we visited a place called Juka Juka, where we saw the sun set and the full moon rise over some spectacular rock formations. It was a special evening at the end of our last full day.

As we left Yuendumu, one of the local men told us that there was a ‘bad wind blowing from the wrong direction. The clouds would bring rain… hot, cold.” We headed back to Tilmouth Well for the Wednesday evening meal, eaten around the campfire. The wind continued to blow, with lightning appearing in the skies as the evening progressed. We retired to some small drops of rain with the full moon still dominating the sky.

At 4.30 the next morning, Gary was awoken by the beginnings of the rain. A few hours later he got up to see that the camp site was quite damp, with puddles forming. A meeting with one of the road train drivers indicated that there was heavier rain coming, which Morris had also heard on the radio. We decided to decamp quickly, letting Morris tow the van through the first stretch of unmade road. We could muster speeds no greater than 40 km/h, such was the slippery state of the road. We made it safely back to Alice Springs at midday, and managed to get the van set up again just before the heavens opened in Alice Springs. Due to our hasty and wet departure from Tilmouth Well, the water had got through some of the bedding which necessitated spending a few hours cleaning and drying. It rained so heavily (the first rain since January in Alice) that locals were talking of the Todd River flowing. There was certainly water in it, but not enough to make it flow.

From the back seat...

We are about half an hour north of Erldunda when Sam comments from the back seat “What suburb are we in?”

Photo Catch-up

At the summit

Guess where?!

Two dynamite females!

Caleb opal mining

Deciding not to head down the Oodnadatta Track!

Sunset at Rawnsley Park

Sam on the Heysen Trail

Prescient Road Sign between Blinman and Parachilna... the temperature fell to -3 that night!

First night sunset at West Beach, Adelaide