Walking along a track where on one side you have very typical desert cliffs and ghost gums. The other side if the track is the valley floor covered in palm trees. The only palm trees in central Australia.  They really do not look like the belong there.

We then camped at the campground in the Finke Gorge National Park, tents again.

Dingoes everywhere! One pinched our bread while we were cooking the BBQ. He then came back for whatever else he could get.

The kids were on a dingo hunt, looking for him everywhere.

When we got up to go to the toilet later there were at least 3 dingoes sitting in the bushes not 5 meters away. We could later hear the ransacking people’s camps.

(I had put our stuff away by this time).  I’m not that silly!

Another brilliant decision, fantastic place to view the impressive  sunsets with a beer and a campfire looking out over the ranges.  It is close to Ellery Creek big hole and Standley Chasm

Too cold for swimming for me but Ellery Creek big hole would be a great spot for a swim in real heat.  Mind you we are not putting up with Melbourne weather!

Standley Chasm is impressive in it’s own right with only a 2 metre or so chasm with

sheer walls on both sides.  We were there for lunchtime to see the sun move down into the chasm (as it does not get sun all day).  Only problem being so was everyone else.  Standly Chasm was the first thing that I thought on this trip might have been a bit over rated.  That is when you compare it to the other (free) places around.

We also took a quick drive out to Hermansberg an Aboriginal settlement, just about the only white people in town.  Not sure how welcome we were.  I dropped into the cop shop to say hello and ask them where I could leave my van if we were to need to leave it somewhere while driving to Palm Valley.  They suggested that the barbed wire surrounded caravan park was not ideal and said I could leave it locked up in their compound.  They still wouldn’t guarantee it was safe but it should be!  Decision made, I’ll leave it at Alice.

We have now moved back to Alice for my birthday!!  And before you ask yes that’s right 21 again!

Washing/shopping (restocking on beer) and 2 nights in Alice before we headed out west again, this time to the West MacDonnell Ranges.  Incredibly glad that we did.  Anyone who has done the center and not had a look at the West MacDonnell’s has missed out.

We set up camp at a little campground (no power but has toilets/showers) at Ormiston Gorge.   From there we were well placed to have a good look around.  We had dingoes visiting the campgrounds at night, even stealing Kylie and Mikes backpack to see what was inside.

Ormiston Gorge itself is fantastic, sheer rock face, waterholes and it seems to go on and on around the bend.  It opens up with a view to more mountains.  I went into the gorge for some early morning photos and saw 3 rock wallabies that came down to visit us (about 10 meters away).

Redbank Gorge was great in a different way.  A lot of rock hopping to get into the gorge itself but once there, a rock pool disappearing in between 2 sheer rock faces.  Would be even better if you swam down but the water in these gorges is freezing this time of the year (and a bit manky).

We had a look at Gosse Bluff, where a comet smashed into the earth 140 million years ago. You can drive right into the crater.

Tegan’s favorite part of Coober Pedy was her underground bedroom experience.  They say it is the only underground camping anywhere in the world.

We went and checked out the

underground Catholic Church.

She thought that it was time for a little prayer.

When we got there we realized that the people are hobbits, over 80% live underground.  Isn’t that so weird?

We did some sight seeing around Coober Pedy.  We stayed at Riba’s underground camping and got to sleep under ground in a cave.  In the morning  we then went to Crocodile Harry`s house.  It looked like it had been made by blasting the cave out with dynamite.

We also went to a kangaroo orphanage.  They take in injured kangaroos or ones who mother has bit hit by a car or truck.  They had a number of kangaroos and a baby Joey.

Then we went  noodling which is searching through piles of mined sandstone, looking for opals.  I didn’t find any though.

The next few days we were on the road again.  But then we got
ock, the big rock, Uluru.  We did the base walk.  All around it was a 10k walk, we got back to the car in about 5 hours it was pretty tough but we did it.  to the r

We drove to Renmark, crossing the border on the way.  We saw Kangaroo’s, rabbits and emu’s.  One emu we nearly ran over in the car.

The second day we drove for 4 hours and stopped at a truck stop overnight.

Day 3 we were in the car for 8 hours!  All the way to Coober Pedy.  We saw some wege tailed eagles and we stopped at Woomera which is where the army used to test bombs.  We saw planes, rockets and missiles.

Day 4 we drove around Coober Pedy.  We went to an underground Catholic Church, I saw a hole off to one side and asked dad what the hole was for.  He said holey water.  We then went to Faye’s an underground house dug by hand by 3 women.

We went noodling, that is searching the dug up mounds for opals.  I found lots of different rocks, my favorite was gypsum.  We went back to our campsite and that night we slept underground, please don’t call me a hobbit!  80% of people in Coober Pedy live underground.

Fifth day we were back on the road to Uluru.  We stopped at a petrol station and there was some emu’s there.  We didn’t go all the way to Uluru and stayed at another truck stop.

Day 6 we played in the morning, restarting the fire.  We then drove to the Ayers rock campground and set up.  When we arrived we saw and got to pat 2 camels walking through the camp.  We then went into the shopping square and saw some  Aboriginal dancing.  they asked us to dance with them.  It was great fun.

We will all sleep well tonight!