DAYS 26 T0 29 MIDDLE LAGOON 15/05/16 - 18/05/15

DAY 27  -  15/05/16……At this stage I should say that Michael has been writing a great deal of this blog pretending to be me.  I think he should take the credit for same. The following several days for example were written by Michael. I was up early and went for a walk on the beach around 6.00am.   I was able to catch the morning light on the rocks and over the sea.  I was able to collect a few freshly washed up shells from the overnight high tide.
Back for breakfast and following this Michael and I go for a walk around to the creek entrance near the top of the cove.  Foolishly we took no water or sunscreen and the morning sun was starting to burn.   Our round trip was circa 3 klms.
Tony was attempting to set-up his Satellite connection and gets assistance from another camper and gets connection, but then finds his registration had expired some  3 days ago,   So Tony heads towards the office to get phone reception and to register.   Unfortunately he cannot get through, so into the office where he is assisted via WIFI to register…..then back to me for a technology update on what WIFI is and how he uses it for the future.
Then some maintenance work on the van by Tony and Michael ….repairing the ensuite door latch with glue and screws; then pondering the drawer not staying locked.  Examination of the drawer runners indicated screws missing on a number of drawers……the screw pilot holes there, but no screws inserted…….spare screws found on floor throughout trip installed as temporary measure.
After lunch, everyone was very drowsy from the heat and not able to get cool.  Definitely  far too hot to do anything,
Around 3:00pm Tony and Jen emerge from their slumbers to go for a swim with Michael.    I await a report to determine whether I go in tomorrow.   The reports of the swim are excellent…..refreshing with the water not cold, so I gave the commitment to go in tomorrow.   Plus Tony and Michael got great information on Cape Leveque and One Arm Point further to the  north.
Up to the clifftop around 5:00, to view the setting sun…….trestle tables/bench seats provided…….a little cloud, but much improved on yesterday.
BBQ in action again for the sausages, potato slices & onions with a salad.
Michael and Jen, at some stage have been attacked by Midges or sand-flies or mossies as they have come up in large red welts.  I have the occasional bite, but not the welt reaction…Controlling the scratching urge is the challenge.
We sit around outside, as it is cooler, listening to music and chatting with Tony.
DAY 28  - 16/05/16    I am up before 6:00 as usual and onto the  beach, to have it all to myself for a while.  It is a clear sky and the sun is starting to burn my fair English skin, so it is back to the van for breakfast.
Following breakfast and clean up, Michael and I go for another walk on the beach…….this day with water and sunscreen.  The tide is in its way out and we explore a tiny sandy beach between two rocky sections.   The sand is a mosaic of very small balls from the work of the tiny crabs……from an overhead shot you could imagine a large aboriginal painting canvas.  We find a rock pool with baby fish, and then we spy the movement of tiny hermit crabs across the sand from the water……..some not being much bigger than a pea.  However, there are tracks running around the park and on the track down to the beach  which indicate that the crabs which make them must be very large, unfortunately we haven’t been able to track  them down
It is getting quite hot and our water has run out, so it is back to some shade at the van……the temperature increases a number of degrees away from the water edge,
We meet up with campers Paul and Noleen…..they had a broken camper trailer that we passed and stopped to provide information on welding on our travelling day to Middle Lagoon.   The camper trailer drawbar was welded in Beagle Bay after some temporary measures to limp into there.
After the hiatus of the heat from midday to 2ish, we head to the beach for a swim…Tony has invited Paul and Noleen to join us…..it is refreshingly cooling in the water with the small waves flowing past.  We have to walk a decent way out just to get to a spot where you can sit down with the water up to your neck.  We spend around an hour and a half, with Tony telling Paul about our journey thus far.
As we are leaving, a fisherman with a big dual cab GMC ute is attempting to get his boat up the beach. Tony suggests that he lowers his tyre pressure. He arrogantly tells us that he doesn’t let his tyres down unless he has to.  He makes several attempts carving the beach up badly in his efforts.  Finally he has to let down his tyres and make a fast full powered run at the sand, he makes it but one of the caretaker women comes out onto her porch and gives him a serve.  Hooray.
Time to go back to the van and then the clifftop to view the sunset……our first without cloud on the horizon.   Noleen opens a bottle of red and invites all of us to share, which Michael accepts gratefully.   Tony indicates Michael can have his share, being he is a non drinker.   The Swan Valley Petit Verdot was very very pleasant, according to Michael and I have to agree.
Tony lights a fire after our dinners to sit around and chat and enjoy the night sky.   Paul is a State Park Ranger and has worked in both the North and South of WA,    He gave us an insight into his special parks in WA, as well as his workings and dealings with the aborigines in the management of the Parks.  Noleen works in in the WA Land Registry Office and they are both on leave for 12 weeks.
It was a very relaxing way to finish the day, just sitting around the fire, which we did not require for warmth, and watching the brilliant stars and chatting.

DAY 29  - 17/05/16     Up early, but no walk as we plan to go to Cape Leveque this morning and not sure what walking is involved.  We off around 8:00 am to drive back the 3km to get to the main tarred road.  Then it is smooth sailing for the next 65km.  Near the turn-off to Lombardini Community there is an impressive air-strip…completely sealed and very long for very big planes, with a fire tender and fuel tanker.  Tony suggest it is for Military purposes and that is the reason why the road is sealed.
Not far up the road is Kooljaman at Cape Leveque, where there is resort to enable camping or hut / tent accommodation.   Their restaurant makes a good coffee and nice pear and walnut, as well as orange and almond cake with a small serve of ice-cream. Though very nice, they are somewhat expensive at $25.00 for our 2 coffees and 2 cakes.  The seating area has exceptional view of the coastline and the blue sea.
Tony covers the entry permits for us all to park the car and walk around the complex and surrounds.  By this stage the sun’s heat is intense and the dark coloured top for both Michael and me was not a good idea.    We walk the board walk up over the hill, past the lighthouse, stopping to read the information boards on display.   Michael and I are a little slow in walking, and once over the hill and down the other side, we find Tony and Jen in a little cafe, with Tony eating an ice cream and Jen an icy-pole, so we join them for an icy-pole and some much needed shade. 
The provided huts near the cliff edge have spectacular views of the white sandy beaches and the reddish sandstone cliffs.
We decide it is much too hot to visit any other areas so it is back to the  cars and back to Middle Lagoon, for shade, rest and the usual bob around in the sea with the tide out further than the previous afternoon.
Day 30.  18-5-16
Another walk on the beach at 6:00.  Magic.  Today we plan to go to Beagle Bay for a looksee.  In the meantime, I have noticed that some of the trees in our campground have fruit on them.  I collect a couple and take them down to the office for identification!  Yes!  they are gubinge trees (Kakadu Plum)  I read about these when I was teaching home economics, so I am thrilled to see and taste them. They are sweet, but don’t have a great deal of flavour.  They have huge quantities of Vit C 2300-3150mg/100 gm wet weight, The highest occasionally 5300mg/100gm compared with oranges 50mg/100 gm.  Exciting to see them, but I was told not to eat too many (caretaker) as they would give me diarrhoea
Beagle Bay is a really nice town, but the big attraction is the Church which was built in 1917 by the interred German monks and brothers as well as the local aborigines.
Back to Middle Lagoon for a rest from the heat, go for our daily swim (while we are swimming we notice a fire begin in the distance, it grows quite quickly and then dies down) and then begin packing up.  We move on tomorrow to Derby.

DAY 25 - BROOME T0 MIDDLE LAGOON – 14/05/16 [170 klm]

Up early to pack-up, but in a more relaxed fashion as Tony is off to see an auto electrician in Broome around 7:30am to attempt to resolve the wiring issue on the car that is not turning off the Dust Pressurisation System when the car’s ignition has been turned off.  Michael has hooked our car up twice to test and the system has been switching off.  Michael hooks up and moves the car and van to a shady spot, whilst we wait for Tony……..guess what our Pressurisation System does not turn off!!!!!!
I Found this lovely fellow when I went to the toilet this morning.
Oh I forgot to tell you in yesterday’s blog that at Willie Creek Pearl Farm tour, I was the model to show off a necklace of large white pearls…….value circa $35,000.00…….didn’t really like them as much as a smaller pearl necklace!!!!
Tony arrives back after 9:00am with a big grin……..one of the young apprentices has fixed the problem.   We tell him our problem has returned and he just laughs!!!   So he hooks up and we move off to the Cape Leveque road.  Approx 14 klm is tarred then it is a stop to let down our tyres for the sand.  This road has only been recently reopened after the heavy rains of last week.
We stop and render assistance, by way of Tony providing printed instructions on how to use your car batteries to provide a welding power source……their trailer’s drawbar had collapsed.
Numerous vehicles “fly” past us, in some cases at a 30 to 40 degree angle as their vehicle’s wheel are up the roadside bank.  The road level is up to a metre or more below the surrounding landscape, and would become a river in heavy rain, as in most areas there is very little opportunity for run-off.
We get back onto the tar, which is big relief from the sand and the corrugations.  The left hand side of the tar is stained dark red, where as the right hand side was a clear whitish colour.  We hit the turn-off to Middle Lagoon, which is  back to sand………much narrower but not as corrugated.   Each time we have stopped the crockery drawer has slid open..and been re-shut.
We arrive at Middle Lagoon, around 1:30pm and set up up in our allocated lot…….small trees to negotiate, large tyre ruts to negotiate and bare uneven ground AND VERY VERY HOT   …...not real impressed to start with.
Time to set-up and see what the inside of the van reveals……. we encounter a crockery drawer [large] is fully out on an angle, still with contents in and the  en-suite door bracket has pulled out of door and [2] foot locks have failed.   Later I discover oven door has come off its hinge..right hand side, , snapped screw in fridge surround.  Tony is able to come to the rescue and reinsert the door hinge correctly.  Our frustrations with this van and off-roading continue to escalate.
Michael sets up the awning with my help and then the shade sail into the awning, as well as external flooring on the red sand.  The shade extension is definitely needed as it is getting very warm to us, and with no power no air conditioning, unless we pull out the generator.
It is too hot to eat lunch, so we bypass lunch and after setup the four of us head to the beach for a look.  Middle Lagoon consists of a large cove  with a wide sandy beach, shell drifts and rocky outcrops at each end of the cove, as well as a creek entering the sea.   On the other side of the rocky point there is a smaller cove.  We have been told there are no crocodiles and it is safe to swim………Tony informs us from his local knowledge of earlier visits to Middle Lagoon, that Malcolm Douglas captured his biggest ever crocodile in the creek that enters the cove.  We see people swimming and also standing waist deep fishing.
The cliff top is packed out with vans and some tents…..there are more here than at the Broome caravan park.   There are also provided accommodation units, basically 4 posts under tin roof with walls of shade mesh….a number are in use.
The cliff top is the viewing spot for sunset…..more cloud so do not see sun going down, however, brilliant pink clouds after sun has set.
Michael enjoys a hearty dinner, especially after no lunch. 

DAY 21 – DAY 24 BROOME 10/05/16 - 13/05/16

DAY 21  -  TUESDAY  - 10/05/16   ….Somewhat wasted day as far as looking around……Initially we had to wait for the tradie from Broome Gas & Plumbing  to ring and advise he was on his way to install the glass in the oven.   He was very good and helpful identifying and partially correcting a faulty knob for the gas hotplates.  We need to contact Thetford re posting a replacement knob.
During our wait period, it was time for domestic duties.  I organised 3 loads of washing and though we had grey clouds, the very stiff wind made for ideal drying conditions…..in fact I think the first load was dry before the second was hung out!
A number of phone calls to and from Elite, mainly by Tony has really shaken them up, resulting in a caravan repair specialist to attend today.
We head to the Town Centre to do car washing followed by some shopping and sight seeing. The car washing was costly as we did not get any results from  3 of the $2.00 coins..Strong winds were blowing a lot of the water away from the car.  The job is not a 100% but it is better than it was.The latter is cut short following a call from Tony indicating the serviceman would be attending around 1.00pm, so we head back to the Park.  Ron and Scott [Overall Constructions} arrive well after 3.00.  Ron was a no nonsense type of guy, wanting to deal with one problem at a time and prepared to tell you so.
He starts on Tony’s Dust Pressurization System and found that too much silicon (and the wrong sort)) had been used, which was possibly blocking up the outlet holes……a similar situation with our van.  Then onto attempting to resolve the problem of the vans dust pressure system not switching off, when the car’s ignition had been turned off.     No matter what he tried on Tony’s van, Ron could not resolve it.     Our same problem seemed to be resolved once he removed a 50 amp fuse and then reinserted it…..this was a great surprise to us, as it had not been shutting off since the fuse had been replaced in Alice Springs. I’m not sure that he believed us when we told him ours had stopped switching off.
They fix our broken door latch and provide some excellent advice on the cleaning maintenance of the door/s and their surrounds.  Ron indicated that he would be making calls to Elite and caravan electrical group to ascertain the wiring layouts of the van & cars, in order to resolve Tony’s issue. 
It is dark when they leave to go to another couple of jobs.  Whilst this work is going on, Michael wipes down the car to clean all the areas still showing red  mud….then he starts on some of the van’s underside and stabiliser legs.   Since Friday and Saturdays traverse through the ironstone mud, it has set like concrete around the stabiliser legs swivel  and locking point….very difficult to pull the locking pins out.
Later tea than usual, with MILNER’S eye fillet, cooked on the BBQ (6.3.3 method ….6 minutes on one side, 3 minutes on the other side, then 3 minutes rest) going down beautifully.

DAY 22  -  WEDNESDAY  - 11/05/16   …….We manage to get the blog up to date and loaded this morning.   Receive follow-up calls from Elite Warranty Manager Melissa, who indicated that Peter [one of the owners] would be sitting down with us on our return to advise on how these building defects we have encountered were to be corrected and to confirm Coast to Coast RV has contacted us re the microwave oven not heating.  Coast to Coast were wanting Michael to remove and install replacement unit, which I said was not happening.
Meanwhile Tony was having discussion with Elite and the Caravan Electrical Group  concerning his reversing camera cable and now his Fusion sound system.  I had prepared a USB with music for Tony and Jen, but his Fusion system does not appear to be receiving power………Electrical group wanted Tony to disconnect and remove whole system.   They were told where to go and whose responsibility it was to fix.
The four of us head into town for a coffee and cake before lunch.   After lunch Michael and I head back into town….first to the Information Centre, but are side-tracked by a pearl shop with unique designs next door.   Following the Information Centre, it is off to view the working port, where a number of container ships were being unloaded.   We take the opportunity to sit in the Wharf Restaurant and have a refreshing glass of Tasmania Sauvignon Blanc.   It is then off to view and walk on Cable Beach.   As we leave a number of couples were arriving with their picnic hampers, obviously to view the sunset across the ocean….something we hope to do over the next two days!!!
The weather according to the locals is the coldest it has ever been with dull grey skies.  We find it quite warm and somewhat humid at times…..definitely a need for the air conditioner in the van.
It is then back to the Caravan Park to find Tony and Jen to go out for Chinese Meal.  Tony is quite frustrated that the van serviceman has not returned today or returned his call.
The Chinese Meal is quite nice, and the waitress recognises Tony and Jen from their previous visits some 3 years ago.
DAY 23  -  THURSDAY  - 12/05/16   …….
Michael did some work on the van this morning, ie chiselling some mud off the underside of the van and cleaning up around the door.   The wind has dropped and the clouds have disappeared, and promises of a much warmer day lies ahead.
About 8:00 am all four of us headed off to have another look at Cable Beach.  We saw the camel train walk past and one of the life guards go out into the sea with a net which he dragged behind him for approx 50 metres (while we were watching parallel to the beach).  We wondered what he was looking for.
After Cable Beach we went to Zookeepers for morning tea, very nice indeed.  Then off to Bunnings for more stuff to maintain the caravan.  Tony then noticed that someone had hit his car on the left side of the bullbar, crumpling it in a bit and leaving black paint on the fender.  He went back  to Zookeepers to see if they had CTV – no only inside, so he is left with the excess on the repair bill.  NOT HAPPY TONY!!!
Next to Zookeepers is the Willie Creek Pearl shop, we went in to have a look and met a very interesting shop assistant who explained pearls to us and showed us one pearl worth $53000.  Michael and I have booked in to do the Willie Creek Pearl Farm tour tomorrow morning.
After lunch Michael and I went to Gantheume Point to see the red cliffs and pink sands of Redell’s Beach, very impressive although there is no easy way down onto the beach so we viewed them from the  cliff top.  At the bottom of Gantheume point, when the tide is out, you can see dinosaur footprints, there is a model of them at the point.  Apparently we had some huge dinosaurs 30 metres long in this part of the world, some millions of years ago.  On the lighthouse at two levels we could see the nest of an osprey…..the osprey was preening itself but the buffeting wind made it hard to get crisp photos.
Michael had expressed a desire to see the museum, so that was our next stop.  We found it very interesting and spent some time there, this was followed by a walk through town and a visit to ARB to see if they could fasten the control box of the winch (cable tied ATM)  No use, whole lot has to be dismantled for refastening so it is still cable tied.  Off to ARB when we get home.
After their afternoon nap Tony and Jen went down to the pier and along the cliff top to Gantheume Point too.
There are frangipani bushes are flowering everywhere we go in Broome.  Lovely.
DAY 24  -  FRIDAY  - 13/05/16   …….
Michael and I went on a tour to the Willie Creek Pearl Farm this morning.  Tony took his Toyota in for a service.  He was told that the courtesy bus left at 8:00, he got there a couple of minutes to to find that it had already  left.  He was not happy and had to catch a taxi back to the caravan park
The Pearl farm visit was excellent, our guide opened an oyster and extracted the pearl it held.  To her amazement and ours, it was large and a very nice specimen.  They provided morning tea, two types of damper and fruit cake as well as tea, coffee, iced tea, cordial and water.  After a talk (about an hour) we went out on the boat to see the pearls where they grow.  Two very informative and pleasant hours.  On the way back we drove through a mob of wild horses (about 10).  They just calmly watched us drive by.
Tony and Jen did catch the courtesy bus back to pick up the car.  This afternoon we all have to shop, we are leaving Broome tomorrow morning for Middle Lagoon and will be there 5 days, no  real shops there apparently.
Michael and I have decided to do an overnight trip to  the Horizontal Falls.  We do this from Derby so this afternoon we went and booked it.  We now have to hope and pray that we are not rained in at Middle Lagoon – we will lose our money if we are a ‘no show’.
Ron is coming back to see if he can complete the work on Tony’s pressure system, he seems to have fixed ours!  Maybe pulling the fuse out and putting it back in has reset the system,  (shrug – who knows).  Meantime Tony is experiencing problems with his washing machine, it keeps on throwing up an error 02 which means it doesn’t have enough water.  Ours occasionally won’t let us open the door.   Our second microwave doesn’t work, lights, noise, turntable,  no heat!!!!
It has been another warm day to us  …..low 30s but cool to the locals.

DAY 20 – EIGHTY MILE BEACH TO BROOME 09/05/16 396 KLM

We leave around 8.00am and are on the tar.   Very strong cross winds buffet both cars and vans.

The landscape was very diverse….all predominantly flat, with either marshy terrain, scrubby terrain with some small trees, as well as cleared land for cattle grazing

We have telephone conversations with Melissa at Elite Caravans and Paul from Black Knight concerning some maintenance issues, during intermittent telephone coverage.

It is a long drive until we reach Roebuck Plains Service Station to fuel up.    We are approached by a couple who have paid a deposit on an Elite Balistic van and are interested to see our colour schemes as they have to head off later this year to choose their colour scheme and layout.  We along with Tony give them a view of our vans and have an interesting conversation for some time.

We pickup a bit of takeaway for lunch, then it is off to Broome, some 34 klm away.    We head in an arrange for the oven glass to be fitted next day at the Park, and then to Tyrepower to balance the van’s spare tyres.   Talking to the boys there, they advise that there is potentially 2 wind systems that could form into cyclones and head to Broome from opposite directions.

Due to the late unseasonal rain parts of the Gibb River Road and the Cape Leveque Road are closed….these are areas on our itinerary.

We book into a very empty Broome Caravan Park….and are given drive through sites amongst some tall trees.   Tony and Jen are still on the computer system since 2004 when they stayed here.   Tony commented on the lovely young couple who looked after them then…………he was talking to Donna the same owner!!!!  Both agreed they had aged somewhat over these past 12 years.

DAY 19 – DOOLENA GAP TO EIGHTY MILE BEACH–08/05/16 315KLM

Michael and I get up early and after breakfast and chores go for a walk up into the Gap.   It is an easy walk on the road tracks into the Gap, which are surrounded by an avenue of white trunked gum trees.   Red rocky escarpments flanked one side of the gap.

At the end of the Gap track is a wide open dry sandy river plain, with flowing water and shallow pool towards the head of the Gap.  Two camper buses are settled in amongst the trees and have been there for a while by the looks of things.    What a great spot, but due to the trees either side of the track  there would be insufficient clearance to take the caravans this far.

We head off about 8.00am and after approx. 100 klm we intersect with the Great Northern Highway and then head towards Broome.  We have a coffee stop at Pardoo Roadhouse, with Tony getting a slice of Mud Cake and Spray cream whilst Jen had an icy pole.   On the other hand Michael and I went savoury and had a homemade meat pie………very very oily and repetitive later in the morning (actually horrible, the worst pie I have ever eaten).

Back on the road and we were getting quite a buffering from the wind.  94klm up the highway we turn off the Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park, arriving around lunch time.   We both have drive through sites which makes life much easier.    After setup, due to our earlier pie, we have a very light lunch.

The park is quite popular, and there was a very basic market happening in the Park.    Michael and I head for the beach and find the tide well out, with a long straight beach deeply covered in a variety of shells and sponges. We walk for over a kilometre, picking up a range of shells and photographing the range of dry sponges.  See more photos in Album.

Tony is very domesticated and attends to loads of washing using their machine, but needs to seek me out on stopping issues and not allowing his machine door to be opened.

Later in the afternoon, both of us visit the shower block and have a long refreshing shower and hair wash…..able to get rid of some of the mud and dust caking us.  Michael has a shave and is no longer a scruff!!

Being Mothers Day, both Jen and I receive calls from our children, which is great.

Michael cooks our Milners chicken sausages with sweet chillies and cashews on the BBQ, but they are disappointing in flavour and taste.

Early night reading, listening to music and trying to catch up with the blog.

DAY 18 - PUNMU + TO DOOLENA GAP [MARBLE BAR +50KLM] 07/05/16 342 KLM

It has rained on and off since midnight, but we are in a really safe position where we stopped.  It is very light rain as Tony knocks at 6.00am requesting that we get  going  to the Telfer Mine Road before more rain, which may result in us being forced to stay.  The Telfer Mine Road is approx 27 klm away, which we hope is a much improved road.   We reluctantly agree to the request, realising it is the best thing to do, but very apprehensive about what lies ahead.

We encounter some very large puddles across the road where you are driving blind for 3 – 5 seconds with water going over the top of the car.  Fortunately the road base has improved compared to yesterday, though we still encounter some fish-tailing.  30 klms on and we hit bitumen….hooray!!!    We find a truck stop area to stop for breakfast and then to reinflate the car and van tyres.  The latter proves to be not possible due to decorative collars on the van valves, being too long to enable pump attachment to hold.

Michael spends some of the time scraping thick mud off the running boards of the car……the cables connecting the car to the van are covered in red ironstone.

We have not had sunshine for the past two days and we note that the van’s battery charge is down to 56%.

Back on the road and unfortunately the tar finishes and back to dirt and more slipping, but roads improving.   By this stage we start to encounter the Ripon Hills, which can range from a series of Mesa like hills, to rocks ranging in colour from red to some of a bluish-green.  On the dirt we are glad we have not increased the tyre pressure for the van as it gives us a bit more control.

We finally hit a permanent run of bitumen of approx 150 klm to Marble Bar, where we stop for a break, and lunch of Fish & Chips at the Marble Bar pub. Lunch very nice, with a sav blanc!!!! Impressive little park to recognise Australia’s armed forces and campaigns over the years.

Time to fill up and we find some very helpful people who assist with the removal of the tyre valve collars to enable us to pump up our van tyres.   Then the boss takes us to his property so that we can use his bore to wash some of the accumulated mud from the vehicles and vans.  The petrol station boss is also a cattleman, who heads off and leaves us to the mud removal, but returns a half hour later in his helicopter.

We then head off on the Port Headland Road and some 50 klm above Marble Bar we come across a large gorge system that requires all vehicles to go to UHF 40 and speed restrictions of 40 kph for the large trucks with 4 trailers.   Wiki camps has identified free camping in this area so we are on the lookout for the turn

We have switched over to Channel 40, but not Tony who is having difficulty communicating with us.   He slows down to the road shoulder in front of one these large ore carrying trucks.  Hehe, there was some very colourful language coming from the truck driver.

We drive into the first part of the track and stop in an area well off the road in an open area beside a dry river bed, with some interesting tree trunks growing in the area.

Tony immediately after setup, organises his fire for cooking.   Michael cooks our marinated pork spare ribs on our outside BBQ , a great meal compared to last nights sandwich.  We sit around the camp fire  discussing the last day and a half, and taking in the night sky as the cloud layer dissipated.

I  decided to experiment with the camera and take some shots of the fire, this is one I got, what are the chances of photographing deer shaped flames?

DAY 17 - JUPITERS WELL TO PUNMU +100KLM 06/05/16 520 KLM

Again it is an early start…..l7.30 SA Time according to Tony’s time clock but actually before 6.00am WA Time.  It is still semi-dark requiring use of our driving lights.    We were wondering what lies ahead for us today in the way of van issues, given our horrendous day yesterday.

We encounter some light rain and at one rest break stop, Tony’s fantastic eyesight identifies a large group of camels, some 400 – 600 metres away on the edge of the road.  Michael and I cannot see them, but trust Tony based upon previous experience.  We lead off and sure enough camels on either side of the road, so out come the cameras.

The road is generally very straight, but on occasions the road bends around the odd sharp corner.  On one of these corners Tony obviously hit the corner at speed and ran around the steep bank incline…..we thought he could introduce a new sport of caravan towing on a US Nascar banked track.   Tony admitted his heart was in his mouth!!!

The scenery and landscape is changing all the time a great pleasure to be experiencing it all.

We cross the famous Canning Stock Route [CSR] and then head into Kunawarritji Community for fuel at $3.40 per litre….same price Tony paid for in 2013, when oil prices were much hire.  As we finished fuelling up a couple of fellas came to get fuel and got to telling us they had come up the Canning Stock Route from the South, bragging they had not let their tyres down and basically had no serious equipment with them should they have difficulties.  They asked where we had come from with our vans……..Tony informs them that we had come down the Canning Stock Route from the north, as it was now tarred.  They said is that right, meanwhile the pump attendant is wetting himself with laughter.   They were really taken in, but they will have experienced heaps of problems later in the day as they head north.

The Community is very clean and has basic accommodation with showers & toilets for CSR travellers.   Michael decides to get a pie for morning tea, but is delayed as he has to microwave the frozen pie.  Upon his return to the car he discovers bad news………a driving light has lost a nut and has been  flapping against the bull bar and pitting the paint on both….One of the managers hunts up a suitable nut and assists Tony in attaching it…..not much hand space inside the bullbar……..Also the winch control box has lost the 2 holding screws to the base bracket on the bullbar.    Cable ties come to the rescue, while Michael’s blood pressure is rising.

We are conscious of the weather approaching, so head off quickly to drive the Wapet Road’s 45 klm in order to get across and around Lake Auld’s claypans.  We successfully negotiate the area and get to slightly high ground and stop for a lunchbreak.  On the way, Michael spies a dingo, but I am unable to get photos when we stop.   Tony spies another healthy one some klms ahead.

Tony & Michael are rechecking their driving lights and Tony finds one of his has become loose.  They have to interrupt their checking and get moving, as we have a cloud burst that is turning the edges of the road into mini rivers, and the road base is becoming soft……..a sign of things ahead unbeknown to us all!!!

Next fuel stop is the Punmu Community some 73 klm up the road, where fuel has dropped back to $3.00 per litre.  A friendly local couple attend to our fuel needs and suggest we get out of here fast as serious rain is expected and we could be there for days if we don’t. Paying at the Community shop the attendant advises that they have not had a shipment of basics for 3 months and had run out of most stock, so Tony & Michael missed out on an ice cream…..their next shipment has to come from Perth, but not sure when.

We head off with an eye on the very threatening sky above and manage to get approx. 15 klm before the skies opened up, resulting in the next 2 hours being the most terrifying time of our lives…..the road base had become  very soft, with the sides of the road becoming lakes and the road becoming a flowing river. Michael was fighting with the conditions, as at times the van started going sideways behind the car.  We drove through large volumes of water which came up over the windscreen and Michael was unable to see the road for 2-3 seconds.  He just hung on and hoped that he was steering straight to the other side and still be on the track.  I was so scared I started to feel sick (but it might have been hunger! hehe). Tony claims that his van has the toilet at the very rear, and at one stage he could have stepped out of the car straight into his WC if it had a direct external door.  The men did an amazing job to get us through.  I was on the CB at one stage and said “I’m scared!”  Apparently Jennifer nodded and said that was the word.

We pass a group of 4 young Aboriginal men heading to Punmu Community in an ordinary sedan, (the second vehicle we have passed all day) which would have serious difficulty in negotiating the road ahead.   We know the grader will be required to restore the road after our efforts of fish tailing all over the place.

Finally after 2 hours and approximately 85 klm, Tony locates a roadside gravel area on a high ridge that we can pull into for the evening.  What a relief, at least the water is flowing away from our  location!!

Michael & I are too stressed to eat so resort to a sandwich for tea……..however Tony and Jen tuck into pancakes and fruit………then I discover I have one bar of telephone coverage in only one seat corner, so ring our sons.  

Tony gets the bedding ready in his van only to find the Dust Pressurisation System in the van, which is located in a cupboard above his bed has been sucking in water from the roof and all the bedding is wet…..Not Happy!!1      The heavy rain has not let up and continues on until late in the evening.

What a big day covering 520 klm, the last 85 klm being ones that we will never ever forget.  We head off to bed and wonder whether we will be stuck here tomorrow or even a few days if the road has been closed.

DAY 16 - KINTORE TO JUPITERS WELL 05/05/16 - 311 Klm

We woke up early,  around 5.30am Central Time to see a lovely sunrise.   A bit worrying as there are no stars and a big black cloud bank overhead.

The little flies are really bad so early in the morning.   As we leave camp, I try to photo a large stork like bird on the road …possibly a Jabiru.

There are small ant hills to the left and right of the road, way smaller than those encountered in Litchfield National Park below Darwin some years ago.

We reach the WA/NT border around 8.40 CT and are greeted by road corrugations…..this was only 37 klm from our overnight camp.  We start to encounter a few waterholes with water in them.

I am trying to take photos of the landscape with both cameras [ Nikon D7000 and small Sony] as we are driving.    Corrugations and basic movement of the car is proving difficult to get sharp shots everytime.

Fuel up time as we reach the Kiwirrkurra Community, where fuel is now $3.00 per litre.  The Community store is packed inside as well as many locals outside…..possibly centrelink payment day…….there are dogs everywhere…..many very very thin and possibly just had a litter.

Tony and Michael are very pleased with their fuel economy…..average of 4.6klm per litre on the tar and 4.2 on the dirt, when they budgeted for 3.0 or less on the dirt.

Just out of the Community, Michael spies a herd of camels ( approx 7 / 8) close by the road., so stop for photos….Michael also gets his camera out and we both get some good shots.

Encounter a single Sturt’s Desert pea in flower as well as some wattles in flower.

Stopped for Lunch and what a shock when I opened the van……drawer and cooking utensils all over the floor as the lock barrel had snapped through.

Then we discovered the ensuite sliding door had slammed shut despite the latch and the 2 foot lock-downs….This became a real challenge to reopen as the footlocks were still engaged.  Michael is required to force the door back, which proves a difficult task.  Finally gets it back and resorts to cable ties to reinforce the latch to hold the sliding door in place.

We also detect screws holding refrigerator side panels have become loose…in fact on the left hand side the screws fasten into thin air!!!!!!!   Everytime we stop, the floor is covered with aluminium drill filings and saw-dust…….Not Happy!!!! an off-road van ha ha!!

We encounter some light rain and road puddles through a green desert with shrubs and grasses.     Tony points out a remote community of 12 or so deserted houses……apparently used some years ago to put indigenous troublemakers in the middle of nowhere and that they can’t go anywhere.

We arrive mid afternoon at Jupiters Well and decide to make camp for the evening.  The water from the well is lovely, clear and very drinkable.   A great location surrounded by Desert Oaks – Casuarinas with a lovely sighing sound through the trees.

As we open up the van and setup for the night, we discover more issues…..door clip between flywire and external door is broken…..glue and gaffer tape to repair; Pantry gliding frame parted from ply panelling at top……empty section and then more gaffer tape to hold it up; Refrigerator – plastic shelf inside door broken at both ends where slides into holding grove – remove shelf; open the tunnel then find voltage unit hanging from one screw….the other has come out of the ply panelling…..resort to gaffer tape again.      Michael’s stress levels are sky-high by now as Tony and he attend to these repairs, each discovered after tools and equipment had been put away.   We are quite depressed …..nothing has really come adrift in Tony and Jen’s van as everything is screwed into solid timber, whereas ours is into ply panelling.

The camp site is near a large water hole, which attracts camels, dingoes and other wildlife.  Tony & Michael go for a walk and discover the original well which is opposite the current bore well.

Tony has a fire for cooking the evening meal, and afterwards we sit around the campfire and enjoy the wind through the desert oaks and the clear night sky.

We were counting cars today, we passed not a single one.  One wouldn’t want to  be alone with a problem out here. 

Day 15 - Onto the Gary Junction Road. 4-5-16 554.4km

We are finally off.  We left Alice Springs at 7:00 AM.  We head to a Free Public Weighbridge to determine the weight of the vehicles and the vans.  Unfortunately we are only able to get the weight for the vehicles, but not the vans weight.

The car part arrive yesterday afternoon and Toyota fitted it then.  The part is not warrantied due to lift we had done.  SIGH. Michael will have a chat to  Durashock when we get back – apparently this is a very rare problem.

We are very worried, we have heard quite a few reports of a ‘rain event’ in the area (ie very heavy rain), coming Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Unfortunately we are unable to determine exactly where.  There is talk of Uluru and the South West of The Northern Territory.  We have decided to take a chance and will either weather it out  - hehe, or come back if our road is unpassable.

Since we have had the fuse in the van replaced, the pressure fan no longer turns off when the engine of the car is turned off (it did before).  Tony had work done on his vehicle to ensure that his fan turns off – but it doesn’t.  this is quite an inconvenience and a very silly system.

This is beautiful wide open country.  Red soil, blue skies and the desert is covered in greenery. The West MacDonnell Ranges were impressive in the early morning light…….very little traffic in either direction.  The guys let the tyres down for the first time as soon as we turned off the bitumen onto the Papunya Road.  The red dirt of the road and surrounds ran across plains and then out of nowhere an impressive  mountain range would appear to the left or right, in some cases quite close to the roadside.

Stopped at Papunya for fuel – the store there is excellent…….he fuel cost starts to increase $1.10 in Alice Springs now $1/85 per litre.

Stopped at 2:00 for a break, there was a horrible grass like plant with dreadful thorns, they even stuck into thongs, quite painful to remove since they then stuck into fingers.

The Sturt’s Desert Rose is blooming along the roadway.

Arrived at Kintore for fuel, just prior to closing time, but we got stuck  behind a very large truck that was dumping rock down the middle of the road.  There is a lot of road construction going on. Tony and Jen were already there so arranged for the fuel pump to remain open till we arrived.

We passed the football ground which is bare red earth and the children were playing footy in bare feet. No wonder they make good footballers, they don’t have it easy.

Drove several kms down the road and found a campsite near a repeater tower.  Tony got bogged in the sand, it is now raining quite heavily.  He and Michael managed to get the car and van out and we settled down for the night.

 

 

Bummer, we open our caravan door to find that the top of the tap has fallen off, the TV swivel mounting bracket has banged against the wall and put small grooves in it and one of the cupboard/drawer locks has fallen out, a glass is broken in the drawer.  We are not happy with this van so far (they aren’t to blame for the glass), but this is supposed to be an off road van.  The chassis maybe strong, but the internal stuff isn’t.  Tony fixes the tap, after Michael had got out the required tools to complete the task.

The joys of off roading.

   It has been a big day covering a large distance 554 klm,   so its early to bed…..listening to the rain

DAY 14 - ALICE SPRINGS - 03/05/16

Shopping day to prepare for our travels across the desert, provided the CV Boot part arrives.  We visit Milner’s Butchers (this would be my all-time favourite butcher – the most amazing variety).  ps the sausages we bought were awful. We chose a variety of meats, which are cryovaced for us. 

The picture on the right is crocodile meat in various ways.

Then off to Woolworths for additional supplies.

We spend time preparing the van and the car also. The van requires water tanks to be filled.

 

 

Michael  calls Toyota around midday to get the good news that the part has arrived, so its off to Toyota with the car, after arguing that it was to be attended to today, as promised last week not tomorrow.  Michael returns via the courtesy bus.

The car is ready for collection around 5.30pm, so Tony runs Michael into to collect and find out if it is covered by Warranty………Toyota not prepared to cover it due to third party product used in vehicle lift.

Michael hooks up the van in the semi dark and reverses into the neighbours site to ensure car is off the park road.  This is to enable an early start next morning.

DAY 13 - ALICE SPRINGS 02/05/16

We were woken by light rain pattering on the caravan.  There is a Mayday parade today and we intend to go, don’t quite know what to expect.  Lol.

The rain finished in time for the parade.  The parade was really great, the Community and Sporting Groups, school and pre school groups as well as the people in it were so pleased to be there, there was a good crowd, all enthusiastic.

We went and had a cup of coffee, then up to Anzac Hill to have a look over Alice and take some photos.

 

Later we went to  the local pub for dinner: roast, 3 choices of meat.

Walked back to the caravan park and sat in the camp kitchen chatting to Tony and hearing stories about his amazing career.

Day 12 - ALICE SPRINGS 01/05/16

Well we should have been leaving the park this morning to start our journey across the desert to Western Australia.  However the need to wait around for our replacement CV Boot under warranty for our car provides us with the opportunity to participate in a Free Park Activity.

The Camp Kitchen is the assembly point for the park this morning, as the Park Management puts on a FREE pancake breakfast for the park.  They have a specially designed trailer to cook the pancakes on a stainless steel top.  Up to 12 large pancakes at once.

Dot was first in line to get the first one off…….we got over there early so we did not have to carry chairs, only plates & cups.  They had a range of accompaniments….lemon & sugar, maple syrup, raspberry & chocolates sauce, butter, golden syrup plus tea and coffee.  The record number of pancakes ever cooked is circa 920, with supposedly 13 and 9 being the maximum by an individual male and female respectively. Michael and I managed to eat 2 each,  while Tony & Jenny came to visit after they had their breakfast in their van.

 

At our table we had a couple from Croydon Vic., who had one of his shoes stolen by a dingo or dog during the evening from outside his tent.  Michael informed them that he had seen a sneaker near the children’s playground this morning which upon retrieval turned out to be there’s.   The laces were broken and now need replacing.

The Pancake breakfast is very popular with the queue often being 10 – 12 deep, awaiting the next batch of pancakes.   The morning breakfast finishes up around 9:30am.     After that we head off to a very basic little community market…it is close by so we walk. We finish walking around the market in about 10 minutes.

A much milder temperature this morning – low 20s and very dark grey clouds to our north, but no rain throughout the day.    Mid morning we head into town to buy our extra diesel containers…..Tony likes the idea of the discounted Trade card Michael has.

It is then off to ANZAC Hill for a view overlooking the Town Centre and the surrounding hills.   It is very well set up with clearly marked signage of the wars and the years Australia has participated in since the Boer War as you drive up to the summit.  We take some photos of the town and its surrounds, as well as the flags fluttering in the strong wind.

Then off to Coles for some shopping and then a coffee.  We pass a Dick Smith Electronics store which is trading for the very last day, with limited remaining stock being discounted by 90%.

After lunch, Tony wanders around the Park for an ice cream, whilst Jen is asleep and comes across a neighbour of John Burke [Upgraded our Toyota LC’s towbar to tow 3750kgs capacity] with a 6 wheel Toyota LC.  He has a great chat and obtains more information on potential chip upgrade opportunities at a cost of circa $5,000.00.  In addition, Tony  has located a nearby Tavern with Roast dinners for $13.90. He talks us all into going there as a change of menu to what we will be having over the next week.  The breeze is quite cool, necessitating all to put on jumpers or jackets to  walk to the Tavern around 5:30pm for tea.   In addition to the roasts of Lamb, Beef or Pork there is a plentiful variety of buffet vegetables to help yourself to.  We are back at the caravan circa 7:00pm for our cup of tea and reading before bed.

DAY 11 – ALICE SPRINGS 30/04/16

We had booked in at the Tourist Information Bureau, to take their walking tour around the Town Centre of its historical sites. So its off to the Information Office to sign personal indemnity forms before the commencement of the walk, starting at 10:00am.   It very hot this early and hats plus water is essential.

The Tourist Bureau staff member – Tamara, takes a group of 10 off four 1.5 hour tour taking in approximately 3 klm.  Tamara is an excellent enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide and provided us with an insight into the history of Alice Springs…..known as Stuart Town up until the 1930s  We saw many fine old buildings with unique designs to provide a cooling system against the heat.  Alice Springs was the centre of Australia’s Second World War effort management, following the bombing of Darwin.  During this period the Stuart Highway from Alice Springs was constructed in 90 days….what an achievement.   Tamara explained the aquifers that supply the essential water for Alice Springs.  Tamara had a great NT tourist T shirt in red, which Dot would have liked to buy if available.

Both Tony & Michael sent her home to do some research, as they both suggested that nearby Arltunga was relocated by the government  to create Stuart Town and thus Alice Springs.

Following the walk, Michael heads back towards the Todd River to take some photos of a mural wall of Australian animals of the area.   Then it was off to the mall for a refreshing cup of coffee.

The afternoon was quite as everyone attempted to escape the heat….now approaching 33C.    Very hot for the horse racing this afternoon as part of the Alice Springs Cup to be run on Monday.   More vans were coming into the Park this afternoon.

We head to the Camp Kitchen for an evening performance by a Didgeridoo player.   Quite a crowd has gathered to hear him or her.    Unfortunately the park manager is unable to contact him to find out if he will be attending…..so the evening performance has to be cancelled.

We head back to the van and sit under the awning with Tony talking and discussing the major topic of fuel consumption and availability.  We both make the decision to purchase an additional 20 litre container.  I think Tony is keen for Michael to out a couple of containers on his rear bar, as he has done.  Michael is hesitant as he does not have the space behind without relocating some existing storage tube.  It is very pleasant sitting outside in the evening.

DAY 10 – ALICE SPRINGS 29/04/16

The booked Auto Electrician [Ray Tebeck] arrives around 9:00am and starts on our van power supply problem with the Grey Anderson plug.  After quite a time attempting to understand our wiring and trace it back from the Prime battery, he locates a blown 50amp fuse, between battery 1 and 2.  A simple fix in the end.

Then onto Tony’s Landcruiser to correct his lack of cut-off to the van’s dust compression system when connected but parked.   This was a real challenge and the end conclusion was that Tony’s car had not been wired up to provide this cut-off feature.  Ray heads off to the town centre to get a relay switch, which takes well over an hour.   He returns and has to improvise to pick up a relay point to Tony’s ignition switch.  Eventually this is installed and now the cutoff is running successfully……beats having to disconnect cables when you stop and remembering to reconnect before you head off again.

Another hot day – around 29C, filled in with some shopping and coffee in town, after the repairs.   Back to the park for lunch and Michael cooks Bacon & Eggs sandwiches at the Camp Kitchen for Tony, Dot and himself.

Lazy afternoon, slumbering or reading or undertaking some planning on fuel consumption and availability across the desert.  The big decision is should we purchase an additional fuel container as a contingency measure.  Finding it difficult at the moment to locate 50 amp fuses to carry as spares, given

We are utilising the Camp Kitchen for our evening meals, as well as when we want some hot water for a tea or coffee.  At meal times you get to meet up with different travellers, especially around the gas BBQs where we are cooking our meat and potatoes.

We hear many different stories of problem issues they have encountered and the action taken to resolve these issues.

Still having heaps of problems sending e-mails…no trouble receiving them, some of which require a reply.

DAY 9 - ALICE SPRINGS 28/05/16

Michael hears dingoes again last night, but for a much shorter duration.

Follow-up phone call to Warranty section of electricians in Melbourne re our van & Tony’s car.    Apparently an Auto electrician in AS is being booked to came and do the work…..awaiting call to identify times.

We have the Land Cruiser booked in for its 10,000 klm service this morning, before we start heading west through the desert.  The Toyota dealership is very professional and has a courtesy bus to return and pick up Michael.

Tony is so proud of his installation of the jerry can holder on the reverse, he does not take much convincing that he needs the van rear symmetrical, so he  is off to purchase a second jerry can holder.

Calls re electrical problem escalated with advice from local AS business not prepared to come to park to undertake work for Michael and Tony.  Michael is referred to a mobile auto electrician, which he follows up and successfully engages, but requires approval from CES Melbourne.   Much time elapsing until confirmation received via Michael initiating a call.  The Auto electrician is now scheduled to come Friday morning.

No contact from Toyota by 2:00pm, so Michael calls to find out if service complete and OK to collect.   He receives bad news advising that the LC has a problem with a CV boot issue on the front drivers side suspension……..no split or crack but has lost 80% of its grease content.  They do not recommend taking on the desert roads in this condition or a repacked CV boot. Phone calls backward and forward to discuss ordering a new replacement part, which from a Warranty point of view has to come out of Sydney.  The staff at Toyota were seeking to obtain a non genuine part to overcome the problem, but nothing available locally or in neighbouring state capitals.

All of this has a serious impact on our proposed schedule, especially in relation to permits and arriving in Broome on time as both Michael and Tony are expecting  to pick up replacement parts to rectify maintenance issues.  The expected date of receipt of warranty part t and repair has been pushed out  due to the coming Monday is a public holiday – May Day.

At this stage, we anticipate the part will arrive on Tuesday afternoon and hopefully repaired late Tuesday.  The claim is under a Warranty, but some suggestion by the mechanic is that due to our non genuine Toyota product in the vehicle’s lift may void the Warranty claim.  Hopefully this latter situation does not happen.    Off to the Big 4 Park office to extend our stay for a further 3 nights i.e. Sunday – Tuesday.

A stressful afternoon as we grapple with the implications.

DAY 8 – ALICE SPRINGS 27/04/16

We are 4 to 5 klm outside the city centre in the Gap area of Alice Springs.

Domestic day in AS doing washing, cleaning, catching up on the Blog.  We head into town and visit Tyre Power, Super Cheap Auto, Bunnings, and a number of other camping places for supplies for the vans and cars as well as Woolworths for some staples.

Tony is busy looking for jerry can holders to instal onto his back bar to provide additional diesel or water carrying capacity as well as provide better weight distribution on his towball.

The weather is in the mid to high 20s  and very pleasant this afternoon sitting under the awning typing the blog and talking to van neighbours – Lacky and his wife.

Following numerous calls to the car & van’s electrical system installer, Michael links up our Land Cruiser to Tony’s van and identifies that his van’s compressed air/dust system switches off minutes after the car’s ignition system is switched off.    This identifies that the wiring in Tony’s van has been wired direct to power rather than a relay to the ignition……..an auto electrician job to fix.

Michael is now attempting to locate the 50 amp fuse in the van that supposedly controls the power flow to the grey Anderson plug. He  locates this fuse and with the help of a multimeter from Lacky identifies that it is not working.  Michael replaces the fuse and with further testing identifies that there is no current flow either side of the fuse, even with it plugged into the Land Cruiser which is supplying power via its grey anderson plug.  A real mystery and too late to ring Electricians in Melbourne……a job for first thing in the morning!!!!!

Our installer guide of yesterday, Mark pops in for a chat and discussion on caravan issues.    He has a very good caravan maxim of  “Stop travelling after any of the Three threes” i.e.

• Three Hours
• Three Hundred kilometres
• Three O’clock

to which Tony laughs and comments that he has travelled 700+ klms on Day 1.

After tea, cooked in the camp kitchen [ chicken drumsticks and salad], we head off to the Kangoanemu Shed for an evening with local singer  and landscape photographer Barry Skipsey. He sings many Australian outback songs, many of which he has written himself, and requires the audience to become involved in singing the chorus of many of these songs.   His slides of over 400 photos are stunning and bring back memories of familiar sites.  One photo of Rainbow Valley with water in the pans in front of the rock escarpment, took 9 consecutive days visiting Rainbow Valley to get the right conditions of no wind for reflections in the water.   It was most enjoyable and relaxing night.

Michael, Tony and I head back to our van for a night’s sleep…….quite warm with sleep not coming easily for Michael, so he gets up and reads.

DAY 7 – RAINBOW VALLEY TO ALICE SPRINGS 26/04/16 [110 klms]

Another cold morning of around 6C in the van, which again was our fault.    The previous night it was the hatch above the bed, this time it was that in the dark, we had only shut the fly-wire door instead of the solid section.   No wonder it was cold.

A casual start to the morning and after pack-up, Michael decides to practice his reversing in to the dedicated bays in readiness for caravan parks ahead.

Guidance comes from Tony and Dot and he has a number of attempts, each time a slightly different approach angle.   I think that this has improved his confidence.  

We leave the National Park area and head off on the dirt for 22 klm back to the Stuart Highway and then on into Alice Springs.   We arrive late morning, with Tony having his fuel warning light on for the last 20klm.   He fills up with 123 litres and Michael with 117 litres.   Fuel comes down from $1.53 to $1.18 a litre now that we are in NT rather than northern outback SA.

I ring the Big 4 Caravan Park and they advise that there are 2 sites available for  large vans and allow us to come in immediately rather than wait for the 2 o’clock entry time.

We arrive at the Park and book it…….with a guide to take us to our site.   Generous Tony swapped sites to allow Michael to drive through.  Upon un-hitching we open the van door to find shattered plate  glass all over the floor…Where did this come from??????  finally we found that the inner glass panel in the oven door had slid out and shattered…….another Warranty call.

Thetford …..supplier of the oven was contacted via Elite, and they are going to supply replacement glass.  We are to collect the panel from Broome in a fortnight’s time, as they cannot get it to Alice before the weekend.

Power now enables us to use the air conditioner in the van, to cool us down as the van is heating up in the Alice’s low 30s.

After going out for a Chinese Meal with Tony & Jenny, we return so Michael & I can go to the Star Gaze night……A very clear night but some background light from the AS city centre and the full moon. ..A knowledgeable gent telling us about the sky and with his large telescope showing Jupiter & its moons as well as the nebula constellation in the Milky Way.   We get to view these after all the children present.  Using a laser he points out the various star groups.   It is a great informative night .

Back to the van for a sleep, and during the night Michael heard dingoes around 3:00am