Night 8: Ayers Rock Campground
Night 9: Kings Canyon Resort
Night 10: Glen Helen Resort
Night 11: Taylor Creek Rest Area
Night 12: Katherine George Caravan Park
Night 13: Darwin (Carpricornia Hotel)

Wow! It’s definitely been an adventure so far!
This is was our first day in The Northern Territory and the first time for me ever. We even stopped and took pictures at the border.

We were in a bit of a rush to make it to Kata Tjuta (The Olga’s). We wanted to try and do the The Valley of The Winds Walk that afternoon, but I think we were pushing our luck a little and decided not too rush too much. We saw Kata Tjuta and Uluru and watched Uluru at sunset, which was pretty magical. Stayed at the caravan park at Ayres Rock Resort. It was quite over populated and we felt very touristy. It was amazing how big that place is and how many people were there. We did the Valley of the Winds Walk in the morning and loved it. It was a bit of a challenging walk in the searing heat but well worth it. It was really beautiful. We stocked up and left Ayers Rock and headed for Kings Canyon.

Kings Canyon was unfortunately owned by Voyages as well which we found out when we got there. So it was a bit disappointing to be staying at another resort style place, which is nothing like the bush camping we were use to. Especially when you have someone camping one metre from your tent.
We drove out to Kings Canyon in the morning, and decided it was too hot to do the Rim Walk, which was a 3 hour hike in full sun and no shade whatsoever, along the top of the Canyon. It would have been nice but it would have killed me, especially without my hat. We decided to do the Creek walk in the middle of the Canyon, which was shady and actually really nice. It was a great way to see the Canyon.

Then we got our permit to drive along the Mereenie Loop Road, which is an unsealed road through Aborginal land. The scenery as we drove along was quite amazing. Destination: Glen Helen Resort, which thank god wasn’t actually a resort. It was this campsite/bar/accommodation set in the middle of nowhere, with the back drop of the Macdonnell Ranges and Glen Helen Gorge. The next morning we started the day with a helicopter ride over the Gorge, the Ranges and the Finke River. I don’t even know how to describe it. I’m so glad we got to see the Ranges from above because you just don’t realise what they truly are until you see them from up there. We flew over Aboriginal land and saw wild brumbies. The mountain ranges seemed to stretch on forever. It’s amazing to think that I didn’t even know this was out here. Then we walked down to the Gorge, which amazingly has water in it. It’s so strange to see water out here. Everything just seems so dry.

Alice Springs was our next stop on the way to Tennant Creek. It was very overwhelming to be in a shopping centre with lots of people. It was really quite strange after being in the ‘outback’ for so long.
We didn’t quite make it to Tennant Creek because we decided to stop before sunset. We stayed at a Rest Area about 160kms south of Tennant Creek. It was nice to be in the middle of nowhere again though. So as the temperature dropped and provided some relief from the blazing sun we watched the sunset over this beautiful but dry land. We probably should have cooked before sunset because incoming was a storm of bugs of all shapes and sizes that wanted to die on our sizzling pan. Dinner was great, but we had to hide from the bugs and eat in the car, while we eagerly waited for our beer to chill.
Once the light was off it was a little better and we sat under the stars and imagined how many bugs there will be in Kakadu.

On our way to Katherine the next day we stopped at the UFO Centre of Australia. It was really quite lame, and it wasn’t even worth taking photos. Just lots of articles about possible UFO sightings in the area.
Devil’s Marbles was our next stop, they look like big rocks carefully stacked up on each other in the most interesting way. The Marbles are actually remnants from a solid mass of granite, the bulk of which still lies underneath them. It is a bizarre thing to see in person and I can’t imagine how nature forms such intriguing sculptures. As the temperature soared in to the high 30’s, it was starting to take its toll on us poor Melbournians. We decided to reward ourselves with an icy cold NT Draught in Daly Waters.

Daly Waters was an eccentric little town, and it was very tempting to stay put in the bar and settle in. But we dragged ourselves away and continued on to Mataranka. Mataranka is famous for it’s thermal springs, which doesn’t sound that great in such hot weather but the water temperature was actually nice and the springs are in the shade of some nice palms. It was out first taste of tropical heat compared to the dry heat we have had so far. We wanted to stay longer at Mataranka but we had to keep driving, we decided we would definitely come and stay on our way back down.

So, on to Katherine. We arrived after sunset and we managed to find the National Park in the dark. We found a campsite and got some tucker at the pool kiosk. It was a bit surreal, as it was like we were on a tropical island all of a sudden, with palm trees and a pool. It was so hot in the tent, almost unbearable, as there was no wind going through the tent at all, the air was just so thick. We are definitely looking forward to some air conditioning.
The next day as we made our way on to Darwin we began to realise that the termites are taking over the world. I don’t know if you have ever seen a termite mound but these were massive, especially the further north we went.
Some of them were over twice the size of me and double the width. I will be sure to add some pictures, so you can see.

Darwin is a lot nicer than I realised, it was nice to see the ocean again after driving through the middle of the country. We pretty much spent the day at the sailing club in Parap and caught up with my Dad for a bit. We stayed at a cheap hotel for the night, which was like luxury with the air-conditioning.
After one night in Darwin we are considering staying another. It is really nice here and quite relaxing. We are off to see the WWII Oil Tunnels and the East Point Military Museum.

Will write again in a week or so when we have reception again. Sorry this entry was so long, we had a lot to catch you up on.

Bec and Sean