Thursday 15/7/2010 Yulara

(Yulara)
Slept in!!!! No tent to pack up!

Soak in the bath, out for lunch, grocery shopping, clothes washing and catching up with diaries and communication. The kids even had a swim in the heated pool. Col checked the car out. All seems fine.

Wednesday 14/7/2010 Docker River to Yulara

(Docker River to Yulara)
There were dingos howling overnight and the temperature again dropped to at least 0 C, with ice on our tents. Off to Yulara today (town near Uluru). With an extra night up our sleeves we've decided to stay in a powered site there for 2 nights to do some jobs (washing, bathing, shopping and diaries).
Driving along the kids were discussing their future career choices with us ...aahh family bonding. Saw more camels. One ran onto the road and jogged along in front of us for a bit.
Missed the turn off to Lasseter's Cave at first as it is only signed as a rest stop.

This viewing sent us off on more history lessons. Jordan and Jack are now keen to read his diary and work out where the reef of gold is. Well they've learnt about ancient maps and offroad exploration and will soon be learning to be cameleers at King's Creek Station. So there is hope!
Lasseter's Cave is amongst a beautiful mountain range overlooking a river bed, so he spent his last days living in beautiful scenery.
This was followed by a history lesson on Giles and Gibson's explorations.
Seeing, galahs, budgies, magpies and crows.

At Kata Tjuta we did the 7.4km hike through the domes. It took 1hr and 50mins at a fast pace (1200hrs-1350hrs).

It was great exercise after so much sitting, and just beautiful. They are huge.
Uluru looked purple and pink as we headed east to it.

All 4 of us climbed it to see spectacular views. Jack was very nervous, but pleased with his accomplishment afterwards. You couldn't get more respect and love for the rock than we had. We passed 2 Aboriginal girls near the top.

Huge day!!! Lots of exertion. Ended up deciding to lash out and have a couple of nights luxury for everyone to recouperate for the next part of our adventures.
5 Star Sails in the Desert.
I feel soooo clean now!

Tuesday 13/7/2010 Len Beadell's Tree to Docker River

(Len Beadell's Tree to Docker River)
Woke at 0600hrs to the sound of birds. The coals were still hot and the fire stoked.
It must have been at least 5C again last night, very mild.
Everyone is in good spirits again.
Jordan and Jack have been having fun taking it in turns to start the car of a morning to warm it up. Left at 0750hrs.

The car has been great. It's handled everything well.
Col had fun with a bumpier, rockier track today. Surprisingly the track between the Gunbarrel and the Heather Highway was even rougher. Nothing too bad though.

Jordan got the surprise of her life when Col offered for her to have a go driving.

She did so well. Drove at 40km/hr changing gears and only stalling once. Great first lesson. Well! What were the chances of a vehicle passing us out here in the middle of the Gibson, and a police car at that! We all happily waved at each other and Jordan continued her driving lesson. :)

The graded section of the Heather Highway is wide and smooth and like a rollercoaster, but the Great Central Road is corrugated before Warburton and needs regrading.

We arrived there at 1100hrs and toured the art gallery. They were in the process of digitally cataloging the entire collection. Bought some music sticks for our Jet minders the Pockrans.

A smooth run from Warburton to Giles Weather Station, 80km/hr, arriving at 1530hrs. We stopped for lunch on the way, saw 3 camels, about 50 burnt out cars and a Swedish pushbike rider who wanted us to tell him where he was.

Had to put our watches forward to 1700hrs at Giles.

Jack spotted a dingo at the station and the kids tried to pat it but it was quite flighty and took off.

Len Beadell's grader is here. The office was open and we had a look around but noone was about.

We were blown away by the fantastic specticle of the sunset on ranges coming in to the NT. Wow!

Setting up camp at Docker River at 1800hrs NT time (1630hrs SA time). There were Aboriginal children playing up on the hill. Jordan wanted to visit them. Jack wouldn't go with her, so I did, but they were called away into a car before we got there. Jack saw another dingo and just suddenly took off chasing it?

Jordan now plans to save up for a car.
Funny, but the river bed is actually about 1km to the east of here.

Monday 12/7/2010 Geraldton Bore to Len Beadell's Tree

(Geraldton Bore to Len Beadell's Tree)

Up at 0620hrs. Lovely warm night of 4C. Emptied the remainder of our water tank as it tasted funny (?plastic) and refilled with water from the bore. Graham filled up also and says it is good safe water that he always uses. It is pumped from 60m below ground.

This held us up and we left at 0900hrs Passing a termite city, it is like sitting in a massage chair with the corrugations, driving 30km/hr. 

I wrote in the visitor's book at Everard Junction and looked at Len Beadell's plaque. This is where our friends left us to head north.

I drove from Everard Junction to Mount Beadell. Cool! An average of 30km/hr through corrugations, sand, mud and water. After morning tea at Mount Everard we saw a pack of about 10 camels which Col and the kids jumped out to film. Chasing them all over the hill.

Arrived at Mount Beadell at 1250hrs. Had lunch, climbed the mountain and saw Len beadell's theodelite memorial.

Thryptomine Hill Bore (1500hrs) only had a couple of trees, with mud under them from the bore, so we continued to camp at Len Beadell's tree which was much nicer.

Arrived at 1600hrs and only passed 1 other car today. Lone campers tonight. Got to make our own fire. The kids seem to be having a bit of a melt down. I think they will need a break from the constant unpacking, packing and driving soon. Jordan had a cry when yelled at by her father.

Getting here at a decent time was good though. Jack was running around wildly exploring and playing games, while Jordan curled up in a chair with a milo. I finished downloading my photos and video clips. Col made a big fire and dug a hole for the dunny. We ate well as usual, had a glass of wine by the fire, took a family shot using Lisa's tripod and had an early night.

 

Sunday 11/7/2010 Bowanoo Rock Hole to Geraldton Bore

(Bowanoo Rock Hole to Geraldton Bore)
Up at 0630hrs, had brekkie, watched the sun rise over the rockpool, the kids played on the rope swing, and packed up and left by 0800hrs.

Originally only about 240km of graded dirt road planned for today but we will probably end up pushing on to get more time to do the rough stuff. It was such a mild night. It felt as if it would have been as high as 5C.
The dirt road was good, driving at 80km/hr. There were lots of kangaroos and galahs.
Jack is up to date with writing his diary and has read two books already. Jordan is re-reading her school novel. She is falling behind with her digital diary as her computer won't hold a charge and she gets car sick using it as we go. We'll have to T/F it to my computer so she doesn't fall behind.
She seems worn out. She slept for an hour in the car this morning.
We passed Wongawol station at 1045hrs and haven't seen another car yet today.
We arrived at Mingol Camp at 1120hrs. This was originally where we were going to camp, but we've decided to push on to the next site to get a spare day up our sleeves in case we need it with the upcoming rough 4WDing and corrugations.

Mingol Camp was set up at a deep water filled creek with large white gums and a couple of large grey parrots. It seems to be a well set up and well used drovers camp with permanent shelter, table, seats, shelves and an old metal woodfire camp oven. Even old camp beds of chainmesh. (You need permission from Wongowol to camp here).

Instead of morning tea we went straight to lunch (the usual of sandwiches, ham, avocado, corn relish, tomato, cheese and spreads etc).
A quick lunch, then we left at midday, seeing kangaroos, emus and cows on our way to Carnegie Station.

Arrived here at 1250hrs filling up with fuel at $2.50/L. (55L for $137.50). We didn't meet the station owners, just a young employee who seemed a bit grumpy. I think we woke her up. The kids played with the 2 dogs while I checked out the little orchard in their front yard.
The first car we passed was just east of Carnegie (they were heading west). Big waves to each other. Then a whole group of seven 4WDs heading west.
Jordan and Jack are trying to make up their own secret language at the moment (a code for secret written communication).
Now we've been overtaken by a Landcruiser Troopy. Eating their dust. No load though so they must work on the property.
It was only 1515hrs when we arrived at Mount Lambert.

We placed our rocks on the cairn and enjoyed the 360 degree views while eating afternoon tea.
The road is still easy. Lots of small knee high termite mounds and an old truck that didn't make it. Beautiful white gums surrounding Mungkili Claypan and four wild camels just east of the claypan and 3 more 4WDs heading west.

It becomes rough 20km west of Geraldton Bore with our speed dropping to around 40km/hr.

Jack spotted a dingo just before pulling in to camp at Geraldton Bore at 1640hrs.
There were 2 other 4WDs here. Three men that invited us to join their campfire. They went and had a wash at the bore while we set up camp. The bore water is quite warm.
They were lovely guys, real Crocodile Dundee types (or really Indiana Jones). They have ancient maps with far more tracks marked. They do their own off track exploring and refind old explorer's sites. They know all the Aboriginal Communities and a lot of them by name. It was great listening to their stories and advice.

Saturday 10/7/2010 Lake Ballard to Bowanoo Rock Hole past Wiluna

(Lake Ballard to Bowanoo Rock Hole past Wiluna)
Overnight the wind had dried the lake and it was once again a salt pan.

It was a mild night comparitively speaking. The sun is shining and the sky blue once again and we were heading north again by 0900hrs.
Jordan plans to do her geography assignment today on Wiluna.
We finally looked up your emails on the HFoz site. Thanks guys.
I don't think I'll have any internet signal for a while ....
Our stop for morning tea was at Granite Creek, deeply cut into the rock with beautiful rock and sand waterholes and gum trees that are home to many native budgerigars. Apparently they can go for a few days without water, can survive with slightly saline water, and breed any time of year straight after it rains.

This extra detour left of Leonora was a fabulous bonus.
We passed through the Aboriginal town of Leonora (the gateway to the Great Central Highway) at midday. I posted possibly my last blog for a while, and headed north to Wiluna. There were two wedgetailed eagles at the side of the road. Col puled over for some great photos.

Got to Wiluna at about 1615hrs and were lucky the servo was open. He said they had been closing at 1300hrs until last week when 175 4WDs came through for the ExplorOz meet.

The guy pumping our fuel was a good sport and stood there for about 15 minutes being interviewed by Jordan for her geography assignment.
Wiluna has.....50 anglosaxons
300 indiginous
65% male, 35% female
all age ranges except college age (they go to Perth)
the town is just surviving on mining and 4WD tourism
spiritually, catholic and dreamtime.
Fuel was $1.69/L here (from $1.35 elsewhere). We put in 106 L at $174.
We found Bowanoo Rock Hole off a mud map I found on the internet! It was superb. Got us to the right spot, 27km along the Gunbarrel then 6km to the north. WOW! we arrived at sunset for a fabulous nature show.
Some locals (caucasian) had just dropped in behind us to show their kids the water hole and couldn't believe we had found it. They were totally shocked when I explained it was on the internet.

"..Starry starry night, painted colours seem so bright...."
Another fun poker night next to a camp fire with a family block of chocolate for dessert. Yum!

Friday 9/7/2010 Norseman to Lake Ballard

(Norseman to Lake Ballard)
After cereal and toast at the pub we filled the car. So far we've used 482L and driven 3600km.
We also topped up the water which we've used 50L in 7 days.
Heading north through wind and rain, we arrived at Kalgoorlie and got out in the freezing wind to look at the Super Pit. The largest open cut mine in Australia. Kalgoorlie is a town built on gold!

The clothes washing was already done and we did the grocery shopping in Kalgoorlie, so our extra sight seeing at Lake Ballard and the Gormley Statues became our new camp site.
We seemed to drive out of the storms heading NW out to this beautiful Lake. Usually a salt pan, but because of the recent rain the salt crystals had dissolved. We hiked in slushy, slippery mud out to a small steep island which was calling to us to climb it.

Such a perfect camp site. All alone. Lucky we made a huge fire (well contained) as the wind picked up in the evening.