Darwin to Tassie - Part 1

 

Darwin to Adelaide

 

After a great five years in Darwin we decided to take the opportunity of a change in Lis' work to make a move and explore southern Australia again. So with a sad goodbye to the Top End in April we started a fantastic two and half month cross country adventure to GP training and further adventures at the opposite end of Australia - Tasmania!

With the removalists come and gone, the house cleaned and the car packed it was time to hit the road south towards Tassie. The first leg of our trip was via the east Kimberley's through to Alice Springs then onto Adelaide. 

Our first night on the road was at the road house motel at Victoria River, a few hours from the Western Australian border. In the morning we did a hike nearby up the escarpment in Gregory National Park, then headed on towards our first camping spot at Lake Argyle, W.A.

  

Our first trip hike!

 Ah... this is the life

Victoria River Road House

Gregory's Tree, a massive boab that is an important Aboriginal site and where the explorer Augustus Gregory camped in the 1850s (more info for mom here) 



 The boab tree, or upside down tree as Lis referred to it, is common in the Kimberley.

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 Lake Argyle caravan park

Navigator Maddy showing us where to go. 

 ...what's this Papy ?

 Looking over towards the Caravan park, not a bad location! Below is the Ord River Dam wall which makes Lake Argyle the largest man made lake in Australia by volume. 

 Sunset cruise and swim, Lake Argyle

As a bit of a holiday splurge we took a scenic flight over the Bungles and Lake Argyle, leaving from Kununurra. It was a good thing Maddy was free as she slept most of the flight. Well worth it.

Lake Argyle caravan park and dam wall

 



 Our first views of the Bungles

 Lake Argyle Diamond Mine, no pink diamonds for the ladies this time.

 We enjoyed some Kununurra park time while the car had a few minor repairs done.

Enjoying the pool back at the caravan park. 

 

Nudie rudie...

 

 ...
 

On the road again, this time making our way into the Bungles to explore them from ground level. It was a spectacular drive in.  

 

 

 

Entering Purnululu National Park or as everyone refers to them, the Bungle Bungle. 

 

Hiking through the Echidna Chasm, spectacular rock weathering. 

 Enjoying breakfast at our campsite beside a dry river bed.

 Checking out the "Beehive" dome formations that make the Bungles so special.

Hiking up Cathedral Gorge

 

Lunch in the end 'cathedral' part of the gorge... nice and cool.

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 On the Tanami Desert Road now heading for Alice Springs - about 1000 km of not very much. Unfortunately Maddy was asking for a playground only a few hundred km's into the trip and of course I said we'll stop at the next one we come across... knowing that it would be in Alice!

  Wolfe Creek Crater

(http://www.westernaustralia.com/en/Attraction/Wolfe_Creek_Crater_National_Park/9009439) 

 

Lunch day 2 on the Tanami, not a lot of shady rest areas on this section.

...catching a few zzz's

 Looking back west from the Northern Territory/Western Australia border

 

We did see the odd traveller, mining vehicle and road train. 

 

After a long day on the road we just got the tent set up in time to enjoy the desert sunset.

 Maddy, "wake up happy" :-)

Breakfast with the bush flies. 

Another day and much of the same again... 

 

Car games and activities



 Just a teasing of a few km's of sealed road before getting back to corrugated gravel

 

After three days in the desert we finally saw the West MacDonnell ranges as we made our way back onto the Stuart Hwy and into Alice.

...
Back on the road again after a quick night in an Alice caravan park cabin - it was nice to have a hot shower and get some washing done. Then restock the supplies, a quick catch up with one of Craig's cousins, an important stop off at a playground :) and off to our next camping spot. This time in the West MacDonnell Ranges.

Our first camping spot out from Alice was at Palm Valley in Finke Gorge National Park near Hermannsburg. It was a scenic drive in along a dry river bed, passing through gorges that turn a brilliant red in the afternoon sun. 

The campground itself was great - large shady lots surrounded by red rocky ridges and as a bonus solar hot water showers in the amenities... what more can you ask for. We did have 5 or 6 dingoes around at night which just added to the camping experience, not scared of campers either. 



Starting off on our loop hike though Palm Valley itself. Maddy did really well finding all the blue triangles as trail markers. She walked almost a kilometre by herself just going from triangle to triangle. 



Palm Valley and the rare red cabbage (Livistona) palms 



"blue triangle mummy"

Back for a bit of lunch and rest in the heat of the day before another afternoon exploring the gorges.

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Moving onto the next camp at Ormiston Gorge and Pound, much busier and smaller camping lots. The Pound hike we did there was really worth it though. As well as lots of other spectacular gorges and walks nearby.

Starting our 5 hour Ormiston Pound loop walk and Maddy happy to see her blue and orange triangles.

 

Ghost Gum

 Family shot on the top edge of the Pound before descending into the huge rock-walled amphitheatre

 

 

 

Smoko break under the shade of a river gum.

The last part of the Pound walk was through Ormiston gorge itself back to camp. Fantastic walk. 

Ghost Gum Lookout

Rock Wallaby at Redbank Gorge

Afternoon reflexions at Glen Helen Gorge waterhole

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 With the West MacDonnell Ranges ticked off, it was back on the highway south to Adelaide. A two day drive with only a quick sidetrip to the "Breakaways" at Coober Pedy. 

 

 

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We finally reach the waters of the Southern Ocean (sort of),

Adelaide at last!

Good old Brighton Beach jetty
Here we stayed with some good Darwin friends Kirsty and Dev, caught up with some Adelaide friends and did some touristy things in the city.

 

 This car was the best thing about the Adelaide Zoo visit for Maddy! 

 Maddy and Lis feeling right at home...

 

It was nice to see friends in Adelaide and stay put for more than two days. With the weather a bit cold and showery, a roof over our heads was very welcome as well! But with our supplies restocked and the vehicle serviced it was onto our next leg of the trip, this time back up through the Flinders Ranges and Birdsville Track into Queensland with Team ZAC.

Refer to Blog Darwin to Tassie - Part 2