Travel time: 30 days
Travel distance: 6600km
Fuel cost: $1,206 (most of it on gas)
Food cost: $680 (we cooked for ourselves almost the entire time and ate out very rarely)
Accommodation: $575 (probably 60% caravan parks and 30% bush camping)
Touristy stuff: $275
Other miscellaneous: $50
So in total we spent $2780, which is not too bad considering we did everything we wanted to do on the way. If you take the government bonus into account, we only spent $980 of our savings, so thanks Kevin!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Last days in Australia
We are now in Darwin, relaxing for our last three days in Australia after having visited Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks.
Kakadu is awe-inspiring, diverse and magnificent. Its sheer size (20,000 square kilometers) means an incredibly rich diversity of different habitats and wildlife. In our brief time there we saw so many birds, fish, crocodiles, dingos, almost without particularly trying. The rock art sites as well were very interesting, as I had never seen anything like that before in Australia. However coming here you have to be prepared to spend hours in the car between each location, and the only way to cool off is a pool or a shower, because most of the waterways here are infested with crocodiles.
Litchfield is much smaller, much more accessible and easier to get around. There is not as much diversity here, but I have to admit it has stolen my heart with it's beauty and relaxed atmosphere :) The main thing to do here is to cool off in the deep, beautiful waterholes. You can lounge like a lizard – just sit on the rocks, and then roll into the water when you get too warm. The water is so clear you can see all the little and big fishes swimming around you; I only wish I had brought my goggles for a clearer view.
This is the Burnley Rockhole, which is actually a waterfall with a series of little pools to swim/sit in. On top it’s sunny and the water is shallower and warmer, on the bottom it’s deeper and cooler… just make your way from pool to pool until you get bored :)
Kakadu is awe-inspiring, diverse and magnificent. Its sheer size (20,000 square kilometers) means an incredibly rich diversity of different habitats and wildlife. In our brief time there we saw so many birds, fish, crocodiles, dingos, almost without particularly trying. The rock art sites as well were very interesting, as I had never seen anything like that before in Australia. However coming here you have to be prepared to spend hours in the car between each location, and the only way to cool off is a pool or a shower, because most of the waterways here are infested with crocodiles.
Litchfield is much smaller, much more accessible and easier to get around. There is not as much diversity here, but I have to admit it has stolen my heart with it's beauty and relaxed atmosphere :) The main thing to do here is to cool off in the deep, beautiful waterholes. You can lounge like a lizard – just sit on the rocks, and then roll into the water when you get too warm. The water is so clear you can see all the little and big fishes swimming around you; I only wish I had brought my goggles for a clearer view.
This is the Burnley Rockhole, which is actually a waterfall with a series of little pools to swim/sit in. On top it’s sunny and the water is shallower and warmer, on the bottom it’s deeper and cooler… just make your way from pool to pool until you get bored :)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
The stretch of road between Alice Springs to Katharine is rather uninspiring. It’s flat and monotonous and there is really nothing to fix your eyes to. The only things we saw of interest was Devil’s Marbles, which are huge granite boulders strewn on the side of the road in precious-looking piles. They are called Karlukarlu by the local aboriginal people who believe them to be the eggs of the rainbow serpent.
We stayed the night at a cattle station, Banka Banka. During the night they showed a slideshow about life on a cattle ranch, and I can honestly say that “life on the land” as a jillaroo doesn’t attract me in any way. Twelve hour days mustering cattle for 4 months at a time, the heat, the dust, the flies… not for me.
The landscape changed before our very eyes during this drive. From a hot, dusty, acrid environment with scrubby bushland set in red dust, it because a hot, humid environment with lush greenery and plenty of water. It feels like we are in SE Asia already. The flies are gone, but the mozzies now take their place. And there are frogs everywhere! The old “flog in the bog” really holds true here, you don’t want to sit down on the toilet before checking first, believe me.
We stayed the night at a cattle station, Banka Banka. During the night they showed a slideshow about life on a cattle ranch, and I can honestly say that “life on the land” as a jillaroo doesn’t attract me in any way. Twelve hour days mustering cattle for 4 months at a time, the heat, the dust, the flies… not for me.
The landscape changed before our very eyes during this drive. From a hot, dusty, acrid environment with scrubby bushland set in red dust, it because a hot, humid environment with lush greenery and plenty of water. It feels like we are in SE Asia already. The flies are gone, but the mozzies now take their place. And there are frogs everywhere! The old “flog in the bog” really holds true here, you don’t want to sit down on the toilet before checking first, believe me.
Bad things come in threes
Grandma was right – three is the magic number. After the roofrack fell off the car #1), we drove for a long time before finding a (dodgy looking) campground to gratefully collapse into bed. There were no “not drinking water” signs around, so Tim filled his water bottle from the tap. I didn’t (not by design, but just so happened). Everything was fine, and we got to Alice Springs the next day, and had a juicy stake and a bottle of wine to celebrate.
That night however Tim was definitely not well and he didn’t get any better the next day (#2). After about 24 hours of not being to keep food or water down, he was so dehydrated we thought it was better to go to the hospital where they could put him on a drip. Which is what we did, and I have to say the Alice Springs Hospital is more efficient than many I have seen in Melbourne (and I have seen quite a few). It was quite somewhat different an being the only two white people in the emergency room, but he was on a drip within 2 hrs and we were out of there in 4 hrs. And now he is all better!
Alice Springs is a pretty town, but the atmosphere is somewhat rough; I wouldn’t want to be out on the street after dark. I was quite happy that we were staying just out of town. Nevertheless, there was a lot to see, I would recommend seeing the Royal Flying Doctor Base and School of the Air to hear about the amazing work they do in the outback.
We headed out towards Katherine after lunch, and what do you know – 2 hours later the car started to shake, the rear left tire let out a massive gush of air, and we skidded to a stop (#3). To give Tim credit he had the spare on within half an hour, and it was hot and dusty work too, with many flies. There wasn’t that much air in it and it’s a good thing the next roadhouse (Ti Tree) was only a 20 min drive because the different pressures made the card limpy and bumpy.
However, all is well that ends well, and at the roadhouse they directed us to a local jack-of-all-trades, Barry, who seemed to have come out of the bush for that night only to help us out. Even more helpfully, he had a friend coming down from Alice that night who could bring up a spare tire tube. In the end we got the tire back the next morning, avoiding a drive back to Alice Springs, and costing only $45.
That night however Tim was definitely not well and he didn’t get any better the next day (#2). After about 24 hours of not being to keep food or water down, he was so dehydrated we thought it was better to go to the hospital where they could put him on a drip. Which is what we did, and I have to say the Alice Springs Hospital is more efficient than many I have seen in Melbourne (and I have seen quite a few). It was quite somewhat different an being the only two white people in the emergency room, but he was on a drip within 2 hrs and we were out of there in 4 hrs. And now he is all better!
Alice Springs is a pretty town, but the atmosphere is somewhat rough; I wouldn’t want to be out on the street after dark. I was quite happy that we were staying just out of town. Nevertheless, there was a lot to see, I would recommend seeing the Royal Flying Doctor Base and School of the Air to hear about the amazing work they do in the outback.
We headed out towards Katherine after lunch, and what do you know – 2 hours later the car started to shake, the rear left tire let out a massive gush of air, and we skidded to a stop (#3). To give Tim credit he had the spare on within half an hour, and it was hot and dusty work too, with many flies. There wasn’t that much air in it and it’s a good thing the next roadhouse (Ti Tree) was only a 20 min drive because the different pressures made the card limpy and bumpy.
However, all is well that ends well, and at the roadhouse they directed us to a local jack-of-all-trades, Barry, who seemed to have come out of the bush for that night only to help us out. Even more helpfully, he had a friend coming down from Alice that night who could bring up a spare tire tube. In the end we got the tire back the next morning, avoiding a drive back to Alice Springs, and costing only $45.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
In the centre of Australia...
there really isn't that much, as we have ascertained, but what there is spectacular. But I will start at the beginning as to what we’ve been doing:
We went to the Barossa Valley and bought some more wine. Overall I think I prefer the MacLaren Vale region for quaintness and scenery, although Barossa is home to some amazing wineries (Kay Brothers, Henchke, Two Hands…)
We camped at Flinders Ranges National Park. This is when I really started to notice the landscape changing – instead of hills and farms we were now driving across a very flat landscape, with spare yellow grass.
We drove the Oodnadatta Track. The unsealed road is in surprisingly good condition – we were doing 80km to 100km an hour nearly all the way. The towns on the track all look the same – a petrol station, which is also a supermarket, which is also a post office, which is also a bank next to a pub which is also a hotel. The “towns” are on average 200km apart, so in the interest of conserving fuel we stitched the aircon off. Wouldn’t want to be here in the heat of summer! Meanwhile, it is rather cold at the night – I had to acquire a big green blanket from the Salvation Army to keep warm.
I am actually learning a lot along the way about Australia’s settlement history, and the people who came out here to start sheep and cattle stations. It looks like such a hard and lonely life – every day a battle to acquire the necessities of life such as water, fuel and food, in the middle of nowhere. We drove past a cattle station that is larger than Belgium and half the size of England. But I digress.
I could also dedicate a separate blog to flies, and how much I’ve come to hate them. Until the sun goes, it is impossible to start making dinner or do anything really. They is literary a swarm of them, and there is nothing worse than the feeling of them crawling on your face, into your eyes, into your lips, into your ears. The only thing to do out here is get a hat with a net and swat swat swat until sunset.
This is Tim trying to get away from the flies:
Coober Pedy
We stayed in an underground room – it’s the only way to be comfortable here. No matter the outside temperature, underground it is always a constant 24C. Cooper Pedy is different to any other small SA town we passed before – to date the towns have been part of the goldrush/mining era that have seen their glory days go by, and are now left with historical sites of interest and charming sandstone cottages. Coober Pedy sprang up relatively recently and I can tell you not much effort has gone into town planning to cleaning up of old junk. It’s haphazard, ramshackle, and without charm or grace – but it feels like it’s all happening here, people are here to make money right now.
However the Breakways Reserve around Coober Pedy was magnificent for outback scenery – Priscilla, Queen of the desert was partially filmed here.
Uluru - Need I say more?
The Olgas (next to Uluru)
From King’s canyon, rather than doubling back and taking the Stuart Highway to Alice Springs, we decided to do a loop on an unsealed road around some aboriginal land, thinking it might be interesting. Well it wasn’t – the scenery was dull, and the road the worst I’ve been on in Australia, so corrugated we were bouncing around at 20 km an hour until Tim let some air out of his tires. It helped a little, but we still had to slow down all the time, it was just unrelentingly bad.
After about 200km of this, I heard a strange noise – like a hubcap coming off, but much louder. It was the sound of our roofrack coming off the car, together with out spare wheel, radiator, solar shower, hammock, water container and 2 chairs. Later examination revealed that 3 of the plastic bits that s3cured the basket to the racks broke after 3 hrs of unrelenting jarring. Thank god there was no one behind us when it happened, and that we are carrying a spare water container. At the end of the day out losses were:
- One chair smashed beyond repair
- A cracked water container, unusable
- A hole in the solar shower
- Broken roofrack
- Crack in the canopy of the car where the impact of the roofrack was when it came off
We went to the Barossa Valley and bought some more wine. Overall I think I prefer the MacLaren Vale region for quaintness and scenery, although Barossa is home to some amazing wineries (Kay Brothers, Henchke, Two Hands…)
We camped at Flinders Ranges National Park. This is when I really started to notice the landscape changing – instead of hills and farms we were now driving across a very flat landscape, with spare yellow grass.
We drove the Oodnadatta Track. The unsealed road is in surprisingly good condition – we were doing 80km to 100km an hour nearly all the way. The towns on the track all look the same – a petrol station, which is also a supermarket, which is also a post office, which is also a bank next to a pub which is also a hotel. The “towns” are on average 200km apart, so in the interest of conserving fuel we stitched the aircon off. Wouldn’t want to be here in the heat of summer! Meanwhile, it is rather cold at the night – I had to acquire a big green blanket from the Salvation Army to keep warm.
I am actually learning a lot along the way about Australia’s settlement history, and the people who came out here to start sheep and cattle stations. It looks like such a hard and lonely life – every day a battle to acquire the necessities of life such as water, fuel and food, in the middle of nowhere. We drove past a cattle station that is larger than Belgium and half the size of England. But I digress.
I could also dedicate a separate blog to flies, and how much I’ve come to hate them. Until the sun goes, it is impossible to start making dinner or do anything really. They is literary a swarm of them, and there is nothing worse than the feeling of them crawling on your face, into your eyes, into your lips, into your ears. The only thing to do out here is get a hat with a net and swat swat swat until sunset.
This is Tim trying to get away from the flies:
Coober Pedy
We stayed in an underground room – it’s the only way to be comfortable here. No matter the outside temperature, underground it is always a constant 24C. Cooper Pedy is different to any other small SA town we passed before – to date the towns have been part of the goldrush/mining era that have seen their glory days go by, and are now left with historical sites of interest and charming sandstone cottages. Coober Pedy sprang up relatively recently and I can tell you not much effort has gone into town planning to cleaning up of old junk. It’s haphazard, ramshackle, and without charm or grace – but it feels like it’s all happening here, people are here to make money right now.
However the Breakways Reserve around Coober Pedy was magnificent for outback scenery – Priscilla, Queen of the desert was partially filmed here.
Uluru - Need I say more?
The Olgas (next to Uluru)
From King’s canyon, rather than doubling back and taking the Stuart Highway to Alice Springs, we decided to do a loop on an unsealed road around some aboriginal land, thinking it might be interesting. Well it wasn’t – the scenery was dull, and the road the worst I’ve been on in Australia, so corrugated we were bouncing around at 20 km an hour until Tim let some air out of his tires. It helped a little, but we still had to slow down all the time, it was just unrelentingly bad.
After about 200km of this, I heard a strange noise – like a hubcap coming off, but much louder. It was the sound of our roofrack coming off the car, together with out spare wheel, radiator, solar shower, hammock, water container and 2 chairs. Later examination revealed that 3 of the plastic bits that s3cured the basket to the racks broke after 3 hrs of unrelenting jarring. Thank god there was no one behind us when it happened, and that we are carrying a spare water container. At the end of the day out losses were:
- One chair smashed beyond repair
- A cracked water container, unusable
- A hole in the solar shower
- Broken roofrack
- Crack in the canopy of the car where the impact of the roofrack was when it came off
Sunday, April 5, 2009
The Great Escape - Week 1
The first week of our journey was relatively uneventful. Because we’ve camped in Victoria so many times before, in many ways it felt just like a weekend away. Now that we are in less unfamiliar territory (South Australia), it’s starting to sink in that I am on holiday!
Sleeping in the ute has worked out pretty well – the mattress is thick and comfortable, and it’s exactly the space of a double bed. There are two downsides though – mozzies (I got bitten on my face!) and rain. The first problem was taken care of with a mosquito net, the second only became a problem this morning. It was late enough to get up when our feet got drenched and thankfully we are in a caravan park so we could tumble everything dry. I think we will put a tarp over the back tonight.
Day 1: Melbourne to Otways National Park
Day 2: Cape Otway to Port Fairy
Day 3: Port Fairy to Mr Gambier (South Australia)
Day 4: Mt Gambier to Coorong National Park
Day 5: Coorong National Park to Victor Harbour
Day 6: Victor Harbour to McLaren Vale
This is our rest day in McLaren Vale, a very nice wine region in SA. We broke the budget a bit with a self-tour of the wineries, but when in Rome you really must do as the Romans do :) So far we have been pretty good at a-la-cheapo tour of Australia – we are only paying for a caravan park every third day or do, the car runs on gas and we cook all our own meals.
Sleeping in the ute has worked out pretty well – the mattress is thick and comfortable, and it’s exactly the space of a double bed. There are two downsides though – mozzies (I got bitten on my face!) and rain. The first problem was taken care of with a mosquito net, the second only became a problem this morning. It was late enough to get up when our feet got drenched and thankfully we are in a caravan park so we could tumble everything dry. I think we will put a tarp over the back tonight.
Day 1: Melbourne to Otways National Park
Day 2: Cape Otway to Port Fairy
Day 3: Port Fairy to Mr Gambier (South Australia)
Day 4: Mt Gambier to Coorong National Park
Day 5: Coorong National Park to Victor Harbour
Day 6: Victor Harbour to McLaren Vale
This is our rest day in McLaren Vale, a very nice wine region in SA. We broke the budget a bit with a self-tour of the wineries, but when in Rome you really must do as the Romans do :) So far we have been pretty good at a-la-cheapo tour of Australia – we are only paying for a caravan park every third day or do, the car runs on gas and we cook all our own meals.
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