Guten Tag, Hahndorf

It was time to leave Wilmington and surrounds today and hit the road again, on route to Hahndorf. I have been looking forward to this stop for a little while now. This is the last four days of our trip and as treat, we booked ahead in to a lovely B&B to relax. So we packed up the tent for the last time this morning, in record time and took our time getting to the lovely little German inspired town.

The Adelaide Hills were really lovely and

Birthday Show

Wilmington, a town that along with a lot of other rural places is feeling the pressures of the modern world. It is not urbanisation, it is not overcrowding, it is population decline.  In this area there are a string of towns that were here to support the farmers and associated industries, however, from what we have learnt the farms are getting larger, the farmers are getting the fewer and the yields are less.

These are then, in turn, causing small business to lose trade, and close. Wilmington has a small supermarket, that is part of the rural supplies that also is the petrol station. The butchers are closed, the baker is gone, the two coffee shops are closed, and the pub is closed.

From the inner warmth to the southern cooler

It was time to hit the road again this morning, after a fairly, well...uncomfortable night at the 'Opal Inn' in Coober Pedy. We were clearly spoilt at the Underground Cave lookout hotel on our way through town a couple of weeks ago! 

But we didn't let this spoil our day. We were up with the sun and on the road even before the roadhouse was open for breakfast, muesli bars and iced coffee was breakfast on the run.

Migrating South

The alarm clock was set for 5:45 and we were up before the sun.  With most of our camp already packed last night, it was just a matter of pulling the bung on the air bed and then squeezing the tent back into the bag it comes in. Packing the tent always reminds me of trying on last years jeans.

It was then the road and the road is pretty much

Serenity in Kata Tjuta

After a very late night, we woke around 7:30 this morning to the sound of the latest group of campers packing up for an onward journey.  Most campers (we are in the tent section) only stay a couple of nights with very few tipping the three nights. Tonight will be our final night, number five.

Looking around we feel like we know this place, we are the traditional campers of this land, we have been here longer than all others and know how it works.

For example, in the men's and ladies shower block, take the first or last

On this occasion it was best not to be a tight arse.

After a very successful day yesterday and both of us doing in excess of 25,000 steps, we agreed to continue with the plan and have a rest day.  Sleeping in till about 6:30, it was a breakfast of toast coffee and cornflakes. 

Whilst it was still cool some camp cleaning and sorting was performed, the usual stuff, laundry, kitchen dishes and putting all the magnets we have purchased in one place.

From here we headed off to see a little more of Uluru, specifically Mutitjulu Waterhole, we were also

The Uluru Climb, why we agree with its closure

When I initially suggested to Katie we should do the 10km base walk around Uluru she was a bit hesitant, but after considerate discussion and explaining the aspects we would see and experience, Katie agreed to the idea.

The climb to the top of 'the rock' is being closed from October 2019 for a number of reasons, including tourists climbing an item that is significant to aboriginal culture and in turn being disrespectful. Human health, a number of tourists have died on the climb either because of health issues or falling off and health of the environment, apparently a lot of human waste, litter, and bodily fluids is left on the rock. The scientists have also recorded higher levels of bacteria in the pools that have water runoff from the path. Apparently,

It's Time, to become a tourist.

There is culture if you look for it. Today was our turn to be the tourist, yes sometimes we exchange the self-guided tours for the airconditioned bus and sit along those that haven't used a public washroom let alone public toilet.  It was a day where we mixed with those who expect vanity sets, spa, and complimentary champagne on arrival.

There are times when a little money is needed to be spent and tours around here aren't cheap, on the outside I couldn't handle paying these prices, but as the saying goes, 'When in Rome'. Oh hang on that is another tip, but still rings true.

Our first tour was a Bushtucker and Reptile Experience. Everything is an

The road to Anniversary

After six lovely nights in Alice Springs, it was time to pack up this morning and head to Ayers Rock. or more commonly known as Uluru.

While our campground, 'Wanngardi' in Alice Springs didn't look like much, we really hit jackpot. This seems to be the place that most tourists overlook, preferring the parks with all of the bells and whistles. We really enjoyed pitching our tent under the trees, watching the stars and becoming familiar with the local bird life. We were out of town so it was much quieter and a nice little spot to relax after a day doing the tourist thing in town. We met some really great people during our stay there, in particular, Tom and his wife Lynne.

Is that a damp patch?

On the advice of yesterdays host for morning tea, we headed to Kungkas Can Cook for breakfast, a bush food supplier that also runs a cafe.  Here you can purchase all sorts, for Katie, it was a Cappucino with bush figs on ricotta and ciabatta toast with a wattle honey drizzle. I had a flat white with my meal being ciabatta bread toasted with avocado and rocket on top, sprinkled over this was some bush collected dukkha (i also opted for a couple of poached eggs on the side too!).

This toilet is award winning

Before we left home some people asked what we were expecting to see, do and learn whilst on this tour. Of course, it was to see the beauty of the area and the vast open parts of Central Australia.  However one other item we would tell people was to see some of the Aboriginal cultures. Many who have been to these areas before warned us of the drunks, the shouting in the street and poverty.  They also advised there was no good way to learn about the culture.

Wherever we go we like to get past the tourist traps, whether being in Naples, London or Coober Pedy it is always worth leaving the main roads and seeing the people and today was no exception.  With a little research, we were able to book into a morning tea with Kathleen Buzzacott at her Arts Studio just a little west of Alice Springs.

Kathleen is an Aboriginal artist and she paints, creates jewellery and tells a good story too.

Off road

Today we woke to a much cooler morning after a warm day yesterday. We decided it was time to do a little touring and drive out to Hermannsburg. It is an Aboriginal community about an hour out of Alice Springs and the site of the first Aboriginal Mission in the Northern Territory.

Towns like these it isn't just children that are on the roads

Some historical facts:

Thorny Devils

Breakfast in the camp kitchen

First stop today was the Desert Park, this large site situated under the West MacDonald Ranges has just about every native animal, bird, and reptile that could and does exist in the arid outback of Australia. 

We got tyred, then went to School

This morning I was on a mission, it meant getting up early, breakfast, of toast, in the camp kitchen (they have a toaster) and then showered before the trip into town, I wanted to get there before the crowds.

It is better to stop, there are amazing things to see

Well, we spent our first night in the Center of Central Australia last night in the Erldunda Resort (Roadhouse).  We had a lovely dinner last night in the roadhouse and found a celebrity, Cluck Norris.

Stuart's way - the highway

Stuart Highway was calling this morning, after some interesting times in Coober Pedy and being in and out of more shafts and holes than I would like to remember, it was time to go.

Our first stop was breakfast and a place we frequented the last couple of days, as they also had great coffee, clean toilets, clean tables, and good staff.

It is about to get hot

Coober Pedy - the town of mining history, dirt and an indigenous community. The last two days have been relatively mild. Today it decided to increase by 10 degrees to well over 35. It's obvious that it would be a very rough life out here. It's dry, desolate and barely surviving. I noticed the local aboriginals on the first afternoon we arrived. They were at the top of the main street like a welcoming committee to stare at the new arrivals. I can't imagine there are many (if any) opportunities for employment for them out here, but the community seems a relatively good size.

Digging deeper under the surface

If it wasn't for Opal this town wouldn't exist, and it shows, this is a mining town and that is its purpose.

I had been up this way around 30 years ago and back then it had a larger population and appeared to be more bustling than it is now. The population was around 4500 but now it has decreased to around 2000 and it shows. Of these residents, it is reported most are quite old and do little mining.

Time to go underground

As mentioned in yesterday's blog there was a slight change to camping under the stars. After putting up the tent, trying to drive pegs into compressed crushed rock and stop it dancing across the campground in the gusts of wind, we selected the best option was to move into an on-site cabin.

Katie went back to reception to check if a cabin was available and I waited with both hands holding on to the tent as it thrust around in the gusty winds.

Good bye river, hello sand

It was time to pack up and leave our happy little spot by the river, for a long day on the road. We had packed most things the night before, so had little to do before we left very early. McDonalds stop for breakfast, then on the Goyder Highway in the direction of Roxby Downs, SA.

Have a chat and take the advice

After our first night under the canvas for a while, it was a welcome sight to see the Murray River out the front flap.  A leisurely start was had as some shake pancakes were cooked on the stove. We then had some conversation with some other campers, they were from the Barossa Valley area and often come up to Renmark to have a break from the chores of running a small hobby vineyard.
We also received a hot tip from these travelers about a place some 20 clicks out of town.

The Riverbend Caravan Park is a great place to stay whilst

Country Hospitality

There is a difference when one transfers from the cities and large towns to the smaller places, the towns with less than 100 in population.

Lascelles

The town of Lascelles claims to have less than 50 people and this was recognised by us for a number of reasons, firstly the lack of services.

To the north

Day 1 - Saturday, 08th September 2018
I must say it is much harder to pack for a road trip to Central Australia than a trip to the other side of the globe.  With previous trips to Europe, we are limited by our suitcases, once they are full, packing stops. However with the car there initially appears to be an endless void, however, this is not the case.

This trip we will be using some accommodation like underground motels in Coober Pedy and the tent when the ground is not totally made of rock.

Up and back

We are heading off on a trip to Central Australia. Starting at home we will take in Western Victoria, then;

• Renmark, SA
• Roxby Downs, SA
• Coober Pedy, SA
• Alice Springs, NT
• Yulara (Ayers Rock), NT
• Coober Pedy, SA
• Wilmington, SA
• Hahndorf, SA

Using a combination of tent camping and accommodation when the ground is too hard for pegs we will be gone for about 3 and a half weeks.