Where's Hervey now: Alice Springs to Katherine (via Kings Canyon) 21 May

21 May – 25 May Alice Springs We had a great time at Deb’s place and literally kicked her out of her bed so that we could use it. She was very accommodating too about it all. Angela her sister put up with us and the boys as well. The animals received lots of attention from the boys and I’m sure that Roxy and Buster needed a little rest from the boys when we left for Kings Canyon. I had a great B’day (I wont divulge the exact age for obvious reasons) and received a pair of binocs that I had been hoping for a while.

Deb's place in Alice

26 May – 27 May West Mac Ranges We left Deb’s place, and a few loads of washing for her to do for us as well while we were gone in case she was bored, and started our trip along Namatjira Drive. We had a quick look at the Desert Park on the way past and the prices and decided that they looked fine so planned to have a look on our return. We got to our campsite for the next couple of nights – a lookout with a Telstra tower , I love Telstra towers, and a rest area all in one. It’s just west of Serpentine Chalet turnoff on the southern side of the road. There were several other people in the rest area camping for the night but we made our way down a track and positioned ourselves underneath the tower for best reception of all the radio waves that they put out. Didn’t help our phone or internet reception any though. After we had set up camp we took a drive back to the Ellery Creek boghole and had a short walk there. We then continued onto Sepentine Gorge where we took a longer walk and Liam suffered a disasterous injury when he fell and scraped his knee. Tracy carried him for a while but gave it up as a bad joke. There was a fairly steep climb up the mountain to a lookout that we unfortunately didn’t have time to do – what a pity. We finished off our day with a fire and catching some mice in the new traps we had bought at Alice – great fun for the whole family. The following day we set off early in Hervey and made our way west and into Roma Gorge where we drove along a dry river bed for about 8 k until we got to a small gorge where there were several examples of rock etchings. We took the obligatory photos and had a look at the water that was in the end of the small gorge stopping us from continuing on and then back to Hervey for Lunch. As we were traversing back along the river bed we made a small detour to have a closer look at a 100 series that Tracy had noticed in the paddock off to the side of the river. It looked like it had been driven hard and literally the wheels fell off. Had to take a photo of that as unfortunately nothing else there would fit Hervey anyway – bloody Toyotas. We got back on the road and then went into Redbank Gorge where there were a couple of campgrounds with several decent sites in each of them- no Telstra towers though. We took a leisurely 1/24 walk along the dry creek bed until we got to the gorge itself where there were a few pools of water with some floundering fish in them. We left these guys to their own devices and jumped into Hervey and headed onto the lookout just west of Glen Helen gorge and then onto Glen Helen itself, where we picked up the permit we would need to get to Kings Canyon, and also to have a walk to the gorge here which turned out to be a bit of a fizzer. We left Glen Helen and made our way to Ormiston Gorge for a bit of a look see. It had a steep set of steps leading up to another lookout that needless to say we didn’t go to. We finished our journey for the day by going into Serpentine Chalet ruins which contains a few slabs and that’s about it. We got a bit of firewood from the nearby area and headed back to camp for another night of mousecapades.

Serpentine Gorge

Matty and Liam

Heading into Roma Gorge

Roma Gorge - Rock etchings

Roma Gorge - rock etchings

Roma Gorge

Toyo final resting place

Redbank Gorge

Matty overlooking the Finke

Overlooking the Finke

Hervey at lookout opp Glen Helen

Finke River at Glen Helen

The boys at Finke River Glen Helen

Ormiston Gorge

Ormiston gorge lookout

28 May – 30 May Ginty’s (or Jump up) Lookout (40K’s west of King’s Canyon) We had all intentions of getting away for a quick start today but alas it didn’t happen. I had bought some oil and a filter in Alice to change Hervey’s on this leg of the trip.The night before our planned departure I did something that I would normally never do and dropped the oil straight out onto the ground with the filter quickly to follow. I then thought that I should just double check the 10L bottle of oil that I had bought at Supercheap. It was only then that I read the small printthat said quite clearly OIL FOR PETROL ENGINES. Now those that know and love Hervey are aware that he is a diesel and not a petrol truck. This led me to quite a quandary. After a minor apopolectic moment I remembered that I had a few litres of diesel oil that I had purchased in Williams Creek and thank Christ for that as otherwise I would have been up the proverbial. I put the oil in and had a nervous night contemplating the oil that Hervey had and what he needed. We got up to a beautiful morning and drove cautiously to Glen Helen where I contacted Ian and queried him about the possibility of putting some of the petrol oil in Hervey. After some simple explanation from Ian concerning the lack of detergent in petrol oil and that I should not put it in Hervey unless totally necessary I purchased a couple of extra litres of oil from the mechanic at Glen Helen and topped Hervey up. We left Glen Helen and drove onto Goose Bluff which is a huge crater towards the end of Nanatjira Drive. We stopped at Tyler’s Lookout where we got a spectacular view and photos of the bluff before getting there.We had a quick lunch at the crater and then turned west once we hit Larapinta Drive. This first section of the road was totally crap and only got better when we hit National Park or the oil and gas sections of the road. We actually had to pay $2.20 to use it. I am curious where all the money goes to. We stopped at the only place that we were allowed to stop on the road only to find out that we were allowed to camp there for 24 hrs. For Free. We set up camp right on the edge of the cliff overlooking King’s Canyon some 40 k’s away. Bargain. Yet another of Tracy’s picks . This is called Ginty’s lookout or the Jump-Up.It bwas a great spot for Matty to have his 9^th bday which we cerlebrated by going to King’s Canyon and walking around the rim. There were some spectacular views from the top and as much as I dislike heights I did enjoy the walk and the scenery that we had. Looking at an aerial photo of the Canyon we only touched a fraction of it and there is quite a bit that the walks don’t cover. After the rim walk we went and did the gorge walk which was a little bit dissapppointing but saw some quite interesting plant life. In the carpark we also came across a wrecked pajero that we later found out had been rolled and driven by a backpacker couple from WA some 1000ks away. How they did it is beyond me. After our visit to the Canyon we made our way back to camp stoppibng for some firewood on the way. We got back to camp and Tracy whipped up another camp oven cake for Matty and we all had a great day for his bday. He thoroughly loved the DSI games that he got and was also thrilled about the pair of shorts that I repaired for him by sewing on a button. Our last day at the fantastic lookout camp was spent doing a bit of schoolwork and adding a few more things to Hervey and Bay. Might actually get it all done by the time we get home.

Us and Kings Canyon in the background

Kings Canyon

Road train going round the hairpin at Ginty's l'out

This car drove over 1000ks from WA in this condition after being rolled. Backpackers

Starting the King's canyon rim walk

I think he's lost

Rocks at Kings Canyon

Us on Kings Canyon rim walk

King's Canyon

King's Canyon - see the people on the other side

Matty at King's Canyon

Liam at King's Canyon

Tracy and boys at l'out on rim walk

On top of King's Canyon

Ripple Rock

Garden of Eden - King's Canyon

The last rockface fell off here in 1938

400 yo cycad

The boys at King's Canyon

Sturt Pea

Hervey and King's Canyon

Matty's 9th bday at Ginty's l'out

Ginty's l'out camp

Have you ever seen anything like it.

31 May Palm Valley We packed up and departed one of the best camps that we have had on the trip so far. We set off on the crappy dirt road again with some trepidation. I had heard quite a few stories about the track into Palm valley and how rough it was na dthat it wa sbest not to take camper trailers in as the track was that bad. Our first stop after having a dusty trip along the road was Hermannsburg. Not a lot to see here and we put a few dollars of fuel in and headed back for the Valley t/o. The Sign says it all when it says Serious 4WD. What a crock. Bit of sand and a few minor river crossings brought us to the camp ground in the NP 4 K short of the actual Palm Valley. We left Bay locked and tethered and set off on the 4 k track to the Palm Valley that I had been led to believe was about to put Hervey through some serious tests. This also came just before we got to the camp from a ranger who said best not take camper down as would be to rough. Im sorry for what im about to say but the track was pissweak. A few small jumpups and …………… I would have no probs taking Bay down and back .That is what he was made for. I am thinking that the track has been improved since all this talk because it aint all that bad. After our sedate drive in Hervey we got to the Valley where we took a 3/24 walk up the hill and over the top down the other sied and back through the valley of the Palms.Took a lot of photos and found out that Tracy has a bit of snake in her as well.

Heading into Palm Valley

Palm Valley

Us in Palm Valley

Posers

Everythings big up here - Palm Valley

Palm Valley

Not sure if this is a new lizard or snake?

Palm Valley

Brekky time at the Finke

1 June – 3 June Alice Springs We left Plam Valley afetr a pack up and forgetting that I had left my glasses in the tent when we packed up. Wasn’t a good start to the day. We had a peaceful brekky on the track beside the creek partway out and then headed back towards Alice. We stopped at Simpson’s Gap and had a short walk along the creek bed to the base of thye gorge and were lucky enough to catch a few glimpses of the shy black footed wallaby on the rocky slopes surrounding the gorge entrance. We left there and headed into Alice and the shops before getting to Debs place where we were greeted by the infamous Dazza. We pushed Bay out to the back yard avoiding all the landmines left by Roxy and Buster and set up camp for the next few nights. We spent the next day at the Desert Park looking aroundf there and learning about all the birds , animals and plants of the region. The following day while Tracy and the boys went into town and did some shopping and touristy things I sat at Debs and worked on the Blog – so you had better be damn grateful and send some positive feedback in. We finished a great stay at Alice by going out to dinner with Debs and Dazza at the Memo club – their version of the Rissole. We returned to Deb’s place and watched the footy where unfortunately Dazza’s Essedon got whipped by Melbourne.

Hervey and Bay outside Alice Springs

Simpson's Gap

Tracy and Deb - Deb's place at Alice

Alice Springs Desert Park

The Bluff

4 June – 5 June Devil’s Marbles We packed up and after very sad farewell with lots of photos we said goodbye to Debs and Darren and their kids – Roxy , Buster , Tiger and Jack. Our to boys took quite a liking to all the household and were very sad to leave. After leaving Alice and topping up the fuel we set off on a very tedious and long drive of 300k+ to Devil’s Marbles where we found the place chockers with over 30 vans . We drove in and made ourselves comfy for the next two nights. The following day we did a walk around the marbles and tried to get some sunset shots but not sure if they really do the place justice or not.

Liam and the UNO cards

Deb's place- Dazza and Debs, The Bauers, Roxy and Buster

Hervey at the Tropic of Capricorn

Wycliffe Wells - some ugly aliens

Wycliffe Wells

Wycliffe Wells - Crazy alien

Wycliffe Wells - we call him 'Happy'

Devil's Marbels

Devil's Marbels- The Bauers

Devil's Marbels- Camp

Devil's Marbels

Tennant Creek

6 June Sir Charles Todd memorial We packed up and set off north on our great adventure. We stopped just past Renner Springs in a quarry and had lunch and then arrived at a place somewhere between fuckall and nowhere. This day was getting late and there were no Telstra towers anywhere. I slowed down to glance at the Sir Todd memorial on my left and just happened to catch a glimpse of a track on the right just near the 500M sign. After a quick U bolt we ventureed down said track that hadnt been used for quite some time and found a nice little open area that was hidden from the highway about 50 M back. We set up and had a quick dinner with a fire to finish the night.

Sir Todd Memorial- Matty and not sure who the kid with the glasses is

Camp 500M nth of Sir Todd memorial

Abraham tanks going past camp near Sir Todd

Anyone know what this broom is for ?

7 June – 8 June Maud River (East of Katherine) Left Sir Todd behind and headed north yet again. We are actually in line with Cooktown according to Tracy and the Jacaranda atlas. Pretty amazing. We had a breif stop at the WWII aerodrome at Daly Waters and then headed onto the Gorrie airstrip of which not much is left apart from the runway whichh is slowly being taken over by the plants. There is lots of WWII sites along this section of road as it was used as a major link during the WWII.Got to Mataranka hot springs ands Tracy and the boys had a swim and then we had a quick lunch before heading out again. Got into Katherine and fueled up before heading towards Katherine Gorge. I had looked at a track on Google maps opposite the Maud Country Inn that led to an old gold mine but when we got there it turned out that it was a bit overgrown. Great track to go on without the wife and kids.I had seen a small track just after the bridge we crossed on the same side of the road so we turned around and headed down this track and forund ourselves right beside the river. A great spot. We spent today at Katherine Gorge where we went for a walk to the top of the cliff and the lookout and then along the bluff. We returned to camp and after a quick bite to eat headed into Katherine to stock up for the next few days. We intend to stay for several days in Litchfield NP until next payday. Its tough being on holidays. We returned to camp and had a swim in the creek and wondered where vwe would be tomorrow.?