Getting to the Red Centre

Len Beadell is probably Australia's last great explorer, and was the man responsible for mapping an area of some 2 million square miles around Cooper Pedy. His life is an amazing journey of exploration, in some of the most remote land in Australia. He was the man sent to survey a site for Australia's space program and atomic bomb testing, and he can really tell a yarn. He described the land as nothing but saltbush and gibbers, and so flat you could see a bull ant from 10 miles, even if it was lying down! He reckoned that the easiest job he was ever asked to do, was a topographical map around Woomera, it had 2 lines on it!

Emu on the Stuart Hwy.

Wedge Tail Eagle.

Well, travelling north from Cooper Pedy, you can only agree with his assessment. Once the mining mounds of earth have gone, it is just flat, salt bush and red earth. Even wildlife is scarce. The occasional emu scurries away from the road, and the sky is dotted with circling birds, usually crows, but often the majestic wedge tail eagle, Australia's largest bird of prey. Usually they were circling, having been interrupted in their dining feast of road kill! At one such feast we saw the most amazing site, but were all so stunned we couldn't get a camera out fast enough. There were 6 wedge tails, a dozen or more crows, and a fox, all gathered around a kangaroo carcass. We slowed and stopped almost beside them, before the last 3 eagles and the fox, indignantly moved on. The eagles are amazing. With a wingspan of 7 to 8 feet, when they take flight you can hear the whoosh of their wings, and it is a sight to behold. They stare at you with those fierce eyes, almost daring you to get too close, and once you have passed they resume the feast of kangaroo.

Overnight at Marla.

Road Train at Marla Roadhouse.

Between the big towns are more Roadhouses. This time our stop was Cadney Homestead. Very friendly staff, but again only coffee from the urn, and no fresh cakes. The girls are mortified! We press on to Marla, our chosen overnight stop, at the Traveller's Rest Caravan Park, behind the Roadhouse. It is a pleasant surprise, with grassy sites, though not all the power poles are working, but after a few attempts, we find a site that works, and settle down to watch others arrive and do the power pole shuffle! Robyn has a room in the motel, which is clean and comfortable, though the water is bore water, and so hard she suffers exhaustion trying to get a lather! We decide to eat at the roadhouse, and we are in luck as Wednesday is Schnitzel Night. You can have chicken or beef schnitzel, with chips and salad bar all for $14.90! The girls see a plate coming from the kitchen, and decide a share plate is the way to go. The ample cook (not chef!), takes sympathy, and gives them a plate each, which was about 75% of a normal serve each!! John's beef schnitzel was discreetly folded in half, so it would fit on the plate!! We all passed on dessert, and waddled to bed.

We've made it to the NT!

Every thing is big in the NT.

The morning didn't start well. We got a call about Carolyn's mum, who had lapsed into unconsciousness. We decided to head straight to Ayers Rock, where we could get a direct flight back to Sydney. This meant a cancelled night at Erldunda Desert Oaks Resort, and a really long drive through to Ayers Rock. Telephone signal only occurs at the roadhouses, and only with Telstra, so we did all our flight bookings and phone calls at Marla, then hit the road. We crossed the border into the Northern Territory, and stopped at the first or last pub in the NT, at Kulgera.

Burger with the lot, Kulgera.

It was time to refuel, both the car and ourselves. Petrol has now reached $1.86 per litre! Being a roadhouse, what else do you have for lunch but a burger! They sure know how to make 'em up here! Yep, these are the sauce dripping off the elbows kind of burgers. The girls wimp out and have regular burgers, but John goes for the lot, and gets it! Back on the road, we finally reach the junction of the Stuart Hwy and Lasseter's Hwy, at Erldunda, and quickly realise that we have not missed much by cancelling our night at the Desert Oaks Resort. The word "Resort" is used very loosely around here! We think it is synonymous with "Charge a Lot". Fuel has now reached $1.94 per litre. We are now about 3 hours from Ayers Rock, and are reconciled to setting up in the dark, when we arrive.

In storage at Ayers Rock Resort.

Jillian & Robyn at Ayers Rock.

Along the way we all get excited at our first glimpse of Ayers Rock. We are a little suspicious, as it doesn't look quite the right shape, and we are a long way from our destination. The answer comes a little further along the road, when we pull into a lookout for Mt. Connor. Apparently it is a common mistake for first time visitors. The sun is setting as we get even closer to destination. The phone beeps, meaning we have signal, then the message beep comes through. We stop on the roadside, and get the dreaded message to phone the nursing home. Mum has passed away peacefully. We somberly drive into the Ayers Rock Resort precinct, and check in. We have had a discussion, and made a few phone calls, and it has been decided that Robyn, and niece Jillian, who arrives tomorrow, shouldn't cancel their holiday. They will be at Ayers Rock for 5 days, and can take a coach around to the next stop of Kings Canyon, if we are not back by then. The staff at the Resort are wonderful. They have agreed to let us store the caravan, at no cost, with power connected. So next morning, we move the car and caravan to its spot beside the laundry, and head out to the airport, to meet Jillian, and then board the same plane for its return flight to Sydney, so we can arrange mum's farewell. With Robyn staying in the Centre, she has kindly given us the keys to her home and car, so we have a base from which to work in Sydney. This would prove wonderful for us, and we are ever so grateful. Thanks Robyn.