On the road to The Alice..

We called in to say "hi" to Neil (second generation cameleer) at his camel farm between Erldunda & Alice.

The Kulgera Pub offered warm hospitality & cold beer...we downed a few well earned ones here.

The closer we got to Alice, the greener the land became. The plentiful rainfall during the "wet" has filled creeks & billabongs....the most rainfall for 5 yrs.

We did notice a few odd things along the way...discarded capsules belonging to strange creatures from outer-space perhaps?? There were 4 of these oddities scattered along the road into Alice!

At last, all too familiar territory looking vibrant, green & lush; this will keep the local fauna happy for weeks to come.

Looking forward to spending a few days over Easter here to rest & catch up with a few mates.

Coober Pedy to Alice Springs...

Dog fence...looks flimsy but it worked ! ....to keep dingoes from taking stock

Oops ...wound wong way but you get the drift?

Underground chiselled stone walls...a very effective escape from the above-ground temperatures.

Amazing museum fossils...fascinating stuff.

Old man Perentje lizard, a beauty & one of the biggest I ve seen in the centre.

Very well camouflaged in the right corner shot. I got out of the car & stood very close to him-he was not fazed at all & eventually lazily wandered off. *I do ask anyone to take care & have respect when approaching any wildlife in their natural habitat.

Coober Pedy is well worth a stopover & not simply because you're absolutely stuffed & cannot drive any further! This town folks is the Opal capital of the world. It's name is derived from the Aboriginal word "kupa" (uninitiated man or white man) & "piti" (hole)....so literally speaking "white man's hole".

The town is fascinating because a lot of locals built characteristic underground houses to escape the absolutely scorching heat of summer; those Opal miners were savvy!

Opal mining & tourism vie for the towns livlihood.

There are a few things to explore here-a walk around town will expose the character of the friendly locals, you may like to "noodle" for opals & last but not least the excellent Umoona Opal Mine Museum is definately worth a visit...(*this is a free exhibit & very informative)

Here you will find an amazing selection of ancient fossils exposed during mining excavation & an extensive retail outlet where you can glean information from the very friendly staff regarding the various Opals & their values & of course purchase any of these beautiful, unusual stones.

*There are several of the rarer "black" & "crystal" Opals on display.

Flinders Ranges...Wilpena Pound

Wilpena Pound walls

Wilpena Pound National Park...ancient pines

Red river gums along the dry creek beds

The picturesque landscapes of the Flinders Ranges National Park are awesome.

This is truly an ancient land & eco-system...far reaching vistas as far as the eye can see take in one of Australias' most iconic landmarks, the mighty walls of Wilpena Pound.

There are several places to stay within the National Park which has excellent facilities for campers or "glampers". Quite simply, we fell in love with this place & can highly recommend it to international & local visitors alike.

Wilpena Pound is a natural wonder, an ampitheatre shaped by the weathering & up-lifting of land over millenia...it is simply extraordinary; a landscape over 800 million years old.

The park visitors centre has loads of pertinent info & highly knowledgeable friendly staff to help. Explore on foot, 4x4 or splurge & take an aerial tour.

Images really do not do the Pound justice; the expanses are breath-taking!

South Australian Outback...

The tranquil Clare Valley

The township of Quorn gateway to the Flinders Ranges & once a significant Rail stop.

Tourism plays a major role these days with the Richi Pichi steam engine operating day trips to & from nearby Port Augusta. Most tours of the S.A. outback stop overnight in charming Quorn & operate daytrips to the Ranges from this base. In the image above, the "Millhouse" is owned by Adventure Tours Australia & provides the accommodation on this leg of the S.A. tours...not too shabby eh what? After your tour of Wilpena Pound & the ranges you can cool of with a cold Coopers ale in one of the many typical pubs in town. Quorn is a very typical "aussie" country town full of loads of interesting characteristics & local characters!

Mega Road-trip....Hobart to Darwin

South Australia

Naracoorte Caves, Mt Gambier, Murray River crossing

South Australian wine country

Strathalbyn architecture

Iconic South Australian outback

Coober Pedy townscapes complete with abandoned "drive-in" movie theatre, opal mines & alien spaceship... what the !!

Coober Pedy & surrounds

We arrived in S.A via the Limestone coast, (having usually driven via the Great Ocean Road in the past) - some quaint little towns along the way...

Robe is worth a stop but can be heaven or hell. Heaven on a summer's day when the beach is calm & inviting or hell as it was when we passed thru with the wild roaring forties whipping the beach & all & sundry with such a force to be reckoned with. We stopped further along at Kingston S.E which is in a more sheltered position on the coast.

The drive up towards Adelaide is really pleasant passing thru the famous Coonawara wine region where several well known wineries have their cellar doors. Quaint little towns such as Strathalbyn are worth a few days exploration...beautiful stone architecture & a renowned spot for "antiquing".

After by-passing Adelaide, a few days R & R in the Clare Valley were delicious.

The stunning Clare is well worth a prolonged stop; here you can cycle the wine-loop, taking in several of the excellent wineries in this region. Sevenhill, Annies Lane, they're all here.

The surrounding nature is typical with charming villages such as Auburn, Mintaro & Clare itself.

This is the third time I ve been thru here in the past 2 years & I never tire of this region; in my opinion it is so much nicer than the Barossa...it is not so "built-up".

Onto the S.A. outback- & a stop @ Coober Pedy- (a few images here) more about that region in the next post.