Lap of Australia  – Week 13

This week we were based in Alice Springs again as our door still didn’t arrive. We tried making the most out of the situation though and visited some places we thought we wouldn’t get to this time round and also had some down time. 

Day one

Today was a fairly uneventful day for us as we spent most of the morning scoping out some free things to do around Alice Springs, and we were also waiting for a phone call to see if our door had arrived. We also got some cleaning done and organised groceries for the week. In the afternoon, we went for a drive and drove past the Ghan railway. We had heard it plenty of times, but this was the first time we had seen it on the trip so that was pretty cool to see. We also went for a drive north to the Tropic of Capricorn marker and got the car up to 130km per hour (the legal speed limit here in the NT). We didn’t last long at that speed though as the car is very heavy and was drinking diesel! On the way back into town we drove into Wigley Waterhole to have a look. This was a bit of a 4wd track to get in (high clearance four wheel drive required), but it was a lovely little waterhole and we could see some dingo tracks as well. We then drove to the other side of town and checked out the old ghan train as well as some other sights in the area.

Day two

As we had a bit of time on our hands in Alice Springs, we decided to get the wheels balanced on the Patrol. After that was all organised, we went to the Central Australian Aviation Museum. This museum is free, and has heaps of information and different displays on the history of aviation in Central Australia. There was a bit of reading involved, but you could also look at the different model aircrafts on display and also the engines, components, historical photographs, papers, and videos. You could even walk through and have a look at one of the Connair aircrafts and see how much aircrafts have changed over the years. We spent a good hour here having a look and a read and it was definitely worth the visit. We didn’t do a lot for the rest of the day other than a quick trip to the supermarket to grab some extra food. 

Day three

We were still waiting in anticipation for a phone call to see if our door had arrived, so we spent the morning doing some cleaning and washing. By lunch time, we had a look online and saw that the estimated delivery time was Friday, so we spent a bit of time planning out some more trips over the next few days. In the afternoon, we decided to go out and visit Standley Chasm as we had missed it when visiting the West Macdonnell Ranges last week. Standley Chasm is located around 40 minutes west of Alice Springs and you can either include it as part of our West Macdonnell ranges day trip, or do a quick trip out from Alice Springs. Privately owned and operated by the Western Arrernte people, there is a fee to go in and visit, but all funds go back into maintaining the site and paying staff. There is a cafe on site and you can also camp there and do a guided tour. We did the self-guided walk to the Chasm, which is a 2.4km round trip and is a relatively easy walk. Some sections of the track have been damaged due to recent floods, but we were able to navigate those parts to get to the Chasm. The views were incredible and we really enjoyed the short walk and reading the information signs along the way. After we finished the walk, we drove back to Alice Springs and spent the rest of the day not doing much.

Day four

As we knew that the door was definitely not arriving today, we planned a day trip with some bush walks and sightseeing. Our first stop was the Asia Pacific Aircraft Storage to have a quick look and take some photos from a distance. It was cool to see all the different planes that were stored there and you could see so many different airlines as well. We then kept driving and headed to Rainbow Valley Conservation Reserve. The reserve is on the traditional lands of the Upper Southern Arrernte people and is a jointly managed reserve. There are two short walks you can do at Rainbow Valley. The 1.6km Claypan Walk takes you along the edge of the mostly dry claypans and provides you with many viewing opportunities of Rainbow Valley along the way. You can also do the 1.1km loop to view Mushroom Rock, a sandstone formation with many Fairy Martin (Petrochelidon ariel) nests. Both walks were easy and also provided lookouts to take photos and to have a look at the amazing sandstone bluffs and cliffs. We had some lunch, then decided to stop in at the Owen Springs four wheel drive track to have a look. We had read online that the track was only open on the Stuart Highway side to Redbank Waterhole, so we weren’t expecting to get too far down the track. Unfortunately it was indeed closed, but we were still able to go and have a look at Redbank Waterhole. You could camp here, and there was plenty of water for you to swim. We really enjoyed this spot and will definitely come back here and camp sometime in the future. After having a quick wander around Redbank Waterhole, we headed back to the caravan park for the rest of the afternoon.

Day five

We were slowly running out of free things to do in Alice Springs, so we decided to spend some money and visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service Alice Springs Tourist Facility. We were just in time for one of the tours, so first we watched the John Flynn Holographic show that has John Flynn telling you the story of his vision and how the RFDS has grown into what it is today. This went for 15 minutes but it was really interesting to find out what the RFDS does and how they rely on donations from the public for funding. We then had a go at the RFDS virtual reality, where you could experience being a patient or the pilot in a RFDS aircraft. You could also step inside a replica RFDS aircraft, and walk around the museum and meet a nurse and Alf Traeger through interactive technology. The museum has heaps of information and displays for you to read and have a look at, and it was also kid friendly with digital drawing and games for them to enjoy. It cost us $19 each to visit, but with all funds going back into replenishment of aircraft and medical equipment it was definitely worth the entry fee. The facility also had a gift shop and cafe, and we had heard great things about the cafe! After we had finished our tour, we decided to go and check out Undoolya Hill for a look. We had found this on Wikicamps as a four wheel drive to some great views, and we had heaps of fun driving the track as it was quite tricky in parts. Our trusty Patrol is a great car though and we were able to do all the tracks without any issues. We drove back down the hill, had some lunch, and made our way to Napwerte / Ewaninga Rock Carvings Conservation Reserve. Located around 30 minutes from Alice Springs, the drive in was on bitumen, until the last part that turned into very rough corrugations! Napwerte / Ewaninga Rock Carvings Conservation Reserve protects rock engravings (petroglyphs) and are a valuable link to the activities of early Arrernte Aboriginal people. The petroglyphs at the Reserve are sacred and therefore no photos were allowed, but it was nice to be able to walk around, read the signs and have a look at the petroglyphs without distractions. We headed back to the caravan park and made our way next door to Alice Springs Brewing Co for happy hour and we enjoyed a couple beers and ginger beers before relaxing for the night in the camper.

Day six

This morning we started off with our tradition of a 5km run and pancakes, before relaxing for the rest of the morning. We decided to head out and grab something for lunch today and went to Loco Burrito, a casual Mexican restaurant where they make almost everything in house. You could pick from menu options or make up your own burrito, and we decided to make up our own burritos and sit in their courtyard to eat. We both really enjoyed our burritos and everything tasted super fresh and yum! After lunch, we went for a walk around the Alice Springs CBD to have a look before heading back to the caravan park to relax for the afternoon. That evening, we headed to Parrtjima, a free 10-night festival in Alice Springs. There was a free shuttle bus leaving right outside our caravan park, so we took advantage of that and headed to the festival. As we were the first stop the shuttle bus did take a little while to get to Alice Springs Desert Park, but we were dropped right outside the entrance and it was free! All the different light installations were amazing to see and watch and even with the crowds it was a good night out. We caught the shuttle bus back and stopped in for a drink at Alice Springs Brewing Co before heading back to the caravan park.

Day Seven 

Today was another slow one, but we received updated tracking that the door is now in Alice Springs, so fingers crossed we will be able to have it fitted tomorrow or Tuesday and we can keep moving with our trip! We started the morning by heading into the CBD and having a quick look at the Todd Mall Markets. As the name suggests, the market is held in Todd Mall every second Sunday, with a wide range of stalls from food and drinks, artwork, jewellery, books and much more. We didn’t really have anything in mind to purchase, so we had a quick wander around and made our way to Megafauna Central. Operated by Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Megafauna Central had heaps of information and displays on the megafauna that roamed Central Australia 8 million years ago. Megafauna Central is free, and is great for kids with different interactive displays and videos for them to watch. Definitely worth a visit if you are in Alice Springs and looking for something low cost to do. After visiting Megafauna Central, we did some grocery shopping and got some fuel, then headed back to the caravan park to relax for the rest of the afternoon. The temperature has started to increase here so the days are definitely getting warmer, but we did manage a walk towards the end of the day.

Weekly stats

Number of KMs – 560

Number of states – 1

Number of campsites – 1

Number of items lost – 0

Number of items broken – 0