Day 2: Coolum to Fraser Island

Early start so we can hit the road early and beat the school holiday crowds. We are both a bit nervous about driving off the barge into sand so want to get there early in for start of low tide.

First night in the tent was great! Had a little bit of rain but no leaks nor condensation. Happy days.

Day 3: Fraser Island

Woke the sounds of birds chirping! Atto cooked up a delicious breakfast of poached eggs.

Spent the day cruising around the island and exploring the inland roads. Also saw three dingos roaming about. One was brave an ventured close to a tourist bus.

Day 4: Fraser Island to Maryborough

Another great breakfasts today - this one was a veg breakfast burger cooked by atto.

Headed north today and checked out the champagne pools. Was a beautiful walk to the pools. Got much closer to a dingo this time as we were walking along the beach. This one was very relaxed and reminded us of our Scouty girl.

Decided to leave the island a day earlier as the weather hadn’t improved and I think we had island fever. Planned to spend the night in Bundaberg but had a few issues with the car fridge and battery. We stopped by an auto electrician in Maryborough and stayed the night.

Day 5: Maryborough to Agnes Water

Woke early and headed to Bundaberg to visit the rum factory. Atto was very impressed and enjoyed a cold can at 10am.

Arrived at paradise, aka Agnes Water around lunch time. Very impressive caravan park; right on the beach with brilliant facilities. Showers were 10/10.

Atto has a two hour surf and I got to read my book on the beach. Will definitely come back to this place and spend a good week here.

Day 6: Agnes Waters

Morning surf check! Planning on spending as much time as possible on the beach today.

Atto caught some waves while I went for a run along the beach. Came across half a dozen washed up prawns!

Baked beans for breakfast today cooked by yours truly :)

Spent the day on the beach and it was just heaven! We headed over to 1770 in the late arvo for a beer and dinner. Also got to see the sunset over the water (apparently the only place on the east coast where this is possible).

Day 8: Carnarvon Gorge

Headed off on a 14km hike through Carnarvon Gorge which was very beautiful. The hike broke off into smaller side walks which took us to sites such as Art Gallery, featuring aboriginal rock art that is over 3,000 years old; a large amphitheater; moss gardens and more. We crossed the creek 16 times and didn’t fall in once.

Headed back to the Taka Bushbar to celebrate our first week of the roadtrip.

Up early tomorrow to head to Longreach.

Day 7: Agnes Water to Carnarvon Gorge

Woke early to hit the road for a 6.5 hour drive to Carnarvon Gorge. We said goodbye to the ocean and headed inland.

Drove through some very small towns and came across a lot of road kill (including a wild boar), groups of emus/cows crossing the road, Christmas creek and Banana town. Some exiting moments to break up the long drive.

Arrived in Carnarvon Gorge and had a quick stroll around. Looking forward to a big walk tomorrow, fingers crossed the rain holds off for us.

Finished the day at the world famous Taka Bushbar with some bevy’s.

Day 8: Carnarvon Gorge to Longreach

Long day in the car today, over 7 hours in total. Not much to report today...stopped for lunch in Ilracombe where they had a lot of hats and notes stuck to the roof.

Longreach caravan park is filled with grey nomads and each caravan is more impressive than the last.

Day 9: Longreach

Went for a run through the sleepy town of Longreach and boy did it make us grateful for growing up in Barwon Heads. Not much going on here and houses didn’t look too desirable. Prices in the window in the local real estate ranged from $70k to $550k.

Walked to the Qantas Founders Museum and learnt a bit about the origins of Qantas. I preferred the display of uniforms than engines.

We also visited the stockmans museum which featured a tribute to the royal flying doctors.

Atto wanted to test out his Aldi fishing road and managed to catch someone’s abandoned fishing road in the nearby river. I caught up on Keeping up with the Kardashian’s!

The number of flies has also increased in Longreach and only get worse apparently. Some caught a ride on Atto’s back.

Day 10: Longreach to Boulia

A beautiful drive through the QLD outback to the very small town of Boulia, home to the Min Min light (a mysterious light that randomly appears and hovers in front of your face).

We spotted many animals on our drive today and not all were alive! A couple of dead cows on the side of the road (not a lot of the paddocks have fences along the road), a grill neck lizard and some horses galloping along the side of the road. We fortunately avoided all.

Arrived in Boulia and checked into a basic riverside caravan park. The river is named Bourke River and is named after the famous Bourke and Wills who apparently stopped here for a water refill. The Wills river is located nearby.

We also filled up with diesel and paid $1.69 per liter! Was the only petrol station in town (and for many hundreds of k’s) so not much could be done.

Day 11: Boulia to Mount Isa

Left Boulia early this morning to get to Mount Isa and visit the mechanics. We wanted to arrange better suspension for the rear of Trucko and had some difficulty finding someone who could do it. Fortunately we did and Trucko is booked in for tomorrow afternoon.

We will now spend an extra night in Mount Isa and leave early on Thursday morning for Adels Grove. This probably worked out for the best as we heard this morning that there was a huge fire that broke out in the same caravan park we have booked to stay at. 500 guests were evacuated and there was damage to their main building (cafe, reception, etc.). We have been offered a refund however will still head up there and stay for two nights. It is meant to be very beautiful and we are self sufficient so don’t need anything that was impacted by the fire.

We don’t have many photos for you today as we have spent the afternoon grocery shopping and reorganizing our belongings in the car.

Day 12: Mount Isa

Dropped the car off at the mechanics and spent the day wandering around Mount Isa. There wasn’t a lot to do but we managed to fill the day. Trucko was finished around 5pm and wow what a difference the springs were! The car sits much higher than before, so much so that we can barely reach items on our top shelf!

Spent the night at a different caravan park in town and this one was much nicer. The couple camping behind us were from Ocean Grove! They were very impressed with our set up and gave them a tour of the roof top tent.

We finished the night by having a beer at a pub to watch some of the state of origin game. I was more interested in the incredible people watching. Apparently they usually see two fights in the pub on game night but we didn’t see any.

Day 13: Mount Isa to Adels Grove

Dropped by the mechanic first thing this morning as we had arranged for them to slightly lift the front of Trucko. We’re on the road by 9:30am headed for Adels Grove.

Was quite the drive...highway for the first 5 hours and then the last hour we were on gravel. Fortunately the bumping drive was worth it (thank goodness for the new suspension) and we arrived at the very beautiful Adels Grove.

They had set up a temporary reception as their main building was burnt down earlier in the week. We set up and made our way to the swimming hole. Atto quickly found something to jump off.

Day 14: Adels Grove

We have both agreed that today was the best day so far on the trip.

We had a sleep in (sun rises around 7am here) and poached eggs for breakfast. Made our way into the lawn hill national park and completed a quick walk around the lower part of the gorge. We then jumped on an hour boat cruise which took us along the middle gorge. Here we saw our first freshwater crocodile (laying in a log half in the water. He/She looks like they have been dipped in concrete). The water was very clear and we could see a lot of fish swimming about. I even saw a turtle while we waited for the boat cruise.

Once we finished the cruise we walked along side the gorge to Igini Falls and had a much deserved swim. It was 30 degrees by lunchtime.

Returned to a beautiful sunset and veg pizzas for dinner. Today marked our second week on the road.

Day 15: Adels Grove to Renner Springs

Woke very early ahead of a huge Google predicted 10 hour drive, the first 160kms being on gravel.

We ended up cutting down the drive to about 5/6 hours and arrived at our designated stop by 11am. It was very windy at Barkley Homestead so decided to keep on driving and made it to Renner Spings just off Stuart Highway.

We accidentally missed the picture perfect moment of the Welcome to NT sign as we were so distracted by the 130 speed limit signs and having just paid $2.03 per liter of diesel!

Crossed many dried up creeks and passed many road trains headed in each direction (they can get up to 53.3m in NT!)

There were a few characters at Renner Springs, we were camping next to three women who were traveling from VIC to Darwin to show their dogs. Each had about five little poodles in their vans.

Enjoyed a beer in the pub and watched the Catters on TV.

Day 16: Renner Springs to Nitmiluk National Park

Had a terrible night as it was extremely windy. Nothing was damaged but very hard to sleep!

The drive to Nitmiluk National Park was about 4.5 hours but we had a few stops along the way. The first being Daly Waters Pub, it was a bit too early for a beer so we settled on coffee and tea. The inside of the pub was littered with IDs, bras, hats and other random items. We will try and stay here on the return trip as it’s meant to be quite fun.

We then stopped at Bitter Springs to float through the thermal springs. It was pretty yet gross. The water was warm though!

Arrived in Katherine not long after to fill up, wash the car and do a quick food shop. We quickly got back on the road and drove the 15 mins to the National Park.

Cruised around for the rest of the afternoon, setting up, laundry, etc.

29 and sunny here!

Day 17: Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine Gorge)

Had a cruisey start to the day and headed off for a 15km hike of the gorge around 9:30am.

The hike was incredible and one with very little human interference...the trail we took had no set path, you just had to follow the little green arrows (some easier to spot than others!). We took in some very incredible sites. Unfortunately the swimming spot was closed due to stagnant water so we suffered in the 29 degree heat!

Arrived back at the campsite around 1:30 and jumped in the freezing cold pool. Spent the rest of the afternoon reading in the sun. A perfect Monday some might say!

Day 18: Nitmiluk National Park to Gunlom (Kakadu)

Had one of our best breakfasts to date; a egg and tomato roll cooked on the Weber. Delicious!

Left Nitmiluk mid morning and set of for Edith Falls about an hour towards Kakadu. We had heard good things about the falls so were excited to get there. Was a bit underwhelming but nice to see.

Arrived in Kakadu around 1pm and headed to our first camp spot; Gunlom. I was really looking forward to this spot as had heard great things about the plunge pools. So glad we did as they were incredible! It was a tough hike to get there, a 1km vertical climb (half on a track and half scrambling over rocks). We spent about two hours here and was the perfect way to cool down (30 degrees here!)

Day 19: Gunlom to Cooinda (Kakadu)

Left Gunlom around 8:30am this morning and headed to Yurmikmik to complete the Motor Car Falls Walk. It was about an 8km/9km walk all up and had some uninviting plunge pools at the end. We decided not to plunge and just look!

Arrived in Cooinda after a long drive on gravel roads. We passed a couple of small two door cars...really not sure how they managed the drive! Coonida is a large resort with a caravan park and lodges. It also has a pool so we spent the afternoon lounging there reading our books.

At 4:30pm we jumped on the Yellow Water Billabong cruise and spent two hours cruising for crocs and other wildlife. We must have seen a dozen different crocs, heaps of birds, water buffalo, wild boars and wild horses.

Arrived back at the resort and treated ourselves to fish and chips and a cold beer! The mozzies treated themselves to our feet unfortunately!

Day 20: Cooinda to Jabiru

Didn’t have much of a plan for today so decided to brave the 50km road to JimJim Falls. It was only accessible by 4WDs and extremely bumpy! Going back was slightly more bumpy than driving down. Trucko handled the drive easily!

Arrived at JimJim Falls and hiked to the non running falls. Was a great walk over many boulders of different sizes. You’ll see a photo below of the croc trap located downstream to the falls...we didn’t swim here!. Arrived at the plunge pool which was far too dark and cold for our liking. Around the corner was the ‘beach’ so swam there instead.

Staying in a large caravan park tonight in the main shopping area of Kakadu. Will head to the north east of the park tomorrow to Ubirr to see the sunset and rock art. Then we are off to Humpty Doo to spend time with the Wallaces.

Day 21: Jabiru to Merl

Wow what a day! We headed to Ubirr this morning to view the rock art, which was absolutely incredible! Up to 5,000 years old and still very legible (not so great in the photos). We also climbed to the top of the lockout and felt like we were in Africa. There was a huge flock of birds squawking and flying around the water, which was very cool to see.

We then decided to head to the campground but on the way we saw a sign for Cahill Crossing and decided to take a look. I’m so glad we did (Attos idea) as it was an incredible thing to witness. The crossing is through the East Alligator River and separates Arhnam Land from Kakadu. It is only accessible in low tide.

When we first approached the river and followed the signs to the viewing platform (we really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into) I saw a glimpse of what I thought was a logodile...turns out the river was filled with crocs and we had arrived at the perfect time to witness the turning of the tide, cars crossing and people fishing! It was really like watching a documentary and we are still amazed at our day. It was a pure fluke to see the crossing at the best time of day. (Make sure you watch the videos below!)

We are now camping at a pretty basic camp ground in Merl. The ranger prepared us for the terrible mosquitos between 7pm to 8pm and he wasn’t wrong! Atto and I are currently sitting by the fire with socks, long pants and sleeves on (sweat running off us), doused in areoguard with mozzie coils around us. We look like wicked witches but anything to deter these mozzies!!!

Day 22: Merl to Humpty Doo

Left Merl campground and headed once more to Cahill Crossing for one last viewing. No crocs this time so we definitely got lucky the day before.

Headed to Humpty Doo to stay with Les and Teags. Helen and Kane were also staying with them so we knew it was going to be a fun couple of days.

Spent the afternoon by the pool sipping champs with Helen and Teags while the boys headed into the local cricket. We managed to squeeze in a game of Wallace golf before it got too dark.

Had way too many champs and beers that night but had a great time laughing with the wallaces and eating barrumundi caught by Chris.

Day 23: Humpty Doo

A slow start to the day today as everyone was feeling a bit seedy from the night before. Spent the morning by the pool much to the horror of Sara who remained in her puffy jacket as she was too cold.

Les convinced Atto to fill in for his E Grade side at the Humpty Doo cricket club. Atto had a great match and made 53 runs. Atto batted alongside Wheels who wasn’t happy that Atto made him run on anything but a 1, 4 or 6.

Had another delicious dinner and champs by the pool (a few less than the night before!)

Day 24: Humpty Doo to Darwin

Started the day with a game of golf at the Humpty Doo golf club. Atto, Kane and Les played while Helen and I walked with them. Kane won the game with Atto and Les were pretty close.

We then headed off to the Humpty Doo Pub and enjoyed a barra burger. Said farewell to the Wallaces and headed to Darwin.

We treated ourselves to a night in a hotel and boy was it good! So much room and the bed was very comfortable.

Watched the sunset at the Darwin Ski Club and then had tacos at the waterfront.

(You’ll also see a photo below of Atto’s cricket injury)

Day 25: Darwin to Litchfield National Park

Treated ourselves to a delicious breakfast at a cafe and headed to the National Darwin Museum. Spent the morning looking at their exhibitions on the moon, NT flora and fauna, Cyclone Tracey and aboriginal culture.

The Cyclone Tracey exhibition was very interesting: wind gusts of up to 300kms per hour and so many homes devastated. I took a photo of a couples evacuation cards below so you could see the female’s occupation.

We then loaded up on grocery’s and diesel (a much more reasonable $1.43) and headed to Berry Springs for a dip.

Hit the road again and drive to Litchfield National Park. We were able to get one of the last available sites at Waingi Falls camp ground and had to pay using an honesty box system.

Waingi Falls was beautiful and we spent the afternoon swimming and walking around the falls. We also spotted a very large lizard!

Day 26: Wangi Falls to Shady Camp (Litchfield National Park)

Left Wangi Falls and headed to Buley Rockpools early this morning. We pretty much had it to ourselves! Was a beautiful spot for a dip and relax in the many rockpools.

We were able to walk from there to Florence Falls, about a 5km return walk. Florence Falls were spectacular to look at from above. We had a quick swim as it was freezing and many crowds were starting to pull in.

We jumped back on the road and headed down one of the few 4WD only roads to Shady Camp. A similar arrangement to last night with an honesty box to pay the camp ground fees ($6:60 per adult...bargain). The showers were pretty basic...only one tap labeled cold! Lucky it’s hot out here.

Walked to the beautiful Shady Camp falls and spent the afternoon swimming in the giant pool. Atto of course found some ledges to jumped off.

Day 27: Shady Camp to Victoria River Roadhouse

Wow what a start to the day! We woke at sunrise (7am) and made our usual breakfast (poached eggs). We had some visitors join us which was rather cute. We packed up easily and headed off, back along the dirt road to an old homestead about 5km away.

When we arrived at the homestead Atto went to grab the keys to lock the car and couldn’t find them. We had a quick search and realized we had left them in the camping location which was hanging on the side of the canopy! (Second photo). We immediately turned around and started to drive back to the campsite hoping to find them along the way. At the 3km mark I hopped out of the car and walked the track while Atto kept driving back to the camp ground.

I walked for about a kilometer before I heard honking and Trucko speeding around the corner! I could see attos big grin and knew he had found them. They had bounced off about a kilometer from camp and landed perfectly in the middle of the track!

We then made a fast rule that the keys must be clipped to attos shorts before we start the car!

We spent most of the day driving and arrived at Victoria River Roadhouse around 3:30pm.

Day 28: Victoria River Roadhouse to Keep River National Park

We made sure we had our car keys this time before leaving camp! We headed for the Keep River National Park, which was about 3.5 hours away.

Arrived at the small camp, Jarnem, which was a bargain price of $3.30 per adult per night. We quickly set up, ate lunch and headed out on a walk to the lookout. Probably not the best time to go but we wanted to get it done and what a beautiful look out it was!

Came back had a much deserved cold beer and spent the rest of the afternoon reading our books in the shade.

We are now making veg pizzas for dinner. The sun is setting and the sky is a beautiful shade of blue, pink and purple. We can hear dingos howling in the distance.

Rather than spend two nights here (no showers!) we will head for the boarder and spend two nights at lake argyle.

Day 29: Keep River to Lake Argyle

Headed off early, excited for the thought of a shower as we were feeling very dusty and dirty.

Crossed the boarder into WA and had to hand over all of our fruit, veg and honey.

Picked up some supplies in Kununurra and hit the road to Lake Argyle. We ran into our old friends Roy and Wendy who we were stuck behind a couple of days earlier. True to form Roy and Wendy crawled along and we were once agin stuck behind them.

Arrived at Lake Argyle to a perfectly organized chaos...people and staff everywhere! We got set up and then hit the pool. Very excited to be able to swim in safe water!

They had a musician playing on the hill at sunset (5pm!) and we enjoyed some cold beers/warm red. Had an early night and in bed by 8pm WA time (9:30pm NT time and 10:00pm AEST).

Day 30: Lake Argyle

Gosh what a hot night! It wasn’t a great sleep...I think it got hotter as the night wore on.

Woke early to see the sun rise and then hit the pool to get the famous photo. Apparently it is named as one of the world’s best pools. Top 10.

Atto wanted to have a go fishing so we can treked down the steep hill and caught absolutely nothing!

Headed out on an extremely boring sunset cruise, the only good part was at the end when we finally got to jump in the water where they floated drinks and nibbles out to us!

Finished the night with freshly caught fish for dinner.

Day 31: Lake Argyle to El Questro

Headed off to El Questro Station which is a privately owned park with many gorges, walks, etc. It’s also the start of the famous Gibb River Road.

We secured our non powered site and headed off to complete the El Questro Gorge walk. We had to drive through our longest water crossing to date and Trucko did a great job.

We did the walk to the first pool and were advised it was very easy to complete the second stage although many people chose to turn around and walk back. I really wish we had of done the same, as the second part was challenging and we were only wearing our bathers and runners. We had to climb over huge boulders, creep alongside a waterfall and the end pool wasn’t even that great!

We met a few people on the walk back and one looked very familiar to me. Turns out she was a relief teacher at Matthew Flinders in 2002. Her and her partner had chosen to walk in to the start of the Gorge walk rather than drive through the water. They hitched a ride with others on the way back. They had to stand on the back of the car and hold on as the others drove through the water. We had a good laugh.

Made it back to the campsite surprisingly uninjured and had an early dinner so we could watch Shrek. They have regular musicians, movies or trivia is their outdoor bar area. For once we were the oldest in the group!

Day 32: El Questro Station

Headed off to Zebedee Springs early this morning as they are only open from 7am to 12pm (thermal springs dotted around the hillside). They were nice but quickly filled up with people so we headed off to do the Emma’s Gorge walk.

It was really starting to heat up by this point (8:30am) but we pressed in with our walk. More walking over rocks and climbing up boulders! Arrived at the falls and the water was absolutely freezing!! A quick dip to wash the sweat and dust off.

Relaxed with our books in the shade for a couple of hours before we braved Saddleback Ridge for sunset. It was a very steep hill to climb up, most people choose to drive but we wanted to walk it

As we approached the water crossing a lovely couple drove by in their Ute and offered us a lift. Of course we couldn’t decline so jumped in the back and hitched a ride over the water.

Saw the sun set and then ran down the hill to make happy hour before 6pm. Arrived at 5:55pm and grabbed an icy cold beer to celebrate the day.

It’s much cooler of a night here thankfully so we’ve been having so decent sleeps.

Day 33: El Questro Station to Bungle Bungles

We were excited to get back on the road and head to the Bungle Bungles. We had heard that the road was bad...corrugated, rocks, holes and twists and turns. And boy oh boy, they weren’t wrong!

We were staying at a caravan park just off the highway which was also a 53km drive each way into the national park. It really was an awful drive and we suffered some damage...RIP pepper shaker and bundy rum. However once we finally made it to the southern end of the park we were treated with some spectacular sights! What a beautiful country we live in.

Day 34: Bungle Bungles to Kununurra

Not much to share today! Pretty quiet day.

Headed off early this morning and made it to Kununurra by 11am. There must have been something in the water around here as there were some shocking drivers on the road.

Spent most of the day cleaning out the car and rearranging a few things. Fortunately the caravan park has a pool so we spent the afternoon reading and working on our tans.

The photo below is the view from the park. There are two freshwater crocs that visit everyday apparently. One is called Gummy as he has no teeth and the other is called Jaws. I imagine because he has teeth.

Day 35: Kununurra to Broome

Made a spur of the moment decision to head to Broome for the weekend (helped by a few reds and beers the night before). It means less time in central Australia but we had plenty of time scheduled there that we won’t miss out on much. We have been missing the ocean so was pretty excited to see it when we finally arrived!

We left Kununurra around 5am and rolled into town at 5:10pm. It was a long drive (over 900km) but worth it to see the ocean!

Quickly checked in and made our way to the cable beach surf club for a beer and to watch the sunset.

Day 36: Broome

Wow what a day! So happy we made the decision to drive to Broome....it’s stunning here.

Woke early and went for a run along the beach. Grabbed some breakfast and planned our day. It pretty much was to get to cable beach and set up for the entire day.

We drove onto cable beach around 9:30am and drove off around 5:30pm. Spent the day swimming (very quick dips as there are croc warnings), fishing, reading and tanning. We had a few beers in the afternoon and watched the sun go down. There would have over 100 cars on the beach to watch the sunset.

Finished the day with pizza at a restaurant on the beach.

Day 37: Broome

Spent a good few hours at the beach today. We decided not to drive on the sand today but head to the main beach. While we were there the lifeguards ordered everyone out of the water....obviously something lurking about!

We headed to Gantheaume Point to walk around the rocks. According to the information boards there are signs of dinosaur foot prints in the rocks. We can’t confirm as we didn’t see any.

Drove into Broome and visited the Matso’s Brewery which is conveniently located next to the correctional centre and police station. Atto was on his best behavior and avoided both!

Day 38: Broome to Kununurra

Not much to report today as we spent most of the day driving! Left Broome at 5:11am and arrived back in Kununurra by 3:40pm.

We did have our first road kill of the trip...a bird flew into the front of the car and there were feathers everywhere.

I don’t have any pics for you so thought I’d share some photos of the dogs we received today. Here they are at the beach with Stella, Craig and Janene’s new puppy. Scout looks very unimpressed.

Day 39: Kununurra to Daly Waters

Another big day of driving, this one was an 8 hour day. Arrived at Daly Waters Pub and jumped in the pool to wake ourselves up. Enjoyed dinner at the pub; Barra with veggies. We also sampled some garlic damper which was no different to garlic bread. Go figure.

Day 40: Daly Waters to Alice Springs

Another large day if driving...9 hours in total. The highlight was stopping at the Devils Marbles on the way into Alice Springs. Very cool to see these round boulders stacked on top of each other.

Got into Alice Springs and had a much needed shower (2 days since we last had one! They were pretty foul at Daly Waters).

Trucko has his 15,000km service tomorrow and then we head out bush.

Day 41: Alice Springs to Ellery Creek (West Macdonnell Ranges)

Very cold start to the morning, 10 degrees when we left camp at 7:30am. We dropped Trucko off for his 15,000km check up and went to bunnings. Ford was so far out of town that it was our only option!

Did a big grocery shop and headed off to the West Macdonnell Ranges. We have decided to stay at Ellery Creek camp ground for a bargain of $10 a night. There are a few walkers here who are half way through the Larapinta trail, a 223km walk through the ranges.

The flies are extremely bad here and we will purchase a fly net ASAP for our faces.

Day 42: Ellery Creek to Redbank Gorge (West Macdonnell Ranges)

Woke up to the freezing cold...I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything colder. It would have easily been -1 degree at sunrise.

We completed quite a few walks today; Ormiston Gorge, Glen Helen Gorge and Redbank Gorge. Our favorites were the first and last.

The flies are incredibly bad here from about 10am to 5pm. When we next stop at a supermarket/convenience store we are definitely buying a fly nets!

Day 43: Redbank Gorge to Rainbow Valley

Woke to the freezing cold again today! My fingers were numb for most of the morning.

Headed to Standley Chasm which was a very cool 9m gap between rocks. When we walked out we couldn’t help but laugh at the car parked next to Trucko. I’m not sure if they would have enjoyed the gravel roads around the West Macdonnell Ranges!

We also visited Simpson Gap and then headed to Rainbow Valley. Atto was very pleased with his fly net....the flies are shocking in Central Australia. No word of a lie, 20 flies would swarm around your face without a net. Very yucky indeed.

Rainbow Valley is very beautiful and I imagine during wet season when the lake is filled it would be even more beautiful. Our campsite tonight is $6.60 however once again no showers which means tomorrow marks our fourth day of not showering!!

Day 44: Rainbow Valley to Kings Canyon

Woke to a beautiful sunrise this morning although very cold again. Had our usual poached eggs and jumped back onto the road, headed for Kings Canyon.

We arrived about 11:30am and completed a short walk to Kathleen Springs before checking in. We spent the afternoon reading in the sun with our fly nets on. We also managed to squeeze in a shower too! Woooo have never felt so clean and fresh.

Another campfire tonight to keep us warm. Looking forward to a big day of walking tomorrow.

Day 45: Kings Canyon

Had a terrific day walking around Kings Canyon. A truly wonderful site to see. We chose to do the rim walk, a 6km walk on the edge of the sheer cliff! Atto loved to see how close to the edge he could get. It was a very steep climb up to the top but one of best walks we have done so well worth it.

We finished the day reading in the sun...with our fly masks on of course.

Day 46: Kings Canyon to Uluru

Finally arrived at the most anticipated location of the trip, and Uluru really blew my expectations. The size of this rock is huge....and it continues for 5-6kms underground. You can also see Uluru from about 100kms away, which makes the arrival so much more exciting.

We arrived at lunchtime and spent sometime in the town square and visiting art galleries. We also booked a helicopter trip for tomorrow.

We then drove out to Uluru to watch the sunset. The rock changes colour as the sun sets which was very cool to witness.

Day 47: Uluru

Started the day of with the huge base walk around Uluru. Was 10.6km in total. It was sad to see so many people undertaking the climb to the top. While it won’t be officially banned until October they make it clear with signage that you shouldn’t climb it.

We were then picked up for our 25 min helicopter trip to see Uluru and Kata Tjuta from above. While it was good to see from a different angle it wasn’t as exciting as other helicopter trips we have done. The girl sitting next to atto vomited as soon as we were off the helicopter, thankfully not during the flight!

Finished the day with another sunset viewing of the rock...it really impresses you more and more every time.

Day 48: Uluru

Visited Kata Tjuta this morning and walked through the 36 domes. Was impressive to see but didn’t have the same aura as Uluru. A much better walk though! They also close the track if it reaches 36 degrees (about 27 degrees for us today) or after 11am.

We then spent the afternoon relaxing back at the campground, one final day in the sunshine!

We had booked to see the Field of Lights exhibition and could only get into the last session of the night at 8:30pm. We are usually fast asleep at this time so was a late one for us! The exhibition didn’t disappoint but as per usual the photos didn’t do it justice!

Day 49: Uluru to Cobber Pedy

Rose bright and early to get a good start on our eight hour drive to Cobber Pedy. We rolled into town around 11:30am (ended up taking only seven hours) and headed straight to the Coober Pedy Golf Club.

$10 for a round that you had to pay for at the opal store in the main street where they handed you some balls and a piece of Astro turf to hit off. The clubs were kept in a storage shed at the unmanned golf club which was kept unlocked.

Atto played 9 holes and I had a few terrible shots.

We then spent the afternoon having a few cold beers and relaxing at the campsite. Another early morning to get to Barossa Valley for the afternoon and evening.

Day 50: Cobber Pedy to Barossa Valley

Woke early again so we could get to Barossa at a decent hour and enjoy the wine!

The first part of the drive featured the most about of kangaroos (dead and alive) that we have seen on the trip. Once the sun rose and we drive into Port Augusta it was rolling green hills! Very beautiful.

The towns in Barossa were very quaint and reminded us a lot of the town in Yarra Valley. We hit the brewery, Chateau Tanunda (the oldest winery in the valley), Peter Lehmanns and of course Penfolds.

The photos below are of Chateau Tanunda...by the time we arrived at the others I had too many tastings and forgot to take photos! All of the wines were delicious and we have bought a few bottles for home.

An early night to bed (helped by wine and early morning!) Our last night in the roof top tent!

Day 51: Barossa Valley to Adelaide

Our last full day of the trip...and what a way to end it in the freezing wet!

Headed into Adelaide and made our way to the best shop in the world, Haighes. Had a wander around rundle mall and then drove out to Glenelg Beach. Wasn’t the greatest of conditions so we didn’t stay long.

Checked into our apartment in Stepney and I made my way immediately to get a much needed manicure and pedicure!

Spent the night on a couch (such luxury!) watching TV.

This is my last post for the trip so thanks all \240for reading and following along at home!