Alice Springs - The Centre of Australia

Leaving Rainbow Valley just after 10.00AM we were in Alice Springs by lunch time and booked into the G’Day Mate Caravan Park. After lunch it was into the visitors centre and then to Coles for supplies.

Sunday morning found us driving the road into the East MacDonnell Ranges but we only visited Emily and Jessie gaps and Corroboree Rock before turning around and returning to the caravan. That afternoon we went to the Botanic Gardens in Alice Springs where I observed a Western Bowerbird trying to encourage his lady friend into his bower. The lesson I learnt from this is that it is a female trait in all females be it man, beast or bird but there was no way that that female bower bird was going to be temped. She was not going to enter that bower. He was tempting her with all his trinkets but nothing worked.

The Western Bowerbird. Bowerbirds are the engineers of the bird world. Not only do they build a nest to lay their eggs and raise their young, The male bird also builds a a stick structure called a bower which is a love shack where he encourages the female into this bower and they mate.

Monday was a visit to the Desert Park which kept me amused. I was really impressed with the birds of prey display where the handlers work with hawks, falcons, owls and even a magpie.

Port Augusta to Alice Springs

Port Augusta to Alice Springs

It was Tuesday Morning 1/6/2010 and we packed ready to leave Port Augusta for the run north. The rain had stopped and the sun was out although there were still clouds that looked threatening. I talked Coba into allowing me to go into the Arid Lands Botanical Gardens again for one last attempt to get a close up shot of the White Winged Fairy Wren but sadly they were all too shy and I was not able to improve on what I had taken. My only trophy for that morning was a couple of more shots of Redthroats. (Small bird that lives in the grass and small bushes.)

Our first stop was a six kilometre detour off the highway into Woomera, The home of the Australian and UK rocket testing as well as nuclear bomb testing. This town is owned and operated by the Australian Government. Tourists are welcome and there are displays of rockets, military aircraft and artillery displays.

One of the display parks in the town - Woomera

Misile in Woomera

Down the road the threatening clouds soon turned into rain and the day was spent driving through continual showers. At Glendambo there was water everywhere from the heavy rain that had hit the settlement before we arrived. We continued on up the road and spent that night camped at Bon Bon rest area along with a dozen other vans. This rest area had a toilet, which made it a suitable stop for the night. That evening the weather cleared and we were to learn that we had seen the last of the rain for a while.

At lunch time the next day we drove into Coober Pedy and booked into one of the caravan Parks. It had 160 sites and that night the park was full. There were three other caravan parks in Coober Pedy so this tells how many vans were on the road. After lunch we did our own town tour. Coober Pedy is a typical small operators mining town. The Opal mines start 45 kilometres south of the town and extend to 30 kilometres north of the town. The town is one large junk pile. The view from the lookout tells it all. Typical of the junk in the yards at Coober Pedy

From town we went out to the Breakaway Range which is a spectacular line of eroded hills with many colours making the landscape unbelievable when it comes to the colour of the area. This area is also part of the local Aboriginal heritage and there is a permit fee required to enter the area.

The Castle in the Breakaways

The Breakaway Range

From the Lookout - Section of the Breakaway Range

Next morning we continued north with the intention of going into the Painted Desert. Sadly for us the road was closed and we were not able to enter the area. This is the second time that I have missed out on seeing the Painted Desert but we were told that it is similar to the Breakaway Range. We continued north stopping to check out bird sites and that night (Thursday 3/6/2010) we bush camped down a dirt track off the Stuart Highway. This turned out to be a great spot for birds so I left Coba in the van while I went chasing birds to photograph. I managed to get Chats, Wood swallows, Zebra Finch and the rare Bourke’s Parrot. I ended up seeing eight of these parrots in total while I was there. For anyone wanting to go there the GPS co-ordinates are 26 Degrees 11’ 52” South and 113 Degrees 11’ 17” East.

Bourkes Parrot

Next morning I again saw the Bourke’s Parrots but only managed a distant photo. The finches were there but the chats and wood swallows had gone. Breaking camp and moving on we made it to Rainbow Valley at around 2.00 PM. This was our campsite for the night. I managed to get a good shot of a mature Brown Falcon here. Zebra finches were in plague proportions.

Brown Falcon - Rainbow Valley

I had been here before but had hoped for water in front of the coloured hill but again we were out of luck. We watch the hill change colour as the sun set. The red reflection on the hill and cliff of the valley changed to red in this light. Rainbow Valley - Sunset Photo

Rainbow Valley - Daytime Photo

Darkness came in fast as there was no moon until late into the night. As a result the stars were spectacular. It has been many years since I have seen a night sky like this. The Milky Way stretched right across the night sky and the Southern Cross was lost in the millions of stars that shone like diamonds on black velvet. Saturday morning and I was up before the sun and out photographing the hill of Rainbow Valley. The chill in the air froze my fingers and it was back to the caravan for a hot cup of coffee.

From Rainbow valley it was in to Alice Springs where we managed the last caravan site in the caravan Park. We will now spend three days here before heading out into the gorges.

Spiny Cheeked Honeyeater

The above photo of the Spiny Cheeked H0neyeater was taken at the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Gardens at Port Augusta. It is a great place to view and photograph birds. For this shot the bird was only visible through an opening in the foliage. This is how it turned ot.

Return to Port Augusta and the Pichi Richi Railway.

The engine driver checks the piston steam engine and linkages that will drive the wheels on the old steam Locomotive.

The Pichi Richi Railway's restored old Ghan steam locomotive - NM25 and its 1930's wooden carraiges at Quorn railway station ready for the return trip to Port Augusta.

Return to Port Augusta and the Pichi Richi Railway

This morning the sun shone through at Leigh Creek but there were still storm clouds on the horizon and the wind was just as strong as it had been yesterday. The only difference was that yesterday, the wind came from the north and today it came from the south. I still had concerns about travelling on to Arkaroola so the decision was made to return south into the Flinders Ranges. I planned to cut through from Parachilna on to the back road and down to Wilpena Pound. After eleven kilometres on this dirt track, we turned around and return to the main tar sealed road. This put the second plan for today out the window so it was now continue on to Port Augusta for tonight. The car and caravan were covered in thick mud. Soon after we encountered a creek crossings on the main road where gravel and large rocks had been washed over the road and we had to negotiate a track through this build up. A little further on it was creeks flooding across the road from the overnight rain. The road had been clear when we went through yesterday. We took the opportunity to stop at one of these creeks and wash the thick build up of mud off the front of the caravan.

We made it to Quorn at 2.05 pm and it was raining fairly heavy. I had hoped to photograph the Pichi Richi steam engine which was due to pull out of Quorn station at 2.30pm. I wrapped my camera in a towel and went out on to the railway line to try and get some shots. You would not believe it, within five minutes it had stopped raining and the sun was out enabling me to get my photos. Ten minutes later it was raining again so it was back to the car and caravan and we pulled out for the forty kilometre trip to Port Augusta, our planned stop for tonight.

The Pichi Richi Railway operates on the old Ghan line that runs over the Pichi Richi Pass between Port Augusta and Quorn. It is run by a voluntary group of steam enthusiast between the two towns. At present the steam train runs on Saturday and Sunday and the return Adult fare is $44.00. The original Ghan steam Locomotive – NM25, and 1930 wooden carriages have been restored from the original Ghan rolling stock and the steam engine looks as good today as the day it was first put into service. It is kept clean and spotless and is the pride of the collection. There is also an original 1927 Barwell Bull Rail Car that is also used on this rail track by the group.

Note. While listening to the news tonight we heard that they were getting the car ferry out of mothballs where it had been for the last 25 years and putting it back into service on one of the rivers near Marree. It was expected that some properties in this area could be cut off by road for six months due to the rain. To think that we had to plan our trip into this area to coincide with this weather pattern.

Port Augusta to Leigh Creek

The walking gear on a 1951 BE Dragline at Leigh Creek. A bit different from todays designs.

Inside the hoisting and engine house on a 1951 BE Dragline at Leigh Creek. Very small to the unit on site at Ulan.

An endangered Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby at Warren Gorge near Quorn

Port Augusta and Leigh Creek

I had been told that the Arid Lands Botanical Gardens at Port Augusta was the place for birds so it was up early on Thursday morning and down to Port Augusta. We were there by 8.00am and drove in to the Matthew Flinders lookout. The first birds were all ready there so it was out with the camera and start shooting. From here it was on to the Information Centre which turned out to be a cafe in a large expensive building. Again the birds were here. It was out with the camera and on the hunt. Some of the birds that I photographed were:

White Browed babblers

Southern Whiteface

Singing Honeyeater

Spiny Cheeked Honeyeaters

Nankeen Kestrel

Yellow Throated Miners

Chirruping Wedgebill

White winged Fairy Wren (Female only)

Sadly the overcast sky did nothing to enhance the photos but I did manage to get some good shots. We loaded up with supplies and fuel in Port Augusta before returning to Quorn. Around 4.30pm we headed out to Warren Gorge looking for the endangered Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby. We were lucky and saw a total of 7 including a baby that was just out of the mothers pouch although I think it was still using the pouch when it wanted to.

That evening we made the decision to go to Arkaroola the next morning, known for its aridness and dry conditions, so we set off early to cover the 340 kilometres trip. Sadly someone forgot to tell the God of Storms and Rain that this piece of dirt was out of his domain and he gave it heaps. He even sent the wind to try and blow us away. By the time we got to Leigh Creek we got the message and booked into the local caravan park. Our fuel consumption for the trip from Quorn to Leigh Creek was the worst for the trip. I could not get the reading below 20 l/100kl. At 3.00pm we got a break in the weather and jumped in the car and headed for the coal mine at Leigh Creek. We managed to see the old dragline and a view of the old Open Cut before the weather turned nasty again. Back at the caravan the wind continued to blow and the rain came down. Tomorrow we will return to Port Augusta or Quorn and I think the Flinders ranges will be missed out for this trip. We will not try to drive north again while these strong winds prevail.

Gluepot to Quorn.

Our car and Caravan at our camp site at Gluepot.

Water covers the road from Gluepot. Dark storm clouds are the signs that there is still more rain to come.

The old crane winch at Mt Bryant that was used to unload rail freight in the days when the original Ghan ran through this settlement.

The ruins of an old hotel stands on it own as a sentinal of the past when the Old Ghan Rail Line passed this way.

A layer of cloud reminded me of a section of floating ice shelf in Antarctica.

Gluepot to Quorn.

The electrical storm from the previous night had proved to be the start of the bad weather that was about to hit South Australia. Tuesday morning was dark and overcast and the rain from the previous night had left pools of water covering much of the camping area. We decided to set up at the nearest bird hide to see if any birds turned up for the water. Sadly for us the abundance of fresh water had removed the need for birds to go to the water points to drink and no birds arrive. The rain continued occasionally allowing the sun to glow through the cloud cover for a few minutes at a time between the showers. Back at the camp site we heard birds at a pool of water beside the caravan and a family of Chestnut Crowned Babblers were bathing and drinking at the pool. I managed a few photos and these were the only bird shots that I would get for this trip into Gluepot. Not having any communications with the outside world, we were unable to get a forecast for the weather. We debated whether to stay or go and by lunch time we had made the decision to go. Driving out the 50 kilometres of unsealed road, we had to continually drive through long pools of water. Lucky for us, the road was sand based so we were not in any danger of getting bogged, even with the caravan behind. We noticed the tyre tracks of at least four other vehicles on the track in front of us.

Back on the sealed tar road we headed for the old Murray River port town of Morgan and then to Burra. Burra was one of the towns on the Old Ghan railway line. Our route from here was to take the road that followed sections of the old line. Night was closing in fast with the bad weather, so we made camp 16 kilometres further down the road from Burra at a Mt Bryant, another station stop on the Old Ghan line.

Light rain continued through the night and the morning sky still maintained the angry storm clouds. Driving north we started to see clear sky and then a strange cloud form that looked like a section of the ice shelf in Antarctica floating in the sky. The edge of the cloud was like a vertical white wall. Also along the road, the ruins from old buildings and homes were scatted through the paddocks. The new eyesore on the horizon was dozens of large wind generators along the ridgeline between Burra and Jamestown. A new set of transmission towers carry this supply over to the gulf.

Our arrival in Quorn before lunch was the end of our trip for today. We booked into the Quorn Caravan Park where I had stayed before. The storm clouds and conditions had caught up with us again and the afternoon was spent exploring the small town and relaxing. Conditions were very poor for photography.

Mannum - Barossa Valley - Gluepot

Autumn colours with fog in the background.

Autumn in the vinyards of the Barossa Valley

The Chateau at Yalumba

Autumn colour in the Barossa Valley

Coba on one of the garden paths at Yalumba

Fallen leaves at Yalumba. These covered the ground in parts of the Estate

Mannum - Barossa Valley – Gluepot.

Monday the 24^th May and it is time to leave the Murray Princess. Breakfast is served at 7.30am and this is the opportunity to say farewell to new found friends. We docked at 9.00am and soon after we had picked up our car and were on the way to the Barossa Valley. The first place that we arrived in was Mt. Pleasant, a place to take more photos. The weather was again bad for photography and to make things worse, fog had started to descend on the area. It was then on to Angaston, another place I had never heard of. Just before reaching the town we came across Yalumba’s winery. What a picture this place was, the autumn leaves were in their best colours and we could not believe the beauty of the place. We had not expected to get this type of a display considering Hahndorf’s trees had all lost their autumn leaves. After walking around and photographing almost from every angle, we drove into Angaston which was a pretty town. The fog was now rather thick and Visibility had dropped to around 100 Metres. From here it was on to Tanunda where we had lunch and visited the Chateau Tanunda Winery but what a disappointment after the Yalumba experience.

From the Barossa Valley it was back to Blanch Town to pick up our caravan. We did stop on the way for supplies as we were again heading bush for a couple of days and there were no shops where we were heading. With the caravan in tow, we went back to Waikerie and then on to Gluepot. I felt it was too good an opportunity while I was in the area not to give Gluepot another go. We arrived back in the Bird Reserve just on dark and set up the caravan. An hour later we had a severe electrical storm which dropped around 15mm of rain and left large puddles everywhere. I hope that this does not play havoc with the birding in the morning.