Hello there intrepid readers. Sorry it's been so long since an update but we have just been far too busy!
We have done loads since the last update, having driven back down from Exmouth to Perth, flown to Darwin, explored The Top End, flown to Adelaide, flown to Alice Springs, explored The Red Centre and then another flight to the capital of Victoria, Melbourne which is where we are now. Before we get ahead of ourselves lets just backtrack and fill you in with what's happened.
We were both sad to be saying goodbye to our Chubby van when we returned to Perth. The independence of having your own wheels and sleeping where you like is great. Anyway, after another night in the Perth hostel we got a very early bus (4.15am) to take us to Perth airport for our flight to Darwin. We got off the plane to be greeted by the same heat and humidity we had left behind in Asia.
We picked up our new campervan, an Apollo, for those of you who have been following this blog you will understand how happy we felt as we could now call ourselves members of the Apollo club. After the normal pickup mucking about we drove to a nearby campsite in Darwin city to get set up. After what seemed like an eternity to get everything unpacked and set up we got ourselves settled in. We were both tired after a long day and the campsite seemed kind of rundown.
Trying to sleep that night was torture. The heat and the humidity meant the campervan was like an oven inside. I (Andy B) spent most of the night outside but had to keep coming inside when I heard rustling under the leaves! This was our first experience with the cane toad. They were an introduced species to Australia which was brought in to try and combat the cane beetle. The only problem is they couldn't jump high enough to catch them! However the not so little toads have found Australia great and have thrived and become a pest. They are poisonous under the skin and the only predator they have is the common crow that flips them over and eats the belly.
After a hellish night it was straight to the supermarket (Woolworths) to buy a couple of fans. They helped a lot but to be honest I think the first night was the worst as the night time temperature seemed to drop a little.
We drove down to Litchfield National Park for a couple of day's exploration. The campsite was good (even if a cane toad did jump out when we tried to plug the electric in) and the ease of getting around the park to explore waterfalls, swimming holes (complete with a snake!) and cliff lookouts was very enjoyable. We met some lovely people here including Carol (an ex pat from North Wales) her husband Stuart and their friends whose names we can't remember.
It was then a couple of hours drive South to Katherine Gorge which is an amazingly old fault line that has created a stunningly beautiful gorge with the Katherine River flowing down it. We arrived there to witness a big brown python be taken out of the toilets, just as we were trying to get in. Apparently we were lucky to of not walked in a few minutes earlier as the snake had found a new home under the urinals.
The gorge is divided up into 13 different passages and we took a boat tour up to the second.
We loved the walk in between the first and second gorges with towering cliffs and aboriginal art thousands of years old on the rock face.
Also in Katherine is a hot spring. It looked so weird. Imagine a really muddy river bank but the water being crystal clear and nice and warm. It was the nearest we had to a good bath for ages and it felt really good.
At our campsite in Katherine we bumped into Carol and co again. We were very grateful for the salad stuff they gave us and it went great with the burgers we had. After Katherine we made our way back to Darwin for a few nights rest and relaxation.
The beaches in Darwin are pretty poor compared with the west coast but that didn't stop us laying out trying to catch the sun and top up our tans. The beach was windy and you looked like Sandman (which I'm sure you will all know was the name of our first campervan) by the time you had finished!
We had to drop our van back at the depot about 3pm but unfortunately our flight to Adelaide was not until 2.40am the next morning. So once again we were stuck at an airport with very little to do. After a very bumpy flight we eventually got to Adelaide knackered and a bit airsick!
We eventually got to our Adelaide hostel at 7am but as check in wasn't till 1pm we had more hanging around to do. Luckily we were able to make use of the kitchen and find a big comfy sofa to relax on for a few hours.
Our Adelaide hostel was ok but other travellers don't half get on your nerves sometimes. I think some of them need to bring their parents with them as they seem incapable of washing up and clearing away after themselves! Think being so drunk you vomit into the closest saucepan and then leave it for somebody else to clear up. Dirty dirty b******s.
We were so completely exhausted after our night flight we found it difficult to get motivated to explore Adelaide. As a city it was ok. The best day we had was catching the tram to a local seaside place called Glenelg and having fish and chips out the paper which we had to eat with our fingers. It was like a good day out at Skegness. Even the weather matched as it was freezing cold. It hardly seems right that whilst at home it is summer, here in Australia it is in some places really cold!
After a few days in Adelaide it was time to catch another flight (for two people who detest flying we seem to be doing loads) to Alice Springs to explore The Red Centre. Alice is a great town with warmer weather in the day but freezing cold nights.
We picked up another campervan, (this time a very overpriced and much overrated Britz) to explore the area and the next few days were my (Andy B) favourite of our whole trip so far. Our first destination was to Uluru (Ayers Rock). On the drive down we passed Mount Connor which was a breathtaking site. A huge flat topped mountain that looked out of place in such a flat area. The petrol here has to be the most expensive in the whole of Australia at $1.80 a litre.
Literally picking up speed as the speed limit here is so high at 130kmh means you can really put your foot down. We spotted Uluru in the distance gradually getting bigger and bigger and more impressive. We checked in to the local campsite (rip off as the only one close) and paid our $25 per person (another rip off) to enter the park. The rock is every bit as impressive as you could possibly imagine. The first night we watched the sunset whilst shivering as the rock changed from red to bright red and then to brown.
The next day we got up very very early to catch the sunrise. This was more impressive as the rock seemed to come alive as the sun rose. The rock glowed bright red as the first sun rays hit it.
To climb or not to climb Uluru is a dilemma everyone faces when visiting. Quite apart from the fact that when you look up it looks a long way, very steep and dangerous the Aborigines don't want you to climb it as it is sacred to them. There are signs everywhere asking you not to climb. I would like to say we didn't climb due to the Aborigines thinking it was some magical snake's egg but to be honest I don't think we would've made it down alive and with Andrew D's track record best not to try. We did step onto it to get our obligatory picture and then took a walk around the base.
It does have an aura about it when you're close and with the wind rustling through the trees it is a great experience. Another section of the park is where The Olgas are. These may have been at one time one complete rock ten times bigger than Uluru but millions of years of erosions have created separate massively large boulders. A recommended walk is "Valley of the Wind" which takes you into The Olgas to explore.
Never in all my life have I been so awed by a natural wonder. It is difficult to put into words how thrilling the walk was through the chasms created by the massive boulders. The sunlight would pour in through gaps and spotlight and frame the gorge walls.
After a very lengthy walk which I really didn't want to end we made it back feeling like intrepid explorers.
The next day we had a long drive to Kings Canyon. I had heard and read good things about the Canyon rim walk so was looking forward to it. The start of the walk is a punishing ascent up the canyon wall which seems to take forever and at over 500 uneven steps felt like it as well. Once at the top though it was like being in a different world. Giant honey comb shape rocks tower over you as you walk along and across the whole canyon. Various look out points felt like standing on top of the world whilst sheer vertical drops framed the inner canyon. Again I was in awe at the sheer beauty. Half way round the canyon there is a descent into what is called The Garden of Eden. The rock here allows water to be stored and a small lush rainforest grows within the canyon. It is hard to describe how breathtaking it is and whilst the photo's can not truly show what it's like to be there I hope it gives you an idea. On this walk which was called the canyon rim walk we had to follow little blue arrows over the 8km trail, at times we thought we had taken a wrong turn spending many minutes looking round for the arrows to finally find it pointing up something that looks as steep as Snowdon which you had to scramble up to continue. It's lucky we are both fine specimens of manhood other wise we might have struggled to make it round.
Leaving the red centre in all it's glory with our aching limbs on our drive back to Alice Springs gave us time to think about the rest of our trip and if anything would match what we have seen so far, that is something only time would tell, but if it is half as stunning as what we have seen we are going to be just fine. Arriving back in Alice Springs with the McDonald ranges surrounding us we decide to take a couple of days rest and explore the town a little and also save some money by not driving so much. As always happens the times moves on and so must we as we pack up the van and head to the airport for yet another flight to Melbourne, for those that don't know the home of the popular Oz soap Neighbours (more about that in our next update).
Melbourne the capital of the southern state of Victoria and home to many sporting events such as the Australian GP and the Melbourne cup was something of a surprise to us both, the size of the city, the massive amount of people and so many cars it was like landing in London on a busy spring afternoon. Our hostel was a nice surprise and we have a really nice room with a balcony in the heart of the city on Flinders street. Spending the first day again at the seaside in the suburb of St Kilda's and the home of Luna park which houses the oldest roller coaster in the world (which is still in operation today) It was an easy but pleasant day out catching one of the many trams which navigate the city. The road outside the theme park also had a quaint Sunday market selling all those things you can't really afford and don't actually want. The evening was spent in the kitchen at the hostel chatting with a real mix bag of travellers from all over the world. Day 2 in Melbourne and we have had a nice long walk round the city another tram right to the docks to look at the new business and housing schemes the city is undertaking and finishing our day at the brand new Melbourne museum.
You may all be wondering what's next for us; well we leave here in a few days to collect another van this time the Spaceship (which we are going to trial for a week before we have the long drive up the east coast). We plan to drive the great ocean road see another national park, visit a disused mental institute , an old gold rush town and finish on Phillip Island, the home to Kolas and penguins.
Until the next time, enjoy the photos, take care and start to enjoy the warm weather.
Love from us both xx