Outback Adventure 2019
Day 17
Alice Springs - Aileron - Wycliffe Wells - Devils Marbles
It was pancake day today for Easter Sunday. There were free pancakes on offer at the park in Alice Springs with some Easter eggs and out on the road there was sadly a pancaked Perentie courtesy of the Disco and a few pancake cows closer to the Devils Marbles!
We got moving early this morning so that we could get the vans out of the park to allow us more time for pancakes. There was a huge queue of course, however some managed 3 and others 2. Maple syrup was the clear flavour of choice.
We got underway just after 9.30 with full bellies of pancakes ready for our days drive ahead. We stopped in at the Aileron Roadhouse to view the ‘Big Aborigines’. Sadly there was no wedgetail eagle about this visit. A rooster was in in place in the cage it used to frequent. We pushed on.
We stopped at the old Barrow Creek Telegraph Station for lunch and an explore around. It is a beautiful stone set of buildings that have been tastefully restored. It was built in 1872 and is one of only 4 telegraph stations that remain intact along the original overland telegraph line that ran between Port Augusta and Port Darwin. A good spot for lunch although the flies agreed it was too!
Pushing on we fueled at Wycliffe Wells which has some claim to mass UFO sightings and lots of beers but it is nothing of what it was previously known as these days.
We drove into the Devils Marbles campground just after 3.15pm to find it not too busy. We found a nice spot for the night and quickly setup so that we could relax in the shade of the van.
A little while later we went exploring all the wonders that this place offers. We marveled at how these huge granite boulders came to be where they are, why some haven’t fallen, and how eventually they will all weather into sand from the wind and elements.
We watched the sunset from atop of the Marbles and had all but given up on it due to cloud cover. We returned to the van and as we did noticed some colours appearing in the sky - pinks and oranges. The sun had broken through below the clouds and so we raced back to our spot to see the best sunset that we’ve had all this trip. The vibrant colours were such that we are used to at Mindal Beach in Darwin and it made staying here that much more special!
We had bacon and eggs and hash browns for dinner- just for something a bit different and it rounded off a great Easter Sunday away.
Tomorrow we turn right at 3 Ways and that means we have reached our outer marker and it’s time to head towards Qld and then towards home.
What a great way to reach out turning point though!