It was another scorcher of a day in Kununurra and whilst we waited for a number of car things to come together we ventured off to explore the surrounding area.
We headed up to the lookout and enjoyed the vista over the town. It’s so cool to see beautiful red rock cliffs over lakes and waterways and lush greenery around. It really is such a unique and stunning landscape in the Kimberleys.
As much as we wanted to do Ivanhoe Crossing, a cool water crossing, Chris didn’t want to do anything silly until the new shaft had been installed.
So we checked out an Aborignal Art Centre nearby with some lovely artwork and incredible Boab trees in the garden. It’s estimated that some trees are over 2000 years old and the bigger the trunk the more water they are able to store to survive in the arid climate of the Kimberley Region. Jazzy calls them bottle trees and she’s definitely onto something.
The tree has very unusual fruit, which comes in a shell that is initially furry, but incredibly hard. A lot of bowls and carved decorations are made from it. We algo got to try the pulp inside of one, which was a dry white pulp/powder that tasted a bit tangy and like sherbet, although the girls didn’t like it.
Back at camp, the pool and playground were another firm favourite to cool off and relax.
We decided to head out for dinner and check out the pump house as it has incredible views over the lake. Sadly for us the only table they had left was inside with zero views, so instead we enjoyed a drink and a game of Uno before grabbing some photos and finding a little Italian restaurant closer to home.
The girls have been loving playing Duplo every morning in the last few days, and there’s been some amazing creations developed! It’s a nice way for them to keep busy while we pack up the van in the mornings too.
We had to change our plans somewhat to accommodate the latest boot breaking on the Tanami and after some caravan booking Tetris, we were headed to Kununurra for 2 nights.
It was an easy drive and Chris was happy to be on the highway again. As we got into Kununurra we loved driving over the diversion dam.
The weather was so warm that the girls were thrilled to see a pool at the caravan park. It was of course freezing (as all the pools seem to be) but it was a welcome refresher from the heat.
There were a few errands to run, like food shop, pick up a new tyre, a million loads of washing and general sorting of all the stuff that has been accumulating in the van. I think round about now we are all missing the extra space of being in a house and having a place for everything we are travelling with. But I’m also getting ruthless at throwing/donating things we don’t use.
The caravan park backed onto Lake Kununurra and and it was a gorgeous place. If we had a few extra days, it would have been great to have gone out on the Lake to explore the local waterways from here.
In the meantime, we were looking forward to exploring around town a little more tomorrow!
Everyone woke up (alive!) in a good mood ready to start a new week. Chris had a few more things to fix up on the car, while the girls got stuck into some homework and I had a meeting.
We walked up to the Wolfe Creek Crater lookout and the kids thought it was fascinating to see the spot where a meteorite hit earth about 300,000 years ago.
You could clearly see the different types of rock and the area of impact, it was pretty cool! We didn’t have time to do the rim walk as we had a bit of driving to do still.
The drive out seemed much faster and more pleasant this time and before we knew it we were back on the highway. It actually was graded too, a lovely surprise! The termite mounds in the area were giant and we told the girls there were dinosaur poo, which Scarly loved 😂
We had a quick stop in Halls Creek for a top up of supplies and lunch on the go (Scarly is getting a taste for sausage rolls).
Then we perched up for a night at an awesome free camp. Chris got a fire going (finally again!), Jazzy was practicing her writing in the sand and it was just a lovely and chilled evening. Plus it was finally warm! Gosh, it makes such a difference when everyone is warmer and happier.
I don’t think I’ve been as cold on this trip as I was when I woke up. It was next level! The happy bunny next to me on the other hand was absolutely fine and chirpy as always.
We tried to warm up with some coffee and brekkie and then it was back on the road again. The girls actually just stayed in their pjs as it was too cold to get changed and we weren’t going to be stopping anywhere public or seeing anyone today anyway. I should have done the same 😂
We were going to try and do some long term driving to make up lost time in Alice and just because there really isn’t much to see along the 1,200kms from Alice to Halls Creek. Much to Chris’ frustration he found that yet another CV boot had come off. Honestly, 4 times unlucky is getting a bit tedious! Our amazing mechanic got to work in the middle of nowhere while the girls and I killed some time… He got the boot back on, clamped it and even managed to secure it with a makeshift garbage bag & cable tie combo.
Just before the WA border we stopped for lunch to eat any leftover fruit & veg so that it wouldn’t end up in the quarantine bin. Scarly had a great old time with the cherries and painting her lips again. She’s too funny!
The border crossing was a lot less interesting than we expected. There was no quarantine station like on the other roads, not a soul in sight and sadly no grand announcement that we had made it into WA. Luckily for us, someone must have felt the same way and laid out this lovely display right on the border.
After we had gained an extra 2 hours by crossing the border we pushed on and Chris really wanted to make it to Wolfe Creek Crater campsite. Now, that’s a lovely thought if you ignore all the backstories and you end up arriving there in daylight, but for us we had a long road ahead of us with corrugation, bull dust, having to top up diesel from Jerry cans. All this meant that our first WA sunset was spent driving and hoping nothing else would break and that we wouldn’t hit any wildlife.
By the time we finally got to Wolfe Creek it was pitch black and the very creepy you expect it to be from the movies and real life stories of times past. I was just trying to hold it together for the kids and not give away my fears! To make matters worse the campsite was full and we just about managed to squeeze into a spot next to someone who was already parked up.
Everyone was exhausted after we had been driving for over 8-9 hours today with the change in timezone. It was a rough and quick dinner and straight to bed for all!
Today we were finally back on the road and hoping that we get to WA and through the first bits safely until we can have parts replaced in Broome.
Chris got a few bushman mechanic spares ready to tackle whatever the car would throw at him and the girls enjoyed stopping at Bunnings and doing the Bluey treasure hunt. The simple things 😅
Then it was time to hit the Tanami track! We’ve researched all the different stops and fuel options and hopefully we would have enough in the Jerry cans to last us until Halls Creek! It was actually a pretty pleasant drive and we stopped for some lunch at Tillmouth Well. It had a playground and the food was yum, so happy days.
We had a good run and decided to drive as far as we could in the hope of doing the track in 2 daysrather than 3, to make us some lost time…
Our camp for the night was a lovely, quiet free camp with not a soul in sight and a few random things to explore. The girls loved playing Duplo again and we had tacos to use the rest of the veg before we hit WA quarantine.
WA is very strict on fruit, veg and honey being brought it, so I had been planning our purchases and consumption carefully the last few weeks, but there was going to be a lot of berries to be eaten tomorrow!
Despite Chris lighting a fire it was still a freezing cold night and we didn’t last long sitting outside!
By day 5 in Alice Springs and without a car for a big chunk of it, everyone was getting rather restless and cranky. Plus the cold, it’s actually incredible what an impact the cold makes on everyone’s mood and wellbeing.
Chris finally got word about the coils that they wouldn’t be arriving until 7th August, so we definitely wouldn’t be waiting around for that long and would just have to get on with our trip (and get the coils changed somewhere else).
We decided to lift spirits by going out for breakfast at a nice nearby cafe. It had a huge toy area and the girls were in their element playing and having fun. We had to remind them to eat and what we actually came to the cafe for, ha ha. It was nice to drink a great coffee also – that makes a difference to mama’s and papa’s mood in the mornings.
Then Chris was off to get the final bits on the car completed since we weren’t waiting for the coils. We also did the last bit of chores at camp, as we knew we wouldn’t have power or water for a few days. My hardest task was going to be having enough food to last us until our next stop but biding by the quarantine rules of WA which includes no fresh fruit or veg. That’s a tricky one!
The playground across the road at the art centre was our savior of sanity again and the girls let off a lot of energy there.
Inbetween homework tasks the girls got to enjoy some movie time, bunkering in to keep warm and giving me some time to work.
It’s been a very deflating week, but we are all looking forward to hitting the road again and finding new adventures!
This morning started with some celebrations for our Jazzy, who has completed 100 days of learning and with a good chunk of that on the road too! Just like her friends back in Sydney, she got to dress up like a 100 year old. Izzy and I had bought her a special wig for it and we improvised with items of clothing from several other wardrobes to throw her outfit together. It was nice for her to share in the celebrations virtually by seeing some of the photos of her friends also.
Luckily the wig and dressing up helped with a bit of motivation to do some homework too as she got to do some of her video recordings for her distance education teachers in her wig 😂 we might have to keep this one as a motivator for future work…
To mark the special occasion we headed off to the movies in the afternoon. There wasn’t a great lot of choice but in the end we watched Fantastic Four and the big girls loved it! Even Scarly got into it, which surprised us all as it wasn’t a cartoon. Or maybe she was just excited to get her own mini popcorn, which helped her sit through the whole movie.
Chris tried to chase up the status of the suspension coils, but unfortunately didn’t get any updates on that. So he decided to get the tyre replaced before the car went in for more work. The only Maxxis stockist had run out of that model tyre, meaning we had to use the spare. It made Chris very nervous knowing that we would be doing the Tanami track with a compromised spare and potentially the volatile CV boot, if the suspension fix doesn’t fix the underlying problem.
While we waited for Chris to get the tyre replaced we headed off to an indoor playground and had a look around one of the local shopping centres. Sadly a lot of the shops were closed by 4pm, not sure if that’s permanent or if they just close much earlier in Alice.
Back at camp it was a quick dinner and off to bed. Even Chris and I have been going to bed earlier here as it’s just too cold to stay up and unfortunately you can’t have fires in the caravan park.
While we waited for the car to be returned we decided to catch up on some of the chores that have been outstanding for a while, like washing sheets and cleaning out yet more dust from the remaining crevices in the van that we just haven’t gotten to yet, which seemed like many!
At least we could enjoy a slower morning at camp and at the park, with some of the usual activities for all.
Unfortunately, it seemed that the recurring CV boot issue was being caused by the incorrect suspension coil being installed in Sydney and would have to be replaced. While the mechanic in Alice was great at identifying that and speaking to Lovells Head Office, it meant we would have to wait for a part to be delivered before the work could be completed. The knock on effect of that would mean changing our plans to stay in Alice longer and losing days in other places. The logistical nightmare of shuffling things around was one for me to solve once we knew just how long the part would take to reach Alice. The head office promised Thursday, but after chatting to a few people in the caravan park today it seems like things often take longer or get lost and sent to Darwin instead, quite frequently.
To make matters worse, Chris also found a huge gash in one of the car tyres, which would likely need to be replaced. Another one to add to the list 🫣
Everyone was feeling a bit antsy, so we decided to head back to the amazing sushi place in town, which we had visited on our way down to Uluru. Salmon and avocado nigiri certainly helped to lift everyone’s mood and the staff remembered us and our crazy number of sushi plates from last time…
It was hard to stay upbeat when we are stuck in Alice and things seem to be going from bad to worse… but when things seem dreary, remember to look for the bright side, like this gorgeous sunset! And eat cherries until your mouth is purple 😂
This morning Chris dropped the car off early for a service and for the mechanic to finally have a look at the latest CV boot issue. So we pottered around the campsite for the morning catching up on work, I had a number of meetings and the girls did some homework with Chris.
The mini playground at the campsite came in handy for distractions and burning energy. It was also nice to be able to perch up in the sun to catch a breath from the cold. We’re really missing the warmer weather, as it’s been getting down to the zero mark at night and with zero insulation in the van, we really feel the cold!
In the afternoon we headed out to Alice Springs desert park, a firm favourite from our previous visit to Alice Springs. We even recreated a photo from 4 years ago at the little playground there. Last time Jazzy was fast asleep in the pram when we took this one of Izzy but this time we got the whole gang in there.
We saw the dingo show and learnt a few new things about them. I actually didn’t know that dingoes have extra ribs compared to domestic dogs.
Then it was time for the bird show! The birds would arrive on cue and it was incredible having the kites, owls, buzzard and other birds fly overhead as they showed off their hunting skills and unique personalities.
We were all particularly impressed by the buzzard breaking into an imitation emu egg with a rock. It used its beak to pick it up and would throw the rock over the middle of the egg to try and crack it. Apparently it’s not a learnt, but an innate behaviour for them – so smart! The caretaker said it’s actually more closely related to a parrot than an eagle, hence the brains.
At the end of the show, the girls got a chance to hold Illara, the barn owl, and to get their photo taken with her. Turns out it’s the same cutie that Izzy got to hold 4 years ago, as the owl is now 11 years old.
Jazzy said that she felt very heavy, but really enjoyed the experience. Poor Scarly couldn’t understand why a 2 year old isn’t allowed to hold the owl, but we promised her we would come back…
After that we explored the many aviaries and the Nocturnal house. It was fun seeing all the bilbies and other native creatures roaming around in their element under the red lights. The girls also loved seeing real thorny devils after the playground and couldn’t believe how small they are in real life. However the snakes always creep me out, especially when you read just how venomous most of them are.
They do such an amazing job at the park, it’s so worth visiting for anyone visiting Alice Springs.
This morning was my turn to enjoy the magic of Uluru as I headed out to a morning sunrise tour by myself (yes, that’s right, on my own – the bliss!). It was an early start and a cold one. As we arrived at the viewing platform it was still dark and we were treated by some warm chai.
It was then time to watch a laser show based on a painting by three local Aboriginal artists entitled Ngura nganampa Wiru mulapa, meaning or “Our Country is truly beautiful”. It was such a magical experience having the voiceover in language with the artwork lighting up trees and Uluru in the background coming into sight as the sun was rising. Learning about the past present and future of the area, just spectacular!
Once the show was finished it was time for some brekkie and coffee while we got to enjoy nature doing its show. Unfortunately it was a very overcast day so we couldn’t see the sun come out behind the clouds, but there were glimpses of sun rays from behind the clouds and the wonderful light you get in the mornings over both Uluru and Kata Tjuṯa.
Refreshed and enlightened I came back to the usual chaos of morning fights, packing up and the cold making everyone cranky. I was trying to hold onto the magic morning feeling for as long as possible 😬
We hit the road and tried to do minimal stops as it was quite the trip to Alice Springs. At least the girls and I had plenty of work/homework to keep us busy on the long drive. Little Scarly got to enjoy some extra iPad time, but she knows to hop out and stretch every time we pull over on the road.
Everyone enjoyed a big sleep and there was no rush to get up this morning. We eventually climbed out of the van to brave the cold, cold is probably not even the right word. It’s been arctic!!
As it was still cold we decided to check out the camel farm before heading out on our hike. The girls loved seeing all the different animals there and Scarly even got to feed some goats.
By the time we actually got to the National Park it was almost lunchtime, so we decided to check out the Gorge at Kata Tjuṯa. It was beautiful but so very windy and everyone was glad to have their beanies and warm layers on. Scarlett also loved the echo and kept trying to test it over and over and over again.
It was an easy walk in and we enjoyed the vastness of the rocks around us to create such beauty!
After getting back to the car and a quick lunch stop of chicken wraps it was back on the road to the Valley of the Winds, which is part of the Kata Tjuṯa National Park walk.
I remember walking this with Chris 11 years ago and how windy it was. We decided to just walk out to the first lookout as we weren’t really in the mood for the full 7.4km walk. The first lookout was pretty (although you couldn’t take photos) and we all felt good so agreed we would walk to the next one.
The next one was a bit more challenging, but still manageable and WELL worth it! Scarly had also fallen asleep in the backpack so instead of backtracking on ourselves to get back to the carpark I suggested to just walk the extra 2 kms and see a new, scenic route. I don’t believe that my suggestion was met with the greatest enthusiasm, but we ended up doing it and saw some incredible parts. Again, some don’t allow for photos but even the ones you can photograph often don’t do it full justice!
We got back a little more tired than planned and my back was feeling it by the end after 2 back to back huge hikes with Scarly on my back… so I sculled my ginger beer in the carpark while the kids got their maxibon back at camp. We were starting to run a bit short on time as well so just quickly grabbed some pizzas and a beer.
The big girls and Chris headed out for the night to see the Twilight Drone and Laser show. I wasn’t there and can only share Chris photos and insights so their summary of it is” “11 out of 11”, “it was the best show I’ve ever been to”, “it was awesome” and “it was mind blowing”.
The girls absolutely loved it and thought it was the highlight of their trip! Luckily the winds from previous days had also died down so that they could enjoy it fully and the drone show actually went ahead.
Meanwhile Scarly and I stayed back at camp enjoying a quiet evening. Once she is 5 we will have to come back and enjoy all these shows with her 😊
Today was the day all of us have been eagerly anticipating and we got up early to have a big breakfast before our big day of exploring Uluru.
Unfortunately the kids’ bubble burst early when I received a notification to say that our bike hire would not be going ahead because of the track being unsuitable for bikes due to recent rain. Izzy took the news really hard, but we tried to convince her that she would be able to walk it and that it would still be magical!
To soften the blow we stopped off for a coffee fuel up and babycinos for the girls to get them through the day. By the time we arrived, a free guided walk was starting and we tagged along to listen to James, a local Aboriginal guide and young Emerson who is training to be a guide and ranger, tell stories of his experiences and knowledge around Uluru.
The thing you notice first and foremost when you arrive at Uluru is that it is so much more than “just a monolith”. The scale, size, prominence and colours are incredible and you can’t help but think that there is more than just geology at play here. It makes sense why it is such a sacred place to so many local communities.
It was incredible to get James’ perspective of the significance of Uluru, learn the importance of knowledge, culture and language sharing at some of the sites around Uluru and how we can all contribute to sharing what we’ve learned as we travel beyond the boundaries of this land.
There were some amazing caves that we got to see and hear about James’ family’s experience. The girls particularly loved the story about James’ mum and aunty turning up at school dressed in clothes whereas all the other kids there were naked and how they were asked to go home and get naked before returning to school to learn. That set off a few bewildered giggles amongst our girls…
Once the tour was finished we set off on our hike around the base of Uluru and I must say, everyone did extremely well! The girls walked the whole time without too much mention of how tired or hungry they might be. Luckily we had all the snacks anyway, but to maintain motivation at certain parts of the walk we also had to bust out some tunes!
We all couldn’t believe how much Uluru changes depending on which side you are walking on, what the sunlight is doing and just how much variety there is in the landscape around Uluru. It was incredible! Chris and I have visited before, but I’ll say that it was just as magical the second time around…
It was fascinating to learn about some of the Dreamtime stories and to visit some of the sacred and connected siges. The girls also loved identifying different animals in the rock faces and exploring the ever changing geology of Uluru. Jazzy’s favourite part was the “wave” that she enjoyed surfing.
The sacred parts are always well away from the paths and also don’t allow any photos, which we respected and will keep those in our minds instead.
Before we knew it, we had hiked the entire 10kms and it was time to get some ice cream and lunch. We explored the cultural area and centre, learning more and admiring the artwork around the place.
Izzy and Jazzy loved the novelty of a phone booth and calling their uncle Alex for free from it. The simple pleasures in life 😂
Back at camp everyone was exhausted, but we agreed that we had earned a nice dinner since we walked rather than biked it.
To our amazement, the girls were on their best behaviour (this whole trip I reckon), kept busy colouring in and eating their own delicious dinner that Chris and I actually got to enjoy dinner with a couple of drinks and dessert. It was a miracle! Scarly loved the dessert so much, she licked the plate. She’s become such a wild child 🤭
After a rainy and dreary start to the day, we were glad to get back on the road a little later once it cleared up and enjoyed a slower pace this morning.
We were back on the Red Centre Way again and Chris was really happy to see proper road again!
We made a stop at Curtin Springs for lunch and the girls enjoyed seeing some of the birds roaming around the garden. It’s fascinating how many different species of birds we’ve seen in the NT so far.
As we continued on, Mount Connor appeared. Mount Connor is a mountain that always gets people confused with Uluru, but our girls were onto it and noticed it was the wrong shape to be Uluru.
Soon enough we were approaching the “real” Uluru and everyone was so excited to see it at sunset.
After we set up camp we headed out into the National Park to grab a spot at the Uluru Sunset viewing platform with our cheese platter and our best poses. We all loved watching the colours change as the sun set.
Gosh, you really can’t put into words the magnificence of Uluru, the scale, the colours, the feeling it gives you when you’re looking at it. Chris let the girls sit up on the roof to enjoy an extra special view and they loved it!
It was going to be a windy day today, so we tried to get out as early as possible for our big hike around Kings Canyon today. It certainly wasn’t hot either!
Everyone layered up and we drove out to Kings Canyon. We tried to warn the girls that the first section is pure uphill stairs torture and that if they can get through this section, they will be able to do it no problem…
It was hard and the cold wind didn’t help, but the girls got up the stairs and were actually impressed by the view they could now take in from the top (instead of us nagging them and reminding them to admire the view). I must say I needed a few extra stops than last time along the way with my previous cargo on my back.
The hike was so beautiful and felt like every time we got further, the landscape and view would change again and new amazing rock formations or cliff edges would emerge.
I remember doing the hike 11 years ago with Chris, but it was great to experience it with the girls. In particular they loved the lush greenery of the Garden of Eden, the spots that had a great echo and the epic cliff edges (which they stayed well away from at all times).
We actually completed the walk in less than 2.5 hours, which surprised everyone! Everyone felt a big sense of accomplishment 😊 It also meant more time back at camp to have a shower and relax.
While I caught up on some work, the girls did a bit of homework and then relaxed. Everyone was exhausted, so we opted for an early dinner out.
The night brought a lot of wind and even some rain, which made for a restless night for all, but luckily we weren’t on a strict timeline tomorrow.
What a beautiful place to wake up! It was lovely to see the sun rise over the cliffs and admire the view.
We weren’t in a particular rush this morning so packed up, had breakfast and did some more work and homework before heading out on a walk around the gorge. The full gorge pound walk takes around 4-5 hours so we decided to opt for a tamer version and headed on the ghost gum lookout walk.
It was a steep climb up to the initial lookout, but totally worth the burn. The girls appreciated the view as well, which was nice. I remember this lookout as the final stop of our 5 day Larapinta trek and it was nice to bring the girls here and share this special place with them.
We continued on around the cliff edges and eventually made our way down to cross over to the other side. Unfortunately this year (or this time of year) there are a lot of dead fish in the water so it wasn’t water anyone really wanted to cross barefoot… but unfortunately for Chris and I that’s what we had to do and carry the kids across. We picked a spot where we couldn’t see any dead fish, at least! Apparently it’s caused by low oxygen levels, likely to be due to the cold conditions at the moment. Such a shame, because we enjoyed a swim at Ormiston every day during our 5 day hike!
It was a completely different view from the other side and the terrain was a bit tricky with lots of rocks, but the kids enjoyed the challenge.
There was also the promise of ice cream after lunch to get everyone through the walk! Chris and I got the best bacon & egg roll on this trip as our treat.
Back at camp we jumped in the car to do the track out to Kings Canyon. I insisted on a quick stop at the Mount Zinder lookout to show the girls and Chris what I had previously climbed. The girls said a quick “wow” and then stuck their heads back into the iPad 😂
We’d heard the rest of the track was a bit rough, but weren’t sure what to expect… the worst part turned out to be the turnoff to Gosse Bluff crater. It was a really cool place to visit and the size was impressive! Jazzy just couldn’t get her head around the idea that the meteor would have been big enough to create the entire place and kept looking for where it had “fallen”.
Unfortunately Chris made a discovery that we had blown a third CV boot (which made him both frustrated and stressed). Luckily we already had the car booked into the mechanic back at Alice Springs at the end of this loop, but it wasn’t ideal.
After a quick look at the sunset platform we grabbed a quick dinner and tried to have an early night. The big walk this morning and the long afternoon set off quite a few big feelings – something we are still working through.
Thierings on Tour 