Tennant Creek

Small drive today just over 200km which was a nice change. The road was extremely straight, only 4 bends in the 190km until we turned onto the Stuart Highway.

We stopped just north of the town to check out the old Telegraph station. Back in the 1870’s there was a push to connect Australia to the worlds telegraph network. They needed to connect Australia to the cable they had laid under the Java sea. They then needed to build a telegraph wire from Darwin to Adelaide this required a network of stations to be built to repeat the signal. Over 20 stations were built in the middle of nowhere. It was great to look around the old buildings and realise the enormous task they completed in just 2 years.

We arrived at Tennant Creek at lunchtime, back into a traditional camping ground with power. The access to power might be very useful to try out the air conditioning with an expected temperature of 33 degrees.

After lunch we went exploring. The first stop was the cultural centre and art gallery run by the local Warumgu people. It was interesting to read about their land claims and how they are supporting the local community. We were tempted by the beautiful art but resisted temptation.

We went to the info centre for some ideas of things to do around Alice and Uluru, and up to the lookout. Tennant Creek is surrounded by different ranges so makes for really interesting landscapes. Final stop was Lake Mary Ann which was the site of an old mine that has been converted into a recreational reserve.

Back to the camp via a fuel top up and visit to the local IGA. They close the gates to the camping ground at sundown so decided to have dinner at the camp tonight. We had a great catch up with family and then a camp walk as it was such a beautiful evening.

Tomorrow is a 500+km drive to Alice Springs with a sharp drop in temperature too.Read more