Travelling Oz in our PearcyPod

Maret – Agustus 2025
  • Brad and Mandy Pearce
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We have the van and now the plan is to travel around our great land. From East to West and North to South we hope to take our time exploring all the states (and territories) in 2025. Baca selengkapnya
  • Brad and Mandy Pearce
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  • Australia Australia
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  • View from Anzac Hill
    Anzac HillViews from Anzac HillTodd River - usually dry but does flood sometimesWedgetail eagleBarn owlA buzzard doing his party trick - breaking open the egg with a rock to get the foodFalconDingosZebra finchWhite headed stiltRev. Dr. John Flynn grave (his ashes are buried here)They had to change the stone - original came from the Devil's Marbles area and had to be returned.Ring neck parrot - nearly landed on my head - lost a footGalahs enjoying the water

    Alice Springs

    14–21 Jun, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We have just left Alice Springs, having spent an enjoyable week here. Alice Springs has got a bit of a bad reputation over the past couple of years due to antisocial behaviour but we did not experience that (except for the young fellow who walked through the shopping precinct yelling obscenities at the top of his voice - but that could happen anywhere). Mind you, we didn't go out at night and felt totally safe and secure in our caravan park, which was just a little out of town.

    It is a very interesting town to look at - almost surrounded by rocky red sandstone cliffs with the River Todd (a dry river bed) running through it. It has some great bike paths and we rode out to the Telegraph Station one day and on another from Simpson's Gap to Flynn's grave (John Flynn - Royal Flying Doctor Service), a distance of 35km return. Brad's ebike battery decided to die - fortunately only a couple of km from the car.

    We visited the Alice Springs Desert Park and spent almost 5 hours there. So interesting listening to talks about emus, dingos, the nocturnal house with one of my favourites - the bilby - very cute. There was also a raptor flying show with eagles, falcons and kites etc. which was fantastic. I believe Sir David Attenborough gave this park a tick of approval as one of the best of its kind.

    We also explored the West Macdonnell Ranges but that deserves a footprint of its own.
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  • Watarrka National Park - Kings Canyon

    10–13 Jun, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    After Coober Pedy we continued northwards staying overnight at Marla, crossed into Northern Territory, overnight again at Erldunda and then spending 3 nights at Petermann on the edge of Watarrka National Park - more commonly known as Kings Canyon.

    Kings Canyon is aptly named because this place is majestic! Sheer red cliffs and interesting rock formations are a sight to behold. The main activity here is to do the rim walk - about 6km around the top or rim of the gorge as the name suggests. I found this walk very challenging. The first section consists of about 500 steep rocky steps to get to the top. Took me a while with numerous stops and plenty of encouragement and assistance from Brad. Around the top it was somewhat smoother but there were still steps and rocky areas to negotiate. Even coming down while it was a more gradual descent, it was taken at a slow pace. Finally reached the bottom after almost 5 hours.

    So, was it worth it? Most definitely! Unfortunately looking at the photos, the camera does not capture what the eye can see. I have tried to include photos that include people to get an idea of perspective.

    Am I glad I did it? Yes! Just wish I was a bit younger, a bit fitter and had longer legs. I looked on in awe at the younger people who scrambled up and down rocks like mountain goats and wondered if I was ever like that.

    Would I do it again? NO WAY!! (Brad, however, would have no problem doing the hike again)

    We did a couple of other much easier walks at Kathleen Springs and the Creek walk at the base of the gorge. They were very pleasant with plenty of birdlife - budgies and zebra finches.

    Brad got a nice photo of the strawberry full moon rising over Kings Canyon (from the caravan park we were staying in). Very nice park - fairly new - not cheap. Fuel was $2.81/l. Also saw our first dingos in the wild and could hear them howling during the night.

    Back at Erldunda overnight, then we will head to Alice Springs tomorrow for a week. We decided not to go to Uluru (Ayres Rock) because we were there just a few years ago and I guess the rock hasn't changed much in those few years.
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  • The Breakaways - sunset tour

    6 Juni, Australia ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    The second tour we did with George was to the Breakaways - amazing rock formations that show beautiful colours, especially with the evening sun. It was a 70km round trip from Coober Pedy and took us to an area called the moon plains (because of its barren landscape), the dog/dingo fence (longest fence in the world at over 5600km), and the spectacular breakaways.

    One formation looked like a camel lying down, another was supposed to be two dogs and there were various outlines in the rocks that were supposed to look like a face or a fish - but you really have to use your imagination. Climbed a small hill and it was so windy I felt as if it was going to blow me off balance (plenty of surface area here 😁)
    Ended the tour watching the sunset while drinking a cuppa and munching on a blueberry muffin.
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  • Coober Pedy - a most unusual place

    5–8 Jun, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    It was very windy when we arrived at Coober Pedy and it didn't really let up in the 3 days we were here. We booked into the caravan park and also booked the 2 tours that George - the owner of the caravan park runs. The morning tour took us to the major sights of the town - the underground mine and museum, underground Catholic Church, the golf course where Brad did a posing shot (the wind was so strong it would have landed on the other side of town), an open cut opal mine and a tour of his own dugout house.

    The afternoon tour I'll cover in a separate post because I'm limited to 20 photos per footprint.

    The spare day we went to places that were not covered in the tour. Boot Hill cemetery had some interesting headstones - one fellow had a beer keg as his headstone inscribed with "have a drink on me". We saw the Siberian Underground church and also walked around the wellness labyrinth (which is becoming a little uncared for).

    So, Coober Pedy was an interesting place to visit but I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would choose to live there. Summers are excruciatingly hot and there is very little rain. I guess the hope of making it rich by digging up a perfect opal is the main attraction.
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  • Don't ask me what all the rockets are - Brad got carried away
    Meteor jet fighterCanberra bomberSalt lake on the way to Glendambo

    Woomera

    4 Juni, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Heading towards Coober Pedy, we passed through Woomera. A strange town - felt almost deserted, yet clean and tidy. Reminded me a bit of an army base from the 1950s and this is understandable because it has always been a defence owned facility. Only opened to the public since 1982, it now displays some of the rockets etc that were tested at Woomera. We checked out the rocket park and the museum before continuing on to and overnight stay at Glendambo.Baca selengkapnya

  • Port Augusta and surrounds

    1–4 Jun, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Back in Port Augusta again after our hurried trip back home. We had placed the van in storage at the caravan park and it was a relief to find it still there when we returned. Two weeks were spent organising and then celebrating the life of Brad's mum. We are back now and continuing our journey.

    Last post was from Lake Eyre. From there we travelled back down to Quorn at the southern end of the Flinders Ranges. Quorn is a quirky little town, once a major railway town but now runs a tourist train on the Pichi Richi line to Port Augusta (we didn't do this). Every evening they have a silo art display where four or five stories relevant to Quorn are projected on the silo. Very colourful and the stories were interesting and best of all, it was free.

    Port Augusta is a reasonably short drive from Quorn. Touristy things we did included a visit to the Arid Botanical Gardens, checked out the red cliffs, climbed an old water tower for good views of the town, drove to Hancock's lookout for great views over the Spencer Gulf and visited the Wadlata Outback Centre. This was very interesting, taking you on a journey through time and history of the outback, from geological forces, first nations people, early explorers, the railway, school of the air, to mining.

    Leaving Port Augusta we are heading north, via Woomera to Coober Pedy.
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  • Arid Air 12 seater Cessna
    CosyCrashed plane in the dry lakeWater on the lakeFlood waters coming down the river systemPelicans on Lake EyreEdge of the incoming waterInteresting shapes on lake bedA smallish poolAlmost looks like waves on a beachThe Marree ManDesert coloursLumpy landscapeThese were almost circularRipples in the hillsOodnadatta TrackMarreeMini Appoloosa

    Lake Eyre and the Marree Man

    12–14 Mei, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Leaving the Flinders Ranges behind us, we travelled further north to the small outback town of Marree to witness the rare phenomenon of Lake Eyre with water. Usually a large dry salt lake, the recent flood waters in Western Queensland are slowly draining down the river systems and filling Lake Eyre. The water is not visible from the road.... yet, but maybe in a couple of months time, so the only way to see it is from the air.

    It was a perfect early morning flight, visibility was great and it was amazing to see the sheer size of the salt lake. Where the water was coming in at a rate of 2-3km per day, the lake was coming to life. There were even pelicans.

    There were other interesting geological formations as well as the Marree Man - an enormous geoglyph etched in the ground. It is about 3km tall and 28km perimeter and depicts an aboriginal man with a throwing stick and is believed to be one of the largest in the world. However, it's origins are a bit of a mystery. It only appeared in 1998 and the artist/s have never been identified. It could have been made by army personnel stationed in the area at that time... or it could have been organised by the owner of the Marree Hotel to drum up some publicity. I have positioned the marker on the Marree Man on the map so you can see it from Google Earth.

    So, it was an interesting trip to see Lake Eyre with water but the town of Marree has nothing going for it. At least it was a sealed road to get there ( and we can say we have been in the Oodnadatta Track)
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  • Early morning at Wilpena
    Rawnsley lookoutWestern side of FlindersOchre pits /cliffsBeautiful colours

    Spectacular Flinders Ranges

    10–11 Mei, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We only spent one night in the Flinders Ranges at Wilpena Pound, mainly because I couldn't seem to book 2 nights. It was the weekend and mothers day as well so that may have been why it was busy. Anyway, we saw enough to satisfy us and got some nice early morning and late afternoon photos of the very photogenic mountain Ranges. We checked out a few lookouts but didn't do any walks. Also got some photos of the western side of the Ranges as we travelled further north. There were some ochre cliffs which had beautiful colours. As usual, photos do not do it justice.Baca selengkapnya

  • West again and into South Australia

    8–10 Mei, Australia ⋅ 🌙 8 °C

    It has been 39 years since we have been in South Australia and then it was only as far as Adelaide. We crossed the border near Renmark making sure we didn't have any contraband on board (fresh fruit and veges) as they are very strict and the fines are quite severe. Stayed overnight at beautiful Lake Bonney, then headed north to Peterborough, a once thriving railway town, but now serves as more of a junction for people heading to the Flinders Ranges or to Adelaide (from NSW).

    The landscape has changed dramatically to large, often barren rolling hills. It doesn't help that they are experiencing a bad drought - haven't had rain for about 3 months. It would look spectacular if it was green but it still had a certain appeal.

    In Peterborough we did the Steamtown Train Museum. It was quite interesting, even if you are not into trains. Had lunch at Orroroo (try saying that 3 times fast) and then we went to Magnetic Hill where we experienced a weird phenomenon. We drove to a point where we were facing downhill. Turn off the ignition, put it in neutral and take off the brake. We started rolling .... backwards ... uphill! It is an optical illusion but you'd swear we were being pulled uphill. We did try it from the other direction and it did not have the same effect. Have included a couple of videos but I'm not sure if it will give you the idea.
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  • Turn left and we arrive at Mildura

    2–7 Mei, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    After travelling west for the last few weeks we headed south to the town of Mildura on the NSW/Vic border. From dry, dusty red dirt to a lush green oasis - what a contrast. Managed to score a site right on the river for $20/night (had to stay 5 nights so $100). Lots of birdlife and paddleboats and houseboats floating by. Ahh the serenity... except for the rev heads doing laps on Friday and Saturday nights.

    Contacted a friend who used to live near me many years ago and now lives in Mildura. It was lovely catching up with her over a coffee for a couple of hours - hard to believe it has been over 20 years since I last saw her.

    As far as touristy things, there has not been that much that interests us but we have spent the time relaxing, going on a couple of bike rides, watched a houseboat passing through a loch, reading/doing my craft and generally just enjoying the peace.

    We did go to Wentworth, about 30km West of Mildura. They have one of the best tourist info places I've seen. Wentworth is where the Darling River meets the Murray River and you can see the difference in the junction. We also headed out to the Perry Sand Hills that originated after the ice age (40,000 years ago). Skeletal remains of giant mega fauna (kangaroos, emus, wombats and lions(?)) have been found there. There is also a tree known as the God Tree that is believed to be over 500 years old. A River Red Gum whose trunk is buried under 20 feet of sand and still survives. You are actually standing in the canopy of the tree.

    We have enjoyed our stay at Mildura - weather has been perfect - warm and sunny. We leave here and head into South Australia.
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