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Our First Big Aussie AdventureOur First Big Aussie Adventure
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Our First Big Aussie Adventure

August - September 2017
A 50-day adventure by Our Australian Adventures Read more

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  • Our Australian AdventuresOur First Big Aussie Adventure
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    Day 1

    Singleton to the Meadow Glen Rest Area

    August 11, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We were in our way at 7.40am. A little later than planned but the extra sleep was appreciated!

    First stop, Dunedoo! A quick stop for an early lunch. Then Dubbo and Cobar for fuel. An unbelievable number of goats on the sides of the road. A few wild emus and Kangaroos. Between movies the girls noticed the changing colour of the Roos from grey to dark grey to red as the mountains gave way to flatter and and more open spaces.

    We pulled in to the Meadow Glen Rest Area around 5pm after a little over 9 hours and 678kms from home. The rest area was very popular with about 10 other vans already pulled up. Very red and dusty but with no breeze to speak of it was a great place to stop. The boys got a fire going as the temperature dropped and the girls went hunting for more sticks to use. We roasted marshmallows after dinner and turned in early. Overall a great first day!    Read more

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    Day 2

    Meadow Glen Rest Area to Manna Hill Rest

    August 12, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Another big driving day! Left the Meadow Glen Rest Area around 9am after a very cold night! We woke up to find ice on the camp chairs outside but still a great spot to stop! We had no phone or internet but found there was one bar near the toilets.

    We stopped and made lunch about 12.30 at Little Topper, about half an hour before we got to Broken Hill. We headed straight for the Information Centre before walking to the Musicians Club for a look at the famous Saxophone chandelier! Lara was very impressed! We also stopped by the Palace Hotel and saw the giant stiletto. We decided to skip Silverton and the Mad Max Museum and instead got back on the road to head further along and into South Australia and shorten tomorrow's drive time.

    We travelled through the Strazleki Desert spotted lots of goats, emus and a few emus with their chicks. We even saw the odd tumble weed. Such a vast difference in landscape from what we're used to seeing. We also realised we had moved into a new time zone and had gained half an hour!

    We arrived at the Manna Hill rest area just before 5pm; ??? Kms and 6 hours drive from our last stop for the night and ???kms from home. After waiting 2 hours for the Lasagna to cook for dinner, homework and music practice (and a few toasted marshmallows) we are turning in before another day of driving tomorrow. (Will correct kms tomorrow after I check!)    Read more

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    Day 3

    Manna Hill to Woomera

    August 13, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Left Manna Hill a little late at 9.40 and headed for Port Augusta! The three hour trip flew by with the fast changing landscape along the way. We arrived at the Wadlata Outback Centre for a look at their Australian History displays which were amazing! Everything from Aboriginal culture to European explorers, the evolution of communication and even mining. A fantastic resource for local schools and something I think the girls took a lot away from.

    A quick lunch in the car park, a trip to Coles and some extra fuel and we were back on the road on the way to Woomera. The sheer vastness of the landscape is incredible. You have an idea of what the Outback looks like but there truely is nothing like experiencing it first hand. We've been talking tonight about how quickly the days are going compared with what we all expected. The travelling isn't dragging out the days at all.

    The Woomera Traveller's village and Caravan Park has been a lovely quiet spot considering there are at least 20 vans here with clean amenities and a bar we haven't had the chance to check out yet.

    We're all looking forward to Coober Pedy tomorrow and a two night stay in one place. 😄    Read more

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    Day 4

    Woomera to Coober Pedy

    August 14, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    We left Woomera around 8.30am (after a wonderfully mild night compared to the last two) and stopped just up the road at Spud's Roadhouse to top up before starting the four hour drive to Coober Pedy! The drive was spectacular! The scenery seemed to change every few minutes for the first three hours. The photos just can't do the colours justice! We also started discussing our next trip and possible destinations ! I think we have been bitten by the road trip bug!

    The last hours drive was consistently barren although the was still more vegetation than I expected to see. We reached Coober Pedy around 1pm (with stops), set up at the Oasis Tourist Park and headed to the Visitors Centre to get our permit to visit the Breakaways tomorrow and a quick look in at one of the many underground opal shops in town and some photos by the spaceship from 'Pitch Black'. After a dip in the caravan park pool for the kids, the grown ups relaxed with some cabanossi and cheese. Looking forward to a full day exploring Coober Pedy tomorrow!!    Read more

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    Day 5

    Exploring Coober Pedy and Surrounds

    August 15, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    If you ever plan on seeing Coober Pedy you need a minimum 2 full days. After a day and a half we can all say we would've appreciated another day!

    We left about 9.30am after Joe cooked us a pancake breakfast! We expected the round trip to see the Breakaways, Dingo fence and Moon Plain would take no longer than 1 1/2 hours. We took 3 hours. Seeing the Breakaways for the first time is what I imagine seeing the Grand Canyon would be like. Just WOW! I've seen so many photos but nothing can prepare you for the sheer scale of it! If you ever get the chance go!

    After our drive we went straight to the public noodling area where the girls dug for opal. They were very disappointed they didn't strike it rich but they found some interesting rocks and crystal gypsum.

    We then went and did a tour of Faye's Mine and her underground house. Faye mined her land on her own and dug her home with two other women by hand. Although no one knows what Faye was worth it is believed she was a very wealthy woman!

    We grabbed a bite of lunch then headed to have a look at the Serbian Orthodox Church which is dug from the side of a hill with the drill used to create a scalloped effect in the roof. After taking a look at the dug outs in the area we went to the Big Winch Look Out which gives a fantastic view of the whole town.

    We took the girls to a kangaroo orphanage and saw a few red kangaroos and a five month old Joey in care.

    By the end of the day we along with the cars were fairly well coated in red dust! We were all showered and fed just in time for the wind to kick up a bit of a dust storm and send us all inside. A good excuse for an early night before a very early start for what will probably be one of the biggest driving days of the trip, Coober Pedy to Yulara!    Read more

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    Day 6

    Coober Pedy to Yulara

    August 16, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Today was one of our biggest driving days of the trip. 734km from Coober Pedy to Ayres Rock Campground. We had planned on heading out around 6am but as it turns out it's still completely dark in Coober Pedy till about 7 so packing up was not a rush this morning!

    We put the kids in the car PJ's and all and headed out about 7.10am. A bit over two hours and we we stopped for a good 40 minute breakfast break. Half an hour down he road for a quick fuel stop and we were on the road again.

    The girls have spent the day catching up on homework, reading, diaries and making very good use of their DVD players. We've really enjoyed the changing views. Everything is different every 10 kms or so. Very little wildlife on this part of the trip although we saw a few wedge tailed eagles. Most of the wildlife out here is nocturnal, another reason to stay off the roads until the sun is up!

    We reached the NT border at 12.15 and stopped for lunch. Joe and Jon had a chat with another caravaner who had just come from that direction and gave them a few good tips on things to do. We left there about 1.10 and headed for our next fuel stop at Erldunda which has an emu farm which thrilled the kids no end, although Paige was afraid she would get bitten. The fear of missing out soon out weighed the fear of their beaks and we all had a turn giving them the feed Joe bought from the garage.

    The road to Yulara was very unexpected. We were expecting flat, dry and fairly barren. Instead we found the road hilly and the landscape full of grass, shrubs and often trees! But still no wildlife to be seen.

    We arrived at Yulara almost exactly 9 hours after we left Coober Pedy. 2846kms from home A quick set up and early night is in order!    Read more

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    Day 7

    Uluru

    August 17, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Wow!

    Uluru was amazing! Absolutely breathtaking. Not something you can really put into words or fit into photos. If you ever have the opportunity GO! You won't regret a minute.

    Uluru is about a 15 minute drive from Yulara. We paid $65 for a three day family pass into the national park. Jon's single adult pass was $25 for three days.

    The sheer size of the rock which sits completely foreign to the surrounding area. Before researching this trip I didn't realise how close it is to the Olgas which we could see from the road to Uluru.

    We brought our own bikes along to do the base trail around the rock. It took us about 3 hours to complete the lap with lots of time taken out to stop and read the information and dreamtime stories along with countless stops for photos. The 10km ride is easy going however, for those of us who haven't spent much time on a bike in the last 25+ years it was still a bit tough on the behind!

    After we loaded all the bikes back onto the cars we stopped at the Cultural Centre. A bit of a look around and a few souvenirs and we headed back to the van with two very hot and tired girls, who still managed to find the energy to jump in the pool. Enjoyed the amazing sunset views from the top of the sand dunes near the van and took note of how quickly it cools once the sun has gone down. A fantastic day ❤️    Read more

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    Day 8

    Yulara

    August 18, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    After getting up early to take some photos of the sunrise this morning the wind started to pick up and we decided to spend the day at Yulara.

    We got some much needed cleaning up done around the van and had a look at the activities on offer. I thought the girls would enjoy the Dot painting. A bit pricey at $35 each but I thought they would enjoy the experience; until I read the fine print stating that all children must be accompanied by a paying adult. At $69 per adult it seemed to be more about making money than memories so we gave it a miss.

    We all went to the Red Rock Reptile show which was great especially seeing as there was only 8 of us in the audience! For us there were some familiar animals with very different colouring and a few new ones. The animals are rotated so you never know what you might see. We had a bit of a look around the shops before heading back to the caravan where the kids made a beeline for the pool and we enjoyed a very laid back evening.

    One thing I can say is that at this time of the year there is absolutely no need for flynets. We've had very little issue at all. However I would make sure you pack your winter woollies for evenings and early mornings. The wind picked up today and by evening it was bitterly cold. Still a great day! Hopefully the wind will drop before our trip to the Olgas tomorrow.    Read more

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    Day 9

    Kata-Tjuta (The Olgas)

    August 19, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Completely different to Uluru but still an amazing experience.

    It was cold and very windy this morning so we didn't head out to the Olgas till about 10am, going the winds would die down. No such luck. We stopped at the sand dune viewing area which gave a great view of the entire side of the Olgas. I'm still amazed at the amount of flowering plants. This is not what we expected at all!

    We headed to the Walpa Gorge which is the easier of the walks and held onto our hats and jacket and did our best not to be blown away! Despite the weather, the walk was amazing and a bit more rocky than expected. The walls of the gorge were aw inspiringly high and perched on top were full grown trees that looked so small it put even more emphasis on just how high they are.

    Unfortunately with the wind most of the walk in was spent with eyes down and not enjoying the surroundings but the further in we got the winds began to die down and we were able to see a lot more. As we walked further in there were dense trees and shrubs fed by a small amount of water that had managed to collect and form small ponds. Other areas there was no water but you could see where it had run through over time and was just enough to support life.

    The kids were pretty much over walking by the time we got back to the car but we convinced them to walk the Valley of the Winds track up to the first look out. The track was well maintained in most parts and not a bad walk. Looking at the weathered formations and the different textures was a bit of a step back in time. The different patterns formed in the rocks over millions of years make you feel humble, although at this point I think the kids just saw 'more rocks'. We all enjoyed the view from the lookout which was spectacular, but as the heat of the day started to hit it was nice to head back to the aircon and cold water.    Read more

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    Day 10

    Yulara to Kings Canyon

    August 20, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    It was a late start after having a good talk to new friends. We headed off just after 11am. The drive was good with the scenery changing from dunes stabilised by vegetation to more rocky with taller trees. A bit of a mix of twisted dead trees standing amongst the shrubs and new growth with areas of what I now refer to as Dr Seus trees. Then we followed the road along side the George Gill Range that leads to Kings Canyon.

    We arrived at Kings Canyon Resort about 3.45pm. Zero phone or internet reception. You could use several pay phones available or purchase 100MB of internet that you could only use at reception or the bar. Our site had magnificent views of the outside of the Canyon which made a stunning backdrop for afternoon nibblies!

    We decided to splash out and eat out for the first time since we left home. Not cheap but we all had good meals. We got the shock of our lives when we stepped out after dinner to see a dingo hanging around the tables outside hoping for a scrap. There were multiple warning sighs about the dingos but we had no idea we would see so many. Some in very good condition but several that appeared to have mange very badly. We had one walk out from under the van, straight passed us as we sat outside the van a little later. Definitely not an experience we were expecting but they were clearly used to people. We were all ready for an early night, ready to explore Kings Canyon in the morning.    Read more

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