SomewhereSouth.net

The Outback - Port Augusta to Katherine, from Desert to Tropics

Hi everyone, while Nicky updates our adventures from Adelaide till Port Augusta (and gets furious about a mail from Travellers Autobarn where you will hear more of later on) it's my turn to do the track from Port Augusta till Katherine, just around 315Km south of Darwin. In km's quite a long track, in time not too much as we did it in little more than a week. We moved out of Adelaide on feb 28th (monday), time now is tuesday 8th of March. To change my habits I'll start from the beginning instead of the end so I'll start when we left Adelaide. We decided first to drive around in the area for a while to see the world's biggest rocking horse and then go up north to Port Augusta. (PLING! Toss in another $2 coin for another 15 minutes of internet, time flies here...) Climbed the horse off course and then headed north. That is, that was the plan but we got horribly lost in Adelaide, stuck in the rush traffic and missed the hiway up north so it took us another 1,5 hours to get out of town. That day we stopped a few km's south of Port Augusta on a free spot, so that we could go to the port (in SA also called Port Augutter because of the sewage-like smell when you enter the city) quite early to do our neccessities. We had to find a doctor because Nicky seemed to have a bladder infection for already a month or so and meanwhile we wanted to develop some pictures and do some groceries. So we did, went to the medical center, got some medication, went to Woolies, the photoshop, the pharmacy and at the end to the Medicare building to get some of the money spent on the doctor back. Flawlessly, by the end of the morning we could leave town again and head up north into the Outback. The last petrol station in town was immediatly the last in 200Km or so so we decided to fill up our tank AND the reserve 20 liter bottle we bought specially for these remote area's. Up north we planned to visit Coober Pedy that day but that was a bit too far so we decided to stop a few Km's before that and dump our vannievan aside the road in a rest-area as usual. Next day finally to Coober Pedy, I expeted quite a lot of this town as it is THE opal capital of Australia and most of the town is underground. It turned out to be a bit of a dissapointment. The town was quite nice but really the only thing they have is opal and you get crazy about the many opal shops around. Nicky got a set of nice opal triplets as earrings (basically the cheapest you can get, a triplet is nothing more than a black base, a thin slice of white opal on top, then a very thin slice of the precious and expensive blue opal, topped with a transparent cover of another material) and that was about it. Took a few pictures of the opal fiels outside town and we left, not staying there for the planned 2 days but leaving it to just 2 hours. Still we lost some time there so we stopped a few Km's before Marla that day. Next day was a BIG trip, all the way from Marla to Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park, indeed the famous and very sacred Ayer's Rock and The Olga's. We arrived somewhere in the afternoon and as expected NO free camping anywhere in the neighbourhood there so we where forced to take an expensive payd campsite of $26 a night for our minivan off course exclusive the park's entrance of $25 per person (for 3 days). But hey, you're not seeing those mountains every day so even as backpackers on a budget you'll pay for it. Did the sunset that night but unfortunately it was too cloudy to make it really spectecular. It even rained little that night, the second time that day, in the middle of the bloody DESERT... Next day again Uluru but now driving the way round the mountain to see it completely, getting out of the car and taking some pictures. Some people believe you're not allowed to take pictures at all, that's not trough. The trough is that you're not allowed to take pictures of certain places as they are sacres sites. The whole mountain is sacred, therefore the Aboriginals don't like it if you climb the rock (which we didn't, both out of respect for the people and the fact that the walk was closed due to extreme temperatures) but they seem to have accepted that western people like to take pictures of what they see. Not that they get really poor out of sacrificing some of their sacred sites, they get $100.000,- a year AND 25% of the park admission fees. It's really a big touristic thing there. Bit sad, too busy, too touristic, too much for us. Because the main population goes to Uluru we took the road to Kata Tjuta (The Olga's) just 50Km further in the park. Less touristic and absolutely different. Where Uluru is the largest Monolith in the world, this rock contains several rocks, sticking out of the ground like giant heads. Pretty cool to see and my panoramic photo of both Uluru and Kata Tjuta worked out quite allright. (From one lookout around halfway you can seem them both if you just turn your head.) Funny thing is that actually the weather changed and it got cloudy. Nonetheless the temperatures where extreme, it must have been around 40 degrees or more. Doable because of the dry desert climate but incredible how much water you suddenly drink. Early back to the park that day to relax a little and to have some sleep for the next morning where we would see the sunrise at Uluru. We did, from the sunset area to see the sun come up behind the mountain instead of behind us. Failed a bit, the sun came up next to the mountain but hey, it was a good attempt and maybe less specteculair, probably something many tourists don't see as they all go for the specteculair sunset and sunrises. And then, back to the Stuart Hiway (Uluri is 250Km straight west driving from the main hiway), very early in the morning to go back north again and visit Alice Springs and the Flying Doctors. RIGHT... We made it to Alice, got scared (the infocenter people where unfriendly, some idiot tried to drive into my bullbar when I got out of the way of a busdriver unloading the side of his bus, we met an english speaking Dutch lady at the photoshop who didn't recognize we where Dutch, and the town got an overall unfriendlyness over it), and ran away. Skipping the Flying Doctors and everything else which might be there to see we did what we had to to (getting milk and developing our pictures) and got back onto the hiway as soon as possible. We crossed the official border between the desert and the tropics somewhere around 50Km north of Alice though it takes a long time before you really see the transition. Couple of Km's before Aileron we dumped our car aside to sleep, knowing the next day would be a VERY long one as we wanted to go to Catherine because the car started using LOTS of oil again and we didn't trust this at all anymore. In fact, it uses lots of oil since we bought it but the outback seemed to make it just a little worse, even 25W60 didn't help at all and now we're burning and leaking around 1 liter every 200Km's though we don't know exactly as everytime we check (around every 400Km's) the tank is simply below the low-level. Weirdo's walking around here, they actually have a UFO capital and off course we had to cross it. Nothing more then a service station and some campground they told that they where UFO sightings here. Not really surprising if you keep in mind that there are 3 RAAF bases in that neigbourhood. But hey, it got us a nice couple of fridge magnets and them another $7 of income. A little north there WAS a nice attraction, the Devils Marbles. Large round marbles of solid granite. Even a spliced one, and yes pictures of that will come online as soon as we have burned the lot on a cd again. (So another month waiting for you.) Had our time and small walk there and up onto the hiway again as Katherine was still a long way to go. But then, just little north of that, KABOOM!, and an slightly out-of-control minivan. You guessed it right, rear tyre blown to shreds. Nearest civilisation: ~100Km. Environment: Middle of the desert. Temperature: Too bloody hot. Nothing left to do than get under the car, get the spare tyre out and praying that our jack and other tools worked as they should and that my first tyre-change ever would be a good one. Ah, it's Murfies law to blow a tyre in the middle of the outback (not really, every backpacker will blow a tyre once) but its Murfies will to do it properly. Had a hard time getting the spare one from the back and getting the blown one off but after that it went smoothly and a good hour later we had a shredded tyre horizontally under the back and a perfectly working one vertically under the car and after some neccecairy hand and face washing (I was BLACK, even darker than the natives here...) we where on the road again. Drove untill sunset and then stopped at the nearest parking space. Turned out to be a payd one at a service station (Dunmarra) but getting a shower and a quiet night of sleep for just $10,- is not really bad and I absolutely needed that shower. That day was one of the longest ever, we drove 800Km's and from 8 am to little past 7 pm with just some rests in between but actually I wasn't too tired at the end and we did almost make it to Katherine which was just 350Km away or so. The night turned out to be tropical, way north of the Carpricorn we where really getting into the tropics now. You could see that as well. Where the desert is mainly red sand with shrubs, bushes and sometimes a field with small trees (no, no Sahara here, not where we went, this is simply another type of desert) the tropics contains large trees and precious flowers. It's kinda funny to travel from the hot and dry desert to the almost as hot but very humid tropics in just one day. The transision sets in quite slowly and then goes fast and suddenly you see creeks with water in it instead of just dry rivers. After a very hot and uncomfortable night (sweaty!) we headed more north to Catherine, where we are right now. We arrived yesterday, went to the visitor information centre to get some info about the town, Kakadu and a park in the neigbourhood and then headed off to a Ford dealer to check out our car, AGAIN. Left it there, walked to town (30 minutes, finally giving our butts some excercize) to see if I could find my Driza-Bone coat size 3XL or 4XL (off course not, probably Darwin or Cairns, or the factory in Bundaberg on the eastcoast), got a decent lunch (Subway, always very healthy) and went back to the dealer at 5pm. "We got bad news, bad news or bad news." "Well, then give me the bad news please..." By that time I already knew what he would say, the unavoidable "Sorry, we can not do ANY about this, the only solution is a new engine, refit this engine or simply sell the car and get one which is more than a piece of schrap metal." Well, he didn't call our car a piece of schrap metal but agreed with me when I uttered "So our car is basically not much more than a piece of schrap with weels?" Sad, very very sad and though we suspected this already since Tassie it's still quite hard to hear. $5000,- of almost worthless metal. *AUTCH!* And there are not really many options. Refitting the engine is with at least a cost of $3000 a bit too expensive and as the guy has serious doubts about the age of the car (it says ~166.000Km but he doesn't believe that that's anywhere NEAR the truth as the engine is way to worn-out for that) it might not be the wisest idea anyhow. So what's left is selling the car to some dork and getting a decent one, then probably buying or renting a 4x4 so that we have a decent excuse to get rid of this one on one hand and making the second half or our trip more interesting for us by taking offroad tracks OR just dealing with is, buying lots of cheap-ass oil, refilling around 4 liters every day and praying that the entire engine won't blow up somewhere in the middle of knowhere. That means that we have to stay on the main tracks and that's bit of a pity as we like to go into the forest. But with a car in this condition it's a bit too risky. Today we got email back from where we bought the car, Travellers Autobarn, mentioning that it's basically our own fault and that all they can do is giving us a $500,- cheque to spend at TAB. Hell NO! Yes the temperature was very high when we got it but they didn't tell us what the temperature should be (some cars run hot, some run cool and we got it into the mountains in the hottest days of the year so off course it runs hotter than normal), and yes it leaked water and oil but we refilled it everytime before it got empty. That is imo THE procedure so save it. As soon as we got back in Sydney we brought it back with all the major and minor issues found on the car for them to solve. Exactly as they told us. "Just take it to the Blue Mountains for a couple of days, then return and we'll fix whatever is wrong with it." We did and now this. Sad. No refund of the towing cost, no refund on the costs we had to make in Burnie ($600,-), no nothing and left with a piece of metal worth $2000,- only if we bring it back to TAB in Cairns or Sydney. If the car makes that and if they don't start nagging about the ditch in the left-rear. And unfurtunately that's where today's story ends. We'll go to the Ford dealer today to pick up some paper declaring his doubts about the age of the car and to get some info about our alternative (loosing the car and renting or buying a sturdy 4x4) and then go to the nature reserve 30Km east from this lovely town. Hopefully getting back some piece in our minds. Bit of a sad and isn't it? Ah, we'll live. It's just that this is one of the not-so-nice aspects of travelling around. But we keep our heads up, find an alternative, probably invest some more money (in car or in liters and liters of oil) and just have fun. We're just half-way our trip and have a LONG way to go before we're back in Cairns and nothin' is gonna stop us in that. You bet!

Good, the plans for the next part are clear. Head to Darwin, then to Kakadu National Park, maybe up north to Gurig NP (4x4 only) and then to Cairns to see the Great Barrier Reef. As with the Outback it's very unclear when we'll have internet. Now it took us more than a week, the next one probably the same. Only past Cairns we're quite sure about our connections as that track is THE backpacker track so there are plenty of opportunities there. (And hopefully some cheaper than $8 per hour as it is here.) That's it for now, I'm going to work on my email. People who got cards from us, please let us know if you liked them :-) We're sending out our own photo's now instead of postcards to give it a personal touch and to give an impression of what WE saw here, not some photographer. And again, please leave us your postal address. Sometimes we just like to send out cards and have more card then addresses...

TTYL!

Murf