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Episode 13 - The Great Barrier Reef
In Episode 13, you will see the gorgeous views from the tip of the peninsula near the Town of 1770. This is a very special place, that has all the amenities you need without the crowd of tourist! And it's the only place in the world that is named with numbers, referring to the year Capt James Cook discovered Australia.
We stayed there for 4 days until our trip out to the Great Barrier Reef on a turbulent sea where we had a memorable time snorkeling with amazing sea turtles and colorful fish. We also visited the Lady Musgrave Island which is part of Capricornia Cays National Park. The Workman's Campground and Beach where we stayed for a very low cost was amazing! The video is about 16 minutes long. https://youtu.be/P1FaQysTNEA Views from the tip of the Peninsula, Town of 1770 https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4054/...6b58f5d5_z.jpgDSC_0210 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4029/...19d90021_z.jpgDSC_0212 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4078/...b4fa49f0_z.jpgDSC_0213 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4084/...27059fa5_z.jpgDSC_0215 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4288/...c416539b_z.jpgDSC_0217 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Great Barrier Reef Tour with a Glass Bottom Boat https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4261/...ca404c3c_z.jpgDSC_0225 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4073/...68441896_z.jpgDSC_0232 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr |
Episode 14 - Blackdown Tableland Nat'l Park
Episode 14 shows some twisty roads again as we go up Burnett Highway to Mount Morgan. We took a lunch break in front of the old Railway Station. Then we headed West on Capricorn Hwy on a very straight road where I felt very sleeeeeeppppppppyyyyyyy.... :nono:
We took a short break in Duaringa before heading to Blackdown Tableland Nat'l Park where we found much cooler air since the Tableland is 600m higher that the surrounding countryside. The campground was very quiet with only a couple of other campers present. The following day, we went hiking to the beautiful Rainbow Falls and visited a lookout before getting back on the Capricorn Hwy again. :thumbdown: The video is almost 15 minutes long. https://youtu.be/lv7XSPTi13I https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4130/...912b9831_z.jpgCapture d’écran 2017-06-02 à 13.48.36 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Lovely flowers and butterflies in Duaringa https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4259/...e78fccf9_z.jpgDSC_0282 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4064/...8779ce34_z.jpgDSC_0283 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Rainbow Falls, Blackdown Tableland NP https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4119/...2cb18632_z.jpgDSC_0290 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4141/...f2947d1b_z.jpgDSC_0293 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4253/...29a3feea_z.jpgDSC_0298 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr First viewing of a cactus in Australia https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4211/...e26afea9_z.jpgDSC_0306 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr View from Horseshoe Lookout, Blackdown Tableland NP https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4060/...16f90b21_z.jpgDSC_0310 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr |
Episode 15 - Carnarvon Nat'l Park
Episode 15 is about our journey to the spectacular Carnarvon National Park. The hike through the gorge is mostly flat as you get to the gorgeous narrow end with its steep cliffs, but this 20 km hike is a bit challenging as I crossed the river 17 times on some unstable rocks, which makes a total of 34 crossing back and forth. The whole hike took me a little more than six hours with barely a couple of short rests on the way.
I was very happy to have completed the hike almost to the end (another 500m would have got me to Big Bend), it was a good exercise and a nice change from riding! A couple of days later however, I was really disappointed when I found out that my camera didn't work properly and although I had to carry this heavy equipment all the way, I had only one good picture....doh At least, we have some images from the GoPro! The sun was going down rapidly as we were heading out of the park. You will see stock on the road and Richard avoiding a kangaroo that passed just in front of him! :oops2: From Carnarvon NP, we headed back north on Gregory Hwy for a long ride up to Belyando Crossing where Richard found a nice little green frog in the men's washroom. Enjoy! The video is less than 8 minutes long. https://youtu.be/mM2V1ECSAI8 https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4012/...baab03ed_z.jpgCapture d’écran 2017-06-02 à 13.51.43 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Carnarvon Gorge https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4263/...4910f1fd_z.jpgDSC_0312 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr |
Episode 16 - Atherton Tableland & Babinda Boulders
From Belyando Crossing, we went up north on a quite boring road to Charters Towers and then east towards Townsville before heading north again along the coast on Bruce Hwy, up to Babinda. In Episode 16, you will notice the multiple sugar cane and banana fields we saw on our way to Cairns. Bananas seem to grow in bags ready to be delivered... :smartass:
We stayed in a very nice free campground at Babinda Boulders and from there, we rode in the Atherton Tableland. We saw many special features such as the amazing Curtain Fig Tree, the beautiful falls around the area of Millaa Millaa and a big crater in Mount Hypipamee NP. We enjoyed very much swimming at the Babinda Boulders and walking to the Devil's Pool, which gives you a good idea of the density of the rain forest. We had our MCs serviced in Cairns before heading further north to Daintree Nat'l Park. The video is about 13 minutes long. https://youtu.be/Pd8SdEQMRI0 https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4066/...bac999af_z.jpgCapture d’écran 2017-06-02 à 13.57.49 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Curtain Fig Tree near Yungaburra https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4214/...4c16ec34_z.jpgDSC_0374 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4236/...86b9b268_z.jpgDSC_0376 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4119/...a70378c6_z.jpgDSC_0379 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr We're in a country of cassowaries but we haven't seen any https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4107/...8dd453e1_z.jpgDSC_0381 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Ellinjaa Falls https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4213/...9aac389b_z.jpgDSC_0384 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Swim at Babinda Boulders https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4207/...5582d638_z.jpgDSC_0388 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4237/...b82e83cc_z.jpgDSC_0389 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Babinda Boulders Devil's Pool https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4260/...f904b561_z.jpgDSC_0393 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4286/...0368858f_z.jpgDSC_0394 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4215/...1a04d42f_z.jpgDSC_0395 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4081/...526b832f_z.jpgDSC_0397 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4010/...248f199a_z.jpgDSC_0398 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Wild Turkey https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4153/...fcc714f6_z.jpgDSC_0399 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr |
Episode 17 – Daintree National Park
We left Cairns Monday afternoon on a very warm sunny day and took Captain Cook Hwy along the coast, heading north to Daintree Nat’l Park. In Episode 17, you will see how dense and diverse the rain forest is.
We found a charming small campground managed by Daintree Nat’l Park at Noah Beach, that has only 15 sites. This is a beautiful area with a marvelous deserted beach. The signs near the beach say that during summer months, there are stingers in the waters and that they can be very harmful and dangerous. It’s sad to have such beautiful beaches with warm water that you cannot soak in as the stingers are invisible and deadly… No wonder, the beaches are so quiet! During the evening, we went for a walk on the beach as the tide was at its lowest level and we observed millions of little hills of sand balls all over the place, size varying from a small green pea to a chick pea. They had been created by crabs and we could see them running away very quickly as we approached with our headlights, they were hiding in the hole they had created on the beach. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t think of getting the GoPro camera that night, it was so funny to see all those crabs running around like crazy! So the next morning, I went back to have a look at the crabs and you can see these images in the video. As you will notice, we could see a few agglomeration of little sand balls but no crabs were coming out in the sun… doh During our short stay in Daintree Nat’l Park, we explored many short trails and boardwalks and observed very special natural scenery, as trees and all sort of vegetation such as mangroves grow in muddy water. We had lots of fun riding on the twisty sections of Cape Tribulation Road, as well as when we went looking for crocodiles on the Daintree River, an informative one-hour tour on an small electric boat. The video is 17 minutes long. https://youtu.be/eQgbfmtyRmI https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4231/...0880d39c_z.jpgCapture d’écran 2017-06-02 à 14.01.28 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr During our walks in Daintree Nat'l Park https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4263/...ea6d11e9_z.jpgDSC_0403 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4009/...68b75e1c_z.jpgDSC_0407 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4124/...e5cdce9d_z.jpgDSC_0411 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4072/...1c9b1d2b_z.jpgDSC_0414 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4052/...c6dc1a97_z.jpgDSC_0418 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4022/...e64d98bb_z.jpgDSC_0419 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4135/...2b42dab4_z.jpgDSC_0423 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4282/...564d4bfa_z.jpgDSC_0425 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4209/...a56b1498_z.jpgDSC_0431 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4066/...fe31a00f_z.jpgDSC_0433 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4256/...06cf15fc_z.jpgDSC_0436 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Little Cruise on Daintree River https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4134/...f56bc1a9_z.jpgDSC_0446 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4100/...8e9dbb2b_z.jpgDSC_0460 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr |
Episode 18 – From Queensland to Northern Territory
You will see in this video that we have covered a lot of distance in a few days, getting from Julatten (North of Mareeba) in Queensland to Daly River Tourist Region in the Northern Territory. During the following six days, we have covered a total distance of 2778km, distance varying on a daily basis from 128km to 629km. The map below shows the road we took and our stop location for each night.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4151/...1a13593f_z.jpgCapture d’écran 2017-06-13 à 17.09.16 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr We crossed Atherton Tableland once again until we got to Kennedy Hwy, which took us to Normanton. Then we took Burke Development Road (Hwy 83) south to get to Cloncurry. On that particular stretch, we were surprised to see many sections of the road having one lane wide sealed surface, with large shoulders on each side. And of course as expected, we crossed road trains on those sections at least three times. When you see that huge truck coming at high speed, you just move aside quickly and let him go through. When the shoulder is hard, you can still continue riding at low speed but when it’s soft and sandy, you just stop there and wait until the big cloud of dust is gone…. We took some videos on these occasions but unfortunately, it seems the battery of the camera was dead... doh Between Normanton and Cloncurry, the total distance is about 373 km, which is a little bit too much for the range of my 650GS. There’s regular gas available at mid-distance so we filled up there. The next morning, we left Cloncurry and were heading to Mount Isa, a distance of about 120km. A rapid calculation let me think I had plenty of gas to get to Mount Isa. Oh, surprise! After riding one third of the distance, the fuel light went on!! We realised quickly that due to the use of regular gas instead of premium, combined with a high cross wind the day before when heading south, plus riding at high speed (110-115 km/h), we had all the conditions to run out of gas. So there was 80km left to get to Mount Isa with 4 litres of gas, but running at low speed (80m/h), we made it to the first gas station with no problem. Hurray!! But a good lesson learned!! :thumbup1: We didn’t have any issues to find premium gas during the rest of our trip, and we made sure to fill up as soon as we would find some, even if the tank was a bit more than half full! Here are the details of our journey to the Top End: Day 1: 513 km, Day 2: 629 km, Day 3: 128 km as we spent half a day at the Public Library in Mount Isa. Day 4: 515 km total on the VERY BORING Barkly Hwy and stopping for the night at a rest area just after Barkly Homestead Roadhouse. Entering in Northern Territory, the speed limit goes up to 130km/h and we see many burned sites along the road. This part is well covered in Episode 18. The road is in good condition and we didn’t see many dead animals along the road. You will see that it’s rather flat and straight and that there’s nothing much to do besides cover as much distance as you can before sunset so that you can get ‘somewhere’. You are often reminded to ‘take a break and rest to survive’. As you will see, we had plenty of time to plan our next rest! Day 5: 609 km and we finally get to Stuart Hwy! The only images we have from this long day is our short stop at Three Ways. From there, we head north and we can feel the heat rising quickly as we move forward. Only 964km left for Darwin…. That afternoon, we stopped at Larrimah and tried the famous Pink Panther Campground with a free visit of its zoo. We enjoyed a cold beer in the most bizarre bar of the Top 10 Bush Campground in Australia (It reminded us Chicken, Alaska). The showers were much appreciated too! Day 6: 384 km. The road was still boring but we could see many Termite Mounds of various size and color along the road. Some of them are dressed with t-shirts, working shirts, hats, etc. There’s also a huge Termite Mound Monument in Mataranka, the ‘Never Never country’. They say once you’re here, you never, never want to leave…. Not sure about that! We finally made it to Douglas Daly Tourist Park where we enjoyed cooling a bit in their swimming pool, as the temperature was now 32,5C. The video is almost 17 minutes long. https://youtu.be/AStyXurfteA Funny 'punk' bird at Mt Isa https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4106/...cacb2e2c_z.jpgDSC_0471 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Sunset at Frewena Rest Area https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4216/...d4ebb831_z.jpgDSC_0473 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Larrimah Bush Campground, The Pink Panther https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4150/...16d4f7d0_z.jpgDSC_0476 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Monument in Mataranka https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4254/...8304e219_z.jpgDSC_0479 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Flowers in Mataranka https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4253/...ca4b1d08_z.jpgDSC_0480 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Huge termite mounds in Pine Creek https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4095/...13b52843_z.jpgDSC_0482 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4214/...1e826406_z.jpgDSC_0488 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr |
Episode 19 – The Top End
When we arrived at the Top End, the temperature rose quite a bit, day and night, so we were looking for places to cool down. Episode 19 starts the following morning at Douglas Daly Park where we went to see the Arches and the Waterhole near the campground. Unfortunately, you cannot cool down in the waterhole anymore since the population of crocodiles has increased a lot in the last few years.
:thumbdown: In the video, at about 3 minutes from the beginning, you will see a dingo (wild dog) crossing in front of us, just before getting in Litchfield Nat’l Park. You can see it in slow motion too. You will see an area full of huge termite mounds and the magnificent plunge pool at Florence Falls where we camped that night. Although we had to share the cooling space with lots of fish, it was really much appreciated during this very warm and sunny day! We also tried the Buley Rockhole, where you can pick one of the many basins along the cascade, another great way to cool down! We went visit the Charles Darwin Nat’l Park and the city of Darwin as well before heading to the wetlands, east of Darwin. We tried some dirt roads in Mary River Nat’l Park and then went back on Arnhem Hwy in order to get to Kakadu Nat’l Park. The video is about 13 minutes long. https://youtu.be/VLXCRT9C7Zo https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4212/...9ea6bd9b_z.jpgCapture d’écran 2017-06-13 à 17.32.31 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr The Arches and the Waterhole, Douglas Daly Tourist Park https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4072/...d885b48a_z.jpgDSC_0494 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4101/...79afc4b1_z.jpgDSC_0500 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4231/...8496b86d_z.jpgDSC_0503 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Magnetic Termite Mounds, Litchfield Nat'l Park https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4286/...83efe8e9_z.jpgDSC_0509 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4264/...17d76f9d_z.jpgDSC_0513 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4236/...d991f915_z.jpgDSC_0515 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4205/...593c589a_z.jpgDSC_0517 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Florence Falls https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4124/...56c7f492_z.jpgDSC_0536 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4235/...729fa6d8_z.jpgDSC_0530 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4253/...82d65c09_z.jpgDSC_0534 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr |
Episode 20 – Kakadu Nat’l Park
Kakadu Nat’l Park is recognized as a World Heritage Area for both its cultural and its natural values. It is very large (20,000 sq km) and offers a unique biodiversity in six different landforms and habitats. Freshwater and estuarine (saltwater) crocodiles are present everywhere, in rivers, billabongs and creeks so there’s no place easily accessible unless you have a 4WD, where you can swim and cool down.
The most interesting part of Kakadu are the Aboriginal art sites where we could see many drawings that could be 20,000 years old. In Episode 20, you will see some of the art sites as well as beautiful views on the floodplains, woodlands and rocks from the different lookouts. May and June is the time of year to patchwork burn the woodlands to encourage new growth. We were surprised that no one actually monitored those burns although the wind was sometimes quite strong and smoke was becoming very thick and dense. We will never forget the millions of mosquitos that were coming at us as soon as the sun went down. I always thought my level of tolerance towards mosquitos was pretty high but I found out quickly that I couldn’t cope with all of them…:oops2: Kakadu Nat’l Park is the only park so far where we had to pay an entrance fee. The permit is $40 per person and is valid for seven days. With the heat, ants and mosquitos, I would never have survived seven days! After three days exploring Kakadu, we were anxious to get to Edith Falls for a swim. They say the level of risk for crocodiles is low… Then, we’re back on Stuart Hwy again for a long, long ride south. The video is 19 minutes long. https://youtu.be/WIFgdYM41Mg Overview of bugs you find in the wetlands https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4213/...9a9a422d_z.jpgDSC_0543 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4288/...4b50f2f0_z.jpgDSC_0544 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr During our walks in Kakadu Nat'l Park https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4114/...9e39cfdb_z.jpgDSC_0547 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4233/...5f5eb60d_z.jpgDSC_0549 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4287/...905eb478_z.jpgDSC_0551 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4108/...67f55dba_z.jpgDSC_0558 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4205/...0b4f7128_z.jpgDSC_0563 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4209/...4e696185_z.jpgDSC_0567 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4054/...ded293d0_z.jpgDSC_0580 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4255/...1c421f34_z.jpgDSC_0582 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4120/...5fec1932_z.jpgDSC_0584 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr |
Be aware of pictures blocked by Photobucket!
Since Photobucket has indicated that I have been using their site for 3rd party hosting, they have blocked access to all pictures that were stored on my Photobucket site and posted on our blog. They gave me the option of restoring all images by upgrading to a Plus 500 Plan, which is only $399.99!!!! No way I was going to pay that amount! :nono:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4214/...4e4e5006_m.jpg All pictures had been replaced with this logo Therefore, after looking at different options, I decided to store all our pictures on Flickr. It took me a few hours to update our blog and replace all links to pictures, one by one, more than 200 that were posted already… Therefore, I strongly recommend not to use Photobucket to store your pictures if you want to use them in your ride tale. Use Flickr, which is easy to use and free! |
Episode 21 - Devil’s Marbles and West MacDonnell Nat’l Park
Heading to the Red Centre and going through a wide desert valley, we stopped at Devil’s Marble, which is quite unique. You will see in Episode 21 the large colored boulders of various shapes. They form the exposed top layer of an underground granite formation that was eroded with time.
Continuing on Stuart Hwy south to Alice Springs, you will see that the road is very flat, straight and awfully boring again… On a bright sunny day, we took the Red Centre Way and spent a couple of days in West MacDonnell Nat’l Park, visiting a few very nice places. From the lookout, we had a great view on Mount Sonder (highest peak on the left) as well as Mount Giles (on the far right). After entering the Ormiston Gorge, we enjoyed the amazing scenery as we hiked the Ghost Gum Track. We found a very quiet campsite at Ellery Creek but it was a rough dirt road to get in and out of the campground! :( The video is about 14 minutes long. https://youtu.be/rGHpscSZBJE https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4102/...5ddaf6b7_z.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4205/...1be09c43_z.jpg Devil's Marbles https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4109/...560a5188_z.jpgDSC_0652 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4207/...1a51f671_z.jpgDSC_0654 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4123/...4005968a_z.jpgDSC_0658 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4257/...0f42875a_z.jpgDSC_0662 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4088/...8aa27eda_z.jpgDSC_0673 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4116/...f6783535_z.jpgDSC_0675 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4138/...ef88c1ca_z.jpgDSC_0677 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4212/...ff715957_z.jpgDSC_0683 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Picture taken at Temple Bar Caravan Park in Alice Springs https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4236/...d10ce9ea_z.jpgDSC_0688 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr West MacDonnell National Park https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4209/...01265a58_z.jpgDSC_0690 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4208/...2eee033b_z.jpgDSC_0692 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4143/...c1c2bbf7_z.jpgDSC_0694 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Ghost Gum Track in West MacDonnell Nat'l Park https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4288/...f3dd12ac_z.jpgDSC_0697 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4233/...8a47746f_z.jpgDSC_0699 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4205/...2d6031be_z.jpgDSC_0705 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4287/...499fb5a3_z.jpgDSC_0713 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4041/...d0ded64a_z.jpgDSC_0714 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4282/...114c38e5_z.jpgDSC_0715 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4288/...af1a082c_z.jpgDSC_0717 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4236/...5753cd78_z.jpgDSC_0721 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4151/...905790cf_z.jpgDSC_0723 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4286/...c2403a00_z.jpgDSC_0728 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Ellery Creek Big Hole https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4074/...346e885a_z.jpgDSC_0734 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4065/...6335ebc4_z.jpgDSC_0746 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr |
Episode 22 - The Red Centre, part I – Kings Canyon Nat’l Park and Uluru
We left Alice Springs after a cold night (-1C that morning!!) and went south on Stuart Hwy, then on Lasseter Hwy west and Luritja Road in order to get to Kings Canyon, 475 km further. You will see in Episode 22, a few places we crossed on our way such as Mt Ebenezer. Nothing much to see there…
The Kings Canyon Rim Walk is of exceptional beauty! Our 6km hike took us 3 hours. The hike itself is not very difficult and brings you close to the edge of the canyon many times where the view is magnificent. The red rocks with their strange shape are just fabulous and quite different from all the other parks we have visited. After spending two days in Kings Canyon, we returned on Lasseter Hwy west to get to Ayers Rock, a distance of 305 km. We had a quick stop at the Mt Conner lookout and then at Curtin Springs where we met Jasmine working at the fuel station. She was very pleased to be part of our video! Once set-up at the Ayers Rock Resort Campground, we visited the area around, which is very well designed so that everything is close and easily reached via the ring road. There’s a free shuttle that gets you everywhere in a short time, and although this is a very popular place, you don’t feel crowded at any time. We booked an evening at the ‘Sound of Silence’, where we enjoyed looking at the sunset over Uluru and had a lovely meal under the stars. A great way to celebrate our arrival at this wonderful place and our 34th birthday together! The following morning, we entered the Uluru – Kata Tjuta Nat’l Park where they charge an entrance fee of $25 per person. It is quite reasonable considering the high quality and range of activities such as the spectacular scenery of the Uluru itself, the free walking tour with a Park Ranger and the very interesting Cultural Centre we visited during our stay. The video is about 19 minutes long. https://youtu.be/_B8rHwDfDmk https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4255/...c34c4371_z.jpg View of Kings Canyon at sunset from the campground https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4078/...aaf8ae74_z.jpgDSC_0755 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4290/...855fabc1_z.jpgDSC_0757 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Ready for the Kings Canyon Rim Walk https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4024/...fd637442_z.jpgDSC_0762 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4287/...b03f46ce_z.jpgDSC_0764 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4009/...00fca2b1_z.jpgDSC_0774 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4256/...425abafd_z.jpgDSC_0775 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4147/...f782f25f_z.jpgDSC_0782 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4082/...36b4ce22_z.jpgDSC_0783 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4277/...cd91ccd8_z.jpgDSC_0787 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4074/...91c50e63_z.jpgDSC_0790 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4282/...99393108_z.jpgDSC_0794 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4121/...8ca1bf92_z.jpgDSC_0795 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4081/...3c964377_z.jpgDSC_0802 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4256/...98092a7a_z.jpgDSC_0813 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4210/...8c68eae2_z.jpgDSC_0815 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4076/...ec8b1fc0_z.jpgDSC_0821 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Our friends at the Ayers Rock Resort Campground https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4213/...f803b52c_z.jpgDSC_0828 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Evening under the stars at 'Sound of Silence' https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4211/...a48eb86d_z.jpgDSC_0833 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4052/...77172365_z.jpgDSC_0836 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4257/...cba77920_z.jpgDSC_0837 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4280/...1fdd1218_z.jpgDSC_0839 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4237/...f520fbb9_z.jpgDSC_0843 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Walk around Uluru https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4236/...281d5598_z.jpgDSC_0855 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4217/...5ce5da91_z.jpgDSC_0857 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4257/...77b1ea77_z.jpgDSC_0859 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4099/...9327734b_z.jpgDSC_0864 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Sunset on Uluru https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4283/...3eb32f6f_z.jpgDSC_0903 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4052/...c58c7ca0_z.jpgDSC_0905 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4278/...203aea80_z.jpgDSC_0909 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr |
Episode 23 - The Red Centre, part II – Uluru & Kata Tjuta Nat’l Park
After walking around Uluru, we rode to the fascinating other big rock on site: Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), which is about 50 km away. The Olgas are made up of 36 formations, that has weathered over millions of years and presents a circumference of approximately 22km. The highest point is Mount Olga, rising 546m above ground, some 200m higher than Ayers Rock.
We choose to walk the Valley of the Winds, which is a strenuous 7,6 km long hike that took us about 2½ hours. The hike is difficult due to the uneven path and many loose rocks of different size along the way, but it offers stunning vistas and was worth it! We then returned to Uluru to see the sunset. You will see images taken at different times during the half-an-hour we spent there and will appreciate the changing color of the rock as well as of the horizon. The following morning, we went riding on the other side of Uluru and visited the Cultural Centre where a 45 minutes movie explains the history and creation of the Uluru – Kata Tjuta Nat’l Park. Very interesting! We left Ayers Rock with the happy feeling of how lucky we are having been to this incredible site, that is a must see once in your life!!! We made it back to Stuart Hwy and camped that night at Erldunda. The video is 8 minutes long. https://youtu.be/oCCdkrEpIvI Hiking the Valley of the Winds, Kata Tjuta https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4214/...ce4e9ec8_z.jpgDSC_0870 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4074/...ac46ef56_z.jpgDSC_0877 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4211/...7f0ba338_z.jpgDSC_0878 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4213/...84a20f5e_z.jpgDSC_0882 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4213/...44760381_z.jpgDSC_0886 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4253/...858f17ac_z.jpgDSC_0896 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Back to Uluru https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4142/...18cf2054_z.jpgDSC_0911 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4205/...c17d2d71_z.jpgDSC_0914 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4079/...a6b0deb6_z.jpgDSC_0916 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4057/...c40c87ac_z.jpgDSC_0929 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr |
Episode 24 - Coober Pedy to Port Augusta, South Australia
Episode 24 starts at Kulgera Roadhouse where we took a short break, just before entering South Australia. As you will see, this is another weird roadhouse…
Then we’re back on the Stuart Hwy where we are advised not to bring any fresh fruit or vegetable across the border. Bins are provided to get rid of any items to keep fruit fly out of South Australia, and are announced well in advance. You will see along Stuart Hwy that the surrounding is still quite flat and linear, therefore the road is again, quite boring. It’s a good thing that the color of the pavement changes from time to time, going from light gray to red and then to a mix of both…. Something to look for and helps you stay awake! Lunch break at Marla after riding 250 km in the morning. We get to Coober Pedy in the afternoon, which is about 490 km south of Erldunda, where we left this morning. So a bit tired after a long riding day but interesting to see the piles of material on each side of the road as we approach Coober Pedy where opal was found in 1915. The town has over seventy opal fields and is known to be the largest opal mining area in the world. Coober Pedy is also renowned for its below-ground residences, called "dugouts", which are built in this fashion due to the scorching daytime heat. We found Coober Pedy a very special and unique place, and very dusty! 150 km south of Coober Pedy, we were surprised to see a sign announcing an emergency airstrip on the highway. It’s a two kilometres section that has been cleared on either side and widened to form a runway for Royal Flying Doctor Services (RFDS) planes. There are a few built in Australia but only one found on Stuart Hwy. We stopped for a night camping at Hart Lake, which is a huge salt lake and quite a spectacular place! Then we made a short visit in Woomera, an historic aerospace testing range that was in operation between 1947 and 1982. You will see emus running away on the left side of the road as we were leaving Woomera. The video ends in Port Augusta (where the Stuart Hwy finally ends, Youpi!!!) and is almost 18 minutes long. https://youtu.be/L4-MZ2nVsxY https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4011/...f0d7388426.jpg The Big Winch lookout, Coober Pedy https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4277/...1b7dbf52_z.jpgDSC_0930 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4211/...0ba6cfae_z.jpgDSC_0935 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4105/...2e61ddc4_z.jpgDSC_0931 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Comfort Inn Hotel, Coober Pedy https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4125/...ac4d5c5f_z.jpgDSC_0938 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4285/...08838232_z.jpgDSC_0939 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr A country of flies... https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4238/...9dc6818b_z.jpgDSC_0940 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Hart Lake https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4002/...983df10d_z.jpgDSC_0941 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4046/...d8a55b30_z.jpgDSC_0954 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4035/...349833d1_z.jpgDSC_0956 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4217/...b62ef1e4_z.jpgDSC_0971 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4091/...54f5e717_z.jpgDSC_0962 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr In my office, staying away from the 2 million flies... https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4239/...5183d34a_z.jpgDSC_0965 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4217/...6fa94e84_z.jpgDSC_0945 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4150/...9a4d74b6_z.jpgDSC_0967 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4056/...11117caa_z.jpgDSC_0972 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr |
Episode 25 – Flinders Ranges National Park
We left Port Augusta on a beautiful sunny day and headed to Flinders Ranges Nat’l Park, which we heard so much about. We spent a night camping at Nooltanah Creek, which was very quiet for a Saturday night. As usual, sunset, sunrise and the millions stars overnight were marvelous!
In Episode 25, you will see the spectacular scenery of the Flinders Ranges, an unique place! The Walls of Wilpena Pound form a huge amphitheatre of mountains, quite impressive! Some scenes were filmed at the Hucks Lookout, Stokes Hill as well as the Great Wall of China. After visiting Blinman, we rode through the Parachilna Gorge and found a nice campsite near the dry river bed. The following day, we rode to Parachilna where the well-known Prairie Hotel offers great feral meat. We took the Moralana Scenic Drive to return on the Flinders Ranges Way, heading back south. You will also see a few emus trying to go as fast as us…. The video is 18 minutes long. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4261/...1e3e5caae8.jpg https://youtu.be/RTQRo92IZjA The Walls of Wilpena Pound, Flinders Ranges NP https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4258/...9f586a290d.jpgDSC_0973 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4278/...82b7140fd7.jpgDSC_1020 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4214/...95b67f309d.jpgDSC_1021 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4262/...cc64f3d16f.jpgDSC_1029 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr The Great Wall of China https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4280/...056f3acbc2.jpgDSC_1035 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4287/...30a643e482.jpgDSC_1046 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4255/...7e7a349cc5.jpgDSC_1043 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr Parachilna Gorge https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4256/...e152c40da2.jpgDSC_1050 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4236/...bdc8095b7f.jpgDSC_1052 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4234/...1de6e798f5.jpgDSC_1056 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4265/...4d56c32f38.jpgDSC_1047 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr View from Moralana Scenic Drive https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4209/...dd6610df24.jpgDSC_1061 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4215/...5904cf0525.jpgDSC_1065 by Claire Girard, sur Flickr |
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