Camooweal to Alice Springs

Camooweal was a treasure. Not sure why we haven't done very much bush camping until now, guess the opportunity didn't arise while we were on the coast. Barkly Homestead is an oasis in the middle of nowhere. Well shaded sites, a tavern, roadhouse and fuel are all available here. One night and off again. Interesting to see that the park here fills up by late afternoon and the next morning, everyone is on their way. Generator runs 24 hours here and there are signs near the fuel bowsers explaining why the fuel price is so high. The remoteness, the generators running and the provision of the convenience of a place like this out here is fair enough. we had planned not to get fuel here because we heard it was around $2.20/ltr. The Barkly highway is a good road here. It ends at a roadhouse come caravan park come truck stop at Three Ways. North, South or East are your choices. We chose to turn South to Tennant creek. Fuel was a great deal cheaper there at about 1.70/ltr. Our introduction to NT here with a bit of a shock at the number of "locals" sitting under trees, in the street and a town struggling with its culture. Something new for us with windows on businesses barred up and a look of fortress like. Lunch here at the Gold Battery and on to Devils Marbles or Wauchope hotel, not sure. free camp at devils Marbles looks quite good and level sites so this is it for today. An Australian Army recovery vehicle has pulled in opposite us with a couple in a camper trailer. Fire places are with nearly every site and the couple next door have a large pot on the fire cooking Silverside. We have our tea and settle in for the night. No internet or telephone or tv here.We are woken through the night by a dog howling and being answered by others around the area. I blame the disturbance on the samoyed across the way but no, they are dingoes.The dingoes are still around in the morning seeming like they have nowhere else to go. Unlike us, as we pack up and move on. Harry and Wendy with the silverside are heading to Gemtree caravan park, where flocks of wild budgies and a large array of other birds can be seen. It's 70 klms off the road and sounds good to us. A bonus with Gemtree is the fossicking for garnets and Zircons that are found in the area. We sign up for the tag-along tour which includes the hire of pick,shovel,sieves water buckets and 20ltrs of water to wash the stones. We follow the leader and two other vehicles out the 25klms of sealed road before swinging off the road and into their mining lease for about 2klms to the fossicking ground. Garnets are everywhere.No need to dig even, you can see them on the ground. AMAZING. We collect what we consider to be quite a few, have our lunch and collect some more before driving back to have them sorted, graded and appraised. We are quite happy with our lot and the deep red colour is magnificent.Flocks of budgies are here allright, we also see a pair of wedge tailed eagles on our way out and while we were having lunch, a flock of black cockatoos flew by. We went out to the zircon field the day before and just drove around the open pit area where there are plenty of No Entry signs. There is an old gold area further south along this road at Claraville but its a further 70klms and I have had enough corrugations and red dust for today.

Our friends Trish and Rob were going on the zircon tag-along but we had already extended our stay and it was time to move along to Alice Springs. Isn't it strange, we had never predicted that we would be going into Alice Springs from the North. Tourist information centre in town car park is on the banks of the Todd river where a couple of locals were sitting doing dot paintings and beckoned us over. We encouraged them to keep up the good work and moved on after a toilet break. We met a buddhist nun who was taller than Marg and exploring Australia as well. She is American and teaching buddhism here. On to Macdonnel ranges caravan park, a big 4 park and we have booked in for three nights.Notices say that didgeridoo lessons will be on at 5.00 so we go along to hear. Wow, a whitey playing the didge and a variety of them as well, brilliant. Next morning, Saturday after a Collingwood win, we head for the camp kitchen with our plates, knives and forks and coffee mugs for the free pancake brekky.Wow what a feed. Todd Mall market is on this morning so its off to that now. Just start into the market and run into an old friend from Shepparton,Robin Wallace, looking at lovely postcards. Wallaces have been here for 19 years and love it and have asked us around for drinks that night. Wallaces explain to us about the environment in Alice and some of the other great attractions of the area. transport hall of fame and desert Park just two of them that we plan to see.