Cadney Park Roadhouse

Stayed the night in the paddock beside the roadhouse. We were the only people in the paddock, so we had a wonderful campfire that night and cooked our first lot of jaffles for the trip! We are really enjoying our camper. It is warm and cosy in it at night and packs away relatively quickly! Sue has nearly mastered the gas stove!

Stuart Highway long and tedious! Not too much traffic however. Some 50kms from Coober Pedy, we drove past hectares and hectares of water. It looked like a swamp. But here we were in the middle of the desert!

We turned off the main highway towards Uluru and stayed the next night at Curtin Springs Homestead - again in the paddock.

Uluru
Yesterday we drove into Kata Tjuta National Park to visit Uluru and the Olgas. This park is spectacular especially with all the rain that's been had. Wildflowers in abundance and a beautiful light pervading perfume. We have been lucky enough to spot a Thorny Devil as well as two small herds of wild camels. 

We didn't climb the rock but walked around it instead.  A most magnificent walk with amazing rock formations and natural sculptures. Again plenty of water everywhere, so the base of the rock had small streams, ponds and waterholes. Beautiful tall trees and very lush vegetation.

Later we headed to Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) and walked the Walpa Gorge. More spectacular than Uluru, in our minds and certainly a very spiritual place! Serene and beautiful with magnificent small birds enjoying the abundance of food. Along the way I told a man that there were some beautiful yellow birds at the top of the gorge. He said "Oh they'll be ........ " so the I asked what the small birds were with bright red beaks. "Zebra Finches", came the quick reply. "How did you know he was a 'twitter'? asked Peter. It wasn't half obvious- he had dangling from his neck the largest pair of binoculars I have ever seen and a camera with a telephoto lens that was at least 45cms long!