cobber Pedy and beyond

Another full day of driving although we stoppped and had a cuppa break and fuel at Spuds roadhouse diesel  $1.92 a litre full of police as the roxby downs  Uranium mining protest was due to start the coming weekend  a good place not to be !! .....so it was  onwards as it is 3,602 klms to Alice Springs  next stop Cobber Pedy  we arrived there mid morning it's like a lunar landscape coming in  another world indeed with the majority of housing underground or built into walls, motels underground we had a walk around  checking out some of the opal shops  but it has changed a fair bit it has a very big mix of races all chasing opal  got  fuel for the vehicles  and headed off for our next free camp along the way got some firewood and settled back got the guitars out as well had a great meal roast lamb on the webber .........that's our van in the background..and kel on guitar ...enjoyed it

Alice springs here we come  managed to get into the big 4  thought the site was ordinary but in hindsight it was fine  ( school holidays )we  set up  and set off into Alice ...it hasn't changed all that much ...as we were to find out later that night when we decided to go to the todd street mall for tea...it previously had a reputation during the night for volience and drunks ..when we went for tea we were greeted with a heap of drunks no voilence  but we managed to get into a thai place and had a nice meal ....people up here with disabilities are concerned they cannot get a taxi after 2pm  as the bottle shops open and it it is more profitable to do grog ( beer & wine  runs  it is sad but that's life up here nice and warm but minus 1 at night ....  3 days in alice went out ot the truck hall of fame ..we rode the bikes went past it rode to the airport about 5 klms and kel got a puncture so we fixed it but it kept going down after a klm or so we made it back ..and then drove to the hall of fame  wanted to see tootsies truck  famous driver from the cape...a tough and gutsy lady but it was on tour through queensland ..I read her book and there is a special on u tube you can watch .......... some great history tom kruse the mailman from the birdsville track ..lindsay fox is in their as well ...jesus it must have been tough in the early years !!........the gang at the border.. Kel pumping the tyre up..line into alice ...campsite at alice ...

Monday 16th July .......Leaving Alice springs for Katherine  via Aileron ...Barrow Creek..Wauchope...Tennant Creek   Daly Waters

Aileron  was the first stop small place where local artists display their work ..statues were built to attract  tourists  it seems to work ...quiet trip up fuel at Barrow Creek ...13.2 klms up the road where the english backpacker disappeared and his girlfriend escaped must have been a shocking experience as there is no where to run to although it was dark her only savior....

A note from john flynn  outside the gallery ..............sign at Barrow creek !! and a tanker that has seen better days !!

Devils marbles was the next stop ....dingo there to greet us ...had one just wander through  close to our camp in Alice ...reading the nt news there have been 3 dingo attacks at jabiru in recent times ...we have seen a few on the road

and now some of the marbles you can camp there but  there was quite a few there....

We opted for a free camp further down the track on the otherside of Tennant creek where we had some lunch  at renner springs roadhouse ..the great moscow circus was on the road to Alice from Darwin... a lot of woman driving their rigs !!