Well the weather forecast was for warm weather when we left Uluru and they were right. The morning was hot when we left and it only got hotter as the day progressed. The next few days weren’t looking any better either so at least we knew what to expect.
It is a nice bitumen road from Uluru to the Olgas with the turn off to the WA border just a few kilometres before you get to the Olgas themselves. The bitumen goes for a few kilometres along the road to the WA border then turns to gravel. We had heard the gravel section to the WA border was not in very condition so we were expecting the worse. The road started off OK and although corrugated we both thought it wasn’t as bad as we had been told. Like all the comments you hear about gravel roads, the best thing is to get out and drive them yourself.
As the weather was so hot we decided that it was better to travel longer in the car with the air conditioner than do our usual 200 a day then stopping for the night. Even when we stopped for our morning tea break the sun made inside the van very hot very quickly. There also weren’t many trees around to park under for shade. We stopped at Docker River for some fuel which turned out to be a pretty expensive exercise. Diesel was $2.50 a litre. Luckily we didn’t need all that much but it still cost a bomb. If we do this road again we will certainly be bypassing Docker RiverJust out of Docker River is the WA border so we did the obligatory photo stop with lots and lots of flies.
Our lunch stop was at Lassiter’s Cave. Lassiter stopped in this cave for 25 days in 1931. He then set out and headed towards Mt Olga hoping to meet up with the rest of his party. He only got as far as Irving Creek in the Pottoyu Hills a distance of 55 km’s where he then perished from lack of water. The mystery is still there today about the real or not real reef that he had supposedly found. It was after we had got past this point in our trip that we started to see camels near the road and there numbers only increased as we drove further. Our camp for the night was just a nice flat spot just off the road. There are heaps of areas where you can pull over and camp for the night. Just be prepared to be visited by dingoes while you are sitting outside. We had them visit us each night on our trip over and they aren’t very shy either. They will come within a couple of metres of you before you have to shoo them away. It can be little bit concerning but they do walk away when challenged.
With the weather being very warm we were up quite early the next morning. We were originally planning to do this trip over a four or five day period but not in this heat. Today we were travelling around 450 kilometres which is about 2 days travel normally for us.
We saw more of the same for the most of the day with camels being the main feature of the days travel. Just a few kilometres out of Warburton was where we saw the most camels in one spot. There would have been around fifty camels all congregated in this area. There must have been a water/mud hole in the close by as all the camels had a perfectly straight line around there lower halves from sitting in the mud. It made them have a very different appearance indeed. Besides our usual coffee stops and lunch stop the days travel was fairly straight forward. The gravel road was excellent with no surprises and we sat on around 80 kmh which I was very happy with while towing the van.
At Warburton after fuelling up we did visit the Tjulyuru Regional Gallery that shows of selected works of art from local artists. This was well worth a visit with some excellent pieces on display. This was also a good break from the drive and to escape the hot weather for a while.
We had pretty much broken the back of the trip after two day of travel. Our next stop was Laverton and this was the end of the gravel for us. The run into Laverton was pretty uneventful and not really a lot to see. Much of the same really. The only decision we had to make when we got to Laverton was which way to come home. It was either turn left at Leonora and come back to Perth via Kalgoorlie or go up to Leinster and go across to Port Denison at catch up with Rob and Vicki. The easy decision to make was to catch up with Rob and Vicki so it was Port Denison here we come.
After a one night stop at Laverton followed by stopovers at Leinster and Yalgoo we finally arrived at the white house in Port Denison. Rob and Vicki have built a lovely house right on the ocean and it was staying at a nice resort, a good break from the caravan for a couple of days.
After leaving Rob and Vicki we drove to Ledge Point for our last night on the road before arriving back in Perth. We actually stayed at the Big 4 caravan park which is the first Big 4 we have stayed at in all our travels. Something for us to remember I suppose.
Well we arrived back in Perth and had lovely cold wet weather to greet us. Such a contrast to what we had been having. We both wondered if we had made the right decision to come back, so much nicer following the good weather on the road.
We have decided to move back into one of our rental properties and do a bit of work on the house. Not sure if this will be a good move but it will give us something to do for a while. With Christmas around the corner as well I am sure we will have plenty to keep us busy. We aren’t sure how long we will spend back in Perth, at this stage we think around 15 or so months. We might have to arrange a few small getaways with someone during this time though.
We have travelled quite a bit over the last four years and seen quite a bit of our great country. When we look at the map there is still plenty more to see so our adventures will still be ongoing. we are just taking as breather for a while.
Not sure when our next trip will be but knowing Kaye it wont be far off. I will just sit back and wait to get told what we are doing and where we are going and for how long.