just deserts

Many thanks to Arlene from Port Orchard Flowers for her kind comments about our flower snaps, and also to Dina in Texas aka The Girl Who Wished She Was Australian for her comments and interest in our humble ramblings. It is good to know that the readership has extended beyond family and close friends ( OK, probably only by 2, but it is appreciated).

We are now in Tennant Creek 502 km north of Alice Springs.We have found a great bush campsite outside town which fulfills all our requirements- remote, quiet, hot, and excellent wireless internet access! ** and just discovered it is $12 per night, so suspect we will be here tomorrow.

We left Alice to explore the East MacDonnell Ranges and experienced first hand the frustration of outback road signage- you travel 90 km along a tarmac track before you reach the sign which says 'dirt track next 400km, high clearance 4WD vehicles ONLY'.

There was a second reason to turn back however, as james dog had spent the morning vomiting theatrically all over the van.Being the organised and caring veterinary surgeon I had failed to pack any injectable anti-emetics and knowing that once she starts with her grumbling pancreas the results can be pretty messy we headed back to Alice. Another thanks therefore to Kathy at Alice Spring Veterinary Surgery for providing the necessary drugs to allow our onward journey to proceed.


Above: Emily Gap East MacDonnell Ranges.

The trip north from Alice really is desert, desert and more desert. We camped at Gemtree, a fossicking campsite east of the main road where people flock to rifle through the rubble looking for gemstones ( garnet, zirconia ) but gave the fossicking a miss as it was very windy and wild.