Tues, 12th June, 2018 Renahans Bore Rest Area, Tanami Road to Bush camp, near Tropic of Capricorn, north of Alice Springs, NT (Timothy’s 21st birthday)

7.20am sunrise, 14.6 degrees (only 5.50 WA time so it will take us a bit to adjust to the time change). I did get up and take a few photos though.

We didn’t get up till 8.20 when it had warmed up to 20.4 degrees. Clear sky and nippy breeze. A road train roared by heading south. Didn’t see any yesterday.

The Tanami Road map.

Steve coloured my hair then I gave him a hair cut. Have to make ourselves presentable since we are going into the ‘big smoke’.

Cuppa with the crested pigeons. Beautiful rainbow colours on their side feathers when the sun catches them.

Packed up and drove around the old windmill and tank. Another dead car. The other campers had left and they left all their rubbish behind. There are rubbish bins in the pull-off area for them to use – really!!

We have seen a lot of their tripod things and worked out they are over a bore. Probably from when the bore was drilled. Maybe for the road works water.

Drove out to the rest area. The pigeons were hanging around the base of the tank so Steve put some water in a bowl there for them.

As we drove out we spotted a little trolley by the road – a long way from Coles!!

Back on the dirt heading to Alice Springs. Met our first road train.

More vehicles now heading north. More flat plains, low shrubs and a few trees and plenty of anthills. Puffy clouds coming over from the south.

Sandy’s songs are all the classic which bring back lots of memories. ‘Horse with No Name’ was when I was at Hayman Island with Julie when we were 16 and 17.

Through a long floodplain section around Floodout Creek of sheoak type trees, red soil and no groundcover – looks like a lot of areas around Meekatharra.

Passed some cattle then back into the spinifex, shrubs and anthills again. A dead roo had a big wedgie parked on him and he didn’t want to leave it.

Another large floodplain area of Yaloogarrie Creek.

Passed a few rocky hills, this one is called Mt Doreen.

Pulled into a track where Telstra were working to have a cuppa. Digging a long trench beside the road.

Past Yarunganyi Hills, big granite boulders on them.

A mine drill rig is working near Mt Hardy. Crossed the grid of the boundaries of Mt Doreen and Yuendumu Stations (Aboriginal Community).

Very busy traffic wise.

A big semi was across the road crawling along. We called him up to see if he was ok and he replied ‘just trying to crawl over the corrugations’. He had a big D8 dozer on the back so it will be a long trip for him.

More hills in the distance on both sides. Grass replaces the spinifex.

Past the Yuendumu Community turn off – big cross on top of the hill to the right. More ranges appearing ahead of us. At Limestone Bore there was a sign ‘$3million to bitumen this 5km of road’. So that might be the end of the dirt road for us for a while. I was reading the info in a brochure about the Tanami Road Action Group wanting to have the road sealed. It is 1055 km long and there is 753 km of it unsealed. Interesting figures.

Flat country again but more shrubs and trees. Big wedge shaped hills appear of the Stuart Bluff Range.

Then flat country again. Big gum trees appear as we near Tilmouth Well near the wide sandy and dry Napperby Creek. Checked out the diesel price at the Roadhouse there – it was $1.90 per litre. We didn’t need any. Lots of pipes being unloaded here – maybe a gas line or is it for the Telstra lot.

Flat and open grass plains again. A water tanker passed us on the bitumen and flicked up a rock and cracked the windscreen. We always seem to get them when we are on bitumen not on the dirt tracks!!

Rembrandt Rock stands alone on the open plains.

The bitumen continued but only as a single lane – heading to the MacDonnell Ranges. Still 130km to Alice Springs.

Passed the turn off to the Gary Junction Tracks which goes across to Well 33 on the CSR.

Stopped for coffee at Charley Creek Rest Area. Steve put in 40 litres from two of the jerry cans on the roof. Another NSW couple pulled in and we chatted about the Finke Race which they got to see some of. They said yesterday was a public holiday which is why we didn’t meet any trucks.

Continued on with the MacDonnell Ranges closer on our right. 

South across the Tropic of Capricorn – took a photo of the road, no signs here. 

Oops.

Past a lot of ‘No Access’ signs on a fence on the north side of the road around the ‘Over the Horizon’ Radar System.

On my map it stated Mt Zeil (1531m) as the highest mountain in NT but it didn’t mark it on the map. I did find Mt Everard 949m. (Just googled it and it is in the West MacDonnell Ranges.

Left turn onto the Stuart Highway to a rest area up the road at the Tropic of Capricorn.

130kph speed limit but Steve looking after ‘Pat’ and only did 100.

Crossed the Tropic of Capricorn again into the north side.

Unfortunately the rest area was only a small area just of the road and fenced and it was full of caravans and backpackers. We drove on looking at tracks off the road. We turned into one and followed it a bit till we found a ‘locals camp’. We kept going and found a spot in amongst the trees and set up for the night.

We had phone reception so I rang Erica to say we are heading over earlier. They will still be in the gem fields so we will meet them there instead of going to Woodgate. Rang David too as we were going to see them in Woodgate but they are coming to Cairns for Brian’s 50^th so we will all catch up then. Rang Jess for a chat for a change instead of Jon. Rang Greg to wish Timothy a happy 21^st birthday and Mum and Dad were there and they had just had dinner together. Had a nice chat with Tim. 

I had the phone connected to the aerial so was leaning into the car while I chatted and thought Steve was flicking water on me but it was spits of rain. A big black cloud had come over that we had seen in the west and decided to sprinkle on us. We got out the awnings and protected the boxes etc then got onto cooking dinner which was on the fire. Some thunder rumbled and a few flashes of lightning as the storm came over us but luckily no more rain until the storm clouds passed over and then we got another little sprinkle. There was no wind which was good.

Had our dinner and played some cards before bed.