New Year's Resolution

[Digger]

Sunset at another bush camp...



Len Beadel plaque located near junction of Great Central Road and Giles/Mulga Park Road which formed part of the original Gunbarrel Highway ‘back in the day’.

[Digger]

One of the hidden gems in the area....this one was a rock hole on the Sady Blight Junction Road 27km north of Great Central Road which was worth the deviation.



Lasseters Cave...poor bastard. Goes searching for gold and ends up perishing near the Olga’s after his camels did a runner with all his provisions on board. Tried to walk 130km in the desert with only 1.7 litres of water. His destiny was sealed from the beginning.

[Digger]

Approaching the Olga’s from the West...this section had recently been sealed but for the vast majority it is still an ‘Adventure’. Not sure for how long though. You better tick it off your list before it becomes another National Highway.
There have been strong winds lately which kicked up a dust storm hence the aura around the Olga’s and the skyline.


Uluru at sunset complete with parachutist. The same aura can be seen from dust storms created by strong wind. The Rock was closed this day due to the high winds.

[Digger]

The following morning it was still closed to climbers so Jacki and I enjoyed one of the many walks around the base of the Rock.



Aboriginal art around the base of the Rock.

[Digger]

Later in the day the Rock was opened to climbers because the winds had died down....we also visited the cultural centre located near the Rock.



No caption required...




We returned to the nearby Olga’s and walked one of the many gorge walks.


We leave tomorrow (Saturday) and head toward Mt Dare and the Simpson Desert. We could be off the grid for a while. See you on the other side.

SPOT Link is here;
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... UCtYLNPufa

[Digger]

G’day Slackers,

Update - Uluru to Birdsville via the Simpson Desert.
Arrived safely with no damage to equipment and no injuries to people. A fairly seamless journey across the Desert taking 4 days/3 nights. The flys were driving us nuts...never experienced anything like it before. We stay in Birdsville for two nights and depart Saturday for Alice Springs arriving on Tuesday.




On the way to Finke and the Simpson....took a small detour.



The Geographical Centre of Australia with a flag staff the same as the one above new Parliament House in Canberra.

[Digger]

Finke Aboriginal Community with a couple of local teams thrashing it out.




Mt Dare...last stop for fuel (and beer) on the western edge of the Simpson Desert.



Dalhousie Springs...a hot artesian spring with a water temp of about 38 degrees Celsius. The ocean in Perth is usually around 22 degrees.

[Digger]

One of the 1,140 dunes across the Simpson.



Shifting sands...



Poeppels Corner...the junction of NT/QLD and SA


[url=https://stevebly.smugmug.com/2019-Extended-4WD-Trip/i-kMqVZqT/A][/url
The new plinth.

[Digger]

Crossing Lake Poeppel ...a dry salt lake




The crossing was flooded at Eyre Creek from Tropical Cyclone Trevor earlier in the year. We had to take a 66 km diversion to a shallow water crossing



The water crossing.



The flooded Eyre Creek crossing. Road closed!

[Digger]

Big Red...the highest dune in the Desert at 30 metres. Some made it; others had to use the ‘chicken track’ further south of it.




His Royal Griceness....close; but no cigar. Go back and try again, and again, and again!

SPOT Link is here;
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... UCtYLNPufa

Back to work Slackers.

[GSDisciple]

Great pics, thanks for taking the time to keep us all updated Steve. JP

[Digger]

G’day Slackers...remember me.

We’ve left Birdsville after two nights and made our way to Alice Springs via Boulia and the Donohue and Plenty Highways. We have been here for two nights also and leave tomorrow (Thursday) for Halls Creek via the Tanami Track.

So far; so good.



The Birdsville pub (by night). No trip to Birdsville would be complete without a meal and a beer at this legendary pub.



The same pub by day. The bakery has gone guts up here in Birdsville only recently after some shady dealings by the owners. Birdsville is a busy community ATM due to tourists flights wanting to see Lake Eyre which is experiencing a 1 in 40 year event with floodwaters at their highest levels for, you guessed it, 40 years.

[Digger]

The infamous Birdsville Racecourse. Doesn’t look like much activity now but come the first weekend in September the local population can increase by 7,000.



Jacki...checking in at the Airport to return to Perth for work via Brisbane. On my own from here.



Bush camp...sunset. It rained during the night which caught all of us off guard. Not enough to impede progress on unsealed roads but enough to make packing up wet gear a pita.

[Digger]

Heading north toward Boulia and crossing the Tropic of Capricorn. Should be getting warmer from here.
Bozo...why are the two ‘tropics’ named after star signs (Cancer/Capricorn)???



A REALLY big termite mound...Plenty Highway, NT.


The bakery at Arltunga, the first settlement in central australia which later led to Alice Springs being established.

[spacey1]

Lovin' yer work Digger

And apologies for using that dirty word to a post in you...