NYNGAN

 
 
 
 

We had another long drive today but were very happy to set up camp on the river and start collecting fire wood for roasting marshmallows tonight. We collected a lot of wood and then got the fire going. We enjoyed just sitting around, watching the fire and looking at the stars in the sky. We even saw a couple of satellites go by.

Tomorrow we are planning on going canoeing. They have a shed with a few canoes and paddles, so hopefully we can have a paddle on the river in the morning.

DAY 2:
Yeh! Canoeing! The canoe cost nothing to hire today, so we walked 20 m from our van, put on our life jackets, found some paddles (Lauren and I had to share because we could only find 3 paddles) and off we went. We had a great time meandering down the river, looking for animals (we didn’t see much, only birds). We saw a few cows on the river bank and some people playing golf on the nearby golf course, but otherwise, there was nothing else to see.

It was very peaceful and calm and at the end of the 3 km paddle, Mum and I did some practise in turning the canoe around in circles!

After a quick shop to get some more food in the afternoon, we started the fire again. Amazingly, it was still hot enough from last night and all I had to do was throw in a piece of paper and the coals caught alight!

We started the fire at about 2:45 and sat around it until dinner. For dinner we roasted potatoes in the hot coals of the fire – they tasted yummy! We ate dinner inside, but then had our ice creams that we had bought from the shop, back out at the fire.

BROKEN HILL

 
 
 
 

This morning we packed up and left to go to Broken Hill. On the way we stopped at Petersborough and Lauren and I got a finger bun while Dad and Mum got a coffee. We also saw a town named Jamestown – I like that name! The information centre we went to was actually an old train carriage. It was still decked out with seats and sleeping compartments. Then we drove and drove and drove.

We arrived at Broken Hill and had a late lunch at about 2:30. As soon as we set up we went to the park (opposite our caravan site) then came inside and played some games while Dad went on a run. When he returned Lauren and I had a shorter run with Dad.

DAY 2:
This morning we went to the Information centre and got a key to go to the Desert Sculptures. They were interesting because they were hand carved. Some of the pictures on them were the Rainbow Serpent, Emu footprints, clubs, boomerang and hand prints. As drove in and out of the Desert Park, we saw rock wallabies and kangaroos.

At the Silver City Mint Museum we saw lots of paintings, but the biggest painting was 12 m x 100m. It was huge and felt like it was coming out at you. There was also a chocolate factory and they sold kangaroo doo doo, wombat waste, cow pats and Koala Krap! (they were chocolate sultanas and chocolate nuts)

We then went to the Pro Hart gallery. Outside the gallery was a Rolls Royce car which Pro Hart had painted in scenes of the outback and bushland. Inside the gallery there were huge paintings of Australian outback scenes (gold diggers, bush rangers, mining life) as well as a dragon fly. It was interesting how with one painting he used a cannon to shoot Christmas baubles full of paint onto the canvas. It looked fantastic!

This afternoon we went to the Soda Factory where they make sodas like they did in the 1950’s. I had a cola crème soda. It was yum. I especially liked the icecream on the top which make the fizzy drink bubble.

Port Augusta

 
 

On the way to Port Augusta we stopped for lunch at Woomera. It is where rockets and missiles were tested during and after World War 2. I learnt that Hitler tried to kill lots of people with missiles filled with explosives. Then Britain used Woomera to try to make their own missiles.

In the Museum there were models of missiles and satellites and outside there were the actual missiles, rockets and test planed in a park.

The rest the day we drove and drove and drove until we reached Port Augusta. I helped Dad cook the BBQ (chicken kebabs).

The next day (today) we went to the movies and watched Ice Age 3. The best part was when the mammoth and all his friends when into the dinosaur world and tried to rescue their friend- cool movie.

We went to the information centre and I bought a boomerang and an iced chocolate – Yum.

Coober Pedy - Day 2

 
 

In the morning, Dad decided to get the wheel alignment on the car checked (steering wheel wasn’t straight when going in a straight line). While we waited for the car to get fixed we went to the Old Timers Mine which is an old opal mine which has been made into a museum. We were able to see opal in the rock walls and dummies that were arranged to show how they used to work. We had to wear hard hats, which was good because we all bumped our heads on the low ceilings. When we got outside we went to the “noodling” pit and looked for opals. We found many and now have lots of rocks in the caravan which is adding to our weight (we now have gold, opals, red garnet and silver).

We had great pizza for lunch (18 inch pan) and then went through many opal jewellery shops (they looked good). There was one uncut opal which was valued at $250,000, but we didn’t buy it.

Coober Pedy

 
 

Today was long drive – 9.5 hours in fact. That was basically it. We stopped at a roadhouse for a late lunch and we watched the V8 Supercars. Dad goes for Team Vodaphone and I go for Tander. Whincup came 2nd (not sure where Lowndes finished) and Tander came 3rd, so we are arguing over who did better. I think it was me. There was also a big echidna and a frilled neck lizard. There are lots of BIG things which are tourist attractions !

Yulara

 
 

Day 1:
This morning we woke up and got dressed because we were going to drive to Ayres Rock. When we got there, we started to climb the rock. For the first 30m there was no chain, to help pull yourself up with your hands and it was really steep. When we got to the chain it was a bit easier. We decided to climb 10 lengths of chains at a time and then have a rest. Once we got three quarters of the way to the top, the wind was really noticeable and we started to feel a little uncomfortable. Dad decided that it was best to not go any further, so we started to go back down slowly :-(((( I was not happy about going down, but we did it all together and made it safely. When we got down I had a cramp, but an Icy Pole made it feel better.

In the evening, we headed back to the rock to watch the sunset. It was very beautiful as we ate cabanossi and other snacks.

Day 2:
The next morning we got up early and went to watch the sunrise – it was also very beautiful. We then headed back to the caravan park and had brunch (bacon and eggs) with our new friends. In the afternoon we played some Yahtzee (Lauren got 3 yahtzee’s in one game) and scrabble. We all (Pradopoint club) went out for dinner because it was our last night together.

Day3:
We decided to have an extra day so we could go star watching (Dad and I), dot painting (Mum and Lauren) and see the Olgas. First up was the Olgas – they looked like big balls from far away, but when you get up close they are just rocks. We did a short walk into a gorge (between two Olgas) and then back for lunch for a bit of a rest. Mum and Lauren went off to dot painting, while Dad and I did some quite jobs and just hung around. In the evening Dad and I went star gazing at the Yulara Observatory. We saw Saturn and lots of other stars. Some of the stars were actually 2 stars close together and some were hundreds of small ones, but just look like one without a telescope. It was awesome.

Kings Canyon

 
 

Today we set off in the first group of cars to go to Kings Canyon. We travelled on a dirt road, it was a bit bumpy. Our first stop was at Goose Bluff (where a crater hit). Dad said you would have been a goose if you were there 142 million years ago.

When we got to Kings Canyon we went on a long 6.5km walk. It took us 2 hours. My legs were tired at the end. We saw ochre, bird poo, birds nests and vegetation e.g. trees, plants and of course the canyon. There were also a couple of helicopters taking people around the rim of the canyon.

We passed a couple of rangers who had just taken care of a 75 year old woman who didn’t bring any water with her on the walk and had dehydrated.

We headed back to the van park, had showers and then dinner. The shower block has a gate at the entrance – this is to keep the dingoes out and must be closed after your exit.