At The Farm: Drive to Alice. Tambo to Alice

Hello,

Below is an email i sent my friends and decided that it was also a good summary of our drive to Alice. I will put in photos from our trip onwards from Tambo to Alice.

We have driven the 3000kms to Alice Springs form Brisbane. The roads were fine and there was no sign of any flooding of any sort except the odd pothole but that is reasonably normal. There were many road hazard signs and slow down signs for seemingly no reason. Finally when we did come across a bit of road that was half washed away and had a creek flowing over it, there was no sign. We hit it harder than we should have but then what do you do when no one tells you there is a creek flowing across a washed out road. That was in the Northern Territory (NT).

Everything has been amazingly green. All the grass is long and green and the trees are greens and it all contrasts very nicely with the red earth and the blue, blue skies.

We stayed in Tambo, Cloncurry and Tennant Creek on the way. Tambo was nice, Cloncurry was alright and Tennant creek was a hole. We had a pub meal both nights in tambo and Cloncurry which were great, and a few cold beers. In Tennant creek (NT) we started to encounter a lot of natives, particularly on the street, lying on the street, screaming at each other and wandering aimlessly. All the businesses had metal grates on the windows and the place shut down at sunset. We were forced to eat at the motel buffet. $25 for a choice of boiled vegies, shepherds pie, beef curry or lamb casserole. Definitely filling but not worth $25. The town was full of miners and workmen who ate heartily.

We have already seen lots of cool wildlife.

Kangaroos – only 1 has jumped out in front of us and another was waiting on the edge of the bitumen for its chance, the others have been further off the road.
Emus, lots
Bustards, lots (google it.)
Brolgas – awesome big birds, maybe 10. really amazing to see such large beautiful birds. A couple were standing in the middle of the road, we slowed to get a pic but i only got them flying away.
Zebra finches, lots, everywhere.
Budgerigars, lots
Whistling kites
wedge tail eagles
Peaceful doves, including the one i found today wedged in the radiator
Diamond Doves
swallows, again one we found at a toilet stop wedged in the bullbar
echidna – squashed
goannas, running across the road, no real big ones yet
mallee ringnecks, augathella
Port lincoln Parrots, everywhere around Alice
Galahs – tonnes of them
Multitudes of other birds i can’t recognise yet.

We drove out to Simpsons Gap last night in the West Macdonald Ranges. Beautiful spot, especially at sunset, will put some pics on the blog.

Tomorrow we start work, we have Wednesday off (Australia Day) which will be great and then work through straight till next Tuesday. Then we have 6 days off. We are gonna drive to Uluru (450kms) then probably stay somewhere in the west macs for another 2 nights, like Ormiston gorge or palm valley in Finke Nat. Park.

One of the many pubs in Barcaldine. We stopped here for a snack and a break. Barcaldine looked to be a great little town, well kept, lots of pubs etc. We might try and stay here on the way back in June.