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Tilmouth to expensive Kings Canyon (Resort)
We had a team meeting last Evening, to determine our days left & how we were going to spend them. Working backwards we had 6 days spare.
Prior to our leaving on the trip we thought we might take the Sandy Blight Junction road. Via Kintor & Docker River. It’s approx 800kms way out west into WA again. All dirt. 350km of dunes & tracks. 1 was keen-as & 3 where against. Hard decision.
We decided to spend more time around Alice – Kings Canyon – Ayres Rock etc.
Leaving after another great night sleep. We headed to Alice. 2 hours away. Fuel – shop – source tyre changing shop.
Fueled up – found Coles. We were running low on beer & found out that Alice bottle shops don’t open til 2pm. Oh no!!!
Anyhow found 2 bike shops on Larapinda Drive & would you believe it … Neither of them would change our tyres!!! Do don’t go to Race motorcycles or Desert Edge_. Instead we will use Garth @ Percy Power.
We were stunned on the bike shops attitude.
Anyhow moving on …. An hours drive to Hermannsburg to get our road permits to Kings Canyon. Yes on some NT roads you are required to produce a permit to travel. So we arrive in Hermannsburg (another Aboriginal community) find the issuing place and find out the $2.20 is now $5.50.
To note : unfortunately that $5.50 isn’t going to fix the road. All other roads around the Mereenie Loop is tar. Mmm. The do it differently in the NT.
It’s now 2:30 and with 200kms of dirt to travel we made tracks.
We bikes went first. Travelling side by side as we’ve done previously. The road was wide and varied. & not particularly good for the 4WD. It was rocky for us bikes. With some big hits on the bash plate & some nasty smacks into the front tyre.
With the amount of dirt roads we’ve travelled we’ve noticed lots of willy willy’s. Been caught in 1 or 2. & one thermal pushed me from the centre of a (tar) road. they are amazing to watch
Bikes made good time. The 4WD drive was about 20min behind.
We’d booked into the camp ground. $19 pp. our most expensive stay yet!!
$82 carton of beer. And we really needed it
Tomorrow we’ll walk around Kings Canyon.
Wow how good are you guys going
Thanks for making the effort to post your reports it is much appreciated.Ride safe and have a ball
TB
Apologies for any errors
In my postingsThe better photos & videos will be loaded onto YouTube – & I will post the link here when it’s done
Kings Canyon to Ayers Rock
Darryl got a standing ovation when folding up his 3 second tent — yeah.
A walk around Kings Canyon & then Kathleen Springs on the way to Ayers Rock.
The most noteworthy item on Kathleen Springs was that it used as a for cattle stockyard in the late 1800’s to 1960’s before it was turned to a National Park. The area is naturally shaped that there is only 1 way in & out.
This was all tar road today.
We filled up @ Curtin Springs $2:17. P / ltre. And it’s noted that of all these small roadhouses are staffed by international travellers.
As the 606’s are wearing we decided to go slower. About 95ks. Going @ a slower pace I find the riding harder. Nothing to keep my concentration alert. So the 300 kms was spent playing silly word games. Another good use for intercoms (which are working quite well).
Darryl & Denis went ahead in the car & probably got to the camp an hour ahead of us. At this ‘resort’ it was only $17 pp to camp.
Not a lot to see .. There’s only 1 road to the rock & everyone’s on it. The Grey Nomads have been replaced with international tourists.
There is plenty of road signs to remind them to drive on the left hand side of the road. In about 4 languages.
Arriving @ the camp site we had a beer then organised ourselves to visit the rock for the sunset. Unfortunately the event was clouded by … Clouds
. Having not visited the rock before its the strangest looking thing. It’s SO big & doesn’t fit into the landscape. Did I mention it’s big? It even seems surreal.
We had a guess that 100 people would be there – we were slightly out …. There was probably 100 cars & about 10 buses.
There is now also a $25 fee to visit the rock, valid for 3 days & hopefully allows us to visit The Olga’s. Mark
Had been here a few years ago where it was being run by the Aborigines & now there aren’t big red “Prepare to Stop” signs followed by a clinical building complete with thick glass window where your passes are acquired.General consensus was to stay another night to visit the Olga’s tomorrow then back to Alice on Sunday.
Ayers Rock
It was a day to walk the rock! All psyched up @ then we found out it was closed due to high winds
. There is the big base walk of 10kms. But we chose a shorter one in case it opened. But it didn’t.
Apart from it being windy it was bitterly cold desert wind for most of the day.
We visited the cultural centre on the way out all about Aboriginal heritage & nothing about the rock formation. We found out through our reading that in 1985 title deeds to Uluru & Olga’s were handed back to the local people who then leased the land to the federal government got 99 years. That explains a few things.
A 45 min trip to the Olga’s for lunch & a walk.
Taking photos of the rock & Olga’s is really hard as they’re SO big you can’t get the perspective.
Then back for a restful afternoon.
A couple if KTM 990s pulled up later in the afternoon. Having a chat to Con & Russ from Inglewood way. a good couple of blokes. They’re going back the plenty.
We have passed about 4 other adventure riders. Some single riders & in pairs. Always give a big wave.
Mark & I went to a buffet last night with Australian meats. Kangaroo – wallaby – crocodile.
It’s strange when you know your eating white meat that’s not chicken, it’s crocodile. A very dense meat. Wallaby was like beef & a bit chewy. The smoked roo was lovely while the roo in prune sauce was very strong.
About 500kms back to Alice today.So that will make it a total of 2,800 with 1,100 on dirt. On the first lot of 606’s.
We will provide photos for reference.
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Rock Climb Closed
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