Alice Springs and Uluru. (Ayres Rock)
Alice Springs.
We spent a couple of days travelling down to Alice Springs. We were pleasantly suprised to find a well appointed town with modern facilities and traffic lights. We found a campground just out of town through The Gap where we planned our stay in Alice Springs.
The Prado was due for an oil change but when we rang to make an appointment we had to wait 4 days for the first time slot. So with that bit of news we planned a few days in the West MacDonnell National Park. We were also keen to go to the Desert Park which is a wildlife centre highly recommended as a place to see some wild animals. We were finding lots of birds to see but little in the way of wild flowers or other creatures like skinks, frogs or lizards.
We based ourselves at Ellery Springs campground for a few days and enjoyed some walking and bird spotting. Seasonal rains in summer flood these river beds a few days each year. Once it rains the deserts come to life but so far many plants looked like they could be with a good drink.
Hit our first wee issue with a flatty in the truck. We had to drive in onto a flat spot to change the tyre which we were to find out later damaged the side wall. We took a little time to find the car jack but a helpful ranger told us where to look as he owned a Prado as well.
Drove back into Alice for the oil change which cost us close to $400. We also decided to buy a new spare tyre as it seemed to be the best long term option.
We then headed to the East MacDonnell Ranges for a few days east of Alice as Trephina Conservation Area was another gorgeous spot where the river gums alongside the sandstone cliffs made for a very scenic back drop.
Daytime teperatures were a little more bearable with maximus around 25 degrees most days. Took a 4WD track to a N'Dhala National Park which was a bit of an adventure and a test for the truck.
Rainbow Valley Conservation Area.
We spent a couple of days travelling down to Alice Springs. We were pleasantly suprised to find a well appointed town with modern facilities and traffic lights. We found a campground just out of town through The Gap where we planned our stay in Alice Springs.
The Prado was due for an oil change but when we rang to make an appointment we had to wait 4 days for the first time slot. So with that bit of news we planned a few days in the West MacDonnell National Park. We were also keen to go to the Desert Park which is a wildlife centre highly recommended as a place to see some wild animals. We were finding lots of birds to see but little in the way of wild flowers or other creatures like skinks, frogs or lizards.
We based ourselves at Ellery Springs campground for a few days and enjoyed some walking and bird spotting. Seasonal rains in summer flood these river beds a few days each year. Once it rains the deserts come to life but so far many plants looked like they could be with a good drink.
Hit our first wee issue with a flatty in the truck. We had to drive in onto a flat spot to change the tyre which we were to find out later damaged the side wall. We took a little time to find the car jack but a helpful ranger told us where to look as he owned a Prado as well.
Drove back into Alice for the oil change which cost us close to $400. We also decided to buy a new spare tyre as it seemed to be the best long term option.
We then headed to the East MacDonnell Ranges for a few days east of Alice as Trephina Conservation Area was another gorgeous spot where the river gums alongside the sandstone cliffs made for a very scenic back drop.
Daytime teperatures were a little more bearable with maximus around 25 degrees most days. Took a 4WD track to a N'Dhala National Park which was a bit of an adventure and a test for the truck.
Rainbow Valley Conservation Area.
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