marcmsm's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member marcmsm on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/marcmsm en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:50:24 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com Views and gardens — Port Augusta, South Australia, Australia http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258700609/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258700609/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258700609/tpod.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:50:24 -0500 Australia, The Siberian way...
Port Augusta, South Australia, Australia

On the Drive south then to Port Agusta we stopped off at lake Hart where some land speed records had been attempted, it’s a salt lake right in the middle of the desert and reminded me very much of Bolivia… big load of white in the middle of a brown desert. Upon getting into Port Agusta the temperatures had hit 46 degrees, a heat wave and you could just feel ur skin burning as soon as you walked in it…. Never mind its just horrible air to breath in anyway, Still had time to hit the water tower lookout and the Arid botanical gardens which was quite funny… The gardens arent really garden… its basically desert  with a few walking tracks. But a pretty nice town anyway, And camped up a little south in a campsite for the night with only a short distance left to Adelaide.
]]> opal and mines — Coober Pedy, South Australia, Australia http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258700508/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258700508/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258700508/tpod.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:49:33 -0500 Australia, The Siberian way...
Coober Pedy, South Australia, Australia

The next stop was Coober pedy in the Opal fields. Its pure desert and fuck all grows but right there in the middle of the desert is a dirty mining town where over 50% of the population live underground. The town looks more third world than 1st but its loaded. Opal stones are worth a fortune and lie beneath the sandstone in the town. Veins of opal run through peoples houses campacted in the sandstone where once was ocean millions of years ago. The houses that are underground are cool and avoid the heat, people can pretty much build them… or dig them rather as big as they want… The joke goes that when they have someone visiting they just dig out a new room…. Literally…. Some people get lucky then and find valuable opal right in there home. Visited the Oldtimers mine right in the town centre which was full of history and really informative. Went into possibly the worlds only underground catholic church… had a word with the boss…. We checked in then to the Opal camping ground and hit the saloon bar then for happy hour… Some right strange looking kinda in breed people knocking about here.. I think all the sun goes to these miners heads. But all good.
]]> 43 degrees and arim walk — Kings Canyon, Northern Territory, Australia http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258700457/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258700457/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258700457/tpod.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:48:53 -0500 Australia, The Siberian way...
Kings Canyon, Northern Territory, Australia

After the time wasting it was on the road for the Kings Canyon 300km to the north… more heat and nothing like a 6km walk then over the canyon rim. The canyon is stunning and is full of amazing views along with an oasis at the bottom of the Canyon. The walk is almost as much of an effort as it is to carry all the water you need for along the way. The walk starts off with a steep climb and includes bridges and ladders along the way and finishes with a steep desent. Back on the road again a few hundred km away to the stuart highway and into the Kulgera roadhouse for petrol and a 6 pack…. What was funny here was you had to show ID and sign a form saying the booze was for you only and that you weren’t going to sell it or give it to any aboriginals down the road….lol… Anyway stopped for the night at the state border.
]]> Big rocks — Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Northern Territory, Australia http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258700248/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258700248/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258700248/tpod.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:46:37 -0500 Australia, The Siberian way...
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Northern Territory, Australia

It was still 300km ish to get to Ayres rock and fuck was it hot. It topped out at 43 degrees and not the best to be walking about in but if you want to see the sights you have too… lol.. Anyway walked around drinking my own body weight in water and sweating the lot out, had already given up on t-shirts at this stage cos as soon as you put one on its soaked. The first stop after paying the 25 dollar entrance fee was the culture and visitors centre. Because of the heat I decided to hit kata tjuta first which is 50 km from the big rock. There is two walks there to cover and a couple of view points as well.  On the walks you get attacked by flies they are just everywhere so I bought one of them fly nets which at least keeps them out of your face. It was back then to Uluru or Ayres rock as its also called then for some of the shorter walks around it and a drive around it to take it all in. Waited then for the Sunset which was probably a little over rated. The rock was one tourist attraction I was never too worried about anyway as at the end of the day it is just a big rock. The aboriginals worship it and it plays a cultural and sacred part of their beliefs… anyway you can climb it and there is even a climbing rail going up the rock but the aboriginals and the signs ask you not too climb it. Anyway I fully planned to climb it as its not sacred to me and has to be a good view from the top…. Anyway the best time to climb it is early in the morning before the heat of the day… but the following morning when I turned up the climb was closed due to wind even though there was no wind…Basically the park comes up with lame excuses to keep too many people climbing it… So that wasted a bit of time waiting around to see if we could climb it…
]]> Macdonnel ranges and Alice — Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258700118/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258700118/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258700118/tpod.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:45:21 -0500 Australia, The Siberian way...
Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia

From the Devils marbles it was a few more hours drive south to Alice springs, now I had always heard it was a whole of a town in the middle of the desert but I found it to be a pretty nice town in fairness… bloddy hot though, Went up to the Anzac hill memorial for a view and took in some of the Aboriginal art shops and time for a few drinks. Bit of sleepless night with the noise from the vagrants hanging about though. Early the next morning I took off for the Macdonnell ranges, stopping at simpson gorge and standley chasm. There is quite a few gorges and swimming holes here, which were very welcome seen as the temperature was plus 40 degrees.  After covering the range and sweating my ass off it was back into Alice springs and picked up William a sweedish guy who was stuck for a lift south to Adelaide. Drove on then south to a rest stop for the night.
]]> Devils Marbles everywhere — Devils Marbles, Northern Territory, Australia http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258699771/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258699771/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258699771/tpod.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:44:35 -0500 Australia, The Siberian way...
Devils Marbles, Northern Territory, Australia

The next day seemed to be nothing but driving and you don’t see a lot in the red centre…. Well desert and its red and that’s about it, passed through Tennant creek then which is a whole of a town… full of vagrants and stopped for the night just outside the Devils Marbles. The marbles are large rocks in the middle of the desert that don’t really belong, kind of look like someone just dropped them there. There are plenty of photo opportunities there and pretty fascinating how they formed over the millions of years of erosion.
]]> jumping crocs — Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258699156/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258699156/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258699156/tpod.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:41:08 -0500 Australia, The Siberian way...
Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia

Kakadu national park is only a few hundred km away to the south east and on the way I visited the Jumping crocodiles. This involved taking a boat trip some of the way down the Adelaide river and keeping an eye out for big crocs. Some of them are about 5 meters which is bloddy massive, and when spotted the boat guy puts a bit of meat on a stick and the crocs jump out of the water to get it.  They use their tail to propell themselves out of the water and the smaller crocs can actually get their whole body out of the water. Anyway it was quite an enjoyable trip and plenty of wildlife. From here I drove on into the park and stopped at the scenic sights alont the way. There is wildlife in abundance there and you have to drive slower to avoid kangaroo’s and lizards on the road. The park is full of all types of birds too. I camped out at the kakadu lodge and took in some walks which show some of the ancient aboriginal art on cliff and rock faces from thousands of years ago. Some of the drives in the park were closed cos it was coming into the rainy season and  the off road tracks can be just too much for the van anyway. On the road again and into Katherine for a break and a cold drink. The water I carry in the van gets so hot it may as well be boiling so any chance I get its buy a cold drink. Too bad the van doesn’t have a fridge.  Stopped at a rest stop then just south of Katherine for the night.
]]> Crocs — Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258698942/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258698942/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1258698942/tpod.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:39:40 -0500 Australia, The Siberian way...
Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

Wasn’t sure what kind of a city to expect driving into Darwin, It was a little bigger than I expected and pretty clean too.. Well the coastline in the city itself isn’t the prettiest to look at but you can swim on an artificial beach with a nice fence to keep the crocodiles out…. Funny that up in the Northern Tertitory you can only swim in certain places and have to be careful cos of these bloddy Crocs. After a good wander around in the baking heat I checked into the Hollow Frog and as I decided it was both too hot and too much effort to cook. I went to the Vic for a feed and a few drinks, Not a bad spot for a Monday night and I got roped into doing a table quiz there too which was a lot of fun. Following day I went off out around Darwin exploring a few city sights and the Crocodilus cove which is a kind of zoo just for Reptiles, that was really cool,,, you can also swim with the crocs… well in a cage so you don’t get eaten. Watched a few snakes and big lizards swallow Rats whole and the crocs feed on chunks of meat which they just swallow whole. A couple of drinks for the evening and stocked up on supplies and ready for the next road trip.
]]> Desert meets the Ocean — Broome, Western Australia, Australia http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1257317876/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1257317876/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1257317876/tpod.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:15:24 -0500 Australia, The Siberian way...
Broome, Western Australia, Australia

After a brief stop at 80 mile beach and I thought that there would have been more access or more going on there. Its best if you go there for fishing. Anyway over 600km ahead to Broome. After hitting cable beach checked into Broomes last resort hostel. The beach itself is great and the water is so much warmer than it was further south in coral bay and exmouth. Went out to Guanthame point where the desert meets the Indian ocean. Crazy red rock and mystic blue water. Spent some lazy time at the beach and enjoyed a few beers at the hostel. Broome was definitely a good place to relax and catch up for a few days.
]]> All mines — Port Hedland, Western Australia, Australia http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1257317823/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1257317823/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/marcmsm/4/1257317823/tpod.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:12:35 -0500 Australia, The Siberian way...
Port Hedland, Western Australia, Australia

I was curious to see what port headland was like, A massive iron ore mining town. Nearly every vehicle on the road is a road train or a 4x4 mine ute. it’s a bit of a dump of a town but a huge port as millions of tonnes of iron ore pass out through it every year. Massive container ships sit in the port taking most of the ore to China. Not a bad place to stop for the night though.
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