Chicago vs New York

The Red Centre 

It’s the time of Covid-19, we've been itching to change our surroundings like most other people around the world probably feel right now. So we made a plan, but had to keep it local for obvious reasons. August 2020 was kinder to Northern Australia than South. With Victoria still in Stage 4 lockdown, we were thrilled at being able to travel but still conscious of any possible change at any possible time. 

Our initial plan was a three hour round trip to Katherine and back via Kakadu which would take three days, however with lodge closures until 2021 and waterfall closures for various other reasons - that didn’t happen. 

The second idea was then to hire a camper and drive to Alice Springs over three days, visit Uluru and then take the Ghan train back overnight. One night on the Ghan train is barely affordable at the best of times, however timing was not on our side and taking a scenic (expensive) train ride across landscape you have just driven through was a bit of a push.  

We therefore settled on our third and final itinerary, which was to hire a car and fly back, taking 8 days in total to road trip to the Red Centre and to see all the quirkiness in between. We used our Territory Tourism Vouchers to book some activities and notch up the luxury a little. It was my birthday after all. 

Darwin to Daly Waters

We broke the six hour drive from Darwin to Daly Waters by stopping in Mataranka to take a dip in the Bitter Springs.

Mataranka is about four hours from Darwin and directly on the route to middle earth. Timing, and a homemade egg mayo sandwich which we had on the go, landed us in the water at around 2pm. We dipped into the warm, clear springs, letting the current pull us along with the other swimmers. 

I say swimmers, I mean bobbers. They were all on pool noodles which was wise, while we had an arm workout to stay head above water. It was a nice enough doggy paddle down the creek. The overhead spiders were a bit of a surprise, and the odd slimy rock or branch would rub my leg, but hey, it’s the Outback. We were lucky there weren’t crocodiles. 

By about 5pm we arrived at Daly Waters Historic Pub. There is so much to look at. Allow an hour to get from the car to the front door. The pub was alive with chatter and glasses clinking, and it stayed that way the entire time we were there, toning down briefly in the morning for cleaning and breakfast. The bar staff doubled as concierge, mostly young working travellers from what I could tell - Scottish, energetic and task driven.

Our accommodation was basic, but satisfactory and fuss free. The air-conditioning worked, the bed was square and the shower wet. We shared Barra bites (Barramundi), salad and chips for dinner, washed down with a few spiced rums and some ‘Hey Jude’ delivered by the local nightly entertainers; Lou Bradley and Phil. They seemed to be a hit with the grey nomads, most of whom looked fresh in from South Australia. 

After a little lie in the next morning, and a damn good Barista made coffee from the Daly Waters Pub, we headed off to our next stop.

Daly Waters to Karlu Karlu

There were termite mounds dressed with clothing. This was an unexpected feature striding the Stuart Highway from around about Katherine to Warumungu. We later asked a local why this was, and she simply said she wasn’t too sure, but that it was something that the locals just did. So we asked Google, and she said that it was a recent thing that had started with travellers and truck drivers driving up from South Australia, possibly just passing the time. 

Okay then.

Karlu Karlu or Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve is a few kilometers from Wauchope, which is where we had booked to stay. Devils Marbles Hotel is also known as the Wauchope Hotel.

We passed through Tennant Creek about an hour before reaching our destination, and I found myself thinking of a man I'd met in Darwin who had grown up there before moving north. It was hard to imagine life in such a small, dry town. No doubt there is more to it than meets the eye of a passerby.

The Devils Marbles were impressive, glowing warmly as we walked around them in the late afternoon. The rocks have eroded over time, stacked into shapes that live up to their name. Though I'm still not sure where the "Devil" part comes in.

Before settling in at our road-stop for the night, we took a dip in the freezing cold swimming pool at the back of the hotel. Our accommodation was a very basic cabin, enough to fit a bunk and a Queen bed, just enough space to open the front door. The bathroom was the size of a wardrobe. I’m so glad we got the bigger room at $135. What would $60 get you? A bed pan?

There was no wi-fi anywhere. It didn’t matter though, we loved our visit and the lack of technology probably contributed to that. The hotel was full of character, with original architectural drawings on the walls and a pool table that had clearly been used for everything except pool. After chatting with another couple who were bound for Darwin, we enjoyed an incredible and retired to our built-in caravan. We'd been told the food was really good at this little hotel, and that was no lie.

Alice Springs

Road trips are wonderful, they slow you down enough to notice things and consider the world around you. You’re not racing from one place to another if you allow some time, and you’re not bent over a phone or some other device. You’re simply present, with whoever it is you are travelling with. Conversation at times, comfortable silence at others. 

We happened to pass over the Tropic of Capricorn without expecting to. We had crossed the same latitude previously in Namibia in 2017, which reaffirmed our initial thoughts of how the landscape mirrored the Namib desert and Soussesvlei. 

Alice Springs is a practical little town, laid out around the Todd River and at the foot of the West MacDonnell Ranges. We walked through the centre of town on a Saturday morning, which was also election day in the Northern Territory. It was vibey, although toning down as the afternoon drew in. 

After another freezing cold swim once we checked into The Crowne Plaza, we settled into our cosy hotel room before realising we probably should have made dinner plans. 

Saturday night in Alice Springs - make sure you book a table somewhere is all I’m saying. There was little to no availability. We finally managed to secure ourselves a spot at Saltbush restaurant after 8pm, a restaurant at the Hilton hotel next door. The food was locally inspired and also really tasty. Our waiter was Mike, from South Africa of all places, and now an Australian permanent resident.

On Sunday we spent the morning at the Alice Springs Desert Park which was a pleasant enough introduction to the local wildlife. I did not know that there are upside down rivers in the desert. This changed my perspective when I saw dry riverbeds later, surrounded by trees. Later we headed to the Alice Springs Brewing Co. for a few tasters. This reminded us a lot of the Darling Brewery in the Western Cape.

We visited Simpsons Gap but didn’t do too much hiking, walking or viewing because I still had a troublesome knee after bashing it on the ground in a fall, running on dangerously flat ground.

After trying to find a restaurant that was open on a Sunday night, we luckily ended up at Monte’s which was fabulous, interesting and full of fun people. The eatery and bar were founded by the owners of Lola’s Pegola in Darwin, and so we felt special to have been to both. We felt like we’d found the Alice Springs we were looking for.

Uluru

There are three routes from Alice Springs to Uluru. One is a sealed road, the other unsealed and the third I believe is partially 4 wheel drive only. We were eager to get to the rock, so we took the shortest, sealed route which would take us about 5 hours including a break.

We nearly ended up in a serious accident on that stretch of road. Two cowboys tin a silver ute came flying up behind us, easily 60km faster than the 110km we were doing. They were intent on overtaking, despite a camper approaching in the opposite lane. Instead of slowing down, the absolute piece of chop behind the wheel of the ute swerved left, tearing off the road and onto the gravel beside us, before swinging back onto the road, nearly hitting the camper and spinning out across the highway. 

This should not feature in my wonderful Red Centre trip, but it was such a close call, it left me angry, and then deeply grateful that in all the thousands of kilometers we've travelled, moments like this have been fairly rare. 

After a toastie at the roadhouse (listen to me, all Australian come American) we continued on to Ayre’s Rock Resort. The roads were in very good shape and the desert was a treat for watching through the car window. Red sand, small green bush, changing to trees in some spots and shapes similar to cactus plants. Rocky outcrops gave us the impression we could have been in Arizona. Haven’t been, so couldn’t be sure. 

When you first see Uluru, it really does stop you mid-sentence. When I first heard about a big rock in the middle of Australia, I didn’t exactly jot it down on my bucket list. I figured it might be cool if I drove past it one day. Covid-19 ultimately got me there and I’m not sure if we would have made that trip if we still had all the options in the world to us. That might be one positive to take from a global crisis. 

It’s a 550-million-year-old rock, and I tell you, when you’re turning 45, there’s not a lot of other things that will make you feel young.

We experienced Uluru, and then some. On the morning of my birthday, Tuesday 25th August 2020, we walked ten kilometres around that big red monolith. If my knee had been in normal condition, I probably would have liked to run around it and cycle around it, however the morning walk over a few hours meant we really took it all in. 

You see the catch phrase on some of the resort vehicles, saying 'Touch the silence'. I get that.

Respect is significant in these parts. The Anangu are the traditional owners of Uluru and Kata Tjuta, as well as the land that surrounds them. There is an aboriginal community nearby and signs around the rock request that you refrain from taking photographs in certain sensitive sections, as well as refrain from climbing it. 

There’s no need to climb it. Take the rock in for what it is. It’s about the land and the people that have lived there for generations, their stories and their peace. It’s not about your Strava points and whether you can get a selfie from the top. After years of respectfully asking people not to climb Uluru, and people climbing it anway - it was permanently banned by the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Board in October 2019.  

After the walk, an icy cold swim, a margarita and a massage we headed off on a helicopter trip to see the sandstone wonders from above. I know right - what a day! 

Austin, the pilot of the Professional Helicopter Service, put me up front which was a delight. We had to wear masks on the way to the helicopter and on board. This was the first time Colin and I had put masks on, ever. We had been so lucky to be in the Northern Territory where there had been no need for wearing masks. 

We flew as close to Uluru as permitted, then over the 36 red rock domes of Kata Tjuta (The Olga’s) before touching down gently at the Airport. After a finger lime margarita back at the hotel, we headed off on our final excursion of the day to watch the sun set on Uluru with a glass of bubbly, and wander through the field of light. The installation stretches across 380km of optical fibre and illuminates 50 000 handcrafted glass stems. We were tipsy as we wound our way through the stems of light as they shifted from red to green, blue to lavender and every colour in between. 

Uluru has only recently opened again after the impact of Covid-19. There are signs of a struggling tourism market, but with the support of the Australian Government I’m sure the region will be back to its former glory in no time. We felt grateful to be able to visit during this time, grateful that we could contribute to tourism in the area and privileged to experience it all with few other tourists around. 

Kings Canyon

When we arrived at Kings Canyon the following day, having driven three and a half hours from Uluru, we were welcomed with a warm ‘sorry we have no wi-fi and very few staff or activities due to around 90 staff members currently not working’. Our friend, Covid again. 

They were still open however and it didn’t take away from the beauty of the Kings Creek walk or the sundowner's viewpoint of the Canyon from afar. The rim walk is the thing to do at Kings Canyon. Unluckily (or luckily for me) I had my knee as an excuse not to walk up 500 steps on a steep cliff. Even if I had made it up there, I would have been petrified at the height. It was also 38 degrees that afternoon and we were followed around by a couple of stubborn flies, so not the most pleasant conditions for a three to four hour walk. 

The bar and restaurant was called the Thirsty Dingo. We did manage to scrounge up a sip from the bottom of an 1800 Reposado and after a dehydrated vegetarian pizza, we turned in, ready for an early morning start to get to Alice Springs Airport.

Some things to consider when you need to get from the middle of the desert to an airport in a set amount of time; 

1. Always set your alarm for fifteen minutes earlier than you think you need to. 
2. Fill up with fuel, even though you think your half tank should get you to the next gas station.
3. Just because there was wi-fi around a sacred rock in the outback, doesn’t mean it’s everywhere.

After several kilometres of unsealed, red, gravel road, an absolutely stunning sunrise, a little concern at having 300km to go on 310km of fuel and only 3 hours to do it, we somehow managed to get to the airport. 

We were curious about how the flight would be handled given the current health situation. We needed to wear masks but it wasn’t mandatory on the plane. There were only two flights going out of Alice Springs airport that day, our flight to Darwin in the morning, and one flight to Adelaide in the afternoon.

In under two hours we were back in Darwin, where masks were mandatory in the airport. There was a significant police presence, double the amount of airport staff and people squirting passengers with sanitizer from a distance, shouting ‘Are you unwell? Have you been in Victoria in the last 14 days?’'

Speedy process nevertheless. 

And that was that. It was really one of the best trips I’ve had, and not only because it was adventurous and beautiful, but for the appreciation that came from realising how much we took for granted before the pandemic.