Mt Dare auto repairs - July 30 - day 25 (NOT) on track.

STATS: back from Alice with spare parts and new broken bits on the Disco.

Today was repair day. We watched the stranded plane towed out to airstrip, where is eventually took off, despite boggy and windy conditions. There were stacks of people in the campground, all the cabins were booked out and the staff of Mt Dare had served 60 meals the night before. The wet weather had stranded many travellers.

The morning after the night before...mud - everywhere...NB lights, no wonder we struggled to see where we were going.

Is it a green or brown ute?

the plane we bought the fuel for, being towed up to the airstrip.

Repair time, Ska pulled to pieces...again.

New bits.

Now how the hell do we compress the springs OFF the old struts and onto the new struts...

...use the ratchet tie downs holding the spare tyre on the back of Ska.

There are no more photos of this procedure, as I was actually working too, I am sure Dad has a few, but I don't have them yet.... Let me assure Stef worked bloody hard to get old springs off and on and replace both struts. The car drove well and wheels seemed pretty well aligned too. After a quick/short trip around the campground Ska was "on the go" again...now it was Disco's turn.

Again very few shots of this....I was busy helpfing. Here is Stef using the camp anvil to re shape the bracket off the wishbone, prior to taking it over to Jeff at workshop for welding.

Stef with the broken wishbone.

Meg was talking to some folk around the campsite and mentioned my name in passing, the lady she was talking too, looked strange at the name, her name is Nicola too and we both pronounce it the same. I have NEVER met another Nicola, (plenty of Nicccola's) she hadn't either, so we took the opporunity for a photo op during the day. We were both in the pub that night and amazingly not only shared the name, and the pronunciation but we had both bought the same jacket at Uluru - had to be another photo here.

Nicola and Nicola

The Mt Dare Hotel...home away from home.

The bar

More of the bar and dining area.

The Bar and Jeff.

Karen...hard at work as usual.

Simon...at work too.

there was a message today from Steve (at Birdsville) advising us NOT to do the desert....too wet.

Quick trip to Alice Springs and Back July 28 and 29 day 23/24 NOT on track.

STATS: I have none for today, it was determined, that Dad, Stef, Meg, Milani and I would head off for two nights in Alice Springs, to collect the new struts that were either being sent from Brisbane (once they were cleared by customs) or pick up others from a very helpful 4wd place in Alice (Don Kyatt Spare parts).

Steve and crew were to go onto Dalhousie and pick up Col and Rod and head home via the Simpson.

So today was up early and pack up, get Steve and Crew on the road and then head off for our 600km journey to Alice.

Along the way, I called RACV to arrange accommodation (as planned) however due to very little service, they were unable to find, confirm and book accommodation for us. We arrived at Alice about 4pm, straight to Post Office, to find that the Struts had arrived from Tim in Brisbane. So I called to cancel the others from Don Kyatt. We found the last room in Alice it seems, which meant all 5 of us bunking in together at the Aurora resort (cosy to say the least)

We had a bit of a wander around town and then found a great little bar to have dinner - it was really nice, the weather was unseasonably warm, we stayed for a while while Meg and Stef went to the Doctor.

Dad and Milani and I went home and got ready for bed. Bunks for we three.

Milani and I were up early the next morning - so we snuck out for a walk around town. Met Meg for a Cuppa before we all headed off for a Macca's break folowed by some supermarket shopping, it was a bit overwhelming to have "full choice" of stock, we had been limited to Roadhouses and community stores which were fairly basic in choice.

Dad and I did some running around for folk at Mt Dare - picked up a starter motor, and a 20 litre jerry of fuel for a plane that was stranded at Mt Dare. We eventually set off for Mt Dare about midday -

The trip home was uneventful, until we reached Kulgera, where we let the tyres down again and Stef discovered two cracked front wishbones on his vehicle. This meant taking it easy for the next 250 odd kms over dirt roads....then after dark, we hit some rather wet roads...and Stef and Meg became stuck...see the photos for the snatch out - it was very exciting, I was driving Dad's ute and had to gun the guts out of it in low range second gear to pull them out...then after that it was like driving up a river, there was just water everywhere and we couldn't really see what we were doing in the dark with extremely dirty lights. Anyway we all made it back to Mt Dare...with some more stories to tell.

Sunrise behind our camp at Mt Dare.

Steve packing up - rest of us unpacking and readying for the flying trip to Alice Springs.

Mural behind Stuart Town Gaol in Alice Springs.

As the sign says - no relation as far as we know.

So that was that, we had the struts, saw very little of Alice, and only spent one night, not two as planned. This leaves Alice Springs and north of there for another trip!!!!! Amazing that you can actually get to Alice very easily and not a dirt road in sight.

 

RETURN TO MT DARE.

Adelaide House - First hospital in Alice Springs.

Some local residents scrounging around the city centre streets. (holding a chicken bone)

Very colourful birds.

Our cosy room at the Aurora Resort - thanks RACV for paying for this one.

Yep that's it, 4 bunks, a double bed, bathroom and a TV.

On our walk Milani and I found a shopping centre, so when Meg was up we went back for a look once they were opened, Milani scored a pair of Sunnies (very cool, come with attitude) and Stef scored a 4wd mag with BEANIE. Dad scored scorched peanuts and I shouted myself white chocolate raspberry bullets.

One of the many dry riverbed crossings between Kulgera and Finke.

Meg thought she saw a baby emu, which turned out to be a Bustard - very cute bird, standing about 80cms high.

He/She was a very good looking bird.

I had glimpsed a "red flower" on one of our earlier trips, and was keen to see what it was. Dad spotted it on way home. here tis, Wild Hops according to Dad.

up closer with Ute behind.

and a macro (or 15)

I have reduced it to 2 for the blog.

Looks like a daisy - every wee discovered seemed to uncover another plant or flower we hadn't yet seen.

The crossing of the "Old Ghan"

As we hit some of the wet road, Meg radio'ed that they had alarms going off in their car - in fact they were bogged...it was dark, the road was very wet and muddy.

Note the mud and Stef's new socks. Getting the snatch strap.

Hmmm the mud doesn't look THAT deep - are you really bogged? Meg trying not to panic and also calming  Milani as well.

Attaching....

attaching....

Attached...now are we ready for this?

After shot - note the changed colour of Dad's ute, The strap got hooked around Stef's wheel, but we managed to sort that out.

There was mud EVERYWHERE

Me getting back into car, trying to shake off some of the mud, to no avail.

 Back "home" at Mt Dare, our tents were OK, Dad's had collapsed a bit, obviously they had had a 'bit' of rain while we were in Alice Springs, Meg and Stef also had some water in their tent too. Mine was dry and dandy. The frogs were loving the wet weather.

By this stage, we were all well and truly ready for bed....tomorrow was big day to repair both vehicles and hope that were we able to get out of Mt Dare. We were still debating which way to come home - via the Simpson or back via Kulgera....again.

Restday and Roast at Mt Dare Campground July 27 day 22 NOT on track.

STATS:

Distance travelled: Zero, we all stayed put today....


A restday at Mt Dare today, an opportunity to catch up on a few things and time to create a delicious roast meal again.

The tree behind my tent was home to many locals - a cockatiel.

Galahs.

Cockatiel in the tree.

a butcher bird.

Sarah catching up on some reading.

Stef at work again...this time repairing the DVD player that Milani stepped on.

Steve and Dad with the broken battery tray. Steve had it welded by Geoff at Mt Dare...and a good job he did too.

Reve with her knitting.

Cleaning Stef up, not sure why he had been rolling on the grass this time.

Dad fiddling at the back of the ute.

Plenty of time to get the roast on early (checkout the video later on this page)

Sarah and Reve working on the crossword

Ready and raring for our delicious 'communal' roast.

Afer a lovely roast, we retired to the pub for a drink and maybe an icecream...

Then a bit of enterainment in the Hotel, they have a slideshow of photos from around. This one was of the 'boss' taking some German tourists in a Britz van across the Simpson.

Now for a video, as the roast progressed to the addition of vegies