There's no place like home

Days 26-28

Today's goal was to make our way back to Duff Creek, our second night's camp and the one where we got rained out, but as you can see by the first photo the Oodnadatta Track was slow going. At least it was open - although only high clearance 4WD's were allowed.

Most of the time if the water got deep and boggy there was a chicken track around it, but a couple of times the road just disappeared and there was no option but to go forward. I thought we might get stuck in one bit, especially when the car dropped on my side and all of a sudden I was a lot closer to the water than I had been, but reverse did it's job and we found another way round. I think Chris is still secretly thinking that we would have got through if he'd been allowed to give it another go!

After a quick fuel and toilet stop in Oodnadatta, and after purchasing of a couple of pink stubby holders from the infamous Pink Roadhouse, we were off again.

Because it was such slow going we didn't get quite as far as Duff Creek but found a nice place off the side of the road to spend the night and get rid of all the leftover canned food we didn't need (tinned capsicum, tinned tomatoes and a whopping tin of baked beans that made a loud sound but not much spark)!

The next day was the second to last day of the trip and we were aiming to camp near the beautiful bridge over the Aroona Creek just out of Leigh Creek. The road was a bit easier to drive on, much drier (and dustier) but still a couple of nice creek crossings every now and again. After a bit of a game of hide and seek (long story don't ask) we all made it to Leigh Creek before the shops shut and got a few essentials for our last night. With

Terrayaki chicken and rice for tea (everyone's favourite) and a roaring fire it was a great last night.

Making sure the trip lasted as long as it could we decided to take the long way home through the picturesque Flinders Ranges rather than driving straight down the black top. First stop was to pay our entry fees then we took the drive through Brachina Gorge and then onto Bunyeroo Gorge. I reckon we saved some of the best till last. Sometimes you don't really appreciate what's on sitting your doorstep but after driving through the Kimberleys and Litchfield I reckon that the Flinders still holds its own as one of the most beautiful places in this country.

One by one our fellow Plan B'ers all went their separate ways. First to say goodbye were Tim and Mimi in the Reverand. Next were Matty & Sylv in the Blue Rocket and then finally it was our turn to say goodbye to Simon & Em in the Puma. After four weeks away we still haven't decided on a name for our Landy although the Blue Wolf is probably the closest we've got so far.

After

9400 km we

're home safe and sound with no real car problems to speak of, and no problems with the house thanks to Craig's superb house sitting. All the new camping equipment worked fantastically and I think it's one of the best packing jobs we've done so far. Everything that can be stored for the next trip is slowly being washed and repacked ready for next time, while everything else has been cleaned and put away. Waiting for a sunny weekend to set the tent back up again and give it a thorough cleaning and make a list of some repairs we need before we use it again.

I found this trip much easier that the last one. Not sure if that's because we knew what to expect this time, or if it was because the kids were older, or simply because I had a couple of weeks off work to unwind before we left. Whatever it was it worked and I had a fantastic time. We've already started planning for the next trip. Looks like we'll be doing the Simpson Desert Crossing from East to West this time next year - fingers crossed for the weather!!

Thanks to all the Plan B crew for an awesome adventure. Loved spending every minute with you guys and I miss you all already. I feel a Wine/Cheese Reunion coming on soon!

To everyone else, thanks for following us on this journey. Till next time............

Who turned off the heat!!!!!

Day 24

We headed off nice and early so we could stop in at Devils Marbles on the way. Rumour had it that there was a toilet nearby (not sure what got more attention!) The kids had a really great time climbing and exploring the rocks. The days keep getting colder and colder as we get further from Darwin. Not really looking forward to getting back to SA.

The rest of the trip to Alice was uneventful and we arrived safe and sound. Lots to do with restocking the food crates for the final leg of the journey, washing last nights dishes in warm soapy water and warm showers. Bliss! We also got to do a bit of last minute tourist shopping buying gifts for the family. Last night out on the town before we get home. We ate at the Memo (Alice Springs Memorial Club) which was a really nice place that had a games room for the kids!

Day 25

Woke to ice on the tent, car, fence, table and everything on the table including a cleaning cloth that was frozen solid. Had to wait a while to get going to get some sun on the tent to dry it out a bit before we could pack it up. The fence was so cold that as the sun hit it, it started steaming.

Today's destination was Mt Dare. Nearly had our plans thwarted again but our luck changed and one of the roads was open - although rather wet and muddy. Just how we like it. Drove down to Kulgera then across to Finke (Aputula Community), where they hold the Finke Desert Race, but there was not a sole in sight so we kept driving.

The Mt Dare Station is just 10km over the SA border and we hit there at sunset. After everything we've seen over the past three weeks - was great to see that SA is still as beautiful as the NT. Mozzies galore at the campground, and many other campers, so it was a pretty early night for me as a day in the dust got up my sinuses. Total km about 540km from Alice.

It's interesting what you find on the side of the road

In all honesty I've lost count of what number day it all. All I know is that we are heading south and it is growing colder by the minute.

It's about three nights since we left Darwin and we've had some great times along the way as well as some more Plan B deviations. We were nearly going to have to give Litchfield NP a miss as the southern area had been closed due to heavy rainfall. But as luck would have it Lisa and her husband from the fishing charter had just come from that area and said that all the tracks were open. Unfortunately when we got there we found that all the camp sites were taken at both campgrounds so we weren't not able to stay the night. However, we had a wonderful swim at Surprise Falls, and some ledge jumping into a really deep waterhole, before moving off.

There were some fantastic creek crossings on the way out which were still full of water. A couple of them we just had to go back through and then drive through again to get photos of the vehicles. ...just can't help ourselves. After leaving Litchfield behind we drove a bit further down the road and found a nice little space off the side of the road where we stopped for the night. Tim & Mimi organised a ceremonial cooking (Master Chef style) of our beautiful jew fish in garlic butter with chips which we all shared. It was delicious and both kids cleaned their plates. Looks like we'll be trying more fish meals when we get home.

It pretty much poured all night and we spent ages trying to get enough pegs into the rocky ground to make sure the tent wouldn't blow away or fill up with water. I don't think anyone slept well that night.

The next day was pretty uneventful and after driving another 400-500 km we found another place to camp away from the road. This time it was our turn to play Master Chef. We'd all tried some fried Camembert Cheese one night in Katherine and really enjoyed it so we thought we'd give it a go bush style. We took a wheel of Camembert Cheese and cut it into triangles then dipped it in egg (thanks Tim & Mimi) then dipped it in Kelleogs Cornflake crumbs (bought from the shop). The coating didn't look thick enough so we redipped them in the egg and crumbs again then deep fried them in hot oil in a saucepan. YUM!!!!!!! They were a big hit with everyone, even the kids, but went too quickly. Need to buy two wheels of cheese next time.

The next day was again pretty uneventful and would be our last night before hitting Alice. We had decided to given the Davenport Ranges a miss, get to Alice a day early and then try our luck going home via Mt Dare which we missed on the way up. We did however stop in at a famous pub - famous for its collections of things donated by its patrons. The walls and ceiling were decked out with name badges, id cards, business cards, signed t-shirts, stubby holders and bras as well as money of every currency you can image. Best of all we arrived just in time for Happy Hour where you could win a pot 0f Coopers by correctly guessing 'heads or tails'. Chris was lucky enough to win two!

Our final roadside stop before Alice was in a fairly open area and all night we we're buffeted by some fairly strong winds, although it didn't rain too much and we had a fire so life was good. Of course since we hadn't had a fire in such a long time, it was decided that it was again time to put a can in the fire, although this time they created a separate fire for the can well away from the campsite and anything flammable. Three extra shovel loads of coals and an hour later I couldn't be bothered waiting any longer for it to explode so I went to bed and in the morning found out that it never went off. Not sure why - but that was soon rectified and we were again on or way - one can of tinned tomatoes lighter.