Well, not quite fruitless but weird. We grow food in our garden. Usually. Thus summer in the UK the weather has been very odd. I know the soild was prepared. Co.post had been composting. We have a worm based bin where the little critters push the goodness out through the holes in the bin. Extra cow poo was added. The ground was turned over but boy have We had a lousy crop.
The lettuce was eaten alive by pests despite all natural deterrents deployed as usual. The broccoli never made past 3 inches because of hungry slugs and caterpillars. The beetroot have done ok but still on the small size. We had 4 or 5 meals from the spuds where we usually have double that. Whilst there are tomatoes on the vine they are not ripening. We’ve done nothing differently but the weather…..
I’m still hopeful that there will be peppers. No chilli this year, we didn’t get any. I think I’ve sat out once, eaten an outdoor meal once. It’s been lousy.
Don’t get me wrong, there have been sunny days, but few and far between. Yes, we go on about the weather in the UK. Even by UK standards, this year has been strange. This morning ing it rained heavily. Now the sun is shining and there are clouds overhead. Yesterday was cloudy where my parents ts live and sunny where I live less than 50 miles away.
Usually, I have more blackberries that I can use for jam. This year, nothing. I guess it happens. We have a warm, comfortable home and enough to eat. I have nothing to complain about. I’m just intrigued as to what’s going on.
Spring is springing. It’s been su shine and showers all week and mainly too cold to do anything meaningful. A couple of weeks back I managed to get 4 buckets of potatoes planted. The garlic planted last autumn are growing strong but a few weeks way from harvest yet.
This is when the seeds go in. The beds were dug at the same time that the spuds went in and the solid layer if fertiliser had leached in nicely. Time to top out the potatoes with farmyard manure and put some brassica in to sprout. The strawberry plants are growing nicely
Today peas, mangetout, broccoli and cabbage. There are new tubs on the windowsill slowly streaming up and hopefully getting the plants revved up for planting out before we jet off again. The cats are fascinated.
My personal task today was putting together cold frame. I hate using chemicals and avoid them if at all possible and, since last year saw us losing to slugs and caterpillars, the next line of defence is now a plastic half formed greenhouse in miniature which fits over one of the raised beds. Let’s see who wins this one sluggies!
The blackcurrant is putting out new shoots. The gooseberry is spiky and green. We may have enough for a pie this year! As ever, the garden is a joy since we converted it to growing food crops. We use it so much more with the summer house being a glorious place to sit.
Last night was.the first official run out for ‘the talk about my Australian adventures last year. A group of former Guide leaders assembled for the first time since July and excited to see each other as well as to hear the talk and, of course, have tea and a chat.
It’s a little unnerving when your mum is on the front row. This was only half the tale though. Tne story if the train across the desert but not of my time in the outback. I am reliably informed that someone was overhead saying they could listen to it all again. Certainly, feedback was in the form of questions and talwles of family members’ involvement in the building of Australia. Its lovely that people opened up to share their own stories with me, and I was honoured.
I should point out that this was the hottest day of the year to day at 29 degrees centigrade and that we had to close the door part way through because of brass band practice in the next building! The tea was amazing, and I’m pleased to say that all equipment worked as it should. (The touring show being a little different from a ready-made classroom setup)
Apologies for the delay on this as my hand is in a splint … don’t ask .. so this will take me a while to type!
Rolling overnight from Coober Pedy we woke up to an emu vs kangaroo race alongside the tracks and to a countryside that looked a little more like the southern end of the UK. Wheat fields and greenery. Staff made themselves available for selfies and goodbyes. We arrived around early afternoon and were taken by private car to our air b’n’b in the historic district just off Adelaide’s Chinatown and a five minute walk from the famous food market. Guess what our first stop was?
It was close to closing time but we managed to find a couple of talkative former Brits who were happy to direct us to the best bread stall and some great local produce. We were at the market daily. There are a range of excellent cafes and loads of high quality food alongside a bookstall and weirdly a camera shop. One thing I did find odd was that apart from the market there was nothing we might call an ‘Off Licence’. Supermarkets don’t sell alcohol. We wandered into a pub that seemed to indicate it sold drinks for home consumption. Yep, there they were locked up away from the bar. A bottle shop. Sad to say we had come across a number of people with varying mental health and alcohol issues on our journey and many of these were First Nation individuals. I can see the logic in making alcohol difficult to get to but when we think about Australia in the UK the pub features heavily so it was an eye opener to see the strict controls. It’s been sad to hear about the current issues in Alice Springs since we came home too
The little row house we were staying in had one window in the front and one in the back with non at all the kitchen which was served by a skylight. It was cosy but we both felt like we were still moving for a while there. The weather forecast was very British but we’d brought our rain gear so not problem. Day one and we located the museum quarter and the superb collection in the South Australian Museum. This includes an opalised fossil dinosaur and I love a fossil of any kind. Just across the yard is the Art Gallery of South Australia where we spent a good few hours enjoying the modern art and the excellent selection of Namatjura paintings.
It took us a while the next day to work out how to get hold of a bus pass having been refused entry to a buss for Handorf as they don’t accept cash. (HINT: get it at the railway station and talk to a human being to make sure you’re getting the best deal). Armed with the appropriate piece of plastic we got onto a local bus and wound our way to the former ‘German Town’ through places with familiar names and an unfamiliar location. The tours to Barossa are wildly expensive but the Handorf winery is beautiful and a normal commuter bus is a more interesting experience than a tour. honestly we saved about 350 dollars!
If you’ve never tasted good wine with good chocolate I’d suggest that you try this wine pairing when you are in town. The historic high street of Handorf had a range of cafes and niche/boutique shops. Yes, its a bit touristy but very pretty. The original Melbourne Cup was on display in the Wolf Blass bar/tasting centre and it was Melbourne cup day. With the time differences I can honestly say Adelaide was very quiet when we got back! It still blow my mind how many different time zones cover Australia.
Now I had my birthday while we were in Adelaide. Asked what I’d like to do I opted for the zoo. Out with the trusty bus pass, but no, there is a free city circular which dropped us not far from the Adelaide Oval and a short walk from the zoo. I had thought to book to walk over the roof of the oval but we decided it was a touch pricey since I’m the only one with any interest in cricket! We ran into some cricketers in the Rundle Mall …. some team, pale blue kit … may have been Australia!
The zoo was a lovely day out. We got to feed the giraffes and I could have cuddled them (you’re asked specifically not to try). You have no notion of how big a giraffe is until its eating from your hand. I love the fact that there were school kids at the zoo and that there’s a huge emphasis on conservation. People found it so funny that we through the ibis were exotic when the locals called them ‘bin chicken’. I’d not seen one so close as when it was trying to steal my lunch! They really do look like Egyptian mummies.
Finally a day to wander around and do a touch of shopping. Obviously we found an antique book store, I found an R.M. Williams belt and we found the Mall’s Balls. Then there was chocolate at Beehive Corner.
Leaving for the airport we sailed past the Journey Beyond passenger terminal. The flight to Perth for our connection to the UK proved lively with a passenger collapsing in economy and staff trying hard to maintain composure when we had seen the defibrillator coming out. We gave them some of our chocolate figuring they needed it more than we. That passenger walked off the plane into the care of waiting paramedics!
Whilst we’d grown used to business class treatment it was still wonderful to be spoiled rotten all the way home. Pajamas, food at all hours (thankfully, as I fell asleep before dinner finished being on Adelaide time), fully flat beds and a smooth flight back to Heathrow. We arrived on a strike day (underground staff) making our journey across London a quieter than expected. I hated that we had no choice but to break the strike and I’m sorry folks.
Would I recommend the whole Australian experience? Well, we’re planning the next one already. I reckon the train experience was well worth every penny. I know the flights were an indulgence but folks if this is a once in a lifetime for you, treat yourself. I’ve done that journey in economy and business is worth it if only to get some sleep. Someone said to me this very afternoon that they’d love to do the Ghan but. There are no buts. It’s well worth the experience. Make it the focus of your big birthday (like I did), get vouchers, start a travel account that you can’t access easily, ask for your Christmas and birthday money. Travel is always worth the trouble. Our next trip is somewhat shorter but already planned and Australia… we will see you asap.
Footnote: just had dinner with Karen & Smiley… in the UK. They are still wonderful. Go on their tours!
That is what Kupa Piti means. Coober Pedy, white man in a hole. Of course Coober Pedy has no station so we drew in at Manguri a siding about 40 km out of town. We rolled in and were met by Ghan branded coaches and staff ready to take us on the tour of the town. There were options for half day tours taking in just the Breakaways or just the mine but naturally most people want the full trip. We were sent to our numbered vehicle and the whole beautifully choreographed operation swung into action. Each coach took the tour in a different direction so as not to swamp the destinations.
Manguri Station
Today was a very different experience. Beautiful scenery and great photo ops but also restricted by the care the Australians are taking of their country. (Now in Pricilla Queen of the Desert the bus breaks down and our heroes find themselves in need of rescue…. that’s the Breakaways). Our driver for the day 26 years old with a bucket full of dad jokes. It felt odd to be on a 50 seater especially on dirt roads. Breathtaking is the only way to describe the view from our hill (several were being used). Champagne, well, of course. Stories of the various landmarks and their names. Honestly, I could have stayed there all day. WOW!
Breakaways
This is a fragile area. Many different colours of soil and rock. I swear you can see the curve of the earth from up here and I don’t think I’ve ever been able to see so far. We were carefully kept in the designated viewing areas so as not to erode any more of this place. The road is now about 18 inches below the desert surface and there’s not stopping outside the carefully placed stops. We literally had a couple of metres square to stand in at some places. Its sad to know that the very thing which people come to see is being destroyed by them being here in modern machines. (Bit like the Barrier reef when we saw that a few years back). We stopped to see the two dogs (aka salt and pepper) but were asked not to publish photos out of respect for the true owners. On then to the Moon Plain, which looks like … the surface of the moon and is much coveted by NASA and film crews alike for its lunar similarities. Whilst Australia works closely with the USA on space monitoring it is not about to give up this area for destruction. on the edge of all this we stopped to see the Dingo Proof Fence. 1.8m high and with 1.8m below ground in places it is almost constantly under repair it runs for 5614km although it does not entirely stop dingoes nor did it stop rabbits when it was known as the rabbit proof fence.
Coober Pedy sits on the border between Kokotha and Arabana land. The town is small and mining may only take place within a 20 x 50 km area though not, anymore, within the town limits as the dust is bad for your health. Coober Pedy means opals. I have loved opals for as long as I can remember and this grubby, messy mining town was, for me, the thing I had wanted most to see. We were due down a mine … for lunch!
After lunch we did get to look around the museum (for this was an underground museum and historic mine as well as out restaurant). There were examples of historic and modern dugout living. Most people here live underground where it is a comfortable 25C year round. As I say mining id not allowed in town but any opal found whilst extending your home is saleable. Some single fellas have 16 bedroom homes with a bunch of en suite bathrooms! LOL. Opal glows in black light and I’d come prepared with a UV feature on my torch.
Our final visit of the visit of the day was to church. The Serbian Orthodox church. Coober Pedy had more churches per capita than anywhere in Australia reflecting the huge range of nationalities drawn to the mines. This one is spectacular with its nave sitting 15m below the ground. Noodling around outside I found, not opal, but a small meteor chunk of iron. No one in Coober Pedy looks away from the ground for long.
We were first back to the train and were driven to the wrong side of the tracks to get the classic Ghan photo before a little more champagne by with our Red Centre chums as the light faded and the bonfires were lit. This was to be our last night aboard and we arranged to head for the tail (Snowpiercer reference) for drinks after dinner.
Ghan at manguri
Our view as we sat for our meal was sunset over the red desert of South Australia. Drinks later were fun and a little bittersweet. We would be moving ever closer to Adelaide overnight and to the end of this outback adventure.
For anyone who thinks this journey is expensive we worked it out. 10 nights accommodation plus all the food and drink you could want (we paid for two meals in Alice) plus your guides and transport and all the entry fees and coaches to venues etc. it came to around £250 per night, Platinum. (2021 prices) Frankly you would struggle to get just the luxury hotel in London for that. I cannot recommend this highly enough.
Everyone was up and ready for our transfer to the station. I have to admit it felt odd not to have Smiler and Karen looking after us and we were a little twitchy as to what form our transfer would take. Turns out it was a very nice local minibus taxi and they delivered us in time to see the Ghan pull into the station. Once there our bags were checked ready for delivery to our cabins for later. Choices for today’s Ghan related trips were a tour of Alice (been there done that), an animal encounter at the Desert Park (my wife’s choice) and Simpson’s Gap. I went for the Gap. Oh sure we may have gone to ANZAC hill again but this time there was the bonus view, the train. Only seeing it from up there can give any realistic idea of what a 1km train looks like.
The thin red and silver line across the centre of the image is the Ghan. Alice spreads only as far as you can see and is no allowed beyond the current city limits as this is now Arrente land. Once we passed Flynn’s memorial again we were off to Simpson’s gap.
Once again this place has been immortalised by Albert Namatjura. It was busier than many sites we’d visited but still fresh from the coach we were greeted by a Bearded Dragon (lizard) and some pink birds I’m informed were Major Mitchell’s cockatoos posing in a tree for their close up. As ever this being Australia the rivers run underground except in times of flood and we were able to crunch along the sandy river bed where the Blood Gums grew until we reached the water hole that marks the end of the tourist area and the start of First People’s land. You get some idea of the scale of the place from the little figures in this image. A rocky area near the gap itself kept us captivated for some time as we scoured the area for sight of the Black Rock Wallaby. They did not disappoint but you try photographing one!
Lunch was served at the Desert Park where we met up with our train mates. I’m not sure who had the better day. Getting close up and personal with the local wildlife and watching the staff fly birds of prey sounded pretty cool to me. For those who felt the need to shop there was a drop off in the town centre but we opted for a cool down and a shower on board before our evening’s entertainment. Alice Springs was not done with us yet.
The town was called Stuart (after the explorer) or originally Mbantwe. When the overland Telegraph Station was build out of town that became known as Alice’s Spring after Alice Todd wife of Sir Charles Todd. Eventually it became too confusing to have two names for what was essentially one place and Alice Springs it became (Aussies, we are told, are naturally lazy and that is easier to pronounce than Alice’s Spring). The town grew with the 1887 gold rush. The telegraph station is still there on the edge of town and that was our dinner destination for the evening. We arrived at dusk to be greeted with love music and, of course, champagne. It never gets boring.
We ate as the sun went down serenaded by a live band. The Milky Way was visible above us. Some of our travelling companions in ‘Platinum’ were a little too much for us (never discuss politics at dinner) but I found myself seated next to the guy who played triangle on a Thompson Twins single hit (if he was to be believed) and we talked 80s music for a while. Conversation across the table was getting heated. My wife and I went for a walk. We decided to opt out of the camel rides but did join our Red Centre companions at their ‘Gold’ table for a few laughs.
[At this point I should say that we opted for the Platinum package because we wanted a flat bed experience rather than bunks. Neither of us were comfortable with the level of privilege shown by some of our coach mates. It costs nothing to be nice only some people seem to forget that. We have family who work in the hospitality industry and make it a habit not to treat service staff rudely.]
Whilst some people chose to dance into the wee small hours we took the shuttle coach back to the Ghan for a quiet nightcap (brought to your room) and an early-ish night, it was still close to midnight. Once the last passengers were on board we started to move slowly through the desert towards Coober Pedy.
Following the dark skies experience and late finish we are up early to wind our way to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) for a wander up to what many consider the second best known of Australia’s big rocks but it’s not what it seems. En route we could see so many Desert Oaks and these amazing trees, which look like saplings to us, are 100s of years old. The First People use them for water, food and shade but every tree is treated with the respect it deserves given how they grow in this inhospitable landscape.
Desert Oak sign board
The area surrounding Kata Tjuta is flat and red as you may expect but on the way down the valley there are signs of surface water and the occasional blue or green speck in the conglomerate which forms this feature. Yes it’s true. This is, in fact, a huge lump of desert concrete and not one giant rock as you might imagine.
Fitted for the heatKata Tjuta conglomerate
The fly net is not pretty but the joke in the Red Centre is one canyon, one rock, one railway and one billion flies. Truly at the time of year we were there it was an absolute necessity! The scarf may seem odd but its a cooling scarf. Effectively designed to be damp and allow the evaporation to cool your neck. Best buy of the trip for comfort. By now the ‘team’ from the bus had bonded and I felt quite comfortable wandering up the valley with some new friends whilst my travelling companion rested in the shade.
Lunch was served at the cultural centre. There is a wonderful instructional ‘dream time’ tunnel display at the centre which we visited before lunch but we were respectfully asked not to photograph the artifacts inside. The First People also own the gallery and shop and provide paintings and other items for purchase. Again this goes towards school and health provision. Throughout our bus tour Smiler kept disappearing with the leftover food and we found out that her was donating it to local First Nation people as many now struggle to eat. Now before anyone rushes to judgement Australians of European descent took children away from families their families for years with a view to ‘educating’ them in mission schools. Many never saw their birth families again. (Please look up stories like that of singer Archie Roach for more detail). In doing this we stripped many people of their language and culture and broke the link to the land and the old ways which allow First people to survive in the brutal heat. We have much to learn and ‘bush tucker’ is now being shipped to markets worldwide for its excellent nutrition. As Australia moves gradually northward year by year and given the changing climate I can see how facilitating the next generation’s return to their lands is massively important.
We were bussed to the base of Uluru with stories of the formation of the scars on the rock and and insight into the custom of interaction between different tribes. Surprisingly the first visit we mad was to a spring and water hole hidden within the curves of the rock. Smiler appraised up of the punishments used by those who break community laws. Some of these are still permitted/tolerated under the Australian system as they are effective in maintaining balance between European and First People’s cultures.
The rock art above one of the springs demonstrates more about the children being taken. Traditionally when a child was old enough to do so they would add their hand print to the family wall. This remained until they were elderly and they would then superimpose their adult hand over the top. As you can see many of these hands are child sized only.
After an emotional day on the rock we headed back to freshen up for the ‘Field of Light‘ that evening. More champagne overlooking these two spectacular features, a quick team photo and as darkness fell the ‘field’ was revealed. Originally the installation was only supposed to run for a couple of years but now it is set to remain until 2030. It is exactly as described, a field of thousands of lamps winding a pattern into the darkness. It has to be experienced rather than described. My shaky cam photos do not do it justice so please click the link if you want to see more. Tired and emotional we headed back to the resort for a late supper and off to bed.
So many people do not realise that a desert can be cold as well as hot. At home right now it’s minus three degrees centigrade. It’s been like this, though not quite as cold, for about three days now. I’m about to tell you what life was like in the Red Centre of Australia in 39 – 40 degrees.
The frost this morning
Alice Springs overnight before heading off on the Larapinta highway and tne Merenee Loop to Kings Canyon. I’m just gonna bung a load of photos in here. Suffice to say it’s no ordinary ‘minibus’ that carries us and Outback Spirit need to give Smiley Oz and wife Karen a bonus for the value added commentary and obvious joy they have in the NT. (Northern Territory) even if Karen is a Scouser (a person from Liverpool).
At Alice Springs Station
All I can do is recommend a visit to Alice. It is like nowhere you’ve ever been. A quick tour of Flynn’s memorial (the guy that invented the Flying Doctor Service), ANZAC Hill, (more of which later) and a whizz round downtown Alice and we were deposited at the hotel for the night. We were warned not to venture out after dark because of some recent incidents but, honestly it does not feel like a scary place. Next door was Lasseter’s Casino (made famous in Pricilla Queen of the Desert if not before).
Out early (every morning was early) onto the bus (with Smiler, our driver, supplying a commentary and soundtrack ( a link to Spotify) and Larapinta Drive out of Alice. This was to be a day of wonders. First stop Standley Chasm (Angkerle Atwatye), where we picked up the stories of Albert Namatjira and his art. Onto Namatjira Drive, named for the man himself. We passed the ochre pits and learned about sunscreen and bush craft. On to Ormiston Gorge (Quarta Tooma) and the waterhole made famous by one of the ‘White Gum’ paintings that made Namatjira’s name.
I’m being careful to include First People names where I can as these lands are contested and the names are gradually being returned to them. I’ll not include images of every tourist spot please look them up if you’re interested. Out final stop on the ‘black top’ highway was a little known spot that is the scene of a meteor landing and where the crater is still visible. There is something about standing in the eroded base of a meteor crater that makes you feel really small, especially knowing that 1000s of feet have already been eroded from the hills surrounding you which form its walls.
Then we went … I was going to say off road but in reality onto a thing they call the Mereene Loop. This is a corrugated dirt road and we were at the start of the wet season. We are sitting in s 25 seater minibus. Bouncing along. Swerving to avoid puddles for the next 3 hours or more. Sounds exciting eh? Our ‘minibus’ was in fact a converted lorry. Seriously build for these conditions, 4×4, high road clearance, leather seats mini video screens, coolers for food and water. We pulled up at one point to hand over water to a guy whose car had overheated (its what country people do) and to check he had help on its way. You never leave a fellow traveller on these roads. Along the Loop we saw Brumbies, Desert Oak, Gums of various varieties, Grass trees, and still no Roos.
Destination Kings Canyon. (see earlier Pricilla reference) and the Kings Canyon Resort. Now ‘resort’ means a different sort of thing in Australia than what you might be expecting….
ffiftypluses 