The journey doesn't end...Murray Sunset National Park

Well, we did make it home (albeit 7 months ago now!) and had a very bumpy landing (no power to the house for 2 days for a start and great difficulty coping with all the stuff that we had at home after 9 months of living out of a car and trailer/tent and so many people in the big city!), but we are slowly getting used to it. (It took me a good week to work out how to use the stereo and then there was the microwave...)

We have learnt that we need big gasps of air out bush (or desert) to keep us 'OK' and keep us connected to each other as life at home keeps pulling us apart.

So last Easter holidays we ran away to the Murray Sunset National Park hoping for some peace & quiet. We got it on the whole...until the hordes arrived 4 days later on Good Friday...and camped on top of us! By Easter Sunday, we were done, and packed up and came home. We didn't need to camp that closely to others when we live in the inner city.

Things that we did while we were there...

Fiddling around with the car

A little bit of driving around the sandy and eroded tracks...to explore the massive National Park (all up we drove about 500km in the park)

Throwing seeds in the air to watch their aerodynamics

Walking on salt and tasting it

Eating damper, pancakes, Easter eggs, and roasted pumpkins.

And we did watch some crazy people get themselves out of being intentionally bogged...what can I say, it was Easter!

We did learn that most of our kitchen camping stuff had disappeared back into our house (oops!), and that whilst camping on our trip by ourselves was fine, short trips would be more fun with another family or two (need to find another family, or people that would like to go 4wding and camping where there may not be showers into interesting places - takers?).

Next stop is Mungo National Park, NSW these holidays...although we have decided to stay in the Shearer Quarters at Turlee Station instead of camping as the kids have all been sick. We really wanted to go there on our way home back in October, but it was closed due to wet roads - it is a very sensitive area and has very old fossils in it. We are hoping that the roads are dry when we get there!

The Flinders Ranges

A time to rest at Parachilna Gorge,

A time for catching up on family journal,

A chance to get really muddy,

Mountains to drive up,

A time to wait at Brachina East Campsite in the Flinders Ranges National Park,

for our friends, the Brieffie's to arrive,

for one last camp,

before they go west, and we go east.

We moved together down to Port Pirie of all places to shelter from the forecast storm and to spend a few more days together.  Interesting place...check the next entry...

Finke National Park - WOW!! Palms & Cycads, Red Sandstone Cliffs, River Bed Drives...

After leaving Ormiston, we found that we had to stick to the bitumen way to Palm Valley which took us through Hermannsburg, the home of Albert Namatjira.  Nice spot for a cuppa.

 The road out from there showed some of the damage from the flooding rains that had come through!!

 This is the first time we had seen a "Severe 4WD Route" sign!! wow...what were we in for...

 stunning views as we drove up the river

 Incredibly red sandstone cliffs... gorgeous

 The info signs had ceramic tiles made by artists at Hermannsburg..beautiful

 dingo and bird prints in the campsite

 our quiet little spot by the river

The drive out to the Palm Valley the next day was, awesome, through the river, over rock...WOW... no trailers here

 We felt really, well, intrepid, until we got to the carpark and found 6 tour buses there...not so intrepid after all!

 The boys on the walk

 The "red cabbage palms", not found anywhere else!  only 12000 at last count.  Fragile

Beautiful patterns... the picture does not do it justice.

 Us in the "car park" - the flattest piece of rock

 Frank in the dinosaur plants... cycad grove

 the boys cooling off! luckily, not the nude shot!

 Rock puzzle - see how it has moved - this is a huge rock

 These are from the lookout near the campsite.  Stunning red sandstone.

 The boys at the lookout

 Sunset at the campsite

 This central desert frog made his way into our tent (not the first guest), and John and Peter wet their hands and gently took him back outside to be free.

 The road back out (once again, up the Finke River)

 More of the road

 Us on the road

The one tiny bit of bitumen on the road to Palm Valley.

This was a stunning stay that we absolutely loved...only 2 nights that felt like a week.  The road in was incredible, driving down a pebbly, sandy river most of the time, and the 21 km took about 1 hour to drive.  Stunning cliffs, trees, and views.  Worth it...  you bet, will we go back - absolutely.  The bonus was that we saw a Buff Banded Rail (for those bird watchers) there!  Incredible.