Bird life

False start this morning as we left. 20km down the road we realised that we had left a book behind - the library book which is our reference for what to see and where to see it. Back we went, retrieved it and off again. We've done the road ahead as we are returning to Coober Pedy for the night so we know wht to expect. Then we saw the tree below

I have seen three eagles flying together before and was told they were a pair with a young one, but I have never seen so many in one place and certainly not so close. We guessed there must be something large and dead somewhere but couldn't see anything.  Turning around to see better, as the car slowly approached a couple flew off, then another crossed the road to a tree on the other side. In total there were 8 birds.  I scrambled to get a shot before they flew away but some got away, some didn't move anyway. Very exciting to see.
Slight rain as we crossed the border into South Australia but there is blue ahead on the horizon so we remain optimistic. I am going to publish this at the next roadhouse to share the joy. I cannot see the road getting better than this.

Goodbye Alice

Leaving the Hotel slightly later than we hoped we find our way to the Telegraph Station, which was the reason for the town location in the first place. Sadly we only have time to drop past without exploring further .
Driving and more driving to get to THE ROCK, Ayers Rock of course. Our deadline is time to settle in briefly before attending the lighting of the Field of Light

Bus Tour day

Anzac Day is a big day in Alice,  not least because after Darwin it was the most affected city in Oz during the Second World War. It is also the only day we could go to see the West Macdonnell Ranges so we missed the commemorations in town.
Sheldon collected us early,  along with 14 others, and headed west.
Geographic highlights of gaps, gorges and a chasm. Personal highlight was a helicopter ride above Glen Helen Gorge.  Sat in the front beside Jesse the pilot with no door between me and the ground. Little unnerving with the wind over the hills but too excited to worry.  All too short.

Success

The walking tour is on.  It isn't very far or fast,  about 3km over nearly 2 hours.  James,  our guide,  is well informed and encourages questions.  Good thing as we have a few between the eight followers.
Among other things I learnt that there is water in the Todd River,  it's just underground.  It must be remarkable when it floods filling fast and furious only to disappear again in a couple of days. I'll never think of the Yarra at home as an upside down river after seeing this one.

How do you choose where to eat lunch in a strange town? Head for the busiest cafe of course.  Good decision and surprisingly not too long to wait for the food to arrive.  It is market day in the Mall and just as I say that they are really the same everywhere Rob comments how different it is. Different criteria perhaps.
Before we left Melbourne I knew that I wanted to visit Hermannsburg for two reasons. It is a famous historic Lutheran mission with a long standing art tradition, painting and pottery in particular. It is the potters that I am keen to see.

 Unfortunately my information is wrong and the pottery is closed. It was worth the trip however to see the mission, and the McDonnell Ranges in the late afternoon sun.
Coming into town we follow advice from James to view sunset from the top of Anzac Hill overlooking the town.

Walking

Our walking tour didn't get off the ground,  not enough takers but we are assured it will happen on Sunday. After quick reassessment we walk out to the

Alice Springs School of the Air, a school for remote students and some of them are really out there. I've always been aware of the school, and understood how it operates, but it was fascinating to see where it originates.  We had a tour and chat all our own.  Just sorry we weren't there on a school day. This was a fair bit further than we thought it would be so cab to ..
Araluen cultural precinct which houses the Art gallery,  performance centre and a couple of museums.  Disappointingly no cafe. I could not credit it  and feel it a cruel twist of fate that it opens in four days.  Fortunately the gallery was good, the aviation museum and the Museum of Central Australia well worth a look.
We made our way through town past closed cafes, beyond hunger,  staggering into our room for a rest before quick burrito meal in the main street. Can't hang around, there is footy on the telly after all.

Heading to a town like Alice

More driving, more wide brown land, more landscapes and a border to cross. I can't say that the drive is boring as we've never been here before but it is long, straight and flat.
Some years ago I heard two things - first that roadkill is a sign of a healthy ecosystem and second that there many large eagles end as roadkill because they cannot take off fast enough to avoid being hit by cars. That is while they are feeding on earlier roadkill. This trip we have not seen as much roadkill as anticipated, though we have seen plenty of warning signs about roos and wandering livestock from unfenced stations. Our only close encounter was an eagle taking off which flapped its wings in apparent slow motion as it flew across the bonnet. We all made it. Phew. I was drving so did not reach for the camera, Rob sensibly slept through it.

The rest of the day was uneventful, but we enjoyed crossing the border. NT has in recent times finally put a speed limit in force statewide. It is 110 kph unless otherwise signed. Just after we passed the first limit we approached a second sign stating a limit of 130kph. So liberating, such speed. I crept up to it checking how the car was going delighted that nothing seemed amiss. It cuts the driving time down a bit which was welcome after three days of driving all day.

On arrival in Alice we check out the local info centre, book into a walking tour the next day and head to the motel for a beer.  Dinner by the pool, not swimming, and an early night. Despite dire warnings about how cold it will turn as soon as the sun goes down it remains mild and comfortably warm. Sound sleep all round.

Driving ..

Thank you, fellow guests, for getting up and making noise at 0500. We were going to sleep a bit longer but that is not to be. Our breakfast makings of cereal, bread and a toaster were fortunately delivered the night before so we got going.
Some of our advisers had put the wind up us about the dearth of services on the road so we made up rolls for lunch and got on the road.

Immediately we left Port Augusta the landscape changed. I have only travelled into the Flinders Ranges from PA in the past and the long flat stretch ahead is quite a long way from that. Then there are the dire warnings about road trains - the behemoth of road transport.  We have heard enough to imagine hoards of them blocking our way from one end of the road to the other. We soon come upon the first of them, a short two trailer truck who generously indicates when it is safe to pass. Nice bloke. The next couple are bigger with three trailers each and just as polite.  It seems we won't be appearing in our own version of Duel today.

Our first stop is Woomera, to have a look at somewhere to stay on the way back. There is less to see than we expect so we stop and "do" Woomera then and there. What we see in the various displays and the museum are interesting, but also a bit depressing. It doesn't help that no one else is around, places always seem 

better with a bit of a crowd.

Bowling alley, Woomera base

The base still houses a RAAF squadron, and was used of course for rocket and satellite launches for years, launches of which they are proud. There is a single picture of an atomic cloud but nothing else and only a few pars about the now closed detention centre which housed asylum seekers.  We cancel our plan to stay on the way back and are a bit relieved. 

The bowling alley by the way is still in use.

Back to the highway and the first of several roadhouses to come.  This is typical, enormous, with fuel, big cafe/restaurant, accommodation and camping out the back. Food is stereotypical takeaway but there is the promise of a cappucino machine. A broken promise. I have tea, Rob has what's on offer.

More driving, more wide brown land, more roadhouses then Coober Pedy in time to see an underground church, buy some opal earrings (which was not on the plan), hit the supermarket, watch the sun go down and get dinner then sleep ahead of the last big drive before a few days R&R in Alice Springs

On the road again

And we are finally off and running. The plans changed so often, the days got fewer but we made it.  We even left ahead of the school rush and everyone leaving work, then the run was so good we changed our destination, drove on  and ended up in Dimboola at the Hotel Victoria.  It is a lovely old hotel with all the usual small rooms, shared bathrooms,  cup of tea in the guest lounge -  and tons of plates decorating the wall.
Off to the dining room .. parma and a pot. Sometimes its just all about the food. Bed.. good night.

Gentleman's Lounge

Day 2 .. headed out relatively early ( for us ) west along the highway towards SA turning away from Adelaide past towns I've ridden through so i could bore Rob with those happy memories.  I know its sacrilege for some but we drove straight past the multitude of wineries. Lunch in Lyndoch and another sacrilege .. not the bakery where the German pastries and cakes are better suited to refuelling after some exertion on the pedals..
Pictures online are perhaps the digital equivalent of a book cover. Hotels, like houses for sale, cannot really be judged by them .  Its not as bad as it sounds, more interesting than disappointing.
A win, we are at The Flinders Hotel for steak night. I order without chips as eating some of Rob's is my way of contributing to his heart health.  Before dinner we took a walk around town and along the foreshore. There are a couple of people walking and a couple of groups of older children hanging round a park but for the most part the shutters are down. Literally and figuratively.

One more sleep before a whole new world....