McCarthy's Go Round

 28 August - Hitting the tropics After spending a great night at Daly Waters Historic Pub, with live music, & larakin locals we woke the kids for an early start to ensure our next camp.  We had been informed the National Park accessing Bitter Springs was closed due to extreme weather & high fire danger. Upon checking we discovered, much to our delight, that the park was now open.  Bitter Springs is part of Elsey National Park and is Mataranka's newest natural thermal pool. You can safely float downstream in the crystal clear water amongst the palms, and paperbark trees.  The campground is peaceful and nestled between trees- the boys immediately began sculpting weapons, building bases in the forest & catching grasshoppers.

 Wednesday 26 August- 412km  Left Alice after 3 more nights- re-stocking supplies, fixing countless punctured bike tyres, sorting car wheel alignment, purchasing Indigenous artwork & finding Huw's birthday hat. We drove the long straight stretch of Stuart Hwy- destination Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles) to spend the night under the stars in this sacred spot & to recreate Tim's pic between the gigantic boulders, taken some 16yrs ago.  Karlu Karlu is a sacred meeting place where neighbouring language groups conducted sacred ceremonies and trade. 

  Yulara-    August 19-22 4 days were spent at Ayers Rock Resort where we attempted to soak up as much local knowledge, stories, & culture as possible. We are so lucky to be here minus the crowds, yet many Indigenous tours are closed. The kids loved the bush tucker talk (and then began collecting their own seeds to crush & make into drinks) as well as Bush yarns where we learnt about using & making hunting weapons from mulga wood. They also enjoyed a didgeridoo lesson or two.   Sunset at Uluru - speaks for itself. We also rode 11km around the base along the Mala walk. Field of lights Last night we were picked up by coach and taken out to Field of light- an art installation by Bruce Munro. It is an immersive installation- as far as the eye can see, colour lights up the desert. More than 50,000 slender lights bloom as darkness falls. The installation took 5 weeks to set up. Noah loved the coach ride! Kata Tjuta - The Olgas Today Luca and I walked th...

Monday 17- 19 August Kings Canyon- Watarrka National Park We spent 2 nights at Kings Canyon. The highlight was climbing the 6km rim which skirts along sheer cliffs- terrifying for parents of small children as there are no rails, although breathtaking views make up for this! The walk takes you down into The Garden of Eden- a peaceful waterhole, with cool air & sheer red rocks of the gorge making the perfect spot to sit and take in the natural beauty.  Along our walk we officially found the best cooee spot ever! And were super proud of Noah making the entire walk, which ended up being 7.5km. Sitting in the Garden of Eden View out to Kings Canyon from camp at sunset

Sunday 16 - 18 August Next adventure was Mpulungkinya - (Palm Valley) a remarkable oasis in Finke Gorge National Park. Traditional owners are Western Aranda people. The 21km track in took an hour, and with lowered tire pressure we were able to navigate across a sandy, pebbly dry river bed. The destination was worth it. We spent two nights at a stunning camp site along a dry river bed, with sheer red cliffs on either side. From camp it was a 4wd only track into Mpulungkinya. It is here that the Central Australian Red Cabbage palms co-exist alongside the prehistoric cycads- the only place on earth. Some are 300 yrs old. A magical spot, very grateful to be here to experience. The sounds of silence only shared tonight with a tawny frogmouth ('mopoke' ) and the howl of a dingo as morning broke was nothing like ive ever heard- calling in the start of a new day.