After a relaxing couple of weeks in Far North Queensland, I found myself back in the Red Centre once again. As it turned out – the cheapest flight I could buy back to Alice Springs from Cairns went via Melbourne. I took the opportunity to spend a day at home to meet my newest nephew – the adorable baby Judah. The McCourt clan has expanded considerably in the last couple of years and it was lovely to be able to briefly catch up with my siblings, their partners and all of the little ones.
My partner, Belinda and I flew into Alice Springs together for a ten day stint touring the Red Centre. My pal Margaux had left her RAV4, the affectionately named Bindi with a mate in Alice after having escaped some of the Melbourne Covid lockdowns last year. Bindi proved to be the perfect adventure mobile for Belinda and I. Thanks again Margaux – you’re a champ!
It was amazing to see Belinda again after having said goodbye in Melbourne about two months earlier. She hadn’t been to the Red Centre before and was just as excited as I was to take a good look around. We completed a whirlwind food shop and met up with a friend, Michael who was completing a medical residency at the local hospital. Shout out to Club Eastside and their super tasty Curry Night.
The next morning we headed south in Bindi to Yulara. It was time to take a proper look at the majestic Uluṟu and visit the equally spectacular Kata Tjuṯa.
Seeing Uluṟu up close was very special for the both of us. The traditional landowners of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park are the Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people. It was a privilege to learn about why this place is so important spiritually and culturally to the indigenous peoples of the surrounding area.
We had the pleasure of watching the sun set at both Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa – it was truly amazing to observe the spectrum of oranges and reds as the sun went down. On one of our mornings we also enjoyed a chilly but breathtaking sunrise at Uluṟu.
Later, we took the opportunity to do one of the fifteen minute helicopter tours. I was stoked to be able to see Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa from the air and just how prominent these natural wonders really are. Being in the helicopter gave me a whole other perspective on the massive landscape I had travelled through on my bike.
I loved seeing the dirt roads stretching off into the distance – wondering where they would lead. It would be fair to assume that after more than 5000 km to Alice Springs I might have had enough of long dirt roads out in the middle of nowhere. But the truth is I’ve actually found my desire to cycle in places like this growing and plan to explore more of Central Australia in the future.
After a couple of days in Yulara we retraced my cycling route, heading back towards Wartarrka National Park (Kings Canyon). It was really nice to revisit this natural wonder, completing the famous rim walk a little more slowly and taking the time to soak it in.
From Watarrka we followed the Outer Mereenie Loop eventually hooking onto Namatjira Drive which took us past the many spectacular features of Tjoritja (West MacDonnell) National Park. There are several waterholes and steep canyons slicing through the striking mountains that run east to west in this part of the Northern Territory.
I cannot recommend visiting the Red Centre of Australia enough – far from being a flat empty expanse, there are many amazing natural wonders to be explored.
With a bit more time up our sleeves we opted to check out the lesser visited eastern side of Tjoritja. Smaller in scale but equally beautiful and with less people we found a couple of awesome bush camps nestled amongst the hills. We had a look at some Aboriginal rock art and did a few nice day hikes including a visit to Trephina Gorge.
It was a great spot to end our Red Centre tour. Back to Alice Springs, it was time to say goodbye once again. I have many fond memories of secluded bush camps, massive star filled skies, some tears and lots of laughter. Thanks for making my return to this special part of Australia so lovely Belinda!
By this point, my parents who had been continuing their own Australian epic in their caravan had made their way from tropical Queensland across the top of Australia into the Northern Territory and down the Stuart Highway to Alice Springs. I was stoked to be able to meet up with my folks and their friends Jenny, Wayne, Janine & Peter once more.
We enjoyed a fun few days together visiting some of the attractions in and around Alice Springs including the Royal Flying Doctor Service Museum, the highly informative Alice Springs Desert Park and the awesome Angkerle Atwatye (Standley Chasm).
I was also fortunate enough to be in town for the annual Henley-on-Todd Regatta. This ‘boat race’ takes place on the near perpetually dry and sandy Todd River bed. I was promised that it was going to be a crazy day out by new friends Michael, Becca & Bella – it did not disappoint!
It felt like the whole town had come to watch and get involved in some of the whacky races. I had the pleasure of competing in the ‘single kayak’ & ‘hamster wheel’ races. The event culminated in a three way battle between the Navy, the Pirates and the Vikings – absolute mayhem!
My ‘holiday from a holiday’ was at an end and it was time to turn my focus towards preparation for the next leg of the adventure. Soon I would be headed back out of Alice and onto the famous Tanami Track – my biggest challenge yet.
