Cycle Touring - Long Way Home

15 October 2022

Exploring Central Australia

david.j.mccourt Australia, Uncategorized adventure, Australia, bikepacking, Cycle Touring, expedition, uluru

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.

A very early & chilly start – 100% worth the effort! Photo Credit: Belinda Thomas

Sunrise at Uluṟu. Photo Credit: Belinda Thomas

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.

Freezing water – lovely on the legs. Photo Credit: Belinda Thomas

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.

I have so much love for these two and I’m very grateful for my awesome parents!

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).

The view from a section of the Larapinta Trail near Angkerle Atwatye.

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!

The final battle between the Navy and the Pirates

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.

17 September 2022

Back to the Alice

david.j.mccourt Uncategorized adventure, Australia, bikepacking, Cycle Touring, expedition, Red Centre

I was sad to leave Uluṟu so soon but I had a flight to catch out of Alice Springs. I still had a lot of ground to cover and knew I would be back for a longer visit in a couple of weeks with my partner Belinda.

Next up would be Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon). Famed for it’s Garden of Eden waterhole and stunning rock formations I was pretty excited that it was on my planned route to Alice Springs. I met the first other cycle tourists I’d seen since the Oodnadatta Track. First up was Klaus – a German/Aussie who had been touring in one form or another since the early 90s! A potty mouth and dirtier looking than me (that’s saying something), he was a real character and brought a big smile to my face.

Not 5km later I bumped into another cycle tourist Dave (strong name!). He’d come across from Tassie and also started in Victoria except he took some of the gnarliest roads in the Aussie High Country and followed the Murray River to South Australia. Headwinds about 90 percent of his ride so far, Dave was very happy to be gliding along on the easterly towards Uluru. Great to meet you Dave!

The daily temperatures continued to rise but overnight it was still quite chilly. It was lovely to cook and warm myself with a small fire at night.

Gorgeous evening cycling

I met a friendly man Josh who was on a big caravan trip with his family at one of the official roadside campsites. Having completed some Iron Man events he was pretty interested in my adventure. He had some baked potatoes on the go and kindly gave me one with a big knob of butter tightly wrapped in tin foil. I hit the road hoping to get a few more kilometres in that evening.

Unfortunately I remembered a little too late that I had put the butter soaked potato in my back pocket as I squatted down on my heels to light the fire for dinner. The good news is it still tasted pretty yummy even when squashed!

I arrived at Watarrka canyon in the late afternoon of the following day. There was a lot of warning signage about the extreme heat that can be experienced here even in winter. However, the temperature was perfect as I set off the famous 6km rim hike.

It began with a short but steep climb up to the rim. I quickly found myself surrounded by amazing beehive shaped rock formations peppered with lush green cycads. I felt like I’d been transported to another planet.

I bumped into Josh again at the Kings Canyon Resort campground. Like Yulara it was charging an extortionate $50+ for a single unpowered campsite. Fortunately Josh was happy to include me on his campsite as I did with Jess in Yulara.

The purchase of alcohol is much more restricted in certain places in the Northern Territory. At Kings Canyon Resort you need to present a valid room or campsite pass to buy a beer. Once again Josh came to the rescue with his camp pass so we enjoyed a couple of beers and a good chinwag. I was excited to see the bar was offering a grill dining option with all you can eat sides. Back home in Melbourne I have a bit of a reputation for being able to put away a serious amount of food and cycle touring has not hurt my appetite one bit. At great encouragement from Josh I returned to the bain-marie many times in an effort to fill my seemingly insatiable stomach as well a few takeaway containers with delicious roast potatoes and gravy for lunch the next day.

Thanks again for your kindness and the company Josh – I hope you and the family are having a ripper of a time on your trip!

The next morning I continued west on the outer Meereenie Loop which would eventually hook back east towards Alice. I would be back on the dirt for about 150km and boy was it good to be there. Hot, undulating but stunning Central Australian bush scenery and enough wild brumbies to sink the Titanic.

I had one more natural wonder to check out before making a beeline for Alice – Tnorala (Gosse Bluff). Tnorala is a meteor crater with a 5km rim that rises 200m above the surrounding landscape. Apparently it hit earth about 142 million years ago and the impact released a force equivalent to at least 200,000 Hiroshima nuclear bombs. Hooley Dooley – I’m glad I wasn’t around to see it crash into the earth.

Like many of the natural wonders in the area, Tnorala is a place of great cultural significance to the Western Aranda Aboriginal people. According to Aboriginal belief, Tnorala was formed in the creation time, when a group of women danced across the sky as the Milky Way. During this dance, a mother put her baby aside, resting in it’s wooden baby-carrier. The carrier toppled over the edge of the dancing area and crashed to earth where it was transformed into the circular rock walls of Tnorala. It’s not every day you get to stand in the middle of a meteor crater or an Aboriginal creation story – spectacular!

With just under 200kms to go, I was starting to feel the gravitational pull of Alice Springs. It had been a strenuous 6 weeks of pedalling and I was looking forward to some time off the bike. The saddle sores I’d be managing with 3Bs Cream and Tea Tree Oil on my arse concurred.

As I made my way through the last leg to Alice, I spotted some objects in the distance that were too small to be cars but too big to be bikes. I was surprised to meet two loaded recumbent bicycles coming the other way.

Solar assisted – Irina might be onto something

Radu (who had been on the road in one form or another for the previous 5 years!) and Irina, both from Romania were on their own expedition. It was great to meet more cycle tourists and have a good chat. I’d never seen a recumbent bicycle up close before – very cool. Good luck with your trip folks and thanks for the bottle of water!

And so I arrived in Alice Springs late in the evening. I was greeted with stunning views of Tjoritja National Park (West MacDonnell Ranges) on the way in. Stoked, pumped and relieved. This was not the first time I’d arrived in Alice Springs on my bike but it was certainly the first time I’d come all the way from my front door!

I was greeted by a red-tailed black cockatoo on the way into Alice

I was very fortunate to have a last minute arrangement to stay in a friend of a friend’s granny flat. Ben was super welcoming and it was great to have a beer with him whilst I soaked in the bliss of having made it! A huge thanks to my pal and old housemate Margaux for organising and to Ben & Kate for having me.

The next morning I treated myself to a deep tissue massage and man oh man did I need it. So focused on covering ground over the previous 6 weeks, I had not made time for any stretching or release work when off the bike (despite having packed a massage ball & yoga strap). I made a promise to myself to make room for this stuff for the second half of Australia.

Next up – a flight to Cairns and on up to Port Douglas to join my beautiful sister and gorgeous nieces on a short holiday with my folks who were in the middle of a 6 month caravan trip up the East Coast. Later I would be returning to Alice with my partner Belinda for about 10 days of travelling around Red Centre before continuing my expedition. I was super excited to see everyone and spend some quality time with them all after being by myself.

Roll on the tropics!