hey chalkie and welcome to the forum, I'll be heading up that way myself in august so looking forward to it as well
Chalky said
08:37 PM Feb 25, 2009
hi dave06 , we did this last year but didnt start our trip until we got to devils marbles due to time. hate to miss anything good
drongo & wendy said
08:31 AM Feb 26, 2009
G,DAY
2 Musts if u have a 4/wd one is Chambers Pillars,and the second is Glen Helen ,oops make that 3, Palm Valley is a must see arround Alice the Telegraph Station is well worth a dayout go on a tour of it if u can i dont think there is a cost for the tour, there is a small entrance fee i think, or u can just walk in. many short trips arround the Alice enjoy ive been there 5 times [son used to live there] and i will be there again traverling through love it if staying in caravan park stay at the second park at Heavytree Gap [umm safer and quieter]
happy times
Basil Faulty said
10:30 AM Feb 26, 2009
The Desert Park at Alice is worth a visit also have lunch at the Flying Doctors. Out of town Palm Valley, Rainbow Valley, Chambers Pillar and Goss Bluff would be must sees. Then start on the touristy bits like the Standley chasm, the date farm, the old telegraph station. The Big4 is the better caravan park as it is just out of town and is secure. Just south of Heavytree gap...
Mike47 said
10:31 AM Feb 26, 2009
Don't forget King's Canyon and the Standley Chasm
Roostertales said
08:04 PM Feb 26, 2009
Dave et al
In my humble opinion it is not a topic suited for airing on a friendly travel orientated forum.
I am surprised the webmaster hasn't canned it already.
Roostertales said
08:08 PM Feb 26, 2009
Sorry -I misposted the last reply. Doesn't relate to this topic. Apologies everyone.
Chalky said
08:38 PM Feb 26, 2009
thanks for all your advice, i will try & check them out - also is there anything special on the way up from adelaide
dave06 said
08:47 PM Feb 26, 2009
well, I seen chambers piller the last time I went up, but didnt see kings canyon or standley chasm so they will be on the list
I also intend to stay underground on the way up as well as the way back, riba's seems to tick all the boxes
I will also drop into the telegraph museum, the main reason for my going back is to catch up with a heap of freinds who are meeting at uluru and stated that if I didnt turn up they would come and get me so I'd better go, a lot of these people have never camped before so new experiences for all awaits
the park just out of alice seems to be the go as I have heard a lot of things about that town
Chalky "anything special on the way up from Adelaide" oh boy!!! dont get me started on my backyard mate, how long have you got, I could keep you busy for a month with stuff left over!!!!!!!!!!!
Chalky said
09:42 PM Feb 26, 2009
to dave06 , underground sounds good, whats the story
rocan said
09:22 AM Feb 27, 2009
we're doing the trip from townsville- mt isa-the alice then adelaide in october. check ExploringAustralia.com.au shows all the attractions along the h'way from adelaide -alice-darwin.we found it very helpful.
rocan
Basil Faulty said
09:46 AM Feb 27, 2009
Chalky, I suspect Dave is referring to the various activities at Coober Pedy where you can experience everything from 5* dining, Camping, even an underground church. The locals are smart enough to live underground as the heat at CP is overwhelming and building materails are in short supply ( as is water - you will have to buy it) and the landscape is to say the least "lunar", worth a day or 2 there.....
dave06 said
10:38 AM Feb 27, 2009
yep as Basil states chalky, the temp constantly rises above 50 deg celcius during summer, now opal mining being the main reason for coober pedy's very existance (that and dodging the law) this activity leaves an awful lot of very big holes around, and the whole area resembles some weird moon scape
the local populace found out long ago that the holes were a steady temperature (20 degs I think but that is probably way off) so they enlarged some of the shafts, with horizontal boring machines chasing opal, these machines can drill holes side by side to make a room
these rooms in turn became houses complete with power and water, kitchens and bathrooms (although as Basil states water must be purchased, or stolen from the neighbor), some entrepenaurs thought "hang on theres a buck to be made here" so they advertised themselves as an underground motel
and fools like me pay for the experience of sleeping underground, coober pedy, if travelling from port augusta, is very well positioned as a half way point for uluru, so enjoys a lot of tourists,
one thing to remember, dont wander around at night for two reasons, a lot of big holes will eat you and the locals do things that they may not want you to see, either way you will end up in a hole and never be found again, ever heard of the saying "never smile at a crocodile" well dont grin at the locals either, they are only half civilised
drongo & wendy said
11:05 AM Feb 27, 2009
G,DAY
i love Coober Pedy its what australia is all about well sorta if u stay at the Stuart caravan park take the road tour they offer, it takes u into the fields and to the Breakaways , When i took it, it took us into a Serbian church thats a wow, then a little later down into a tourist underground home and cave set up, I belief it is money well spent . And if a bloke named David takes u arround he is a miner when the tourist stop, a rough bloke but a gem.
happy times Dave
dave06 said
11:42 AM Feb 27, 2009
yep a great spot and no doubt has been cleaned up but twenty years ago a good family freind of ours used to cart water around the place, not sure if he was selling it or whether he owned the cart and contracted out to the highways
but anyway he would come back with horrific stories of shots in the night and people waking up dead as well as many people just dropping off the face of the earth, but as I stated that was a long time ago but I do know it is still a place of villains and law dodgers
as for Dave, well never met a bloke named Dave that I didnt like
drongo & wendy said
01:24 PM Feb 27, 2009
jeez cant argue on the dave bit all the ones from dave to davo to davey and when in trouble david is used ,wernt we blessed oi
dave from coober says the odd one wil go missing still just fall down unused mines he guesses i spend some private time with him he has seen the lot looking the other way of course. i could rave on for yonks but being a man of many words il shut up
hurry up april
Chalky said
07:52 PM Feb 27, 2009
thanks for all the info on CP i'll defently stop for a couple on the way up , cheers
dave06 said
07:56 PM Feb 27, 2009
mate I answer to anything, call me what you like providing it's not late for dinner!!
but by hell the locals have got some stories and they love to sit down and just chew the fat!!
nothing like an outback pub!!
Chalky said
07:52 PM Mar 1, 2009
thanks dave the pub with the locals sounds like fun , so i'll check that out when we get there
tmw said
04:55 PM Mar 2, 2009
Agree with all the recommendations. I camped around the West Macs for 5 days, did the helicopter ride out of Glen Helen [weather was too windy to do the balloon flight around Alice, tried twice]. I then spent 7 days camped at Trephina Gorge in the East Macs - loved it. $3.30 pppn, toilets and water; good camp ground. Enjoy. Desert Park out of Alice is great, don't miss the film and definitely stay until the end. Remember to go to the FLinders Ranges too on the way up to NT. Enjoy!
Chalky said
09:24 PM Mar 4, 2009
Hi TMW Trephina Gorge sounds good to me, i'll defenitly checit it out while we are up there. Trouble is i just carnt wait. It will come quick enough i spose
2 Musts if u have a 4/wd one is Chambers Pillars,and the second is Glen Helen ,oops make that 3, Palm Valley is a must see arround Alice the Telegraph Station is well worth a dayout go on a tour of it if u can i dont think there is a cost for the tour, there is a small entrance fee i think, or u can just walk in. many short trips arround the Alice enjoy ive been there 5 times [son used to live there] and i will be there again traverling through love it if staying in caravan park stay at the second park at Heavytree Gap [umm safer and quieter]
happy times
The Big4 is the better caravan park as it is just out of town and is secure. Just south of Heavytree gap...
i love Coober Pedy its what australia is all about well sorta if u stay at the Stuart caravan park take the road tour they offer, it takes u into the fields and to the Breakaways , When i took it, it took us into a Serbian church thats a wow, then a little later down into a tourist underground home and cave set up, I belief it is money well spent . And if a bloke named David takes u arround he is a miner when the tourist stop, a rough bloke but a gem.
happy times Dave
dave from coober says the odd one wil go missing still just fall down unused mines he guesses i spend some private time with him he has seen the lot looking the other way of course. i could rave on for yonks but being a man of many words il shut up
hurry up april
Agree with all the recommendations. I camped around the West Macs for 5 days, did the helicopter ride out of Glen Helen [weather was too windy to do the balloon flight around Alice, tried twice]. I then spent 7 days camped at Trephina Gorge in the East Macs - loved it. $3.30 pppn, toilets and water; good camp ground.
Enjoy. Desert Park out of Alice is great, don't miss the film and definitely stay until the end.
Remember to go to the FLinders Ranges too on the way up to NT.
Enjoy!