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| OUR BIG TRIP MARY & OLI GOING AROUND AUSTRALIA |
COOBER PEDY - ALICE SPRINGS - Page 4
13 July 2007, Friday
Continuation of the Palm Valley Story - more pictures below from the walk - after that the story of getting to Alice continues...
Doing the walk and packing up before noon meant that we had to go back 20 km's to the bitumen and 130 km's to Alice to
arrive early and hopefully get a powered site in one of the caravan parks, after the last few days without power and cold
nights around freezing point we wanted to have some comfort again after the sun goes down.
Leaving the Campground we drove slowly - just a bout 20-30 km/h to make sure that the rear carrier would stay attached.
Obviously our luck was gone again and the second stud gave way just a few km's into the journey. Stopping at the side of
the road I decided to use the drag chain to secure the rear carrier to the chassis rail. It was quite a difficult job, because the
space between the tank and chassis rail did not really allow a chain to be threaded through more than once. So the rest of
the almost two meter chain had to go somewhere around the rear carrier. Well, now how to connect the two chain ends?
Hmmm, most of the bolts I had did not work and the shackles I had where too big. Luckily I had a few people stopping and
one group had a little shackle which I could use to secure the chain. We will actually meet those guys again at the Camel Cup
the next day. Now it was not just a slow drive but really driving walking pace back to Hermannsburg. After a few hundred
meters the last screw gave up and I took it out after the thread already looked quite worn. Now the rear carrier was only
attached by a strap and the chain as a second meaning of holding it up. We tried driving with the jockey wheel down for a
while to reduce the vertical load on the tow bar. This being a good idea for a while just did not make me feel very comfortable
driving over corrugations and wheel ruts. So back to walking pace for the next few km's. It felt like a long time until we
actually reached Hermannsburg. At the gas station we got a second opinion from the owner if that construction would last
130 km's to Alice and he said, no worries mate. So probably a good job done and off we went onto the bitumen. Driving about
80 km/h it felt o.k. and we finally arrived at Alice much later than expected and obviously due to the Camel Cup the next day
we did not get any powered sites anymore. Not good when the outlook is -2 deg. C for the night. Well what a day.... the next
breakdown and freezing conditions again, so the only idea to get us going was to look forward to the Imparja Camel Cup the
next day. Almost forgot, being first upset about the Tourist idiots at Kings Creek Station, I think the first stud must have been
missing for longer than what I originally thought and if that thing would have broken on the Boggy Hole Track we would have
been in much bigger trouble. So at the end not doing the Track might have been good and that the carrier again broke before
we reached one of our larger targets rather than just leaving from it again. Sorry but I really had no time and also was not
willing at the time to take pictures of the incidents even if we should have.
14 July 2007, Saturday
Today is Imparja Camel Cup Day in Alice Springs. The most prestigious Camel race in Australia and I guess also the biggest,
about 5000 spectators and about 25 Camels competing in 9 races. Works quite funny, only three owners of Camels bring
their racing Camels to Alice, one actually comes all the way from Launceston, Tasmania (Shorty Smith). He is also the current
206 Camel Cup Champion with Tassie Devil (just the name of the Camel). The riders get their Camels drawn for the each race
and up to 15 Camels compete in each race. They have to knee down first and that the start happens and hopefully all Camels
run into the correct direction. Camels are quite funny animals, they really do not like to be told to move or knee down, or
anything and some quite interesting races were the result. Lots of pictures from the Camel Cup, sorry but it is something you
only do once I guess !!!
13 July 2007, Friday
Continuation of the Palm Valley Story - more pictures below from the walk - after that the story of getting to Alice continues...
Doing the walk and packing up before noon meant that we had to go back 20 km's to the bitumen and 130 km's to Alice to
arrive early and hopefully get a powered site in one of the caravan parks, after the last few days without power and cold
nights around freezing point we wanted to have some comfort again after the sun goes down.
Leaving the Campground we drove slowly - just a bout 20-30 km/h to make sure that the rear carrier would stay attached.
Obviously our luck was gone again and the second stud gave way just a few km's into the journey. Stopping at the side of
the road I decided to use the drag chain to secure the rear carrier to the chassis rail. It was quite a difficult job, because the
space between the tank and chassis rail did not really allow a chain to be threaded through more than once. So the rest of
the almost two meter chain had to go somewhere around the rear carrier. Well, now how to connect the two chain ends?
Hmmm, most of the bolts I had did not work and the shackles I had where too big. Luckily I had a few people stopping and
one group had a little shackle which I could use to secure the chain. We will actually meet those guys again at the Camel Cup
the next day. Now it was not just a slow drive but really driving walking pace back to Hermannsburg. After a few hundred
meters the last screw gave up and I took it out after the thread already looked quite worn. Now the rear carrier was only
attached by a strap and the chain as a second meaning of holding it up. We tried driving with the jockey wheel down for a
while to reduce the vertical load on the tow bar. This being a good idea for a while just did not make me feel very comfortable
driving over corrugations and wheel ruts. So back to walking pace for the next few km's. It felt like a long time until we
actually reached Hermannsburg. At the gas station we got a second opinion from the owner if that construction would last
130 km's to Alice and he said, no worries mate. So probably a good job done and off we went onto the bitumen. Driving about
80 km/h it felt o.k. and we finally arrived at Alice much later than expected and obviously due to the Camel Cup the next day
we did not get any powered sites anymore. Not good when the outlook is -2 deg. C for the night. Well what a day.... the next
breakdown and freezing conditions again, so the only idea to get us going was to look forward to the Imparja Camel Cup the
next day. Almost forgot, being first upset about the Tourist idiots at Kings Creek Station, I think the first stud must have been
missing for longer than what I originally thought and if that thing would have broken on the Boggy Hole Track we would have
been in much bigger trouble. So at the end not doing the Track might have been good and that the carrier again broke before
we reached one of our larger targets rather than just leaving from it again. Sorry but I really had no time and also was not
willing at the time to take pictures of the incidents even if we should have.
14 July 2007, Saturday
Today is Imparja Camel Cup Day in Alice Springs. The most prestigious Camel race in Australia and I guess also the biggest,
about 5000 spectators and about 25 Camels competing in 9 races. Works quite funny, only three owners of Camels bring
their racing Camels to Alice, one actually comes all the way from Launceston, Tasmania (Shorty Smith). He is also the current
206 Camel Cup Champion with Tassie Devil (just the name of the Camel). The riders get their Camels drawn for the each race
and up to 15 Camels compete in each race. They have to knee down first and that the start happens and hopefully all Camels
run into the correct direction. Camels are quite funny animals, they really do not like to be told to move or knee down, or
anything and some quite interesting races were the result. Lots of pictures from the Camel Cup, sorry but it is something you
only do once I guess !!!
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This was the view from our spot. We came early again
and had a great seating area. Here the rodeo areana
where the Camels are held before the race behind the
stand,
and had a great seating area. Here the rodeo areana
where the Camels are held before the race behind the
stand,
Here is the racing track, the tower shows the finish line
and the start is on the right from here. Great spot to
view the race.
and the start is on the right from here. Great spot to
view the race.
| Some impressions from the Camels before the racing started. |