Cairns to Tennant Creek

Alas, I have neglected all my avid followers.. My apologies. I write from Tennant Creek, in the Northern Territory. I left Cairns on Thursday morning, and spent the night at Undara. Driving away from my slightly teary goodbyes, I felt like my stomach was full of heavy, twisting snakes. And I couldn't tell if it was a laugh or a sob that was threatening to burst from my throat. I really felt a jumble of mixed emotions.
It got better once I was on the highway. I did long days of driving each day, and each night I went to bed early. Only now have I truly stopped and had time to read or write. Part of me only just realised that I may have subconsciously been driving such long hours and large distances, because I was worried I'd chicken out and turn back home. Whereas now, I'm so far from Cairns that even if I wanted to head back – it would be more then a days drive away. And I would have to undo all the hard work it took me to get here!

Undara was one of my favourite caravan sites(admittedly I've only been to 4 so far..), it was affordable, and beautifully surrounded with big old trees. The check in process was very easy, and the receptionist explained all about the camp without me having to ask. In the morning there were excited patrons gathering outside the toilet block to get photos of the wild kangaroos that had popped in for a visit.

I headed from Undara to Normanton, where the first of my “Big Things” awaited me. Normanton was a small dusty town, with a big purple pub. I stayed in a equally dusty caravan site, with friendly owners who looked at me twice when I said I was traveling alone. All of the caravan parks I have stayed in(except Undara with was in a National Park) have allowed pets. I wish I could have brought my dog, Calypso, but it would have gotten tricky with her when I eventually get to the cities.

I have set up a system where I can stick my camera on any of my car windows, like a GoPro suction mount, and set the self timer so I can get a picture with the Big Thing. I took a picture with the replica of the worlds biggest crocodile ever shot, and the Big Barramundi(Normanton is known for its Barra tournaments) before heading on the drive to Mount Isa.

During my drives I saw a huge Goanna, and a couple enormous eagles(these got more plentiful the further inland I went) all were feeding on road kill. A flock of wild blue and green budgies flew next to the car for a few moments while I was driving, which was really special because things like budgies and big birds of prey are things that you don't normally see in the wild – unless you travel or live in their natural habitat. If you live on the coast or such, budgies are commonly known as pets. Seeing them in the wild was really exciting for me.

It was interesting to see Mount Isa. According to one particular billboard I drove past - “you're not a true aussie until you've visited Mount Isa”. It was a large town in the middle of nowhere. All the caravan sites were more expensive, and I was able to use my Coles voucher to fuel up at a Shell. I set off from Mt Isa very early. I woke up at 4am, maybe having something to do with the fact it was 6 degrees and I only had one thickish blanket, and waited until dawn began to lighten the camp grounds at 6.30am before leaving. I still feel terribly bad for the guy sleeping in his swag directly behind my car..

Driving into sunrise was beautiful. Once I got to Camooweal, I had to fuel up again as it is the last stop before you get to Barkley Homestead in the NT. But the drive between the two is amazing, truly otherworldly. Knee length wheat coloured grass is the only thing to see, meeting up with the horizon uninterrupted. The road is straight for ages, and the speed limit is 130kms per hr. My van maxes out at 160, so the best I could do was 120, but I mostly just sat on 100 for the drive. There were a few cars going in the other direction, but only one came up behind(and over took) me.

Eventually I arrived at Tennant Creek. Another dusty but cute campsite, in a small town. But there are beautiful red hills, and I have never become bored during my driving so far – as there is forever changing scenery.
I decided to stay here for two nights, as it is the cheapest campsite so far and it allows me to catch up on things(like writing a blog entry). Tomorrow, my plan is to get up early and do another long run down through Alice Springs and straight to Uluru.