This was the outback 40 years ago.



This is a small selection of pics, to show exactly what life was like
40 years ago. My photos are stuck in the books now after
all these years and hard to remove without causing further
damage. My youth in God's own country
was wonderful . Looking forward to going back again.

The long dusty road to the Olgas.






Relaxing at first class accom. at Ayers Rock. Many drinks
had around that pool area.





Our  last trip from the Rock. A full days bumpy ride back to
Alice Springs. Please note the execptional fashion.



Flying out of Ayers Rock in first class. Poms going back home.





 







Drilling for water at what would now be the permnant village site.
Uluru in the background.



 

The airstrip after rain. Could not be used, we were isolated for three weeks.
This was in Janurary, we were there with 2 Japanese tourists
who could not speak a word of English. Made for interesting times.




 





Ayers Rock in the rain. Absolutely beautiful.



Branding at Angus Downs Station. This happened while I was working
at Wallara Ranch which was the accommodation stop for Kings Canyon.
I have realised I do not have actual photos of the Canyon back then as my albums
were destroyed in a flood.



soraya's ready

hi it is me soraya and i am so ready...... i am  just so excited....... it's going to be exciting.... i dreaming about it so much..... me riding the camels then going under ground and sleeping in a beautiful motor home.

Started booking sites.

Have had a productive day today and booked our sites at Uluru. I had been told that one could not book in advance, however I contacted them via email and had a reply almost immediately. How is that for customer service. They answered all my questions and so another email went off and all booked for September. I have loved looking at all the info and trailing through my Camps 6 book. We will free camp on the way to the Rock from Coober Pedy, just not too sure where as yet. My next big decision will be Kings Canyon. Now wether to book at Kings Canyon or at Kings Creek Station.

Well, all booked now, almost anyways. After consulting the grey nomads on the http://www.thegreynomads.com.au/ and various people whom have travelled this way we have decided to book at the station. Both Nita and I think  that this will be a great experience for the kids. Certainly very different to the lush pastures around here and the dairy farm that Blair and Soraya's Dad has.


Yesterday we sat pouring over the brochures that have been sent and the excitement is building.
We cannot believe how quickly the time is going and it really will not be too long before we are heading up the Stuart Highway. The memories of my teenage years are coming back also. I spent 2 plus years working around the Rock and Kings Canyon, a very different place back then. It really was the outback then. I was telling Nita and her grandies about it taking all day to do a trip to the Canyon back then, the base being Wallara Ranch. Great times and special memories. If I can get the photo albums out I will try and post some pics of the place back then.


So lists are being made, excitement building, and a little bit of nerves also. It will be a big responsibility taking precious cargo on a trip like this. Driving a motorhome for the first time and heading off. I guess the kids parents are feeling confident in the two grandies or there would be a resounding no from them. So watch out Red Centre here we come.

First tourist information packs arrive.

After spending all morning last Friday on the phone, ringing tourist information centres for packs, I received the first one yesterday. This  one is from Coober Pedy. Very exciting, I just wish we were able to afford more time so we could take it all in. I will have to wait until I become a full time Grey Nomad and re-trace my steps again. Today will be reading time and trying to process the best way to show the grandchildren the most interesting things so they are able to get a sense of what life in the outback has been and is now.
The time is going quickly and now I am formulating lists in my head of what needs to be done and what we need to take with us as must haves. Must get those lists out of the head and onto paper.

Planning under way.

Soraya and I sat at the computer this morning plotting our course up the track in September. She did a wonderful job on the computer getting distances and approx times of travel and then we had to work out how long we stay in each place. I think we need 11 weeks instead of 11 days.
I jumped on the phone and started to book sites and arranging for packages to be sent from the various tourist information centres. I know that there will not be enough time to experience all there is to do in the outback, however as I said to Soraya, this trip will give the kids a taste of travel and what is out there to see and experience and one day when they have left school and have their own money they can take off and explore for themselves.
Once I have the calendar set up completely and double checked with Nita that she is happy with the schedule I will post it. I love doing this as the Northern Territory is my old stomping ground, having first gone there as a naive 17yo to work at Ayers Rock as it was called then and having the time of my life. Times have changed, the space has changed somewhat but still that magic of the red centre is still the same.
I do think that the two Grandies will need a holiday after the holiday to recover, but was a wonderful experience for us all.
I am not sure how the music department will go as the tastes are 2 generations apart, but I am sure we will be able work out something. Ear plugs will always be an option.

Til next time, happy travels to all out there.

Here we all are. The troup that will be travelling to the Northern Territory.

The four Grandchildren

 I am sure we will not look like this once we start out or when we are finished.  

The two Grandies

Just starting out.

Sharon and Nita are two grandmothers that are about to embark upon a trip to the Red Centre of Australia with their grand children. Blair and Soraya belong to Sharon and Luke and Geordan belong to Nita.
We have hired 2,six berth motorhomes to take the grandchildren away. The kids are now all teenagers which  makes it imperative that they all beds of their own to enalbe a good nights sleep for everyone, the two Nans included. This will also allow enough space for each of us to have a little personal space during the trip.
Blair and Soraya are 14 and 12. Luke and Geordan are 16 and 12. The four of them are all excited about the trip and while keep fairly quiet about it in public are more than willing to talk about what is going to happen when we are together.
We have hired the two motorhomes from Discovery Motorhomes http://www.discovery-campervans.com.au, they were extremely helpful and so far have been everything we could want. Hopefully that will continue in September. 


The motorhome is a Maui Platinum Forest and looks very comfortable and well fitted out for our trip. We will be doing a lot of free camping along the way and so this will be up to Sharon to plan the itinery for the 2 week trip. This time is coming around so very quickly so she had better start. This is why I have set up the blog so we have a journal of the what is happening in the lead up and during the trip.