Mildura is a huge agricultural area. They grow mostly table grapes but there are still wineries in the area. Oranges and grape vines go on for kilometres in places. Local produce from a farm roadside stall. Hand picked tangelo from Orangeworld. Lots of grapes Stanley Wines tanks. The confluence of the Darling and Murray Rivers … More The Red Centre – Winter 2017 Day 28 – Wentworth to Hay – never astray

A trip to Lake Mungo takes a U-turn when we get a flat tyre. We retreat to Mildura and a tyre dealer. After organising for a new tyre that has to be shipped from Melbourne, we head for the wharf and a paddle-steamer tour on the PS Melbourne. As the Minnow had trouble with the … More The Red Centre – Winter 2017 Day 27 – The Murray River

We woke to a cold foggy day in Clare. It didn’t get above 8 degrees until lunch time. Our accommodation has resident alpcacas. The one at the front was a bit grizzly because he hadn’t had his morning coffee. His name was Alpacino. The beautiful Clare Valley. Bird life was prolific in the morning. Adelaide … More The Red Centre – Winter 2017 Day 26 – Sturt Highway

Port Augusta is still arid but on our way to Clare, the country changes dramatically to a glorious green. It also started raining about Port Pirie and hasn’t stopped since. A trip out to the Arid Lands Botanic Gardens is a pleasure. The grounds have a fantastic mix of arid zone plants from three states. … More The Red Centre – Winter 2017 Day 25 – Back to the green

Coober Pedy to Port Augusta is 542km with two roadhouses and two Rest Areas (with toilets). The landscape is characterised by treeless plains of saltbush on the top of the jump-up country. The entry to the Lookout Cave Motel Sunrise on the hill above our unit The edge of town looking north to The Breakaways … More The Red Centre – Winter 2017 Day 24 – The great Australian loneliness

The monument at Erldunda depicting The Centre of the Centre. A few places lay claim – see image below to see the scientific approach as to where the centre really is. Now if you take the square root of the perpendicular bisector of the gravitational anomaly and …… Farewell to Erldunda Roadhouse – a comfortable … More The Red Centre – Winter 2017 Day 23 – Stuart Highway Southbound

Another morning, another Uluru sunrise from yet another vantage point. This time we went to the non-recommended sunrise side for the full fiery red experience. Time for short walk around part of the base to warm up. We meet a local near the eastern base. A section of patch burning by locals. We saw women … More The Red Centre – Winter 2017 Day 22 – The Lasseter Highway eastbound

Sunrise at Uluru to start the day. Here are some images around the base at sunrise. Back to Yulara for a quick walk up the dune top to see Kata Tjuta in morning light. Kata Tjuta is 53km by road west of Yulara and our destination for the day. Part of the way is a … More The Red Centre – Winter 2017 Day 21 – Kata Tjuta

Photographers chase magic light – usually the hour around sunrise and sunset. Uluru is magic light paradise.  A light fog blankets the ground. The official Uluru sunrise viewing area catches the full face illuminated but that is in spring, summer and autumn. In winter this is in shadow. Still a spectacular place with gorgeous subtle … More The Red Centre – Winter 2017 Day 20 – Uluru magic light

If Australia was a person, Uluru would be its heart. Every Australian should see it at least once in their life. I was long overdue. The obligatory early start for sunrise was dampened by drizzly rain at 5:30am. It did cease about 7am but created a darkened moody sunrise. There was a brief glow which … More The Red Centre – Winter 2017 Day 19 – The Heart of Australia

We have a change of plans and leave Erldunda for Yulara today – there’s something in the air – rain! I manage to get the last room available at Uluru Ayers Rocks Resort. I was later informed there were 1100 guests booked in. This fella hitched a ride with us to Uluru and was such … More The Red Centre – Winter 2017 Day 18 – The Lasseter Highway – Rain in the Outback!

I am a fan of alliteration so it’s lucky you haven’t been subjected to more like today’s title. We started the day in Alice Springs preparing for the drive to the Uluru area. NAIDOC Week brings many Indigenous people into Alice Springs. We watched a happy well attended march in town last week. Artists also … More The Red Centre – Winter 2017 Day 17 – Art, animals and arid areas