Leaving Longreach we’re a little nervous about what the border is going to be like. We allowed plenty of time for queues or hard questions. And Anna has been quizzing me so I know all the right answers for the police, haha.
While there is a line at the border we end up with a really relaxed officer and the whole thing was smooth. Crossing into the NT Anna and I looked at each other with giant smiles. We made it!
The drive from Mr Isa to Tennant Creek was pretty long, through flat and featureless country. And it was windy enough to gust the car out of the lane. That might sound like I didn’t enjoy it, but listening to the audiobook with Anna made me feel so happy. Not just the book itself, but the nostalgic connection to my childhood family road trips with The Hound of the Baskervilles playing, or taking turns reading Harry Potter.
Tennant Creek is fine, for us it’s just a practical stop where we don’t need to set-up camp before heading down to the Devils Marbles. The motel is comfortable and the attendant helpful. It’s the first time I’ve had to show ID for beers in years!
Before we can drive to the Devils Marbles we have to stop in at an alien-themed roadhouse. There’s a phenomenon called Min Min, lights at night appearing and moving/morphing, which is attributed to aliens. So we had an ice cream there while reading all the newspaper stories about UFO sightings.
Karlu Karlu has echoes of Uluru, watching shadows stretch long over the ground and witness red boulders begin to glow and then burn in the late afternoon sun. Wow. In the morning we get up before sunrise to walk and watch again as the light transforms the rock. Then back to camp to pack up and head north.
It’s another long drive to from Devils Marbles to Mataranka, and Elsey National Park. On the way we stop at Daly Waters Pub, which was a real mood. When we arrive in Mataranka, we set-up camp at the Jalmurak camp ground.
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