6.7.18 Ruby Gap To Alice Springs.

Some wind overnight - evidently a big gust at one point, but I slept through that. There were a couple of smaller breezes later. 

We were all up and packed and rolling by 9.00 am - a record when we weren’t really trying. 

Billy’s on the fire for cuppa and thermos’s. 

Two vehicles down crossing the River 

Driving up the river through Gorge walls. 

More shots on the move this am 

From whence we came. 

Just a shot of the view, with a cloud which we
haven’t seen for a few days. 

Some stockyards 

One of the stations out here. 

Arltunga Historic Reserve.

Old buildings at Arltunga. 

Arltunga Police Station and Gaol . 

Goal

Sarah waiting for a clear shot through the window. 

Looking towards the gaol

Sarah with Steve in gaol. 

Locked good and proper. 

The feed/peep hole. 

A round window in a partially restored building. 

An old stamper for rhe ore. This was cut bits of wood

Looking down into a well with ripples on the water 

Milani and I. 

Some machinery at Arltunga. 

Me playing with the tin truck 

Just to show how little Ska is beside it’s mates. 

We have a convoy. 

Just some dust. 

Claraville Station 

Lunch under the Ghost Gums just off Cattle Water Pass Track. 

Looking across Station to the Ranges.

Ska nestled in the trees.

The track.  Cattle Water Pass. It was a great track
wending through ever changing territory

We went left…and the story gets better later. 

Another section of CWP track. Dust was a constant 

Maybe you can see Mary hanging out the
window taking photos 

Or maybe that’s Mary. 

The dust was thick

At one point the growth was scraping both sides
and the growth in the centre was polishing the underbody.

Changing faces of CWP track. 

Some of the cows who walk for water along the track. 

Tank at one of the troughs. 

Muscled up beef. 

Cattle. 

Different terrain again. 

Ghost Gums. 

Checking out one of the bumps and jumps that
were meant to challenge the Pajero and camper. It didn’t. 

Up goes the Troopy

Some through and waiting to watch. 

Here goes the Canper. 

Up and over. 

Ska patiently waiting till last. 

Then there was some strange white rocks in the hills. 

Nice colours as the sun dropped lower. 

More scenery 

Later in the afternoon we had radio contact from a couple who were at John Hayes Rockhole, they indicated that the track was a bit tricky to find. 

They then contacted us a little later after we’d had to go off track around trees across the track. They indicated they had struck locked gates and fences. 

We met up with them near a dam. So we took off in many directions to find a way around the fences and gates. All to no avail. Then we turned back on ourselves, Mary and I found a signed fossicking area, but again no clear path out. Our new friends Susan and Stephen from Brisbane and originally from Essex and Surrey, had asked at Alice Springs Information centre and were told that Cattle Water Pass track was open and about a 2 hour trip back to Alice. 

More dusty tracks, with Stef in the lead trying to find a road out

So there is no Alice Springs at the end of today we are camped somewhere with a group of 6 cars and 12 people. Quite breezy and cool night in store. 

Attempting to make a Sat phone call to
Alice Springs Police 

Eventually Stef has success in getting through to the police
who subsequently called back and suggested that we take the
gates off their hinges. They had tried to contact Claraville station to
get gates unlocked but no answer. 

To mark our night ‘lost’ in the wilderness, a cuppa tea and
Reve’s mint Tim Tams for those of us still up and sitting
 by the fire after a white port. 

The other concern is that Col and Stef don’t have stacks of fuel left. 

We sent the drone up to have a look and will try again tomorrow closer to the dam we recently passed. 

All in all a day of pretty good adventure and a damn good story. Maybe tomorrow we will make it out to Alice