Kings Canyon to Alice Springs

We had a relaxing morning before we headed to back down the same road with an overnight stop at a free camp Kernot’s rest area – another one with sandy hillocks behind. We went for a walk through the Spinifex (which can be very spiky) to find some wood and enjoyed another fire and were joined by fellow travellers Jack and Trish for drinks. We both retreated to our vans afterwards as it was a very cold night. The next day we set off again so as to get to our next canpsiste beside the Finke River early as we knew it was only small. We were about the fifth inhabitant but the vans kept rolling in all afternoon and before long the small area was “chockers.”
We were able to collect some wood from the river bed. As these rivers have torrential floods there is a lot of driftwood to be found. There was some water in it but normally it would be a wide expanse of sand.
We shared our table with a young German couple who were sleeping in their car while travelling around and working along the way. They were amazed at the vastness of our country. Later we all joined in the rowdy community fire to listen to all the travelling tales. There were several people travelling to the Finke Desert Race which is a gruesome challenge for all sorts of vehicles. Of course all the participants are really excited about the prospect.
An early start for us so we can get to the CP early is always a good policy especially as more and more people are on the road.
The countryside opens out more grassy plains and then is becomes more undulating until we come to rocky outcrops which are the beginning of the MacDonnell Ranges .We are absolutely amazed at the greenery we saw on the way to Alice Springs which shows how much rain they have had in the last few weeks (Just over 200mls) which is much as their annual rainfall – we can get that much in one night at home.
We finally come into the gap in the mountains just wide enough for the road, the railway line and the Todd River. We have entered Alice Springs.