Mulgas: Darwin to Alice Springs

It was a 6am pickup this morning. Luckily I didn't have to go too far, only down to reception. I was up at 5.15 and was amazed to find the other two girls in my room awake not long after. I knew one of them was working in construction, but the other just couldn't sleep. She had a tour today too, it didn't start until 8am, but she was nervous to sleep too long!

It was much easier to organise myself without having to creep around in the dark. I was downstairs and ready by 5.40, I knew I was really rather early so I chatted to reception for 10mins or so. I saw the Mulgas bus pull up and took myself outside to meet it. Ben was to be our guide for the next two days, he was very bright and cheerful considering the time!

We had a full bus by 6am, every seat had a bum on it, bar the one next to Ben. The trailer was so full, it was a squeeze to shut the door. Ben spoke a little about himself and the drive, over 1700km, and then gave us a good hour to catch up on some sleep. I didn't hesitate and was gone in seconds.

We were woken by 'Circle of Life', best alarm ever. We now had to introduce ourselves, this was no normal introduction though. We had to give our name, which side of the bed we slept on, and what colour underwear we were wearing. As most people had got changed in the dark, they had to do a quick check.

To keep us amused, Ben then announced a colouring competition. A choice of four colourings were passed around, and then pencils and pens. Being at the back we got the short straw, I chose a unicorn colouring, but only had yellow and purple felt tips. I found my 4-colour bic from my bag and did my best. They were to be judged that night by the Daly Waters staff.

Our first stop of the day was Edith Falls. This was in the Nitmiluk National Park, just outside of Katherine. There were a series of falls and pools from the top all the way down. We were going to the 'top pool', which was actually the one in the middle. But first, we had to complete a 1km climb up and around rocks.

The walk wasn't too bad, a few too many stairs for my liking though. I am getting better, and we were there in no time. The view was spectacular, we had lush green trees growing from rocks above us, below us and surrounding us. The water was so clear, I couldn't wait to get in. Our walk had been a sweaty one so I think we were all rather excited to cool off!

Stripping down and leaving our belongings under a nice shady tree, we all slowly made our way to the water's edge. The rocks were quite slippy so we had to be super careful. I slid in and was surprised at how warm the water was! I swam round the edges and then made a valiant attempt to reach the waterfall. The current was too strong. I changed tactics and swam to it from the side, rewarding myself with a cheeky back massage from the thundering water.

We all had fun floating along in the currents. Trying to swim against it is comparable to being on a treadmill, so it was a good workout if nothing else. In order to back to where we started, we drifted through a mini stream and out into the plunge pool. Ben referred to it as "rebirthing". He was a funny one.

We didn't have time to fully dry off, I just put my shorts on and wrapped my towel around my shoulders. It was warm enough now that I should dry pretty quick. We climbed back up and down to get to the bottom pool. En route, Ben protected us from a baby brown snake. Nikki saw it first, it crossed the path right in front of her! Us stragglers had to slowly and quietly skirt around him. I tried to catch a glimpse, but wasn't successful.

All down and safe, we went to have a look the bottom pool. There were a lot of families here and in the surrounding park, it seemed very family friendly. The falls were much stronger and louder here, but there was a smaller pool separate from the main plunge pool. I decided not to swim here, mainly because I'd only just dried off!

I had been going to change, but my bikini top was damp, I decided I'd just leave it until after the second swim. I did have to change my bottoms though, I can't think of much worse than sitting on a bus with a wet bum. At least my hair was dry, swings and roundabouts I guess.

Ben had a great idea for a game to keep us, and mainly him, amused. We were each given a small matchstick. He then gave a polo to JJ at the front. The aim was to pass it all the way along the bus, not using our hands. To make things even more fun, he decided we couldn't start until he was on the road. We had twenty tries if we dropped it and, if we managed it in less than that, we all got a sweet.

I was fourth up, and received the polo from Yann easily. However, when it came for me to pass it on to Nikki, all hell broke lose. We just couldn't stop laughing. Everytime we calmed down and tried again, the laughter would just bubble up. We managed it eventually, and only used three of our lifelines. The sweet made it all the way around the bus without too much more drama and we all got our prize.

We stopped off in Katherine to buy some bits for lunch. I went straight for the bakery at Woolworths and bought a few cheese and chive rolls, and then grabbed some meat from the deli. Old habits die hard. I also stocked up on sweets, rice crackers, apples and oranges for the road.

Just behind where our bus was parked was a picnic bench, rather convenient, so we all did our best to crowd around it. I stood in the end, we'd done too much sitting down already and there was lots more to come. It was another 100k or so to Mataranka Hot Springs, back on the bus we all fell asleep quite quickly.

This time, Ben chose 'Oops I did it again" as our alarm. We'd arrived, it was busy. There was some debate on what to take with us, the Berri Springs were a short walk from the carpark. In the end, myself and Nikki made the executive decision to just wear our bikinis and take water and cameras. The path didn't look too bad, and Ben reckoned we'd be okay without flip flops. Just before we left, he offered us the last two pool noodles which we took willingly.

The path was a little more gravely than we had hoped, but we made it without injuring anything. The smell hit me before anything else. It was quite pungent, a whiff of fart or eggs. Basically, it was clearly strong in sulphur here. The view more than made up for it though, it was naturally beautiful. With trees overhanging the small river, and lilypads, logs and algae dotted along the way.

Jeff and a few of the girls were already in,  they weren't giving too much away so I didn't know what to expect. I climbed down the stairs and was amazed. It was so warm, probably about 30°C. I know it's a hot spring and it's obviously meant to be warm... but there's being told and then there's experiencing it yourself.

I showed Nikki how to use the pool noodle to optimise floating capacity. Cue us looking and feeling ridiculous, riding them like horses. It definitely did the trick and we were soon floating along, easy as a Sunday morning. Some of the girls didn't have pool noodles and we wondered why they were struggling so much. We were having a great time on the best lazy river experience.

At the end of the river was a bridge and a "no swimming" sign. Apparently from there onwards was crocodile territory, I'm not too sure they can read signs, but there you have it. We climbed out very gracefully with our noodles between our legs and walked back to the beginning.

This time, we were going to swim it. We gave our noodles to JJ and Manya, then Nikki, Hayley, Reiss and I began to make our way downstream. It was so much harder than I thought, and the water was so much deeper than it looked. We had a laugh though, and got another good workout in. I tried not to swallow any of the water, don't think it was the most sanitary.

We slowly walked back over the stones, it seemed more painful this way. Maybe because my feet were wet, they were more sensitive? While waiting for everyone to make their way back, I stood in front of the bus in the sun and tried to dry. Some of the girls were getting changed, but my towel was still damp from the last swim and it didn't seem worth it.

Sitting on the bus in my bikini didn't even bother me. There was enough sunlight coming through the window that I wouldn't be cold. Our last drive of the day would take us to Daly Waters, where I was looking forward to a shower and some dry clothes!

The Daly Waters Pub has been open since 1930 something, and has never closed. It has become very popular with travellers as is one of the only stops from Darwin to Alice. The pub has an impressive collection of licences, hats, shoes, number plates, bras, stuffed animals... anything that can be left behind. It's such a wonderful idea, and really gives the place character.

Ben lead us to believe that it would be very quiet, with only the five locals and seven bar staff. Boy he was wrong, when we arrived the place was full! A bus load of school kids from Victoria had occupied several tables, then you had the locals and what looked like another tour group. There was a singer in full flow, singing country songs about hunting, about farming, and about fish.

Dinner wasn't until 7.30pm, so we settled into our motel rooms first. We had a 4-bed dorm between three of us, and a lot of mozzies. Ben sprayed the room for us and shut them in, we were hoping they'd be dead by the time we went back in. They were bloody resilient, I'll tell you that!

The shower was surprisingly good, for a solar powered shack in the field. I showered alone, but Hayley had a frog join her. Feeling so much cleaner, we made our way to the bar. I decided to treat myself and buy a lemonade. It took a while for me to get served, luckily Ben then appeared. As he is there regularly, the barmen know him well, and came over in a flash. It's not what you know, it's who you know.

Nursing my lemonade, we had the typical backpacker chat and shared stories from our travels so far. Reiss and Hayley have really inspired me with theirs; they've been travelling to different countries doing seasonal work for over four years now. Definitely something for me to look into, they love it.

Our meals came, I had a chicken snit wrap and chips. It was really good, and really filled me up. Just as we finished eating, a different singer started his set. According to Ben "Still Rocking" had been doing the same set every night for about 20yrs. He sings and pretends to play guitar, while his missus claps along from the side of the stage... what a dude.

As it was Hayley's birthday, Ben planned to embarass her and got his mate on stage to call her up. Cue lots of silly dancing, and then Reiss was pulled up too and they shimmied their little socks off to a good ole country tune. Nikki had a surprise for when they returned, she'd got a cake from Woolies earlier!

Full of cake and smiles, we made our way back to the dance floor. We had all planned to go and have a boogie, but in the end it was only me, Manya and Hayley dancing with the youths and oldies. I had a ball! We even got to learn some line dancing, taught to us by our new best friends. They must have been in their seventies, but they were giving it all they had. As the set came to an end, we even got hugs, thanks and best wishes from them. So sweet.

Returning to the table, we got a mini round of applause, but decided we were more in need of a round of drinks. A glass of ice cold water each did the trick. We had a very early morning to look forward to, and so it was off to bed.

~

We were awake before the sun this morning, an even longer drive lay ahead of us. My alarm sounded at 4.30, and I was ready within minutes. Taking my things to the the bus, the sky was so clear and the stars so bright, I had to stop and stare. I decided that a little bit of morning yoga was in order, we were to be sitting down for a long time. Hayley, Manya and Reiss joined in for a few warriors and triangles.

Just past 5am, we left sleepy Daly Waters behind and began our journey down south. I felt quite awake to begin with, but that constant motion and relatively comfortable seat had me asleep in no time. We were woken around 7ish to see the sun rise. It was beautiful, Ben pulled up on the side of the road and we all watched in silence.

Our next stop was at Tennant Creek. This was a town built around the telegraph station. In the late 1860s, England wanted to improve communications and built a telegraph line all through Europe and Asia to Darwin. Australia was then given the task of getting that line through Central Australia down to Adelaide. And so Tennant Creek housed one of the stations that received and transmitted messages along the Overland Telegraph Line.

After a little wander around the station, it was time for some food. Into the town, there was only an IGA available. I was glad I still had some snacks, as they are known for being notoriously pricier than your Coles/Woolies. I did buy an all Aussie Beef pie, sure it wasn't even midday.. but we had been awake a long time and it felt right.

Back on the road pretty quickly, we slowly made progress down the Stuart Highway. Travelling through the centre has made me realise just how large and uninhabited Australia actually is. We could go for an hour without seeing any houses, pubs, toilets. Even seeing another car was an event. Ben kept us awake with a few jokes, and we shared riddles and trivia too.

The sky was beginning to cloud over and, despite it being dry season, it looked like rain. Sure enough, the rain first hit the back window. No other part of the bus, it was almost like our own raincloud following us. Eventually, the heavens opened and the rain was all around. We just had to hope that it would stop when we reached our next destination.

Our luck was in, the rain ceased as we turned off for Kalu Kalu (Devils Marbles). Ben joked around with us saying we must have passed them already, or they'd been moved, as he couldn't see them. All of a sudden, from nowhere, large boulders began to appear. They were quite a sight, large red orange balls scattered across the landscape.

We all clambered off of the bus, eager for a closer look. Ben told us about the geology of the rocks and how they came to be. Fascinating. There have layers like onions, there was even one with a bit that had peeled off. To think, in a few million years they could all be half the size they are now!

We were given forty minutes or so to explore. Of course we all had to take the typical shots, 'holding' up the rocks. I was disappointed to see other tourists climbing all over the rocks, despite the obvious signs that ask you not to. It's deemed disrespectful to the local Aboriginal people, this is a sacred site for them after all.

A quick game of frisbee in the carpark and it was on to the next place. Reiss, Hayley, JJ, Yann and I had a game of catch across the bus. I think we were all feeling a little restless. It was so nice to stretch our legs, but being back on the bus, I realised just how much further we had to go.

We had an unscheduled stop at the UFO capital of Australia, Whycliffe Well. The roadhouse was covered with alien decor and the inside walls plastered with newspaper clippings of sightings. I even found a back room full of replicas and memorabilia from sci-fi films, including a life size Paul. I wasn't sure whether to be impressed or disturbed.

Another quick nap and then we were onto the last stretch. Ben dug out some trivia cards and Reiss grabbed the mic to be quizmaster. I teamed up with Nikki, between us we reckoned we might just do alright. First round was fifteen general knowledge questions.. We got ten. Next was a ten point musical round... we got eight and a half. We were racing ahead, both ridiculously proud of ourselves.

Typically, Reiss just had to add another trivia round, with stupidly hard questions that we just had to guess... we still got six. Altogether, the winning team (as we will forever be called) ended on an impressive score of twenty four and a half. Boom!

Just before we reached Alice Springs, Ben made a stop for Jeff. He wanted to see the Tropic of Capricorn. A few quick pictures and a lesson on the 'tropics' and back on board. We were so close now you could smell it! I have so much admiration for Ben, and all the other tour guides and truckers who make the journey through Central Australia.

Finally, at 17.45, we arrived in Alice Springs. We snapped a group photo at the sign and then had a mini tour of town. We were all staying at Haven Resort, and had booked a table for a farewell dinner in town for 7.30pm. This gave us all time to settle in, have showers etc and for Ben to drop the bus off.

I was in Room 5, I quickly unpacked my toiletries and some clean clothes. Everything I had worn the last five days smelt of dirt or sweat. Lovely. The shower didn't look like much but it was probably the best one I'd had in months. It was like a power shower! I felt so refreshed afterwards.

We all met in reception and walked to Uncles Tavern together. It looked very friendly, they had even set up a few tables for us and given us a list of promotions they could offer. I ordered a tandoori chicken salad, it only cost me $12, not bad.

While we were waiting for the food we all found each other on social media, chatted and listened to the entertainment. A local artist, he covered old and new songs, putting his own twist on them all. I thought he was great.

Most of the group were off on tours in the morning and had to be awake early again. I had two days in Alice Springs before my next tour, but I was still really tired. I walked back to the hostel with Nikki, Manya and JJ after saying goodbye to everyone else. We'd only had two days together but it had seemed so much longer, and I'd thoroughly enjoyed myself.