Heading south from Daly Waters, the cold, hard reality was that we were on a bit of a mission to "get to the centre" or at least bloody close to it - and that meant a longish day behind the wheel. We suspect most 'tourists' will probably have the same mindset....so this post really just highlights a couple of key stops along the way.
Tennant Creek
A lot of people will breeze through Tennant Creek, or maybe just top for fuel. It is quite a beautiful drive through red hills into the town, and whilst it does get a bit of a bad wrap from some quarters - its got some really good points. Quite importantly, the Top of the Town cafe (on the left hand side heading into town) is a cracker. It has excellent coffee, and good meals - and at just on 400km south of Daly Waters, made for a great lunch stop. As an aside, if you are staying in town, I have camped at the Outback Caravan Park in the recent past (not on this trip) and it is very clean and well run.
Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles)
Just another 100km or so down the road lies Karlu Karlu (The Devils Marbles) which are definitely worth a stop. With massive egg like granite boulders seemingly dropped haphazardly around an otherwise relatively featureless landscape, this is an incredible place. From a geological perspective, the reality is that the boulders we see on the surface are the weathered and exposed top layer of an underground granite formation. Registered as a sacred site, Karlu Karlu is culturally and spiritually significant to the local Alyawarre people.
Most of the stories surrounding the site constitute "secret business", but one that can be told tells of the Devil Man 'Arrange' who was twirling a hair string belt as he wandered through the area, dropping clusters of hair on the ground that turned into big red boulders. More interesting than the bland geological description methinks.
These days the site is owned by traditional owners, and leased back to the NT Parks and Wildlife Service and jointly managed. There are great, well marked walking tracks, toilet facilities and camping available. Whilst this would have undoubtably been the most scenic place for us to camp on the road, as mentioned above, we were on a mission, and wanted to get as close to Alice as practical so pushed on.
Other Points of Interest
There are plenty of other points of interest along the road - including the Tropic of Capricorn marker - and plenty of historical sites. These are too numerous to mention - but it is worth pulling up for a stretch and a read when the fatigue starts to kick in.....because, like us, I'm assuming you'll be on a mission.
Ti Tree
Ultimately, we decided to pull up at Ti Tree - a little community and Roadhouse about 720km south of Daly Waters, and 200km north of Alice. There is a "Free Camp" available near the local store, but we were more than pleased to pay for our site behind the Roadhouse - with good grassy sites and excellent facilities. We did get a few supplies from the store, and Kit, Sophie and I ventured into the pub for a couple of beers (and were clearly the only tourists in the bar). From a 'strategic' perspective, this was a good place to stop - allowing us to get into Alice in time to do some shopping in the morning, before heading out to the Western Macs the following day.
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