Day 4: Mount Isa to Alice Springs (1,171 km. Total now 3,076 km)

This day has to be one of the earliest start since I'm planning to break the 1,000 km barrier. Why 1,000 km? I don't know. It's just that at one time the number seems impossible, to me at least, so now I'm just going to prove that it can be done. In comparison to Malaysia; you would have to travel from KL to the North all the way to Chumphon, Thailand (2/3 the distance to Bangkok!) to do a one-thousand km journey. In Down Under, you could still be in the same state!

Anyway, I did leave the caravan park before anyone was up and probably when the whole of Mount Isa was still sleeping. I came across a few cars heading out of town to the mines but that was about it. Luckily the weather was brilliant and as I entered Barkly Highway I came across this sign. This has to be one of the customary pic for any Oz tour! Where else would you have to rely on one road sign to cater for the next 190 km!

During my refueling stop in Camooweal (according to my plan, this should be the last gas station between here and Tennant Creek which is 471 km away!) I met these two surfer dudes, Niels from Holland and James from England in their "Sydney-to-Sydney" tour! I overtook their car earlier and they caught up with me later at the gas station. I find their story fascinating: They met in a surfing school in Sydney 8 months ago then decided that they both have the same keen interest in surfing, travelling and exploring so they decided to tour Australia. Got themselves a car, packed everything they own into it, and off they go! They have been everywhere and have done every kind of work including pineapple farming, work on freight barges, driving bus; you name it! They have just left a place called Currumba (?) where they last work in the pineapple farm - I couldn't even find the place in the map! Now they are on the way to Darwin - to find a job, then surf some more.

I started taking notes of their story and told them about my blog. Then we all went back onto Barkly Highway together and later will go our separate ways as we changed onto Stuart Highway.

Wherever you are guys; take care and have fun!!! Hope we meet again one day...


After that it was a long ride for me to Tennant Creek. What was in the beginning a good weather turned cloudy after the Barkly Homestead (my research was not right, or was probably outdated - there ARE at least three more gas stations along this route!) and I can see lightning in the far horizon. It was really not much of a choice - ride in the rain or what? Stay out there in the field and become a lightning target? It rained and it rained hard all the way to Tennant Creek. It was a tough ride (which I thought would have been the toughest part of this whole journey) and I arrived totally drenched in Tennant Creek.

As I entered the Red Rooster at the Rest Area, I thought, oh no, they must be having a leak in their roof. Newspapers were spread everywhere so I tip-toed in so as not to make a mess of everything. Then I realized, hey, this is actually their floor design! How embarrassing... Maybe I've just never been to a Red Rooster before...

It was a quick lunch then hit the road again. Oh but, I also just found out that when I used my "octane booster" at Barkly Homestead for the first time just now, I only used half a bottle and kept the remaining half bottle in the side pannier. What I found out when I reached Tennant Creek was that the top was probably not meant for safekeeping - the octane booster spilt all over the content of the pannier! Now, I'm wet and smell of gasoline!!! This couldn't be any worse, I thought, and I hope...

I also bumped into two bikers on Triumph tourers and seeing that they came from the opposite way, I thought of striking a conversation asking about the weather where they come from. Turned out they weren't that friendly (ask one; answer one!) so I went off my way. One thing I start noticing here also that (I apologize upfront as I don't really know how to make this sounds politically correct, but) there are a large number of native people wandering aimlessly around town mostly middle aged to old. They seemed "lost" in their own world. I just get this uneasy feeling over all this and at the same time glad that I'm not spending the night here.

On the road, I started to come across bikers, mostly in pairs or more and on rare occasions, solo riders like me. But think again if you think I'm crazy; twice I came across guys on bicycles!!! Now; THAT's crazy!

This pic is me at the Devils Marbles near Wauchope. Occasionally my bike does help take a picture of me... :-)

It was still a long ride away to destination; Alice Springs. I stopped for refueling in Wycliffe Well where they supposedly had UFO sightings there, many years ago.

Here are the "Aliens". I wonder, what people would do just to sell gas! But I know I did and I even took a picture of it - so it DOES work!

Yeay! I saved a bundle as compared to sleeping in motels) and went to find a spot. The guy said, "...just take any spot!". I wonder why then I noticed, in the park which could have fit at least 30-40 caravans, with maybe another 20 cabins and plenty of space for tents - I was the ONLY person there! Then I also noticed few other things; a few suspicious characters wandering around outside the fence and my phone doesn't have coverage! I went back to the "reception" and asked the guy about phone and he pointed me to a phone booth outside the bar. Now, it doesn't accept coins or credit card so I had to buy a phone card. And the booth is stenched with stale urine I had to cup my nose to talk! I called home for advice and the advice was, RUN!!! It was getting dark and I had very little time to react. I went back to the reception and told the guy I needed to stay at a place with mobile phone reception. He was kind enough to let me go and even returned my $12! I fled out as fast as I could. Now, I did say I want to camp out for the night but definitely not out here. I can almost hear the dingoes howling at night and I'll be the only person in the whole camp site in the outback! Hey, I am adventurous but I want to write about my experience, not to be written about in the local newspaper [Newsflash: The remains of a lone traveller found in a deserted campsite].

I covered the remaining distance to Alice with the sun setting down fast. Imagine the feeling as I saw my shadow to my left getting longer and longer and I kept hearing the advice - don't travel in the dark in the Outback. It's dangerous! Yes, but so does staying in a deserted camp site out in the nowhere! It was a race against the setting sun. I felt like Fiona!

At the first sight of street lights of Alice Springs I breath a relief. Have I turned soft? I would have craved for the kind of adventure just now many years back but now I longed for the shelter of a city? Just to prove a point; I picked a caravan park and asked for a tent site. Here I am, camping in the "wild", in my little tent. It was a quick pizza dinner then off to bed, actually foam mat (sponsored by Ezran!)

It took a while to go to sleep. But at least I achieve two things today - ride for 1,000 km and sleep in the tent! I'm proud of myself and dreamt of the next big day...