Day 22: Renner Springs - Devils Marbles

We are getting up soon, but we are not leaving Renner Springs until 10:30 am. Since we 'only' want to drive to Devils Marbles today, we don't have to rush. We have breakfast outdoors at a pleasant 30 degrees. Unfortunately, with a bit of frustration, as Samuel turned our camping table with breakfast on its head and a lot of things ended up in the sand.

Today our route is not so straight. A few curves have sneaked in. I was a bit worried about the long drives in the Red Centre, but there are always a few detours along the way and so far it's not too bad (let's see how it will be heading south). We don't drive long and the kids are sleeping.

We refuel at Three Ways. Diesel is much more expensive here than before, but that doesn't help us because our Maui is thirsty. Such a large vehicle guzzles quite a lot and we have to refuel every 400-500 kilometers.

We planned a detour to the Pebbles (round granite rocks, similar to Devils Marbles). But after one kilometer, the 6 km sandy track is too bumpy for us. We take a few photos and turn around.

Our next stop is at the Mary Ann Dam. Actually, we wanted to swim in the dam, but the water is too murky and we decide to have a picnic and use the playground instead. A welcome change. The area almost also houses a zoo. There is a cow, a few peacocks, ducks, geese, chickens and many birds.

In Tennant Creek, we only make a quick stop to empty our toilet and buy the most important groceries for the evening/morning. We still have about 120 km to drive to our destination Devils Marbles.

When we arrive, we are very impressed. The round stones are huge and form great formations. Since it's already evening, we also have perfect light. We explore the area on foot until the sun sets and a huge full moon appears. Back at the parking lot, we connect with the rest of the world, because there is even free WiFi here.

Finally, today we manage to stay overnight at a national park campground. There have been several options so far, but due to the temperatures, we have always opted for the comfort option of a campsite with electricity (and honestly, there haven't been any great places so far). But here it is significantly cooler (we open all the windows and it's nice and breezy) and the surroundings are simply a dream, so the decision was clear. Unfortunately, we are not alone. Five other cars are parked on the not so small campground.

The evening almost ends in a tragedy. Samuel can't find his pacifier. We turn the entire camper van upside down, but it has disappeared into thin air. Luckily, we have replacement pacifiers for Maxima, so the evening (or rather the night) is saved. Shortly before our trip to Australia, Samuel was already doing great without a pacifier, but we were not determined enough on the journey and so it became an important companion again. Maybe Santa Claus will need it when we get back home. On the other hand, it works great without diapers. Samuel still wears a safety diaper at night, but we have only needed it twice so far. Even on the plane, the diapers stayed dry. Here at the campground, Samuel is very sad that he can't flush the toilet.

Sleeping doesn't come easily for Samuel, even with a replacement pacifier, because when we look out the window, we see that a few cows have joined us at our pitch.

14th November 2016

Overnight stay: National Park Campground Devils Marbles (1 night 6.60 AUD), directly at Devils Marbles, without water and electricity, with toilet, stunning surroundings on a clear full moon night

Weather: sunny & windy, 32 degrees

275 kilometers today out of a total of 2,042 km