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Dear Chloe,
You are lucky you decided not to come on
this trip as you and I are far too "advanced" in years for
roughing it. The dirt roads are dreadfully rough and the lumps and
clatters really do frighten me so much that I have to sit on my Mums' lap
most of the time. She goes crook when I dig holes in the red dirt
and then flop down in them making my lovely creamy legs pink. I was
so dirty from the Plenty Hwy (Mum told me it's called this because there
are plenty of corrugations, plenty of bull dust and plenty of stones and
rocks. I think she was pulling my leg because we crossed the
Plenty River and there was no water!) - anyway, I had to have a good bath
when we got to Alice Springs..... - you would not have liked it at all Chloe.
From Alice, we headed down to
Ayres Rock and on to the Olgas. Here we joined up the Great Central
Highway or the Outback Highway which also takes in the Plenty and
Donahue right back to Boulia. (All dirt of course).
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 The road
from the W.A. border is a vast improvement on N.T. Sometimes my Dad
thinks he's back on the bitumen, although there are still bad bits
enough to keep him awake. The scenery along here must be great as
my Mum keeps oohing and aahing and taking photos, and camels... funny
looking things! Right in the middle of nowhere (well the Gibson
Desert, actually) is the Giles Weather Station. Onwards to Desert
Oaks where we camped last night - a little oasis that Mum thought was
great - me too (different reason, I think).
Flies!!!
- it's a dog's life once more - Mum and Dad have fly veils, but
me? At least sometimes Mum waves them away from me while I'm
eating dinner.
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Word of advice -
don't wee on stuff they call spinifex - very spikey!
I
think that you would find it slim pickings around here anyway;
very few birds around. What I did notice at Docker River (an
Aboriginal community who run a campground) was that there were hoses with
timers on that go up the oaks into bird feeders. Very thoughtful!
We
have crossed over quite a few sand dunes this afternoon and my Mum has
been going gaga over the blue salt bush in the red sand. I do miss
my puddy milk and all my friends at home.
Your
best mate, Sam, or as your mum calls me, 'Ratbag'.
Editor's note: Permission needs to be obtained
to photograph in some Aboriginal lands.
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