The month began with a flying visit to Julian and Anara at the Wombat and Wildlife Rescue in Ceduna. They had contacted us to say that the sociopathic owners were away and so we called in to say goodbye and wish them well on their continuing journey around Australia, and indeed with their hopes for future settlement in this amazing country. It was a sad moment, not only the 'goodbye' but because Horace, the 1-year-old Wombat Joey, had been taken ill that very weekend with severe pelvic and hip girdle pathology and was virtually immobilised and in severe pain. Naturally that hadn't stopped the 'caring' owners of the Rescue departing on a 10-day trip, leaving our friends to cope alone as best they could. They had even tried Paracetamol paediatric, but things were looking quite grim for little Horace. So I wrote an addendum to my letters of concern to the RSPCA and DENR (Department of the Environment and Natural Resources - who we later discovered had actually stripped the Rescue of the majority of the Wombat joeys that we had seen at the time of our first visit, such was their then concern).

Leaving Ceduna, it was a 450 km drive along the Eyre Highway calling through the towns we had visited only a matter of weeks before. However, at Iron Knob we turned to the coast at Whyalla in hopes of making arrangements to view the Giant Australian Cuttlefish at Point Lowly. To this end we phoned and texted the Company advertising 'glass-bottomed boats' but to no avail. Our calls invariably went through to voicemail and we never received a reply. The Visitor Centre was unable to help, referring us to the website which, we discovered, had yet to become operational. We eventually discovered that the owner has a full-time job and that this was just a start-up venture; so again it was like the Eco Tours at Fowlers Bay, where the husband is still working FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) on the mines and is yet still advertising. We waited a weekend and then departed, having sent strongly worded emails to both the Visitor Centre at Whyalla and also SA Tourism (in respect of both of the above, plus the Balloon Ride at Hawker).

Next stop was Port Augusta 70 km away, where we stocked up with provisions, took on fuel and water and headed north along the Stuart Highway to Woomera, Coober Pedy and Marla, then on through the SA/NT border to Alice Springs via the Henbury Meteorite Craters, Stuart's Well and Dinky the Dingo.

First stop on the highway at 173 km is Pimba Roadhouse where we stayed overnight on their free campsite with water and toilets. A miserable experience, as the wet weather had turned the entire area into a muddy morass and without mains power (and thus a fan heater) we were freezing. Additionally the servo was very busy overnight with constant disturbances.

The following morning we pulled out - or rather slid and spun out - and drove the 7 km to Woomera, where we attempted to check in at the Caravan Park. At 9.15 am it was virtually empty and yet we were told to leave the site and return after 10am.

The woman to whom Sandra spoke appeared to have been sucking lemons and was no friendlier when we returned at about 1 pm, having visited most of the town's points of interest. Gratefully her husband was a lot friendlier. The site was a dump and maybe she just didn't like being there - we certainly found it a hole. Again inches and inches of mud, and the shower/toilet block was an abomination. Still by 6 pm that evening it was virtually full and we realised too late that we were far too close to the banging metal toilet doors. In our defence we don't usually stay on sites and thus had given no thought to our on-site location when the husband guided us in. A lesson learned.

So what about Woomera?! As a town, Woomera was closed to the public until 1982. An uncharismatic barracks town, it sits at the south-eastern corner of the 500 km corridor known locally as 'the Range' and ominously highlighted on maps as WOOMERA PROHIBITED AREA. Don't expect of find out why at the Heritage Centre, where we could barely find someone to take our entrance fees for the various exhibits. Here there are models and numerous audiovisual displays emphasising Woomera's value as a satellite launch site and joint initiative with NASA, but the reasons for the creation of the Prohibited Area -Weapons Testing and the British-run Maralinga/Emu Junction Atomic Bomb tests between 1953 and 1963 - are skirted around. The displays centre on satellite development as well as various guided missiles. For a first-hand account, read Len Beadell's 'Outback Highways': cheerful tales of the bomb tests and the construction of 'some sort of rocket range - or something' by the chief engineer.

Currently, the Range seems to be only in use as a test site for the Japanese supersonic passenger airliner - a possible successor to Concord. Having said that, there are rumours of a nuclear waste dump to be considered, although certain areas of the Range have now been cleared for civilian mineral exploration and mining.

Admission fees to the Visitor Centre Woomera Rocket Range Museum is A$10 per adult with A$8.50 for Seniors. Also featured in the exhibition, but in a separate section, are memorabilia and souvenirs relating to Len Beadel, who was the founder of the Range in that he was the surveyor who decided that was where Woomera was to be situated. Len, as a surveyor, was responsible for over 8000 km of highway and many outback tracks including the Gunbarrel Highway and he is captured on audio-visual display. In addition he has a Memorial at the centre of the shopping square and his final resting place (and that of his wife) is marked by a Memorial in the old cemetery just outside town. So muddy was it on the day we visited that we needed to engage 4 Low on the Land Rover. Len has been called 'The Last of the True Australian Explorers' and was the author of several books.

To us Woomera seemed to be 'trading on past glories' and indeed many of the facilities are only present because they were a requirement when American families were housed at the test facilities. None of these appeared to be open and the supermarket shelves were mainly bare.

The only other point of interest, excluding the cemetery with its 3 separate areas and numerous children's graves, is the Missile Park with its numerous exhibits although scant signage. On offer were: Bofors Mk 12 anti-aircraft gun, Ikara-Australian developed ship-borne anti-submarine weapon, MK 10 Bomb, Skylark high altitude research rocket, Jindivik-pilotless aircraft developed by the Australians, Drogue-towed target, Meteor Mk 7 fighter aircraft used here as a pilotless target, Meteor NF 11 –used to test BlueSky missiles here in 1955, SeaSlug - a ship-borne surface to air anti-aircraft guided missile, Black Arrow - a 3 stage British rocket designed to carry a satellite into orbit, and finally a Canberra Bomber - these being employed both as a launch platform and also as a pilotless drone. A total of 17 Canberra bombers were converted to remote control by Short Brothers in N Ireland and flown to Australia. The Canberra on display was rebuilt after being retired from use as a target aircraft.

And that was the end of Woomera, but at least that night we were warm as toast as our fan heater mumbled away through the 'wee small hours'.

The following day it was up and north, passing both Island Lagoon and Lake Hart. When we visited in December 2006 these were just dry salt-pans. Today, with the heavy rains of the last two and a half years, they both have water and we were able to walk down to the shores of Lake Hart, which has become a stopping off place for many of the Outback tours. No birdlife was visible but perhaps the lake is just too salty. Our next overnight, some 125 km away, was the Caravan Park at Glendambo, and what an excellent site it turned out to be. This was the last Caravan Park noted on the map until Coober Pedy and so we decided to have one more evening of powered comfort. As it turned out we need not have worried, since the weather took a remarkable turn for the better as Winter seemed to turn overnight to Spring. Woomera had cost us A$25/night; here at Glendambo it was A$20.50 with pleasant, helpful staff. Glendambo came into existence in 1982 as a service centre on the new Stuart Highway to replace the township of Kingoonya, which was bypassed.

And on north to Coober Pedy - Opal Capital of the World - which again we visited in December 2006 and found extremely interesting. Apart from the Opal mining, the sole industry here is The Tourist Industry and there are almost half a dozen caravan parks. Gratefully, given the mild weather, we were able to park each night at 'The Giant Blower' freesite just as you enter town and indeed were never on our own. The town did not appear to be terribly busy and we noted that many businesses seemed to have been closed or been moth-balled. Apparently, the Opal price has dropped and now most mine owners derive income primarily from tourists paying to 'noodle' on their land. We now believe that the term noodling derives from the Opal fields in Queensland, where miners used to search for nodules containing opal. Hence noduling became noodling. We have never tried it and will reserve our efforts for the gemstones of Rubyvale in Queensland in a few months' time.

Numerous Tourist Companies work from Coober Pedy offering all manner of trips and expeditions. We noted a minimum 300% increase in prices from 2006 and were relieved that most of those on offer we had already done. In fact, apart from the Wright's Air Flight to Lake Eyre, we only availed ourselves of the self-guided tour 'Discover Old Coober Pedy' (available from the Visitor Centre), which guides you to:

1.                  The Old Cemetery
2.                  The Old Timers' Mine and Dugout
3.                  Old Water Tank and Water Reserve
4.                  Jeweller's Shop Opal Field - free noodling
5.                  Old Police Lockup, Old Dugout
6.                  Medical Services History
7.                  George Burford's Dugout
8.                  Coober Pedy's Churches - all underground
9.                  Underground Post Office and Old Dugouts on Post Office Hill
10.              The Big Flat Opal Field
11.              Coober Pedy Area School
12.              The Blower (where we wild-camped)
13.              John McDouall Stuart Monument
14.              Will Hutchison Monument
15.              The Giant Winch

There is signage at most of these sites.

NB  There is an excellent free campsite area behind and below No 14 although it's 13 km from town.

The first opal miners called the area the Stuart Range Opal Fields, but in 1920 it was renamed Coober Pedy from the aboriginal 'kupa' and 'piti' meaning 'white man' and 'hole in ground'. Following the first European exploration of the area by John McDouall Stuart in 1858, 14 year old Will Hutchison, a member of his father's gold-prospecting party, discovered the first opal in 1915. The first 6 claims were pegged along the Stuart Range from Coober Pedy to 15 km to the south-east. The pioneering O'Neill brothers made the first major finds on the sixth claim on the Big Flat Field, now in the town area, where no further new prospecting is allowed. Early miners dug their shafts by hand with basic tools: pick, shovel, knife, pliers, a hand windlass and bucket. They only had to follow surface vertical traces down into the ground about 3 metres to mine the opal.

From the early 1960s opal mining became mechanised, allowing mining 20-30m deep. Modern machinery now includes blowers, elevators, bulldozers, tunnelling machines and noodling machines. Today Coober Pedy is known as the 'Opal Capital of the World' because more than 75% of the world's commercial opal is mined here. One of the largest pieces of opal found was the Olympic Australis stone from the Eight Mile Field in 1965, which weighed 3.5 kg.

Although Lake Eyre, Australia's largest lake, had not been on our itinerary when we first arrived in country, I had been aware of the lake for many years having seen the first ABC documentary on its existence and origins. Although normally having water in it every 30 years or so, the heavy rains of the last 3 years have meant that myriads of tourists have been able to avail themselves of this spectacle. There is now a second ABC DVD – 'Return to Lake Eyre' - although in my humble opinion not a patch on the first.

We had initially thought to do the flight from Hawker but considered A$750 pp (party of 4) a bit steep. At Coober Pedy it's A$450 pp (party of 4) but there was no difficulty in arranging the booking. So, on the 21st July Sandra & I, together with a couple from Melbourne, met our pilot Chui (pronounced Chewey) at the airport 3 km north of town for a 0745 hrs start. Mr Wright of Wright's Air (also trading as Opal Air) has spent over 20 years in the area based out of William Creek and has now amassed 12-15 aircraft and substantial assets. Having seen William Creek it would take more than riches to hold me in such a benighted and barren area.

So off we went in a single engine above wing monoplane, leaving initially to the north-east such that we could circle the 2 main mineral mines in the area (iron ore and copper/gold respectively) and then overfly the Painted Hills. Although quite low, these mineral laden outcrops are quite spectacular with the red of the iron, the yellow of the sulphur and the white of the calcium. Further out we crossed the Dog Fence with the Breakaways before crossing the Oodnadatta Track and the old Ghan Line. This is the first abandoned Ghan Railway Line, the shortened form of Afghan Line. In fact our fellow passengers were driving north to Darwin before loading themselves and their vehicles on The Ghan for a train journey back to Adelaide.

As we approached Lake Eyre North we began to identify the various creeks and rivers that flow into it, carrying water down from NT and Queensland. In the distance we could see Lake Eyre South, which derives its water from Lake Eyre North, but didn't overfly it. Thousands upon thousands of ducks flew below us and pelicans were to be seen massed on the various islands and spits of land. Unfortunately we were too high to make out any great detail. Having flown the length and breadth of the lake it was touchdown at William Creek, where we paid for our flights and had a mooch around. We also acquired a fifth passenger, a young female psychologist who had been studying the effects of isolation on bush dwellers.

Finally it was due west and back to Coober Pedy, flying parallel to Lake Cadibarrawirracanna which has the longest name of any lake in Australia and possibly the world. This is purely surface/rain water as no creeks or rivers feed it. Indeed there was still evidence of residual surface water in many of the creeks and depressions that we flew over and the desert was apparently greener than it had been in years. A most enjoyable 4 hour experience and one more item to score from the ever increasing 'Bucket List'. But it's that sort of country.

And so we leave Coober Pedy with mention of just a few more points. There is an excellent Library where we were able to log on to free Wi-Fi. (All too soon we were to discover that NT is not so well provisioned). There is no travellers' book-swap but countless books were available for a non-specified but minimal donation. Water is a limited resource in Coober Pedy and there is a 'pay water supply point' on one of the main roads. By fuel pump high pressure nozzle it costs 20 cents for 20-30 litres or, through a narrow hose, 20 cents for 10-15 litres. As both are on timers, the latter is the more cost effective if you are trying to fill caravan tanks.

We departed Cooper Pedy after a 5 day stay, travelling north to exit SA just above Marla - an insignificant flyspeck of a town that preys financially off the backs of travellers. Luckily we were well provisioned and so could just look at the prices and gasp. This section of the Stuart Highway, from Coober Pedy to the turn off for Ayers Rock/Uluru at Erldunda, was new road for us although, as it turned out, there was nothing significant about it

And so to the SA/NT border, where we took the obligatory photographs before heading a short distance north to find off-road parking near a pumping station. The parking at the border itself was so small and limited as to be derisory. The first turn-off was 132 km south of Alice Springs, where we risked 15 km of good gravel road to visit the Henbury Meteorite Craters. These are a series of impact craters formed when a disintegrating meteor struck this area 20-40,000 years ago. The largest of the craters is 180m across, although it merges with a neighbouring crater. Obviously, over the intervening years erosion and vegetation have marred the clear edges but they are still there and the vistas and signage make the trip well worthwhile. Free camping is available overnight and we shared a dazzling night sky and an otherworldly silence with a couple from Adelaide in a whizz-bang. There is a picnic area with seating and a bush toilet.

Leaving the next morning it was but 40 km before we arrived at Stuart's Well, aka Jim's Place, where we again made the acquaintance of Dinky the Dingo, a 'would-be' Australian icon. We have recounted the story of Stuart's Well and Jim Catterall previously and indeed that evening Jim did it again, although this time the talk was slanted more to the ecological impact of the dingo or more specifically the absence of the dingo. As before, Dinky jumped up on the piano keyboard but this time both plinked the keys and howled - so truly a solo artist. As before, we found Jim arrogant and objectionable but then Jim's Place is up for sale and his 70+ wife is already living in Alice Springs where she is a realtor. Jim's son already runs a tourist firm out of Alice organising trips etc and Jim is to return to the life of guide. Guess some people can never stop chasing money!! Over the 5 years Dinky has become greyer and fatter and after his recital just curled up in a chair while Jim gave his spiel. Guess we won't be seeing him or Jim again!!

Adjacent to Jim's Place you have Noel Fullerton's Camel Farm - entry free and masses of photo opportunities. Noel, the 'Camel King', started the annual 'Camel Cup' and has won it 4 times or more. Rides are available around the yard, by the hour and for treks out bush and to Rainbow Valley, but we were a little concerned at the 'No Insurance' signs clearly posted. Noel actually exports camels back to the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula as well as worldwide and 15years ago a good camel was worth A$5,000. Couldn't find out today's prices. In respect of educational value, we found the Camel Park just south of Alice far more comprehensive.

We overnighted at Jim's Place, staying on the freesite as opposed to the Caravan Park. It's just a dusty paddock on a slight slope but the adjacent Caravan Park is small with trees planted too close together. You may light camp fires on the freesite but need to bring your own wood. There is no water available, the stand-pipe having disappeared since 2006. To give you an idea of the meal prices, a Coke was A$3.10/can and we had Camel Burgers with a few chips and salad, which cost us A$30 for the 2 meals. Actually the meat patty was miniscule and it might just as well have been dog-meat! You left feeling hungry. We noted that only 3 of the dozen on the freesite actually came in for a meal/drink.

Just 14 km north of Jim's place is the turnoff to Rainbow Valley but this time we drove straight past to enter Alice Springs at about 10 am. Having spent 5 days in Alice Springs on our last visit, and with no new publicised attractions to peak our interest, we decided to stock up with fuel and food and leave before day's end. In respect of the water and cassette toilet, there is a public dump-point to the left of the main highway just before you reach town. Diesel was 166.9c/l at both Coles and Woolies, so minus 4c/l if you have a voucher. Our huge shop at Coles netted us 3 new vouchers and we noticed that the discount had now gone up to 8c/l, although unfortunately we noted this after we had purchased fuel using an old voucher from Port Augusta. Next Coles/Woolies will be Mount Isa. Unleaded was 163.9c/l.

We visited the library in Alice, with its free travellers' book-swap, but learned to our chagrin that there was no NT Wi-Fi or NT Library Membership. You could pay to use their Wi-Fi but it was far cheaper for us to use our Telstra Dongle, given that after 6 months we have barely use A$12 of the A$150 price for 12 months' use. It's unfortunate that we shall have the Dongle expire with probably more than A$100 still on it. We were talking to some lovely Tasmanians at Coober Pedy who said how amazed they were at the Telstra Dongle, given that at home they were paying A$40/month. It was their intention to cancel their domestic contract and stick to Mobile Broadband. Wish the Vodafone service in Spain was as inexpensive.

A quick visit to the excellent Visitors Centre, where we purchased some postcards and stamps and then 'exit stage right'.

Actually we really don't like the atmosphere in Alice and there seemed to be indigenous folk everywhere; in fact far more than whites and far more than on our last visit. We have great concerns regarding personal safety, especially when you have a social element who believe (possibly correctly) that they stand outside the law, and where alcohol and drug abuse together with domestic and other violence are so common and widespread. On this visit one noted groups of primarily aboriginal women scattered around grassed areas selling examples of aboriginal art. I'd rather buy a 'paint by numbers' kit - and that's my prerogative. We noted the queues to enter the various Caravan Parks and that night, when we stopped at the 'Tropic of Capricorn' rest area, the majority of travellers were stopping overnight before Alice to mimic that which we had just done. We really liked Alice on the occasion of our last visit but then we were travelling with 2 motorhomes and thus could camp 'out-bush' overnight; almost 'circling the wagons'.

With Sandra not feeling too good, we stopped for the night at the 'Tropic of Capricorn' rest area and that proved to be a mistake. Given that we are self-sufficient, we really don't need toilet facilities and water but, in consequence of our position, we were joined by a slew of backpackers in sundry tired vehicles. One pair of drunken males parked opposite and kept the entire site disturbed until 9.30 pm, carousing and playing loud music. Then at 7 am the next morning an Outback Tours bus disgorged a mass of thoughtless older travellers, who ensured that no-one stayed abed. It's the last time we stay in such a parking area, although we had no such difficulties in SA.

So north along the Stuart Highway, transiting Aileron and Ti Tree but without stopping in either. First stop on Sunday 31st July was in fact Wycliffe Well, which is the UFO capital of Australia, holding the record for the greatest number of UFO sightings. Nothing much here apart from a very clean if virtually empty Caravan Park and a servo with a shop. Both diesel and unleaded were 199.9c/l and gratefully we didn't need any. All the buildings had 'Alien' paintings on them and there was a photo opportunity for Sandra, in that she was able to pose behind the representation of an Alien and stick her head through the face hole.

Lastly, The Devil's Marbles, 106 km from Tennant Creek and worth a quick detour. You can camp here overnight but the camping area is really small and really dusty. We had visited once before on the first journey but we still took a few photos before heading a further 60 km and finding excellent bush camping just 200m off the main highway, totally secluded and screened by brush and earth banks.

So here we end July! Tomorrow we hope to reach Tennant Creek, where we shall rest for a few days and take in the sights - such as they are. There is a lake outside Tennant Creek and I am hopeful of a few yabbys; we have the liver to use as bait, although we have heard that cat-food and dog biscuits are acceptable alternatives. We have never sampled yabbys, being unable to buy them at Esperance you may remember. Will let you know what happens.

After Tennant Creek it will be 25 km to Three Ways and then across Barclay Tablelands to Mount Isa and quite a full program. We have already been advised to visit the Drovers Hall of Fame (or something similar) at Camooweal, then there is the Rodeo at Mount Isa (10-14 August) plus a Mine Tour, followed by Winton and surrounding towns for the Dinosaur remains and lastly Rubyvale for the fossikking. Our only sadness here is that we won't be seeing friends and fellow travellers Merv and Judy.

(to be continued)