Alice Springs up the road

3 days at Temple Bar Caravan Park. .

Temple Bar Caravan Park we`re camped at the base of this range.

We passed the Highest Point also the Tropic of Capricorn. 

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Zeil

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropic_of_Capricorn

We stopped off for a look at - Historic Ryan Well.

Ryan Camel party sank wells in many parts of arid Australia between 1885-1890. Early in his career, Ned accompanied explorer John McKinlay on his 1866 wet season survey of Arnhem Land. Trapped without food on the east alligator river, the fifteen man team faced death on a make ship raft Ned and a fellow bushman made from the skins of their 27 pack horses. The party drifted 13 km out to sea before reaching the safety of Escape Cliffs. During the six day voyage, the leaking raft attracted constant attention of crocodiles and sharks.

Two years later and still seeking adventure, Ned joined George Goyder`s team which surveyed the outpost now known as Darwin.

In 1885 he began sinking the wells which were vital to new settlement in the arid Central Australia. For 5 years he was the foreman of a team that established the water supply points shown on the map.

Overland Telegraph line from Adelaide to Darwin was completed, linking Australia with the overseas telegraph network. It began an era of rapid communications for the Australian colonies, and provided the safest route for travel and settlement through Central Australia.

Ryan Well was one of several that the Government sank along the track that followed the Overland Telegraph Line Drovers sheep and cattle valued its salty water which was raised originally by hand windlass and later by a “whip” and shown.

                                            

                                          

                                          

                                            

                                          

 
                                          

 Right across the road  is the Glen Maggie Homestead.

In 1914, the ‘Glen Maggie’ sheep and cattle station was established around this well and the owners charged a small fee per head to draw water for traveling stock.

In the 1930s, the spread of motorised transport and machine-drilled water bores robbed the well of its earlier importance.

      

Camped at Prowse Gap rest area for the tucked back in the trees, apart from the traffic it was nice and peaceful

 Ant nest

 dead flower head

The country is very scenic in our opinion not like the Nullabor at all, ranges and hills, open plains grasses and small trees /  shrubs also bigger trees, also a lot of dry creek beds.

We have been checking out fuel prices on the way and worked out the Tennant Creek had the cheapest fuel after Alice Springs at a $1.29 so a tankful and one extra Jerry can full would get there.

Out in the middle of nowhere we came across a set of traffic lights and guess what they were on RED! There were road workers widening and fixing the spoon drains and flood ways. After a 5 minute wait we were off again.

Then we saw the price board at Wycliffe Well for only a $1.09, so we did a loop around and fueled up there.

Around Wycliffe Well somewhere there is a UFO centre according to the book though we could not see any signs to say where it is. At Wycliffe the outside of the road house is painted with aliens and space ships which looked great.

To us the country is very different to when we came through here two years ago. Maybe because we are going the other way this time, also there has been quite a lot of rain since then, so it all looks good.

 Still we go on along the road more to come.