We took the Mereenie loop track to Alice Springs. This is a wide, red, corrugated 4wd track of around 200km. We had to buy a permit as it goes across Aboriginal land.

I decided to drive (for the first time) as I have more off-road experience (well that was my reasoning).

The road was rough as guts. It was so heavily corrugated it was jiggling everything loose. We had to have a number of wee stops.

In places there was loose sand on the corrugations and Dory was snaking all over the place and at one stage we were going sideways. And we were only doing 40 km/hr. We were no danger though as the road was really wide and we passed only two cars for the 200km stretch.

We took a diversion to Goose Bluff, which is one of the world’s largest comet craters measuring 5km across.

Afterwards we headed for Finke Gorge National Park. Access is by 4WD only. We drove along the rocky riverbed to the camping ground. It was only $6 each to camp via an honesty box, and they provided warm solar showers and flush toilets. There were gas burners as well as gas barbecues and all were in good working order.

It was a lovely spot. We had driven an hour along a 4wd track to get there and were in the middle of nowhere and all alone. We were quietly drinking a beer and enjoying the solitude when a tour bus rocks up. Well more of a 4wd truck, but still, about 10 Germans get off and start cooking up a chicken curry. In our efforts to try and outdo them we cooked up seafood pasta in a garlic and red wine sauce. (Tin of salmon and a jar of dolmio).