Okay since starting this thread we have made some decisions so in order to keep this initial post current for new comers to the thread I have updated this post with the relevent info.
Well Stan & I have nutted out the start date for the 2009 Pradpoint GTG and after a lot of toing and froing we have arrived at the official start date for the GTG at Ross River Resort. So the official date is:
04 July 2009
So now everyone can start making decisions on if they are going to be able to make it. We realise that the date is probably going to disadvantage many NSW participants but unfortunately the NSW school holidays for that period are seriously out of synch with the rest of the country so it was a case of trying to minimise as much as possible the impact to the NSW PPers whilst still allowing the majority of the rest of the country to attend.
Okay I have adjusted the itinerary a little to give a couple of options that were not in the original. The main deviation option is on Day 3.
Both Day 3's have their pluses and minuses so it will be up to the majority to decide which they prefer.
Well I have decided to make a website up to cater for this event as it has the potential to be quite large so in order to keep all the info current and in one place that everyone can get to easily you can now check out the details at the link below:
http://www.pradopointgtg.com
The website will be a work in progress so don't shoot me just yet okay?
I have added a countdown timer but there will eventually be further pages with info on Stans Simpson Desert crossing.
There will most likely be some sponsor logos or discounts available to Pradopointers attending from businesses here so stay tuned on that front. I will do my best to get a good deal on a range of things for us.
The download for the revised itinerary can be found at this link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?gzhjtzd1ws1
However the non glossy version is as below:
Day 1 & 2
Everyone makes their way to Ross River Resort to begin the PP GTG.
Ross River Resort has had a chequered history and for a few years was closed to the public whilst in the possession of Troy Dan. Unfortunately during this period the homestead was left to deteriorate quite badly but has now started its return to former glory.
There is a bar and dining room for those that want to have a sit down meal. Check out the website for the Ross River Resort for more info on what is available.
Ross River is east of Alice Springs and there are a few gorges that can be stopped at along the way, however I am proposing that we might like to take a side trip out to Arltunga to see how life was for the prospectors of yesteryear. Arltunga lies approximately 35 km from the Ross River Resort.
Slideshow of Ross River Resort:
http://www.mediafire.com/?1lrxitjvl1c
Day 3
We head back to Alice Springs to spend the night, camp ground to be determined at this stage but most likely will be the MacDonnell Range Holiday Park, the rest of day 3 is free for doing your own thing. There is the Old Telegraph Station on the north side of town for those that want to do some more sightseeing or even the Royal Flying Doctors Visitor Centre in Alice. You may like to take in the Alice Springs Desert Park on the western side of town near Flynn’s Grave.
Day3 Alternative Itinerary
Instead of spending a free day in Alice Springs we drop the campers etc at the campground in Alice and continue down to Rainbow Valley for a BBQ lunch then head for Owen Springs Reserve which will bring us out onto Larapinta Drive we will then head back to the Campground for dinner.
There are a few choices on offer for this night as you could head off to the Overlander Steakhouse for a meal and show or the if you would like you could do a Spirit Dinner show at the Milky Way Café. There are of course, any number of options even down to sitting around the campfire with a BBQ.
Or we could stay at one of the two camping areas on the Owen Springs Reserve this night, I would say Red bank Gorge would be packed but we might have better luck at Lawrence Gorge. This would be a totally self sufficient night if we chose this option and we would then need to head back into Alice in the morning to get provisions. Of course it would save money in that we would not be stopping at the MacDonnell Range Tourist Park.
Day 4
Okay now it is time for us to up sticks and press on to the west of Alice Springs following the Western MacDonnell Ranges out to Glen Helen Resort. Today we see those who wish to do the extreme 4x4 part of the tour, split off as they make their way to Boggy Hole and then on to Kings Canyon whilst the rest of us will continue on to Glen Helen. We will be doing some side trips to see some of what the Western MacDonnell Ranges has to offer such as Simpson’s Gap, Stanley Chasm, Ellery Big Hole, and Ormiston Gorge. Once we arrive at Glen Helen Resort there will be time to wander down to Glen Helen Gorge or maybe take a helicopter flight from the resort to take in the spectacular countryside of the area, this usually incorporates a flight through Glen Helen Gorge.
Slideshow of Glen Helen Resort:
http://www.mediafire.com/?43mopk0lfiq
Day5
Right, now it is on to the Mereenie Loop Road where we will travel down to Kings Canyon NP. Once at Kings Canyon we can set up camp for the night and settle in around the camp fire. Unfortunately our hands are somewhat tied when it comes to camp grounds at Kings Canyon and we have to stay at the Kings Canyon Resort Campground which does have high fees associated with it compared to other camp grounds. This is where we will meet up again with our extreme 4x4 brethren and have a BBQ dinner and maybe a few cold ones whilst relating stories of the trip so far.
The URL for Gosse Bluff and the Kings Canyon Resort slideshow is below:
http://www.mediafire.com/?x24y0y3xziy
Below is Kings Canyon Resorts own video presentation for you to enjoy:
http://www.kingscanyonresort.com.au/video/
Day 6
We can see if we can do a Ranger guided tour of the Canyon Rim taking in the Garden of Eden and the Lost City or for those with mobility problems then there is an easier walk along the canyon floor. I suggest we do these activities early in the day and then in the afternoon head for the camp grounds at Yulara. If we are there early enough there could be the opportunity to take in a sunset watch of Ayres Rock.
Day 7
Okay today is free to tour around Ayres Rock and The Olgas, if you wish to climb the rock then it is best to do so in the early morning before the temps start to rise and the wind starts to blow. The rock is closed on days of high temps or high winds. Some people like to do a sunrise viewing tour.
This evening we can have a final GTG BBQ.
Day 8
Time to head back to Erldunda roadhouse on the South Stuart HWY. Here we can farewell each other and start our journeys home. Those heading south may want to make for Coober Pedy that night. Those heading to Western Australia may want to take the short cut through Docker River rather than go down the Stuart HWY.
Notes:
There is the variant to Day 3 whereby we could go back to Alice then do a daytrip to Rainbow Valley.
If you are thinking of attending this GTG could you please fill in the poll associated with this thread, it is located here:
http://www.pradopoint.com/viewtopic.php?t=2838
In order to keep the opening post current I am going to update it with the slideshow links so new comers can easily get the info.
Next is the scenery around Trephina gorge and Rainbow Valley.
http://www.mediafire.com/?j9ddzyxytlj
Next download is a fact sheet on Trephina Gorge:
http://www.mediafire.com/?amdobccqodl
Next is a fact sheet on Arltunga:
http://www.mediafire.com/?nmmm3eyhmax
Mav
Well Stan & I have nutted out the start date for the 2009 Pradpoint GTG and after a lot of toing and froing we have arrived at the official start date for the GTG at Ross River Resort. So the official date is:
04 July 2009
So now everyone can start making decisions on if they are going to be able to make it. We realise that the date is probably going to disadvantage many NSW participants but unfortunately the NSW school holidays for that period are seriously out of synch with the rest of the country so it was a case of trying to minimise as much as possible the impact to the NSW PPers whilst still allowing the majority of the rest of the country to attend.
Okay I have adjusted the itinerary a little to give a couple of options that were not in the original. The main deviation option is on Day 3.
Both Day 3's have their pluses and minuses so it will be up to the majority to decide which they prefer.
Well I have decided to make a website up to cater for this event as it has the potential to be quite large so in order to keep all the info current and in one place that everyone can get to easily you can now check out the details at the link below:
http://www.pradopointgtg.com
The website will be a work in progress so don't shoot me just yet okay?
I have added a countdown timer but there will eventually be further pages with info on Stans Simpson Desert crossing.
There will most likely be some sponsor logos or discounts available to Pradopointers attending from businesses here so stay tuned on that front. I will do my best to get a good deal on a range of things for us.
The download for the revised itinerary can be found at this link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?gzhjtzd1ws1
However the non glossy version is as below:
Day 1 & 2
Everyone makes their way to Ross River Resort to begin the PP GTG.
Ross River Resort has had a chequered history and for a few years was closed to the public whilst in the possession of Troy Dan. Unfortunately during this period the homestead was left to deteriorate quite badly but has now started its return to former glory.
There is a bar and dining room for those that want to have a sit down meal. Check out the website for the Ross River Resort for more info on what is available.
Ross River is east of Alice Springs and there are a few gorges that can be stopped at along the way, however I am proposing that we might like to take a side trip out to Arltunga to see how life was for the prospectors of yesteryear. Arltunga lies approximately 35 km from the Ross River Resort.
Slideshow of Ross River Resort:
http://www.mediafire.com/?1lrxitjvl1c
Day 3
We head back to Alice Springs to spend the night, camp ground to be determined at this stage but most likely will be the MacDonnell Range Holiday Park, the rest of day 3 is free for doing your own thing. There is the Old Telegraph Station on the north side of town for those that want to do some more sightseeing or even the Royal Flying Doctors Visitor Centre in Alice. You may like to take in the Alice Springs Desert Park on the western side of town near Flynn’s Grave.
Day3 Alternative Itinerary
Instead of spending a free day in Alice Springs we drop the campers etc at the campground in Alice and continue down to Rainbow Valley for a BBQ lunch then head for Owen Springs Reserve which will bring us out onto Larapinta Drive we will then head back to the Campground for dinner.
There are a few choices on offer for this night as you could head off to the Overlander Steakhouse for a meal and show or the if you would like you could do a Spirit Dinner show at the Milky Way Café. There are of course, any number of options even down to sitting around the campfire with a BBQ.
Or we could stay at one of the two camping areas on the Owen Springs Reserve this night, I would say Red bank Gorge would be packed but we might have better luck at Lawrence Gorge. This would be a totally self sufficient night if we chose this option and we would then need to head back into Alice in the morning to get provisions. Of course it would save money in that we would not be stopping at the MacDonnell Range Tourist Park.
Day 4
Okay now it is time for us to up sticks and press on to the west of Alice Springs following the Western MacDonnell Ranges out to Glen Helen Resort. Today we see those who wish to do the extreme 4x4 part of the tour, split off as they make their way to Boggy Hole and then on to Kings Canyon whilst the rest of us will continue on to Glen Helen. We will be doing some side trips to see some of what the Western MacDonnell Ranges has to offer such as Simpson’s Gap, Stanley Chasm, Ellery Big Hole, and Ormiston Gorge. Once we arrive at Glen Helen Resort there will be time to wander down to Glen Helen Gorge or maybe take a helicopter flight from the resort to take in the spectacular countryside of the area, this usually incorporates a flight through Glen Helen Gorge.
Slideshow of Glen Helen Resort:
http://www.mediafire.com/?43mopk0lfiq
Day5
Right, now it is on to the Mereenie Loop Road where we will travel down to Kings Canyon NP. Once at Kings Canyon we can set up camp for the night and settle in around the camp fire. Unfortunately our hands are somewhat tied when it comes to camp grounds at Kings Canyon and we have to stay at the Kings Canyon Resort Campground which does have high fees associated with it compared to other camp grounds. This is where we will meet up again with our extreme 4x4 brethren and have a BBQ dinner and maybe a few cold ones whilst relating stories of the trip so far.
The URL for Gosse Bluff and the Kings Canyon Resort slideshow is below:
http://www.mediafire.com/?x24y0y3xziy
Below is Kings Canyon Resorts own video presentation for you to enjoy:
http://www.kingscanyonresort.com.au/video/
Day 6
We can see if we can do a Ranger guided tour of the Canyon Rim taking in the Garden of Eden and the Lost City or for those with mobility problems then there is an easier walk along the canyon floor. I suggest we do these activities early in the day and then in the afternoon head for the camp grounds at Yulara. If we are there early enough there could be the opportunity to take in a sunset watch of Ayres Rock.
Day 7
Okay today is free to tour around Ayres Rock and The Olgas, if you wish to climb the rock then it is best to do so in the early morning before the temps start to rise and the wind starts to blow. The rock is closed on days of high temps or high winds. Some people like to do a sunrise viewing tour.
This evening we can have a final GTG BBQ.
Day 8
Time to head back to Erldunda roadhouse on the South Stuart HWY. Here we can farewell each other and start our journeys home. Those heading south may want to make for Coober Pedy that night. Those heading to Western Australia may want to take the short cut through Docker River rather than go down the Stuart HWY.
Notes:
There is the variant to Day 3 whereby we could go back to Alice then do a daytrip to Rainbow Valley.
If you are thinking of attending this GTG could you please fill in the poll associated with this thread, it is located here:
http://www.pradopoint.com/viewtopic.php?t=2838
In order to keep the opening post current I am going to update it with the slideshow links so new comers can easily get the info.
Next is the scenery around Trephina gorge and Rainbow Valley.
http://www.mediafire.com/?j9ddzyxytlj
Next download is a fact sheet on Trephina Gorge:
http://www.mediafire.com/?amdobccqodl
Next is a fact sheet on Arltunga:
http://www.mediafire.com/?nmmm3eyhmax
Mav
Comment