Day 40 Alice Springs

Around Australia in 40 days?  Not quite, but in the red centre and loving it here.  I was not entirely convinced about coming to Alice Springs, but as Master Yoda would say "Hmm mistaken I was."

Alice rocks, so does Ayers, but that's in the past now.  Today was semi booked, and we choofed into town early to go to a didgeridoo lesson with Andrew Langford who runs the Sounds of Starlight Theatre.  He was very helpful with my interest in Didge, and after a half hour of lesson with him I had managed to work out the bugs with my playing, and get the two main notes out of the instrument.  Lisa and I spent ages looking at all of the instruments in the shop, and ended up buying a beautiful Ironbark Gum Didgeridoo in D#. 


The instrument is a little longer than the usual didgeridoos, at approx 1.65m and will be challenging to learn on, but it was Andrew's advice that if I was to get an instrument for playing then this style is best suited.  The tone is beautiful.  I also got an instruction book and cd to continue learning.  The great thing is that it will look great in our lounge room as well as being a functional instrument.



We did a quick food shop for the coming week and went back to camp for lunch.  Warm chicken rolls with Nandos Perinaise...mmmmmmm!!!  After our lunch, we headed off to the cultural centre and museum which was very different to what we had expected. 

Lisa found her first Sturt Desert Pea, she was very excited!

We walked through the Namatjira Gallery, and looked at some original water colours which were as beautiful and well done as I had heard.  He was an extremely talented artist, and having seen some of the locations in his painting, you get the sense that he captured the beauty of the land very well.  We also had a look at the finalists for the beanie festival.  Some of the beanies were fantastic, and carried price tags to match.  Some fetching over $2000.00.

Out the back of the cultural centre is the aviation museum.  We wandered down there to have a quick look at the DC3, and the other exhibits.  The kids enjoyed climbing on board this aircraft.  There was also original wreckage from the Kookaburra which crashed near Wave Hill (North West of Alice Springs) whilst on a search and rescue mission looking for the Southern Cross.  I can't believe that anybody would fly in something so flimsy, but there isn't a lot left of the aircraft bar some frame work, the engine and the BMX bicycle rims that were used for landing gear.  There were various other bits of aircraft (instruments, radios, engines and so forth) laid around the two hangers, but the display was a bit disappointing.


From the aviation museum, we went on to the actual museum which had some beautiful displays of dinosaur bones which were found and excavated nearby.  They were in fairly good condition.  There was also a really good display on meteorites and craters in the area.  We didn't go to the Henbury Crater, or to Gosse Bluff, but after Wolfe Creek, it would be hard to imagine anything quite so grand.  They did have fragments and cutaways of the meteorites though which I found very interesting.

It was getting late in the afternoon though and we had booked to go and see a show at the Sound of Starlight Theatre in Todd Street Mall. This is the same place that I had my Didgeridoo lesson in the morning.  We had booked onto the show as they had a 4pm abbreviated show for  a school group from Victoria, and we figured that the kids wouldn't stay awake for the 8pm show or be still enough for an hour and a half, so this was a pretty good compromise.

Andrew Langford plays Didgeridoo, and has a drummer and a percussionist that perform to a video and to a synthesized sound track.  He describes the interaction of the music with the land and the native people as the show goes on.  Half way through they got the school kids to get on stage and play some didgeridoo, and then handed out clap sticks, shakers, and djembe's for the people in the audience to play.  Having spoken to Andrew earlier in the day, he knew that I was a drummer and got me into the percussion booth for this part of the show.  Not a bad way to spend the afternoon.  I've been missing the drums whilst I've been away.

I really enjoyed the show, and the kids did too.  Even Lisa got into the spirit of the show. 

In a rare miraculous feat, Rowan didn't spill blood today, but did manage to walk into a pole which was 1m and 45 Degrees in the wrong direction that he was walking.  I don't know how he does it.  Whilst shopping though, I ran over Emma's foot with the shopping trolley.  She squealed and slumped to the ground.  I was helping her up when a young police officer appeared to see if she was ok.  He then asked to see my license to ascertain if I was fit to drive the trolley.  At least that cheered her up.  I have to say, I was impressed with the community spirit of this guy.  Thanks for your help.

Day 39 Alice Springs

Where is the time going?  It has occurred to me that this trip is now 1/3 finished.  Before I know it I will be back to the daily grind. 

We slept in fitfully this morning until the kids pestered us for food.  The intention today was always to take it very easy and relax.  Let's face it, we've done so much driving to get here, and there is so much more to get back up to Three Ways.

Eventually we organised ourselves, and went to visit the school of the air.  It is difficult not to be overwhelmed by the effort that has gone into educating children this way, and to see the dedication of the people involved with fund raising and teaching.

We talked to the kids about their needs, and the needs of the kids in remote location out here, and they donated their ice cream money towards buying a book for the library.  We were very proud of them for their sacrifice, and I hope that the kids in regional Australia get some satisfaction and joy out of the small contribution that we made.

The visitors centre is a wealth of information and we were thoroughly entertained by the movie, and other interactive displays that they had.


From the School of the Air, we went across town to the RFDS.  They have a new museum and theatrette that they have just opened up, with some really good displays, a flight simulator, a full size replica of the PC12 aircraft to mid body to show how the patient is carried and what other equipment is on board, many variants of the early Traeger Radios and a medical supply box from the 50's which had some rather questionable remedies in it.  The Movie that they showed was also extremely informative and inspiring with some of the first hand testimonial of the RFDS good work.



We took a quick trip into town for a walk through the Todd Street Mall so I could go and have a didge' lesson, but we were too late and arrived half way through the class.  The kids were busting out of their skin to go throw their boomerangs, and after much harassment, I finally agreed to take them to an oval so that they could have a throw.  Rowan took off and was having a ball, and Ashley did a cracker throw that came 3/4 of the way back.  His second throw flopped a bit, and the 3rd throw went straight into the ground and 2 pieces of boomerang bounced back into the air.  Lisa and I exchanged nervous glances of "Oh no, this can't be good" and the waterworks started.  The tears lasted for almost 2 hours, and there was a very sad young man in our midst.  Some fatherly advice coaxed him back into good spirits, but Oom Darryl will need to be prepared for Ashley to ask for assistance to make his own boomerang.  (Apparently I am not worthy and Oom Darryl is good with wood working.)


The kids have run into the friends that they made whilst they were in Broome, and we had a very pleasant afternoon mostly.  I sat down to a long and in depth discussion with my friend Jack Daniels, and played my guitar till I flayed the skin off my fingertips.  The kids were showered early and we made our plans for the monster pork dinner of the gods.

I might interject here and mention that the barbeques are not really all that hot, so I knew I was in for a torrid time with this slab of pig.  I had a great chat with some people from SA and talked footy with a Hawk and a Roo who were both disappointed with the Eagles loss this week.  I cooked and cooked and cooked and cooked....

Finally I had Lisa bring me a knife to butterfly our butterfly fillet, as there was no way this 2 inch thick pork was ever going to be ready.


Finally I had this thing cooked and ready to return to the caravan.  Rowan had been zooming around on his scooter because he was too bored to stay in the caravan.  I was just finishing saying goodbye to the nice people I was chatting to when I heard thunk, thud and blood curdling screams.  Rowan had ridden his scooter into a bench seat, stacking it face first into the corner of the bench.  He has skinned his chin and bitten a nice neat 5mm hole through his tongue that was still bleeding when he went to bed.  My jacket will need another wash to get the bloodstains out.  It just wouldn't be right to not have the first aid kit out. 

In the end, he is a trooper and he ate most of his dinner, even offering to eat the rest of his sister's pork for her. 

Day 38 Alice Springs

Today my eldest son turned 9.  I told him that he is half way to leaving home now.  He didn't see the humour in that.  I am very proud of his achievements and how much he has grown up.

We started this morning at a respectable -2 Deg C and went about getting into the day as best we could. Emma complained of feeling ill, and returned to bed without breakfast.  Lisa too felt unwell, so she retired to bed and promptly fell asleep.

I decided to do what a man should do, so I packed the boys into the car, and took them down to the car wash.  I have to admit, I couldn't find my car in the parking lot later in the day because of the shine coming off it, so it must have needed the attention.  I stripped down the interior as well, and there was much vacuuming and scrubbing.  The smell has nearly been removed.  It might have been the rogue pair of socks that I found under the front seat. 

From the car wash, the boys came to the shop (Supercheap Auto) to get some other bits and pieces that I required to finish the job.  It was only a quick trip from there to the shop to get the fantastic lamington cake for morning tea.  Ashley was pretty stoked with his choice of cake, but really upset that his brothers rendition of "Happy Birthday" included reference to primates.

All tears aside, Emma was feeling better and we went in search of birthday lunch (Hungry Jacks) and we ate up at Anzac Hill.  The views of Alice Springs from this vantage point are fantastic, and not to be missed.

With lunch all sorted, we headed off to the Desert Park Wildlife Centre where we would spend the rest of the afternoon.  There were some really interesting cultural talks on Bush Medicine which we managed to see, some we missed (survival in the desert and flora recognition)...As we wandered through the park, we came across their nocturnal house which was brilliant.  All of the exhibits were viewable and quite active, including ghost bats, mala, spotted quolls, desert rats, bilby and many others.


There was also a fantastic free flying bird presentation that had galahs, whistling kite, black kite, a barn owl and a type of falcon.  We were taught how to distinguish the difference between kites and falcons.  The kites are more closely related to eagles, and are able to collect their prey off the ground in flight where the falcons tend to catch their prey on the wing.  Very cool.

We went back to the nocturnal house for a brilliant information talk on nocturnal mammals.  Whilst there, I came across my nemesis here.  This bloody stick insect was 30cm long and gave me the creeps even behind the glass.  Ewww.









Birthday dinner at Ashley's request was Indian food at Flavours of India.  I must say, the food was brilliant, the service was great, and we are all very full of belly now that we are back at the caravan. 

All up as Ashley has said, "A very Journal Standard day all in all." 

Day 37 Yulara to Alice Springs

Today, as Ashley would say, was a 'driving day'. The morning dawned crisp, windy and icy again. The Uluru climb was closed once more so we left fairly early for the drive to Alice Springs. We stopped for lunch in Erldunda and to change drivers and thanked our lucky stars we didn't have to refuel here as the queue was incredible.


We are staying in the MacDonnell Range Big 4 caravan park here for 4 nights. Only a few sites away, we have caught up with Joop and Jannie Wijbenga on their travels up to Darwin. We had a lovely time catching up over a drink and some delicious chocolates - Thankyou both, you really made our day!

The kids have been glued to the jumping pillow since we arrived and there is a playground right next to our site. We didn't see them until after dark! We have already made good use of the laundry (what a money pit the washing is) and are looking forward to a relaxing few days.

We had a little slab of lamb for dinner...marinated in souvlaki spice.  I love Lom....

Day 36 Yulara

 Another sunny, chilly day dawned. The apparent temperature was -5.2C! We stayed In bed as long as possible this morning. A leisurely morning followed, with us in the heated caravan and the kids playing outside in the playground. Aah, the serenity. Our plan was to go to the town square for some activities in the morning, then do some walks around Uluru in the afternoon.

The kids loved the free aboriginal art classes where they each received a piece of canvas which they could paint on. They were shown a series of common art depictions and their meaning, to explain how every painting tells a story, then were let loose with their imaginations. The wind made it challenging but they all made something beautiful and unique.

We were told that the didgeridoo lessons would be delayed by half an hour, so we got a bite to eat and sat in the sun, writing postcards and playing in the fountain - that was the kids. Rowan dunked his head in the freezing water to make his hair spiky.  Rob and I each made some phone calls home and enjoyed our Pad Thai from Ayer's Wok Noodle House. Yum. We kept our hair dry and beannies on.

After more delays, the didgeridoo man arrived and Rob and the boys had a go at making some noise. At first it sounded like the dying cries of an elephant, but it didn't take Rob long to get the hang of it and make some melodic sounds emerge. Rowan and Ashley sounded like overgrown raspberries but they had fun trying.

We had run out of time for our walks as Ashley was looking forward to the Boomerang throwing lesson, so we stayed. Unfortunately, that was cut short fairly quickly when one boomerang snapped in 2 and another was thrown into a very tall tree - both by the instructor! We hung around waiting, but nothing more happened. Ashley did get to try throwing his own boomerang, but it was really too windy to be successful. A few spears were thrown, Emma got a splinter, then it was over.

There was a cultural dancing show on straight after so we stayed for that. This was inside a marquis - lucky for the dancers who were stripped down to loin cloths and body paint. They put on a good show and frightened the kids with their haka-like dance. Rowan was all tucked into a ball, cuddled under Rob's arm and Emma was tucked into mine. We did pick the font row, so it was to be expected I suppose. Emma joined in for the emu dance - she was the first to volunteer! She had a great time strutting and pecking the other dancers.

Finally we left to go to the rock. It was already 5pm so we had to choose a short walk. We went to the climbing area so Rob could at least see where it was. It was again closed due to high winds. He is very disappointed not to have had the chance to do it. Still, there is always tomorrow morning. We set off on the Mala walk and I found it really interesting to gain a different perspective on the rock. It is surprising how many contours and caves there are as well as waterholes and ancient waterfalls. There were even rock-art sites. Many interpretative signs were along the way explaining the significance of formations and caves. We also got to see the rock change colours with the sunset at close range. Beautiful.

Wish we had more time here. Time to do more walks; time to see if the climb opens for Rob and Ashley. But, our schedule won't wait and we are due in Alice Springs tomorrow.

Day 35 Yulara (Uluru and Kata Tjuta)

The biggest sacrifices are made for the greatest rewards they say.  Another early wake up this morning, and a walk to the lookout through the very brisk morning air for sunrise.  Officially, the weather bureau says that it got down to approx 3 Deg C.  the thermometer said 1 Deg C, but that was without factoring in the 45 knott wind that was blowing.  With wind chill, it was easily sub zero this morning, but we stood on the lookout for the best part of half an hour.  I have now come to realise that I am not fully prepared for the snow fields, and will require gloves...good gloves, because my fingers were stinging with cold by the time I got back to the caravan. 

Sun rise was beautiful (golden and crisp) with the rock off to our East catching the early morning rays.  We also had a vantage point that looked out to Kata Tjuta towards the North from the campground.

We tried to keep the kids interested, but the cold got the better of them before sun up, and Emma was the only one brave enough to stay with us at the lookout.  Ashley and Rowan retreated for the warmth inside the caravan.

We had a good hearty breakfast hoping to do some walks, possibly climb the rock and have a good day out.  Our first disappointment though was that the strong winds have closed the rock climb, so that probably won't be available whilst we are here.  I can't see the wind dying down any time soon as there is a massive high being fed by Antarctic winds that has formed right over us. 


We spent the morning at the cultural centre learning about the Anangu people, and the claim for title of the land after the commonwealth took it for national park back in the 50's.  We learnt alot about the cultural significance of the rock and the surrounding landmarks, and the spirituality of the place.  It is difficult not to be moved in some way by the size of Uluru, the colour and the grandeur. 

Having said that I am now vexed with a conflict.  The traditional owners ask that the rock be respected and not climbed due to cultural significance.  They also cite personal safety and some other very good reasons for not climbing the rock.  35 people have died in the attempt.  As an Australian born, I feel a connection to this place as well and would like to climb the rock as have many before me.  I would like to experience it.  Knowing the cultural significance of the place, I understand that need to be respectful, and will therefore refrain from littering, toileting and general stupidity whilst doing it.  So to climb or not to climb is the question.  I guess I will figure that one out if the weather permits an attempt.

I finally found a pair of clap sticks that had the tone I was looking for, and they are made from Red Rivergum.  Unfortunately though, Lisa was freezing and hadn't layered enough this morning, so we had to return to the caravan before we could do any exploring.  We had a bite of lunch and packed a bag for afternoon tea (Which we left on the kitchen table) and set off for Kata Tjuta (The Olga's).  We stopped at a lookout on the way and looked over the red dunes and desert oaks to both Kata Tjuta and Uluru in the distance.



From the lookout we drove around to the valley of the winds where we decided we would attempt our first walk.  The temperature was hovering around a searing 14 Degrees so again this was a walk that required beanie, jacket and for the girls, scarf and gloves.  The Valley of the Winds is aptly named, and the gale came smashing through the gorge and was directly in our face as we made our way along the rocky path.  Kata Tjuta at this point is very tall, and most of our vista was of the tall rock face to our right until we arrived at the lookout.



We decided not to try Rowans poor tired legs over another 3.5km return walk to the next lookout, so turned tail back to the car and travelled the short distance around to Walpa Gorge.  There was a rocky walk up into the gorge, and for the most part we were walking in shade as we were heading into the late part of the afternoon.  At the end of the gorge was a small billabong where there were many native trees growing.  Some unique to this region and noted as very rare. 

In a strange twist of fate, the wind that was blowing in our face all the way through the gorge, changed direction and blew into our face for the entire walk out of the gorge as well...YAY!

It was a quick drive around to the sunset viewing stop for Kata Tjuta, and we decided that we weren't going to stay, but go back to Uluru for the sunset there. 



Rowan who had made it through the whole day unscathed had his big stack of the day drawing blood from his palms.  It just wouldn't be right to have a day without the first aid kit.  Poor kid.  There isn't that much bark left on him to knock off now.  I don't know who he slighted in a previous life, but he certainly is good at finding the ground with hands, knees or face.  So I busily took a couple of photos whilst Lisa patched him up.  She's such a good mum.  No Dettol Baths for our boy.

Our final stop for the day was the sunset lookout at Uluru.  If you come to Yulara at any point in your life, this is the only thing that you MUST do.  I have put a montage together of the changing colours at the top of this blog, and have included a couple of other choice shots.  There must have been 300 people at the carpark viewing area, and another 1000 at the tour bus parking area for this moment.  The Sun set is directly behind my vantage point, but the colour changes on the rock over  the 15 minutes we were there was fantastic.

I am hopeful that we will be able to do this again tomorrow night as I would like to take the montage from a tripod to get all of the photos identical, but we will see how that goes.  Sorry for the gushing commentary all, but WOW.  Even though we didn't do too much today, the sights and sounds of the desert and the two monoliths here are Awesome! 

Day 34 Glen Helen to Yulara

It was very difficult to get out of bed again this morning. Partly for the cold, but mostly for the aches and pains of the big day yesterday. We knew that we had to follow a strict timeline to get to Yulara today, so we were up and into breakfast without much ado. I had some fun with the kids, as we had visitors last night. Dingo tracks all around the caravan. There is a very real threat now that if they misbehave, they can stay outside with dingoes...MWAHAHAHA!

Seriously though, we hitched up and had planned to do both Ormiston Gorge, and Stanly Chasm today on the way back into Alice Springs. I checked our thermometer and we again had a 1 Deg C morning at 0700, so it was going to be another bracing day. Beanie in place and jacket on, we got underway.

Ormiston Gorge was quite pretty in the morning light. We walked painfully up the 246 steps to the lookout where we lingered for a while. Unfortunately most of the gorge was still in the shadow of morning, and the colours didn't really come to life. Lisa was excited at the prospect of seeing wild budgies, but I think they were all fluffed up in their hidey holes. The only wildlife that we saw was our mate By Jingo Dingo who the kids howled at. He walked up and down the riverbank looking for the source of the howling, until we left him to his peace and quiet for the day.

We saw a lot of beautiful ghostly gums all around the Ormiston Gorge, and I couldn't help but think of the Seekers Song "I am Australian." Yesterday we Drove on Namitjira Drive and dined in the Namitjira gallery, and then there was also the thought of Midnight Oil, as we saw the Bloodwood, the Desert Oak, Holden Wrecks but no boiling diesel, and no 45 Degrees, but 3 out of 5 aint bad.

We went on to Stanley Chasm, and noticed the smoke from the highway, but it was too late after I had turned onto the access road to return to the highway, so we drove like morons into a bushfire. At least I thought we were stupid until we got to the parking lot to turn around and hightail it out of there.

The car park was full of cars, tour buses and more stupid people than us with their cameras out photographing the flames as they came over the hill being fanned by strong winds. I was still shaking my head in disbelief when I almost plowed into the back of some complete idiot who had parked just around a blind corner, blocking the road over a hill crest so he could also take photos of the raging bushfire that was only 20m away. What's wrong with some people?

We gave up on Stanley Chasm and went into Alice Springs for Fuel, supplies, food etc...and managed to drive out of town at 1230 munching on some delicious pies from Wicked Kneads Pie Purveyors.

The drive out to Yulara was fairly uneventful, and we managed to snap some photos of Mt Conner on the way in...This is the fake Ayers Rock (obviously). Finally the monolith rose from the ground in front of us and was changing colours magnificently in the evening light as we arrived at the camp ground. We have all had a good feed, and will be eager to make a tilt at climbing the rock tomorrow. I hope the winds stay calm. The kids all want to try including Rowan. So luck to as all I say.

Day 33 Glen Helen (Kings Canyon)

Who the hell set the alarm for 0600?!?  Oh wait, we need to start early today.  Damn.  The first thing I noticed about this morning was that it was bloody cold.  I'm not sure how cold, but sleeping bag and quilt was not enough to keep the Rob furnace burning last night.  I later found out that today we were going to peak at an amazing 16 Deg C and last night the Min was 1 Deg C which we can expect again tonight.  The heater will be on.

Breakfast consisted of shake em pancakes cooked using oil because butter is in dangerously short supply.  It was very tasty though, and hit the spot.  Whilst Lisa got the kids ready to go, I went and bought Diesel at a princely $2.16 lt, and some water which was almost as expensive as the diesel.  I don't think I mentioned that the water here is entirely undrinkable, even after it has been triple filtered.  It tastes somewhere between seawater, mud and puke. 

 The custodians of Glen Helen looked at us like we were insane to be thinking about Kings Canyon return today, but we set our mind to the task and set off around 0745.  The road out was sealed much further than the map said, but soon enough we hit the dirt, the corrugations and the pot holes.  This road was probably a bit worse than Tanami Rd, but we made pretty good time along it.  The West MacDonnell Range was spectacular in the morning light, as was Gosse Bluff, another meteorite crater site. 

Me made our way down to the Red Centre Way (Mereenie Loop Road) towards Kings Canyon.  We decided to stop at the lookout approx 30km from Kings Canyon, and soon realised that it was still only 6 Deg C and we looked, shrugged and raced back to the warmth of the car.  Even the kids were quick to return and settle in.

Finally we arrived at Kings Canyon resort (Also known as we have you hostage and will make you pay general store) where we bought 5 chocolate bars for the rim walk to keep our energy up ($16.50)  We found ourselves in the car park at Kings Canyon around 1100am and set off on the Rim Walk (6.5km).  The climb up was challenging which is just a nice way of saying back breakingly difficult, but with a couple of rest stops we got to the top of the canyon and could see for miles.

The next three hours of walking would be some of the most spectacular, frightening and exhausting that I have ever done.  Firstly there was a very stiff gale blowing frigid air through the canyon, and we all felt like our ears were going to fall off.  The kids wanted to look over the edge everywhere and couldn't get the idea of sandstone canyon with fragile rock fall edges into their heads. 

The canyon itself I would estimate at 100-150m tall, and has sheer cliff faces on both sides.  The walk, although sealed with concrete in most places is quite difficult with many climbs and descents over the dome formations.  Everything about this walk is spectacular from the domes, to the rock faces, to the ripples of a sea long dried etched into the rock, to the plant life, the bird life to the view.  Any doubts that we had about coming had been well allayed and Lisa and I were totally awestruck. 

The kids did an amazing job of firstly climbing the canyon steps and then completing the 3 hour walk.  I am super proud of them all, but especially Rowan who managed the entire walk even if he did finish on wobbly legs.  I am sure that they are all going to sleep very well tonight. 

My favourite spots were around Colley's Lookout where you could see the whole South face of the canyon, and some of the North face with it's precarious overhangs that have remained from previous rock falls, and the lookout from the South face from which you could see the North face with its sandstone patterns, and the pool formed at the end of the Garden of Eden.  The view was so spectacular that photos really don't do it justice. 

In the end, we were all exhausted and glad to see the car park in front of us.  We returned to the hostage centre where we bought a cheeseburger, 2 x chicken rolls, a hot dog and a souvlaki, along with bread mild and butter ($62.95).  The cashier actually apologised when she read the total out.  All lessons learnt. 

The drive back was awesome.  We came across our second wild dingo for the trip, as well as a field full of wild brumbies which made Emma squeal with delight.  A short way up the road, we also came across three camels.  Our first glimpse of wild camels for the trip.  I jumped out of the car to take photos, and must have looked strange, because old mate wobbly camel wouldn't take his eyes off me.  I told him it was a Prado and not a Rav4, took my photos and we were on our way. 

 
Back at Glen Helen, Lisa and I went down to Glen Helen gorge to have a look, but not only were we tired, it was still bloody freezing and the wind was howling along the escarpment.  We are working on Yulara tomorrow, but that will take another early start, and some nifty work.  I plan to buy a second jerry can and purchase enough fuel in Alice Springs to make the return journey.  Fuel at Yulara is $2.40 per litre according to the couple I spoke to today.  Diesel is only $1.68 in Alice Springs.