After the grandeur, magnificence and glory of Uluru, Kata-Tjuta and Kings Canyon we needed to head east to resume our norther slog up the Stuart Highway towards Alice Springs. We chose to overnight at Erldunda Roadhouse, which is at the intersection of the Stuart and Lasseter Highways.

We didn’t stop there on the way previously due to bad reviews regarding the mouse plague and that the place was smelly and somewhat unclean. However, our Coober Pedy friends Barbara and Paul did stay there and said it was fine so we took their word for it and found it to be perfectly fine as well.

It was a bit of an oasis with cactus and palm trees surrounding the pool. The van sites are nice big drive-throughs where you can stay hitched. The only draw-back is that the water is bore water… No problem as we were carrying more than enough drinking water aboard the van.

Erldunda Roadhouse has a large emu farm and enclosure where you can get up close and personal to them. They’re really quite inquisitive although their red eyes have an evil glint in them that gives you the impression that they’re secretly planning to drag you into the pen and kick the living daylights out of you.

We had another rib-sticking roadhouse meal there. Rob went for the Banger’n’Mash (that came with Onion Rings) whereas Jo went for the… you guessed it… desert fish’n’chips. Roadhouse meals aren’t fancy but they fill you up and they’re good honest cooking and good quality.

We were treated to another of those beautiful outback sunsets where the trees are silhouetted against a band of pink that transitions to purple and black as you look higher from the horizon. The Northern Territory has a certain, simple way of wrapping itself around your heart…