While taking Australia’s longest short cut, through Central Australia, The Doc took a detour at Alice Springs. He drove to AWC’s Newhaven Sanctuary 360 kilometres north west of Alice on the Tanami Road. If you stay on the Tanami it emerges in the Kimberly at Halls Creek.

Newhaven was originally bought by Birdlife Australia but is now owned by AWC. It is jointly managed with Birdlife Australia.

“The scenery at Newhaven is spectacular: dramatic quartzite mountains overlook extensive parallel sand dunes and shimmering salt lakes and clay pans. Decorated by mulga woodlands, rich spinifex sandplains and large areas of bloodwood and desert oak, Newhaven is also a hotspot for the wildlife of central Australia. Threatened species include the Black-footed Rock-wallaby, the Brush-tailed Mulgara and an important population of the Great Desert Skink.”

It was a quick reconnaissance rather than a comprehensive visit. By then The Doc was very tired after spending so much time on the road in the Kimberley.

Newhaven is also likely to have the elusive night parrot on the property. While The Doc did not see the Night Parrot (as if) he did see a pair of Grey Falcons, a very, very rare thing to see.

While at Susies Lake there was literally thousands of Zebra finches coming into drink, a site too behold.

It was a quick visit cut short by some electrical problems in the car (which turned out to be a wire shorting on the rear towbar).

Newhaven has some amazing textures of clay, sand, salt and bark. Enjoy.