The West Coast but not as we know it

 

Sunday 14 August 2022 – The West Coast but not as we know it

We find it amusing that everywhere along this part of the coast including when they are  giving the weather forecasts they talk about the West Coast meaning this side of the Eyre Peninsula. The Streaky Bay football team is even called the West Coast Hawks which somehow just seems a little wrong!

Larry drove today and we headed south along the west coast to Point Labatt conservation park as this is Australia’s largest mainland population of Australian sea lions.  The car park and viewing platform are on top of an extremely exposed headland and you look down into a very sheltered bay with rocks and beach covered with seals and seal lions.  There were lots of mums with pups as well as quite a few adolescents and therefore it was quite entertaining all the kids mucking around and fighting each other and hiding from mum and basically running up and down the beach whilst the adults all blobbed about and occasionally rolled around on the sand to scratch an itch.  We could have stayed for ages watching them but the wind on the headland was bitingly cold and we had to keep wiping our eyes and noses as both kept running.

Back in the warm car and we drove inland past an old hamlet of Calca where there was a little church and community hall and an old house “New owner Jesus” graffitid on it as it had pretty much been given up for dead.

Onwards to Murphys Haystacks which is a collection of inselbergs on a hillside on a farming property.  Apparently  when the coach and horses used to pass by the coachmen would point them out to travellers as haystacks to promote new farming methods and they were on Mr Murphy’s property – hence the name.  As they are on a hillside they do have a bit of Stonehenge vibe to them but you can walk right around and between them and touch them and, if you are Jenny, squeeze between them in the hope that Jamie Fraser might be on the other side.  It didn’t work for me at the cairns in Scotland and it didn’t work for me here either but the next best thing on the other side was Larry so all good.  J

We got our $2 admission worth by using the toilets and the picnic bench for a cuppa and early lunch and then hopped back in the car after hosing Miranda down  (who had managed to transfer all the mud from the running board of the Cruiser on to the back of her jeans!)

As we were now back on the bitumen we hurtled down Flinders Highway and pulled into the sleepy little village of Venus Bay.  This part of the west coast is full of peninsulas and inlets and bays so that the east side of the Venus Bay townsite faces the protected bay while the west side faces huge crumbly cliffs with a raging sea below.   We drove to the lookout to try and see the Eye of the Needle which is a hole in the cliff side but couldn’t see it and figured it must have recently eroded away and tumbled into the ocean.    We popped into the general store to check it out and whilst there a couple of locals who were having a coffee on the verandah (and were not playing in the local golf tournament) told us we had actually been standing ABOVE the eye and actually had to walk 100m or so along a now closed off road (apparently it had got too dangerous to allow cars on anymore being so close to the cliff edge) and view the eye from there.  Easy when you know how and we soon found the scenery and took photos – a sign or two wouldn’t have hurt we thought!

We decided there was still enough time in the day to go as far as Elliston so we continued further south with one quick stop at Colton bakery which is basically just a farmhouse where they have a scotch wood fired oven where they bake bread and sticky fruit buns and then put them in a little shed out the front where you can pull over and put your money in the honour system box and take a loaf or some buns out of the little display case.  The sticky buns were delicious and we all ate one there and then  and still have one each left for later. J

As we headed further south to Elliston we could see a big storm front sweeping from west to east and we brushed the edge of it as we arrived in town.   We therefore stayed in the car and drove up on to the cliffs to enjoy the Anxious bay cliff top loop which has a line of sculptures dotted along the scenic cliff tops.  Depending on whether it was raining or how much we wanted a photo from a certain angle we either got out of the car or just took photos from within.

As the weather was clearing again we drove into town and checked out the jetty which locals had lobbied to have built as prior to its construction they used to have to wade out into Anxious bay to load and offload supplies off schooners.  Elliston was so remote that everything came in and out by ship and quite often when the weather was really bad the locals saw their longed for supplies turn up offshore only to disappear again when the ships couldn’t come in to dock.   The jetty is heriage listed because of its steel pylons screwed directly into the sea floor using a horse drawn winch.  These pylons have now seriously corroded and we wonder if this jetty will still be standing for much longer!

We had another quick stop at the Elliston community hall mural which covers all sides of the hall and depicts the life of Elliston taking in both the maritime and agricultural heritage of the  locality.  Great fun was had posing with the various characters on the wall and there was even a wombat in one small corner of the wall.  We have yet to see a real one so maybe that will have to do.

We had one final stop on the way home to the Talia Caves.  The Woolshed cave is at the bottom of 80 steps and is at the end of a channel of water rushing in from the surf.  We immediately walked up to it and went inside a short way.  It wasn’t til we walked back out and further out onto the flat rocks for an overall view that we thought that going in had probably been a bad idea as the roof looked very thin and crumbly.  Indeed, the next ‘cave’ we went to called The Tub is actually called that because the roof of the cave has collapsed in and created a big round hole that looks like a bathtub.  Lesson learned – in this part of the world do not go in or under any crumbly cliffs or caves!

Back in the car and we released the ponies and zoomed back to Streaky Bay.  We dropped H&M off at the CP and headed  off to the Streaky car wash where we got the worst of the dust and mud off the car and left it a little bit streaky as it will just get a bit dirty again anyway over the last few days of the holiday.  Another stop at the fuel station to top up and buy a few final pink gin cans at the conveniently adjacent bottle shop and then back to the CP.

The weather was calm and clear enough for H&M to cook up yummy marinated steaks for dinner and we ate them on the beach next to another roaring fire in our portable firepit.  We ended the evening in side splitting laughter as we watched our tried and trusty smoke magnet (Hendrik) attract the line of smoke wherever he sat yet again. 

Just as we were thinking about heading for bed the rain started spitting again so it was decided for us and a quick pack up was done to put everything away before washing up, a bit of blogging etc and bed.

                                                                

Turf to Surf

 

Saturday 13 August 2022 – Turf to Surf                                                                                                                         

We were in no hurry to get out of bed as it had been really cold overnight .  In addition we had done most of the pack up last night just in case it rained overnight.  We therefore drove in a leisurely fashion out of Wudinna and at a speed that meant we got maximum fuel efficiency and didn’t get to Streaky Bay too early.

We stopped at Poochera thinking we would revive their economy by purchasing a coffee from their general store/cafe but Poochera unfortunately didn’t have this so we wandered around their little outdoor museum instead which featured a giant ant structure with a signboard telling you about the local dinosaur ants, various pieces of old farming equipment  and the dwelling of the local hermit, Peter, who had built his shack out of old, flattened kerosene tins.  It was pretty small and cramped and only really suited on person.  No wonder he was doomed to be a hermit.

Having explored everything Poochera had to offer us, we trundled on and into to Streaky Bay.  What a lovely town overlooking the very calm bay, with lots of lovely old limestone cottages and all the shops, community facilities, schools etc needed to make it a very liveable town.  I would imagine a great number of farmers from the nearby rural areas happily retire here.  Even though it was only 10.30ish the caravan park was happy for us to check in and found us two waterfront sites together.   We set up and admired our view but still ended up having early lunch inside the vans due to the bitterly cold wind blowing and the still overcast conditions (although there was no rain at least).

We then decided to do a couple of the scenic loops just west of Streaky Bay. The first was the Cape Bauer loopwhich tookus around the top end of the peninsula past some whistling rocks and blow holes and some pretty spectacular coastal scenery. Hendrik was a bit miffed that after cleaning all the mudoff his car after the Gawler Ranges that we were back on the wet gravel splashing through puddles and mud again.  

We then headed to the southern end of the peninsulaand did the Westall Way loop where we stopped for rockhopping and afternoon tea at Smooth Pool. The map says this is a good swimming spot but that wasn’t something we contemplated as, although the sun is shining quite a lot this afternoon, the icy wind still cuts through and therefore BOM says this like “17 degrees but feels like 8”.  We continued around the cliffs with stops at various spots like Granites. High Cliff and  Tractor Beach.  There’s a campground there which was reminiscent of Milligan Island campsite near Jurien Bay. A few brave souls were camping there but I imagine being close to a beach etc would be a much more attractive proposition in summer.

We decided that that was enough sight seeing for the afternoon and headed back into town where we all decided it made more sense to eat out tonight instead of tomorrow night as the wind and temperature were not conducive to cooking and eating outside.

We therefore headed to the Streaky Bay pub for dinner which was doing pretty good business for a Saturday night and it was warm and inviting.  Seeing as we are on the Eyre Peninsula Jenny had no choice but to have the seafood platter which consisted of two natural oysters (from nearby Smoky Bay), two oysters kilpatric, smoked salmon, salt and pepper squid, two prawns and two pieces of locally caught King George whiting all served with chips and slaw.  Very yummy and a valiant effort was made (with only a few chips and half a piece of fish left at the end) and all washed down with a South Australian rose.

Back to the vans where we r-watched the Eagles/Dockers derby from the beginning on Kayo and were happy with how the boys played in the first half.  Not so happy with the second half and therefore Jenny left to have a long, hot shower in the amenities block instead.    Resigned to the fate of another Eagles loss Larry did the same shortly afterwards. And so week 4 of our our holiday comes to an end.

                                            

Over the Range

 

Friday 12 August 2022 – Over the Range

Hendrik very kindly offered to do the driving today so we piled into the Discovery about 9.30am and headed north and into the Gawler Ranges.  All of the rain yesterday and the showers overnight made the roads very slippery and soon all the cleaning of the car the rain had accomplished was undone as we drove through puddles and slewed through mud.

The unpaved roads became more like tracks by the time we made it into the National Park and there were a couple of time we aquaplaned around corners and we skated along the surface for a bit.  Hendrik safely guided us through and we made it to the old Paney shearing quarters where the ranger there admitted he had pretty much come around the same corner sidewards as we had!  He also advised not heading further up the same track to a waterfall that wouldn’t be flowing anyway (“Not after only 10mm!”) so we drove instead along the main east-west road across the bottom of the ranges and checked out the old Paney homestead.  You can go inside as long as you shut all the doors on your way out and although most of the rooms were empty the kitchen had a table with vinyl tablecloth with chairs and a number of information panels hung around the walls.  As it had started raining again we decided to make full use of the furnishing and eat our lunch out of the weather so that all worked out well.  After lunch it had stopped raining enough to walk around the homestead and see the little collection of dog kennels under a shady tree which kind of reminded me of the dog runs at the Jasper farm at Pannoo.

Back in the car and we continued west with a stop at the Peterby rockhole which did have some water after the recent rain and then on to Yandina falls where we saw that the ranger had been right in not bothering to go to the other falls.  While there was water falling down the rockface it was barely a trickle and you certainly wouldn’t bother coming all the way out here if that was the only thing to see.

We continued on with numerous sightings of emus and kangaroos but our day was not blessed with a single wombat although apparently they are quite commonly seen here.  We had had patches of rain and sunshine all day and had tended to get most of the rain whilst in the car and by our last stop in the NP at the Organ Pipes there was actually blue sky and sunshine as we walked up the trail.  We still had to watch our step though as it has rained here recently and well so that the walk trail, which obviously served as a bit of creek bed, was pretty wet and the rocks very slippery.  Still the Organ Pipes were pretty spectacular and the weather was calm enough for Larry to send the drone up and get quite good footage of the sun shining on the rocks and showing lots of different colours up.  We sat in the picnic shelter and had our cuppas and finger buns from the Wudinna bakery and enjoyed the serenity and the bird calls.  Amusingly, the minute H decided to walk a little way away and try to record some of them they all went completely quiet!!

It was getting on in the afternoon so we headed south out of the National Park with only a brief stop to check out Pildappa Rock.  This is a big rock in the style of Wave Rock at Hyden and our original plan had been to camp here tonight after spending the previous night in Kimba.  Our change in plan had meant we had had the whole day to spend in the Gawler Ranges instead of the afternoon and we would have got both cars and vans muddy again getting out here so it all worked out for the best.

We eventually popped out onto the Eyre Highway at Minnipa and sailed back along the tarmac and to Wudinna.  Even more accommodatingly, the clouds had all blown away and we had clear skies.  There had been nothing telling us we couldn’t have a fire, there was one fire pit on the other side of the oval and when we rang the helpline there was no answer so we figured it should be okay to get out our portable firepit and build up a fire so that we could still have the campfire meal we had planned to have at Pildappa Rock.

The weather stayed obligingly clear with only one light shower going through and we were able to cook up our tried and true beef, red wine and mushroom casserole which always goes down a treat and never has any leftovers to deal with.  We then all stood around the fire and toasted marshmallows but eventually the cold, icy wind drove us indoors and to a bit of blogging, footy watching etc.  Most of these little country towns have good internet which is a bonus.  Diesel heater on and hot showers before bed.

                                                        

Rocket man

 

Thursday 11 August 2022  - Rocket man

We made another early start as the boys were keen to spend as much time in Woomera as their wives would let them.  Hence we were standing in the outside display museum looking at rockets, planes, satellites etc at 8.30am when it was still pretty chilly.

Jenny found looking at each display for a couple of minutes more than sufficient, the boys needed three times as long. J&M therefore headed for the heritage museum and cafe (and toilets!) after about half an hour of standing in the biting wind.  The indoor museum also had rockets but also stuff that was more interesting for Jenny such as the history of the town, its planning and about its people and those who worked at the base including a surprising number of women who had jobs as computers and also as trackers of rockets using machinery to scan the sky and photograph the rockets as they were launched.  One woman is quoted as saying she was white climbing onto the machine and whiter getting down as I imagine there would be a bit of street involved in not tracking the rocket correctly.  After all, you can’t really call “Sorry, I didn’t quite track that. Can we do it again?”

It’s the 75^th anniversary of Woomera’s existence this year so I bought a souvenir stubby holder and then we sat in the nice warm cafe and had morning tea including two yummy hot hash browns for Jen (the others had boring muffins).

We drove around the streets of Woomera and there are still quite a few houses and a lot that look inhabited but the large grid pattern and old bus stops suggested that there had once been a lot more.  Larry had a little bit of PTSD as there are still a number of single men’s quarters in two storey blocks of flats that reminded L of his days on the RAAF training base at Wagga.  We did also see a few air force personnel around town dressed in their blue camo fatigues. Not sure why they were blue in camouflage material as, if anything, it makes them even more visible!

Even the boys were Woomera’d out by about 11am so we headed south and out of town.  We drove for an hour or so and then stopped for a stretch of the legs and to get away from the continual line of trucks hurtling up and down the Stuart Highway for a while.  Jenny then took over the driving and got the best fuel economy of the trip with her light foot.  No, not really, it was because there was a fierce tail wind that practically pushed the car and van down the road!  That was all well and good until we hit Port Augusta and turned west and suddenly the wind was hitting us from the side and throwing the van all over the road.

Luckily by then it was about lunchtime so we pulled over in a rest stop and ate lunches in our vans because of the howling wind.  At this point we decided that, as we had made such good time, we should push on past Kimba and have two nights at Wudinna instead. That meant we could have a day off from packing up vans and be a bit closer to the Gawler Range National Park as well.  There also didn’t seem to be much point to being anywhere other than inside the nice warm car and by now we had hit a huge weather front and it rained and rained as we drove. The good thing about so much water hitting us and the van and being on the road being swished up under us was that all the caked on mud was washed away and we were happy to get to Kimba and get out to see shiny new vans behind us.

We refuelled at the Pink Galah roadhouse and then rushed indoors to use the facilities as a bus load of oldies had just pulled in.  We got to the toilets before then but not to the queue for the coffee/bakery so we made do with cups of tea from the thermos instead.  The rain was still coming down so we weren’t sorry to pass by the free camping spot we had planned to stay at (although it did look very nice) and push on to Wudinna instead.  We have been listening to Eddie Betts’ autobiography “The boy from Boomerang Terrace” and he had got to the bit where he was discussing the infamous Adelaide football club training camp at the beginning of 2018 where the players were subjected to ‘cult-like’ behaviours.  Very interesting hearing Eddie’s perspective on it.

As we headed west we could see the edge of the storm front and it was only gentle showers as we made it to Wudinna.  We camped up at the Showgrounds right next to the footy oval and there was power and access to water, a dump point and very clean amenities including a hot shower where you could pay a couple of bucks for a 2 minute hot shower.

It was too cold and blustery still to eat outside so H&M’s van became the kitchen and our van became the dining room and we had a very nice chicken dish and lots of wine to warm us up.  Early to bed as no campfire to sit around and we are all tired from two early morning starts in a row.

                                                    

Mud on our last off road day!!

 

Wednesday 10 August – Mud on our last off road day!!

We had noticed the clouds rolling in as wesat around the fire last night so had packed everything up before we went to bed (as we also wanted to make an early start).  We heard the rain drops start in the early morning and a steady, but light, rain fell as we packed up and left.  Enough rain had fallen that the top layer of dirt became muddy and happily flicked itself up and under both cars and caravans.

We stopped at Lake Eyre (south) lookout for another vista over the lake and this time it certainly looked like there was water out there albeit quite a long way away.  We also noted that one of the Andersen plugs connecting our car to the van to charge batteries etc had disappeared on the road somewhere and all we were left with was dangling wires.  Not to worry, as this is the third time in the years we have been driving offroad this has occurred. Hendrik supplied a new Anderson plug as our spares are buried in the front boot of the van and soon had it all fixed and things humming away happily again.

Before too long we were turning right and south off the Oodnadatta Track and onto the Borefields road to Roxby Downs.  The Oodnadatta track has been interesting and we are certainly glad we have done it but L & I agree that it’s probably on the list of boxes that have now been ticked and don’t need to be repeated.

Not much to see along the Borefields road either except, you guessed it, for a few bores that service the Olympic Dam mine just north of Roxby Downs.  L has been driving on the same tank of fuel since Cadney Park and it was along the borefields road the low fuel light came on. We kept driving knowing that we still had a jerry can of diesel if we started to lose power but we made it to the Olympic Dam Village with the gauge pointing to empty so decided to fill up there even though Roxby Downs was only another 9km down the road.  In the end we would have made it easily as we only put in 114l in and our capacity is 138l so another thing learnt about the car. Still, the fuel price was only a couple of cents more expensive so not much difference.

We stopped a couple of k’s out of Roxby Downs to scrape all the mud off the front of the vans and from around the wheel arches of both cars and vans as we didn’t think the caravan park would appreciate us dropping it all over their sites. We did leave quite sizeable piles of mud on the side of the road and the cars now have serious street cred of dust and mud all over them.

We checked in to the sites and found it interesting that you are given a six digit code for the boom gate which you need to use to get both in and OUT of the park.  First time for everything.  The park itself is huge with a lot of donger type accommodation so a lot of the mine workers must stay here also.  There are not many caravans and our two are in an area all by themselves and hence we have an amenities block pretty much all to ourselves as well.  The nice lady in reception had pointed us to the laundry block that was free so once we had set up we took two bags worth of laundry including sheets and towels and, because we didn’t have to spend $4 a way,  threw them into two separate machines and used their free detergent  so that my container will now last the entire trip (figuring that we might do one last load in Streaky Bay).

Whilst they were swooshing away, L&I did the 5 minute drive into town looking for some lunch.  Roxby Downs is a BHP company town so it is very neat and tidy and well laid out with the recreation centre and primary school on one side of the street and the Woolies and shops on the other.  Very convenient for parents to do their shop after drop off!  We also wondered that if, because it is a company town, that that is the reason the only ‘fast food’ in town is a Subway which is a healthier option for mining folk and their families than, say, a Macca’s.  We grabbed some toasted subway sandwiches and headed back to the van and by the time we had finished them, so had our washing.  We transferred it into two free dryers and then headed back into town for a quick grocery shop to top up our supplies of consumables for the last few days of being in SA.  After the border we will probably have to make do with frozen veg etc.

With impeccable timing we made it back to the caravan park just as the dryers finished doing their thing and so drove back to the van with a back seat filled with clean clothes and groceries.  Like a well oiled machine Jenny packed away groceries whilst L folded laundry so that we soon had chores out of the way and were ready for another adventure.

Because we had only done a little side trip yesterday whilst H had done the big trip out to the big lake we all hopped in the Cruiser again and headed out to Andamooka.  Well the only word I could think of to describe that town is random.  It’s an opal mining town so it is surrounded by random piles of dug up dirt and then there is this large sprawling town of roads randomly going in all directions and filled with a random collection of houses, buildings, derelict cars, shanties, vintage caravans, old buses and semi-dug into the ground old historic houses.   There’s a random bottle motel/museum/opal shop which we checked out and H&M bought some lovely earrings for their daughter Laura’s birthday which is a couple of days after we get home.

We then wandered across the road to some of the old dugouts which people lived in early last century (well actually not even that early last century) and marvelled at what people lived in.  Then, when you thought about it, the dug outs were better than the tents most people would have been in and weren’t much smaller than the caravans we have been living in for the past few weeks so they probably weren’t that bad after all.

We drove around the streets and it was pretty obvious a town planner has never and would never make a living here.  Anything goes in terms of where people put stuff, what they put where and what materials it’s made of.  I joked that if there was a planning process you wouldn’t stamp a plan ‘Approved’, you’d just stamp it ‘Why the hell not?’!!

Having had our fill of randomness we headed back to the incredibly planned and ordered townsite of Roxby Downs and to our caravans where Jenny indulged in a long, hot shower and washed her hair whilst L got some updating of the blog with photos done and hence published.  As it has been cold and blustery all day it wasn’t conducive to eating outside the vans as per usual so Jenny went and commandeered the camp kitchen in our own personal amenity block which had a full kitchen, dining table for four and a couch and TV area.  Everything we could possibly need for an evening out of the cold!

It was soon toasty warm in there as the oven was used to heat up duck fat potatoes, the stove was used to cook garlicky steaks and we ate dinner while watching the news which was a bit of change from normal.

We washed up everything there as the kitchen was so well equipped it had tea towels etc and watched a bit of Horrible Histories on the telly before heading back to the vans for a bit of a tidy and pack up as we have another early start planned so we can spend lots of time looking at rockets at Woomera.

                                        

                                        

Springs have sprung

 

Tuesday 9 August 2022 – Springs have sprung

We had a leisurely start this morning as we only have about 70km or so to cover to our next camp spot so it was a cooked breakfast of pancakes and bacon.   Whilst yesterday had been more about following the line of the old Ghan railway line, this morning was more about the original overland telegraph line which ran through here on its way to Darwin and ultimately to London and was originally constructed in 1872..  There was a sign just out of William Creek with a couple of the original Cypress pine while a lot of the rest of the line poles were replaced with wrought iron “Oppenheimer” poles. 

We continued on with a lengthy morning stop at Strangway Springs which was the original repeater station for the line before it was rerouted to following the Ghan railway line in 1891. Strangway Springs has had some money spent on it with a tourist box full of pamphlets telling you all about the place and clearly marked signage telling you what all the ruins were.  Larry thought it particularly funny that the old police station was the most ruined of all the buildings wondering how many people had a kick at the stonework over the years!  Strangway springs is so named because it sits on a giant artesian water mound from which water gurgled up and provided a reliable water source (albeit needing some treatment  as it was quite hard).  Unfortunately since European settlement and the sinking of a large number of bores most of them have now dried up but there was still evidence of there being some water with mounds having a salty crust around them and some reedy vegetation on the tops.

We had our morning tea and then continued on with another short stop at another Ghan railway siding ruin.  This one named Beresford siding.  It had the same water and water treatment towers and some store/siding buildings but no evidence of housing this time even though it was in a much more attractive setting with trees and a large dam still holding a reasonable amount of water.  I know where I would have lived given the choice between Edward Creek and Beresford!

Continued driving through the fairly featureless countryside and then saw a little oasis in the distance which turned out to be Coward Springs.  This had been a stop on the railway line with a general store etc and the government dug a 400feet borehole here in 1886 but the salty water corroded the borehead and flooded to form a large pool and local residents and railway passengers used it as a place to cool off.   In the 1990’s the bore was relined which reduced the flow rate and the camping operators built a ‘natural spa’ to imitate the old pool.  The campground has plenty of trees and also date palms and the little coffee shop sells an array of date related products – from plain dates  to date slice, date scones and date icecreams.

After we had set up in our own personal two plus parties campsite “Spa” we had a lunch of two minute noodles and then treated ourselves to a coffee and date (for Jenny) and vanilla and date (for Larry) icecream which were very yummy. 

We all then hopped in the Cruiser and drove the 5-10km down the road to the other mound springs in the area – one called Blanche Cup (owing to its salty white top) and the other called the Bubbler and we had flashes of being back in New Zealand as we watched the giant bubbles break the surface of the very clear water.  Once again this was a place of special significance for the Indigenous people as before the Europeans came it had had a lot more pressure  and used to shoot geysers of hot water into the air. Now it has been reduced to big bubbles only but is still pretty special to see especially in the middle of this completely arid landscape.

We headed back to camp and donned bathers for a soak in the campground ‘natural spa’.  The water wasn’t particularly warm but a nice enough temperature to be happy to stay in for a long soak particularly as getting out meant getting hit but the very chilly wind!  We eventually hopped out when some other campers came for their turn and we left them to it and rushed back to our vans for hot showers and some warm clothes.

We took advantage of the old gas cylinder fire pit to build up a nice campfire and after H&M had produced another yummy salmon dish, Jen made up a mixed berry damper to cook on the hot coals.  It was perfectly cooked being crusty on the outside and not at all gluggy on the inside and we all had second helpings with custard, cream or butter and honey depending on preferences.

There were surprisingly a few mozzies around given the temperature so the Thermocell got its first outing of the trip which is probably just as well as we keep saying if things in the van don’t get used they don’t come next time (unless of course it’s something needed just in case like spare tyres and wet weather equipment).

Following the old Ghan line

 

Monday 8 August 2022 – Following the old Ghan line

We had decided on a 9am embarkation time and it was pretty much that to the dot when we rolled out of camp.  Today was a slow steady drive through fairly featureless terrain with only the occasional cow or small mob of kangaroos (some of which were actually quite big Reds) to be seen in the countryside.  The main occupation was tracking the location of the old Ghan railway line which crossed the road occasionally but could always be spotted due to the long line of fairly level gravel and the occasional remains of a small bridge over a floodway.

Our morning tea stop was at Edward Creek which was quite a substantial siding in its time with water towers, water treatment towers (the bore water was too hard to put straight into the steam locomotives), stores and railway associated buildings and dwellings.   It was not clear exactly why they decided to put the siding here as it was a fair distance from the actual creek and was the most barren and exposed site that only some madman back in a city who had decided that every siding had to be exactly x number of miles apart would have chosen.  We spent a good 45 minutes exploring all the buildings and having our cuppas and then pushed on to William Creek.

We had a little win here as Larry had thought the lady asked if we wanted an unpowered site and thought he heard ‘powered’ cos the coffee machine was hissing in his ear and after he had paid and she told him where the unpowered sites were and we asked for powered and offered to pay the difference she couldn’t be bothered and waved us away with a ‘nah, don’t worry about it’.  As we had so many sites to choose from, of course it took us forever and, having forgotten how to hook up to power kept pulling up with the box on the wrong side of the van.  We eventually got it right and then set up and made toasted salami, cheese and tomato sandwiches for lunch.

We quickly accepted Hendrik’s offer of driving us the 60km plus out to Lake Eyre and hopped in the back of the trusty Landrover.  Having thought through the fact that we would be gone for well over 2 hours into a place with no facilities Jenny sent Larry back to the van to get more water and some snacks to see us through.  The road in was extremely rough and sobering when we passed a memorial to an Austrian tourist who ‘perished’ on this road in December 1998.  They had got their hire car bogged and had tried to walk back to William Creek.  The boyfriend had felt ill and gone back to the car whilst she had soldiered on.  The crazy thing was that she had plenty of water with her when she was found and had she kept drinking it she probably would have been okay .  The boyfriend was found alive in the car proving the theory that you should always remain with your vehicle.

We finally made it out to ABC bay where there was a whole lot of nothingness to be seen over the expanse of Lake Eyre.  The area around ABC  bay was the most barren and featureless surrounds we have ever seen and we though at that point that it would have been a great joke to have brought pool toys with us and stood on the edge of the lake looking out in despair for the promised water.

We drove around to Halligan Bay which at least had some toilets and picnic areas and also had a shoreline more likely to be found on the edge of a lake of coarse sand and dune vegetation.  There was still no water or birdlife to be seen but with the distant mirages you could fool yourself that there might be and you had to be satisfied with that.  However, Jenny was flabbergasted that we had travelled so far to see little and couldn’t agree more with Edward John Eyre when he wrote that “With bitter feeling of disappointment I turned from the dreary and cheerless scene around me’.  We did that by heading back to the Landrover and back to William Creek.  You know how sometimes when you head back down the same road you headed in on that it seems much shorter on the return journey?  Well this road was just as long and interminable as on the way in.  As Jenny was sitting behind H she past the time with “Are we there yet” and “How much further” until we had to start word games etc to pass the time and keep Jenny amused (and everyone else also which was Jenny’s intention all along).

Larry spotted the most useless sign that he has ever seen. No fire allowed at Lake Eyre, look at the below pic it is all rock and that doesn't burn !!!!

Back to the vans and it was still early enough to get a few days worth of catch up on the blog before we headed over to the pub for dinner.  It was a very nice in the old pub which has a bar and a dining area full of paraphernalia which makes it very characterful.  The old dining room used to be used by the train passengers on the old Ghan railway line who would alight here for a meal while the train was rewatered and coaled up.  The number of trains through William Creek increased significantly during World War II but I’m not sure how much longer it was after that before the line was discontinued and relocated further further west.  Probably after the next big flood that washed out a few bridges they couldn’t be bothered rebuilding.

L& H had yummy Outback burgers and I had a chicken scnitty with chips and gravy and M had a steak.  They were all super delicious and we were having such a nice time we even had dessert!  We had noticed that a lot of the staff were young guys with neat haircuts and we worked out they were all the young pilots training with Wright Air and flying over Lake Eyre and part of the deal for them getting their air time etc is helping out in the pub in the evenings.  There were also quite a nice group of backpacker girls waitressing there as well so I imagine they are all having a great adventure and making lots of new friends.  We walked briskly back to the vans for another early night as the temperature started plummeting back down.  Apparently it will be 2 degrees tonight.  So back in teh vans and using a bit of internet  whilst we have it.

                                                    

Painted Desert Road

 

Sunday 7 August 2022 – Painted Desert Road

We wanted to make a reasonably early start so instead of coffee in bed we drove around to the roadhouse, topped up the fuel in the cars and ordered coffee and hot chocolate there instead.  It was very nice and even though we back on the gravel after only a few kilometres we didn’t manage to spill any on ourselves.  The first stretch of the Painted Desert Road was through cattle country and we passed a very tidy looking station called Copper  Hills where I might even be convinced to live for the couple of months of the year when the weather is actually bearable.

As we drove further east the landscape became more and more desolate and the cattle more sparse as it is unlikely they can subsist on rocks.  It got so flat and featureless that you could almost see the curvature of the earth.  Larry put the drone up at one stage and we slowly drove along to get some footage of our progress through the barren landscape.  It was a bit of a painstaking process as Larry kept losing the drone in the morning sun and then it would zoom back at us like a Japanese fighter pilot  when he pressed to ‘come home’ command.  Before too long we were heading towards some rolling hills which are multicoloured with different rock and sand hence giving the road its name.  We parked up  in front of a particularly striking rock formation and got a couple of money shots of the two cars and vans to post on the MDC XT page.  Then we did the walk up through the hills where Miranda and Jen decided to the base of the steep climb was sufficientlyfar and headed back to the vans to have morning tea whilst the boys climbed to the high point and waved from afar.  Yes, that’s the reason I turned back – so I could get the shot of Larry at the top from down at the bottom!

We drove on to the next lookout point over Mt Batterbee and we were able to get the vans up to the top with a turn around area there after all (Jenny was a bit worried we wouldn’t be able to as in all of the You Tubes etc we have watched we have never seen a van up there.  All good and Larry sent the drone as far out across the plain towards Mt Batterbee as he would (probably about 2km) and once we had completely lost sight and sound of it, once again used the ‘Come home’ button to good effect.

It was getting on for 12.30pm so a light early lunch was had before we pressed on to Oodnadatta for a second lunch of a famous Oodnaburger and hot chips at the famous Pink Roadhouse.  Also tried a yummy peach and passionfruit juice and we supported the local economy by purchasing a souvenir stubby holder and an extremely pink tea towel.

Back in the car and now we are on the Oodnadatta Track proper for a 60km trip south to Algebuckina Bridge.  The waterhole campsite on one side of the road is currently closed so we found a great campsite on the other side with a fabulous view of the bridge.  Having done a bit of setting up and meal preparation, we walked up to the bridge, around the bridge and under the bridge and therefore got photos of it from every angle.  Larry even sent the drone up and took photos of it and our campsite from above.

Back to our L-shaped camp and Hendrik got a good fire going so that we could cook up apricot chicken in the campfire.  H&M had bought a bag of firewood in Oodnadatta which had cost $30 and we quickly decided that it was probably $20 for the wood and $10 for the bag which is extremely well made and even comes with handles.  L has decided he will buy a bag if we see it again just for the bag. The wood itself was from a type of tree we couldn’t pick but wrist jarringly tough to get an axe through to the point where we even had to try sharpening the axe to see if we could make a dent in it!  Luckily the boys have had a bit of practice at wood chopping over the last few weeks so they managed to chop it sufficiently to get it on our fire. 

Yummy dinner followed by toasted marshmallows over the long enduring coals before the cold once again drove us to bed.

                                                

South of the border

 

Saturday 6 August 2022 – South of the border

The diesel heater was pressed back into action this morning as the clear skies make it chillier than the cloudy skies of Kings Canyon.   It was only a few kilometres of dirt before we hit the Stuart Highway and time to pump the tyres up once again.  This was where H’s compressor tube ruptured and L’s compressor was pressed into action on two vans and where L discovered the plastic guard at the front of the car has lost a couple of bolts and H’s cable ties were pressed into use.  We constantly find that between the two cars and vans we have most tools and contingencies covered!

We stopped at Erldunda so H&M could top up fuel and to use the facilities and us to buy some hot chips.  Disappointingly they were no where near as good as the hot chips we had had here on the way through from Yulara.  We took advantage of having coverage and internet to have some facetime with Chloe and Milo and to ring Ben.  I had been worried about ringing him before 10am on a Saturday but he was on his way to breakfast and was awake and up so all good!  Apparently Jess had left us a present on our doona so that is something to look forward to when we get home.   Ben has tried washing it all but it’s still worse for wear.  Jess must have been super pissed off that we haven’t been there for her cold morning bed cuddles.

Our next stop was just north of the border where we tried to find the Johnson Geodetic Centre which wasn’t signposted and appeared to require driving straight through someone’s station and cattle yards.  We didn’t feel that was appropriate and as there were absolutely no signs suggesting it was okay to, we turned the vans around and headed to the rest stop at the border.  Here we met Hendo for the first time which was a laugh.  Can’t believe H brought a mullet wig all this way just for this moment.  We took a photos at the ‘Welcome to SA’ sign with Larry looking suitably crestfallen to be back and Jen having fun straddling and jumping backwards and forwards across the border line. 

Continued on down the road with pretty average scenery which led J to agree with L that SA really is a bit of dive.  After a bit more driving we finally pulled into an unofficial rest area where we found some dead wood to chop up and refill our wood bags with while Jenny made cups of tea and provided helpful advice before grudgingly picking up a few bits and stuffing them in the bag.  We had dumped our last few pieces of fruit in the bins at the border although we technically could have dropped them in a bin at Marla.  We dropped off our toilet cassettes at the dump point instead and then refuelled the cars and headed into the roadhouse supermarket to buy SA approved fruit and veg as well as some Savoys (aka Jatz crackers).

We were then on the final stretch to Cadney Park where we opted for the unpowered site area which was away from the road but closer to the railway line.  Only two trains went past while we there one at dusk and one about dawn but neither were the Ghan.

Miranda cooked up yummy Tex Mex chicken for dinner and rather than use their inconveniently high 44 gallon drum firepits L dragged out our little portable Kings firepit which worked a treat and allowed us to use some of our newly acquired SA wood.  Jenny had the small amount of left over mulled wine heated up in the coals and that, with a couple of Turkish delight chockies, was dessert.  Another very chilly night so another early night.