Home Sweet Home!
A few visits to family and friends on the way home, but by the time we pulled into our driveway, Slick was very excited to see us and we were somewhat relieved to be home!
Still so much to unpack and clean, but plenty of time for that! In the meantime, I have to face going back to work.....
Several people have asked us today what the best part of our trip was. We both agreed the Oodnadatta Track was great - easy travel, lovely weather, good company, great campsites and very interesting. We also enjoyed the Olympic Dam mine tour at Roxby Downs, the Blinman Heritage Mine Tour while in the Flinders Ranges, Lake Bonney and some of the other peaceful free campsites.
It was a great trip, very relaxing. Now we need to start planning the next one!
Port Fairy - Friday 21st August
After a wild and windy night, we awoke to a dark and grey morning. Knowing we're in civilisation, we decided to go out for breakfast! So 150m from the front gate of the caravan park, the local surf life saving club has a cafe - with an awesome view. And a pretty good breakky! After this, we went for a bit of a drive and headed out to Griffiths Island, which houses the local lighthouse and muttonbird colony. We set out to walk to the muttonbird colony but the rain did more then threaten so we had to retreat to the dry of the car. Here's a couple of things we saw on the way:
We drove to the marina but most of the boats were out and it was still raining, so we headed out of town towards Warrnambool. Our first stop was Tower Hill, which is the old volcanic crater. Driving into the crater, one can see the horizontal basaltic rock that now forms the crater wall. As we got closer to the bottom, we almost drove into the lakes that now fill the crater base. There's a wildlife reserve there now so we saw plenty of emus (just in case we hadn't seen enough of them this trip!) and other native animals. Driving out again, we made the steep climb up the crater walls and just around the rim, stopped at this lookout to do a panoramic photo of the whole crater.
After driving all around the rim, we decided to head into Warrnambool. We picked up some lunch and tried to head to the beach to eat but I took a wrong turn and we ended up who knows where! After lunch, we went back and I saw where I had gone wrong so we then drove out to the breakwater. On the way, we stopped at this island, because I was intrigued to see the stairs and boardwalk on the island. As I got out to investigate, two Mareemas were being loaded into the back of a ute. I didn't think anything of it until I read the signs facing the island - ten years ago the local penguin population was declining so much due to foxes and dogs and other predators that there were only 10 penguins left. A local sheep farmer suggested the use of Mareema dogs so now two sisters spend 5 days a week on the island, protecting the penguins. In 8 years, the penguin population has increased to 180. What a great story!
We completed our tour of Warrnambool and then headed back to Port Fairy, where the small town feel is much more relaxing and appealing. We stopped for fuel and at the supermarket and headed back to the van. For our last official dinner in the van, I prepared corned beef because it needed a few hours to cook. I also did some washing and a few other housekeeping tasks, and even managed to fit in some reading, as did Greg.
We really enjoyed our corned beef dinner, and given the last bottle of wine is on the way down, it's a good thing we are heading home......
Cherrypool to Port Fairy - Thursday 20th August
A few drops of rain on rhe roof of the van last night, and the wind picked up so we were very lucky that it had been so mild while we were sitting in front of our campfire.
We put the heater on this morning and had morning cuppas in bed, although I opened the blinds and watched the river flow by. We had brekky, did the dishes, packed up amd were on the road just after 10am. 80km down the road, we drove through Hamilton, which is a decent sized town but we passed through. We chose to stop for morning tea in the small town of Macarthur (in keeping with the General Macarthur theme of recent travels!). It's a very quaint, old town with the original bluestone pub still trading after opening in 1859. We are big believers in supporting these small towns with some business as we travel through, and ironically later in the afternoon I read an article about the Macarthur Area Development Association welcoming RVers and the lengths they have gone to to encourage RVers to stop in their town. Something I'm trying to get our Council to endorse too!
We arrived in Port Fairy at lunchtime and chose a caravan park as close to the beach as possible. After set up, we were enjoying a light lunch in the sunshine out the front of our van, listening to an audio book. In the afternoon, we want for a walk along the rockwall above the beach (it was high tide, so we couldn't walk on the sand).
Afternoon tea in the sunshine and then to to capitalise on proximity to the ocean, we walked to the local fish and chip shop for a treat we haven't had in a while. We're now tucked up in the van watching TV with everything packed up outside as the BOM has issued a severe weather warning for strong/damaging winds. I hope it's not too loud - I wanted to go to sleep to the sound of waves crashing on the sand! Such a different sound and environment to the quiet of the desert in recent weeks!
Hattah to Cherrypool - Wednesday 19th August
It got pretty cold last night, with that clear sky and all the stars when we when to bed. in fact, when Greg generously got up to start the heater and the hot water this morning, the thermometer said it was only 5C in the van. But we had the toasty doona on so we were warm in bed - we just weren't getting out until the van warmed up!
As it did, I got up to put the kettle on and re-start the fire. It was time for a fry up for breakfast! Having my coffee back in bed and keeping an eye on the fire out the window, all was well with the world.
Soon we had eggs, bacon and hashbrowns frying on the open fire and we enjoyed our breakfast in the sunshine. A shower followed by another coffee in front of the fire and then we were ready to leave. I was very impressed to see upon getting into the car that it was only 10:30am but then I realised the car clock was till on SA time.
Anyway, we headed down the Calder, stopping to get fuel in Ouyen, when the Caltex servo girls enviously admired my nails and wondered if the nail salon in Mildura could do that! Shortly after, we turned off down the Henty Highway and were heading south, aiming for halfway between Hattah and the coast. After our big fry up, we weren't exactly hungry so we kept driving until we arrived at a great little spot recommended by WikiCamps in Cherrypool, about 50km south of Horsham.
It is presumably Crown Land, on the banks of the Glenelg River overlooking the Southern Grampians, with plenty of campspots and even toilets closer to the road. So we are camped on the riverbanks - and we are the only ones here! - and soon had a campfire roaring, made even hotter by the ample firewood that the chainsaw cut into manageable pieces. We are certainly warm now!
Dinner of lamb chops, mashed potato and vegies over the campfire was very pleasant as we contemplate whether we even need the diesel heater tonight.
Barmera to Hattah - Tuesday 18th August
We tossed up staying here for another night but as the morning dawned grey and cool, we decided to push on. We lingered over breakfast and housekeeping duties and it was well after 11am before we were hitched and ready to go. ironically, as we were about to pull away from our site, the phone rang and it was the caravan park reception checking whether we were leaving or staying another night!
On the road again, we headed east on the Sturt Highway through Renmark and the Dunlop tyre over the State border. Being back in Victoria, and forgetting therefore that we had lost half an hour in time, we pulled into Lake Cullulleraine for lunch, a lot later than normal. Armed with fresh chicken schnitzel rolls, we drove down to the lake shore to have lunch and very picturesque it was too.
On the road again, we headed towards Mildura. I thought we would be able to bypass it but apparently not quite so. It did give us an opportunity to stop at a supermarket for a few items and then we were heading south. At about 4ish, we pulled into the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park and drove to Lake Hattah, where we had booked for a very expensive campsite! However, it was quite beautiful with the lake and lots of redgums. We found a very nice site with views of the lake and our own firepit.
We had a campfire roaring pretty quickly and enjoyed afternoon tea followed by dinner cooked on the campfire.
We put the diesel heater on before bed as it was looking like a cold night, and rugged up with the extra doona. But oh, how peaceful!
Murray River - Monday 17th August
It was a beautiful sunny morning when we awoke so we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and I decided to do a load of laundry to capitalise on the sunshine. While we waited for the machines, we farewelled our campsite neighbours, whose dog was happy to hang out with us!
We started our tour of the area with a lap of Lake Bonney, including past the caravan park where I wanted to stay but when I rang, he said they were closed?! At the top of the lake is the ruins of the old Hotel Lake Bonney, built in 1859.
It was an impressive 11 roomed building in its time, but was overtaken by the Overland Telegraph Hotel, ten kilometres downstream. We then drove out to that very quaint old building, which our campsite neighbours said they had enjoyed drinks and Sunday afternoon live music there yesterday, but it was closed today.
We then headed a bit further west before turning south and getting the ferry across the Murray at Waikerie. Here's a photo of us on the Murray, and then a view back over the river with the ferry in the middle of it.
The river has some amazing cliffs in this part of the world. It is quite breathtaking and quite different from the Barmah end of the Murray with river red gums we are familiar with.
It was then lunchtime, so we headed to Banrock Station, the winery and wetlands centre. However, by this stage it was raining so we lost enthusiasm for the wetlands walk and instead had lunch in their café, which had also been recommended by our campsite neighbours. We enjoyed that very much.
Heading back to Barmera, we stopped for afternoon tea at a café - because we needed to eat more! It was pretty good! We visited a few of the shops in Barmera and then returned to the van for a nana nap - because holidaying is so tiring! We finished listening to our audio book through the van's stereo system. As I lay on our bed in the van, by rolling my head to the right I could see the mirror like surface of the lake out one window and to the left, the sun starting to set through the old dead gum trees in the lake. Very relaxing. I then went for a walk before it got dark and collected the washing from the line which was almost dry. Being a cool night, we are inside for dinner of leftovers and a bit of TV.
Terowie to Lake Bonney - Sunday 16th August
It was a cool night in Terowie last night and interestingly, none of the grey nomads were on the move very early this morning! It was 8am before we even ventured out of bed to turn on the diesel heater!! Once the van warmed up enough, tea and coffee was made and given the cooker was set up outside, we decided on a treat of hash browns! It was 10:30am before the van was packed up and ready to roll and we still wanted to have a look around Terowie.
The railway station where we camped was interesting enough in itself, with restored buildings and steps up onto the narrow gauge platform to where US General Douglas McArthur delivered his famous speech in 1942 "I will return". Apparently, he never did!
The town is a bit of a ghost town with some beautifully maintained old buildings. Apparently the pub closed three years ago so the only shop open now (but not on a Sunday!) is the general store. The old post office is for sale for a mere $128,000. Lovely building too. Here's the quaint main street:
Once we got on the road, it wasn't too far down to Burra, where we stopped in this historic (est. 1845) town for a delicious Cornish pasty. Lunch and a coffee in a pleasant reserve and we were fortified for the rest of the drive.
We arrived at Lake Bonney mid afternoon and set up on the shore before afternoon tea. As the sun started to set, we met and chatted with our camping neighbours Bill and Helen and their beautiful dog. It's always lovely meeting like minded campers on the road. Can't complain about the view......
Once the sun had set and the campfire was warm enough a chicken stroganoff was soon bubbling away. It's starting to cool down now so we'll head inside to the warmth of our diesel heater!
Wilpena Pound to Terowie - Saturday 15th August
Up for breakfast and showers before pack up, as we were leaving the Flinders Ranges today. No hurry, so it wasn't until 10:30am before we were on the road. Which left us in a quandary, as Greg wanted to see the Pichi Pichi Railway in Quorn and we had already researched that there was a special steam train coming into Quorn today from Port Augusta. So we hot footed it the 121km down the road and arrived 10 minutes before the train did! We were only metres away from the Afghan Express, as it steamed into Quorn Railway Station.
The Afghan Express is the name railwaymen gave to the passenger train that ran from Terowie (ironically, where we are camped tonight, only metres from the old Terowie railway station! But more on that later!) to Oodnadatta through Quorn in 1923. This was the first time a sleeping carriage was included on the train and when an Afghan passenger alighted at Quorn to recit his evening prayers, the train was dubbed the Afghan Express by the railwaymen. In time, this was abbreviated to The Ghan, as we all now know it.
Nowadays, a restored steam engine and wooden carriages travel a couple of times a month as a special on the Pichi Pichi Railway from Port Augusta to Quorn (and back). We enjoyed seeing it steam into town.
We then had to very quickly move to the local cafe to beat the train passengers to lunch. We had really enjoyed our visit to the Quandong Cafe last time when we were in Quorn so we parked just in time! We had fabulous "railway sleeper" toasties and milk shakes which we thoroughly enjoyed. After lunch, we headed into farming country through Wilmington, Oororoo, Peterborough amd down to Terowie.
Terowie is a bit of a ghost town these days, after being the train change point between narrow gauge and standard gauge. We shall have a walk around in the morning and check out the history. In the meantime, we are parked about 10m from the train platform and I look forward to watching the sun rise over the platform in the morning. A very unique place!
Flinders Ranges - Friday 14th August
A nice day in the Flinders Ranges today, although still a little cool. No more rain, although Wednesday's rain must have been significant as several of the scenic drives we could have done still have "road closed" signs up.
So instead we headed up to Blinman, a small ex-mining town 60m north of Wilpena Pound. They have recently opened the old copper mine up for tours so we were booked in. I arrived at this little tin shed (formerly the CWA shed and then the library)
to find a bevy of activity out the front as a group of sculptors were working on a copper "kibble bucket" (used by the miners in the day). The tour guide then offers me a piece of rock, and told me to put it in my mouth. I was a little sceptical, but did as suggested and it turned out to be rock chocolate! Greg was equally sceptical when I took his bit back to the car!
We headed out of town for 1km to the mine, put on our helmets, hung up our tags, and headed underground. It was very interesting as we headed into the main adit, and were then able to look up (and down) the original shaft.
Susan, our guide, then took us through more tunnels, down declines (some reinforced with timber where there was a fault line), and up inclines. There was still some copper left, but apparently not enough left to warrant re-opening the mine.
It was quite amazing to us that the local Progress Association have been responsible for getting the mine re-opened as a tourist attraction. Blinman has a population of 18, with a more regional community of about 75, so there is no Council. The Progress Association has done a lot for this little town and we were very impressed.
After our hour underground, including hanging out in a crib where we talked about Cornish pasties, we headed to the local General Store, where they still make a genuine Cornish Pasty. Greg got the last one - the genuine style of it means that miners could eat it with one hand, holding the pastry fold (bigger in the olden days!) and starting from one end that had the meat and vegetables, but the other end had the fruit - the dessert end!
I had a normal pie but settled for the quandong pie for dessert - a native peach fruit. It was yum! And we both washed them down with surprisingly good coffee.
We stopped at some of the scenic points of interest on the way back, although we did many of them when we were here in 2011. Here's some shots of the Pound itself:
When we got back to camp, we started up a campfire, had a cuppa, and a chat with a friendly camper as the sun set. We then decided to eat out, and headed down to the resort restaurant for a very nice meal.
Flinders Ranges - Thursday 13th August
A rest day today.
We slept in, pondered what to do, went and had a chat to the Visitor Information Centre but in the end, opted for a day of rest.
So we came back to the van for lunch. We got a campfire going as it was quite cold (our lovely warm days since Coober Pedy are a distant memory) and spent the afternoon reading and planning the next part of our trip. As we enjoyed afternoon tea in front of the campfire with chocolate and biscuits, this group enjoyed their puddle version of afternoon tea at the neighbouring campsite.
I did a load of washing and drying, and later cooked dinner but that was about as taxing as it got! But you know, when you're on holidays you're entitled to days like this!
Farina to Wilpena Pound - Wednesday 12th August
Our Oodnadatta travelling party was going their separate ways today so the others were up earlier than us. We said our goodbyes while we finished our breakfast, and then packed up and were on the road by 9:30am. We did a bit more of investigating of the old Farina town site before turning south back onto the Outback Highway. 30km down the road we arrived in the small town of Lyndhurst, where we bought fuel and pumped up our tyres again, as the rest of our travels today was to be on bitumen. A stop in Leigh Creek for morning tea. Leigh Creek has been in the media lately since the announcement that the coal mine - which is the reason the town was established - is to close in the next year or so, at the same time the Port Augusta power station is to close. The expectation is that the town will become a bit of a ghost town.
It was still windy today so the drive south was not pleasant, fighting to keep the van straight. We drove through Parachilna and down to Hawker, observing rain clouds over the Flinders Ranges. In fact, there were even some road closures east from the road we were on into the Flinders Ranges National Park.
There were some light showers in Hawker where we stopped for a late lunch, before the last 50km up the road to Wilpena Pound. It was raining properly when we got here which made set up not a lot of fun.
Into the van for afternoon tea, some internet catch up after five days without, dinner and some trip planning for the next few days - although this may now become weather dependent!
Oodnadatta Track - Tuesday 11th August
A very cool night awoke us early, the first time I have had to pull up the extra doona. We waited until the first tendrils of daylight crept into the van to fire up the diesel heater (we are so loving this recent addition - worth every cent). As I warmed up, I reached out to drop my blind, just in time to watch a spectacular sunrise from my cosy nest in bed. What a great way to start the day in the bush.
The coals from the campfire were still hot so it didn't take long to get a fire going again and the coffee percolating. We had decided this would be our fry up morning so as the sun started to warm us up, the eggs, bacon and hash browns were sizzling away. A great breakfast was enjoyed by all before the pack up ritual commenced. We were on the road by 10:14am for the 60-odd kilometres into Maree. We stopped at the very odd sculpture park at Alberry Creek for photos only, and then at the dog fence which didn't seem as authentic as when we saw it at Coober Pedy.
Onto Maree, where we stopped for morning tea, to see the train station, Tom Kruse ( the Birdsville mailman)'s truck and the old hotel. It was definitely our biggest town for many days. We have just finished listening to the novel "Alice to Nowhere" whose main character was based on Tom Kruse, so we were interested in the room of the Maree pub that is now dedicated as a museum to him.
As we left town, the novelty of bitumen continued for about 10km but we had to take it slowly as our tyre pressures were still down. Not only was the bitumen a novelty but so was the dust storms that swirled across the road. We could see it in the distance as we headed south but didn't expect it to envelop us! so much so that I couldn't see the car 50m in front of us! Fifty kilometres down the road, we turned right into the historic ruins of Farina.
Farina has fascinated us for many years since we met some of the caravanning volunteers who are helping to restore the town. Established in 1878, it was a bustling town for almost a hundred years but the closure of the Ghan railway line was the final nail in the coffin and the town fell into ruin very quickly. In 2000, the current cattle station owners (who now own the town site) teamed up with some others to start the restoration process. There is now an official restoration group and teams of volunteers come up every June and July to do some more work.
The campground is just beyond the town site so we headed there first to set up. It was very windy so there was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing to find the best spot. After moving a couple of times, we finally decided on a spot which was still less than ideal but at least sitting in front of the campfire, we were out of the wind. We had lunch, complaining all the while about the wind. The rest of us decided to walk into town after lunch but Greg decided it was more pleasant in the fan listening to a book. And once we were up on the open plains, the wind was really howling. It certainly wasn't pleasant. The wind crystalised for us why the stone buildings are in such poor condition after only 30 years. The wind blowing dust would be so abrasive and hence the old lime mortar would just be destroyed. The restoration efforts have focussed on identifying what the old buildings were, some of them have been fenced off, streets have been re-graded and this year, street signs were added. A couple of buildings are starting to be re-pointed, most notably the underground bakery, which now operates as it would have 100 years ago over the months of June and July. So unfortunately we missed that. The wind really made the experience less than enjoyable and given we have already bought the book that details the restoration, we decided to head back to the vans. On the way, this groups of emus ran across the track in front of us!
We had already planned roast lamb for dinner so we got the Webers going, trying to find a reasonably protected spot so the lamb would cook. This was easier said than done, with one Weber having to be moved to a gully with a tarp strung up to protect it! However, as the sun set, the wind seemed to abate and so we lit the campfire and were enjoying nibbles around the fire - with some people who were friends of some within our party - until it was time to carve the lamb. With only a couple of people left around the campfire, a vicious gust of wind and rain sprang up and everyone scrambled to stop things blowing into the fire, before making a beeline for the vans. It would appear our roast dinner around the campfire was not to be.
But campers are a resilient lot so six of us crammed into one van and we tucked into our delicious roast as the wind howled and the odd rain drop fell. We even followed that up with pancakes for dessert. Some of the favourite music from the past few nights was replayed and we were all singing again over whiskey and Baileys. It was still a fun way to spend our last night together although not quite the same as around the campfire!
Oodnadatta Track - Monday 10th August
Another cool morning, but not nearly as bad as expected. We had a lovely couple of coffees (the joys of power) before packing up, and doing a quick tour of the outdoor museum in front of the pub, including the very old fire truck!
On the road again, and the road had a bit of everything but wasn't too bad. Seventy five kilometres later, we arrived at Coward Springs. Once a rail siding with a pub and a natural spa created after a bore was sunk by farmers in the 1860's, the pub is long gone but the engine driver's cabin and the station master's house have both been restored (the former is now a small museum). The spa has been lined with railway sleepers and is a pleasant 29C! We enjoyed dangling our feet into the water, and followed that up with a visit to the museum which was very interesting, showing the restoration of the two buildings. We ended up spending well over an hour there, and were intrigued to see that the place was for sale as we drove out the gate. When we get service again, we must look up realestate.com.au to see how much it is going for.
Ten kilometres down the Track, we turned off into Wamba Kardarbu Mound Springs Conservation Park. Created by pressure from the Great Artesian Basin, the springs (Bubbler and Blanche Cup) are beautiful to behold. If only we had been allowed to swim there! The Bubbler in particular was lovely and warm, and had very interesting bubbles coming up from the mud! We ended up having lunch at the foot of the Blanche Cup. The rest of the surrounds were spookily white, being on the salt lake plains. It really did look a moonscape.
Back on the Track after lunch, we covered another 60 kilometres before we arrived at Lake Eyre South. At 12m below sea level, Lake Eyre is technically the largest lake in Australia but rarely fills with water. It was looking particularly white today.
Pushing on past that, we started to look for a campsite and ironically, turned off along the Gregory Creek! It was quite windy up on the plains, but after following a little track off the main Track and heading down into the creekbed, we set up camp on the western side of the main embankment. We were so pleased with our remote little spot, protected by trees and with kite nests high above us (we even have some babies in the nest above our van). We got the campfire going in time for percolated coffee for afernoon tea. Some housekeeping necessities taken care of, dinner preparations meant a stew was soon bubbling away on the campfire. Washed down with a lovely 2009 Shiraz, there were again many comments about what the poor people were doing!
The campfire roared into life after dinner, and we enjoyed the warmth of the fire with some music in the background and a whiskey or Baileys. The warming effects of the alcohol had us all singing around the campfire, which was most entertaining! And made us very grateful that we had no neighbours.......
Oodnadatta Track - Sunday 9th August
After a great night's sleep in the absolute quiet of this great campsite, we awoke at sunrise for a quick breakfast and pack up. We had to get a few kilometres behind us today so it was out on the Track at 8:53am! Bets were taken as to how many vehicles we would pass before Oodnadatta and Greg won with three. We stopped at Murdarinna Waterhole, which still had the original sleeper lined well, and dam that presumably held the pumped water.
Just before Oodnadatta is the Angle Pole memorial, commemorating the place where the Overland Telegraph line changed course slightly and became a landmark along the track.
We pulled into Oodnadatta for morning tea, observing the museum in the railway station, the health clinic, police station and then the infamous Pink Roadhouse.
Everything is pink! After chuckling at the pink canoes, pink bench seats, pink tablecloths etc we ordered coffee from the "special coffees" menu and some morning tea. On my way to the ladies, I noticed the pink volvo parked at the bowser!
The coffee was not that "special" so after a bit of pink shopping, we were back on the Track. The road surface this side of Oodnadatta was certainly not as good as the Marla side but we battled on. Almost sixty kilometres later, we crossed the mighty Neale River and turned right into the area under the Algebuckina rail bridge. We pulled up for lunch and then headed up onto the rail line to read about the bridge and then walk out one span. At 578 metres in length, made up of nineteen spans of 30.9 metres each (the last one (furthest from us) had fallen/been stolen before the bridge was listed on the National Heritage Register) it is an impressive feat of construction back in the 1890's in the extreme heat.
After lunch, we really had to get cracking and unfortunately, the road deteriorated. There was lots of rocks, corrugations and dips, which certainly slowed down our rate of travel. Given we were aiming for William Creek which was still 140km away, our arrival time was getting further and further away. Several hours later, we had travelled 80 kilometres when we came upon the roadworks! Imagine our delight when we were advised to follow the grader! Ironically, it was very muddy (the roller probably should have gone before us) but once we got past them, the next 60km was practically a highway! It was with much relief that we pulled into William Creek just after 5pm.
William Creek lies within the boundaries of Anna Creek Station, the largest cattle station in the world (which is currently for sale!). Originally built as part of the Overland Telegraph, the town developed as a rail siding and today consists of the pub, campground, airstrip and a couple of houses. They hold an annual gymkhana and picnic race meeting for the local people.
We set up camp in the gravel of the campground (with power though for my coffee machine!) and headed off quickly to the pub. A few beers later and a pretty good meal, we had a good night. And it wasn't even too cold.
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Oodnadatta Track - Saturday 8th August
The first morning of this trip where we could sit outside the van in the morning sunshine enjoying our morning coffee. It was still cool, but bearable and the sun was lovely. The forecast is for 27C here tomorrow.
We were on the road by 9:30am, turning left out of the roadhouse to start the Oodnadatta Track. Here's the famous sign:
All the guide books says this end of the Oodnadatta is the best, and it was a good gravel road, with only a couple of short sections of corrugations. We stopped for morning tea at Coongra Creek, which looks like a popular camping spot, judging by the seat someone had made!
Trying to time the next couple of days, we then didn't actually make it far down the Track before pulling up stumps for camp. Well off the Track, on the banks of the Oolarinna Creek, which is obviously dry. We've got a great spot all to ourselves so after lunch, and a couple of walks, the campfire was set up and soon scones were baking in the campoven, coupled with percolated coffee for afternoon tea. Oh, it's a hard life!
As the sun started to set, we gathered around the campfire and played some music through our van's external speakers. Lots of laughs as we drew parellels with the TV ad where the campers play "doof doof" music to scare off potential neighbouring campers! But there's no-one around here to annoy with our music!!
A beautiful dinner of corned beef and roast vegetables and a night around the campfire as it cooled down was a great end to a fantastic day.
