We pulled over for a lookout view but it was windy and cold so after taking a happy snap I was ready to hop in the car and Steve says...oh oh...I hate those oh oh...
 |
| happy snap |
 |
| oh oh |
He forgot to hook up the stone stomper mat to the back of the car and it has been dragging on the road for the past two hours...looking through the bits and pieces we found a couple of carabiners that will do for now.
Otherwise out here there is nothing but flat top mountains, plenty of salt bush, the Trans Australis Rail line and lots and lots of red dirt.
We got to Woomera and there are no people around, it's even a pupil free day and no kids, very weird, We walk around and have a look at the rocket displays and go into the museum...ahh a lady and a few kids, then down to the Info centre but not very helpful so we left this little ghost town and moved on.
 |
| nobody??? |
Stopped at Pimba Roadhouse for lunch and it was raining and windy so I left Steve to hop out and pump fuel on his lonesome...hehehe... there is a free camp here but we drive on to Andamooka. We go to the Mobil and pay for our camp ($2.20pp and back to the vacant block of land with a toilet and a playground. Another strange place, its about 3.30pm and nobody around. There is a bit of Opal mining going on here so maybe they are all underground?
 |
| historical cottagelived in by a little Italian man |
 |
| camp site for the night |
We go into town and have a look at the historical cottages (built by first settlers here) and go back to the camp, Steve sat in the car while I went and checked out a better spot to set up camp and he was having a beer in the driver's seat so while he had his second beer we contemplated life camping at Andamooka for the night. The landscape is more like a moonscape with the proverbial outhouse in the middle of piles of dirt.
Slow start to the morning, waiting for the canvas to dry out from the dew overnight and the cool morning, everyone has left us so we sit and have another cuppa...life if grand.
We head into town to look at the long bus and his collection of opals but nothing seems to be open so we leave and head to Roxby Downs the town that grew for the Olympic Dam Mine. Not much happening here but there are people walking the streets. Info centre not very helpful but we did pick up a free brochure printed by the Pink Roadhouse in Oodnadatta. What a great find...it gave us our next three nights of accommodation.
Out of Roxby Downs we got to see about 6 eagle having lunch on the side of the road so we turned around and went back to have another look and got a few pics.
We turned onto Borefield Road and let the tyres down the road was cruisey with a little of water
and mud but nothing my driver could not handle. It took about 3 hours and we got to the Oodnadatta Track intersection and off we go toward William Creek. Our first nights accommodation is a 'so called popular spot' (we were the only ones there)Screeching Owl Creek right beside the old Ghan Railway line and here I find my souvenirs, rail spikes, they are everywhere but I convinced Steve to let me keep these...
 |
| Borefield Road |
 |
| old Ghan railway, at our first night on the Oodnadatta Track |
 |
| sunsetting |
 |
| my little bit of the old Ghan Railway |
all the others he made me leave for the next happy camper.
Woken the next morning by a dead tree full of galahs, and another slow start to the day. Again waiting for the canvas to dry out a bit from the cold dewy night. The sun is out but with low temps things don't dry too quick. We got going about 11am...its nearly lunch time but who cares.
We stopped to look at stuff along the way...mostly ruins of the sidings for the old Ghan railway
and we were surprised to see the amount of water in Lake Eyre South, two yrs ago after the flooding we saw from the air almost nothing in the south lake, so I'd say Qld has done it again...sent the rain and filled up the lakes in SA. Good onya Qld.
Got to William Ck Pub and we stopped in and Steve had a couple of beers, we found that the Oodna Track had been closed for three days earlier in the week due to 13mm of rain and the road only open yesterday...looks like we got that break after all. I drove up the road to Annie Ck xing for our next night and Steve had another oh oh moment, the Anderson plug between the car and van had fallen out and broke off (just as well Steve bought 50 million Anderson plugs off ebay before we left) a job before it gets dark.
Another peaceful night by ourselves with a campfire and a clear sky.
We are going to keep moving, the weather is great atm but there is a change coming through on Wednesday so today we make it to the Pink Roadhouse at Oodnadatta.
FYI...the roadhouse is for sale for anyone who likes some isolation time in the middle of the country and 50C+ in the summer. We were going to stay in the caravan park here but just got hot chips and a drink (good chips) and moved onto Kathleen Ck (after running low on fuel, taking the road to Todmorden Homestead and stopping to fill up with our last 60lt in the jerrys I saw we have lost a D shackle holding the Tvan safety chain to the car, not so bad, while Steve was huffing and puffing refuelling I searched the bits and pieces box again and found a smaller D shackle that did the job for now. We crossed the Todmorden property on a track we found on the GPS and ended up back on the Oodna Track at Kathleen Ceek...ahh the serenity. Cup a soup for dinner and an open campfire and another clear sky.
Today we reach Marla Roadhouse in about 1 1/2 hrs, after refuelling and phone reception (sent a few messages) made a quick sandwich while dodging the flies...don't belive it when someone tells you there are no flies in the winter months in the outback, there are plenty. We are back on the bitumen and heading to NT.
We have made it to NT and we are just down the road from Uluru...250km. We are in the Caravan Park on the corner of the Lasseter Hwy and Stuart Hwy NT if you want to catch up.
Cheers
No comments:
Post a Comment