28 Apr 10 – Anne Beadell Highway

By Craig: Finally we were here. I had read about it, watched and learnt about it on DVD & had heard stories and now as we left Coober Pedy and travelled west with all our parks permits and original landowner passes we were about to head out on the Anne Beadell Highway, something I had been looking forward to and preparing for, for some time.
Being a solo vehicle we had all the gear and usual bells and whistles for this sort of track, stacks of fuel, water & food.
We travelled approximately 80kms for the first night, set up camp and started a fire. It had rained a little but it was peaceful and the night sky was bright as the cloud disappeared.

Moving on the next day we set our target for 200kms which would see us pass through Taralinga National Park. A point of interest was the dog fence constructed to keep dingos out of the park; we had to divert along the fence 3 kms or so before finding a gate and back the same distance to the road before we could continue. We also had the opportunity to see the original survey markers laid down by Len Beadell and his team as they forged the Anne Beadell Hwy.

Unfortunately a little short on luck, 200k's or so later the HF radio decided to short out and leave us with no communication. Options, only one really as when you’re travelling as a single vehicle and with a young family you tend to think safety first.

As it happens whilst looking over the trailer I also found that a shackle bolt had broken into three parts (guess which spare part I didn't have) but necessity being the key to invention I was able to use a pin from the boat rack and a U-bolt as a washer to fix this little problem.
Well it wasn't to be on this trip although what we had seen was so beautiful and would certainly encourage us to return, we simply could not continue with no radio communication.
As I watched my journey across the Anne Beadell slip away I thought to myself, the track is dry although very corrugated and if not for the failed communication 4 to 5 days we would have seen it through, Bugger!

Only one thing to do I said to Lou ‘before returning to Coober Pedy lets spend a day or two just relaxing trackside and taking in the atmosphere, cook up some sultana damper and have a beer’.


By Lou: I have to admit I was nervous about doing this part of our trip, really our first experience at remote outback travelling. We anticipated it would take 4 – 5 days to travel 800kms until the first fuel/water stop and expected we would be lucky to see 2 cars in that time. (As it turned out, we passed our first vehicle on Day 4.)
From there we allowed another 5-7 days or so to reach Neales Junction and turn south onto the Connie Sue Highway to make our way down to Cocklebiddy on the Nullarbor. Again, not expecting to meet much other traffic. The track was notorious for breakdowns so we also had to allow enough supplies in case we got waylaid by mechanical issues for several days until help happened by. My beautiful husband had jumped through hoops to meet my safety standards and I finally had to admit I couldn’t conjure up any more excuses, it was time to do it.

We set off from the caravan park to top up our water supply from a town water station (20c per 30 litres). We could not believe our eyes when water started leaking out of one of the recently repaired tanks. There wasn’t time to do anything about it, so back into town to buy a couple of jerry cans and then back out to the tap to fill up. Of course, we are packed to the hilt so it took a good few hours to repack the roof rack to Craig’s satisfaction. Incredibly my informed suggestions from the ground weren’t deemed helpful. Off then to fuel up. Then a call to the police station to get the latest track conditions report. We were told to expect rough track, take plenty of spares and lots of water (yeah, we knew that). There hadn’t been any rain so we’d be fine in that regard. That was good news. Right! So it’s afternoon now but let’s get the journey underway.

Craig’s mood lightened the closer we got to the start of the Anne Beadell Highway. He had been waiting for this for ages. The going was pretty slow with corrugations kicking in pretty much from the start. After 80kms and at around 4:00pm we found a clear patch of dirt by the side of the road and pulled over to make camp for the night. As I was getting out of the car, Craig ambled up to me and said, ‘I don’t want to panic you but I just noticed the second water tank is leaking’. Panic? Me? In a desert with low supplies of water? You must have the wrong Nervous Nelly. It must be in the way I clench my jaw or perhaps purse my lips or even don’t speak for ½ hour that he picks up the vibe that I’m not happy. So he makes a herculean effort to remain perky and positive and launches into lighting a campfire. He’s even keeping up the jollying act when the heavens open and we are showered with the rains that weren’t supposed to be there. (This is not the first time we have kicked ourselves for not hiring ourselves out to farmers to bring on the rain. You want rain? Well the Newsomes have arrived so pull out your umbrellas.) So now my concerns flip 180 degrees from lack of water to being stuck in mud for 3 days.

We are now at silent loggerheads: Craig is so happy to be on the track that he’s not going to let anything get him down and I am thinking of every worst case scenario. After a suitable time of moping I pick up my dummy, got dinner going and accept that we are safe and make a bargain with myself that I won’t worry about what may happen until it happens. Besides, Samuel is super- tuned to my reactions and I don’t have the energy to fob off his questions about me being worried. The shower didn’t last too long but it did literally dampen the enjoyment of the fire and the curtains stayed shut on our long anticipated star lit desert night.

Despite the turmoil of the day I slept peacefully and when I woke in the morning I was surprised we hadn’t been disturbed by wildlife. The beauty of the early morning night helped shed the foreboding I had felt the day before and I appreciated the physical surrounds as well as the peacefulness. We departed camp at 9:30am after a radio sched on our HF radio. Very bizarre having an airways conversation with someone as far away as Albany WA but also reassuring.

We travelled along anywhere between 5kmh and 40kmh, taking it easy over the endless corrugations for the sake of the trailer. Over the noisy rattle and shake of the car I read aloud one of Len Beadell’s 6 books that we had purchased at Woomera. Len was an absolute legend and he and a faithful crew of about 4 were responsible for making the very road we were travelling on and it was brilliant to be witnessing the same terrain and milestones that he details in his book. Here we are hooked up to all the modern technology and he talks of taking his wife (Anne) and infant daughter (Connie Sue) in a Land Rover for a 5 month stint along the road as it was being made back in the 50s. Although it’s great the roads were named in honour of those intrepid family members, calling them highways is drawing a very long bow.

We only travelled 120km all up that day and still managed to clock up: a flat battery on the laptop containing our topographical maps and GPS marker; Sam’s bike hanging onto its holder by only a thread; the mouthpiece of the UHF radio bouncing off its holder and falling into 3 pieces; a bolt fundamental to holding the tyre to the axle on the trailer falling off and the piece de resistance…the HF radio lost all programming and died.

Needless to say by the time we pulled off the side of the road to make camp that night Craig’s jolly act was nowhere to be seen. He was soooooo frustrated. I had actually been so pleasantly surprised by the beautiful scenery that I genuinely regrettably agreed we needed to turn back. Most of my paranoia about safety relates to the fact that we are a single vehicle and if something were to happen to my chief engineer, mechanic and weightlifter, we would be up the proverbial creek. So with the inability to holler for help should the need arise, we followed Murphy’s Law and turned back to Coober Pedy. Unfortunately repairs couldn't be carried out there so we headed 540km south to Port Augusta.

25 Apr 10 – Coober Pedy

By Craig: Arriving in Coober Pedy not really knowing what to expect, my first impression was ‘Oh! My God!’ However the place grows on you. We stayed at a place called Riba’s Underground Caravan Park recommended to us by fellow travellers I had meet whilst having the HF radio fitted (Jan & Peter). Riba’s is a great spot, a little way out of town, with an underground tour of the old Opal mine as a part of your first night fee. The camp kitchen and hot showers were just what we needed for a few days as we set ourselves up for our trip into the desert.

Of course there was a little trouble with leaking water tanks but I was looking forward to the next week in the Great Victorian Desert and water was essential, so I found myself under the trailer!

Whilst experiencing the local area we visited the lookout which offered an overall view of Coober Pedy however a visit to an underground Siberian church and an old opal mine provided the real Coober Pedy.






By Lou: After the beauty of the Oodnadatta Track and the Painted Desert the road into Coober Pedy was pretty lack lustre. An exception would be the curious sign saying ‘Lollipop Lane’. “What a stupid name for a main road with a plain vista”, I said to Craig. But then we noticed some ball shaped trees and I got it. For just a kilometre or so it was like someone had poked lollipops randomly into the earth. Curious for its oddity (sorry, we can’t find the photos of it).

I was looking forward to Coober Pedy because of the extreme reactions I had heard over the years. People seem to either love it or hate it. After our 4 days there I have fallen into the ‘love it’ category. Not that I could live there mind you. But what I loved is that the hot, barren and stony façade stood in stark contrast to the lives people had forged underground. It’s a rabbit warren of a place and a home extension seems to just involve digging a little bit more dirt out. You can often guess the size of a home by joining the dots made by the exhaust pipes jutting out of the ground. Like Lightning Ridge, many people are afflicted with opal fever and work long hours mining for the chance of finding the big one.

Craig spent most of his time trying to repair water tanks again. Each tank under the trailer holds 70 litres and will be vital for our trek out into the desert. The poor love didn’t have a lot of room to move but soldiered on. Meanwhile Sam and I cracked the schoolbooks.

We appreciated the craftsmanship of the Siberian church, and enjoyed a tour of a mine museum which included demonstrations of mining apparatus as well as an actual underground home as it would have looked in the 70s.

Craig and Sam enjoyed fossicking at various places but didn’t find anything to finance our next trip.


The drive out to the nearby Breakaways was worth the trip with beautiful scenery.

22 Apr 10 - Arckaringa Homestead

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By Craig: Our trip through the Painted Desert to Arckaringa Homestead was a late drive. This would be our first stay at a working homestead.

Although not staying in the homestead itself, the owners welcomed campers to stay on site and provided campfire and hot showers. As darkness fell we called through to the station via UHF and registered our interest in staying the night. An acknowledgement was given by the station with confirmation of a camp spot and that they had seen us coming down through the hills. We were also advised that we were approximately 1km away. All was well. We had a place to rest for the night and we had previously heard a call to the station by our recent travel friends, Steve and Chris, so we knew the night might see a quiet chat and a few drinks around the fire place.
At the same time we were confirming our accommodation we came across three bog holes, looking a little more treacherous in the spot lights. No chances taken we engaged 4wd, locked both diffs in and trudged our way through with no problems.

Setting up was quick, dinner was underway and the camp fire had already been prepared by Steve, so all that was left to do was shower and kick back in front of the fire.
Next morning I woke early to see the sunrise. We ventured off after a quick breakfast (thanks for the French toast, Steve) through the Painted Desert on our way to Coober Pedy.

The vast country side was stony and harsh but at the same time extremely beautiful.


By Lou: The drive to Arckaringa Homestead was beautiful, flooded with twilight. Although setting up in the dark is not my preferred option, the camp area was well lit and we didn't take long to do a basic set up and whip some ham and cheese sangas into the pan. The hot showers were wonderful, it was nice to have company around the campfire and the dark open sky was beautiful.

Samuel was delighted to play with the resident kitten, which was extremely sociable. Craig and I were delighted to discover the next day not a drop of mouse poo in the car. Finally we were rid of our last Perlubie mouse.

21 Apr 10 – The Oodnadatta Track to Oodnadatta

By Craig: The Oodnadatta Track for me was a 'must do' as I had read a lot about it in various 4wd mags and as expected it was rough in parts, wet and sometimes very dusty but in general a great track with a great deal to see.














The track follows and crosses many times the Ghan railway and has numerous historical sidings. We visited many such sidings; some in disrepair and some just depicted by an old sign.

Another interesting aspect was the remaining overland telegraph line poles,
the original ones made of Cyprus pine and to their makers credit still remain in place.

Although the single line strung between each pole no longer exists and satellite communication for remote areas has taken the lead, standing beside the cypress pole installed in 1872 gave me a great sense of yesteryear and the achievements of this time.








The Ghan rail track itself is for many kilometres just a mound of dirt with a scattering of old sleepers, many of the sleepers over the years have apparently been used for firewood by travellers(or so the story goes) however some sections of the rail line remain. Many of the bridges remain in part or in some cases restored and as you quietly stand on the bridge you could imagine the old steam trains chugging along. (Thankfully there were none today)


We had many stops along the track: some to take photos; some to stop and catch up with fellow travellers and some to rest for the night.



But in the end after 300kms or so of dry stony, boggy & dusty road we made it to Oodnadatta.
But we didn’t stay long. They say the journey is greater than the destination and that’s how we felt about Oodnadatta.
A quick visit to the Pink Road House and Tick! destination reached and we’re back on the road heading toward the Painted Desert. It’s late but we have enough daylight to reach a private homestead for an overnight stay.

By Lou: My initial interest in doing the Oodnadatta Track was to see the destination, Oodnadatta, just coz. However, I really came to enjoy the journey and was intrigued by the countryside which was ever changing. I tried to conjure up a description to explain to others the beauty of it, but just as I nailed it the landscape would dramatically change and I'd be struggling again. Again, cloud formation continued to impress me and I was quietly anxious about the chances of meeting rain and getting bogged.
I must say I was more relaxed knowing that there were other travellers on our path and having company at camp really enhanced the experience.





PS. And some never make it.