20 Apr 10 - Algebuckina Waterhole

By Craig: I was looking forward to William Creek which I had read about in 4WD magazines and true to form William Creek provided for a refuel, toilet break and a quick thirst quencher at the bar before we were back on the road.

Whilst at the bar we caught up with Errol & Val and also chatted to another family heading North. We all had one thing in common and that was the storm front that apparently was moving north east and coming across from Woomera. We all agreed that more rain at this time would not be good for the track or our travel plans.

Back on the track heading to Oodnadatta we saw a large bridge and as we drew closer it was signed as a tourist destination. We pulled into an area, parked and proceeded to take some photos. The section of bridge was a part of the Ghan Railway and had been maintained as an historical site.
While we were there we again caught up with Errol and Val and Errol threw open the idea that the waterhole he had previously talked about was just over the road and that's where they'd be camping for the night. From our vantage point we also saw Chris and Steve head that way. It didn’t take much convincing to follow suit as I remembered his comment about the fishing and as a group all three parties seemed to get along OK.

We set up, well a least partly set up, and got side tracked in conversation (as you do) and while watching the beautiful effect the sun was having on the storm clouds with little warning the storm was upon us.

I was attempting to catch photos of the lightning and we were all having a laugh when heavens opened. It was about this time Lou & I realised we hadn’t finished putting the tent up and that the rain was progressively getting heavier along with lightning and thunder claps getting closer together. Rain is no problem but the sticky red dirt that comes with we could have done without. We finally got it all together and actually could have a laugh about how silly we were but all was well and we bedded down early after declining an invite to dine with Errol and Val. The decision wasn’t an easy one as Errol had commenced thawing out a slab of Barramundi fillet he had caught during his travels up north.

The next day saw the sun shine and we decided that we would head off later in the day when the track had dried out a little. Steve and Chris were of the same mind but Errol and Val planned to stay for a couple of days. The question was, could we get out the way we came in? This question was answered for us by travellers who had come into the camp late and were attempting to get away early. We were still in bed when we heard the obvious sounds of an over-revving vehicle. “They’re bogged,” I noted to Lou “and they’re cutting up the track. We won’t get out for a while”. A check of the proceedings found they had reversed out of the bog and were lining up for a running attempt at what looked like a narrow waterway. Full rev’s and attack the ditch hard appeared to be the method. The front wheels jammed into the ditch, the car reared up then the back wheels hit the ditch. The back of the vehicle shot skyward and I did a double take as the trailer shot up and almost stood upright. Coming back to earth the draw bar burrowed itself into the mud.
Yep! That confirms it, I thought to myself and then stated to Lou “He forgot to lock the trailer coupling”. A lesson for us all to remember.

We finally got out in the early afternoon after taking an alternative path. Rain was threatening and we couldn’t afford to get rained in again. We left Errol & Val to enjoy the peace and quiet and headed to Oodnadatta with Steve and Chris, travelling in radio range as we were all unsure of the road conditions ahead.


Before we headed off we were treated to a beautiful lunch courtesy of Errol & Val and you guessed it! Barra was on the menu. The two fillets fed 6 adults and a 7 year old (bottomless pit), which should give you an idea of the size of each fillet.


By Lou: The reason we didn't set up immediately was because Craig felt it was important to get dinner underway and he and Errol set off in Errol's canoe to find fish for said dinner. Steady rain forced their premature empty handed return and it seemed the normal order of events was for all of us to huddle under an awning, have a drink and watch the spectacular storm in the distance. When we suddenly remembered we had no shelter of our own set up, it was a mad, slippery, sliding dash to rectify the situation. By that stage it was dark and we were drenched and we made Sam sit in the car to stay dry. It took us twice as long as usual to set up as we were hampered by 6 inches of mud on each thong and the coordination of the torch holder and the peg hammerer was not up to scratch. Poor Sam started to get anxious in the car in the dark and was calling out to us but we were oblivious due to the storm noise. By the time I got back to him he had worked himself into a bit of a state and so I had to stand in the rain with the car door open, using my high octave aren't-we-duffers-isn't-this-the-funniest-thing voice to calm him down as I got absolutely drenched. All was redeemed after we made it into the tent with only a block of chocolate on hand for dinner. Sam couldn't believe his luck.

As we lay in bed high and dry we listened to the rain bucket down and I started worrying that we would slide into the river. But the rain soon backed off and I fell into a deep sleep. When we arose the next morning it was bright and sunny and we could see what a mess we'd caused in the mud outside our tent. When we packed it up in stages to dry it out, dozens of hiding frogs were exposed. We strung our drenched clothes, coats and towels over bushes to dry in the sun. We had a relaxing morning, bemused by the antics of the bogged campers and enjoyed a delicious barramundi, salad and cheese lunch before making our departure.

Whilst at Argebuckina we discovered that the water coming out of the tank Craig ‘glued’ at Port Augusta tasted like turps. Never mind, we thought, at least we’ve got the other water tank. Alas, it turned out the tap on that tank had been whacked by a very heavy stone (judging by the huge dent in the metal protector) and had drained dry. Great! We had about 10 litres in the jerry can on the car to get us through to Coober Pedy.