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.

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.

19 Apr 10 - Coward Springs, Oodnadatta Track

By Craig: The Borefield Road was an easy drive for the most and we were soon at Bopeechee, which appeared to be little more than the intersection of the Borefield and the Oodnadatta tracks, depicted by a road sign. We sat for a moment, checked the maps and turned onto the Oodnadatta Track and headed for William Creek. Another point of interest on this part of our journey was the Old Ghan railway which runs parallel to the track and the sidings dotted along the way.

After a good bit of distance we started to see to the right of the track what appeared to be a large expanse of water. After consulting the maps again we determined that the body of water was Lake Eyre South and that we were now seeing a 1 in 8 year occurrence. The recent rains in north east South Australia converged with the water coming down from NSW & QLD and had flowed into Lake Eyre.
A small percentage of this water had emanated from Tropical Cyclone Ului which had recently hit our home town of Airlie Beach. The irony was strange to say the least. This was a pleasant surprise as we had been stalling for time down south to see this unlikely occurrence until we were informed that the rains would take months to reach the lake, and we had resigned ourselves to the fact that it wasn’t going to be part of this journey.

It was around lunch and we sighted a lookout perfect for a photo opportunity. As lunch was being prepared I took a few photos of the lake and noticed two vehicles approx 2kms away heading in our direction. The vehicles were about ½ km apart and the first one looked like it had a large orange rocket on top. As it turns out the rocket was a canoe on top of an old Toyota with fellow travellers Errol & Val. The second vehicle was Steve and his wife Chris who we had briefly met at the Roxby Downs service station. We enjoyed a good chat over sandwiches. Errol took a moment to introduce Sam to his cargo (yabbies bred and on tour as bait) and looking on I thought to myself, these suckers are big enough to take your fingers off! We headed off in the same direction but with doing our own thing in mind.


Coward Springs had been mentioned by me in conversation and that this spot was our target for the day. It’s funny how things work out but all three parties ended up in Coward Springs for the night. Coward Springs is known as a little oasis
and in its heyday was home to many rail workers, sheep farmers and Afghans as it was on the Ghan railway. Today it is a stopover on private land for travellers, well set up offering showers (hot if you light a fire under the boiler) & fireplaces.
As usual conversation flows, a few drinks go by and the night was finished off with a chat with Louise by the fire. I noted during the evening conversation Errol had made a point about an interesting stop ahead and referred to Algebuckina Waterhole just south of Oodnadatta. The fact that he suggested it was a top fishing hole got my interest.

15 Apr 10 - Port Augusta and Woomera

By Craig: Port Augusta was dry and not much to do but plan the way ahead: desert permits and maps, mail pickup, parts and some maintenance before we hit the outback.
The caravan park was nice on the inside but the park itself was surrounded by a 6 foot colourbond fence and very unappealing but apparently necessary due to some local activity. The road to Oodnadatta was finally open and we were heading out of Port Augusta to Woomera.


The trip to Woomera required an overnight stop at Spuds Roadhouse in Pimba. This provided an opportunity to enjoy a couple of beers, a game of pool, take in a meal and chat to a few of the locals. Oh! and have an early night. Woomera is a very neat town as is Roxby Downs and both towns are steeped in mystery or at least that’s the feeling you get.
The entry to Woomera sets the pace and a visit to various parks dedicated to rocket development and other air force paraphernalia gives you an idea of the intensity and secrecy of this era in Australia’s history. I enjoyed reading of the trials and tribulations of this time although I felt ‘the speak’ was a little one sided and there was an underlying seriousness about the effects of nuclear testing and rocket development which was never openly displayed.








One interesting moment whilst in Woomera was sitting down to a movie about a man called Len Beadell who was and will be remembered as Australia’s last great explorers. Len Beadell was a surveyor amongst other things and developed roads for the airforce and the Woomera projects. The hardships he and his crew, known as the Gunbarrel Road Construction Party, endured gave me a sense that we had little to worry about in that the road had already been carved out in some of the harshest country in Australia, so we were not humping over virgin ground as they did in the 50s. All we needed to do was get about getting there.

We hope to drive a number of roads like the Anne Beadell Highway (named after Len's wife) and the Connie Sue Highway (named after his daughter) and experience some of Australia’s great remote areas.


A last minute check on road status and we were on our way across the Borefield Track to Bopeechee, the first leg of our journey to Oodnadatta. As we departed, a couple we had chatted to at the service station in Roxby Downs happened along, stopped for a quick ‘Gday’ and headed on their way. Somehow I new we would tag this crew along way, it was nice to know someone else was in shouting distance should the track prove difficult.