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.

12 April 10 - Fitzgerald Bay (Whyalla)

By Craig: A long dirt road from Whyalla found Fitzgerald Bay, a quiet picturesque place with a free camp location on the beach with toilets. I took an opportunity to venture further along the dirt road while Sam & Lou worked through routine school matters. The opportunity provided a chance for a stroll along a stony beach and a couple of quick photos.

Camp was a reasonable sized area able to fit approx 12 or so caravans and campers within the area. As always there was a camping community and conversation of past travel both good and bad provided light entertainment.


A day out in Whyalla saw us visiting a naval ship called ‘Whyalla’ which was commissioned for duty in the 40s. I enjoyed the tour and an opportunity to look over the vessel, the moment also reminded me of my dad and his naval history through his service time on the HMAS Sydney.

The 3 day stay is over and our sights are now set on Port Augusta in preparation for our travel north to Oodnadatta.

As usual Sam had his radar on for sounds or sight of any children and it just happened that the day before we were leaving his wishes came true and he spent the day racing around with Emily. Emily was a seasoned traveller and she and Sam clicked within seconds of meeting.

8 Apr 10 - Coffin Bay

By Craig: Coffin Bay provided time to resettle as a solo travel family after being a part of the Perlubie Beach community.
As we left Perlublie not sure of what direction to take but understanding a wait would be required to head north, due to rains, south east to Coffin Bay and then on to Whyalla looked good on the map. We would be completing a reverse triangle trip of the Eyre Peninsular however this would provide a couple of spots to stop for a few days whilst we waited for the track to Oodnadatta to reopen. North east region of South Australia had copped approximately 5-6 inches of rain and most roads and tracks around the area were either cut by water or impassable due to water damage.

At Coffin Bay a local walking track and a visit to Port Lincoln
assisted in taking our minds off future plans. The stop provided Sam another opportunity to seek out children and to occupy the time playing.

1 Apr 10 – Perlubie Beach, Streaky Bay

By Craig: After leaving Morgan, Lou and I quickly discussed our next port of call and Easter at Streaky Bay sounded fantastic. We knew our new travel friends Tom and Audrey were heading to Perlubie Beach just north of Streaky Bay and that further encouraged us as it would provide us with adult R and R and an opportunity for Sam to catch up with Henry and Angus again.

To get to Streaky Bay an overnight stop at Kimba was required. Kimba has a great little rest stop, big enough for a dozen traveller's and a toilet. But wouldn't you know it, a couple of galahs showed up at the local tourist attraction.

Lou googled Perlubie Beach so we knew of the town's location but not exactly where the campground was so at times like this, ask a local! Directions were given and we arrived at the free camping spot at Perlubie Beach with some surprise as we were ahead of Tom and Audrey. On arriving we knew of Tom and Audrey's friends, Hank and Sue, who they had spoken highly of due to their experiences together in their northern travels some months earlier. It was only a small campground, in fact really a large car park, so we quickly identified Hank and Sue and set up camp leaving room for Tom and Audrey.

We did a day's drive around the area and some of the highlights were High Cliffs, the Granites
and viewing the sealions at Point Labatt but the storm we experienced at Point Labatt took honours for the day.











Further in our travels as we tagged along with the storm I grabbed a photo opportunity after waiting for quite some time in an open paddock and I finally got the shot with the pelican on the abandoned cart wheel with the lightning strike behind. After several shots one extremely close crash of thunder and overhead bolt of lightning sent me scurrying back to the car.

For me, Perlubie Beach presented a fantastic opportunity to fish for King George Whiting, introduced me to razor fish and I learnt to catch and prepare squid which tastes fantastic BBQ'd with a bit of salt and pepper. On one occasion Tom and I ventured out in his boat for a couple of hours and during our time out we were accompanied by a dolphin across our bow wave but unfortunately no whiting were to be found so we headed home with 'only' calamari to look forward to. As each days fishing closed it was great having 5 o’clock drinks with the rest of the occupants of the campground who I would be delighted to meet up again with during our travels. 'Cheers'




By Lou: We are officially a quarter of the way through our journey now and can’t believe how quickly it’s flown. We’ve got a lot of miles ahead of us but we’ve loved everything we’ve seen so far.

We left Morgan with a view to get to Streaky Bay before the Easter hordes diddled us out of a campsite and to get a chance to camp with the Leavers again. We had only arrived at Perlubie Beach on Easter Thursday and were duly invited by the resident campers to join in a sumptuous seafood luncheon under the pergola on the beach for Good Friday.
We had curry razor fish, BBQ crab, boiled crab, battered barramundi and calamari rings and BBQ'd whiting. It was just amazing to be catered for as almost strangers and to know the produce came directly out of the waters in front of us. What a welcome.

The ensuing week was one of the most relaxing we have had to date. I'm not a keen fisherwoman but I enjoyed a couple of days of hunting and gathering. In the morning we pottered (as you do with a 4HP tinny) over to one side of the bay and went searching for our bait, razorfish. Then it took a couple of hours to prepare them: cracking the shells, writhing around the slimy guts looking for gonads for bait and then cutting out the 'heart' for cooking up (tastes like scallops). Next step was to head out to some sandy patches and try out the bait with the King George whiting and Voila! we bagged a few of those. When we'd caught enough for the night's meal we pottered back over to the rocks and trawled for squid and Voila! entree was sorted.

As much fun as I had I admit it was in perfect weather conditions. We headed out one day in a bit of a chop and I wasn't keen on the swell or the water sloshing into the boat. Our friends stayed close by in their sturdier tinny but the poor old motor was struggling too much. Craig turned us into shore about 2km short of our destination and I hitched a ride back to pick up the car to return and tow the tinny home. As I pulled away in my 'taxi' Craig and Sam started walking parallel to the shore, pulling the tinny along behind them. They reminded me of the movie 'Up' where a grumpy old man and a lonely boy scout drag the man's house behind them with balloon strings.

It was wonderful to watch Sam play with his peers, making great use of our maths Unifix blocks as weapons, and an abandoned shelter as an army base. The three boys played constantly together and slept like logs at night.

What didn't sleep at night were dozens of field mice, and nor did Craig after one furry friend ventured between his knees in the middle of night. Initially he thought it was the loving advances of his wife (soooo likely at 3am) but was then revolted to realise the mice were in our bed! Further investigation found more in the tent so next day there was a trip to the local hardware store where we bought out the sticky pad mousetraps, known by all the campers as 'sticky dates'. They are actually quite revolting as they may stop the mouse in its tracks, but then the helpless squeaking starts and wads of fur are removed in their efforts to escape. Each morning there was a burial procession from each campsite. Craig solved the problem of access by gafftaping openings to the tent but to top it off we discovered they'd made themselves resident in the car and we were unable to get rid of them as they seemed to have too many places to hide.


In one of our drives we came across a small seaside town called Sceale Bay and were quite taken by its simplicity. I was particularly impressed with the materials and workmanship of the public toilet which seemed disproportionately grandiose in comparison to the other facilities in the area, ie none. I must say, it has been the only toilet with a view I've seen since looking over Melbourne from the toilets in the Sofitel Hotel.

30 Mar 10 – Morgan

By Lou: Craig was keen to do some fishing on the Murray River in SA as it’s a favourite destination on the Victorian side. So we headed north hoping to find somewhere nice. There are a series of ferry crossings the whole way up which are free because they are part of the national road network so we ‘sailed’ across the Murray a couple of times. We drove for most of the day and were amazed at how different the riverscape was compared to Victoria, with the exception of the low levels they are both experiencing.
In particular, it was common for one side of the river bank to be metres lower than the other, resulting in steep cliff faces on the higher side. We ended up doing an overnight stay at a freebie campsite near Swan Reach, having failed to find anywhere suitable for a longer term stay. Next day we had a look around Blanchetown, where Lock No. 1 is situated (we had seen Lock No. 10 at Wentworth Victoria) and contemplated buying the local post office which was up for sale purely because we loved the sandstone building.

We arrived at the cute riverside township of Morgan by lunchtime. We had a picnic lunch at a park by the river and while Sam played with some kids on the play equipment we tried to work out where we might stay. From Morgan the Murray heads east to Renmark and we weren’t keen to head in that direction. We got chatting to the father of the other kids in the playground and mentioned we were looking for some free camping for about 4 nights. He kindly offered the use of his property but it was 150km away and not on the Murray so we let that one slide. Later, still at the playground, as we were winding up a conversation with some NT camper trailer owners, a fellow wandered over and started inspecting our boat rack. He and his wife had been having lunch at the pub overlooking the park when they saw us pull up (an hour or so earlier). He wants to manufacture something similar for his own boat so was keen to look ours over. He and Craig got chatting and free camping came up again. As luck would have it, he knew a great little spot (not free but at $10 per night still the bargain) near where he moored his houseboat, about 10km up the road near Pelican’s Point. Job done.


It was day 2 by the river when Craig was fishing from the bank and I heard a yell come from far away and then Craig respond in kind. I thought he was having a go at someone he’d possibly encountered the previous day whilst out in the boat, but lo and behold a houseboat started veering off course and head over to the bank. It was the Leavers (who we’d met at Kingston) who had just hired a houseboat for 3 days as a last hoorah for their holiday. Tom had spotted our car and then Audrey got out the binoculars and when she saw the scruffy looking bloke on the riverbank with a thick beard she confirmed his suspicions. Yes, it’s Craig! So with great excitement at our chance meeting we all jumped on board and excitedly caught up on all of 3 days absence and enjoyed dinner together (what else can I do all day on a boat except cook, say’s Audrey).
They moored the night in front of our campsite and next morning we all went for a sail in search of fish before they dropped us of and continued on their way, promising to return in a couple of nights’ time.



Next time they dropped by we had a campfire roast dinner and another great night.




By Craig: On the road to Morgan we passed through Mannum and by chance we arrived just as a beautiful old paddle boat departed for a river cruise. The Murray River in time gone by was a river boat highway, it was great to see one of the old ladies of the river in action. Onto another river town Murray Bridge, a town worthy of a little more time however we drove on through as time was getting away from us if we were to make Morgan allowing for reasonable time to set up before night.
After the chance meeting with the local farmer providing the opportunity for a good riverside camping spot it was great to get back to some bush camping, open fires and fishing on the Murray. I took the oportunity to snap a 'Mother & Son' perfect fireside moment photo. Bugger. Photos and children - I should have known!
A surprise moment was watching in the distance, a houseboat cruising along the Murray & thinking what a great time they’d have and then hearing shouts “It’s them“ and to our surprise Tom, Audrey, Henry and Angus crossed our path again. The meeting led to great conversation, a little bit of drinking and an opportune moment to watch Tom do a swan dive into, followed by a lightning quick exit, out of the fire (possibly helped by a couple of red wines). Although we had some laughs at Tom’s expense the seriousness of the matter was realised in the morning when he appeared with a piece of stick still in his neck We all promised to be a little more careful next time.
Another great catch up and we parted ways with a suggestion that we might catch up in Streaky Bay.