Vizards of Oz driving to Darwin to start the race!

Jeffery Smart View

18.8.12
We woke in the dark excitement stirring our stumps. A brisk 7 degrees meant we did those last minute gardening and packing jobs in double quick time. Heavy rain through the northern suburbs gave way to clear blue skies as we approached Locheil, we slowed to again admire and chortle at the tyres making up Nessie in the reflective pink lake.(have you seen that? It’s a collection of tyres standing on their edges in a salt lake each one smaller than the preceding one so it looks like black loops coming out of the water just like the Loch Ness monster a creature liable to eatcher! (as our grandson said in a recent poem he wrote) Between there and Crystal Brook is our favourite spot to see the goods trains pass the gum trees (reminiscent of a Jeffrey Smart painting,) you know the one of the train that used to hang over the mantelpiece in Victor) Then we stopped at the beginning of the Flinders on the Port Pirie bypass at Nelshaby and as always, were stunned by the views of the Flinders.  First stop Pt Augusta at a caravan Park.

Views of the Flinders

Pt Augusta Van Park

Fabulous Skies

19.8.12

Crisp morning again in Port Augusta woke to the quarrelling wattle birds.  A dear old couple in the caravan park gave us a donation to the ride over breakfast today. Looking at the distance we have to cover left us dismayed, so last night decided we'd try to push for at least 600km a day As if to thwart us today the traffic calmers have been out in force; 20 km at least of 80 km restrictions for road works and only 1 truck seen with 2 blokes sitting in it.  Just passed a goods train stopped waiting to let another goods train pass in the opposite direction. There was a herd of cattle with calves an emu and a couple of sheep waiting in the shade of the train. The scrub is red soil with low (10cm) scrubby ground cover and not a tree in sight, rolling hills stretch from horizon to horizon.  We stopped at a vast dry lake bed with a pimple of a mountain in the centre.  Spuds roadhouse at Pimba had  petrol at $1.70 a litre, worse to come with reports of $2.20 a litre from other motorists. 

Lake Beds

 

We're in emu country now, dead flat, knobby grasses goods trains on the far horizon pink soft grey and white flat bottomed clouds in a powder blue sky. Going through Wirramina station now and the red soil is peppered with scrubby trees, good places for emus and cattle with a death wish to stroll across the road. Euculolo Creek which we just crossed had a vast wide floodplain with several islands but is now as dry as a lime burners boot with just a couple of patches of glistening salt. The railway line borders Lake Hart which appears huge and full, the edge of the Lake was lined with travellers in all kinds of rigs.



Wildflowers

Oops just had an unscheduled stop when a pipe flew up off a cattle grid and swiped the hose off the vans water tank. So I kept an eye out for traffic while Winston filled as many containers as we had with the last of our precious rainwater. Hopefully we will be able to repair it in Alice Springs. The 50 shades of green just north of Adelaide which made the eyes water, have been taken over by the dusty blue grey of saltbush and the blackened trunks of scrubby casuarina and gum trees that have died in the drought. Semitrailers including big double B's often fly past us, we are sitting on 100kph, the limit they are meant to be keeping to! Maybe that's why there are so many dead cows, roos and sheep with wedgies and crows feasting on the carrion.

 

Petrol $1.70 !!!!!

 

Well I'll sign off for now there should be reception at Coober Pedy.  We met a bloke in Glendambo that had full reception on his Telstra phone and we had none on our Virgin and Optus phone.  Bugga… no internet at Coober Pedy and no phone since. Got a Telstra prepaid card but can’t connect to start it until there's reception so will just have to wait till Alice Springs. First time we drove up here 1987 didn’t even have mobiles (not invented) and the fax (latest technology) we sent from Pt Augusta took 2 weeks to get to Bourketown. Last time (1991) mobiles, brick size were around but we didnt have one so the fact that I can type this as Winston drives and that we sometimes have phone reception is a bonus.



20.8.12

Stayed last night at Cadney Station absolutely delightful place with friendly staff and a great meal of lamb shanks. The sign said "if you don’t eat here, we'll both starve". Our dinner hadn't defrosted yet so we had a real treat! We woke to a rippled sky painted by the sunrise, the cloud formations have been so stunning and varied I feel tempted to do a series of photos of them. Soon after a poor old dingo strolled across the road then barked at us and laid down. A cow looked at us from Wallantina Station then strolled across the road to meet up with a group of calves on the other side. Near Marla a wedge tailed eagle sat next to the white post and blinked as we passed.

Petrol prices are rocketing $1.87 at Marla. We met a delightful chap who never buys petrol en route and carries it all from Adelaide even on 5000km trips through the desert! Wonder what it costs him to transport it?

Strange Growth

 
So far today there's been flat topped and rolling hills on the far horizon and sparse 10-15 foot trees.The station we are passing now is the first fully fenced one, the boundary rider would have one hell of a sore bum at the end of patrolling these borders. Everyone we've met along the way have been amiable fellow travellers, locals alike. We met an aboriginal woman in Cadney Station roadhouse whose children work for Winston's cousin (Betty) in Peterborough!

 

Gorgeous Sunsets

Fabulous Scrub