Tuesday 27 October 2015

Outback Tracking

Our second week on the road was a bit of a challenge in controlling our frustrations and maintaining a calm attitude.
 Before leaving Innamincka we stopped at the Outpost to fill with fuel, at $1.80/lt for diesel - the dearest so far. While the OWO was filling the vehicle I popped inside to get some postcards and a jar of the "magic" fly repellent cream we had been told about by Paul in  Thargo. Looking out the door, to check how the refueller was going, I was alarmed to see fuel pouring out underneath the vehicle. Without thinking, unpaid goods in hand, I raced out the door to stop the OWO pouring more of the precious gold onto the drive! As soon as he stopped so did the "leaking" -- obviously not a hole in the tank says OWO, not sure what's going on there! Try again, tell me what you see. OK - start - whoa, STOP - pouring out. OK- looks like might be the filler hose. So as the tank was almost full, refuelling stopped at $100, with a pledge to get the problem looked at when we reached a bigger town. So without further ado we hit the road again and began the next stage of our adventure travelling the Strezlecki Track. (Oh, I did pay for the goods and fuel before leaving!!!).

Week 2 -Innamincka to Port Augusta
Tea break on the Old Strezlecki Tk
Leaving Innamincka at 10am our goal was to reach the Montecollina Bore camp by mid afternoon via the old Strezlecki track. The first section of the Track - which by the way is the main trucking route for the multitude of mines in this part of the country - was in very good condition. A little corrugated in places and very, very dusty but otherwise not bad for a dirt road that you can do 110km on. The main hazard was lack of visibility when the road trains passed in the opposite direction.


A lost hitchhiker on Old Strezlecki Track

A working drill
Travelling the old section of the Track we didn't see another vehicle for 70kms. The wildflowers along the Track were spectacular, providing splashes of colour in an otherwise extremely dry countryside. Here we also saw red sand dunes and some fascinating mine areas.

Great wind-free camp site
Arriving at the Bore around 2.30pm we chose a lovely secluded spot in behind the sand dunes, protected from any wind, but not the flies!
Red desert flower
Main pool Montecollina Bore
Black kite
Fascinating weathered dunes
Wetlands Montecollina Bore
Colour everywhere - even in the dunes
Desert stitcher with the essential net
Our planned 'overnighter' turned into two nights and we spent the extra time enjoying the solitude. No "tourist attractions" here. Just pure desert country where you can relax and soak up the rays (at 38 degrees). The OWO spent his time with camera in hand just wandering the dunes, whilst Mrs OWO switched between camera and needle in hand, the first stitching since leaving home. There were hundreds of Zebra finches around the bore and the wetlands was a haven for many waterbirds as well as the galahs. The black kite visited the dunes frequently. Some great photographic opportunities.
Flies were once again frustrating but fly nets and cream eased the frustration a little. Great spot to camp.

Fruit of the desert


Sunset over the desert at the Bore

Wildflowers in the desert

The Bore to the Ranges - via the off-road 4WD track
The morning dawned clear and hot with 28 degrees before 9 am. Today we would travel 280km to our next camp at Weetootla Gorge in the Gammon Ranges. We turned off the Strezlecki at Mt Hopeless and travelled 140km on the 4WD track to Balcanoona. The track was reasonably good until we reached the channel country where we crossed many dry creek and river beds. These were very rough and rocky with no water at this time of year - in the 'wet' season all these beds would be flowing with varying depths of water. Despite the lack of water, it was extremely lush around the creeks with masses of colour provided by wildflowers and flowering shrubs. Such a beautiful sight in an otherwise inhospitable dusty region.

Balcanoona consists of two  houses, the Rangers Station, some camping accommodation in the old shearer's shed, and a toilet and shower block. Here we also gleaned information about the Gammon Ranges. Being a Sunday, there was no Ranger in sight but the leaflets provided gave us all the info we needed to get to the Gorge. The campsite is 7.5 kms from here, with 5kms being 4WD access only.
Once at the camping area we chose a site with a little shade alongside the dry creek and by 3.30pm we were all set up for a three night stop. A pleasant 33 degrees, with a little breeze and fewer flies, and the wonderful sight of the majestic gorge all around us. Tomorrow we would investigate deeper into the gorge.

Wednesday 21 October 2015

The Adventure Continues

Hello from beautiful Bornholm, west of Albany in WA. After five weeks travelling we are now settled for three weeks in a warm and cosy cottage with a lovely cat, a boisterous puppy, five chooks, and a family of  six ducklings! And plenty of free time to explore the Great Southern Region of WA. But before we share our local travels we'd best get back on the road and share some of the highlights (and one or two low lights) of this BIG adventure.

Week 1 --- Toowoomba to Innamincka (Queensland to South Australia)
Now for my overseas readers looking at our map, this may not seem very far, and for the "younger driver" it may be a two day journey. But for Two Rambling Retirees it took a week. My last post took us through Bollon and onto the Charlotte Plains Station -- before I ran out of internet allowance-- so we'll continue from there.