Submitted: Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 21:53

Trip Report 2008

5264.80 km
Avg 7.23 Km/L cheapest fuel $1.789 At Coolgardie Dearest $2.30 at Ilkurlka avg. $1.952
Damage to the Troopy: broken bolt on bracket on engine (wired up), blown RH head light (still to be replaced) other wise no problems.
Two flat Tyres, one at Cook and one at Bruce Rock (both tube failures, cook small spilt, BK small piece of metal left in tyre did the 5040 km and rubbed through).
Problem with gas cooker seems like a liquid was coming out of the gas bottle and the o-rings had swollen making it a problem connecting it. (It’s something you don’t check before you leave. It’s now on the LIST).

The Anne Beadell Hwy and more

Wed. 21/05/08 we packed up camp and left the caravan park at 8.10 am for a trip up to the Painted Desert stopping to take photos for the site and ourselves, we stopped on the side of the road a marvelled at the Moon Desert thinking of the different movies that had been made there.
We travelled from Mount Barry through to Arckaringa the turned right, what a sight, we went to the lookout and took photos then travelled back to Mt Arckaringa and did the walking trail to the top and back to the car park, we left straight away as we parked under the only shade for miles and some others may have liked to use it. Travelling back via the Stuart Hwy we did the Breakaways loop (nearly as good as the Painted Desert) back to Coober Pedy and stayed another night in the caravan park pigging out on the pizza again.




Thr. 22/05/08 packed and gone at 8.00 am we travelled down the Stuart to Glendambo filling up the tanks with as much diesel as I could get in, then off to finish our three trip quest to travel the Trans line access road.
Knowing the road out to Kingoonya was a very good dirt road I left the tyres at road going pressures (small mistake), we got to Kingoonya and had a look around they should have fuel bowsers up and running soon.
Leaving Kingoonya the road was still a good track sticking to the 80 km/hr rule we pushed on having a look at Tarcoola and other sidings, there where a lot of Transfield, Telecom and other workers using the road, we where passing 8 ton tippers that were side ways on corners.
The road was starting to get a little chopped up, still hadn’t lowered the tyre pressures or engaged the free wheeling hubs, I was travelling at around 60 -70 km/hr and hit some bull dust, and now we are sideways heading up the embankment turning right but going left, a lot of this was my fault as I let the thing pull up under it’s own steam, I didn’t use the clutch and drop some gears. (I was a bit busy)
We came to a stop, I was hoping for on all fours, got out had a look around, put the hubs in and reversed out travelling up the track till I found somewhere to pull off and lower the tyre pressures, we took the standard 10 psi out of all 4.
We got to an old train crash site .6 km east of Mount Christie where we camped the night.




Fri. 23/05/08 we got up and had a look around the crash site taking some more photos, we left camp at 8.12 am calling into Barton Siding for a look around, this siding is well used by the rail workers, and it has it own power and water supplies. There use to be an old railway worker living in a shanty with yards made out of sleepers and had a mass of dogs, we where told that he was only taken away around two weeks earlier. We got to Bates the site of another train derailment there where 10 carriages lying on the side of the tracks.
Travelling on down the track we bumped into a couple in a Troopy, as you do in the bush, so the same thing happen, we get out and talk for three quarters of an hour, anyway the couple where the managers of Maralinga, they had driven down to Watson to get there mail and were having a look around and then travel up the grog road back from Ooldea to Maralinga, it was a very nice and very interesting chat.
We had just left them when the UHF sprang to life, some people being escorted by a couple, from Ceduna tagging caves. ???
There where a couple of monuments to have a look at one for Daisy Bates and another for the joining of the railway lines east to west in 1917, the track was down to two wheel tracks only, it faded away after Ooldea you wonder if Maralinga had anything to do with it. LOL
We rolled into Cook at 4.20 pm and had just had a small rain shower, had a look around town and then called in to the managers house to find out were we could camp. There was a camping spot under some trees or a powered site and they also offered us a house, we took the house.
Getting back to the Troopy the front left was flatter than at the start of the day, so we drove to the old rail workers house, Robyn made camp (we slept on the floor in the kitchen), I changed the wheel then started to repair the flat, just as I started to pump up the tyre and down came the rain so I left it till the morning. (Dirt and water mix well) nice night hot showers good food drinks and back to watching DVD’s.




Sat. 24/05/08 up at 7.00 am and had a good walk around the town (it will be a pity when they’re all gone), got back to the house and pumped up the tyre, cleaned up and loaded up, we were gone at 8.50 am.
We travelled down to Denman, Deakin, (I asked Robyn “why have we been here twice in our lives” LOL) Reid and then to Forrest.
Forrest, we got a liking to this place last year, we have marked it down as a retirement job managing the Airport. The same managers where there as last time, they had signed up for another six months, we decided to stay in the lap of luxury and stay in one of the self contained houses, House number 2 a little bit expensive, but what the heck, first night in a real bed, we had tea, some drinks and watched crap on telly.




Sun. 25/05/08 after a great night’s sleep we got up at 7.00 am packed up slowly and went in to pay the bill, we all had a long talk and said our goodbyes. Off we went on the Forrest Mundrabilla Road. .LOL (track) we travelled around 4 km passing a rock hole too deep to hear the rock stop, and came to a cavers hut and dunny, we had a look around used the dunny and left the money on the fridge.
Down the track to the Old Homestead Caves which I took some photos of and had a look around.
There was not much of interest as we came into station country till we got to the top of the escarpment, nice view we call into Mundrabilla homestead to let them know we made it ok as we had phoned the at Forrest to let them know we where travelling down the track. We got to the Eyre Hwy and aired up to road going pressures, we got to Caiguna at 4.40 pm and payed $18.00 to stay in the Caravan park I don’t know why. Anyway we had tea in the roadhouse and some drinks in the bar, I didn’t need much rocking.




Mon. 26/05/08 up and gone by 7.00 am turn left after 146.6 km and then right, call into Balladonia to use the loo and then on to Norseman through the road blockade (cops everywhere).
We have been trying to do The Granite and Woodlands Discovery Trail for years now, every time we try it rains, well today its fine, so off we go calling into all the listed sites there are 16 of them some just a site to stop and picnic at and some to camp.
We had a walk around Disappointment Rock, called into McDermid Rock and the Breakaways, The Breakaways site is very nice with a lot of camping sites table and chairs and a dunny.
These are the places we will do with the little Supreme Getaway van, so we got to Hyden, fed the dog had a couple of beers at the pub and then off to Bruce Rock for the rest of the week.




It was another good trip and, are hoping the bad one doesn’t come to quickly, we tried out a CGear Mulitmat they are great in this type of country.
We will ALWAYS test the cooker before we leave or at least add it to the list



Cheers

Richard, Robyn and Benney

Tags: 4WD, Camping, Travel Journal
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