Birdsville Caravan park is the convergence point for all travellers across the
Simpson Desert which ever way you want to go so is a hub of interchange and we have to be thankful to Ruth for her bulletins as she provides them. For travellers westwards the store in
Birdsville, the pub, and the museum with its three tours a day are major beneficiaries, with The Blue Poles Gallery too as a beneficiary so real thanks Ruth.
For us, the meeting with a Cronulla couple Robyn and Charles it made the Simpson a fun trip. The focal point being the Caravan Park again. Good facilities are always a focal point. Water food and fuel at the start and showers to finish and or start the day.
We had a late start to the day and slightly seedy after dining with some locals, but got away calling our friends Rob and Charles who had camped up Big Red. It’s easy they said and reversed it to prove it. Yes, reversed Big Red! I guess the sand is hard packed after the recent rains.
So good did the trip look a fellow of advanced years went off before us in a Suzuki Vitara. No UHF, no dune flag to warn others. Just off on his own to show how to do it. We did not see him again. We do hope he caused others no ill as no one seemed to see him afterwards just saw the marks in the sand from each time the front of his car hit.
Our first day on the QAA line was relatively uneventful apart from each axle articulation brought a protest from the tyres as they hit the underside of the tray strut. That must be cut down as it has taken chunks out of the centre treads of the new tyres. The
camp on the first day was a great evening with our new friends Rob and Charles the up early for the Monday morning – the 14th. The QAA line was relatively open with little sign of the water problems that had besieged others, until the lake before Poeppels Lake where we spent the good part of day two. We met other new folks too in the middle of the lake – Wangaratta folks. Is anyone left in Victoria?
Three snatch straps and a tow strap with chains too if necessary for the length got out the GU which was in to the axles and fuel tank. Had it lifted to get clear of the bog but the biggest bog was building between the toes. Great for any tinea or sore toes. Heavily salted clay!! Alcohol wipes were good to get cleaned up…….
Off onto the French line where we had a great up and down experience. I had not thought there would be so many holes in the sand and dunes to bury the truck. The sand itself was a lot more hard packed than I had imagined too. We had practiced around
Robe and found it a treat in comparison. Camper trailers at the moment would be a breeze as long as the tyres were down. Easier than an overweight patrol anyway on the wet spots.
We left the French Line to see the Appodinna Knolls and then camped three kms south just off the Knolls Track. Our anniversary dinner (#33) seemed
well earned with beer to start and white and red wine to enjoy too. Started with calamari rings and sweet chilli dipping sauce, followed up with roast beef and four veg,
camp oven baked. Final was a lemon cheese cake all prepared onsite that evening just to show the girls appreciation for getting them there safe I guess. Tea and coffee of choice.
We travelled further south and saw quite a lot of wild flowers on route on the Knolls track. Yellow top, poached egg daisy, plenty of smelly gidgee.
We met another four vehicles on the corner of the
Rig Road and The Knolls Track. Had morning tea and found some missing nuts on the bolts holding down the tray. Hmmm. There is a
test for any aluminium pop rivets we found later as our fridge wanted to drop out. Bolted and tech screwed now.
We went down to the
Lone Gum tree (Coolibah tree) with five children and decided to go north west up the Erabeena Track to the WAA line. A different kettle of fish indeed as we went following tracks of camels up the track. We came across three guys without a working UHF set. They had been to the Finke races, but importantly for us had seen a big group of camels earlier. We ended seeing one before dinner and
camp off the WAA line.
Next morning we went on to see the grave of Jaroslav Pecanek an outback identity in the transport industry. Saw the business name in
Oodnadatta a few days later. His wife and son had recently been to visit and erected a fence there around the memorial stone. Son Peter had met with our friends in the pub in
Birdsville.
We moved back on to the
Rig Road where the washouts seemed less than before but still had to be watched. Unlike the other tracks, the
Rig Road is clay topped, but the scenery is less interesting. The French Line and QAA combination is shortest with the
Rig Road at the west but the French Line gets most traffic and is the roughest in the sand. On the final sections on the French Line one guy told me he was doing the ExplorOz recommended trip so I better look it up soon. I guess he saw the EO sticker above the cab
Lunch and a wash/shower at
Purni Bore before heading off to
Dalhousie Springs for a swim for half an hour. On the way to Dalhousie there was more mud to escape from as the heavy Nissan sunk in a bit again in the
Spring Creek Delta. Heather says I played in it ….! We decided that we would move from
the Springs to nearby 3 O’clock Creek for our last dinner together with friends. The UHF said before we got there “ picnic chairs, tables, shelters, green grass, takeaway food stalls….” as Rob fantasized about not having to
cook dinner. All there actually except the green grass and the food stalls. We had the site to ourselves and plenty of water too.
From our walk around the
ruins of the old Dalhousie
Homestead we bid farewell and Heather and I headed towards
Oodnadatta and a dinner with Victorian friends Mr and Mrs Al, and the Wombats. We got there first actually and refuelled. 714 Kms to
Oodnadatta from
Birdsville and 125 litres for the journey for a very heavy GU with 4.2TI in sand and a lot of low ratio work too. It surprised me how much fuel we had left actually, 50 litres in the tank.
On the way to
Oodnadatta we found the road had been graded for us recently in much of the journey before the
Oodnadatta Track. Just by one gateway we met a fellow who was outwardly sane but was riding his bike from
Adelaide to
Darwin…..
Well he had a pony tail and wanted to know about road conditions onwards too, especially round Dalhousie where most of our cars dirt is from. A lot of the Dalhousie roads were stony but the roads were basically 2by and ready for the family jalopy.
The Als and Wombats are travelling to plan and should be in The Alice some time this weekend. It was really nice to see them. Al of course was helping others with troubles to overcome. We have since stayed in
Marree travelling down through the Flinders and tonight in a motel to lodge this report and a decent shower.
Lyn suggested we look to the Panorama Building in
Hawker and we enjoyed that. It portrays the 360 degree panorama from the St Mary’s peak. Brought back memories of my feelings last time I was there. Was a good visit.
Copley Bakery was another important visit so far. Wish I had bought more of their
quandong pies though.
Really is great to meet with friends on the way around. More to meet tomorrow I hope.