Tuesday, Feb 17, 2009 at 22:34
Julio,
If you only have a couple of days, I think you have received the advice you were after. Gemini Downs (if it’s still going?) would be my pick.
Now if you want to spend your 48 hours doing a genuine, life changing real Australian off-road trip, pick up one of the several amateur history books ( about ship wrecks etc) from
Robe,
Kingston or Salt Creek and read it while you are camping on the beach between 42 Mile Crossing and the
Murray Mouth (SE to NW).
You will need to be pretty serious and do your planning carefully. Fuel is an issue as the sand conditions can vary. If it is soft it can be hard going but at other times it will be like driving on a highway. Be careful though (13 psi). Below the high tide line, particularly over the big swales, you will get bogged and if caught, the waves will swallow your vehicle.
The rewards can be stunning. To your left, the surf and salt spray look like a huge white curtain and to the right the sand dunes are superb. Occasionally, you will stop to examine the mysteries of the ocean. I have found carcasses of dolphins, turtles and fish I can't find in the books. Various driftwood and
debris from passing ships will intrigue. Bits of plastic crates, old boots and what looks like ship wreckage are all commonplace. I have found a big glass ball covered in rope netting (old fishing buoy) and a military bomb like thing with a sign on it saying to report its location to the Navy.
Personally, I find a sandy
camp site and the rancid smoke from a driftwood fire one of the more special experiences. You can
camp on the beach but a long time ago, you were allowed to drive behind the fore-dune and
camp out of the wind.
If you are into surf-fishing and get lucky you will get salmon and
mulloway (sp??). Back behind the dunes you will see aboriginal middens or feasting sites. These are mounds of cockle shells in black sand which is charcoal from their fires. Look for flints and shaped stones. It is not out of the question to see a burial site. Hard to spot but basically some bones sticking out of the sand. In the ones I have seen, they were buried sitting upright.
If you walk across to the Coorong itself, you can look for fresh water reeds growing at the edge of the saline lake. This is where the fresh water percolates through the sand and you can dig down a few feet and drink it. If you have a flash light and hand spear, you will get flounder in the lake at night.
Gee’z I love this country.
Skull
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