Cooper Creek Ferry - interesting archaeological timeline

aka Southwark Bitter.

Dion, thanks for that - good name for it too.

Fab72 you are bringing back awful memories.

The word Southwark sends shivers down my spine and tears to my eyes.

We were forced to drink this stuff during the beer strike.

Spade... Southwark was the only beer my old man used to drink. I grew up tasting that gear from about the age of 14 onwards. Is it any surprise now that I don't drink beer? Bundy for me now.

Hi Ruth
Sorry I overlooked the main question - the place where you found the most bottles..LOL

Like Ian said, it would have been in the area that we camped, as it was nice and flat, shallow approach to the water that what would have made easy loading and unloading the old barge.

Cheers

Stephen

Yep Greendog and Tony - sure made our camp warmer - and the last bit looks nice on my front verandah - thank you.

Hi Dasher, You know what those Queenslanders are like, they can not spell and Ian was drinking XXXX

Cheers

Stephen

Hi DD, Ian was there in 1990 - but believe me I know how he feels about Southwark (especially when they had to drink it in Qld during the famous beer strike) - so it could be his secret stash but he only drinks xxxx. When we were down the Eyre Peninsula in March he couldn't believe that with the exception of one community club - all pubs and clubs had xxxx an usually on tap. AT this particular community club he had a pot/schooner of Southwark and it was the only night in the whole month fishing trip he only had one beer!!!!
As for Queenslanders who can't spell - there was a deliberate spelling mistake in my post and all the fanatic spell checkers haven't even noticed it - very disappointed.
GG

Hi Ruth
I know what you were on about, but I have seen it miss spelt like that before. If I picked you up on if, you might have told me off...

Everyone knows that Tom's surname was spelt "Kruse", as he was from only a few kilometres from Clare, Waterloo, where his family name still lives on to this day.

Cheers from a cool Clare night of 8 degrees at 8.30pm


Take care

Stephen

Hey GG, I wouldn't drink that South Waark garbage either. I'd only buy it to give to the sponging mates so that they wouldn't come back again and keep the Pale Ales for myself.

Stephen - if I was going to 'rip a snort up you' for ticking me off about my spelling I would do it via MM!! Ha ha.
As for you, DD - all your friends know what you are like anyway.
Cool here too - 10 last night - less than that this morning and very heavy condesation inside my verandah - nuisance.

Yep that South Waark used to come in a dark green can and tasted like the can looked. When I was a junior apprentice in the RAAF it was the only stuff the seniors would even think of giving to us.

Hi D, maybe we can wander around Birdsville at racetime and kick over tins and bottles and check the timelines there! Make sure you bring your rake - you should see the prickle bushes on the 'common' - big as trees.
(It's ok we know some people there - maybe the grader will make our site look really good).
Maybe the fish will be biting also - very sad last week, 3 hours and 3 bites, no fish. Shame about the yabbies though - so many we couldn't eat them all and put them back to get even bigger.
The big bottles are the Southwark old pickaxe brand, the small brown ones are also the same brand - the wine 'plagon' from the 70's - a Southwark can in remarkably good condition (it was buried right at the edge of the water), Fiona's wildflowers in a gingerbeer can from 1990, a dog spike that was buried and probably came out of a Marree, Ghan or Parachilna sleeper (very old tho and was buried near the ferry) - and the beautiful little green shovel with handle Ian found in the small hill behind the camp. Not sure what the small green bottle is.
You will enjoy your trip - here's a photo of Moongara Channel - that's 11klms long on the Birdsville Track north of the ferry - it's like the Great Ocean Road - this photo doesn't show you that the water streatches east to west from one sand hill to the next across the swale. On the Track it is 11 klms long but goes right up north to the Bdv - Beetoota road.. Enjoy. See you soon.Image Could Not Be Found

Hi Ruth, thanks so much for the very informative reply, we just can't wait to get out there and see the country side. As a kid I use to love going over the old rubbish tips in the mid north of WA until my parents stopped us. LOL. My Grandparents had a farm in SA and the cellar of the house was never finished, it was being built on the side of the house, it was open and they use to throw all the bottles and tins in there. Hubby and I called in to the farm (which was sold back in the late 1950s) a few years back only to find an orchard had been planted on top of where the old cellar had been. I would love to take a shovel into that orchard, it would be amazing what could be found in there.
Our friends are getting themselves all ready to go but Bevan and I are bushies so we only take a couple of weeks to get organised on these trips. I will contact you via MM when it is closer to the time. We are looking forward to catching up with you this time round. Yes the rake will be coming, the prickles were bad enought last time I can well imagine what they are like now. I was going to get a pair of hiking shoes with hard rubber soles thinking the prickles might find it harder to latch on to them, what are your thoughts on that? Being novices around Birdsville last time Bevan wore his thongs, I have some lovely photos of the soles of those thongs LOL. I hope he has learnt his lesson hahaha. Catch up soon.
Cheers
Deanna

D, the hiking boots are a good idea but I get sick of doing the laces so usually wear something I can slip on and off (gotta say that the old crocs aren't too bad to leave by door of tent for those emergencies).
Ian's out there at the moment - it was 2 deg this morning - no heating in the camper either lucky he's got the old flannelette sheets to keep him warm. LOL.
Ruth
PS we know where all the firewood is too so that comes in handy!!! Don't worry we'll be right - there won't be any Southwark either.

Thanks again Ruth, you have been absolutely wonderful, much appreciated by us.
Looks like a pair of crocs might be the go as well. Am interested to hear about this 'Southwark', have never heard of it before this thread, you certainly do learn something new every day, sad day if we didn't.
Catch up later.

Cheers

Deanna