We left William Creek around 9am and headed north to Oodnadatta and then down the Painted Desert Rd to Arckaringa Station where we are camped tonight. We are now playing in the Simpson Desert.
Red – Today’s journey William Creek to Arckaringa Station (2 nights)
Yellow – is the remainder of the trip is down to Coober Pedy (to restock) (possible 2 nights) and then to William Creek and back to Marree (overnight camp behind the pub :) to start the Birdsville Track.
On our way back to William Creek, we will pass through Anna Creek Station which is the largest cattle station in the world.
Our morning tea stop was at Edward Creek – it has a tank and old windmill in the creek bed. The view left is looking along the dry creek bed. A couple of short billed Corella’s were using the windmill as a rest point, but soon moved on when four Wedgetail eagles began patrolling the area. The Oodnadatta track follows the old Ghan and the overland telegraph line. This was also the way that Stuart headed north on his exploration.
This is the Algebuckina and the Neale River and Ghan rail bridge (598 metres), the longest rail bridge in SA. The car wreck is a classic outback story, that I read about a number of years ago. The owner finding the river in flood decided in his wisdom to use the rail bridge to get across the river, bad luck he met the train on it and didn’t fare too well. I can’t remember if he was killed, I think so.
Our destination for lunch was Oodnadatta
I had often wondered why anyone would paint a roadhouse pink, but driving along the Oodnadatta Track all you see is pink, it is the colour of the rocks but not this girly pink.
Run down, ramshackle – it’s a refuelling stop and nothing more. I guess it is famous for it’s name and that’s it.
Museum wasn’t open of course, it is heritage listed but in need of a lot of work.
We’re off to the Painted Desert Road and to Arckaringa Station for a couple of nights and then on to Coober Pedy before we turn east again to revisit William Creek and Maree. We have taken the long way to Coober Pedy via Oodnadatta, but the painted desert has been worth it.
We ran out of graded road and met up with the road party. The road was rougher for a few kilometres, but then smoothed out again. It like a dirt highway, so still calling it a track is a bit over the top. Easily driven with a 2wd, the only exception it is dry weather only.
This definitely was the highlight of the day! The Painted Desert !
There is no green grass out here, the green is rock. It is the strangest thing seeing all of this greenery only to see that it is rock and not grass. It is eroded to fine particles. These are the Arckaringa Hills. These are classic “bad lands”, with mesas, buttes, tent hills and cliffs which have formed by erosion from a ancient land surface. Coal, Opal and Jasper are some of the minerals found here. It is also home to the largest lizard in Australia – Perentie with an average length of 2.1 metres and body girth of .5 metre – I am sure we notice it if we come across it. We have seen a couple of goanna which match this description and at that size they get a lot of respect!
The sky just cleared in time for sunset and gave some sunshine on the hills.
We set up camp at sunset and cooked dinner after the flies went to bed. Arckaringa Cattle Station has two thousand cattle and is two thousand square kilometres so that’s one cow to a square kilometre. No wonder we can’t see many cattle around. The cattle we saw on Alandale Station along the Oodnadatta Track were in prime condition – that was incredible given the land they graze on.
It is easy to see how people become complacent and find themselves in real trouble out here. It’s easy driving in the dry cooler months of winter and with a reliable vehicle, but breakdown at the wrong time of year without sufficient water and the game changes. If it rains then the roads are impassable and the creeks flood quickly. This is not the place to travel to in Summer. There is a memorial to a young backpacker who bogged at Lake Eyre December1997 and tried to walk back to William Creek. She died with sufficient water but totally under-estimated her water needs at that time of year in soaring temperatures. They rescued her boyfriend a it only took them 10 minutes to get the truck out. inexperience and panic created a situation whereby one of them died.
No comments:
Post a Comment