Innaminka - SA

Entering SA again!!

From Birdsville we did a bit more swapping between states, firstly we went from Qld back into SA again where we visited Australia’s largest Shearing Shed at Cordillo Downs boasting 88 stands in its day. This shearing shed looked nothing like what we expected because it looked nothing like a shearing shed! There is minimal timber in the surrounding countryside therefore they built the shed out of stone rather than timber. The station is no longer a sheep station due to the threat from dingoes and therefore changed to being a cattle station.

Australia's largest shearing shed

Our time in SA was relatively short as we then had to cross back into QLD to head further south. Along the road we spotted some wild donkeys – we had kept being told there were lots of wild donkeys around, so we were glad to finally spot some.

Heading back into Qld again

Wild Donkeys

On our journey south we made a stop at the Burke and Wills dig tree on Cooper Creek. This is the site which marks a sequence of events which lead to Burke and Wills death. The Dig Tree was a base camp, Burke and Wills with King and Gray (who died up north) left here and headed for the Gulf while the base camp was to wait three months for their return. The base camp waited just over 4 months and then decided to leave, but buried supplies at a base of a tree and carved the word DIG and the date into the tree. It turned out Burke, Wills and King arrived back at the base camp just 9 hours later. Although they dug up the supplies they decided to head west towards a property but had to turn back as they were unable to find water. They then ran out of supplies and Burke and Wills both died a couple of months later on the banks of the Cooper but King survived as he then joined an aboriginal tribe and was later rescued by search party.

Jaime and the boys at the Burke and Wills Dig Tree on Cooper Creek

You can no longer read the word DIG on the tree but you can still make out part of the date. There is another tree nearby on which a stockman carved a face resembling both Burke and Wills about 50 years after the event. This face is still very clear and looks amazing.

The face representing Burke and Wills carved into a tree near the Dig Tree

What do you know, we then once again crossed back into SA where we found a campsite just out of Innaminka on the Cooper Creek at Cullyamurra Billabong.

Another border crossing!!

Our campsite at Cullyamurra Billabong on Cooper Creek near Innaminka SA

The next morning we continued our Burke and Wills history by visiting the grave of Burke before heading into Innaminka.

Burke's grave - this is the tree underwhich he died and was then buried

When we arrived in Innaminka it was once again quite amusing at the reaction we got when we arrived in the tiny town, they were surprised to see us as they said the tourist season had finished. We then went and visited the grave of Wills and then the site of where King was found before making our way towards another border crossing (we have pretty much lost track of the time now as we have been swapping states and time zones so often in the last couple of days!).

Aidan and Cody at the grave of Wills

At the site where King was resuced - his name was carved into this tree

Birdsville QLD

We arrived late in the afternoon in Birdsville and pulled into the caravan park – to the great surprise of the caravan park owner – she couldn’t believe there were still people coming across the Simpson (we did it very late in the season, in fact we only passed 4 cars over the 3 days driving). We enjoyed a shower and then headed up to the Birdsville pub for a few extremely refreshing coldies!!

Out the front of the Birdsville Pub

On the way out of Birdsville we had a laugh at the sign out the front of the local Bakery  - when most signs out the front of shops say something like “back in 15 minutes” this one said “Back in April 2012”.  We also stopped and had a look at another Burke and Wills site – a tree which was marked by them with the date 1861 as one of their campsites during their return.

Aidan and Cody at the tree engraved by Burke and Wills with the year '1861' still visable

Simpson Desert SA, NT, QLD

We have now uploaded details and a photo slide, and when we get a chance we will upload some of the video footage we filmed while on the Desert. (Note: turn up the volumn on your computer to listen to the slide show)
   

We loved our trip across the Simpson, all 1100 sand dunes!! It was very hot but it was incredible!

Day One: We left Mt Dare early in the morning on our first day across the Simpson Desert. Our first stop along a very rough rocky road as was at 3 O’Clock Creek where there was a water tank we were recommended to use for stocking up on our  water supply for crossing the desert. From there we went into Dalhousie Springs and enjoyed a dip in the natural thermal pool which is the largest thermal spring in Australia. The temperature in the water was between 34 and 38 degrees, so it was pretty similar to the air temperature. As a result it wasn’t exactly a refreshing swim as you don’t feel like a really warm bath on a hot day, but it was a beautiful place all the same. Interestingly there are some fish species that actually live in the water at Dalhousie which are found nowhere else in the world.

We left Dalhousie heading along the French Line and the road soon changed from rocky and corrugated to sand and before we knew it we had started to head over small sand dunes. Interestingly the countryside looked amazing. There was thick grassy vegetation everywhere, so it wasn’t quite the desert look we thought we would be seeing but we knew that we were also seeing the desert in a state that is not seen very often.

We should mention that it isn’t actually a road but rather a sandy track and when the desert does not have much vegetation you often need a compass or GPS to help you find the track as it simply disappears.  

Our next stop was at a place called Purni Bore, this bore was put in by a French Exploration Company who were looking for Oil, but hit water instead.  There was a picnic table and a shade shelter here so it was a perfect place to stop for lunch. We all enjoyed a cold shower there was well, which was water from a water tank filled by the bore and left to cool off. Although artesian water smells bad it was nice to have a quick wash and cool off as this was the last we would have for a few days!

As the temperature was in the mid to high 30s and there is no shade across the desert we agreed that we would continue to drive until very late in the afternoon before finding a campsite for the night.

Day Two: Once again we were up early so that we could pack up and be on the road before the day got too hot, we knew that this day was forecast to be a scorcher and it didn’t disappoint!! As the day went on our travel companions said the temperature in the cab of their car was reading 42 degrees, and they were trying to run the air con, obviously without much success!!. We didn’t bother with the air con as it was proved they wouldn’t work properly because we were driving so slowly and all it would achieve is burning up fuel.

We were driving very slowly because there was sand dune after sand dune, which had been getting progressively bigger since we started. We actually never went above 2^nd gear across the desert and travelled between 15 – 20 km/hr. So it was slow. The sand dunes were great fun and the red sand looked spectacular. We saw hundreds of sand goannas and small speedy lizards which would run across our path. We also came across a large herd of camels, which had a lot of babies with them and a couple of dingos.

During day two we drove through a large section of the desert which had been burnt out. In fact we did not think we were going to be able to do this trip across the Simpson for a long time because at first it was shut due to flood waters and then it was shut due to the large bush fire which had roared through it. The desert track only reopened a couple of weeks before we got there. The good thing about seeing the burnt out section was that it gave us the opportunity to see what the desert normally looks like, very bare both in vegetation and animal life through that section.

We only had two short stops during the second days driving as it was much cooler to be in the car moving than standing out in the sun, and we didn’t stop until just after 6pm that night.

Not long before finishing the second day we arrived at Poeppel Corner which is where SA, NT and QLD meet. This was the end of the French line, we then travelled for a short stretch of road through NT before we began the Queensland line.

Day Three: This day proved to be a lot cooler with the temperature having dropped to about 35 degrees and was far more comfortable to drive in. We had a lot of fun on this day, everyone had a turn of driving over the sand dunes, including Cody and Aidan! Cody proved to be a bit of a wild driver at first by trying to drive us through the bushes on the other side of the sand dune rather than down the track. In his defence the track does often quickly change direction once you go over the crest of the sand dune and you can’t see over the bonnet at first to see which way the track goes, but he did take his hands off the wheel when he couldn’t see the track, hoping that Dad was holding the wheel and would steer it in the correct direction! Luckily he improved dramatically on his second attempt!

We were all excited on Day 3 as we knew we would be reaching Big Red. This is the biggest sand dune right near the end of the desert not far from Birdsville. Big Red is 40m high and it did not disappoint. We had to let our tyre pressure down quite a bit more and use low range in order to get up Big Red, and we were greeted with more than we expected when we got to the top!. We had heard that we may have to take a diversion track from Big Red as their might be some water on the other side, but we weren’t expecting much as we were told the same thing about Eyre Creek, but we drove straight through Eyre Creek as the water had nearly dried up. So it came as a big shock when we reached the top of Big Red to see a massive expanse of water on the other side! It was a stunning view from up the top but it didn’t take us long to head down to the water’s edge and enjoy a refreshing swim! What a way to finish the desert!

From Big Red there were a few more smaller sand dunes before we arrived in Birdsville having completed a great 3 days across the Simpson. We all agreed we rated the Simpson Desert as one of the hi-lights of our trip.

Mt Dare

We left Rainbow Valley and drove down to Mt Dare which is the last supply and fuel stop before crossing the Simpson Desert. On the way to Mt Dare we stopped for lunch in the dead centre of Australia – literally – we stopped at the Lambert’s Geographic Centre of Australia, signing the visitors book to say we had been there.

The four of us at the Gravitational Centre of Australia!

Cody signing the Visitors Book

We headed onto Mt Dare  in SA for the night where we topped up with the most expensive fuel to date on this trip and filled everything we could find with water for our trip across the Simpson.

Crossing back over to SA from NT

Although we were happy to head across the Simpson by ourselves we were very glad to meet another couple who were also heading across and who luckily had their own satellite phone so it saved us a great expense in hiring one for ourselves.

While we were at Mt Dare we were laughing at how laid back Aidan and Cody were. They were sitting on their chairs reading their books when Jaime noticed a small Copper Head snake slithering across the ground. Jaime quickly pointed out the snake out and told them to pull their feet up. The boys didn’t miss a beat – they pulled up their feet and just kept on reading, glancing briefly at the snake as it slithered under their seats!

Cody and Aidan attaching our Sand Flag for crossing the Simpson Desert

Out the front of Mt Dare with the couple across the Simpson Desert with us

Rainbow Valley

On our last morning in Alice Springs we went and visited the Alice Springs School of the Air, which was really interesting. School of the Air is the largest school in the world in terms of the area it covers; it is 10 times the size of England! The Alice Springs school is the original school and it averages 120 students a year. We got to watch a lesson taking place while we were in there. Aidan and Cody decided that although the do some cool things in School of the Air they would much prefer to go to their school! Aidan and Cody did dig deep into their pockets to purchase a book to donate to the school because the School of the Air gets the same funding as any other state public school but it costs 15 times as much to run it.

Watching a lesson take place at School of the Air

After leaving Alice we didn’t head too far for our first night, pulling up camp at a beautiful place called Rainbow Valley.

Rainbow Valley

Gem Tree

We headed up north of Alice the next day to take Aidan and Cody to Gem Tree, which is a place they have been wanting to visit since speaking to an older couple we met in Broome. Gem Tree is a well known fossicking area for Garnet. When we arrived we discovered their season has actually closed due to not many people travelling at this warmer time of year and therefore they didn’t have the staff to take us out to their fossicking fields but we were able to purchase a bucket of dirt that we could put the sieves at the homestead. We spent about 2 hours going through this one bucket of dirt and found lots and lots of pieces of garnet, much to Aidan and Cody’s delight!

Searching for Garnet

Aidan found another piece

We are back in Alice Springs for another night, at a much nicer caravan park! We hope to visit School of the Air tomorrow before we begin to head south again, and then head towards the Simpson Desert!!!
We are not sure when we will get internet again.

Ellery Creek Big Hole to Alice Springs

Walking through Redbank Gorge

At the end of Redbank Gorge

After a walk through Redbank Gorge in the morning, we then had an enjoyable drive through the rest of the West McDonald Ranges stopping at Ellery Creek Big Hole for a dip before we headed into Alice Springs. We had planned to stay at Ellery Creek Big Hole so that we could enjoy a relaxing day by the beautiful waterhole there and then get a fresh start in Alice Springs the next morning. But our plans went out the window when we drove into the camping area at Ellery Creek to find two girls in their early 20’s from Alice Springs who were planning on camping there for the weekend and although they were very friendly the tranquillity of the place was destroyed with the language they used and the techno music they were blaring out of their car stereo. There is a time and a place for techno music at full volume and Ellery Creek Big Hole in the middle of nowhere was not the place for it!

Cody and Aidan taking a dip in Ellery Creek Big Hole

Our luck wasn’t much better in choosing a caravan park in Alice either, we went for one of the cheapest but after a couple of hours we discovered it was more like “Hicksville”, as result we got out of there as quickly as possible the next morning!

Alice Springs is not a town most people would want to spend much time in, for us it is going to be a chance to catch up on supplies before we head off again.

Kings Canyon to Redbank Gorge

The following day we had went for another big walk, which went up, around and through Kings Canyon, it is a very beautiful spot, and there is the little oasis called ‘The Garden of Eden’ at the base which is a nice surprise. Both Jaime and Aidan enjoyed a refreshing dip in the waterhole there.

Looking out of Kings Canyon

Looking into Kings Canyon

At the waterhole in 'Garden of Eden'

Aidan and Jaime taking a refreshing dip

Kings Canyon

After leaving here we drove past Grosse Bluff which was crater created by a comet which hit earth 145 million years ago. It is not the biggest crater in Australia but it is a very impressive 20km in diameter.  We finished the day at Redbank Gorge with a nice campsite up in the hills of the McDonald Ranges. 

Looking out to Grosse Bluff - Meteorite Crater

Aidan and Cody doing some school work in the McDonald Rangers above Redbank Gorge

Ayers Rock - Uluru

(Sorry if it is a bit hard to hear this video - it was very windy!!)

We came, we saw, we conquered!

For anyone else who has been to Uluru before, you would appreciate what we mean when we say that Uluru blows you away with just how massive it really is, it is something worth seeing for yourself.

Uluru was one thing on all of our ‘bucket lists’ as something we wanted to climb (Jaime and Shell have climbed it before but the photos didn’t turn out last time so they always said they had to climb it again).

When we arrived it was closed due to being too windy and after speaking to a number of people we discovered that it doesn’t get opened very often. In fact one Ranger said that is only open about 60 times a year. Even though it was pretty warm when we arrived (about 30-32 degrees) we thought we make the most of the Rock being shut and do the 11km walk around the base of Uluru.

By the time we finished this walk we were hot and exhausted, we actually had to drown Cody and Aidan in water a couple of times during the walk to cool them off. Our issue, when we arrived back was that they had opened the Rock for climbing and although we were exhausted we knew this was most likely our only chance we would have to climb it so we went for it! (We found out afterwards they did not open it again during the time we were staying there)

It is a hard slog getting up that rock, - it is 348m up a slippery steep incline and then you have to “up and down” it across the top to reach the marker point. It is hard but we took our time and it was certainly worth it! We were not blessed with a clear sky, it was overcast and there was a lot of smoke haze but it was still a great view all the same.

By the time we reached the bottom our bodies were exhausted and we only had just enough energy to get back to the resort, set up camp, cooked a very basic dinner and climb into bed!

We enjoyed a rest day the next day, swimming in the pool and playing some giant chess games.

The following day we headed out to The Olgas and did the great ‘Valley of the Winds’ walk through them. This is a beautiful walk through the middle of the Olgas – in fact it is a much better walk than the one around the base of Uluru.

Before leaving the Uluru area, we paid a visit to the baby camels in the resort which had been orphaned after their parents were lost in road accidents.

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Up the Stuart Highway

There is not much to see heading up the Stuart Highway, so Aidan and Cody used the time to practice some 4 and 8 strand plaits that Jaime had taught them – they plan to plait themselves a dog leash for the pup they want to buy when we get home.

Cody practising the 8 strand plait he had just learnt

Back into the Northern Territory!

We once again crossed over into Northern Territory and from then we had our eyes peeled as we heard that the 2011 World Solar Challenge cars were headed our way down the Stuart Highway. We were lucky enough to see the 3 leading cars before we had to turn off to head towards Uluru. In first were the Japs, whose support cars were very excited and friendly as they drove past. They were followed by the Dutch, who we got a great laugh out of as we found the UHF channel they were communicating on and we eves dropped on their conversations – not being able to understand a word except that they would throw in a couple of English words - “road train”, “Roger” and “over”. In third was the US and apparently one of the Aussie cars was in 4^th or 5^th, but we didn’t get to see them.

The Japanese Solar Car

The Dutch solar car

The American Solar car

We headed part way along the road to Uluru and found a roadside rest area to camp the night so we could head to the rock fresh the next morning.

Coober Pedy

Coober Pedy - there is no way we would want to live here, and a lot of people we have spoken to have said when they drove into this town all they wanted to do was turn around and drive straight back out again. We understand their thoughts but we find it a fascinating place as it is like no other!

Looking across the footy oval in Coober Pedy at both above and underground homes

Coober Pedy is an opal mining town and they only get on average 5 inches of rain a year. The few trees in town are only there because the locals have drilled a hole in the ground, brought in some top spoil to put in the hole with the tree and spent all year every year watering them. It is dusty and dirty, there is not a blade of grass anywhere and most of the town live underground. The only water there is to drink is desalinated water – actually this tasted better than water we have drunk in a lot of other towns around Australia!! The surrounding countryside is barren and there are mounds of dirt everywhere which are the waste dirt piled up from the local’s underground mines.

Inside the underground Church

While in Coober Pedy we went and looked in the underground Motel and the underground Church – Aidan and Cody both thought it would be cool if their school church was built like this one. We also did a tour through the Old Timer’s Mine and got to see what it is like inside a mine and how they mine for Opal both now and in the old days. While on this tour we were also able to go through an old underground house to see what it is like to live underground.

Aidan in the underground mine

Jaime and boys in bathroom of underground house

Aidan and Cody also did some noodling which is where you look through scrap heaps of dirt to see if you can find Opal. They found quite a few little pieces of opal and were lucky enough to find a really nice piece on a larger rock which we got polished up to really show it off.

Cody and Aidan noodling for opal

The boys watching their piece of opal being polished (underground)

At the caravan park we enjoyed some games of giant chess and were lucky enough to get a ride on a super cool Trike which was owned by another camper. Funny enough, we actually met this guy in Hell’s Gate Qld, he was part of the car rally which came through while we were there

The boys having a game of chess (the frizbee and bottle are replacing missing pieces)

Aidan on the Trike with owner

Jaime taking Cody for a ride

On the way out of Coober Pedy we went and to see the Dog Fence, the Moon Plain and the Breakaways.

Aidan and Cody at the dog fence

The dog fence is the longest structure in the world stretching from Qld to Ceduna SA as was built to keep the dingos out of the sheep grazing country.

Looking out over the moon plain

The Moon Plains are just desolate plains while the Breakaways are very similar, difference being they are colourful rock formations. They were stunning.

Out in the Breakaways