Woke up (by Paul at 6.30 again, I'm thinking that while I drive he
sleeps and thats where all this excess drive comes from), watched the
sunrise, had breakfast while watching the (what appeared to be)
seagulls bathing themselves in the lake. Flying along the road by
7.30. Its strange that the earth often varies in colour from white to
yellow to ochre and back again all within 200m. We reached Williams
Creek around 9.30 am, spent 20 minutes looking around and then drove
off for Oonadatta. The dirt roads are in reasonable condition but
there are a endless floodway crossings over the road. These dips are
sometimes minor requiring no drop in speed, but sometimes they appear
small from a distance and then wham, the suspension is pushed to it's
limits and you are jarred right through.
The Oonadatta track that we were driving on follows the old Ghan
railway. We drove through varying terrains along the way; moon like
landscapes either red or grey, littered with small rocks. Sometimes we
would drive down through sandy creek beds and smell the sweet, almost
fetid smell of some bush that was blooming anywhere near water. At one
point we took a detour to an old telegraph repeater station where
previously a natural spring rose up from the Great Artisian Basin. Far
from being a paradise in the desert, the spring had dissolved salts in
it and the ground around the telegraph outpost is spotched with white
dried salt.
We made decent time driving and arrived in oonadatta at around 3.
Again a quick look around (the usual pub, convenience store and
mechanic) and then onto the road that takes you back to the Stuart
Hwy. Along the way we passed the painted dessert, an area od
colourful hills varying in shades of red white or grey. We watched the
sun set but as the dunes are on private land no camping is allowed.
Instead we drove a little bit further to a homestead that has camping
and hot showers for $20. Everything in the truck including us has been
coated with red dust, no idea where it is getting into the car but it
is.
Another late blog but no internet, no surprising because we are smack
bang in the middle of no where.
sleeps and thats where all this excess drive comes from), watched the
sunrise, had breakfast while watching the (what appeared to be)
seagulls bathing themselves in the lake. Flying along the road by
7.30. Its strange that the earth often varies in colour from white to
yellow to ochre and back again all within 200m. We reached Williams
Creek around 9.30 am, spent 20 minutes looking around and then drove
off for Oonadatta. The dirt roads are in reasonable condition but
there are a endless floodway crossings over the road. These dips are
sometimes minor requiring no drop in speed, but sometimes they appear
small from a distance and then wham, the suspension is pushed to it's
limits and you are jarred right through.
The Oonadatta track that we were driving on follows the old Ghan
railway. We drove through varying terrains along the way; moon like
landscapes either red or grey, littered with small rocks. Sometimes we
would drive down through sandy creek beds and smell the sweet, almost
fetid smell of some bush that was blooming anywhere near water. At one
point we took a detour to an old telegraph repeater station where
previously a natural spring rose up from the Great Artisian Basin. Far
from being a paradise in the desert, the spring had dissolved salts in
it and the ground around the telegraph outpost is spotched with white
dried salt.
We made decent time driving and arrived in oonadatta at around 3.
Again a quick look around (the usual pub, convenience store and
mechanic) and then onto the road that takes you back to the Stuart
Hwy. Along the way we passed the painted dessert, an area od
colourful hills varying in shades of red white or grey. We watched the
sun set but as the dunes are on private land no camping is allowed.
Instead we drove a little bit further to a homestead that has camping
and hot showers for $20. Everything in the truck including us has been
coated with red dust, no idea where it is getting into the car but it
is.
Another late blog but no internet, no surprising because we are smack
bang in the middle of no where.
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