June 8th & 9th, 2011- Pimba SA (Spud's Roadhouse)

Wednesday June 8th saw us on the road again starting our trip north on the Stuart Highway. As of now all six of us are entering uncharted waters (or sand). We arrived at Spud's Roadhouse in the morning at Pimba (near Woomera). Free camping site with Toilet blocks and showers (fee applicable). Very populat site that we would estimate about 20 caravans each night. Has a Roadhouse with restaurant and petrol. Busy, busy place. We were setup early so had a quick lunch and headed into Woomera to explore. Former military community and looks it. We toured two museums, one older with many historic artifacts, and the second at the Tourist Info with a modern display of rocket history and Woomera history in a second display area. The Tourist info one is much more interactive with video and audio support for very modern displays. I found it very informative and interesting!

Thursday morning we left the caravans at the roadhouse and took a day trip out to tour Roxby Downs and Andamooka. We bypassed Roxby Downs and drove the 110KM out to Andamooka first. Well what an experience! We have pictures but it has to be seen in person to really understand. Suffice it to say if I ever want to leave Sandra I will just tell her we're moving there. The strangest thing is that the abandoned historic cottage displays are pretty much as good as any of the current housing in the town. Take a note of the dunny locations (apparently they didn't understand the basic rule that S*%t runs downhill). We also met a few interesting characters in our short visit. We didn't stay for lunch and moved on to Roxby Downs.

 Well talk about the complete opposite 30Km apart. Roxby Downs is a purpose  built by BHP in 1980 to support the Olympic Dam Mine. Everything is new, tidy, and well organized. We had a lovely lunch at Chives where Carol & Sandra were able to find a beautiful gluten free pasta. The rest of us enjoyed an all you can eat pizza and pasta buffet. Very nice! We travelled back to Spud's from there and enjoyed dinner with an early night. Beautiful sunsets both nights while there.

June 5th-7th, 2011- Port Augusta- Big 4 Caravan Park

Sunday June 5th saw us make the short trip from Hawker to Port Augusta. We stopped for morning tea at Quorn which is a lovely old railway town. Had a steam engine which ran for tourist out to the old wool sheds which we were lucky enough to see. Carried on to Port Augusta arriving at Big 4 just before lunch time. The park is beautifully clean with all possible facilities. A bit on the expensive side ($36/night before Big 4 membership discount) but probably still good value for money. Had some lunch then ventured into town to do some shopping. Rans and I went to the Bottle Shops and then for a beer in the Pub while Sandra, Carol, and Di went to Woolies. Well I think Woolies probably set a sales records for the day with the girls stocking up for our big trip north across the outback. They swore they wouldn't need to shop again until they reached Darwin which I was happy to take a wager against. I think they have already been back to pick up a few necessities.

Monday morning we went to the Port Augusta Wandlata Outback Centre. Very informative with lots of audio and video interactive displays. We spent about 3 hours there but you could spend a lot longer. Good for all ages with history about the Aboriginal culture, European settlement and exploration, and the geological history and fauna of the area. As you can see from the attached photos we all got into the action parts like a bunch of kids. Actually, most of the other kids we saw were much beter behaved. Thanks Al Pierson for the suggestion. After some lunch Sandra and I went back downtown to do some shopping and explore. Our camera has started to give us some problems for some reason so we were researching some replacement options.

Tuesday morning Sandra, Di, and I took a Cruise of the harbour and up the channel as far as you can go on high tide. Again it was well worth the money as the guide, Aaron was very informative and the scenery and the dolphins were beautiful. As usual Sandra and I got some wonderful photos which I have added to our web album. Our camera is being quite tempermental so we have used Carol's as well as ours on our last few excursions. 

The afternoon is sort of a catch up day for me with the Blog and Sandra with laundry before we set off north tomorrow morning. Sandra gave both Carol and Di a touch up with hair colour after lunch to hide some of the grey! The girls have gone for a walk through the Botanical Gardens this afternoon; probably to see if the new colour works on the local male population. Given the nature of the local population I would wager they might get lucky! They aren't back yet if that is any indication. All in all Port Augusta is a rather interesting place although it would appear that there is a high crime rate with a number of security warnings posted at the caravan park. Our next stops will be Woomera and Coober Pedy. North we go!!

May 30th- June 4th, 2011- Flinders Ranges near Hawker

Well it's been a while since my last post. I have been keeping up with the photos so keen followers may have seen what we have been up to. We spent 6 nights in the Hawker area; 3 at the Flinders Ranges Caravan Park in Hawker and 3 at a free rest stop near Hokina River (20KM North of Hawker). Caravan park was full amenities and very clean although the sites were quite close together. Had a nice group fire area and camp kitchen. We arrived early on May 30th with only a short drive from Peterborough through Orroroo which was a lovely small town with a number of beautiful old buildings. The scenery along the way was beautiful as we started seeing the Flinders from a distance. The landscape reminded us very much of the drive west of Calgary to the Rocky Mountains in Canada. Long flat plains with first rolling hills and then larger mountains in the background.
Later in the afternoon after getting setup Sandra, Di, and I drove and walked up to Jarvis Lookout near Hawker. Short walk but rough and steep. Di didn't quite make it to the top but the view was spectacular.

Tuesday May 31st saw the six of us go for a drive into the Flinders National Park. What a beautiful part of Australia! This area is a definite no miss on any trip around Australia. We have taken hundreds of pictures which you can find in our linked photo album. We could have taken hundreds more if we had stayed longer as you just can't get enough of the sites you will see. Although there are many nice photos they really don't do justice to the real thing. For anyone that hasn't been there do yourself a favour and make the journey some day. We had numerous photo stops but our first major stop was Wilpena Pound. Sandra and I did a 9 KM walk to the Wangara Lookout (others went as far as the homestead) . We then continued on North in the park and took the Bunyeroo Gorge which led onto the Brachina Gorge which eventually led  back to the highway which runs north to Maree. The Gorge road were about 50KM of dirt track preferably with 4WD and are spectacular. Would be one of my highlights of our week there. I will attach a few pictures but you really have to drive it to fully appreciate. Canyons, river bed crossings, Huge trees, Wildlife and so many beautiful colours!
We completed the Gorge drive and travelled approximately 80KM back to Hawker. Late afternoon after a long but great day. Had a few drinks around fire and retired early. Other four of our group were checking out in the morning to go to free camp but we were staying as we had a special flight booked for Wednesday.

Wednesday morning saw Sandra and I on a bush plane which flew over the Flinders Ranges including Wilpena Pound then north over Lindhurst, Leigh Creek (and huge coal mine) and Maree. We then continued north over the corner of Lake Eyre South and to the middle of Lake Eyre North. From there we proceeded west to Anna Station the world's largest station and landed at the historic Williams Creek. We had lunch at the famous Pub (Check out the Burger below) before boarding the plane and returning to Hawker over Lake Torrens, Roxby Downs and the Flinders again. This trip was quite costly but is unbelievable. I have attached a number of photos but just sum it up with WOW!!! So many different landscapes and colors in such a relatively small area. This is one excursion that is a must do if you ever win lottery. I can't even say which part is my favorite although Lake Torrens and the Wilpena Pound were amazing from the air. Outback colours are probably the biggest surprise and also a definite hightlight. We didn't return to campground till 4pm and had a nice quiet dinner and night by ourselves.

Thursday morning we travelled the 20 KM north to join the rest of our group at Hokina Rest Stop. Beautiful free camp spot. No facilities but wonderfully quiet and near river bed and a numer of homestead ruins and cemetary. We enjoyed some great campfires, wonderul meals, and beautiful sunsets in the 3 nights we spent there. On the Thurday we set up camp and Di joined us for some more sightseeing for the rest of morning and afternoon. We journeyed North along Highway to Parachilna then East along dirt roads to Blinman. We took a 4WD track via the Glass Gorge to get part of the way. Great drive with more great scenery. Enjoyed a quick picnic lunch in Blinman which is a quaint old town before jouneying South to Flinders National Park again. Beautiful old buildings along the way. Highlight of this section was the Great Wall of China lookout. Incredible! We then turned West again to complete part of Brachina Gorge that we hadn't completed on our first day of touring. Some of the Gorge was a repeat but it is an incredible drive that can be enjoyed over and over again. We had numerous stops to take pictures of trees, rock formations, homestead ruins, and wildlife. Lots of Emus, Kangaroos, Wallabys, and birds. Highlights of our trip were the endangered Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby and some beautiful Wedge Tail Eagles. We arrived home late and just in time for a baked dinner (camp ovens) prepared beautifully by Carol, Stephen, and Terry.

Friday morning Sandra and I joined Stephen and Carol on a drive through another scenic area. We proceeded East along Moralana Road for 28KM which joins with Flinders Range road near Wilpena Pound. Another beautiful drive with lots of scenery and wildlife. Had a break at Wilpena Pound before taking dirt road into Sacred Canyon (13KM) Short walk into Canyon was well worth the effort . A number of Aboriginal Carvings in wall of Canyon and wonderful rock formations and colours. From there we journeyed South to Hawker for afternoon break and internet access before returning to campsite in late afternoon. Another wonderful day.

Saturday saw us enjoy a quiet relaxing day around the campsite preparing for the next leg of our journey. Sandra and I enjoyed a walk to the cemetary in the morning and a short walk along the river bed in the afternoon where we saw some remnants of the original Ghan Railroad. Had another lovely dinner and a good night around the campfire getting rid of the rest of our collected firewood. Tomorrow morning we are off to Port Augusta. Cheers!