Oodnadatta and Beyond.

We were up before the break of dawn getting ready for our flight - I must say in the outback sunrises are every bit as beautiful as sun sets, often with reds, oranges and pinks. We got to the airport just before 8. And in a few minutes our pilot, another couple and ourselves were in the plane ready to go.  We each got a window seat and before we knew it, were in the sky.  We flew over Cooper Creek, Lake Eyre North and Lake Eyre South. In total we were in the air for two and a half hours. During this time we saw sand dunes, birds, water and great bodies of land. It really was a majestic experience. Eventually we came back down to earth and once again returned to Marree.

We then packed up, said our goodbyes and began our adventure along the Oodnadatta Track. The road was surprisingly not too rough, granted is was dirt and in occasions mud, but mostly it was fairly smooth. We stopped at the dingo fence (our first of many times crossing this mighty work of man) and then stopped at Lake Eyre South.  We could see that several other people had trekked down to the lake, so decided to try the walk ourselves. Eventually the sand/mud/salt/sludge mix was just too much, we got very close to the water, but did not touch it for risk of being stuck there for a very long time! We returned to the safety of our camper and began making our lunch. I should mention that at Port Augusta we stocked up with enough food for a month, now that we only had a week to get to Alice Springs we decided it was time to eat like kings, instead of wasting all of our food. We met another young couple at the Lake, we had spotted them at Marree and had said hellos, but this time we asked where they were heading and vice versa. We knew we wanted to stay at Coward Springs that night and somehow managed to talk them into the idea as well. So we left the Lake and headed onto Coward Springs. We had been told the campsite housed springs that were constantly at 36 degrees (this water came from the great artesian basin). We set up camp, checked out the facilities and then our new besties rocked up. Travelling in a Pajero with a bed in the back and kite surfing gear that had to be moved in order to sit/sleep in the car (nb kite surfing gear is not suitable for the outback), Mona from Germany and Ryan from Scotland were some interesting characters. We all went for a dip in the springs, which actually turned out to be a weird little hottub like setup. Eventually it was time for happy hour and tea so we all retreated back to camp. That night we all sat around a campfire, sharing stories – it was superb. Mona and Ryan were heading to Coober Pedy, something about the town was calling to them. Originally Michael and I were going to continue on the track to Oodnadatta but with time short, the potential of having some great times with our new mates and unique character of Coober Pedy calling we changed our travel plans (after talking to another couple a few days later we found out we didn’t miss much but a few corrugations and the chance to hire a canoe – except there was no water around – outback humour at its best).

Rubbish!

So in the morning  we left Coward Springs convoying all the way to William Creek. Of course there was a few stop offs along the way to check out rubbish littering the side of the highway – cars not as prepared as our Hulky. William Creek was an interesting town, with a population of 12, a pub, airstrip and the first ever solar powered public telephone. The pub was wall to wall in reverse souvenirs (tourists are allowed to staple pretty much anything to the walls or ceiling such as business cards, towels and photos – Michaels favourite was a shredded tyre left by an Irish tourist – typical). After William Creek we left the Oodnadatta Track and headed west toward Coober Pedy. Almost instantly the road conditions worsened, however were by no means bad for a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. We continued along William Creek Track until we reached a little turn off which we thought might take us to our resting place for the evening – Lake Cadibarrawirracanna. If you had to sound that name out a couple of times its fair enough,  considering it is the longest place name in Australia. The wind here destroyed the beautiful setting of the lake as a campsite, however it was a beautiful stop off – complete with a wedge tail eagle sighting. So we took to the roads again, looking for a place more sheltered. We did this for 50kms or so until all four of us decided to just continue onto Coober Pedy where the camps book promised a nice rest area. We spent the night at Hutcheson’s Memorial, a large rest area with some trees to shelter behind. We all sat around a campfire and once more shared stories and food.

Our set up near Coober Pedy

The next morning we all headed into town. Coober Pedy is really a place like no other. Half of the houses in town are underground, and the rest look like they’re straight out of the seventies. We looked in several opal shops and then went looking for a café for some coffee. We ended up finding an underground café that hadn’t been open in 5 years, but was willing to make us a cappuccino for a couple of dollars. We were very happy with that. Feeling reenergised, we decided to try our luck at noodling. Noodling is a method of mining for opal in left over mounds from mining excavation, without the use of tools. The odd few are known to make a bit of cash from the venture, however it is predominantly just another drawcard of the town and a bit of family fun. All members of our party decided to try they're luck,  at first this was a casual peruse through the rocks, but by the end I think everyone had caught opal fever as sticks, rocks and even an axe were used to try and uncover some opal.  Eventually it was time to give up and head for an underground tour. The tour began in an underground cinema, then took us into some underground houses, an old mine and eventually into an opal shop complete with a historical museum.  After the tour Michael and I were pretty beat so headed back to the previous night’s rest area for tea. Mona and Ryan stayed in town pursuing a potential job prospect. That night they returned and we all sat in the camper chatting away.

At the underground cafe!

The next morning Michael and I decided we should head on, considering our flights were in a few days. We said our goodbyes and travelled northwards. We stopped via the Breakaways and then drove for a very long time into nothing. Since there are no other tourist attractions along this stretch of highway, the next thing to mention is our stop off, being a rest area, and luckily one of the better on offer (we did, of course stop in at almost all along the way to compare and be choosy). Agnes Creek provided shady gums, red dust galore, the sound of the odd road train, but also the incessant noise of a generator. There was also some Norah Jones tunes belted out by a nearby hippie as she strolled through the campground.

The next day was boring. We crossed the border into the Northern Territory. I found some much needed distance from Michael ( a whole state!) then continued to jump to and from SA/NT. Stopped in at Kulgera for a quick look around, but luckily not a diesel top up, with it costing $2.10/L. We chose to stay at the closest rest area to Alice Springs, which also happened to be the smallest and most crowded of the lot. Luckily we were there in time to secure a position next to the fireplace, however being right on the highway meant no break in the noise of trucks, and also a large presence of four wheel drives towing motorbikes and quads, as we had managed to stumble into Alice on the busiest weekend of the year – the Finke Desert Race.

We arose early the next morning, eager to see our new home town. Our first destination was Alice Springs tourist information centre to ask about accommodation, but to get into town meant driving through thousands of budgies! Yup budgies! Apparently there are swarms of them in the Northern Territory, and they love nothing more than to fly back and forth across the main highway. Somehow I managed to not hit one – well there wasn’t one in the grill when we next pulled up – and sooner than we thought we’d reached civilisation of sorts. Alice Springs. There’s no other town quite like it. When you drive into town there are a lot of gum trees, red dirt and of course the beautiful McDonnell Ranges. Town is actually a lot larger than we thought and nowadays Alice houses a Coles, Kmart and Target – so everything we’ll need. We got to the info centre only to confirm what we had previously thought – town was filling up quick due to the race and we had better search for somewhere to stay fast! We ended up at the HeaviTree Gap caravan park, getting one of the last spots. We went into town then returned in time to cook tea. I managed to overhear someone mention some skippies out the back and before Michael knew what hit him, we were out the back of the park hand feeding black footed rock wallabies. They were ridiculously sweet and were quite happy to eat out of your hand, hop on your lap and be patted. That night we packed our bags ready for our flight the next day.

We flew back to the coast around lunch time and were greeted by Mum and Dad at the airport in Sydney. I think it’s worth noting that this was the first time in a long time that Michael and I had flown with an airline that cost more than 40 dollars to fly on, so when we received complimentary food, drinks and watched an in flight movie we were pretty impressed.  Saturday night we were home for the first time in a couple of months, it was nice to eat dinner inside in the warm, surreal compared with what we’ve been used to though. And that is the week that was epic travel.

Lesson of the week: Budgies are dumb.