By:   Dennis & Joan Thornton

In early March 2007 we travelled to outback South Australia visiting Coober Pedy, William Creek, Marree, Arkaroola and Hawker.   We also spent some time on the Yorke Peninsula.   With the SA day & night temperatures exceeding the 10 year averages by a further 10 degrees C, we sweltered in temperatures exceeding 40 degrees C with one night in Coober Pedy registering a staggering 43.2 degrees C at 8pm.   According to the SA Bureau of Meteorology the March averages are minimum 16.4 and maximum 29.9 degrees C.

Leaving Canberra our main concerns were the tropical cyclones in WA, however it got stinking hot, and the bush flies loved us.   Prior to the trip we spent an enjoyable weekend with our ACT Region A'vanner colleagues at Eden.

Week One - Monday 5th - Sunday 11th

After leaving Eden we soon drove through the beautiful Bega Valley and then into heavy fog as we approached Brown Mountain.   We stopped briefly at Tumut before staying over-night at Wagga Wagga.  As the tyres on our A'van were the 'originals', (7 years old, 50,000kms & no maintenance or punctures), we decided to have them replaced for the rough conditions on the Oodnadatta Track.   At Hay, new Kumo tyres were fitted.   We finally stopped at the Family Parks Australia CP at Buronga, NSW.   Our next overnight stop was at the Big4, Port Augusta.   This is a secure park with good facilities.   Since leaving Wagga Wagga it has been very hot driving, so we decided to stay for two days and have a rest.   Considerable waterfront development (Wharfplaza) has occurred in Port Augusta that has attracted the supermarket chains & specialty shops.   Weather reports indicate that Coober Pedy will be 37 degrees C tomorrow.

We left Port Augusta early arriving at Woomera at 8.45am.   The place was deserted.   We pushed onto Glenambo for morning tea & were impressed with their inside electronic sensor operated rubbish bin.

Located on the Stuart Highway and junction to town

At the Big4 caravan park at Coober Pedy we had our own en-suite ($28.50 per night).   We have been to Coober Pedy before, in the cooler months of May & June with somewhat fewer flies.   We have seen all of the attractions around this town and knew where to find the coolest place – underground.   First night was hottest to date ever spent in the A'van.   Temperature did not drop below 33 degrees C until 5am when it dropped to 27 degrees C.   Because of water shortages no reticulated water is available to any sites.   Washing up is done at the outside troughs and only two bottles of water can be filled for personal use, with no filling of water tanks.   Expected temperature today is 41 degrees C.   Primarily to escape the heat we visited the Desert Cave underground gallery & museum.   Upon leaving the complex you are immediately hit with this hot air straight out of a blast furnace with the inside of the 4WD unbelievably stifling until the air-conditioning kicks in.   All external surfaces of the A'van are very hot to touch making entering very awkward whilst surfaces in the van are the same.   As we left for our 6pm Breakaways Sunset tour we noted two young girls in bikini's lounging on their chairs.   Nothing out of character there except that you could not see their faces, they both had the full fly nets on.   At 8pm the outside temperature of the air-conditioned 4WD was 43.2 degrees C

Desolation of Cooper Pedy

Our trip to William Creek took about two & half hours to cover the 166kms of road surfaces varying between dirt, baked mud, gravel, sand & stones.

William Creek Hotel - Oodnadatta Track

Upon arrival at the William Creek Hotel my first goal was to try and find my old driving licence that I had stapled to the roof of the Pub back in 1992.   In the intervening years this place has had many visitors.   There is every conceivable identification card known to man (and women) on the ceiling, many from overseas & especially Japanese students.   Try as I did I could not find my old licence.   The roof now also has caps, undies, bras, shirts, number plates and beer stubbies.   I made the supreme sacrifice and donated my 'ARB' cap to the ceiling of the pub with a monetary contribution to the RFDS.

Supreme sacrifice of my ARB hat & donation to RFDS

Traveler's told us that there was no water at Coward Springs & 'watch out for the red flags' - these are extremely bad washaways which can do severe damage to your vehicle and/or caravan.   We decided to push onto Marree - another 202kms of corrugations, washaways & dust.

Our first stop along the Oodnadatta Track after leaving the saltbush flats and the Irrapatanna Sandhills of William Creek was Strangeways, a former telegraph station.   It was poorly sign-posted necessitating a six point turn in the bush with the A'van in tow.   Many of the old stone buildings were in different stages of crumbling away.   Only one building remained defiant & intact (with the exception of the roof), primarily because it did not have any visual means of entry - very strange.

We also stopped at the Beresford Dam & railway sidings.   Here is a large water hole attracting cockatoo's & corellas.   Nearby are railway facilities including a well-preserved brick Waiting Room illustrating the pioneers of the area, a massive water tank, pumping facilities, parts of the old Ghan railway track and a dam wall.   On our travels south we noted similar structures at Coward Springs, Curdumurka & Wargenna.   We came across many 'red flag' crossings and we think that after one of these a stone bounced off the A'van and shattered the small back window of the 4WD.   It was at Alberrie Creek that we came across weird structures in the desert.

South end of Oodnadatta Track, just north of Marree

Ones that really stood out were an old bus that had been placed on a railway bridge between two earthen-banks.   It was called a hover bus.   In another instance two light aircraft were upended on their tails with their noses pointing to the sky.

Inverted twin aircraft, Alberrie Creek

It was late in the day when we finally arrived on the short bit of bitumen, called Marree.   It was still about 38 degrees C and it was no help to find out that the cold water in the shower facility was hotter than outside.   The shower floor was so rusted out that the water escaped down the inside walls rather than the center drain hole.

Birdsville-Marree Royal Mail truck made famous by E G Kruse
(outside the historic Marree Hotel)

Week Two - Monday 12th - Sunday 18th

It's a Public Holiday in SA (Adelaide Cup) .   Awoke to find out that the left hand rear tyre was 'in the red'- in fact it was 20psi.   About 9.30am we left the caravan park, called into the garage to get the puncture fixed & then started driving around Marree taking photographs.   We got a bit disorientated trying to find the right 'track' out of town & sought information.   This delay ended up being very fortunate because as we moved off Joan said there was a strange noise coming from the wheel that I had just replaced.   Upon investigation I found the tyre tread was starting to lift on one edge.   Back to the garage where the guy had just repaired my Cooper tyre (nail puncture).   It was now 11.30am as we headed out of town, and away from the bitumen, along the rough unmade road towards Lyndhurst.

About 40kms down the track we came across a signpost directing us down a rough track to the historic town of Farina.  For us, this was a great deviation as this town had many old sandstone buildings, railway homes and pubs in various stages of collapse.

Desertscape - Farina,   South of Marree

Former pub - Farina

The flies continued to bombard us throughout our travels and they seem to know when we had both hands occupied, like taking photographs, as they got in your eyes, ears, nose & mouth.   One hour later we are now on bitumen as we approach Leigh Creek, a company town mainly existing for the welfare of the nearby coal mining industry.

Arriving on the wrong day, (fresh food and supplies only come once a week from Adelaide, and for this week delayed until Tuesday) we only found the Mobil service station cum general store and the pub open.   The shower block is on a communal basis so everyone checks out the other before and after showering.   We were fortunate to have the facility to ourselves when we had separate showers.   Noticeably cool night with a noisy generator running all night.   We returned to Copley and then took the turnoff to Arkaroola.   Within 200 metres it was back to an unmade road.   The road quickly deteriorated to corrugations and loose gravel as we tried to maintain a speed of 80kmph.   There were many dips in the road with loose screed and it was necessary to watch for sharp stones.   There was very little traffic and when necessary I slowed down and pulled to the left for approaching and passing vehicles.

At about 70kms down the track this was my undoing as I pulled over for a passing car when a sharp stone punctured the wall of the recently mended Cooper AT tyre on the rear passenger side of the 4WD.   There was a resounding loud noise as the 4WD and A'van came to a lurching halt.   The tyre was completely shredded and the 4WD was resting on its rim.

Nice day for a picnic   -   blowout on the way to Arkaroola

I had to use the trolley jack as I couldn't detach the A'van or get the jockey wheel into position and I needed to lift the 4WD & partial weight of the A'van.   I tried levering off what was left of the old tyre carcass around the rim, but to no avail.   I was debating putting it on the roof when an Aboriginal Ranger from the Balcanoona National Parks Headquarters pulled up to offer assistance.   He offered to take it to his HQ (about 30kms from Arkaroola) and would arrange for someone to drop it off to the Arkaroola garage within the next 24 hours.   He also advised me to keep the speed to 60kmph and remain at 40psi.   He uses Coopers but has a different side ply rating (8ply) and upon investigation mine are only 2ply - there is a lesson there.   It was at a slower pace that we eventually found ourselves arriving at Arkaroola later in the day.   We were hoping to do the observatory tours but cloud, (mainly from cyclones in WA), blurred the night sky.

Another hot night with no breeze.   We left at 7.45am for the Ridgetop tour.   The outside seating runs parallel with the road in the Toyota Landcruiser and the safety belts were definitely needed.   It is very hard to describe the bone-jarring, dusty ride other than to say it was very exciting, with very beautiful countryside and magnificent backdrops of the Northern Flinders Ranges.   Our tour guide (Wayne) knew everything about this area including the ongoing exploration and drilling for uranium.

Our first stop was at Coulthards Lookout that gave us views back towards Arkaroola village and the surrounding ranges.   As we traveled on this trip we were constantly going from one valley to the next, not at base level, but rather up and down the valley and along razorback ridges and across the peaks.   These climbs and descents were quite adrenaline pumping and obviously left to the experts.   The approach to Stillers Lookout is quite scary with a very steep approach gradient and loose stones underfoot.   Whilst we were enjoying the stunning views Wayne proceeded to hand out a snack of coffee, tea & lamingtons.   From this point it was possible to see Lake Frome about 25kms away.   The return trip was just as exciting with the 4WD going up & down very steep gradients.   I took considerable amount of blurred video out the back bouncing along the track with the sound track hopefully being the highlight of the trip.   Wayne was telling stories of 'imported' daredevil stunt drivers hired for car commercials freaking out driving along the track.

Stillers Lookout   -   One of the five 'must visit' sites in Australia   -   Arkaroola

We returned at 1pm to find that our rim had been delivered and I took the opportunity to rearrange my tyres.   At the office we booked ourselves on tomorrow afternoon tour of the Echo Camp Backtrack and Stubbs Waterhole.   Again cloudy skies meant no astronomy observations tours tonight either.   Being mobile again we went for a few short drives, first to The Pinnacles and then Bollabolana Springs about 15kms away.   This was supposedly a 2WD track that quickly deteriorated to 4WD.   We returned to base just in time to clean up and have a dinner meal (aged beef) at the Arkaroola Restaurant.   It was delicious.   Due to an oversight my VISA account stated $1.45 instead of $31.45.

Another very warm night and little sleep.   In the morning we took a drive out to an area called Welcome Mine passing on the way the Ochre Wall, Livelys Gold Mine, the Jasper Twins and the remains of the uranium Welcome Mine.   At 3pm we went with the same tour guide on the Echo Camp Backtrack & Stubbs Waterhole tour.   This tour was different in that it followed the creek beds throughout the Gammon Ranges and allowed views of various types of vegetation, trees and rock formations.   Like the Ridgetop tour this trip was mostly in 4WD and hard on the backside.   The fact that the astronomy observation tours have not been available is a major disappointment for Joan who was especially looking forward to this part of Arkaroola.

What a bloody hot night - mid 30's all night and neither of us really slept.   After an uneventful drive we arrived at Leigh Creek about 11.30am.   It was still warm as we drove the short distance to Parachilna, primarily a pub that sold petrol, a caravan park and was close to the turnoff to Blinman.   We reckon the A'van needed a rest - the hanging rack above the sink had come adrift and was on the floor.   We called into the pub for fuel, liquid refreshments and booked a dinner reservation.   The flies were so bad that the guy that topped up our fuel tank came out with a pink covered fly net over his head.   Apparently they get busloads of backpackers overnight six days a week, but not Fridays - lucky us.   With the flies still pestering we took a leisurely drive to Blinman stopping at the Old Schoolhouse, (now a gallery and café) for tea & scones.

We did a quick tour of the main street, about 10 historical buildings before going to the General Store and getting the key for the old historic copper mine.   The walk also includes an underground passageway (hence the key for the locked gate, with time-delayed lights).   Most workings above ground such as buildings and equipment were gone and the mineshafts well fenced off.

Returning to Parachilna we opted for the longer scenic route via Glass Gorge.   This was very beautiful with a lot of driving actually across or in creek beds.   Just as we were approaching the main highway we came across a young man trying to get a locking wheel nut off his Landcruiser.   He had been there over 2 hours and said he had swallowed 6 flies.   Dragging out my toolbox we first started with the shifters but to no avail.   It was only when he used my old stiltsons was he able to get the nut finally off.   He was very appreciative and was soon on the road to Port Augusta, his weekend home base.   I noted that just across the road was the Parachilna pub.   Taking to locals later whilst we were waiting for our meal I mentioned the incident and they reckon the guy was too embarrassed to come across as more than likely he would have been one of their 'regulars' - but not today.   Later the publican called us all out to the front porch of the pub to see a beautiful sunset.   Because of its isolation and lack of facilities the area has NO DOGS, NO KIDS, but plenty of flies.

Cooler and noisier night.   The Leigh Creek to Port Augusta coal rail track is next to the caravan park and a full load of coal for the Port Augusta power station travels down the track each night.   Arriving at Hawker we opted for the Flinders Ranges caravan park (just out of town) and was very glad we did.   This is a new park and leaves the one in town for dead.

After getting some supplies we visited the Jeff Morgan Gallery that included many of his paintings as well as the 30 metre Wilpena Panorama.   Other panorama works under way include Stillers Lookout at Arkaroola.   We took a few photographs from Jarvis Hill lookout before checking out the ancient Aboriginal ochre paintings at Yourambulla Caves.   This was quite a strenuous walk in the hot sun and then at the end it was necessary to climb steel ladders to access a viewing platform.   We only visited one site.   Returning to the main highway we drove across country to the hamlet of Cradock - primarily two old churches and one pub.   The painted sign on one of the churches - Saint Ceilia's - advertising 'murder mystery banquets' struck me as being rather odd.

Great night for sleeping - quiet with no interruptions from anywhere.   Left Hawker and did the 38kms Moralana Scenic Drive accessing it from the Wilpena Road.   In the early morning this was a beautiful and relaxing drive along a well-graded gravel road.   Halfway along we sidetracked to Black's Gap driving first along the crest of the hills before descending into the gorge and driving in dried up riverbeds.   We returned to the Wilpena Road and then shortly after stopped at the historic Woolsheds.

The resort at Wilpena has radically changed since we were last there with a very upmarket Visitor Information Centre with Internet access, shops, supermarket, café and souvenirs.   After the appropriate cappuccino fix we set off on the 6km return trip to the Wangatta Lookout that provides magnificent views of the natural amphitheatre of Wilpena Pound.   This lookout is regarded as a minimum-walking trip and on the way you pass the Hill family homestead.   The first 2kms is along a good gravel road, (there is a shuttle bus service), whereas the last 1km involves climbing the rocks.   The first lookout is reached quite quickly but the one at the pinnacle takes that just a little bit of extra effort.   The tracks are well defined but the rocks would be very slippery in wet weather.   It was 5.30pm before we returned to Hawker and then drove around the historic town taking photographs of The Ghan memorabilia.

Week three - MONDAY - 19th to Sunday 25th

Warm night, noisy park neighbors and intermittent rain.   Just outside Port Augusta the rain started to become very heavy with wind squalls as we proceeded along the main highway towards Port Pirie.   Upon arrival at the FPA caravan park the road was awash and flooded.   From the point of going through the boon gate to the time we pulled up on our drive through site we had gone through a number of puddles.   We stopped to hear the hissing noise of the new Kumo kerbside A'van tyre going down.   The rain is absolutely pouring down and we have no shelter whatsoever.   After much frustration and swearing I finally got the trolley jack out of the car without getting too much of the other stuff wet.   I had a 'Bunnings' poncho but this didn't stop me getting thoroughly soaked as I changed the tyre.   By the time we had finished we were both soaking wet - what a contrast - yesterday we were sweltering in the heat at Wilpena Pound.

After a hot shower and change of cloths we visited the local shops and a tyre dealer to get the tyre fixed.   Later that day we were speaking to our next-door neighbor who also got a puncture as they entered the park.   We can only assume the rain had washed down some sharp timber/metal object within the CP.   During our 2 day stay we visited the National Trust Museum in the former Port Pirie Railway Station.   It offers insights into the history of the city, to what was once the nation's busiest railway centre.   A really outstanding feature, except for the near vertical steep climb, is the lookout.   We also visited the Visitor Centre with its Regional Art Gallery and a historical presentation outlining all of the old ship wrecks in the area.   Radio news reports indicate that the wide spread rainfall has caused major flooding in some of the areas that we have just visited.

Another sleepless night with too much noise from trucks and the smelter, but we awoke to a nice sunny day.   Our intention was to drive down to Ardrossan on the Yorke Peninsula for an overnight stay.   We were actually driving across country on very skinny and bumpy roads.   For the first time ever in our travels we were unable to stay at an intended location as both of the Ardrossan caravan parks were booked out - 'the mullet are running' was the excuse.

Not wishing to travel further south we decided to cross the Yorke Peninsula from Ardrossan on the Gulf St Vincent through Maitland and then to Port Victoria on Spencer Gulf.   This caravan park was a Top Tourist and we got an elevated site overlooking the beach and the calm waters of the Gulf.   The Port Victoria facilities include a small general store, a couple of café's and the pub.   This is primarily a fishing destination.

A real cool night, nice sunset but unfortunately no clouds for that special effect.   We woke to the sound of noisy seagulls.   It was an uneventful drive to the Moonta Bay Top Tourist caravan park.   We could only get a site for 2 days as they were expecting a big caravan club at the weekend.   This site was right on the water and with a hop, step & jump you would be on the beach.   When the tide was in it was lapping the unprotected cliff face.   After lunch, and to be on the safe side we forward booked a caravan site at Wallaroo before going on the Moonta Heritage Trail tour of the copper mine.   The towns of Moonta, Kadina & Wallaroo are part of the historical copper triangle and we spent time in all of the respective museums - Moonta Copper Mining, Wallaroo Heritage & Nautical, & Kadina which has two Museums - Banking and Rural.   The Moonta Trail is well signposted and a number of the buildings are still well preserved rather than just plaques.

Following a very windy, hot and steamy night with a temperature of 31 degrees C at 4 am we briefly walked along the beach and the entire length of the jetty until driving to nearby Port Hughes to look at their marina and expensive housing development..   After lunch, in the pouring rain, we decided to visit the now open Mining Museum that previously was a school for the mining families.   It is a very large and substantive red brick building with many classrooms.   Each room displayed certain aspects of life in Moonta during the copper mining era such as mining displays, affects of WW1 & WW11 on the area, Friendly Societies and their assistance to wives and families, school activities, politics, clothing and even funeral arrangements.   Many early miners and settlers died in mines, epidemics, lack of water and harsh working and living conditions.

What a night - from steamy and noisy the night before to gale force winds and frequent bursts of driving rain.   As we lay in our beds we could not sleep because with the constant buffeting of the A'van we were apprehensive that the side wall locks would work loose.   Joan who's sleeping bed end was closer to the earthen bank sea wall, was also afraid that the bank would collapse by wave action and the A'van would end up in the drink.   It was not until about 4 am that the storm finally abated.   We left Moonta Bay at 9.45 am for the short 20-minute trip to Wallaroo, also on the coast.   This trip of 18kms is the shortest distance we have ever traveled between overnight stays.   It is a small park very close to the Sea Ferry terminus that runs from here to Lucky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula.   Upon arrival we were fortunate seeing the Sea Ferry berthing and took many photographs of the unloading and loading procedure.

Arrival of the Wallaroo - Lucky Bay sea ferry

Because it is not a drive on/drive off ferry all of the trailers & caravans had to be reversed onto the ship going down a sloping incline.   This reversing procedure caused a bit of consternation and confusion when different crewmembers gave conflicting advice to the poor person telling the driver which way to turn their steering wheel.

All rigs have to be reversed onto the ferry   -   not drive on/drive off

Nearby, and totally out of character for the area is a new multi million Copper Cove marina development with massive size houses, with their marina backyards and expensive yachts and cruisers.   This appears to be an 'over the top' development which seems out of place in this area, something you would expect along the Sunshine Coast in Queensland or along the Swan River, Perth in Western Australia.   Returning to town we spent considerable time at their first Post Office (1865) and now the Heritage and Nautical Museum.

Daylight Saving has finished for another year.   It was a very cold night but we have bright sunshine and an expected top temperature of 22 degrees C.   After breakfast we set out for the short 12km drive to Kadina.   This area has two museums - banking & rural.   Our first stop was the privately owned Banking and Currency Museum which is housed in the former bank built in 1873, and had recently featured on the ABC show 'Collectors'.

Banking Museum   -   Kadina

The building is full of banknotes, coins, cheques, bank records, money boxes, passbooks & other banking memorabilia from Australia and around the world.

Joan with Half a Million Dollars   -   wishful thinking

After a counter lunch at the Kadina Hotel we then traveled to the Kadina Museum & Tourist Centre called 'The Farm Shed'.   Again, a very informative and interesting museum.   In sequence the tour starts at Matta Matta House built in 1862 for the manager of the local mine and is furnished with period furniture and utensils.   Another major display relates to the social and living conditions for women and children in the harsh environment and the necessity that they also had to work the land.   Other displays related to farm tools, shearing, dairying, land clearing, dryland farming machinery etc, all related to the everyday life of the farming community.   Much of the transportation in this era related to horse drawn wagons.   There were also a number of tractors, vintage farm vehicles, and a 1938 Diamond J Fire Engine.   The schoolroom closed in 2000 and was relocated from Kulpara.   It has been renovated and refurbished as a 1950's schoolroom.   This 'Farm Shed' has been well set up and was very interesting, even Joan was impressed.

Week Four - MONDAY - 26th & return

We left Wallaroo at 7 am arriving in Clare at 8 am, before any shops/cafes were open.   We pushed on to Burra arriving at 9 am just in time for an early morning tea.   We then took the back road from Burra directly to Renmark bypassing the towns of Wakerie and Morgan.   At Renmark we decided to immediately push on to Mildura arriving at the Buronga (NSW) caravan park at 2 pm.   We had a nice campsite near the amenities.   After a short break it was off to the shopping complex - Centro Mildura.   Expected top temperature 33 degrees C.   Up again next morning at 7 am and after breakfast we proceeded to take photographs along the NSW side of the Murray River.   At 9 am it was back to Centro Mildura as we were now not so tired and shopped there until we went to Woodsies Gem Shop for more gifts and cappuccinos.   Arriving back at 3 pm we decided to drive along the Victorian side of the Murray River as far as Lock 11.   We arrived too late to see the paddle steamer going through the locks, but by sticking around a little longer we were rewarded with the spectacle of two houseboats going through the lock at the same time.   Everything along the river is nice and green.   It is another warm and steamy night, with no air.

Little sleep by either of us and we are both very fatigued.   Light rain is falling as we pack up.   We leave Buronga at 7 am arriving at Balranald about 9 am with light rain falling all the time.   We push onto Hay arriving at 11 am for a late morning tea with sun and hot weather.   With lunch at Narrandara we finally stopped at Junee Caravan Park for the night.   Peter was at the Melbourne Caravan & Camping show so we were shown our drive through site by a new trainee.   It is hot, humid and everyone is waiting for rain - I told them it was coming.

Rain arrived during the night, with an appreciable drop in temperature.   It was still raining when we left at 8 am stopping briefly at Yass for a break before arriving in Canberra about 11.30am.   Fortunately the sun was shining as we proceeded to unload the 4WD and the A'van.

When thoroughly cleaning the inside of the 4WD I realised that I had an 1800kg bottle jack, hidden behind a side panel just inside the rear door of the A'van.   This would have come in handy at Port Pirie - Such is life.

Dusk & sunset at the Wallaroo wharf.

Dennis and Joan Thornton (January 2008)
E-mail: thornies1@optusnet.com.au