We drove from Innamincka on the dirt to 'THE DIG TREE' and read the tragic story of Burke and Wills and their expedition which was so nearly successful, but ended so sadly.
Overnight bush camp on the road to WINDORAH.
Nanette under the tree.
Cattle country... Emus and expansive skies with mostly treeless, arid, flat landscape dotted with saltbush. Only a low range to cross which looked so beautiful as we approached. The condition of the road was generally good with some rough stony sections and bad grids. About 250 kms south of Windorah we had the good fortune to follow a recently graded road, so except for the muddy floodways, it was a relatively smooth ride. A rare treat out here.
In the distance we can see the dust clouds from Ken and Paul who are a few kilometres ahead of us. There is the occasional cattle grid as we go through a boundary fence. The road snakes its way across the vast land and we have had one vehicle pass us in nearly two hours. Suddenly, some trees appear on the horizon and we cross a dry creek bed. Obviously there is enough water deep in the soil to sustain them.
We passed the turnoff to HADDON CORNER which is the geographical marker for the north East corner of South Australia but didn't drive the extra 32 kms return to go there. There is a campsite there. We could see Planet Downs Outstation a bit further on as we drive through The Sturt Stony Desert and have about another 100kms of dirt road to Morney and then the start of the sealed Diamantina Development Rd. to Windorah. All up we have driven just over 1000 kms on the dirt.
We stopped for fuel at WINDORAH, a very neat and obviously well-loved little town. It graciously provided a dump point and fresh, filtered water for our near empty tanks. Thank you good folk of Windorah. Between us we spent about $400 on fuel there.
Then we drove out about 10 kms to a campsite on the banks of Cooper Creek surrounded by magnificent river Red Gums and Coolabah trees. We sat awhile after breakfast with a second cuppa and enjoyed the warmth of the sun and gave the washing hanging between the trees time to finish drying. As we move further north the days are much warmer and nights milder. Beautiful!
STONEHENGE PUb. This was a few kilometres off the main road to Longreach from Windorah and we couldn't resist the name and the famous pub lunch. We had a cold one in the bar, chatted to an opal miner, the barman from Tassie and the owner whose wife was expecting their first child any moment. He had been with her on the Gold Coast waiting for the new arrival but had to be back for a big night tonight when the pub had 80 people to feed and water. After the 'do' he was driving back for the birth. There was a coachload of artists leaving as we arrived, who had been drawing and painting around the district. What a great thing to do!
We had a great lunch of fish, chips and salad while listening to the talk in the bar about how to clear the blocked toilet. You had to be there to appreciate all the advice coming from the well-oiled opal miner and we wondered what the two backpacker staff girls thought of it. One was from Brooklyn New York and the other from Germany!
How many places in the world can you stop your vehicle in the middle of a single lane road while you fix something?? Not many is my guess, but we just did on the Thompson Development Rd between Windorah and Longleach and there was no sign of a moving object in any direction.
