Sunday the 17th August and the start of the Oodnadatta track proper!

Sunday the 17^th of August.

We went to bed so early that I awoke early. The sun was just starting to pop over the horizon. 10 minutes it was a ball of orange glow and so lovely but it wasn’t worth taking a photo as there was nothing interesting and as it was so jolly cold and I could not turn the heater on in the van as it was a free camp. I enjoyed being awake – not. I would have gone for a run but there was nowhere to run. I had heard trucks come and go in the night and didn’t sleep that well. Greg does though. So I let him sleep while I got some food ready for our trip and tidied up, made tea etc.

The thing is when you do the Oodnadatta track, you research the buggery out of it and nowhere does it say tape your back window up if you are towing and don’t have a Rock tamer (big mud flaps that attach proud to the back of your car and stop rocks being kicked up on dirt roads in to your van that then refract and smash your car back window.) or some other gadget that is like shade cloth that runs from your car to your van on the same non refracting rock principal.  We knew they were about but not that aware it was an essential piece of kit. Anyway had we known that the alternative to spending $500 on either of the aforementioned solutions we would have fashioned some incredibly clever thing in Canberra and been ready to go with it.

So we improvised. The makeshift literature said that a box (like stubby box) or 2 does the job. Given that neither of us drink beer and at best we had a wine box, which would result in me having a wine storage drama. I suggested (my best idea all trip) that we would use a blue tarp and line it with an old towel (I had packed the odd sacrificial towel for that purpose). We did. Greg found 2 occy straps, we cut 2 little holes in the towel and we suspended that from the roof rack. Next was to secure the bottom. I went for broad duct tape and he went for the very neat one down the side. The trick was to not get it on the duco of the car. Big no no.

Buoyed with our success of this it was time to get going.

Our improvised back window protector

Had he asked me ‘where does the track start Caz’ as I had had to almost go to the track to take a photo of the road sign – I would have told him – just there – but he didn’t and I didn’t think it mattered but it did so we went about 50 meters and he pulled off the side of the road to let the tyres down for the bumpy trip over the corrugated roads. For this he used his NEW ARB fancy gauge.

We also have a compressor in the car for pumping up tyres at the other end of an adventure. It hasn’t been used for pumping tyres yet but has come in handy for blowing up blow up air mattresses and biscuits for water skiing at lake Burrinjuck at the New Year’s Eve party.

Tyre pressures - were a problem with 2 gauges saying different pressures.

Now was its big chance – as Greg let too much air out of one tyre – one pressure gauge said one thing and the other said something else. He spent an hour fussing around with all 8 tyres 4 on the car and 4 on Gibson until I suggested we go back to the servo all 50 meters and see what theirs say. I had been all keen and excited but this was boring and I was over it. In spite of it being a brilliant sunny day, the wind was still very cold. In spite of me cracking out the hiking pants and adventure clothes, I still scrambled for my Hoodie.

Great idea to go back to the servo except their gauge didn’t work. Greg said stuff it and we are just going to go. Yay

We are on our way.

Are we on our way yet? It felt like all the stuffing around
with the tyres took for ever.

We drove out of the servo bound for Oodnadatta and didn’t expect to get there in one day. The road went from corrugations to flat and good, then rocks and more corrugations so you had to be trying to read the road all the time. There were washouts and cattle grids but the road was wide and not pumping with traffic so you could afford to pick a good line – which changed from second to second.

Occasionally you would see cows and at one or two spots we had to almost stop for them to get off the road. Didn’t see any other animals, saw the odd Hawk though and some tiny finch like birds but not much else.

We were radioed by one fella behind us who asked us to slow down so he could pass, we did, he passed us and it was good as we didn’t get showered with dust and stones. He was happy as he didn’t have to be showered by our dust and stones to get passed.

Ready for the track.

I saw the windmill FIRST!

Caz queen of photographing crooked horizons
 - the country side changed all the time

there were lots or crests and even more cattle grids

Eventually it was apparent that we were making good time and that we might be there soon. How exciting, Oodnadatta and the Pink Roadhouse.

Cows on the road

I wondered where the water was on the track.
 This is actually past William Creek - ages away but this sign was near the beginning of the track

This scene went for such a long time.

About 4 in the afternoon we pulled into the town, some local kids were playing on the road – who kindly got off as we drove into town. It was Sunday after all. We hopped out of the car and went inside the legendary roadhouse and I immediately found a pink hoodie which was a must have, and a few little gifts for loved ones at home. Then we hopped back in the car to see where we would stay. There was a free camp but it was very out in the open on the entrance to town. The other arrangement was the caravan park – which is surrounded by a high tin fence – I felt a bit safer in the park even though it wasn’t one with secure gates or anything so we went back to the roadhouse and booked in. A non powered site is $22. We didn’t need power so we paid our money. The fee included a shower and flushing loos and there was a camp kitchen and laundry facilities. Then the young lady from Manchester (visiting Australia on a 12 month visa) on the counter said that if we wanted dinner to be there no later than 6pm. She assumed we would be eating there and was surprised to find that we were self catering.

I walked to the back of the roadhouse which is where the caravan park is and Greg drove the car around. The deal was I sus out how to get in and where to park and he drives. The caravan park had a van turning circle – which was ok for very small vans.  Greg had to drive up and around and make a 3 point turn out of it but our camp site I picked out was very nice.

The pub wasn’t open, just the roadhouse so we stayed in our caravan with our drinks and enjoyed a bit of sunshine – yes it was almost hot. Until the sun went down and then it was almost really cold but by this time Greg had lit the choofer and I cooked Chicken for roll ups (Burrito tortillas in the microwave rolled up with marinated chicken, lettuce and tomato) We sat outside with our little fire and enjoyed a bottle of the ‘Cover Drive’ Shiraz we got from Jim Barry wines at the Clare valley.