Sunday 24th August 2014 - on the way to Marree

Sunday 24^th August 2014

Dawn at Strangeways Ruin

Awoke to the dawn and decided to pop some warm clothes on and see what these ruins were about letting Greg sleep in a little longer. It was another beautiful blue sky day.

From yesterday -  the William Creek Hotel

Galahs are everywhere

On to coward springs

Found an old fence which was good to photo in the early light since it was still casting shadows everywhere, found a dam and very little else. I wondered if the ruins were a ways off so started walking down the dirt track. Went as far as the van was a speck on the horizon and decided to turn back as there appeared this track went to nowhere. About 400 meters from the van I heard the most wonderful sound, off to the left were about 3 or 4 dingoes who started to sing. They sounded like wolves or Siberian huskies. Knowing that huskies and wolves were nowhere to be found around here I stopped walking to enjoy the sound. Then it occurred to me that here I was enjoying the sound of several hunting dogs baying and I was in the open ground quite a ways from my safety of the van. So I picked up the pace and hurried without running toward the van. The dogs were quite a way from me but just in case.

This ruin was in better shape than
the others.

After a quick sponge bath it was on to Marla which was quite a way. We passed the ruins quite close to the road and all it was was a pile of stones which once had been a building. Not worth a photo so I hope my fence and wire ones work out.

Greg was really tired. He hadn’t had a chance for a sleep for days and it was catching up with him so I drove. I was happy to – after all this time and swapping drivers every  hour or so its just as easy to drive the 4WD towing Gibson over dirt roads anticipating washouts with corrugations, cattle grids that have potholes either side as driving to the shops.

Coward springs was the next point of interest on our journey. There was camping there as well and there was a $2 per person to look at the old buildings that had been restored. One was the station master’s house which had been turned into a private residence and the other the signal man’s house. Which had been turned into a museum. There were local art works to buy if you wanted but the best part was photos and history and the aboriginal tales of the area in particular the Mound springs up the road. There were also interesting information about the people who worked there, the families who lived there and the pub which used to be an icon and was destroyed in the late 60’s. You could have a dip in the spring which was all kitted out to look like a spa – then you could see the actual spring where it flowed and created a wetland. It was very pretty and I got bitten by a mozzie after taking some photos – just for something different. They had good pit loos that didn’t even smell and they had a rainwater tank for drinking only. So I hastened to get every empty container we had to fill it up. Water around here is all bore water and its disgusting. The rainwater was beautiful.

The old station master's house now a private residence

Coward springs - we were a bit spoiled at Dalhousie

The flow off from the spring - an oasis for bird and wild life

Old signal man's house now a museum and houses
a really great display. Coward Springs

Mound springs was near by so that was our next stop on the track and list of things you can’t miss. There was good parking for massive vehicles like ours which was so welcome. We had read the legend of the mound springs and then went to see where the icons and the story married up. We arrived and shortly after so did 4 4WD vehicles each with 2 blokes and we got chatting and they were on a fellas only trip through the Simpson desert following 4WD tracks only. They had a tight schedule so didn’t stay long but looked like they were all having the time of their lives. They marveled of our bravery towing out big van around and one had just ordered a Spinifex van similar to ours for himself. So that sparked a rapid conversation until his mates decided they had seen enough and it was time to move on.

There were 2 mound springs, one was higher than the other and used to have big bubbles that shot up in the air. It was a sacred aboriginal men’s site and they used to sit around and chant to make it bubble higher – hence it was called the bubbler. However with white man tapping into the Great Artesian Basin and reducing the pressure its been reduce to the odd bubble. Like the bubble that results from a fart in the bath. Not that I would know. And with about the same frequency. Which wasn’t that frequent.

The other mound spring was higher and had no bubbles. It was also cooler. Both springs were guarded by board walks and signs not to touch or stray from the paths.

Mound springs are created over thousands of years by the water in the artesian basin seeping up through fault lines and cracks in the bedrock, causing a spring. The mound comes from dust and dirt sticking to the water and building up over the years. Along the Oodnadatta track there were several mound springs or springs that determined where the railway line went.  Unfortunately it got flooded and washed out so often that the whole thing was eventually shut and re-routed to where it is now. Of course modern technology means we don’t have to rely on springs to work steam engines – however land and station owners still rely on springs for watering stock.

Around the springs is a bit of a wasteland

The spring that went bloop - called 'the bubbler'

the run off from the spring

around Blanche Cup spring

Blanche cup spring - 

Then we came across Lake Eyre. There was a good size car park which was already populated with several 4WD and camper trailers or some with roof tents and assorted camping gear.  We stopped for lunch which was a variety of left overs heated up in the saucepan on the stove. I managed to cook up a burrito wrap left over from the other week with some cheese in the middle as a quesadilla which was a nice change and used up more left overs in the fridge. Then we got our cameras and went for a walk down to the salt lake. It was about a half a kilometer and very hot. The lake is surrounded by sand hills which made the walking harder. Unfortunately there was not much to take photos of which would do the area justice. The blue sky shimmered off the sand making it look like there was water in it and in some places you lost the horizon line and it just became a mass of light blue. It was interesting but not worth spending lots of time.

 

The boardwalk from the Blanche Cup Spring

We arrived at Marree about 4pm. It had 2 caravan parks. One we had no way of fitting Gibson in as it was full of demountable cabins and only little camper trailers had a hope of getting in there – the other had power and water (luxury) and a drive through (even better)

 

Lake Ayre thats about as exciting as it got
Hot too

Salt flats - all around Lake Ayre but more interesting

Greg hopped out of the car to book in and I noticed a sign saying flights over lake Eyre. I asked the price $290 – even more expensive than William Creek. He would not budge on price so I guess we will have to live with not seeing a salt lake from the air. We weren’t particularly fussed.

Because of the rain, and a burst pipe, our site was a little rough from mud and the caravan park man apologized profusely but we didn’t care. So we leveled up, put the legs down and turned on our hot water for a long earned shower. We hadn’t had one for 3 days and after all the dust of the bronco busting we were feeling a bit grotty. A nice hot shower however and a wash the dust off the floor and the surfaces of the van and we felt pretty tidy. Off to he pub. Greg was hanging for a gin and tonic. We had run out of gin.

The pub was a short walk down the road. Across the road was the old railway station and some old engines sitting there as Maree was the railhead for a long time to ship cattle back to Port Augusta. Then the line was extended up to Oodnadatta but everything came through Marree hence the little town hummed. The pub had a lot of dirt bike riders sitting outside either about to or coming back from the Simpson Desert. We went inside and it was full of more blokes who were on a motor bike trip. Nice and friendly people though.

To my surprise they had Oyster Bay Chardonnay for sale – so I bought a bottle, thoroughly expecting to not find anything to drink in such an out of the way place. How surprised was I not to mention delighted.

 

Lizard sunbaking in the top of a bush. You didn't know it was
there until you walked right past. Gave me quite a fright!

Eventually the motor bike men finished their beers and went to tub up and we were alone in the pub with the publican who we started chatting to. Him and his wife were from Canberra! Small world. Their kids had all grown up and their youngest is renting their house from them. They bought the pub a little while ago and haven’t looked back. In spite of the challenges of living in the desert they are having the best time of their lives. His wife bless her was responsible for having decent Chardonnay in the fridge.

We were going to stay for dinner but decided not to and came back to camp and had dinner there. There wasn’t anything on the menu that I felt like and I had almost finished a bottle of wine (over a few hours) so didn’t even feel hungry.

 

The wonderful Marree Pub. Greg liked this so much he wanted to buy it
Dreaming of course!

We had now completed the Oodnadatta track from start to finish. Maree is the last town on the track and we were 2 weeks and 1 day from the time we had left Canberra. We had covered so many miles, so many dirt roads and so many things that it’s a struggle trying to remember everything you see in one day. One thing was for sure and that is that we will do more outback travel. Just need to fix up Mr Gibson so he can be more rough road ready.

Sunset on the track - time to look for a camp for the night!