King's Canyon

We flew back into Ayers Rock, six days after leaving. Robyn & Jillian have moved on to Kings Canyon Resort. They have had a great time seeing the sights of Ayers Rock and the Olgas, and have lots of stories to tell us. All is well with the caravan, so a quick change into shorts and T Shirt, as it is warm and sunny, a delightful change from the rain of Sydney, and we are on the road to King's Canyon. We will come back to Ayers Rock once the girls have finished their holiday.

King's Canyon Resort.

Back together at King's Canyon.

Three hours later we are all reunited at King's Canyon Resort. The girl's are relieved to see us, as there is little to do at the resort, without a car. There is no shuttle service here, unlike Ayers Rock, so without a car you are stuck! The King's Canyon Resort Campground is quite good, with good facilities. It is extremely busy, as we again check in as night falls. We started the day with Keith & Nancy at Kensington, and here we are in the centre of Australia. We crack a bottle of wine and a beer, to drink to mum's memory, and our reunion at King's Canyon.


I know it is remote out here, but even allowing for that, the pricing can be a shock. Be warned, and take as much as you can with you. Petrol is $2.26 per litre, a six pack of beer will set you back $32.00, and groceries, well forget it. Almost every item we compared, was 3 times the price in the Woolworths Supermarket at Alice Springs. Oh, and watch the use by dates!

Let the walk begin.

Canyon Sheer wall.

The head of the canyon.

Next day it is out to the canyon to do what you do at King's Canyon, walk the canyon. We have read all the literature and decided to do the Canyon Rim Walk, described as a steep initial climb followed by a moderate 6.5 kilometre walk around the canyon rim. Half way up the 500 steps to the top of the canyon, we are convinced that Sherpa Tensing has been responsible for the walk rating. It was a walk of Everest proportions, with hardly two steps on the same level. That night, back at camp and talking to fellow campers, it is apparent we are not alone in our assessment. There are ooos, aahs and groans everywhere! Word around the camp is that the walk assessor has left town, and is headed for the Himalaya where he may be appreciated. Still, it is a walk none of us would have missed.


As you walk along, over the boulders and around through the red stone monuments that are millions of years old, you cannot help but be amazed by the majesty of the scenery. Words do not do it justice, and even the camera struggles. The Ghost gums stand out starkly against the red of the rocks, and you marvel at how they can just grow out of crevices in the rock, and above it all is that deep blue sky. It is the memory that stays longest with you out here, the red, the green and the blue. Everywhere you look, these colours are ever present. Up and down we go over the rock ledges. God sure didn't put much thought into the path out here! Some of the rock formations are absolutely mind blowing, and the changing colours in the sandstone are unbelievable.

What a view!

The Garden of Eden

We take a side walk out to the edge of the canyon, where we can peer down to the waterhole that exists at the end of what is known as the Garden of Eden. This is an amazing contrast to what we have been looking at. Here is a valley full of lush palms and cycads, and so aptly named. You can do another side walk down into the Garden Of Eden, but we chose not to add to our epic journey as we felt we got to see most of it from the numerous vantage spots along the way. There are long wooden stairways, that cannot be avoided, that take you down to the canyon floor and up the other side, which really puts a strain on the ankles and knees. Those intrepid senior hikers, waiting knee and hip replacements, are gathered at the top and bottom of those great stairways, summoning strength, and cursing the bastard who said it was a moderate walk.

The canyon floor.

We pass the 5.5km marker and are on the home stretch. We come across a couple, who look well in their 80's, taking a break and sipping on a cuppa from their thermos. We are full of admiration for attempting such a walk at their age, assuming they must have started the day before! Our admiration soon turns to contempt, as they zoom past us, with Nordic Poles flashing in the sunlight. Bloody show offs!!! As we approach the final descent, Jillian can't help herself. Now out of water, she has the smell of fresh water in her nostrils, and races on, leaving her senior partners to their own devices. We find her at the carpark with her mouth clamped over the water tap, thirstily gulping down the life giving nectar. For Robyn and her dicky knee, it has been a major achievement to complete the walk. Special mention goes to her stretcher bearers, and the amazing Carolyn, whose shoulder is sore, from having been lent on so many times.

Jill's first flight.

Suitably revived with a belly full of cold water, we head back to the campground. One last treat in store for Kings Canyon. A helicopter flight over the canyon and surrounding areas, to recount our gazillion steps. Robyn has done the flight on a previous visit, so it is just three who pile into the little helicopter. It is Jill's first helicopter flight. Sitting in back with her, I reassured her it was much better if the eyes are open!

Co-Pilot Carolyn.

On top of the Canyon from the air.

What a sight it all was from the air. Did we really walk all that way? From the air, we got to see just how green the area is, and how much water is lying around. It is a wonderful experience. It was getting quite windy, so there were a few bumps, as we flew over the edge of the canyon. All colour had drained from Jill's cheeks, and her finger prints were now a permanent fixture in the back of the seat. One last fly over the campground, and a close up of the Solar Power Station, which we didn't know existed, and we were soon back on Terra Firma. What a great end to a great day exploring King's Canyon.

We made it!!

Back at the campground, it was time to crack a cold bottle, and share stories of survival with fellow explorers who all share the passion of seeing this wide, wonderful land. On a serious note, I would strongly recommend to any potential visitors not to miss the King's Canyon Rim Walk, however make sure you research it thoroughly. It is a steep climb, and it is a very uneven walk that stretches over 6 kilometres. If you take the side trips out to the edge of the canyon, and do the walk in at the Garden of Eden, you will add another hour to the estimated time taken. We are of average fitness, and didn't walk in to the Garden of Eden, and we took just over 4 hours. Take plenty of water, and allow 4 to 5 hours to get the most out of the day, and above all else take the time to look around at all the wonderful scenery, to be sure you take away memories of more than staring at your Reeboks, or that wonderful backside out front! 

Dingo at King's Canyon Campground.

Dinner tonight was at Chateau Relaxeau. Sitting around the camp at night is quite entertaining, Dingos walk through the camp without a care in the world. Robyn loves the dingo, and is always on the lookout with camera in hand. The photo is courtesy of Robyn. There are signs everywhere not to feed them, but these clever little guys have figured out how to get a free feed. As soon as you put a garbage bag down it is snaffled, and the sight of a dingo running across the campground with a large plastic garbage bag in its mouth, is not uncommon. I will leave the dingo jokes to you! Lindy is now innocent after all those years and inquiries, and a dingo will now have to live with it for the rest of his life. (Not the one in the photo, he is also innocent!)


In the morning, we are on the road to Alice Springs, a journey of about 6 hours. I can hear Willie Nelson cranking up. "On the road again.................."

Getting to the Red Centre

Len Beadell is probably Australia's last great explorer, and was the man responsible for mapping an area of some 2 million square miles around Cooper Pedy. His life is an amazing journey of exploration, in some of the most remote land in Australia. He was the man sent to survey a site for Australia's space program and atomic bomb testing, and he can really tell a yarn. He described the land as nothing but saltbush and gibbers, and so flat you could see a bull ant from 10 miles, even if it was lying down! He reckoned that the easiest job he was ever asked to do, was a topographical map around Woomera, it had 2 lines on it!

Emu on the Stuart Hwy.

Wedge Tail Eagle.

Well, travelling north from Cooper Pedy, you can only agree with his assessment. Once the mining mounds of earth have gone, it is just flat, salt bush and red earth. Even wildlife is scarce. The occasional emu scurries away from the road, and the sky is dotted with circling birds, usually crows, but often the majestic wedge tail eagle, Australia's largest bird of prey. Usually they were circling, having been interrupted in their dining feast of road kill! At one such feast we saw the most amazing site, but were all so stunned we couldn't get a camera out fast enough. There were 6 wedge tails, a dozen or more crows, and a fox, all gathered around a kangaroo carcass. We slowed and stopped almost beside them, before the last 3 eagles and the fox, indignantly moved on. The eagles are amazing. With a wingspan of 7 to 8 feet, when they take flight you can hear the whoosh of their wings, and it is a sight to behold. They stare at you with those fierce eyes, almost daring you to get too close, and once you have passed they resume the feast of kangaroo.

Overnight at Marla.

Road Train at Marla Roadhouse.

Between the big towns are more Roadhouses. This time our stop was Cadney Homestead. Very friendly staff, but again only coffee from the urn, and no fresh cakes. The girls are mortified! We press on to Marla, our chosen overnight stop, at the Traveller's Rest Caravan Park, behind the Roadhouse. It is a pleasant surprise, with grassy sites, though not all the power poles are working, but after a few attempts, we find a site that works, and settle down to watch others arrive and do the power pole shuffle! Robyn has a room in the motel, which is clean and comfortable, though the water is bore water, and so hard she suffers exhaustion trying to get a lather! We decide to eat at the roadhouse, and we are in luck as Wednesday is Schnitzel Night. You can have chicken or beef schnitzel, with chips and salad bar all for $14.90! The girls see a plate coming from the kitchen, and decide a share plate is the way to go. The ample cook (not chef!), takes sympathy, and gives them a plate each, which was about 75% of a normal serve each!! John's beef schnitzel was discreetly folded in half, so it would fit on the plate!! We all passed on dessert, and waddled to bed.

We've made it to the NT!

Every thing is big in the NT.

The morning didn't start well. We got a call about Carolyn's mum, who had lapsed into unconsciousness. We decided to head straight to Ayers Rock, where we could get a direct flight back to Sydney. This meant a cancelled night at Erldunda Desert Oaks Resort, and a really long drive through to Ayers Rock. Telephone signal only occurs at the roadhouses, and only with Telstra, so we did all our flight bookings and phone calls at Marla, then hit the road. We crossed the border into the Northern Territory, and stopped at the first or last pub in the NT, at Kulgera.

Burger with the lot, Kulgera.

It was time to refuel, both the car and ourselves. Petrol has now reached $1.86 per litre! Being a roadhouse, what else do you have for lunch but a burger! They sure know how to make 'em up here! Yep, these are the sauce dripping off the elbows kind of burgers. The girls wimp out and have regular burgers, but John goes for the lot, and gets it! Back on the road, we finally reach the junction of the Stuart Hwy and Lasseter's Hwy, at Erldunda, and quickly realise that we have not missed much by cancelling our night at the Desert Oaks Resort. The word "Resort" is used very loosely around here! We think it is synonymous with "Charge a Lot". Fuel has now reached $1.94 per litre. We are now about 3 hours from Ayers Rock, and are reconciled to setting up in the dark, when we arrive.

In storage at Ayers Rock Resort.

Jillian & Robyn at Ayers Rock.

Along the way we all get excited at our first glimpse of Ayers Rock. We are a little suspicious, as it doesn't look quite the right shape, and we are a long way from our destination. The answer comes a little further along the road, when we pull into a lookout for Mt. Connor. Apparently it is a common mistake for first time visitors. The sun is setting as we get even closer to destination. The phone beeps, meaning we have signal, then the message beep comes through. We stop on the roadside, and get the dreaded message to phone the nursing home. Mum has passed away peacefully. We somberly drive into the Ayers Rock Resort precinct, and check in. We have had a discussion, and made a few phone calls, and it has been decided that Robyn, and niece Jillian, who arrives tomorrow, shouldn't cancel their holiday. They will be at Ayers Rock for 5 days, and can take a coach around to the next stop of Kings Canyon, if we are not back by then. The staff at the Resort are wonderful. They have agreed to let us store the caravan, at no cost, with power connected. So next morning, we move the car and caravan to its spot beside the laundry, and head out to the airport, to meet Jillian, and then board the same plane for its return flight to Sydney, so we can arrange mum's farewell. With Robyn staying in the Centre, she has kindly given us the keys to her home and car, so we have a base from which to work in Sydney. This would prove wonderful for us, and we are ever so grateful. Thanks Robyn.

Cooper Pedy

Glendambo Roadhouse.

North along the Stuart Hwy we go, headed for Cooper Pedy. Situated in between the larger centres are the Road Houses. These places are quite amazing, offering services such as meals, fuel, groceries, snacks, toilet (but only if you buy!), and often a small caravan park out the back, for an overnight stay. We stop at Glendambo Roadhouse, and as you can see from the sign, not much here except flies! The girls are ready for coffee and cake. The looks on the faces, when they get empty cups, and are pointed towards the end of the room where there are large jars full of Nescafe, sugar, tea bags and milo, are priceless! The water urn is bubbling away, and the milk is in the little fridge under the table. A tentative "do you have any cakes? and they are rewarded with a home made banana cake, where I am sure they get twelve cakes out of one banana! Over in the corner, a local cowboy is tucking into the truckies breakfast: steak, sausages, fried tomato & onion, bacon, hash brown, a huge plate of toast on the side, all smothered in tomato sauce. It has the daily calorie count of a bus load of tourists, and looks and smells delicious, as I run my eyes over my paltry slice of bananaless cake.

John & Carolyn at Cooper Pedy.

We arrive at Cooper Pedy, population around 3,500. From 50 kilometres out, you start to see the mounds of earth. Small, medium, large and humongous mounds, all evidence to the search for opal. We are all genuinely surprised at how much earth has been moved, and over how wide an area it stretches. Cooper Pedy is the first stop we've had where no running water is available in the caravan park, so we have to fill up our tanks at the kerbside, where $1.00 buys about 40 litres of good quality water. We find our spot at the Opal Inn Caravan Park, and then go in search of Robyn's Budget Room. It is small but clean, and the marine theme has definitely ended, though there is sufficient sand to make a red beach! Town is two supermarkets, one big the other small, a couple of cafes, the large Underground Hotel and Tourist Mine, a bank, a couple of shops, a bakery and countless opal shops and galleries. There is also a hospital, and other general services. There is a large aboriginal presence in town, though we are told that only about 350 live in town.

Centre of Town, Cooper Pedy.

We decide, that with limited time, we will book a half day tour for the next day, and use the rest of the time to self drive around. It proved to be a good plan, as the tour, run by Desert Cave Tours, was excellent. Our own travels were also very interesting. My first stop was to establish if there was a windscreen repair place in town. A road train had thrown a large rock up at us, and we had a large star fracture at the bottom of the windscreen. I was told we were in luck, and I was given directions, and soon found myself, full of expectation, parked outside of a yellow shed advertising Windscreens Replaced or Repaired. I walked inside to be met by a smiling face with a bushy beard, and a hearty "G'Day Mate, wadya want?" I'd like to get my windscreen repaired. "Why'd ya come here?"  Well, someone sent me here, and I saw your sign outside. "I ain't done no repairs for years. All I can do is give ya a new one." Do you have one in stock? "Nup." How long will it take to get one? "Dunno." Consequently, we still have the fracture, covered with sticky tape!

Machine called a Blower.

Driving around town, you start to figure out how the underground housing works. Every small hill has homes dug into the side of it. It is all about climate control, due to the extremely hot summers. It seems strange, with mountains of earth everywhere, dotted with rusted and disused machinery, and hardly a blade of grass or tree to be seen. There are many abandoned home and business sites. It is not attractive. Mining in town is now banned, though if you build an underground home, or remodel an existing home, you are allowed to process all the earth you move. There are some amazing stories of people who have made their fortune, building their home. One poor guy, who was vertically challenged, gave up after 20 years of fruitless searching. He sold his old underground home to a tall guy who decided to raise the roof. Boy did he raise the roof, to the tune of $3.5 million worth of opal!!

Carolyn with an Orphan Joey

Just 16 weeks old!

During our touring we had spied an Art Gallery and Kangaroo Orphanage. Feeding times are 12 noon and 5.00pm. We head in for the 12 noon feeding, and a wonderful experience. The two people who run the Gallery & Orphanage are volunteers, who rescue kangaroos that have been injured in any way. They release them back into the wild when they can. Many of the orphaned joeys are found in the pouch of a dead mum, who has been hit by a car or truck. When we visit, there are two little ones being cared for. They are still being bottle fed, and we get to participate and then get a cuddle and close up experience. The youngest one is still getting 3 hour feeds! So, not much sleep for the foster parents. What wonderful people they are. Not sure if they ever sell a painting, but their work with orphan animals is priceless.

Cooper Pedy Golf Club

Carolyn & Robyn at The Breakaways.

Off on our tour, we first learn about the 45 different nationalities, that make up Cooper Pedy's population. Our guide is a Bosnian Serb, who has lived here for 17 years. Our first stop is the Golf Course, where we are surprised to learn that the club has reciprocal rights with St.Andrews! Apparently it is one of the world's most unique golf clubs. There is not a blade of grass to be seen! All sand, with oiled greens, it just doesn't seem right! Out into the Opal mining area, we soon find out how difficult mining opal is. You buy a lease, Small (50 metres x 50 metres), or Large (50 metres x 100 metres).You can butt right up to an existing claim, or start in the middle of nowhere. You start by drilling a small circular well. You check the contents and if promising, widen the well and start tunneling. When you get enough space you bring in the Blower, which is like a huge vacuum cleaner mounted on a truck, that sucks up all the dirt to the surface to be checked. Nobody knows why a machine that sucks is called a blower!! There has to be an easier way to make a living! 

The Breakaways

The Dog Fence

From the mines we head out to a mountain range called the Breakaways, so named, because the geological composition is the same as that in the Flinder's Ranges, further south. The area is breathtakingly beautiful with so many colours, and shapes. Wherever you look it is just one wow after another. We head further down the road, where we take a stop alongside the Dog Fence. I never knew about this. Sure we heard about the Rabbit Proof Fence, made famous in a movie and books, but this is actually the longest man made structure on earth, and it is still fully maintained today. Farmers from South Australia, NSW and Queensland, had all experienced significant lamb stock losses from Dingo attack. A plan was hatched to join all the fences so as to keep the dingos to the west and the sheep to the east. Today, the fence stretches from the Great Australian Bight in South Australia, along the SA/NSW border north of Broken Hill and up into Central Queensland, a distance of 2400 kilometres. Absolutely amazing! There is so much to learn about this country. Back on the bus and heading for town, we run across another tour that has broken down. One young fellow with 5 young backpackers were rescued by us. Poor guy sobbed all the way back to town. Why didn't we just leave him out there with all those young girls!

The chapel at the Serbian Orthodox
Underground Church.

Carving in the rock above the Alter.

Back in town we visited the underground Serbian Orthodox Church. More wows! You walk down into the rooms that are the church. The walls and ceiling have been sealed with clear sealer to show off the beautiful soft colours of the sandstone. From the vestibule, you can look down into the chapel, and marvel at the carvings and the beautiful etched glass. Though we didn't go inside, there is a meeting room next door that can seat up to 400 people! Sadly the Serbian priest has returned to Bosnia due to lack of parishioners. It seems all the Bosnian Serbs in town are a mix of Orthodox, Catholic and Muslim religions. They have intermarried, and chosen no religion, as many of them fled the religion driven war of the 1990's in their homeland.

Underground mining at Umoona.

Our final stop was the Umoona Opal Mine and Museum, a must for anyone visiting Cooper Pedy. You get wonderful insight into living underground, doing a tour of a now unused home. You learn about the construction techniques, and get to see first hand how dark it is when the lights go out! Somehow, living without windows isn't our scene. We also went into some tunnels to see opal mining first hand, and as we stumbled up the tunnel, we found ourselves delivered safely into the Gift Shop!


The final treasure we found in town, was the vanilla slice from the new bakery in town! Those that had discovered it, were reluctant to share the address. Seems they only bake a limited supply each day, and once you are hooked, it is addictive, and people go to any length to protect their supplier. But Robyn and I tricked them, and rose early in the morning, to clandestinely follow known vanilla slice eaters, to the secret location, where we procured sufficient supplies to sustain us for the days journey north. God they were good, and no we aren't telling where it is!


We sure had managed a lot in a short time at Cooper Pedy, all of it a fantastic experience.

Woomera

We are in the Outback.

The road north from Port Pirie tracks along Spencer Gulf with the Southern Flinders Ranges to our east. There isn't a lot to see, until we reach Port Augusta at the head of the gulf. This is another mining town, with smelter beside the gulf. It is the gateway to the South Australian outback.
We only stop in Port Augusta for a fuel top up, then are back on the road. No reflection on Port Augusta, we just don't have the time for another smelter town stop. We are immediately amazed at how the scenery has changed to flat open plains and red earth. There is no doubting we are now in the outback. You can see for miles. The road trains loom in the distance, then take an age to get near, such is the distance you can see. Along the road we stop at a couple of road side parking areas, just to take in the magnificent scenery. The only people on the road, are caravanners like ourselves, or the huge road trains.

You can see for miles.

Our destination is Woomera. With the after burners on, we arrive mid afternoon. The caravan park, Woomera Travellers Village, is a red earth paddock with a fence around it, a few kerbs define the sites and there is water and power. Along the bottom boundary is a two storey brick building that serves as office, motel accommodation and managers residence. The building is one of dozens around Woomera, left over workers accommodation from the boom days of yesteryear. Robyn gets to keep her marine theme going, this time in room C2 (Sea, get it? Ho Ho).

Rocket Display at Woomera.

Woomera itself is quite amazing. It looks like a large booming country town, with rows of relatively new houses and two storey apartment buildings, government  buildings, shops, hospital, school, theatre, bowling alley, playgrounds and much much more. The only thing missing is the people. Current population is around 70! So all this is left over from when Woomera was the centre of Australia's space program, along with weapon testing. There is a full air base, but it only gets used occasionally, when the air force needs to get a little practice. Apparently we just missed the Hornet Jet Fighters, having a great time in the skies around Woomera. There are left over displays of old rockets and other types of missiles and aircraft, and there is a museum, that covers the history from the late 1940's, when the Aussies and Poms got together to test rockets. It just takes some getting used to, driving around these miles of deserted streets, hardly ever seeing a person.

Drinks at the Cudgee Bar, Woomera.

At the Caravan Park, Happy Hour was starting at The Cudgee Bar, a timber deck with a 20ft Container on the end, acting as the bar. There was quite an atmosphere going, and as the temperature starts to drop, the patio heaters come out.
We got a visitor to our table. We thought he was moving in to chat up our Robyn! Turns out he was also a Robin, the local meteorologist, and cook at the Services Club, on Fridays! He was a wealth of information about the town and the area, and we got an invite out to the Weather Station for the next mornings weather balloon launch. Now that was an offer too good to refuse! When drinks ended we adjourned to the caravan for another great Carol cooked meal.

Robin checks minimum/maximum
temperatures.

Launching the weather balloon.

Bright and early Sunday morning we were on the road to the Weather Station, past  the golf course, past the abandoned boom gate to the abandoned Refugee Detention Centre, past a lot of other signs prohibiting entry to Commonwealth Lands, and into the driveway of the Bureau of Meteorology, Woomera. Apparently there are only 40 of these weather stations around Australia, all in pretty remote places. Robin has been here for years, going from 5 staff and lots of manual work, to just him and lots of computers. Every day at 8.45am, along with all the other stations, he launches a weather balloon that goes up some 20kms, measuring all sorts of data. Robin is a real character. He is a Kiwi, which probably explains why he lives in such a remote place, has spent lots of time in Antarctica, and really enjoys living in Woomera. Surprisingly, he has a wife and kids in Adelaide, who he visits on those weekends, when he isn't required for cooking duties at the club. We are all so different, in the lives we live. Anyway, it was a unique experience for all of us.

18th Green at Woomera Golf Club.

On the way back out, we called into the Woomera Golf Club, where Sunday comp was well underway. Now this is unique. The fairways are narrow, and all sand, and the greens are oiled sand.  The rough is terminal! You get a small square of synthetic turf, to hit your shots off, and you roll out a clean line for your putts! Still, the guys looked like they were having fun. The hardest part looked like having to pull your buggy along in all that sand!!

Olympic Dam Mine at Roxby Downs.

From here we went out to Roxby Downs, home to the Olympic Dam mine site, largest underground mine in Australia, mining uranium, gold nickel and lots of other things. Future plans could see the mine double in size, making it the largest underground mine in the world. Unfortunately they don't do mine tours on weekends, so we could only view from afar. The town of Roxby Downs was a real surprise. It was purpose built by BHP Billiton, to house the thousands of workers and contractors needed to operate the mine. It is a good sized town with all new and modern facilities, including a shopping mall with a Woolworths Supermarket, centre stage. Unlike Woomera, it has green grass and trees, and lots of people. From here we headed out to Andamooka, a small opal mining town, not quite as famous as Cooper Pedy, but still a source of quality opal.

The opal Big Bus Andamooka.

Driving into Andamooka is similar to a moon landing. You are surrounded by mounds of earth. It is as if a horde of giant ants have been working over the land. Small mounds, large mounds, and then mountains of earth, are evidence to the work that has occurred here, over a long time, and it spreads out for miles around town. The whole place looks tired and rundown. The people look tired and rundown! Lots of deserted homes and shops. We decide to try the pub for lunch. The Opal Inn is doing Sunday lunch. As we enter the pub and our eyes adjust to the low level of light, we soon realise that Jack Palance is alive and living in Andamooka. So are most of those guys that played Mexican extras in those cheap spaghetti westerns! I order beer in a dirty glass, and use the spittoon for effect, while the girls are ogled constantly by the female deprived. The girls order soup, which is also pretty tough. The spoon is standing upright as the waiter brings it to the table! My steak was served rare, horns off!! We finished a great lunch experience, found the car, still with four wheels, and headed back to Woomera, knowing that winning Lotto is a lot more likely than striking it rich in Andamooka!


Back in Woomera a cold night was looming, so we tucked into a great dinner of salmon and warm kumera salad, beautifully prepared and served by our own master chef Carolyn. Early to bed as it is off to Cooper Pedy tomorrow. 

Adealide to Port Pirie

We met an excited Robyn at Adelaide Airport, then headed back to Adelaide Shores Big4 Caravan Park to get her checked into the exotic "Turtle" Cabin, before heading up to Carmel & Geoff's place for a farewell "High Tea". Carmel had again excelled with the goodies and fine china, and we said our farewells, promising not to leave it another 30 Years before we meet up again!

Carolyn & Robyn in Snowtown.

Bright & early Wednesday morning, we headed off on the big drive north, with our first overnight stop to be at Port Pirie. It is pretty uninteresting scenery, but everyone is chatty as we travel along and find our first coffee stop at Port Wakefield. Now I wouldn't rush off and book your next holiday at Port Wakefield just yet! Not a lot here, but the bakery was doing a roaring trade, selling countless varieties of pies, plus old favourites like finger buns, cream buns, match sticks, eclairs and even a rock cake! We sampled a few & the coffee was pretty good too. Robyn has settled in well. Coffee and cake isn't going to be a problem!


Back on board we hit the highway north, taking a short detour through Snowtown. Remember Snowtown? Yep that's right, bodies in barrels in the bank vault. Now even made into a movie. Not much else there, except a display about the wind farms, that dot the hills nearby. There is one blade from a turbine, which just goes to show how big these windmills are! A quick body count, yep still three, and we are back on the highway to Port Pirie.

Old Port Pirie Railway Station

Now you wouldn't think there was much to do in a city whose claim to fame is a lead smelter, but we found the town and the surrounding area of the Southern Flinders Ranges, really enjoyable. You can't ignore the lead smelter, with its 207 metre smoke stack, situated right on the end of the main street. But the current operator, Nyrstar, is totally focused on keeping the town lead free, and there is a community based, free service to monitor blood levels in adults and especially children. We did a tour of the smelter in a mini bus (I was worried that on the last tour it had been a big bus!), which was really interesting and informative. Our guide, Ian had worked as a furnace operator at the smelter for 37 years, and had worked through the old days of no protective clothing, to limited protective clothing, to dismissal for not wearing protective clothing. We weren't allowed off the bus, Ian said, because of OH&S rules, but I know it was so we wouldn't grow extra fingers and toes!

Port Pirie's Opera Swimmer

Our caravan park at Port Pirie was the Beach Caravan Park, and it was right on the river and very close to town. Robyn continued with her marine theme of cabins, this time residing in "The Dolphin". Each morning we would awake to the sounds of opera coming from the river. Port Pirie has its own opera swimmer, who swims up and down the river every day singing opera. Sure you get a bit of a falsetto gargle from time to time, as he takes on water, but I have to say it is unique.

The King Tree is really big!

On one of our days, we took a scenic drive up into the Southern Flinders Ranges. I must say, that the local tourist authority needs to do a bit of work. We couldn't find a detailed map, and the information available was sparse to say the least! Sort of like finding your way around the streets of Sydney using a map of NSW!  It was a very full day, not least because we kept going over the same ground! First we drove up Collaby Hill Road to the Beetaloo Valley and Reservoir, through some very nice farm country.

Statue of C.J.Dennis at Laura.

We arrived in Laura, the home of famous poet C. J. Dennis. Actually, we became very familiar with Laura, as every road we took seemed to come back through Laura! The third time through, we found our way out the other side and on to the Bakery at Stone Hut, by which time we were well overdue for coffee and cake. The Stone Hut Bakery was excellent. All real home made goodies. On to Wirrabara and the Wirrabara Forest, the first pine plantation in South Australia. There is a famous orchard, where all of the European trees were trialled, but we never found it! The signage was woeful. The only orchard we found was O'Riellys, and he wasn't home and he isn't famous! We did find the King Tree, at the third attempt, and it was pretty big. 

The pier at Port Germein.

The drive home took us through Germein Gorge which was spectacular, with its red rock features, and down to Port Germein. At Port Germein, is the longest timber jetty in the southern hemisphere, at a touch over 1500 metres. That's a three kilometre walk out to the end and back, which we all did. My suggestion to the local council, is to install a toilet out there. It is a bloody long way back! The reason it is so long, is the shallow water. This used to be a very busy port, shipping grain in huge sailing ships all around the world. With the railway and steam ships, the port became redundant. Now it is a tourist attraction and fishing spot.

Mystery machine at Port Germein.

Now for a bit of trivia. Check out the next picture, and see if you can figure out what it is. It was in the water at Port Germein. Well, it is home made tractor to launch trailer boats. Not much use for a boat ramp here! You could find that by the time you got back, you could be 500 metres from shore!! So this guy tows his boat out to where he thinks there will still be water when he returns! Pretty ingenious if you ask me.

Grain Silos at Port Pirie.

Back in Port Pirie, we had a look around the waterfront. There are some wonderful old buildings. The railway used to run down the middle of the main street. These days the railway just crosses the main road to bring ore to the smelter and grain to the silos. The sheer size of the silos, shows just how much grain gets grown around here.It still goes out by ship, but as the ships get bigger the harbour won't be able to cope, and the grain will all go by rail or road.

Saeid (working), Rafael & Helen,
with John & Carolyn at Caffe Florence.

Last task on our agenda in Port Pirie was to locate some relatives of our friend Daphne from NZ. Given that they run a cafe it really wasn't a problem at all! Daphne's brother Will lives in Port Pirie. His daughter, Helen, and son-in-law Saeid, run Caffe Florence in the centre of town. We called in and ordered lunch and coffee, then started asking some questions, then the excitement really set in! We were all welcomed like long lost friends, by Saeid who was the only family member at the restaurant. More coffee and home made cakes, Saeid was on the phone, and we were given strict instructions to call in for breakfast the next morning, when Helen, son Rafael and father Will, would all be there. And they were! Hearty breakfasts all round, more coffee, lots of conversation, grabbed between customer orders, and we were on the way, waddling back to the car, thinking what a great experience we had. If you are ever in Port Pirie, you have to go to the best cafe in town, CAFFE FLORENCE.


We rolled past the cafe with the caravan in tow, horn blowing, and Saeid, Helen, Will and Rafael waving farewell, along with half the town, waving, but with bewildered looks! Who are those people? We turned north, and put on the after burners, en route for stop number two, Woomera.