Purposeful Meandering Around Remote WA - Week 4

Wow, it’s already week 4 of our remote WA adventure, why do holidays go faster than working days?

Saturday started like all the others except there is no such thing as a sleep-in in a caravan park and the heat of a swag. We tried our best to stay in bed till 7:30 but so much was going on around us. We accomplished the remainder of our washing and finally the car repairs were completed. We headed downtown mid morning and found the local markets in full swing. After a quick look around we spied the Mango vendors, Broome grows a lot of Australia’s mangos so they’re always in plentiful supply. When in Rome, we had to indulge in some mango smoothies. Having been to Broome previously there isn’t many tourist sites that we haven’t seen but we spent a couple of hours meandering around town checking various spots. The one that always gets a laugh out of us is the jail positioned in the Main Street, residents can often be heard yelling at tourists as we gawk from afar. Down at the Port we found a cruise ship had docked for a days sightseeing around Broome. Back in town we spent the afternoon replenishing our food stocks in anticipation of the weeks ahead. As sunset loomed late, we met up with our travelling buddies for a postcard perfect fish n chips on Cable Beach, our backdrop being the Indian Ocean, camels parading past us as the sun set over the horizon. Back in the van park an early night for all of us as tomorrow is moving day.

Sunday, just like clockwork we were back in the swing of packing up and being on the road by 8:00am. We had a full days driving ahead of us as we made our way to Port Hedland, the road is repetitious and the scenery is very mundane. We had 700km ahead of us and my travelling buddy is renown for having a snooze when she’s in the car, true to form Leonie was out within 60min of us starting. Pushing down the highway, just before lunchtime we stopped at a roadhouse. The queue for $2:42ltr diesel were 8 cars long at each bowser, thankfully we had enough fuel and just wanted to stretch our legs. Back on the road it was about 3pm when we arrived in Port Hedland, we grabbed a couple of sites at a caravan park before heading out to do a bit of sightseeing. Port Hedland is like Port Kembla but on steroids, the ships are bigger and twice as many, the trains are 200+ carriages long and BHP looks way bigger. Sadly the whole town is coated in an iron ore dust which doesn’t make it very appealing. We loitered around town checking out a few different sites before meeting up at a vantage point overlooking the tidal flats as today was the first opportunity to witness the “staircase to the moon”. This crazy phenomenon relates to the outgoing tide trapping water in puddles on the sand flats, as the moon rises over the horizon it gives the effect of a natural staircase leading to the moon. 6:46pm with hundreds of people watching, nature did its thing. Personally it wasn’t as good as we’d previously seen in Broome but nonetheless it was a great spectacle. Our long day finished with dinner and a hot shower back in the van park.

Monday and once again we were on the road, one of our team had opted to head to Karratha for some mechanical repairs while the rest of us headed to Karijini NP. Our 3rd car would catch up with us in a few days after his repairs are completed. The road to Karijini is littered with mining sites extracting iron ore, this means loads of 4-trailer road trains to pass and a couple of times we had to stop for oversized heavy haulage trucks. Arriving in Karijini NP around midday we headed to Dales Gorge where we explored a few gorges and swimming holes. The vista of the area we explored was amazing, it had flowing creeks and waterfalls cutting through iron rich canyons. As the day drew to an end we shared a family moment with our son back at home who was celebrating his 19th birthday today. With no accommodation available in the NP we opted to head outside the park boundary where after a short detour off the bitumen we found a great free-camp with only one other camper. It was great to get back to bush camping, a campfire and a million stars watching over us.

It was sad leaving our bush camp on Tuesday morning, we’d really jagged a great spot. With hindsight we’d have made that our base for our three intended nights in Karijini, but when the “no vacancy” sign is posted for any form of NP camping and van parks outside the boundary only have limited sites available “you grab what you can”. Our first stop in Karijini NP today was Hancock Gorge, we’d read so much about Kermit Pool that we headed straight there. This grade-5 walk had us cautious as we weren’t really prepared for hiking but the beauty in photos we’d seen had us compelled to see it. Ladders and a equally steep walking track quickly had us in the gorge, for those of us who do canyoning it was an easy traverse through the gorge. At one spot appropriately named we had to “spider walk” along a tight cliff wall to remain dry. We passed a few people heading out of the gorge but we seemed to be the only ones heading inwards. As we reached Kermit’s Pool the vista of this slotted canyon with its deep reds and browns was amazing and the best part was “we had the place to ourselves”. For way too long we sat and photographed this beautiful spot. Returning to the top via the same route was equally as fun. Back on the plateau we rehydrated before doing it all again, this time down into handrail pool. This canyon wasn’t as spectacular as our morning walk but the pool at the end, appropriately named “handrail pool” has a handrail aiding you around a short drop and into the pool. We took a few photos before clambering out the same route we came in. After lunch we headed to Joffre and Knox gorge, Joffre was very picturesque but was in need of more water so we opted not to transverse it. However at Knox gorge there were signs warning of the risks as the track and gorge were dangerous. Like bees to honey we were drawn to the adventure and it didn’t take long before we dropped very steeply down a goat track of broken ironstone rocks. The decent into the canyon was approx 150m in elevation before it opened out into a progression of rock hopping pools and water traverses. Once again the vista was amazing and photos didn’t do it justice. By late afternoon we’d made it back to the cars and onto Tom Price for accommodation for the night. We quickly setup camp in the local van park before exploring this mining town that never stops.

We woke to our first drops of rain for the trip on Wednesday morning, sadly the forecast didn’t look promising. We slowly packed up but not before a hundred or so pink galahs joined us for breakfast and with a little coaxing I had them eating Rice Bubbles out of my hand. The light rain persisted as we headed around to the western side of Karijini NP, the positive part of the rain was it dampened the dust and we made quick time to Hamersley Gorge. Setting eyes on this place for the first time was amazing, the rain had cleared, the sun was out and it brought out the amazing colours and folds in the rocks. We made our way to the base of the gorge and watched as some brave people took a swim. Back on the road we’d seen everything we wanted in Karijini so started heading towards Carnarvon and straight into heavy rain. Red dirt roads quickly became sloppy slippery mud skate rinks when they’re wet and we had a few wild moments on the muddy roads. Thankfully, after a couple of hours driving we reached the safety of bitumen and my white knuckles could return to normal. Pressing on it was mid afternoon when we reached the Nanutarra Roadhouse, the rain was still falling and with nearly 400km still to Carnarvon we decided this place was perfect for an overnight stay. The rain eased enough that we could setup ensuring we added a few extra tarps in anticipation of a gloomy night. With the roadhouse having 5G coverage we were all set for State of Origin. We took advantage of the roadhouse’s hospitality and liquor licence as we sat glued to an iPad hoping of a Blues win. It’s funny the looks you get when no one else around you knows what SoO is and you’re yelling at an iPad…… Great win for the Blues.

Thursday, an overnight drenching had us packing up wet gear which is never fun. Once on the road heading south it wasn’t long before the rain starts again. Looking either side of the road it was obvious we’d had a lot of rain in the past 12hrs and more was predicted as a weather front blows across the Gascoyne area from the Indian Ocean. Sadly we get an email advising Steep Point roads are closed due to pending weather and hearts sink as potentially another spot is out of our grasp due to the weather….. How can the dry season be so bloody wet this year? Pressing on, water is starting to pool across the floodways but it doesn’t create too much of an issue. By lunchtime we’d arrived in Carnarvon and we’re grateful to see the sun out. We took the opportunity to dry out our camping gear and have a lazy look around town. Around 6pm our 3rd vehicle rendezvous’s with us and we each share the stories of our separate adventures. Garth having to get some vehicle repairs and a days fishing charter while we had fun in Karijini NP.

Friday, we finish week 4 with a lay day in Carnarvon, it’s a good opportunity to catch up on some washing and restock the fridge/freezer. We head into town and as with every town, we try the local bakery….. this one isn’t bad. The morning offers clear warm skies, we check out a few tourist spots before meeting up with everyone at the Carnarvon Space Centre where we learn about the importance this place played in monitoring NASA’s space missions from the other side of the planet. Leaving the space centre we quickly return to camp as more wet weather is rolling in, the local Councils have updated the road closures and our scheduled timings for Steep Point have been put on hold due to the wet weather. We need to wait till Monday to see what happens with roads being re-opened. We spend a lazy afternoon at the van park dodging the rain scrawls. Tonight’s dinner is Garth’s recently caught fish and chips. Week 4 ends with so much uncertainty on how the weather will impact our coming days.

Purposeful Meandering Around remote WA - Week 3

Stop Press: After submitting the blog for week 2, we had a visitor arrive at Georgia Bore late in the afternoon. For the 2nd time on this trip we’ve bumped into Pat Callinan from the 4x4 Adventure Show. 1st time they were filming an episode on outback golf using the mini course @ William Ck, this time it was Georgia Bore and pristine water that comes from within the earth. We chatted for a while about various tracks and then they were off to comfy beds somewhere else.

Week 3 started in a similar vane to the previous days on the “Canning”, we were grateful to beat a 9 vehicle tag-along tour out of camp, thankfully they ate our dust and not vice versa. Before leaving home the track ahead had been blocked due to flooding and we wondered what lie ahead. We passed a few camels as we headed for Well 23. Our progress on a side track to Well 24 was cut by a deep creek that crossed the track, we erred on the side of caution and decided to miss that well. No more than 1km up the track our own progress was halted by our first flood effected water crossing, yours truly removed my socks and shoes and waded through the water. Thankfully the base was firm, the water wasn’t flowing and it was only thigh deep. One by one we traversed the 100m water crossed, given that I was on one side and our car was on the other, Leonie was faced was driving through the water…… let’s say it was a proud hubby moment as she successfully got the car to the other side. Continuing towards Well 25 we knew the track was cut and detours were in place, a clay-pan was still covered in water. We stopped for a few drone photos before continuing down the bypass route. One particular sand dune proved a little difficult to cross but eventually we all made it across. Back on the main track the variations in the road conditions seemed to change every 5min, at one point it was easy undulating dunes doing 40km/hr, next it was rough sharp rocks with speeds of 10km/hr or less were possible or there was were the unrelenting corrugations that needed speeds of 80km/hr to make them possible. Coupled with vegetation changes we had a mixture of everything. Recent controlled fires made the scenery harsh and arid while other parts were so overgrown they provided new pin-striping to the car. Well 26 offered a great memorial to Len Beadell, one of the pioneers of this area. Continuing north we passed Wells 27 and 28 with regularity, both the Wells were abandoned ruins depressions in the ground. Late in the day we were pushing to Well 29, we were leading the convoy which requires the leader to monitor Ch40 for oncoming traffic. We’d made contact with 1 vehicle close to us and a convoy of 5 in the distance. We passed the first vehicle with ease, what no one saw coming was the arrogant vehicle operator who refused to use his radio and contact oncoming traffic. The first we seen of the oncoming vehicle was around a blind corner doing approx’ 30km/hr. I’m sure he seen the whites of my eyes and I was wearing sunglasses. Our evasive action saw us spearing off into some low heath. Thankfully we didn’t sustain any vehicle damage but some expletive language over the radio let him know I wasn’t happy with his actions. By Well 29 we’d had enough for the day but the location offered nothing in the way of camping, thankfully the nearby location of “Thring Rock” wasn’t far away and we headed there for the night. This picturesque location offered amazing sunset vistas from the rocky outcrop high above. With the sun set we listened to the chorus of dingos that sat close by in the shadows of the heath.

Sunday dawned with an equally impressive sunrise, we were soon heading north, we estimated with only 100km till our fuel stop (Well 33) we’d be there around lunchtime. Oh! how the best plans go out the window quickly. We stopped at Well 30 for the obligatory photo only to find, not one but two of us had sustained a puncture. However as we started to get the tyre plugs ready it became apparent we’d both damaged the sidewalls of each tyre making them effectively a throw-away item. I guess that’s part of travelling outback Australia. With the disappointment of the tyre episode behind us, we explored a nearby cave before continuing our northward journey. Once again the track was relentless with more sharp rocks slowing progress and further pin striping being added to the car. One of our vehicles severely damaged a side mirror as a result of how close the vegetation encroached on the track. Just before 3pm we arrived at the outback community of Kunawarritji, this remote location is classed as the halfway point of the CSR and provides vital fuel resupply and some products at a local shop. We opted to head straight for our campsite as being a Sunday the shop wasn’t open till Monday morning. As we setup camp at Well 33 we collectively decided to call a lay-day for Monday. A wise choice considering we’d been on the go since leaving home and the last days had some very intensive driving. With a nearby windmill and bore providing an abundance of water many of our group took the opportunity to have bush showers, however the popularity of the spot meant there was no firewood so for one of the rare occasions on the CSR we had a night without the ambience of a fire, our only backdrop was the millions of stars.

Given Monday was a lay-day the morning kicked off at a much slower pace, we enjoyed our 2 remaining eggs that hadn’t succumb to the corrugations. We spent the morning doing odd jobs that needed catching up on before heading into Kunawarritji for fuel and a few fresh vegetables. The locals were very welcoming and pleased to see us. The same couldn’t be said for our hip pocket after purchasing 150ltr of fuel…… sadly a necessary evil if you want to travel these parts of the country. By early afternoon another convoy of cars had joined our location, its funny how you see no one for days and almost crave conversation but as soon as someone shows up you’re cursing the influx of extra people. Our new visitors came with news of pending road closures further northward due to flooding, we’d known of the flooding at the top end of the CSR but had been given detours around the troublesome spots. They advised also had been closed off and anyone attempting these would be sent fines. A quick team toolbox was called to discuss our options, thankfully we were at a point on the track which gave us options if we chose an alternative route. Continuing north was flaunt with the risk of having to backtrack if we were forced to turn around, exiting to the East and heading for Alice Springs, wasn't something we wanted to consider, we could exit to the west via Marble Bar and onto Broome. They were our options and given the uncertainty of what lied ahead and the risk of having to backtrack 600+ km we decided heading west and leaving the CSR was the safer option. We spent the remainder of the day semi de-rigging our cars, tyre pressures needed to be increased, sand flags were no longer needed and rationing our food was unnecessary now. As dusk fell we took advantage of the plentiful water supply to bask in another shower, yep 2 showers in 2 days is a record in these parts. Once again there was no fire but the stars and moon provided the ambience.

Tuesday was back to our usual early starts, by 8:00am we’d left the CSR and were heading towards Marble Bar along the Gary Junction Hwy. We felt a huge amount of disappointment in not completing the CSR but it gives a great excuse to return in the future. In comparison to the CSR this new road was a highway, but still not up to metro standards. We had 400km of dirt driving ahead of us. We stopped at a few geocaches along the way, thus we spent most of our morning playing catchup with the other cars. We stopped at Lake Dora, which is a dry salt pan probably twice the size of Lake Illawarra or so we thought. After venturing onto the lake, the salt became until weaker and weaker until we broke through into the mud…… enough said! We continued further west, detouring into the small local community of Punmu for ice creams and a refreshing drink. For most parts the dirt road was good and we managed speeds of 100km/hr, we passed a gold and copper mine in the distance but the free phone reception was priceless. Just after lunch and with our night’s destination of Carawine Gorge less than 80km away our convoys day turned to shit. One of our vehicles reported smoke coming from their car. Given our distance apart due to the dust you immediately fear the worse, we raced to their aid with fire extinguishers at the ready, we popped the bonnet to find an oil hose had blown off bathing the engine bay in oil and thus the smoke was burnt oil on hot engine parts, phew! lives weren’t in danger. After fixing the initial issue we were drawn to deeper causes and a possible blown head gasket may be the cause. Our hearts sunk for Team Robo as it’s not a 5min fix when your in remote WA. Salvaging our dilemma wasn’t gonna happen on the side of dusty road. It was left to the old cliche of once again “the Landcruiser had to tow the Patrol (Pootrol) some 150km to Marble Bar. Arriving at last light the towing trip had taken a bit over 3hrs to accomplish. Once in Marble Bar we checked into the van park feeling rather dejected. We had our 1st real shower in over 10 days before heading to the only pub in town for a decent meal and a place where we could explore options for Team Robo.

I’m not really sure any of us slept that well, Marble Bar had delivered on it’s reputation of being the hottest town in Australia. Our winter overnight temp had only dipped to 20deg, making for a rather sticky night in the swag. Having packed up, 3 cars headed into town to do some sightseeing. A town that used to have a population of over 5000 when Gold and Jasper were in plentiful supply is a shadow of that nowadays. Mining trucks rumble past town 24/7 as they carry iron ore from the region. At 10am we picked up one of the Team Robo members who was heading to Port Hedland for a hire car, saying goodbye to the other Robo’s was extremely difficult and sad. Travelling the roads to Port Hedland was an experience in itself, the road supports so much heavy industry in and out of the mining area it was incredible to witness the different resources that are needed to support these huge mines. We seen a road-train truck every 3min. Overtaking these massive machines is a mission, they are 60m (4 trailers and prime-mover) in length which is 60m long travelling at 100km/hr. Once in Port Hedland we bid Robo farewell and wished him luck in whatever happens with their car. We had a quick bite to eat in town before heading north towards Broome along the bitumen. We’d already planned to make our drive to Broome a 2-day journey so approx 150km out of Port Hedland we headed down a dirt track to Cape Keraudren for a night camped beside the ocean, “well it appeared half the caravan owners of Australia had the same idea”. Thankfully we found a spot down a 4WD track where the mobs of caravans had no chance. With our camp setup we went exploring the tidal rock platforms. The sea wildlife trapped in the rocks pools was amazing with octopus, clams, oysters, coral, sea slugs and a variety of fish easily spotted. With this amazing backdrop we enjoyed our first night of this trip watching the sun set over the ocean.

Thursday dawned with a brisk chilly breeze blowing across the cape, we all commented how grateful we were not to be camping on one of the many exposed areas. Packing up it wasn’t long before we were heading north, the winds that blustered around our camp were evident out on the highway and we battled a strong head wind for the remainder of our trip to Broome. The 500kms north were without incident or excitement, the temps hovered in the low 30’s. Just after lunch we arrived in Broome, having been here before we headed straight to our regular caravan park where we managed to jag 3 of the last spots. Once setup, we had a late lunch before heading out to start our list of shopping repairs etc. By 4pm we’d managed to secure most things and had time to drive down onto Cable Beach where we managed to watch the setting sun over the ocean, complete with camels walking past us. Back in the caravan park we finally had time to sit and that’s how we spent the remainder of the evening.

Friday was all about catching up on odd jobs, numerous loads of washing needed to be done, some running repairs to the car and a couple of improvements to the setup. Just after lunch we’d made a significant dint in the list of jobs, enough that we called an early mark for the day. We opted to head out, grabbing some lunch and went to Cable Beach to take in the sights n spectacles of this famous beach. Back at the van park mid afternoon a few of us met around the pool for a refreshing swim. As another winters day in the 30’s comes to an end we hosted the convoy participants at our camp for a relaxing BBQ and socialising.

Week 3 of our travels has come to an end. It’s one we’ll remember for all the wrong reasons. We wish our good friends the “Robo’s” safe travels as they make their way home earlier than expected.

Purposeful Meandering Around remote WA - Week 2

Week 2 started with another reasonably early start, our body clocks hadn’t fully adjusted to the western time zone yet. Carnegie Station had been a welcome relief, a hot shower and another night spent relaxing by the fire. We packed up and were on the road by 8:30am. We had a few hundred kilometres of the Gunbarrel Hwy to complete and mostly it was uneventful. We had the odd cow on the road or a washout that had us hitting the anchors pretty hard. By lunchtime we’d arrived in Wiluna, this marked the end of the Gunbarrel Hwy and the start of the Canning Stock Route. Being in a small rural town on a Sunday did pose its own problem, fuel was scarce and food resupply was limited to one corner shop. We took our time in town savouring our achievement and preparing for the next 20 days of isolation on the Canning Stock Route (CSR). Heading out of town we quickly found ourselves at Well 2, some info boards enlightened us to the grandeur of what lie ahead. A few kms down the track we opted to make camp for the night. Our first night on the CSR was shared with millions of flies until a million stars took over. We celebrated our first night on the CSR with a nice bottle of red and a hearty feast of Butter Chicken.

Public holiday Monday saw us up as the sun rose over the horizon. By 8:30 we were back behind the wheel driving northwards, the track conditions dictated that it was slow going and that was pretty much the ‘norm’ for the day. We only seen 2 other vehicles all day. We stopped at each water well, many of them in ruin but one in particular had been repaired and was in good working order, we were able to winch up a bucket of water from its depths but sadly the water was rank and not worth the temptation. The CSR is renowned for its harshness on vehicles and on multiple occasions we’d be stopping for someone to check a rattle or squeak. For us, it was the recently installed solar panel which had sheared itself free of its mounts. Thankfully we managed to see the issue before it caused too much damage, but our solar panel now sits on one of the others cars until I can repair it in Broome. Throughout the day we’d see 1 or 2 very lonely cows, the occasional lake which given the recent rains, seeing water in these parts I’m sure is rare. For the most part it was a slow demanding day trying our best to avoid sharp relentless rocks that covered the track. By 3:30pm we’d arrived at Windich Springs which was picturesque creek but once again the water was dirty and only worth admiring. For 7 hours driving we managed 127km for the day. Alas our evening campfire was a good time to rest our weary bodies.

Day 3 started with one of the kids spotting a dingo close to camp, which made his day. We were soon on the track heading north again. The track once again offered a variety of fast and slow sections, more slow than fast. Around mid morning we reached Well 5, this had recently been restored to working order by a 4WD group and we relished the novelty of dropping the bucket down and retrieving some fresh water which we used as a refreshing clense. A few kms down the track Well 6 offered a similar experience. Continuing northwards we stopped at Inglebong Hills, it was here that we bumped into 2 tag-along groups offering the CSR experience. We were later to find out that each person paid upward of $8k for the experience. I know what I’ll be doing post retirement - “tour operator”. We chatted to them for a while before climbing the nearby Inglebong hill where we were amazed to find indigenous rock paintings and spectacular views. Just beyond Well 7 our progress was halted by another mechanical issue, we all banded together to soon have the tire changed and we were back on the road. At Well 9 we were pleasantly surprised to find a cyclist riding the CSR, we’d been following his single wonky bike trail for 2 days. We chatted with him for a good 30min learning of his feat to accomplish what we were doing in cars, he was trying to achieve on a bike. Leaving him at Well 9 we went down the track a few k’s before stopping for the night. As many of us did vehicle checks and maintenance, our cyclist friend pedalled past us, vowing that we’d catch up with him again tomorrow. Much of our maintenance evolved around removing spinifex grass from the underside of our cars, thus reducing the risk of our cars catching on fire. Once again we enjoyed a relaxing night around the fire with a million stars as our backdrop.

Our early morning starts have become the norm and Wednesday proved no different. We’d packed up and were on the track earlier than ever, sadly the rough rocks continued, but also that’s all part of the journey. We passed Well 10 and by Well 11 we’d caught up to our friend John the cyclist. He’d been on the road for a full 2 hrs before we started our day, we chatted for a while before bidding him farewell again… I’m sure we’ll see him again soon. The flora of the area was starting to change, we were slowly leaving the pastoral area and moving into the dune/desert section with steep crested dune crossings. The change was welcoming but there was always a rocky section to keep you on your toes. We stopped at Lake Aerodrome and wandered out onto the salt pans to inspect the mirage of water that lied well past where we could walk. Leaving the lake, the red sands and corrugations were relentless, it didn’t matter what speed we tried, in the end nothing worked, we erred on vehicle preservation and bounced along like the wobbly dog on the dash. Detouring to Well 13 for lunch as some unexpected vehicle repairs, the corrugations had vibrated the fridge off its slide resulting in the eggs being scramble. After lunch the distance between wells seemed to lengthen. We stopped at a lookout which was merely 10m higher than where we’d been travelling but it showed the vastness of the area in which we were travelling. By Well 15 we’d had enough for the day and opted to make camp for the night. Our spot had fresh water in the Well affording us the luxury of a shower after 5 days of dusty desert driving. We all commented how refreshed and rewarding the simplicity of a shower can be. As night fell the opportunity to do some night photography of the sky proved amazing.

Thursday dawned with beautiful cloudy skies filled with pinks and purples and temps of a balmy 13deg, we all commented how mild the morning was. To date the CSR has given us beautiful days with temps in the high 20’s. The day started with smooth roads but that didn’t last long, the corrugations were quite severe. We chose to stop and reduce our tyre pressures even further which thankfully improved our comfort and sanity. Heading further north the sand dunes become more prominent and the conditions were more favourable. By lunchtime we’d passed through Well 16 before arriving at the picturesque Durba Springs. We took some time looking around the area, inspecting the indigenous rock art, creek gorges and cliff lines. Returning to our cars it was disappointing to see the place had been overrun by 12 caravans and their tow vehicles who’d taken over the area which for us spoilt the serenity and ambience of the location. We chose to cut our loses and move on, even though the place offered so much. The track conditions improved to be mostly sand driving and an hour up the track we pulled into Well 18 for the night. The water from the artesian well offered a welcome relief with some of us having our second shower in 2 days. The night culminated around the fire with a few ports and plenty of tales about the caravan group from Durba Springs.

Another pre-dawn start, I wish our body clocks would reset itself. Nonetheless our pack up routine was getting well honed and we pulled out of camp around 8:00am. The track wound its way through various sand dunes and birradas lakes. At one point we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn where we stopped for the obligatory photo. Continuing on, Well 19 was simply a depression in the side of a dried salt lake. We opted to bypass Well 20 as fire had destroyed the structure and the Well had filled in over time. Continuing north we ventured out to 3 vantage points overlooking Lake Disappointment. At one of the vantage points we enjoyed spectacular views over the salt lake while having lunch. Following lunch we decided to make a beeline for Georgia Bore, however the track conditions didn’t work in our favour. The corrugations were horrendous, whether we went slow, fast or any other combination there of. To make the best of the road we pushed our vehicles harder than we wanted, we bounced across the corrugations at speeds of greater than 70km/hr. At one point we shared the track with 2 dingos who put on quite the show for us. Late in the day we arrived at Georgia Bore, this popular spot is a crossroad and early exit point on the CSR. Given its popularity we squeezed into a small spot with no room for a fire, thus resulting in an early night and week 2 on the road complete.

So far we’ve done 638km on the CSR.

Purposeful Meandering Around remote WA - Week 1

And just like that, we’re off on our latest adventure. Something that feels like it’s been in the making for years (maybe it had) has finally come to fruition. We originally started planning this road trip pre COVID, it ground to a halt as lockdown cancelled all travel, it was even put on hold while we went on an overseas holiday. Yep, this trip has been in the making for a long time.

As our departure date drew near, we almost had to cancel before we started. The unpredictability of the weather saw WA experience unprecedented rain in March, much of which still lies in patches effecting our route to this day. It felt like there was a different hurdle every week, some bigger than others.

Setting off at 4am an err of caution hung over our route from the outset. The weather had thrown us another curve ball, the Simpson Desert and surrounding areas had 25mm of rain fall overnight, turning dirt roads into mud skid pans which in turn, isolates communities and forces councils to close roads in and out of the desert region. Not to be deterred, our 4 vehicles combined for a mid-highway teleconference where plan B was hashed out….. Never let the weather spoil a good adventure and as night fell on day 1, we found ourselves resting up in Mildura.

Another chilly pre-dawn start had us watching the sun rise as we trekked across the Mildura plains. The early morning highlighted the amazing rustic colours of the grape vines as we travelled through the Riverland region of SA, by mid morning we found ourselves in the quaint little town of Morgan, a historic town on the banks of the Murray River and a perfect spot for breakfast. Pushing further west we were amazed by how many wind turbines we seen, they stretched for miles in either direction. We stopped in the small rural town of Jamestown and were surprised to learn it was the birthplace of R.M Williams. With a few planned geocaching stops it was mid afternoon before we reached Port Augusta. From here it truly feels like you’re entering outback Australia, whether you’re heading west or north there’s not much beyond this point. We turned north towards our nights destination of Woomera. Alas our progress was quickly halted by Sunday roadworks which stretched for more than 10km and slowed our progress dramatically. Needless to say the last few kilometres were done as the sun faded below the horizon. We setup camp in Woomera never felt so good.

Monday morning we rendezvoused with our first convoy car in the Woomera village, we shared our stories of our journey thus far whilst looking around military weapons on display. We were soon pushing north to Roxby Downs, a town solely built to support the Olympic Dam mine operations. It was like an oasis in the desert, not for its appearance, but had everything for every occasion. This was the end of the bitumen for us and we deflated our tyres for corrugations that lie ahead. Continuing further north the arid remoteness was quickly at the forefront, the dirt road was in pretty good condition and by midday we’d made it to the Oodnadatta track. It wasn’t long before we arrived at the Lake Eyre lookout, unfortunately the cold wind and overcast skies made this less appealing than the last time we were here. Continuing further west, we stopped at Coward Springs where we were pleasantly surprised to meet the remaining 2 vehicles of our convoy. Once again we shared our adventures thus far, while some of us had a swim in the natural thermal pool. Next stop was William Creek and we were surprised to see Pat Callinin’s 4x4 crew in this remote town filming an episode. Pressing on it was another couple of hours of rough trails before we arrived in Coober Pedy. We immediately checked in to Riba’s Underground Caravan Park for a couple of nights. While most of the team took the underground option, we braved the overnight rain scrawls and camped above ground.

Tuesday dawned under cloudy ‘n’ windy skies, the overnight rain didn’t have much of an impact on us but we found out later the roads we’d travelled yesterday were near impassable today. We opted for a rest day having already travelled 2200km in only a few days. By mid morning we headed into town where we posed for a group photo at the “blower truck” before doing our own thing around town. Given the size of Cobber Pedy much the day was spent bumping into one another at a tourist attraction, the supermarket or the petrol station. Returning to the caravan park late in the day we all agreed the underground lifestyle of fossicking for opal wasn’t for us. With another big day ahead of us on Wednesday we spent the remainder of the afternoon prepping vehicles and enjoying an extended happy hour.

Wednesday dawned with temps in the single digits and the clouds hung low and rain showers loomed. We had a big day ahead of us with 8+hrs of driving to negotiate. By 8am we were on the road, but for the first couple of hours we drove through rain and fog as we pushed north, We stopped at a few roadhouses which dot the Stuart Hwy. For much of the way we played leap frog with a convoy of Army trucks that were heading in the same direction. Just before lunch we stopped for the obligatory SA/NT border crossing pics. By lunchtime the skies had cleared, the sun was shining but not offering a lot of warmth. It allowed us the benefit of an outdoor lunch at another roadhouse. The driving was endless and monotonous, at Eldurrah we turned west and onto the home straight, but the finish line was still another 260km away. Eventually as the 8hr mark elapsed we pulled into Yulara. We quickly setup camp before heading to the sunset viewing area at Uluru. Under patchy skies the Rock didn’t disappoint us as the sun brought out the beautiful colours for all to see. No sooner was that complete and we headed back to the Yulara watering hole to prepare for State of Origin……. Alas that’s enough about the footy, we all know how that ended and so did our night.

Thursday - this is where our holiday really started, everything we’d done in the past 5 days lead to this point. We woke to the threat of rain, we even had a few spots of rain which had us bouncing out of bed only for the rain to clear and the sun to appear. We spent the morning being tourists around Uluṟu and doing some last minute chores. At midday we rendezvoused at Kata Jutjuta for a quick bite to eat before heading west. For the first 50km of the Great Central Rd we were blessed to be driving on the bitumen and making good time, we were soon airing down our tyres and the adventure was getting real. The outback offered up an array of wildlife that had us constantly watching for traffic hazards, whether it was feral cats, wild horses, cows and the odd camel we were amused by what was on the road. We had a quick stop at the community of Docker River before stopping at the NT/WA border for the obligatory photos and border shenaigans. Pushing further west we eventually made our way in the community of Warrakurna where we setup camp for the night out the back of the roadhouse. After dinner we enjoyed our first outback campfire under the millions of stars.

Friday dawned as our coldest morning of the trip, the thermometer said 3.2deg and coupled with a heavy dew it wasn’t a whole lot of fun. We quickly packed up and headed to the nearby BOM weather out-station where we watched the staff release their daily weather balloon into the atmosphere. Surprisingly it reaches heights of 30km and can drift for over 200km before exploding back to earth as consumable junk. By mid morning we were heading further west where we made it to the local community of Warburton, this is approximately halfway along the western section of the Outback Way and it’s a popular spot to refuel, which they conveniently charge for @ $3:60/ltr for diesel. As they say, “they have it, you need it, so you’ll pay whatever price”. Continuing just out of town we left the main dirt road to join the “Gunbarrel Hwy”. Despite its name it’s actually a narrow, corrugated overgrown 4WD track that throws up countless challenges. For the remainder of the day we averaged 30km/hr over some rough and rugged terrain. The car got some new pin-striping courtesy of the vegetation and on a couple of occasions we had to stop for running repairs. With the sun setting before 5pm we opted to stop early where we hoped to dry out swags from the mornings dew. As night fell, families enjoyed their respective dinners before we all adjourned to the campfire for our first round of port.

Our Saturday morning started really early, a local bird chirped like a persistent alarm with each family blaming the other for not getting up to stop the persistent noise, coupled with a body clock telling us it was a lot later, there was no way we’d be staying in bed much past 6:30am. With week 1 almost complete we’d driven over 3600km and were on the other side of the continent, thank goodness the weeks ahead would start to slow down. Packing up we’d set off by 8:00. The rugged terrain was unrelenting with our speed varying between 10 and 60km/hr it was hard to stay focused. The mornings highlight being a memorial to Len Beadell, the founder of so many outback tracks in the region that nowadays are used by likeminded travellers wishing to explore remote locations. By lunchtime we’d only managed to travel 85km and it looked like we’d be spending another night in the middle of nowhere. Recent rains ensured parts of the track were slippery, muddy and a lot of fun. At some point just after lunch the track literally flicked a switch or we went into a different council zone but we were able to increase our speeds up to highway speeds and for the remainder of the afternoon we made great time. We occasionally had to slow for water crossings or the dumb camel that run down the track blocking our progress for almost 2km’s before eventually heading into the bush. Around 3:30pm we arrived at the remote cattle station of Carnegie Station where we setup camp. With daylight fading we had to do some minor running repairs on the Colorado after a suspension part rattled loose.

1 week down and 7 to go. The hard yards getting to the other side of the country have been achieved, now it’s time to enjoy arid remote locations of WA.