Purposeful Meandering Around Remote WA - Week 7

Saturday in the Simpson desert and we were reminded how cold this place can be, a cold wind howled between the dunes and with no protection from the vegetation we felt rather cold and exposed. This was day 4 of our crossing and the plan was to be in Birdsville tonight. The QAA line has marked call points starting at No:23 and descending to No:1 which are designed to radio ahead for oncoming traffic and/or to identify your location if you breakdown. With our struggling in 4WD we wondered whether we needed to use one of these as a reference point. As the day progressed the numbers came down, we progressively made it over each dune. At No:3 we had a significant creek crossing to negotiate and with recent rains it was flowing well. Garth made it across and setup as our recovery, but thankfully we made it across the water unaided but needed help up the muddy slope on the exit. Pushing on we finally reached Call point No:1 and what lay ahead was “Big Red”. This ominous 30m high sand dune has multiple tracks up it depending on your skill or vehicle capability. Given the minimal drive from the front hub we took the easiest line and were very grateful to reach the top on our first go. For the next hour we laughed and commiserated with others as they tried their best on the tougher lines, some broke parts others eventually taking an easier line. Big Red marks the end of the Simpson Desert and the last 40km into Birdsville was a pleasure to drive. We quickly setup camp in the van park and basked in our first shower in days. Our evening was spent at the famous Birdsville hotel enjoying a meal and drink.

We’d decided to have a lay-day on Sunday, which was a welcome change. A relaxing start ensued, with a cooked breakfast and no real plans for our day in Birdsville. We caught up on some washing and a few chores around the car. The most exciting thing we did was the 30min walk around the 3 streets in town and refuelling the car. Being Sunday all shops in town shut by midday, so that leaves the pub and the artesian bore for attractions. Around 3pm the rush of new travellers arrive in town and the peace was broken. Our relaxing day was much needed and great for recharging our bodies.

Monday dawned with us rolling by 8:00am. We drove the short distance to the Birdsville Bakery where we met up with Garth and Tom, we all feasted on the local delicacies for breakfast. Once on the road our plan was to travel the Birdsville track but recent rains had closed it for the past week, thankfully we were lucky the track had opened to limited vehicle access. We made our way out of town and soon realised why the track had been closed, water covered the track and surrounding areas in multiple spots. At times we’d be travelling the track at 80km/hr and all of a sudden we’d be in water up to the sills of the car. We quickly learned that best option was straight through the water, going around the outside in the soft mud was dangerous but we had a lot of fun learning the hard way. By lunch time we’d made it to Mungarianne Hotel, this was to be our intended overnight campsite but after some discussion we decided to keep going. Despite the publican telling us the road was better the further we went south, we were still faced with multiple spots where water covered the entire track. By mid-afternoon we arrived in Maree which meant we’d ticked another box of Australian tracks. Continuing south our goal for the night was the historic township of Farina. We stopped along the way to collect some firewood and just before dusk we arrived at Farina, which appeared to be a popular choice as the place packed with travellers. We struggled to find a spot but once we did, we settled in for a night around the fire with a few beverages and a warming port. With our plans for the remainder of our trip taking us in different directions this was our final night as a 2-car convoy.

Tuesday started like any other day, except Farina in winter is a very cold place. Our extremities froze, the dew covered everything and we all struggled to get going. Garth said his goodbyes early as him and Tom had a lot of ground to cover today. We took our time, doing a bit of sightseeing and stopping at the seasonal bakery in Farina for some outback baked bread. Heading southward we quickly drove into rain scrawls and howling winds with the car temp struggled to reach double digits the entire day. We had a few stops as we drove south, at Hawker we inspected the working seismograph located in the petrol station, while in Peterborough we were gripped by steam train fever. Late in the day we found ourselves in Clare, we’d had enough driving for the day so we lashed out and found a cabin for the night as the predicted subzero temps didn’t lend itself to sleeping in a swag. Ahh! the warmth of a heater and comfort of being indoors for the night.

Wednesday started slowly, the comfort of being indoors had us struggling for motivation but eventually we were packed up and on the road again. The cold weather conditions hadn’t eased and for much of the morning we were happy to drive, staying warm while in the car. We’d made our way back towards Renmark where we planned to visit another state corner. MacCabes Corner is another surveyors mismatch. I’m sure the intent was for all 3 borders (NSW/SA/VIC) to align but once again that’s not the case. Around lunchtime we arrived at the nearest parking point to the corner, we then set off on a 2hr return walk to reach our final corner location for this trip. Situated on the banks of the Murray River this tranquil spot is very different to the others we’d visited, but the magnitude of reaching our final corner in Australia was lost because the post was neglected. Once back in Renmark we spent a few dollars attempting to clean the car, the mud had got that thick on the car we were getting dirty simply getting in and out of the car….. it was a sad moment as we washed away some great memories. By nightfall we were setup in a motel ready to watch the deciding “state of origin” game. All new south welshman know how that ended and I’m sure half the motel heard us cheering a great win.

Thursday started with the morning tv shows advising of severe weather coming across the SA state in the coming 24-36hrs, while this didn’t deter us from our plans we were conscious of the pending weather. We spent much of our day driving through various towns in the Murray and Mallee regions of the state. Travelling through the Murray region we watched countless pickers in hundreds of orchards picking oranges and mandarins. A similar scenario was playing out throughout the day with the countless vineyards we drove past. We passed some very popular brand name wineries that we’ve enjoyed. By days end we’d managed to stay one step ahead of the weather but chose a comfortable option for our night in Naracoorte.

Friday sees week 7 coming to an end, we woke to rain and that was the tempo for the day. We headed out to the Naracoorte Caves hoping for something a little more than a guided tour through a cave, but we quickly reminded ourselves how spoilt we are having various roping cave systems so close to home. After a short look around we left disappointed but not surprised. With rain continuing to fall and temps in the low single digits we soon found ourselves in Victoria. The weather wasn’t any better, there was even a severe weather warning for areas near where we were driving. Around lunchtime we stumbled across the site of a story for the ages. In 1864, 3 kids went missing for 9 days. OMG! they were eventually found alive 100km from their home. We both struggled to grasp the magnitude of such an event in todays society….. Moving on we passed through the rural towns of Edenhope, Horsham and Dimboola before deciding the small town of St Arnaud was enough for today. The rain hadn’t let up and the temps remained in the single digits. It was a no-brainer that we opted for the comfort and warmth of something more than the swag for tonight.

7 weeks into our trip and the end is near.