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Road trip to Darwin

June - September 2019
Could be our last big road trip to the top end. Ian and I hope to visit Lake Eyre, Darwin, Broome and all the bits between Read more
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  • TravelerRoad trip to Darwin
    Day 1

    Port Pirie

    June 27, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Arrived in Port Pirie Caravan Park. Still before nightfall when we got here. Better than last time when we missed the entrance all together in the dark! Both of us are feeling pretty grotty with the cold/ flu. Staying two nights to try and recover. Still walked 9km over the course of the morning, walking around the town, and then out to our favourite- Aldi! Ian bought a light fleece in an op shop for $6 and should have bought a raincoat in a bag...on sale in Aldi (he forgot his).Read more

  • TravelerRoad trip to Darwin
    1
    Day 3

    Leigh Creek

    June 29, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Woke to heavy rain this morning in Port Pirie. We had the most stunning drive through the Flinders Ranges on the way here. Outstanding! We passed the Pichi Richi steam train coming from Port Augusta, and stopped for a coffee in Quorn. The annual marathon had taken place this morning, and we saw on the news last night, that around 200 people where expected to take up the challenge of running from Port Augusta to Quorn. There was no sign of any runners, but a lot of people must have been on the train judging by the cars in the car park! We had lunch in the local cafe!!!! And we had about the most expensive hotdogs ever @$15 each! On to Leigh Creek. A very windy night! Ian was talking to a Dutch motorcyclist, who had just come from William's Creek. He had tried to drive to the lake...but said it was impossible to get to on land. As you neared the water, the salt crust became soggy, and he got bogged down. We will head to Maree in the morning and enquire about a flight.Read more

  • TravelerRoad trip to Darwin
    1
    Day 4

    Marree

    June 30, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Headed to Marree this morning. No wind to speak of, so the driving was easy. We took a spin round Leigh Creek township. It felt really weird. No people to be seen. A few cars in driveways, but we were the only people on the road. Empty Foodland, post office, Police Station. Just a ghost town. Pretty sad really.
    Next stop was Farina, to sample the pies from the underground bakery. Farina is a town that saw it's last inhabitant in the 1960s. However it is being renovated by volunteers from the caravan and camping association. They have the old bakery up and running again and during June and July they produce fresh bread, pies, and pastries to help raise money. They are always on the lookout for volunteers to help with the building work.
    In Marree we parked in the Hotel carpark, and booked our flight over Lake Eyre. We have to wait two days to do it but hopefully we won't be disappointed. $550 each for a two hour flight. The car park is free with just a gold coin donation for the use of a shower and toilet. By evening there was very little room left in the carpark, and the Hotel was buzzing!    Read more

  • TravelerRoad trip to Darwin
    Day 5

    Lake Eyre South

    July 1, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    We are still both suffering from sore throats and dry irritating coughs. It was a slow start this morning, with cough meds, panadol, throat spray and nasonex on the menu. Still, after a chat with Geraldine, (a 'grey nomad' who ,along with her husband, have volunteered to work at the pub for 5 months), she suggested we stay for the camel races over the weekend. We had planned to stay until Wednesday anyway, so staying until Saturday doesn't seem too outrageous. The pub seems much busier today, with a lot of caravans coming and going. We headed off along the dirt road to Lake Eyre north after lunch. The first 50km was a great road, better than some tarmac ones, but when the road forked - one heading off to Muloorina Station, the other to lake Eyre South. It was a different kettle of fish! Very corrugated and rutted for another 50km! When we came to the end of the road, a few other cars were present. We walked over the Dunes to see vast areas of what appeared to be mud flats!!! Pretty disappointing!!
    We called into the pub for a glass on return, and bought a bottle of Red...a very amusing red called Camel Riders Red. The label in particular was worth the cost!    Read more

  • TravelerRoad trip to Darwin
    Day 6

    Lake Eyre North

    July 2, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    We were up bright and early to catch our flight over Marree Man and then Lake Eyre North. We expected to be on a small 5 seater plane, but instead were on the 14 seater 'caravan' which seemed quite appropriate. Ian and I both sat at window seats, and therefore had good views to photograph the lake in all its glory. We had met our next door neighbours while waiting to board. Neil and Barbara. Barbara liked to talk a lot, and so over the course of an hour I learnt all there was to know about their family history , and even more. They were also travelling, and had an impressive setup. Anyway, Neil chose to sit on his knees at the back of the plane, while Barbara sat beside the pilot to help combat her air sickness. It was a fantastic experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We flew over the flood waters still streaming into the lake which in itself was incredible. The bird life was growing, mostly Pelicans at the moment, which could be seen far below. Our 2 hour flight was over all too soon, but will be a lasting memory of our trip.Read more

  • TravelerRoad trip to Darwin
    Day 7

    A quiet day

    July 3, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    We are really just biding our time until the weekend. We recharged the car battery and sorted out the caravan. I cleaned the fridge, and Ian cleaned the car fridge. We have enough food to last us a couple more days and everything looks good.
    Gradually our colds are improving, although my voice is still quite creaky, but we are both coughing less. The carpark is full every night, with perhaps two other couples spending time like us. Our solar panal has proved a godsend. We only tried it today for the first, ....brilliant. so we have enough power to be able to watch videos after dinner each night.
    We walked to the other pub/post office/ service station/ grocery store this afternoon. We called into the Yacht club, and Ian bought a cap. We also found the Mosque, originally built for the Muslim Afghanistan Camel herders.
    We had met some young Muslim boys a few nights ago, who offered us a seat by their fire. They had made the journey to pray at the mosque at sunrise in memory of the camel traders.    Read more

  • TravelerRoad trip to Darwin
    Day 8

    Day trip to Roxby

    July 4, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    We head off to Roxby Downs this morning. 183km of dirt road. Over 80km along the Oodnadattaa track, before the turn off. This was our trial run to see what the road might be like before committing ourselves with the van behind us. Most of the road was good - the rough patches were small - so that's where we are heading on Sunday morning with the van behind us. We passed some ?aboriginal sculptures about 50km along the Oodnadatta track. A steady stream of travelers were stopping to have a look. Us included!
    Roxby Downs is described as a 'Green Town in the desert...and it is. It is serviced by Olympic Dam, and has a very well stocked Woolworths. Worth the journey to get here, after our unanticipated length of stay at Marree. We bought a few things and went to a pie shop for lunch...then back home before dark. We just made it. The carpark was very busy and we had nowhere to park our car! Our neighbours tonight had been on the other side of the van yesterday. They were farmers from Queensland. He piloted a powered hangglider, and had flown down the birdsville track. They seemed to be sleeping in the back of their Ute. This morning they had flown over the Marree man, and planned to fly out over the lake tomorrow. We must have left the outside lights on after they went to bed, and we found black tape covering them when we got up! The farmers from Queensland were obviously resourceful too!    Read more

  • TravelerRoad trip to Darwin
    Day 9

    Welcome party at Marree Hotel

    July 5, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Lazy day...not much happens at Marree! We read, cleaned, and went to the Camel race Welcome party.
    Ian emptied the toilet cassette....not as simple as it sounds! He had to drive to a proper bonified CP, and pay $10!
    Tonight however we stood around empty beer keg fires blazing outside the pub, with Paul Costa singing. He was great. I loved it! There must have been about 150 people standing around singing and dancing.
    We came home with a couple (or more) wine glasses. Shame🙄    Read more

  • TravelerRoad trip to Darwin
    Day 10

    Last day at Marree Camel Race

    July 6, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Off to the camel races! What can I say. Then watched the Crows get smashed by Port on the Hotel TV. We also heard of a tragic plane crash in Leigh Creek. Two were killed flying back from their visit to Marree and flight over lake Eyre. Thankfully it wasn't our farming neighbours from a few days ago, but both were couples from Queensland. Last day here.Read more

  • TravelerRoad trip to Darwin
    Day 11

    Along the Oodnadatta with the Van

    July 7, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Mass exodus from the Hotel Carpark this morning. We left at around 9.45. It seemed like a big day for both of us...and we were both concentrating very hard. The first time with the Van driving on a dirt road for over 100km! What would happen if.....anyway, we were almost home and dry - when we burst a tyre 20km from the end of the dirt road. We had travelled over 150kms by that point! What a bummer. But it wasn't on the caravan....which was what I had expected...but on the car! Ian was amazing and it was sorted in no time. We arrived in Clean Green Roxby Downs non the worse for wear around 2pm. Inside the van, the oven door handle had shaken off on one side, and the bottom of the fridge door had fallen off....all easily fixable.Read more

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