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Australia All Over

August 2019 - April 2024
An open-ended adventure by The Gypsies Read more
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  • The GypsiesAustralia All Over
    Day 5

    Fraser Island

    August 24, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We visited Eli Creek, on the way to Central Station campground, where we stayed overnight, then drove to Lake McKenzie before returning to the beach for our last night. The sand tracks into Central and the Lake were very rough and we averaged about 10 to 15 k an hour. It took a very long time to travel a short way. But it was worth it just to see how diverse this island is.Read more

  • The GypsiesAustralia All Over
    11
    Day 6

    Fraser Island Qld

    August 25, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We spent a week camping on Fraser Island.The island is the largest sand island in the world and is about 120 kilometres long. We drove up the Eastern side on the beach for about 100 K to our beachside campsite. The view was magic! The whales put on a show for us, quite a long way out though. A fisherman's paradise if you're lucky enough to catch them. Caught a dart, which we ate and some flathead that were too small and released.
    Watched a local guy playing around on the beach one day trying to attract a shark in close so he could catch it on his fishing line. He was dragging a big bag of fish berley in and out of the surf. A few sharks eventually turned up but wouldn't be caught. See the video.
    Dingoes were common as they are native to the island. They were no problem as long as you did not approach them and kept all rubbish out of reach.
    We drove into the interior and stayed a night at Central Station, a National Park campsite. We were camped among magnificent tall trees and rainforest. There is a number of fresh water lakes and creeks on the island, the largest one is Lake Mackenzie which we drove Quite impressive considering where it is.    Read more

  • The GypsiesAustralia All Over
    1
    Day 9

    Brisbane to the Birdsville races

    August 28, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We left Brisbane ,for the Birdsville races stopping at a few nice places on the way. Our first stop was just an overnighter at a little town called Cecil Plains. Next day its on to St George to stock up with supplies and on to a station called Charlotte Plains. Here they have a free flowing hot water from a bore they put down in the late 1800s. This bore when first done put out over 3000 litres a day but is down to 700 odd litres a day now but it has never ever been turned off !!! The water temperature as it gets to the surface is about 42 degrees so they ran it through open channels across the station to cool it down as the water is very drinkable. Today they have put in a lot of cast iron baths 🛀 which you can fill when you want as many times as you want to enjoy a beautiful hot artesian bath which we did with a cheese board and red wine in hand !!! The station is pretty run down these days but the lady who owns and runs it these days still has her grandfathers 1920s soft top Rolls Royce which they have had since new. I am guessing but I reckon it’s worth more than the station these days. They have had 15mm of rain in the last 3 years and that was 3 months ago. Poor buggers!!Read more

  • The GypsiesAustralia All Over
    1
    Day 12

    Charlotte Plains to Birdsville

    August 31, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Left Charlotte Plains and headed for Birdsville via Quilpie and Cunnamulla. Stayed in a free camp just out of Quilpie which we went and had a look at the next day. Bought some beautiful local meats from the butcher there at a good price. Moved on to Cunnamulla where the famous statue of the “Cunnamulla man” is. Brilliant statue if you don’t know about it goggle it !! From Cunnamulla to Windorah and on towards Birdsville. Stopped at Dions lookout where we took some photos and a video of the view. Quite impressive considering the normal view is flat almost treeless land. We camped in a dry river bed 100 odd ks out of Birdsville.
    Next morning on to Birdsville and get set for the races!!    Read more

  • The GypsiesAustralia All Over
    Day 17

    Birdsville and the races

    September 5, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    Got to Birdsville on the 3rd of September, racers are on the 6 and 7th so time to check the place out where normally 140 people live but swells to between 6 and 8 thousand for the races. A month ago they had the big red bash ( a music festival ) which is capped at 10,000 people ( at 400 bucks a ticket ) and is held out at Big Red, a massive sand dune 40k east of Birdsville ,so they are use to crowds! There were blood suckers everywhere, after your money, and that’s before they let the horses 🐎 have a go at your pocket!! The atmosphere was fantastic and everyone seemed to get into it. It was very well run, plenty of free camping as well as paying sites, lots of toilets and water points throughout the sites. Shuttle buses ran between the races and Birdsville for a gold coin donation to the RFD ( royal flying doctors ) which were well patronised, both the buses and the doctors, as the demographics of people were definitely favouring the old ( we looked positively young!! ) The first day of the races we killed it, came out 50 bucks up. Went back the next day to finish them off but they must have rigged it as we couldn’t pick one to save our selves!! Ah well back into town for the festivities for the evening and it was just fantastic. Comedians kicked it off followed by a country rock singer and she was great ( Tammy Moxon ) After a long day and a big night, well for us anyhow, we walked home regaling a great day and fun had by all. We stayed a couple more days so they could clean the town up and we could see what Birdsville actually looks like naturally and we wanted to go out to see Big Red!! Big Red is the last sand dune you have to cross when you come across the Simpson desert from Alice Springs. We actually got our truck up this side of it but I wouldn’t try going down and back up the other side as it was a lot steeper and very soft so probably would have needed a tow. Another time maybe!! Also went out and saw one of only 3 stands left of the Waddi tree. This wood is so hard and dense it will blunten your axe, it virtually won’t burn and white ants don’t eat it. Because it doesn’t burn it just smoulders the aboriginals would take a smouldering piece with them on their desert crossing for fire lighting. These trees are millions of years old, good luck mans here!!Read more

  • The GypsiesAustralia All Over
    Day 23

    Birdsville to Marree

    September 11, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    After a brilliant few days in Birdsville we met a few couples heading to Marree as we were, so we said “ see you there “. Unbeknown to us the Birdsville track was a tyre eater!! We had a night at Coopers creek ( a dry river bed ) and one night at Clayton station which had another hot mineral bath ( beautiful ). Did some washing there and lounged in the hot bath for the day. On to Marree the next day only to find none of our friends there. They started limping in later in the day with stories of not one but 3 to 4 flat, sometimes destroyed , tyres. By the end of the next day they were all in, but faced with having to wait a week or so for replacements or risk it on what they had left to a bigger town 60 or 70 ks away. As for us , so far so good, so we had a couple of days in Marree waiting for a fight over lake Eyre and the Marree man.
    We were in a free camp behind the pub, big mistake 🍻🍻. If you don’t know anything about the Marree man goggle it, it’s fascinating. A magic flight with a wealth of information.
    While parked behind the pub some 80 odd postie bikes came in for a night and believe it or not they had traveled down the Birdsville track, and they were buggered!!    Read more

  • The GypsiesAustralia All Over
    Day 27

    Photos of lake Eyre

    September 15, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    The flight was really good but very difficult to get good photos through the windows of the little 6 seater plane. They were badly scratched Perspex.

  • The GypsiesAustralia All Over
    Day 28

    On towards William creek and Oodandatta

    September 16, 2019 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    After our flight over lake Eyre we headed north up the Oodnadatta track wondering what this road holds for us. The first night was at one the many old Ghan railway sidings, which were put in for water because they were all steam trains back then. The history at these sites was really interesting but after 10 or more, all the same, we stopped looking. The Ghan today follows the Stuart highway because for one they don’t need the water, and with the water came the floods which took the line out most years.
    Called in to an abandoned sheep station, Strangeways Springs, just before William Creek. Settled in the late 1800s , it was abandoned by the early 1900s , but time enough to build houses, sheds, water tanks, sheep yards and shearing shed. It was built where there were natural springs not flowing any more , so water wasn’t the problem, it was just the heat and lack of rain. They lost half their sheep in the first drought but soldiered on for quite a few more droughts until till they just walked away.
    The next stop was one of the springs that still is flowing and it’s in the middle of nowhere, desert all around. Some great photos of that. The springs have basically stopped flowing because of mans greed for water. Ask BHP! They have a bore that takes 300 litres a second for its Olympic dam mine, a few hundred ks south of Marree.
    On to William Creek pub for lunch and a coffee instead of a beer. (Believe it or not but these roads deserve a lot of respect so sadly no beers for me ) Once again heaps of history and plenty to see before pushing on to Oodnadatta. All this country is so fascinating, sometimes flat with trees then no trees then hilly with some great views. All the stock we saw were in good condition amazingly. Once again Oodnadatta, like the other little towns, a pub and general store with a few houses scattered around but very friendly people. Have a look at the campground, ( next page ). Just stunning! 😜 but the beer was nice and cold and the food was great in the pub. It’s called supporting the town!!    Read more

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