The trip North now begins. We head to the Flinders Ranges where we stayed in the National Park Campground. Numerous bushwalks, with varying degrees of difficulty, originate from the campground or a short drive away. The first one was a very easy 6.4km return trip into Wilpena Pound. This is a large area surrounded by mountainous rock which made an ideal natural confinement for livestock in pioneering times. The walk concluded at the Hill’s Homestead with a short biography of the Hill’s family struggle to survive the isolation of the pound and make a living off the land. They farmed sheep and grew wheat through drought and flood, with no infrastructure. The brothers built roads and bridges by hand to move their produce to market – only to have their years of toil washed away by floods following the drought.
We were fortunate to spend a few more days with the Cantwell’s who arrived shortly after us. The kids had a ball playing together. We did the Mt Ohlssen Bagge climb altogether which made for a very pleasant walk – and very good excercise with a 9kg baby on your back!
Kids climb Mt Ohlssen Bagge!!
The top of the climb offers a spectacular view of the Pound and surrounding ranges and also the solar station which powers the campground. There is plenty of wildlife and birdlife to see on each walk. We also made some new friends – Dave and Kim, travelling ex-Sydney with their kids, Zoe and Lucas. You will see they are featured in future entry’s as they are now stalking us up through the centre! They insist that everywhere they go it rains and that they should be being paid by the government. They haven’t mentioned aliens at this point. Interestingly it did, indeed, rain while they were at the Ranges.
Through this time Trinity has been very whingy (for her) and clingy. Her top gums swollen with moving teeth. She is waking 8-12 times per night. She has just started playing ‘peek-a-boo’ by pulling a sheet or curtain around her face. She giggles hysterically each time, which has us all in peels of laughter too.
After 5 days, we leave the Ranges and hit the dry dusty roads on the way to Coober Pedy, via Leigh Creek and the Oodnadatta Track. The arid landscape is depressing – kilometer after kilometer of red, dusty sand with an occasional dry desert shrub. The red dust from the dirt road gets into the caravan so everything is covered in red grime each stop. With water scarce, it is very hard to feel clean. We get by on about 50 litres of water per day between towns, making me feel very irritated and highlighting my ‘clean’ obsessiveness. The nights and early mornings are freezing with no power. We were all very thankful when one of the roadside stops turned out to be an oasis!
Our camp site at Coward Springs
The spa at Coward Springs
Coward Springs, on the Oodnadatta track , preserves some of the history of the old Ghan train line and provided a relaxing retreat from the road. Thousands of litres of water bubble up in the area allowing huge sweeping trees (and even some Palms) to grow happily in the sand. The caretakers have built a tub (from old railway sleepers) around one of the bores providing a natural spa. The water bubbles out with such force it pushes you away. The water then overflows into a wetland of reeds and trees which provide a habitat for abundant birdlife including Brolgas! The water is constantly tepid (about 29*C). What bliss to clean off ….. by submersion especially! A camel safari runs from this camp spot, and the caretakers have used the old railroad sleepers to build showers and toilet huts. The showers are heated by a woodfire and complete with recycled tin splashbacks and ceramic hangers. It is all aesthetically breathtaking in a rustic, almost tuscan, way. We hung up the hammock and Trinity’s ‘nanny-and-poppy-made’ swing under the trees outside our caravan and decided to stay an extra night.
Trinity happy in her swing
This is a place we would love to go back to – an oasis in the middle of nowhere …. despite an evening visit from a dingo.
Trinity has cut two top teeth, since we left the Ranges, with one more busting at the seams. Zaac and Jay have taken to sketching with the variety of landscapes we see, and turning out some amazing drawings. Their instruments are sounding beautiful. They are in a good rhythm for setting up and packing up, so our moves go very smoothly all things considered. They are both still very in love with their sister and are generally good mates. Jaycob is missing his friends a great deal and writes to them and draws for them constantly.
The last days’ trip to Coober Pedy is long but uneventful. Coober Pedy marks the end of the horrid dirt road (for now). However, that does not mean we can get all cleaned up, because Coober Pedy doesn’t offer easy access to water. Water costs 20c for 30litres from the Council. There are no onsite taps. Showers cost 20c for a couple of minutes.
Underground Art Gallery
Underground church at Coober Pedy
CP is situated on beds of sand and silt stone 100 feet thick topped with stony desert that is nearly treeless. Very little plant life exists due to low rainfall. [Fortunately for Coober Pedy, Kim and Dave arrived the day after us, and so it rained for two days!] The information centre displays two photos for a ’spot-the-difference’ . One is of the CP terrain, and the other is the surface of Mars …… very difficult to tell apart. This harsh terrain has provided the perfect stage for movies such as ‘Mad Max’ and ‘Priscilla Queen of the Desert’ . The population is a vast mixture of cultures that are primarily dependant on opal mining. Due to the extremes in temperatures, it was not long before miners decided to camp underground in their mines. The town has now developed to the point where luxurious underground homes, underground churches, shops, cafes and a bar, have been planned and built. Although CP itself is completely unattractive, these buildings are spectacular. In particular we loved the church. It is a unique and interesting place to visit.
