Days 3 - 5. Update from sunny QLD - Birdsville - Monday 3rd to Wednesday 5th October .

This blog update is going to be very disjointed and contain no pictures, as I can't be bothered to get out of the tent and fiddle with the camera and card. Time is of the essence to capture some of my disjointed 'rememberings' from the journey to date.

Tonight will be our last service for a week or so I would reckon. I will get around to cleaning up and finalising the blog sometime after we get home.

One thing I neglected to mention in my last blog was the confusion the change to daylight savings and moving into SA and trying to get away from Swan Hill early caused to the group. Our cabin at Swan Hill (consisting of Kerri, Rohan, Dad and Myself) were totally bamboozled, as were our phones, we were woken at our departure time by Milani and Stef and Meg on our doorstep ready to go and we weren't even out of bed. It was a pretty quick start to the morning, I think we left Macca's after eating breaky about 8.30, only about an hour or so late...oops. The changing time zones have continued to plague us through SA (with a half hour time difference) and now into QLD with NO daylight savings...suffice to say...I have no idea what time it is anywhere and we are lucky we are working with the sunlight pretty much...god help us when we get back to the real world with due dates and deadlines.

So I'll start by working backwards from tonight.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 5 - Mungerannie to Birdsville

We arrived into Birdsville tonight to set up our last camp in civilisation, with showers, toilets, washing machines etc. Also it seems like the first night under canvas that won't be blowing a gale/flapping the tent endlessly. It is really quite balmy with an expected overnight temp tonight of 19 degrees. We got up to around 30 degrees today.

Our trip to Birdsville today nearly didn't happen. Yesterday we struck a bit of rain and weren't sure that the Birdville track would be open. Obviously it was.

the sign said it was open...so off we slid.

Some of the events of the day today (Wednesday) were:

waking up to spitting rain on tents at Mungerannie, where we spent a wet, windy, rainy, thundery and lightning filled night

the sun soon broke through and things quickly heated up, it was decided we were going to make a run for Birdsville

I had to get the flat tyre off my vehicle and repaired, which thankfully the Mungerannie roadhouse crew were able to do, the tyre was repairable and a reasonable price to do so.

tyre off ready to roll

...well actually it was carried on the trolley to the workshop at Mungerannie, thanks Stef.

my tyre on the stand in workshop with bloke looking for something to use to fix it.

tyre back on the car - phew, easily fixed.

• We managed breaky, pack up, swims in the artesian pool, photographs of birdlife etc.

Milani and Cathy in the artesian pool.

birds in the artesian ponds/wetlands

Pelican amongst the reeds.

Clever bird on bent reeds.

•  slipping and sliding along the track from Mungerannie, which was quite wet with the overnight rain, it was muddy, wet and gluggy in places, for some it was their first experience of mud, but no one really had any issues.

Dad crossing a floodway.

eveyone was pretty grubby, with cars depositing little 'dollops' wherever we stopped

• we saw a lot of wildlife today, including lots of lizards - frilled neck, goannas and other dragons, beef cattle, some snakes, heaps of birds - kites, brolgas etc.
• the trip seemed to take forever, it was only a little of 300 km but it took us a long time with stops for critters/flowers/lunch/toilet stops etc. We had to call a halt to 'stops' so we could get some kilometres under our belt.
• changing landscape, trees, no trees, sand, gibber, flat, undulating etc etc
• Entering Birdville, I came to see how the town got its name, quite a bit of wetlands around with lots of birdlife of various sorts
•  we came past the Birdville race track, home to the annual camel races





the Birdsville racetrack



• Camp set up at Birdville, then off to the famous Birdsville pub for tea.



ET phone home, I think that's Peyton on the other end of the phone.






Cathy, Kerri, Rohan, Steve and Dad at the Birdsville Pub.

Car at the back of the Pub.

• Back to camp, washing hung out ready for the remainder of the trip across the Simpson desert.

Kerri and Ro, getting the washing out of the machines - 2 loads for 5 people,
all dry overnight in the balmy Birdsville weather

TUESDAY OCTOBER 4th - Maree to Mungerannie

Now working back a little to Yesterday (Tuesday October 4th), which saw us awake VERY early in Marree, in preparation for our Scenic flights over Lake Eyre, Cooper Creek Ferry, the Cooper Creek wetlands. good flights had by all despite overcast conditions and fears for turbulence and upset tummies. MORE on this when I get some photos... and here they are.

It was too early for good light, so here's the spooky shot of our gang and pilot.

The plane for the 2.5 hour flight.

Our pilot, Dad, Steve and Ro. Reve and I are in the back seats

 

Sun trying to create a sunset...too overcast for really good visibility.

Flying over the Cooper Creek wetlands, the Cooper in flood.

Flying over the Cooper Creek ferry. We flew over a diversion track for the
Birdville track, due the floodwaters the only crossing is via the punt/ferry.

A plane out of place, it had crash landed 4 days earlier, with passengers. It is nosed
into the closed section of the Birdsville track. Thankfully the opposition company.

This is the REAL Birdsville track, hence the need for a diversion and ferry.

Water, water everywhere - here it is LAKE EYRE.

The various shapes and textures of the shoreline were fantastic.

another shoreline

Largest Island in the Lake from the plane window.

more shoreline

The pink waters of Lake Eyre, a pink algae causing the color

A strange round 'cultivation' at the end of track off the track, as we come into land.

Landing at the Marree airstrip.

After flights, back to camp to pack up before the very threatening skies opened up on our tents etc. Pretty basic campground at Marree, so showers etc were a little 'ordinary'

Some of us fuelled up (yet again) with Diesel at $1.95. Had our first cuppa of the morning - a cappucino at the Oasis Cafe, also the venue for our Dinner the night before.

Not far along the track there was a little sign to some wetlands and artesian pool. Here we found a couple who were just finishing in the tank. There were about 6 taps around the tank, which you openned to fill the tank with artesian waters - warm from the Great Artesian Basin. when done you pulled the plug to empty for hte next group. Pity we didn't have time to camp and test this one out. There were also toilets and showers - all maintained by the nearby Homestead and Station - can't recall the name, but it was very generous of them to go to this trouble - all with an honesty box system.

The artesian pool/spa

Then off up the Birdville track to cross the Cooper Creek at the much awaited 'punt'. When the Cooper is in flood the Birdville track is inundated for quite a long way and is impassable. To enable traffic to travel to Birdville they open up a 'diverion track' which enables traffic to cross the Cooper by a ferry, this is a rare occurence and some of our group had been hanging out to experience it for a VERY long time.

Here we are lined up at the ferry. Given steve has been waiting
to do this crossing, we let him come to the front to go first.

Yep Steve, you really are here...and you really ARE going to cross the Cooper on the Ferry.

We timed our arrival well and only waited an hour of so for us all to cross, with a quick lunch on the other side before more spitting rain.

A helicopter made the most of 'long waiting times' by offering short scenic flights over the Cooper creek. $85 for 15 minutes.

Here we are waiting our turn to cross. There were probably 3 vehicles in front of us.
Evidently the ferry drivers had only just returned from their lunch break.

the sign says it all

On goes WOL with Steve and Reve on board.

OHS is alive and well out here...lifejackets on.

A plover near the ferry site.

the DISCO and family all safely on board the punt. CYA on the other side.

Cathy and Mike roll onto the ferry

maybe if we squeeze up we can fit TWO?

Yep, SKA is on board too. Not a lot of room to spare but a good time saver really.

Off we go.

Ska ready to sail

Lucky last - Dad and Ro come across too.

A juvenile heron of some sort, right near our lunch spot near the ferry.

He had amazing coloring and green legs.

We then headed further north, with Mungerannie station as our planned destination, we had had a little rain and were keen to get 'somewhere' for the night.

Entering the Lake Eyre Basin, which is huge, as can be seen by this poster

The catchment area is humungous, and with the rain and cyclone YASI earlier in the year there has been plenty of water flowing into the Lake.

It was raining quite persistently by the time we arrived, only to find there were no rooms available as the Corolla Car rally were due to stay.
So we found a reasonable campsite and set up in "less than ideal" conditions, we once again had to break out Stef's FoxWing and my BaseCamp shelter and a range of tarps to allow dry cooking and eating area. All a bit of fun really.

Meg and Nicola trying to create a dry place for everyone.

Dad's initial attempt for a shelter for his swag..unfortunately the wind played havoc and we wrapped this up soon after.

Steve and Reve had a dry place to prepare tea.

 I have no idea what Stef said but - a picture paints a thousand words.

As we were setting up our campsite, I noticed a rather bulgy tyre on my vehicle which proceeded to go flat as we set up...Dad to the rescue to jack it up before it got fully flat - this would have been a pain to get a jack under later. I was figuring it was a slow leak...gotten late in the trip, as it had given us no bother on the track...luckily it was a small stone through the tread, which was repairable...phew!!!!!

That tyre is square on the bottom - bugger. Thanks to Dad who got a jack under it before it fully deflated.

Mike with tent ready to go...but earlier, they learnt that the tent had been packed with no fly...after several different attempts to provide cover, we opted for the fly from Kerri's unused tent.

See we are very resilient, wet but happy under cover. Onya Meg.

Steve and Dad are also smiling...what's a little precipitation between friends?

We had some visitors looking for some shelter too
- a Long haired Australian rat -
named Chip and his mate named Chippina.

They were literally looking like bedraggled drowned rats,
but rather cute, never the less

 MONDAY OCTOBER 3rd - Peterborough to Maree

The day before (monday) began in Peterborough - where we had a lovely grassy campsite, we arrived reasonably late in the afternoon, set up camp had a few nibblies and drinks and headed off to the Peterborough Pub for tea.

It was quite a cold night, and one we hadn't anticipated, unfortunately Kerri found her mattress was not quite airproof and she spent a cold night without a mattress between her and very cold ground.

Sorry guys getting late here, gotta go to bed. will try and make some more sense of this another time...it is "doing my head in" trying to work backwards.  I think I have covered Peterborough anyway....oops. No it seems I hadn't so here it is.

·         Brrrr, cold night, breakfast cooked in the camp kitchen, which saved us unpacking more gear.

Kerri with her porridge and mine in the microwave.

Dad and Kerri eating breaky

Kerri’s lilo went down, tried to get one in Peterborough, contacted Steve in Port Augusta and deputised him with‘new mattress’ duty, whilst Reve was selecting a range of fridge magnets at the Wadalata info centre

Shopping at Peterborough, given we couldn’t bring fruit and vegies through the fruit fly       

Fuelled up

Eventually on the road.

· Lunch at Parachilna, beat steve to the Parachilna pub

· Dad papered his window in preparation for Steve, a keen ‘Pies fan

·         Quick trip into Leigh Creek – a town which provides the home and facilities for the Leigh Creek coal mine

·         Ran into Steve/Reve on the Radio – fuelling up at Leigh Creek

·         Dad and Kerri – talked to a bloke collecting old sleepers for firewood off the railway side, we grabbed what would fit in Dad’s car for a fire, after our cold night in Peterborough...

·         Stopped into the Leigh Creek Mine – viewing area

Checking out the dredger.

Milani inside a world record tyre.

•  Called into the old township of Farina, which is now just an amazing set of ruins.There has been some more work done in restoration since I was there with Mary, Phil, Kate and Ro two years ago.

The bakery has had a bit of work and obviously a pizza or two cooked
in the ovens.

Kerri and Ro overlooking the cellar

Stef and Dad looking down on us in the cellar.

A lizard lapping up the sunshine

What a backdrop?

How to attract the paparazzi.

·         Finally made it to Marree and met up with the last of the crew – Cathy and Mike, who had opted for the final night of comfort in a cabin at the Oasis Campground, so we all pitched our tents, had a quick tea at the “Oasis Cafe” staffed by a range of backpackers, confirmed our flights, then returned to camp to get organised for early morning start, to be at airstrip at 6.45. Preparations of medications, breakfasts, cameras, water, hats, sunnies etc took place....in readiness.