A Journey of Discovery & Learning - Part 3

 Maree to William Creek.

3 Jun: Maree is a small town in northern SA where the Birdsville and Oodnadatta tracks meet.

First Bridge

After refuelling the vehicle and purchasing grocery items, including wine, we started along the Oodnadatta Track (OT) west towards William Creek. Due to our late departure we only travelled some 40km before deciding to stop for night next to a ruined bridge on the Old Ghan railway.

Camp Site

 

We found some very fascinating Points of Interest (POI) along the track, stopping to explore some of the old ruins along the Old Ghan railway line. Near Alberie Creek there was a rather unusual park, the Mutonia Sculpture Park - Plane Henge. all sculptures were constructed from scrap metal and old farm machinery. 

Sculpture

Windmill Bird

Written on sculpture

 

One of the first ruins we explored was the Curdimurka Railway Siding. Built in 1888 it is the last remaining station yard of significance left intact. A bi-annual ball used to be held here, commencing in 1986 it continued up until 1996 and was attended by several thousand people from all over Australia and from overseas. 

Curdimurka Siding Water Tank

 

Curdimurka Siding Front View

 

On our way to our second overnight stop on 'the track', Beresford Ruins, another railway siding, we stopped at the Lake Eyre Lookout. Unfortunately there was no water visible but at least we were able to appreciate the vastness of the lake and how large the catchment area was. 

Lake Eyre Catchment

 

Lake Eyre South Lookout

We were the only people camped at Beresford Ruins although several drove in but decided not to stay. This was an amazing spot with a full dam, plenty of space and lots of birdlife. Yes there are no facilities so you need to be self sufficient.

Beresford Ruins

Birds on the Dam

Campsite

An unusual occurrence along this track are 'mound springs'. These are natural outlets for the waters of the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) where artesian pressure forces the water to the surface. The precipitation of salt and minerals, along with the erosion of sand and clay of the surrounding country, has created these mounds. We saw several of these mounds when we stopped to explore a place called "Strangways". 

Mound Spring

This was a wonderful opportunity for us to discover a little more history about the life and times of exploration in this area, plus the Flora.

Flora

'Strangways' was named by explorer Warburton in 1858, named after a SA political figure of the day - Henry Bull Templar Strangways. In 1863 this property was a sheep and cattle station. The number of livestock was increased however in 1865 half the stock had perished during drought. In 1870 Strangways was selected as a repeater station for the overland telegraph and pastoralist activities ceased.

As the Premier, Strangways initiated construction of the Overland Telegraph from Port Augusta to Darwin. The telegraph repeater station at Strangways was one of 11 stations. It operated from 1872 to 1896 relaying telegraphic signals from Adelaide to Darwin. It is located on the great Anna Creek Pastoral lease - previously owned by S. Kidman and Co. 

Info

Info 2

Ruins

We spent almost two hours exploring this heritage site before continuing our travels to William Creek. Before arriving at William Creek another amazing Geographical Phenomena, the Mesa Lookout.

Mesa Lookout

Next stop William Creek!!!

A Journey of Discovery & Learning - Part 2

 Birdsville to Maree

25th May - Finally arrived in Birdsville and found a lovely free camp spot along the river. It had been a warm day at 32o C and there was a beautiful sunset on our first night.

Birdsville Sunset

We planned to have a four night stopover here and completing another 'bucket list' experience - Birdsville and driving up Big Red - the highest sand dune in the Simpson Desert.

Our first day we visited the Wirrarri Information Centre and discovered some interesting short trips around Birdsville. There is also a lovely Art Gallery at the info centre displaying the work of local artists including traditional aboriginal artwork, contemporary art and photographs.

On our 2nd day, after a brief visit to the local medical centre and a short chat with the RFDS visiting medico for confirmation of a mild case of shingles, we headed 80km north for the day to visit the Carcoory Ruins and Bore. Some interesting sites along the way included a stand of ancient Waddi trees, a desert 'shoe rack' and a desert 'op shop'.

Shoe Rack

Op Shop

 

Waddi Tree

The Waddi trees, one of only 3 stands remaining in Australia, are located 12km north of Birdsville on the Bedourie Rd.They are a rare tree with a population of 1,500,000 left in Australia. Up to 1,000 yrs old when dry they are almost impossible to drill and, so hard, they have been found to damage saws & axes.

Our next discovery was the Carcoory Ruins. This was one of the first properties that Sidney Kidman purchased in 1899.

Carcoory Ruins

Classified by the National Trust, the remains of this homestead are situated close to a hot Artesian bore. The water being released from the bore is way above boiling point.

Artesian Pool

Artesian Bore

 Returning to Birdsville we stopped into the local Bakery for obligatory camel pie followed by scones, cream and homemade jam - expensive but delish!

On our final day in Birdsville we explored a little more around town and finally visited the famous pub.

Birdsville Pub

Us in the Pub

 

Sadly we were a little disappointed with that visit. Obviously it would be more active and have more character during special events.

We also made the 30km drive out to Big Red to tick off another 'bucket list' activity.  

After tackling Big Red confusingly we found Little Red more of a "challenge" to drive up due to the  condition of the track. Obviously more people tackle this one therefore chopping up the track.

Billabong

 Returning to town we discovered a little gem at the edge of town. The Birdsville Billabong - a great place to go walking, kayaking, fishing, and of course swimming in the warmer months - not so much in 12o temps! 

And our journey of discovery and learning continues as we prepare to drive the Birdsville Track (BT) and tick off ANOTHER 'bucket list' activity. 

29th May - Today we entered 'new territory' as we began our journey south along the Birdsville Track, finally after 3 previous attempts during the past 3 years, which were cancelled due to the 'track' being closed due to floods. Surprisingly it was not as rough as we had expected. The vegetation and landscape varied from Gibber Plains to sandhills to green vegetated plains. We saw a variety of winter wildflowers and hundreds of budgerigars.

Wildflowers

Tippipila

Our first night free camp was at Tippipila Creek Bush Camp, a very cold and windy gibber plain - needless to say it was only a one nighter. 

Us at Tippipila

 

Day 2 we stopped at the Mungarannie Pub and read all about the rise of Sir Sidney Kidman, the property he owned and the lives of his workers. We had planned to stop overnight but changed our plans and continued onto a much more beautiful free camp at Cooper Creek. Along the way we passed through a 10km stretch of long and narrow sand dunes. This is where the Tirari and Strezlecki deserts meet. Also near here we discovered an old punt that was presented to settlers living north of the creek in 1949. It was used to ferry supplies and mail across the creek when it flooded.

Spa

M.V. Tom Brennan

Our final stop along the Birdsville track was a real surprise. The Clayton Wetlands and spa is a real gem and a wonderful respite after travelling the dusty and sometimes rough Birdsville Track. Here we found a secluded and sheltered campsite amongst some shady trees.

Camp Site

 For a very low fee, $10 per night, there were flush toilets, hot shower and a very novel spa bath. The bath was an old water tank that could be filled with hot water from the artesian basin - and, yes, we stayed more than one night! Here we enjoyed the beauty of the star studded sky and Milky Way and the joy of seeing Zebra Finches bathing in the spa water, and watching Brolgas stroll past our campsite. It was definitely the perfect way to spend our last nights on the BT.

And, on the 6th day we arrived at the end of discovering the delightful, and not so delightful, aspects of the BT, arriving in Maree on 3rd June. 

The end of the 'Track'

A Journey of Discovery & Learning ... 2021

 May 2021 -- New Adventures Begin.

Our Rig

Hello and welcome to another adventure with 'The Rambling Retirees'. This is a "Bucket List" adventure so join us as we travel through the Outback of Australia. We have no definitive schedule or travel plan and like all our adventures, flexibility is the key word.

Each section of this journey we are hoping to tick off some of the "wannadoos" on our bucket list and we are very excited to finally be starting out on this adventure of Discovery & Learning.

Section 1: Toowoomba to Maree via Beetoota and the Birdsville Track.

The first stage of our travels was very familiar to us with a three night stopover at Mitchell where we could enjoy the recuperative water of the artesian spa pool, and the wonderful treats from the local bakery. It was worth enduring the below zero night temps to enjoy the pool and the sweet treats. After 3 nights at Fisherman's Rest free camp it was time to move onto Charleville. 

This was new territory for us to explore. Although we had travelled in this area on other adventures we had never actually had a stopover here. There is much to discover in and around this small western Queensland town. Unfortunately the toll of long term drought followed by the Covid pandemic can be seen with many empty shop fronts. However, these hard times do not seem to have dampened the spirits of these hardy locals. Everyone we met had a smile and a welcoming attitude - from the hardware store to the local barber, bakery, craft centre and, Information Centre staff.

Charleville's signage says 'Welcome to the Centre of the Universe'. In this little town you can discover the beauty of the universe through the Cosmos Centre telescopes. The night skies in this region are clear, smog free and the stars are amazing. Another major attraction is the Bilby Centre where you can learn about this small endangered marsupial and the breeding program trying to increase their numbers and chance of survival.

Aside from the major tourist attractions there are plenty of other things to discover about the history of Charleville. There is a lovely park with a walking track planted with Australian Native trees. 

Australian Natives

 

Wragge

 

The Rain Gun

Here we also discovered the 'rain gun' and learned about its inventor, Clement Wragge.

We enjoyed a walk along a well maintained track beside the Warrego River - and discovered a 'blue' gum tree painted to promote the Beyond Blue program 'R U OK'.

Blue Gum

There are many old buildings in this town dating back to the 1800's. One of which houses a museum. On the verandah of this building I discovered some 'talking' pillars, and learned about the pioneers who built the town.

We spent 4 nights in this area - 2 nights we stayed at the Ward River Bridge free camp, and 2 at the Charleville Bush Camp.

Ward River Camp

Ward River

We could have probably stayed more to explore and learn more of the history of this area but it was time to move onto our next overnight stop.

Originally the plan was to stop and camp at The Lake at Quilpie after we left Mitchell. But, as we had stayed in Charleville we decided to drive a little further on from Quilpie and found a lovely camp spot Kyabra Creek. Just a one night stop but we found a lot of birdlife at this waterhole.

Info

Kyabra Creek Waterhole

So on we go. We are now up to day 10 and not yet ticked anything off the 'Bucket List'! But today is the day for tick number one! THE BETOOTA PUB!

 

Arriving in Betoota around 3pm it was a perfect time to wash away some of that travel dust we had experienced along the way. We planned to stay overnight and we enjoyed a wonderful country "buffet" dinner - steak, snags and an array of salads - plus there was also a lamb stew which was apparently delicious. All for a reasonable cost of $25!! This is a very welcome stopover on the trek to Birdsville and we highly recommend it to all travelling this route.

Dreamtime Serpent

Further along the road from Betoota is an amazing work of art on a hillside that should not be missed. The Dreamtime Serpent sculpture is constructed from locally sourced gibbers and gravel. It represents a series of pathways to connect the river systems in the Channel Country.