Sat, 16th June, 2018 Bush camp by Oolarinna Creek to Bush Camp by North Creek, Oodnadatta Track, SA (exploring, 3yrs 10mths on road)

7.30am 7.2 degrees. Heard the mournful howl of a dingo across the other side of the creek. The sun slowly coming up over the trees in the creek so it started to warm up.

8.30am 13 degrees.  Packed up and continued along the track – well it is a road really. Crested a rise – view left to right.

  

Bit bumpy and some corrugations but Steve is going 80kph so all good. Spotted three kangaroos.

Track better now we are back on sandy plains. Only an occasional tree.

Couple of wedgies enjoying a feed. They are such magnificent looking birds.

Passed groups of healthy looking cattle. I wonder what ratio of beast to kilometre of land.

Spotted a sign off to the right so went in on the track. It was advising not to drive up the mesas. Why not have it by the road so people don’t drive in at all.

More ‘mesas’ to the left of the track too.

Back into flat country again for a while. Met the track that heads north following the Old Ghan Railway and the Overland Telegraph Track to Finke and on to Alice Springs. We will do the top half on our way back to WA.

Into a hilly section as we approached Angle Pole.

Put the kettle on for a cuppa. The wind was blowing strongly so we had to stand beside the truck in the sun to keep warm. The Pink Roadhouse sign needs to be redone. Glad I have some other information off the Westprint maps to use.

I tried to read what was on the sign – “Angle Pole Memorial. The 1872 Overland Telegraph Line (OTL) was the country’s greatest technical feat allowing ‘more’ conversation between London and Sydney. Its little wire on pine posts changed direction at this point moving north at an angle towards Blood Creek. ….??  The first section was built by 1891 and was called the Port Augusta to Angle Pole Railway. This area was a support base …??  The rail line ran close to the OTL here and this post must have been abandoned when the OTL crews swapped horses for railcars for maintenance (ceramic insulators were popular targets for the locals practicing their rock throwing skills). In 1874 explorer John Forrest (future WA State Premier) blazed a tree which became a monument at the Angle Pole waterhole. He followed the OTL south to Peake Telegraph Station …..???  The hills here have been dug out a lot over the years for road base, rail repairs and possibly for pigment.” Such a shame it is so hard to read.

Angle Pole is name is given to the corner pole, north of Oodnadatta, where the Overland Telegraph Line changed to a more northerly direction.

Into Oodnadatta. A lot more buildings here than I imagined. Very tidy too. We stopped at the Town Camp which has picnic shelter, toilets and firepit (dusty spot but free). Dumped our rubbish in the bins provided. There is fuel available at the Transcontinental Hotel for 184.9c/l.

Oodnadatta

John McDouall Stuart, exploring near what was later the township of Oodnadatta, named many of the features during his first attempt to cross Australia in 1859. He climbed Mt O’Halloran, north of town on 10^th June, 1859. The township was surveyed in 1890 in preparation as a railhead when the Central Australia Railway was extended from Warrina. Good artesian water, found at 432 metres supplied 1.2 million litres a day for the railway and town which became the inland’s most northerly service centre. It was common to see as many as 400 camels north west of the town in the area known as Afghan Town. The repeater station for the Overland Telegraph Line was eventually moved from Peake to Oodnadatta and the telegraph line gradually relocated beside the railway track. Some health, welfare and spiritual needs of the community were aided by the opening of an Australian Inland Mission hostel in 1911 by the Rev John Flynn, who later established the Flying Doctor Service.

Oodnadatta’s importance as a service centre lessened when the railway line was opened to Alice Springs in 1928, but the need for an airfield, meteorological station, railway and telegraph line repair crews, guaranteed its survival. The closing of the Ghan railway in 1980 appeared to sound the death knell for Oodnadatta. However a new breed of 4WD ‘Ghan traveller’ has helped the town change direction.

The Central Australia Railway concept was to link Adelaide with Darwin. The line from Adelaide to Oodnadatta was opened in 1890 and freight was carried north from there by camel train for many years until 1929 when the line to Alice Springs was completed. Diesel locomotives replaced steam engines in 1954 and many water points fell into disrepair. The line was closed in 1982 and little now remains. The present Ghan Railway Line follows the Stuart Highway further to the west. It was not until 2003 that the line eventually connected all the way to Darwin. The first freight train left Adelaide for Darwin on 15 Jan 2004 and the inaugural passenger journey to Darwin, taking 477 hours to travel the 2,970km, departed Adelaide on 1 February, 2004. Water was one of the main concerns when building the early railway, as was the case with the telegraph, so it is not surprising they took similar routes. Eventually the telegraph line was moved to the railway line making repairs easier. Water also caused the ultimate closure of the railway, as flash floods caused great damage and maintenance was expensive. One some rivers low-level bridges proved to be superior to high-level bridges as debris from floods tended to flow over low-level causeways instead of building up against the bridge structure causing massive damage. Both types of bridge were built on the Finke River but it was found to be efficient to simply rebuild the line across the river bed each time it washed away.

We continued up to the Pink Roadhouse. Looks like some of the old signs have come back home.

Looks like there was a bit of a problem in town with two fuel places.

Around to the front. Fuel here is 183.9c/l, one cent cheaper than the other place. I wonder where they use the canoes.

Found some information inside about life here during WW2.

Picked up the Pink Mudmap and one for the Painted Desert. Oodnadatta – basic conditions are the result of no local councils in outback SA. Only Optus Mobile service available. The Oodnadatta Track is graded by State Authority.

I laughed when I read the note about Cairns.

Paid a deposit for the key to the Museum. We walked back down the street checking out all the history information on the way. The old school (1892) has great murals on the side.

There is always one place that is the local dump.

Another drinking water station but it isn’t working at the moment.

Information about Sid Kidman. I am glad I read some of the book about him before we came.

Next to that is an outdoor cinema.

Pioneers and explorers statue.

Steve was impressed with the old Bren Gun carrier. Needs a bit of work.

An old telegraph pole.

Lots of information on display across the road.

Walked over to the railway station where the museum is.

Unlocked the door and went in. Lots of photos and things to read. There was a TV screen which played interviews with locals etc. One was about the Algebuckina Bridge which is the longest rail bridge near here – very interesting (I videoed it).

Anna Creek Station is one of the biggest in Australia.

Peake Telegraph Station.

Two versions of the Aboriginal story of Mt O’Halloran nearby.

Another room full of information.

The two camp ovens – the cast iron one and the Bedouri version. It was named after the station in Western Queensland that first made it. When the cast iron ones fell of the pack horses or dropped they often broke so they invented this light weight oven made of pressed steel which would not break. It was mainly used on mustering camps because it was easily carried on the pack horse.

Oodnadatta is also famous for its horse races.

Another room had items from the various children off the stations.

Back outside I looked for Mt O’Halloran (174m). The cold wind is still blowing.

Over the railway line and across the centre park area to the Transcontinental Hotel. Not much action happening here.

Not sure about this accommodation house – check the signs on the roof.

Back to the Pink Roadhouse for lunch. Ordered an Oodnadatta Burger to share with chips. It looks so good I had to take a photo of it. The chips were cooked perfectly too.

Drove around the other streets for a look. A mixture of new and old homes. Brightly painted school with lovely green grass on its oval. Interesting to note the name ‘Oodnadatta Aboriginal School’ – I wonder if we can put ‘other Australians school for us’. Steve spotted some old cars just waiting to be restored.

An old house needs restoring too.

Headed out of town past the racecourse (est 1890).

Decided to check out the Painted Desert while we are here. Turned onto Kempe Road (goes to Cooper Pedy) and found out where they use the canoes - at Hookey Waterhole in Neales Creek.

Over a hill into the red gibber plains – nothing much grows on the plains but there are lovely big green trees in the creek beds.

Rolled over some ridges with flat open gibber plains - they just go on and on.

Turned west onto the track to Arckaringa Hills and the Painted Desert. Hema map only shows Mt Arckaringa but there is a long range (flat topped) we are heading towards first.

The track goes into Goorinkiana Creek, literally, which of course is only sand.

Another hilly range appears.

There used to be free camping here but that is no longer available. A campground is available at the Homestead further down the track for $20 per night. Of course there is no ‘off-road’ driving in the hills.

Parked at the carpark of Mt Batterbee Lookout. The wind was blowing strong and cold. Parked to get the stove out of the wind and made a cuppa. 21 degrees in thermometer in the truck but if feels more like 10 in the wind.

Fabulous view. Took at 360 degree video. It reminds us of Queenstown in Tassie.

The Arckaringa Hills are an area of spectacularly coloured land formations. It is an outstanding example of ‘break-away’ or ‘bad-lands’ topography featuring mesas, buttes, tent hills and cliffs caused by erosion of an ancient land surface. Colours come from pyritic sediments deposited in the soil millions of years ago. Coal, opal and jasper are among the minerals to be found. The Arckaringa Hills are also habitat for the Perentie, Australia’s largest lizard. The Perentie grows to an average length of 2.1 metres with a body girth of 0.5 metres and is the second largest lizard in the world.

We didn’t meet any Perentie unfortunately.

I walked further around.

Found an interesting rock.

Walked to the other side of the lookout.

We continued down the track – more shots of Mt Batterbee.

Map says Mt Arckaringa (243m) – not sure which one it is exactly. Amazing shapes and colours in the hills. Took another video – easier to get in the whole view.

We decided it was too cold to wait for sunset for more photos so we headed back.

Back to the intersection just south of Oodnadatta then back to Oodnadatta to top up with diesel. I chatted with the lady behind the counter – she is from England and has been here for a year and about to head back to England. The ‘work for 8 weeks’ to get another year visa only works for backpackers working above the Tropic of Capricorn and a few places south who have fruit picking. Back on the Oodnadatta Track heading into Arabana Country.

Passed an old stone building which was the fettlers’ home while they worked on the rail line as we neared the turn off to Allandale Homestead.

We then crossed the old railway line embankment and continued driving alongside it. Lots of little bridges.

Great view of the wide open land in front of us.

Turned off before North Creek and followed the track into the creek and under the rail bridge to park up for the night. There were two campers here.

As the wind was still blowing we backed in beside some trees on the high bank above the creek and set up camp.

Steve went off looking for firewood while I climbed up the embankment to check out the bridge and sunset. Wouldn’t want to have been driving the train here at this time of the day – looking straight into the sun.

I just missed the sun colour on the bridge. A young couple from Melbourne showed me their photos they just took. He is heading to Alice Springs to work in the Hospital Emergency Dept – should be interesting. She is finishing a degree in Politics focusing on health so we had a ‘great’ chat. Very level headed young couple with sensible views.

Today’s journey.

We had our drinks by the fire then dinner. At last the wind has stopped so the temperature doesn’t feel so bad. Played cards by the fire. 9.30pm down to 14 degrees so time for bed.