Down one Side and Up the Other

29th September

Well finally luck was on our side and the weather conditions were back to normal by the time we woke up.

We did some exploring of the Peninsula today. We visited the seaside markets at Stansbury, had lunch at a lovely town called Edithburgh (very Cornish preserved), saw beautiful coloured water for this area at Point Turton and then north heading home lastly checking out Moonta. I have to say that Moonta and Edithburgh were both my favourites.

It is very easy travelling the Peninsula as the roads are in great condition and extremely straight. There are an abundance of crops and livestock around. This is a massive difference to the baron and dry conditions of farming in the Flinders.

The weather is fine but cold – again complete opposite to the conditions in the Flinders.

So for the next two days we stay put relaxing and more relaxing. I am sure that my father-in-law is itching to catch as many squid as possible off the huge jetty near the park. Salt and pepper calamari here we come.

Until again…

The Yorke Peninsula, SA

28th September

Today we left Merna Mora but not without a blast – literally blasts of wind roared during the last night of our stay. Unfortunately when you are travelling you are at the whim of the weather and that was certainly the case.

Our trusty Swan again served its purpose and stayed intact – thank god! But it was not pleasant at all. The owner had told me that day that the winds were not normal for this time of year. Yippee for us. Not only was the night roaring wind but it was incredibly hot as well. The windows had to be opened but because of the wind we were basically eating dust.

Aside that nasty wind front we really enjoyed our stay at Merna Mora and would recommend it to anyone. I was sad to leave.

We travelled through Hawker and onto Quorn. In between we visited some wonderful old ruins call Kanyaka Homestead. This was once a huge sheep station which in one year sheared 40,000 head. It would have been very grand and majestic in its day.

Kanyaka Ruins
 

We then took a detour to Port Augusta and had a look. In my opinion it is not a very pretty town – I would call it more industrial. However we did find the Water Tower Lookout and saw some good views.

Port Augusta from the Water Tower Lookout
 

We then headed south down the western side of the Yorke Peninsula passing through Port Pirie and arriving in Port Hughes. The section of the caravan park that we are staying at is on the foreshore. And yep you guessed it, the same low pressure system that gave us curry at Merna Mora was waiting for us at Port Hughes.

It is a lovely place to stay with the jetty right near the park and magnificent views of the Spencer Gulf but the wind was blowing like 60 bastards and we all know what 40 bastards feel like!!!! We have to be patient and see what tomorrow brings.

Until again…

Merna Mora 4WDing

27th September

Today is our last day to explore the Flinders.

Merna Mora offers 4WD tracks on their property. We paid $45 and did their Heritage Trail. It took us past the history of Merna Mora, the family’s old homestead and the remnants of the Ghan railway. Once we ventured further the track became very rough and steep. At least we got to explore part of the 130,000 acres of the property. At stages it offered great views of the area – our youngest believed it resembled Arizona in the USA.

Merna Mora Ruins
 

Morning Tea in one of Merna Mora's creek beds
 

Today is very windy and so far has hit 37 degrees. We are all struggling considering we are people from a cooler climate. Being in a caravan is also not enjoyable when strong winds are prevailing. But our trusty Jayco Swan has been in very strong southerly winds so we have every faith in her.

Oh I forgot to mention the dust. It is absolutely putrid. Dust everywhere in the van and you can never really feel clean. The black dragon now looks a grey colour.

So tomorrow we pack up and head to the third stage of our holiday which is on the coast of the Yorke Peninsula. I am sure we may experience complete opposite temperatures when we arrive. The boys want to go swimming but you never know just how cold the water may be. I believe that the first order of business when we arrive will be to wash and clean everything. First time in my life I won’t mind housework at all!!!!!

Until again…

Farina

26th September

Today we drove to Farina. This is a deserted and dusty town full of ruins which originated due to the Ghan Railway. Over the time the town slowly died and is falling down.

If I learnt any lesson today it was that I am so glad that I wasn’t a pioneer woman living in Farina in the late 1800s!

Farina Ruins
 

Down to Lyndhurst where basically is only famous for being the start of the Strzelecki Track.
Down to Leigh Creek where all the houses look the same and is basically a town for the coal miners. It was very neat and full of services. No need to turn off into there again. Been once and that is enough.

At Beltana Roadhouse we turned off and went to the historic town of Beltana. Most of the buildings here are still in good shape. Clearly a lot of them are still lived in which helps. It still was a very deserted looking town – you could call it on the verge of being a ghost town.

Further on down the road we drove the Parachilna Gorge Drive which was again another really good and well maintained road. This gorge had lots of campers probably because it was so close to the main road. We drove to Blinman and turned off to do a round trip using a PAR (Public Access Road) which would take us to Artimore Ruins and Nuccaleena Mine.

Parachilna Gorge
 

Things didn’t go as planned. The start of the road was fine but when we turned off onto the PAR that’s when things ceased to be fun. The first problem was we thought that the PAR would have been in almost as good as condition as all the other roads we had been using. Unfortunately that was not the case – the road probably had never been maintained. Our bible and map had given us the absolute correct information but we were unaware of the actual state of these PARs. We didn’t have a lot of time so slow going made us very late. We wouldn’t have minded if we were on our own but because my father-in-law was following we were totally aware of his tiredness and desire to finish. What made matters worse was the Artimore Ruins probably didn’t stand up to the hassle of getting there. If there had been plenty of time maybe our attitudes would have been better. Because of all this I missed out on seeing the Nuccaleena Mine.

We didn’t get back to the Station until quite late then everything was rushed to have dinner and get to bed. What would have been a good day turned into ½ a good day. All things aside though I personally enjoyed the drive especially through Hannigan’s Gap and thought that parts were magnificent. Maybe I need to stop worrying about what other people are thinking!!!!!!

Until again…

Flinders Ranges

25th September

Today was our first day to explore. Thanks to Ron Moon’s bible of the Flinders Ranges we had much information of where to go and what to see.

Firstly we drove the “Moralana Scenic Drive”. This drive is said to be the best drive in the Flinders Ranges. This was very beautiful and a very well maintained road and could really have been done in a sedan (good weather permitting of course).

 

It follows the Elder Ranges and the edge of the Wilpena Pound. It is 28km long and really didn’t take us long at all to do.

This drive came out on the road to Wilpena. This was a very busy place (being the school holidays) with lots of places to park your van or camper trailer. There were many powered sites and unpowered sites as well. At Wilpena you can purchase most things including fuel. It was here that you could walk to the edge of the pound. We couldn’t do that this time but will certainly come back in the near future to see the pound.

We paid a small fee and visited the Old Wilpena Station which was once a large sheep station. The main homestead has been well looked after and is used as offices for the property. All the other outbuildings were in relatively good condition. Thank god for the many different groups who get together to help restore them.

Outbuilding on Old Wilpena Pound Station
 

From there we did the Bunyeroo Gorge Drive. Another beautiful drive and very easy to do. Dust everywhere though.

We checked out the Aroona Ruins then drove through the Brachina Gorge. Now that was a beautiful drive – the best of the day. Again well maintained and we passed just as many sedans as 4wds.

As mentioned in my last blog the start of the Moralana Drive was opposite the entrance to Merna Mora and we ended the Brachina Gorge Drive 20kms north. Too easy.

 

Having not travelled to the top end or to Western Australia I am sure there are places that people would say are nicer and more beautiful than the Flinders. I however believe that so far it is one of the nicest places I’ve seen. The land and mountains are nothing like I have ever seen before. I could probably do without the high temperatures of 37 degrees and the dust though.

Until again…

Broken Hill to Merna Mora

24th September

Today we left Broken Hill and headed over the border into South Australia. The scenery was pretty boring but I suppose you must expect that when you are heading to a destination that is far away from a lot of things.

Over the border we go
 

Lots of nothing
 

As we knew that we had to hand in all our fruit and vegies at the fruit fly station just into South Australia, we gave away our vegies to a man at the caravan park at Broken Hill. Along the way between Broken Hill and the Fruit Fly Station we ate all the fruit we had left. We didn’t know how fussy they would be in checking our van but lucky for us they only wanted to check the Engle in the back. They really relied on everyone being honest. Setting up the van for them to check inside would have slowed us down.

For fuel, lunch and a stretch we stopped at Peterborough. I believe that if this town wasn’t in the path to get to the Flinders Ranges it may have been one of the many towns to struggle to survive. Here we had lunch in a “picture theatre” that was like stepping back in time to the 1940s. We purchased all new fruit and vegies and hit the road again. Peterborough is a lovely town who cater very much for the caravan/camper traveller. There were plenty of places to park your van which is always a big thought when entering a town you don’t know. Prices in their supermarket were also very reasonable – in fact in par with the supermarkets at home.

It took us another 2 ½ hours to get to our destination – that was stopping for a top up of fuel at Hawker.

Our destination…Merna Mora Station. This station is situated 46kms out of Hawker on the road to Leigh Creek. The Fels are the owners and have been welcoming visitors to stay at their station for over 40 years. We have a fully powered site with showers and toilets. Our site is only $30 per night which, considering we have paid up to $58 in some parks, is a very reasonable tariff.

The location of Merna Mora is also a bonus in relation to places in the Flinders. You can get to the start of the scenic drives quite quickly without double backing all of the time. You are also directly on the road to Farina and beyond which again allows you to get there and back quickly without wasting time doing the same roads over and over again.

Before coming to the Flinders Ranges I thought that the only place to really stay was at Wilpena Pound. However after reading a blog I found out about Merna Mora. There are a few other stations around here to stay at but having stayed at Merna Mora I would not hesitate to come back again. Wilpena Pound is quite far away from all places to visit other than the pound itself.

Their average rainfall per year is 80mm so rain ruining your stay may not be a major factor.

Check out Merna Mora at www.mernamora.com.au. Telephone (08) 8648 4717.

Until again...

Merna Mora Station
 

Menindee to Broken Hill

Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23^rd

On Saturday we left Cobar and headed towards Wilcannia. Well that town hasn’t changed since we were there 13 years ago except that maybe the main corner store is now closed and boarded up. This town has a bad stigma attached to it (for reasons we all know) and all businesses are closed except for the service station which has security screens on every window. This time however we decided to venture off the main road and see what else Wilcannia had to offer. Recently I read a report that the buildings are quite grand and it was once a large inland city with paddlesteamers visiting often. I must say that there were a few grand and well maintained buildings but it was all very quiet with no-one around. There was always a strange smell in the town too. Didn’t know what it was but I felt uneasy!

We then started on the Menindee-Wilcannia Road. Before leaving Cobar we taped up all seals of the van and even the lower vent of the fridge to stop all that dust getting in. We drove on this road for 160kms and what a good road it was. The condition it was when we used it D said he would drive it with a sedan. We were pleasantly surprised as we imagined it would be challenging. However there had been no rain and the day was perfect. So much for being near the desert  was really green. You could have been travelling to Bathurst if you didn’t know any better.

Menindee-Wilcannia Road
 

Upon arriving at Menindee we found a secluded campsite on the banks of the Darling River. Only disadvantage was it was really dusty – you felt dirty all the time.  Unfortunately the sealing of the van had not been a complete success. We had a bit of dust but nothing that couldn’t be fixed.

On the Banks of the Darling

My father-in-law tried his luck at fishing along with our youngest. And guess what – they caught CARP. I even saw later a sign saying “carp dump point”. Obviously everyone catches too much carp.

We enjoyed a camp oven feast of roast lamb and vegies. And like all campsites there were millions of stars and no noise.

The next day my father-in-law cooked up a great breakfast. From there we headed to Broken Hill

The caravan park at Broken Hill is neat and clean however very pricey. Lots and lots of grey nomads that make it difficult to get powered sites when needed!!! Thus why the parks can charge high rates.

Our first place to visit was Bell’s Milk bar where everyone tried a different flavour of shake so everyone could have a taste of something different. It was very 1950s themed and a very popular tourist attraction.

Once the milkshakes were finished we headed out to Silverton where the boys visited the Mad Max Museum then back to Broken Hill to visit the Living Desert. It was very busy when we were there as the sun was beginning to set over the sculptures which added to the loveliness of them.

Silverton
 

Mad Max's Car

So tomorrow we finally head to the Flinders Ranges – to whole reason for this trip. The place we are staying at says that there is mobile phone coverage in one particular spot of the property. I cannot see myself standing at that spot with the laptop in my hand adding another entry so I will catch up once I am on the Yorke Peninsula with lots of mobile service!

Until again…..

Wellington & Cobar (and everything inbetween)

20th September 2012

We all know that before you get to your intended destination you must sometimes encounter some boring parts to get there.

Well in our case there was certainly some boring parts but there was also some very beautiful parts.

Once we descended off the wonderful mountain all the paddocks were green and all the dams were full.  At one stage Canola crops were in abundance. Its vibrant yellow crop against an oats crop made it look like major Australian support – green and gold stripes.


Oats & Canola Crop - Go Aussie
 

It took us 3 ½ hours to get to Wellington. The trip was hassle free and the countryside was beautiful. Here we stayed at the Wellington Caves Caravan Park – what a lovely park and would definitely stay there again. Lovely and neat, clean amenities and friendly staff.

Wellington's Famous Chimes

The next day off on the road again we headed towards Cobar and didn’t it start to get boring. Scrub, scrub and more scrub. Through Dubbo, Narromine, Trangie, Nevertire, Nyngan then Cobar taking us 4 ½ hours. Thank God for portable DVD players as the boys were as quiet as mice in the back. The only caravan park in Cobar is full – lucky we booked ahead. Nice and friendly.

The only wildlife on the road was goats. A dear friend of mine recently visited Broken Hill and she warned me of the abundance of them. There weren’t that many but a stern looking billy goat with very healthy horns and a long beard was certainly a highlight.

After having lunch with D's parents on the Bogan River at Nyngan we headed off towards Cobar. The countryside became very harsh and uninviting. No farmhouses could be seen from the road – just signs indicating the name of the properties. To live in this neck of the woods one must be certainly a dedicated farmer and must enjoy the company of a small amount of people. Our youngest even commented on the redness of the dirt – something that he hasn’t seen before. D is certainly looking forward to seeing the contrast of red on his black dragon!!!!!

Nothing much to look at - at least it is straight driving - no car sickness today!

So off to Menindee Lakes tomorrow via the Menindee-Wilcannia Road on the western side. All reports tell us that the road is open. We will however take a brief look around Wilcannia to see if the reports are telling the truth that it clearly once was a grand old town!!!!!!

Until again…..