This was a long touring trip:-
3 weeks - 5 vehicles - 8 participants.
The youngest participant was aged 17 and this is an extract from his report.
Day 1 The starting crew, being Jeff & Kez, Marie, Jen & Alec left Wodonga at 9 am and travelled to Yarrawonga. We then continued through Cobram, crossing into NSW at Echuca Moama through to Balranald, checking out the Silo Art at Lake Boga. We met up with Myles, Mark & Yvonne at Balranald, and dined at an Irish Pub with Chinese Cuisine.
Day 2 We woke up to a chilly morning in Balranald. We set off to Mildura to get a few items as our key fob ceased to function and Mum forgot the cutlery. New battery in fob, new cutlery set, fuelled up body and car, and it was off to Renmark in South Australia. We stopped at the quarantine station where our car was inspected for fruit and veg. After that we drove to Burra in the Flinders Ranges, while travelling through a beautiful sunset. We set up camp at night by using our headlamps and lantern in the Burra Showground.
Day 3 Another chilly 10 deg morning with lots of low hanging mist around. Once we broke camp, we fuelled up at BP and grabbed a couple of iced coffees for the road. We travelled through to the beautiful Flinders Ranges & stopped at Hawker for lunch. Then it was off to Brachina Gorge, only to realise we were going the wrong way. We did a U-ey and headed back through Hawker to get to Brachina Gorge. The turn off to Brachina Gorge marked our first dirt in 2 days. Brachina Gorge was majestic with breathtaking rock formations & lots of rocky sections & a little creek crossing halfway through. After a pleasant drive on the dirt, we headed back on to the bitumen of the outback highway. We travelled to Maree, after checking out the Farina ruins. Then we set up camp at the Maree campground and a nice pub dinner at the Maree Hotel.
Day 4 After breaking camp, we set off onto the Oodnadatta track seeing some sculptures, and after that we saw the spectacular bright white Lake Eyre. Then we went to Mound Springs and Coward Springs. The road to Mound Springs was corrugated and very bumpy so we took a side track which was much softer on the way back. We continued our travel along the Oodnadatta Track to Oodnadatta, but further along the line disaster struck. I was leading the trek to Oodnadatta, with Jeff as navigator, when I could feel & hear something weird with one of my rear tyres. The side wall had been torn right around and it was waaaaaayyyy beyond repair. So, the whole crew came to help with Jeff’s jack, Myles on the tools & shovel and Marie helping us get the spare down. Mark checked the torque & we were good to go, after I aired down the spare. After a stop and photo op at Algebuckina Bridge, we finished the drive to the Pink Roadhouse at Oodnadatta. We organised for a new tyre to be fitted and then enjoyed a top-notch Roadhouse meal. I had a chicken schnitty and Mum & Marie had a camel burger each.
Day 5 We departed Oodnadatta onto Kemps Road into the Painted Desert. The view was breathtaking. After that it was off to Arkaringa Station Homestead, where we set up camp and yes, there were about a million flies. Lucky, we had our fly veils. The sun went down & Marie brought out some cheese and crackers. Everyone enjoyed happy hour & a chat before dinner. We slept under the stars after that.
Day 6 We departed Arkaringa Station to Oodnadatta. Mum & Marie explored some rocks and pebbles. We fuelled up the car & had a snack & coffee & drove around Oodnadatta to explore the highlights. It took 2 minutes. We set up in the Pink Roadhouse campground once again. Fortunately, it was Pizza night. The pizza was made by the same guy who fixed our tyre.
Day 7 We broke camp and made our way to Old Andado. We stopped to have lunch at the Eringa Billabong. The drive was rough and corrugated. That’s where we got into some deep dust as we passed Mt Dare Hotel. As we took a right turn onto the Binns Track, 8 kms in, that’s where we cut into the deep powdery dust. There were huge clouds of dust from Jeff & Marie’s vehicles and plenty from ours. It was lots of fun. After 15 minutes Marie said there was a weird noise coming from one of the rear wheels. With mechanic Myles under the car & all of us helping, putting rocks in front and behind the wheels to stop the Prado from moving, the wheel was taken off and we think a little rock had been causing the problem. After going over a big crest something else was wrong. Earlier I noticed that one of our driving lights wasn’t on the front of our car anymore. Once we pulled up at Old Andado to set up camp, it turned out that one of the driving lights was hanging off by the wires. Old Andado looked pretty interesting. I found 2 dead Landcruisers. I looked inside & found an old set of keys & fake $20 note. We looked inside the old Station house. Mum asked if I thought I could have lived there. I said “Probably not - who’d want to - there’s no WiFi”. We had a campfire before settling down for the night.