Day 15 We left our camp and crossed Eyre Creek and set off to Big Red. There were 4 Hilux’s with campers on the back in front of us. We decided to Tag-a-long. It was a slow journey with lots of bumpy dunes, a bit bigger & further apart. We finally arrived at Big Red. Mark was first to go up, quickly followed by me & Jen. Mark opted to try a higher side dune, but got bogged. We quickly snatched the big V8 out from the very top of Big Red. I really enjoyed doing my third recovery of the trip. We went up & down a few times, blasting sand out behind us. I took one of the other dunes but close to the top wasn’t close enough, so I backed down for a go at another one. Everyone posed up the top for some epic pics, then when we were at the bottom on the other side we aired up and headed for Birdsville, and back on the black top. We stopped at the iconic Birdsville Hotel for a drink. Then we made our way to the Birdsville Park & a much-appreciated shower.
Day 16 We had a peaceful day, pretty relaxing, and checked out the highlights of Birdsville. We did the wash, fuelled up, washed the car from the hot artesian waters, and had a delicious schnitty at the Pub.
Day 17 We departed Birdsville after brekkie at the bakery. We said our goodbyes to Kez, (Jeff’s daughter), and her partner, Waz, who met us in Birdsville with Tess their dog. We passed by a really big snake sculpture on the side of a hill, made from different natural coloured rocks. Then it was on to Betoota. There were lots of mozzies. All the oldies played pool against each other at the Betoota Pub, and had beers and listened to music. Then they had tea, played more pool and had a couple more beers. Mum said they had heaps of fun.
Day 18 We left from Betoota pretty early. We made our way to Deon’s Lookout. It was a pretty epic drive after that. We went to Haddon’s corner, the junction of the State of Queensland & the north east tip of South Australia, where we had smoko. We continued along Arrabury Road to the Burke and Wills Dig Tree on the Cooper Creek. We then hit the Adventure Way towards Innamincka. We set up camp and headed for the pub for dinner.
Day 19 After a warm beverage, hot chocolate, at the Innamincka Hotel we set off for the Strzelecki Track. There was lots of shifting dust on the bitumen. It was quite mesmerising. When we hit the dirt we pulled into a t-intersection of the old Strzelecki Track then it was on to Cameron’s Corner, the junction of Queensland, NSW and South Australia, for a light lunch. It was raining lightly, and big rains were being predicted and there was a risk of getting stuck there for days, so we kept going over the now damp road underneath, already sticking to our tyres. At Tibooburra we fuelled up & played it safe, getting a motel room for the night. Marie & Jeff did the same, with Mark & Yvonne and Myles opting to camp. Dinner was at the Tibooburra Pub. Well, the rains came heavy & most of the night. What an excellent decision it had been by our trip leaders to get to Tibooburra. Myles, Mark & Yvonne opted to head home early. There were only the 3 Prados left.
Day 20 We had a cruisy morning drinking coffee & hot chocolate at the local café. We also had a look at some historical stuff, as we waited for the creek to drop a bit so that we could cross out of Tibooburra at about 10 am. By then the water was down to about 60mm. The drive to Broken Hill was wet with lots of fun, flooded crossings & lots of big puddles. We saw lots of emus, goats and hawks. The hawks were feasting on a lot of roadkill. Mum was keen to visit the Pro Hart Gallery which was interesting. There was 4 Rolls Royces on display. Then we went to the Jack Absolom Gallery and the Palace Hotel which has lots of murals. Dinner was at the Musicians Club & we had our first ride on a courtesy bus, all around Broken Hill.
Day 21 Off to Cobar for the night, big drive, and heaps of goats beside the road. Dinner at the Cobar RSL, and then an early night, to head for home the next day.
Day 22 Arrived safely home.
Summary: Thank you to Jeff for organising a fantastic trip, and all of the other Clubbers for their help, support, and advice. We had a brilliant time!
