Kilometres of straight line black-top measured more by the frighteningly frequent road-kill than by any memorable landmarks in this dry, almost lifeless landscape.
That’s how Day 5 began but only after a few over-night dramas in Broken Hill. We had a couple of cars come creeping through the caravan park at about midnight and as luck would have it, they stopped at our site and stole 2 of our towels, Jacobs swimmers and Jacqui’s bikini. Clearly we’d impressed our country hosts with our beach style. After Jacqui had helped the park owners to understand her
disappointment and we’d re-stocked in town, we headed off to Yunta. It took about 3 hours with the only bright note being a quick stop at the Bordertown Roadhouse. We impressed the locals with our natty use of a tripod to take a timed photograph of us, all with one foot in each state. It must have been a first for the Bordertown residents. Who would’ve thought?
After another 90 minutes on the road we made it to Yunta and refuelled the car, and the boys, before tackling the 301Km dirt track to Arkaroola. The first 250Km took us through the desert and our only stop was to take a few photos around the Waukaringa ruins. We must be on the right track as the ruins had been graffitied by Mike & Mal Leyland. Not many people travel this road so less road-kill and more live Emus with the occasional Kangaroo thrown in amongst a constant stream of willie-willie’s. These are small spiralling dust storms, much the same shape as a cyclone, but tiny by comparison. We can see them quite easily with the naked eye but they don’t show up well in photographs.
When we’d just about reached our limit of the flat sandy vista, speckled with salt-bush, we made it into the foothills of the Flinders. Harsh country but a welcome relief from the flat nothingness of the past hours. The landscape here is a mixture of jagged outcrops and rolling hills all covered in fist size rocks. The road is hard on anyone with fillings in their teeth and I’m sure a few things got bounced loose in the van.
After another 50km through the hills, we arrived at Arkaroola . . . . . . . . . at 8:30pm. What a blessing. Jacqui was terrified we’d be entering a remote bush camping site with nothing more than a complimentary shovel and the prying eyes of the local wild life. What we got was a fully powered and watered site with great views and a restaurant. My personal preference would have been something in between but if Jacqui’s happy, I’m happy. The camp-site is mostly level and not particularly crowded but it does have a small amenities block that puts Ivanhoe to shame. We finally got the boys to bed at about 10:30 but not before taking them outside to see the jewel encrusted sky that is the outback at night. No reflected light means you can see every star in full brightness and this is the 1st time the boys have experienced the true night sky. We’re all looking forward to not travelling tomorrow.
Cheers,
Jorg
That’s how Day 5 began but only after a few over-night dramas in Broken Hill. We had a couple of cars come creeping through the caravan park at about midnight and as luck would have it, they stopped at our site and stole 2 of our towels, Jacobs swimmers and Jacqui’s bikini. Clearly we’d impressed our country hosts with our beach style. After Jacqui had helped the park owners to understand her
disappointment and we’d re-stocked in town, we headed off to Yunta. It took about 3 hours with the only bright note being a quick stop at the Bordertown Roadhouse. We impressed the locals with our natty use of a tripod to take a timed photograph of us, all with one foot in each state. It must have been a first for the Bordertown residents. Who would’ve thought?After another 90 minutes on the road we made it to Yunta and refuelled the car, and the boys, before tackling the 301Km dirt track to Arkaroola. The first 250Km took us through the desert and our only stop was to take a few photos around the Waukaringa ruins. We must be on the right track as the ruins had been graffitied by Mike & Mal Leyland. Not many people travel this road so less road-kill and more live Emus with the occasional Kangaroo thrown in amongst a constant stream of willie-willie’s. These are small spiralling dust storms, much the same shape as a cyclone, but tiny by comparison. We can see them quite easily with the naked eye but they don’t show up well in photographs.
When we’d just about reached our limit of the flat sandy vista, speckled with salt-bush, we made it into the foothills of the Flinders. Harsh country but a welcome relief from the flat nothingness of the past hours. The landscape here is a mixture of jagged outcrops and rolling hills all covered in fist size rocks. The road is hard on anyone with fillings in their teeth and I’m sure a few things got bounced loose in the van.After another 50km through the hills, we arrived at Arkaroola . . . . . . . . . at 8:30pm. What a blessing. Jacqui was terrified we’d be entering a remote bush camping site with nothing more than a complimentary shovel and the prying eyes of the local wild life. What we got was a fully powered and watered site with great views and a restaurant. My personal preference would have been something in between but if Jacqui’s happy, I’m happy. The camp-site is mostly level and not particularly crowded but it does have a small amenities block that puts Ivanhoe to shame. We finally got the boys to bed at about 10:30 but not before taking them outside to see the jewel encrusted sky that is the outback at night. No reflected light means you can see every star in full brightness and this is the 1st time the boys have experienced the true night sky. We’re all looking forward to not travelling tomorrow.
Cheers,
Jorg
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