Travelling in a motorhome called "Blue Snoopy" » Central Australia – May & June 2007

16 June 2007 – Hay to Sydney

Grey Nomad — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 12:00:39 +0000

We were on the road at 8.30am for the short, 270 kilometre drive to Wagga. First stop was after a detour into Narrandera where we came into contact with the Murrumbidgee River. Unlike the Murray, this river was relatively dry. We stopped at a coffee shop and purchased morning tea and a cake to take with us to Judy and John in the afternoon. Morning tea was consumed parked adjacent to a local park on the Newell Highway.

We arrived at Wagga just before lunch and checked into the caravan park for a comfort stop. After a quick drive through the Wagga CBA, we headed towards The Rock and our intended afternoon visit. The Rock is just over 30 kilometres from Wagga and we were at our destination in no time at all. But where were the Hall’s? We waited for just under one (1) hour before leaving but left a note. Once back in Wagga, “She” attempted to contact Judy via her mobile telephone but had to leave a message. It was at this time we confirmed an earlier discussion we had and we decided to set off towards Sydney. Whilst we “blew” the cost of the caravan park, our decision to travel home removed any issues that would have been associated with the intended “hurried” trip on Sunday to meet the deadline of 12.30pm for the christening.

“He” drove to Yass where we stopped at McDonalds as night fell upon us. “She” drove from Yass to just short of Campbelltown and this driving effort was excellent considering the conditions.

We arrived home at 9.00pm after driving just short of 800 kilometres for the day. We drove just over 7000k’s and experienced some of the delights of this wonderful country.

And to all the sceptics that said we would not be talking to each other after 3 weeks in the motor-home, only comment is that we cannot wait for our next adventure.

Summary

GPS Readings

Total Distance: 7254.76

Overall Average Speed	Moving Average Speed	Max Speed
69.0	77.4	115 kmh
	Time Moving	Time Stopped
	93:44	11:23

Total Distance (Odmeter): 7205

15 June 2007 – Renmark to Hay

Grey Nomad — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 12:00:39 +0000

The alarm went off a 6.30am (6.00 SA time) and we learnt from the radio that it was minus 4.7 degrees outside. It was cold! We have been fortunate in the fact that the air conditioning in the van provides adequate heat and we have yet to try it on “full”.

We took some photographs of the mist over the Murray before departing just prior to 9.00am. Today was a fairly long drive to position us for a short trip to Wagga on Saturday before the final part of the journey on Sunday.

Today we travelled in three states, South Australia, Victoria and finally New South Wales. We also followed the Murray River for sometime before heading back towards the desert on the way to Hay. It is amazing to not the difference in the condition of the road when changing states. NSW roads are well behind the other states!

First brief stop was in Mildura before crossing the border into NSW.

The drive was actually very boring with the only relief being the sighting of emu’s along side the road. We saw our first police radar trap today (out in the middle of nowhere) and it was disappointing to note a campervan being booked for “Just” exceeding the speed limit.

We could not bring ourselves to preparing an evening meal and the hotel adjacent to the caravan park provided us with sufficient attraction for us to venture there for a quick drink before dinner in their dining room. A most enjoyable evening.

14 June 2007 – Peterborough to Renmark

Grey Nomad — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:00:13 +0000

We awoke to a very cold morning with a frost and fog on the hills around us. First stop today was the township of Burra (we visited there in 1976). We went to a local lookout to take photographs but to say it was cold whilst taking the photographs would be an understatement.

By early afternoon we arrived in Renmark and after checking into the caravan park, we went to the local winery. The initial site given to us in the caravan park was flooded due to water sprinklers and the second site was not much better, however, it was situated right on the banks of the Murray River and the location was sensational.

We had chicken pieces for tea with the remainder of the coleslaw and pasta salad and settled down once again to watch some episodes of Boston Legal.

This location proved to be perfect for photography as the sun set in the evening. Some of the images are posted in the gallery.

Before going to bed, we put out clocks forward 30 minutes.

13 June 2007 – Woomera to Peterborough

Grey Nomad — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:00:11 +0000

Unfortunately, we are really on our way home now. We had another comfortable night even-though it was very cold.

We departed just after 8.00am heading towards Port Augusta and our departure off the Stuart Highway. But before we reached Pilba (6 kilometers from Woomera and on the highway), we were forced to stop at a rail crossing for a freight train. The train has to be one of the longest we have ever seen and we kept pace with the train to a point just short of Port Augusta where we waited and photographed the train as it crossed a level crossing. The driver acknowledged us with a couple of short “toots” on the whistle.

Port Augusta is said to be the cross roads of Australia with the Junction of the Stuart and Eyre Highways providing the opportunity to go north to Darwin, west to Perth, South to Adelaide or south for a short distance and then east to Sydney and north to Brisbane.

We stopped in Port Augusta for a quick shop at Coles and then had coffee and scones at the local heritage centre (well worth a visit).

Unfortunately just after leaving Port Augusta we experienced our first inconsiderate truck driver who appeared to be anxious to pass us even though we were doing the speed limit. He had an opportunity at a passing lane but did not have the power to accelerate past. Fortunately we turned off shortly thereafter but experienced the truck tailgating us for several kilometres. The drive sounded his air horn as we turned and this resulted in “He” giving the truck driver “mouth full” over the two way radio. It was unfortunate that it is individuals like this moron who give truck drivers a bad name as during our journey we have seen hundred trucks and they have all been very courteous.

Before checking in to the caravan park at Peterborough we called into “Steamtown” which is a rail museum now owned by the local council. The museum contains one of the last steam roundhouses in Australia and the only one in the world capable of handling three different gauges. We paid a fee of $5 each and were rewarded with a guided tour of the museum. This is probably the best valued tour we have ever had. A thoroughly enjoyable experience.

We had the pick of the caravan park and it was really very quiet. “He” cooked steaks which we consumed with coleslaw and pasta salad.

We settled in front of the DVD player and watched several episodes of Boston Legal on what turned out to be a very cold night.

12 June 2007 – Coober Pedy to Woomera

Grey Nomad — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 12:00:32 +0000

“She” was up early to shower but on the understanding that we could not depart before 9.30am (local time) as funds from the credit union would not be available until then. At 9.15am “He” made a withdrawal and we departed Coober Pedy. Thisd little incident highlighted the need to ensure that you carry sufficient cash when travelling as you cannot always rely on ATM’s and not everyone takes credit cards.

The drive was an non event with the only real highlight watching a farmer heard some sheep using a light aircraft.

Upon arriving at Woomera we checked into the only caravan park in town (charged $24 for the night!) before we visited a local museum and the heritage centre. We rang our son, Mum, Michelle (for her birthday) and finally our daughter-in-law (left a message).

Sausage and a rice dish for tea, it is likely to be the coldest night we have experienced so far.

“SHe” took some sensational pictures of sunset over the desert. This part of Australia is really wilderness.

11 June 2007 – Coober Pedy

Grey Nomad — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 12:00:22 +0000

We went on a tour of Coober Pedy and our guide host was Rudy, a 72 year old ex miner who has lived in Coober Pedy for the past 36 years. Our tour included visits to an underground church, the Coober Pedy Golf Club (the rules are not to walk on the grass – there is NO grass), an underground mine and residence and a noodling area.

After the tour we did our own local tour revisiting the noodling area (without luck) and visiting a local residence that is like an open house. The residence, known as Faye’s Underground Home is managed by Colin & June Maclean. Colin knows our home suburb very well as his brother lives two streets away from us. We took some pictures and agreed to pass them on to Colin’s brother. Colin also gave us a piece of local rock (called rainbow rock) that we can sand into shape.

We were actually grounded to some degree today as we ran out of cash and were unable to find a CBA ATM machine to allow access to the credit union account. A long weekend did not help and we had to transfer funds to our CBA account that is accessible from Westpac ATM’s.

We had dinner out at a local Pizza restaurant (charged it).

10 June 2007 – Marla to Coober Pedy

Grey Nomad — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 12:00:30 +0000

Up at 6.30am for an 8.00am departure. Today we only had to drive 240 kilometres but we managed to add to that with a sidetrip to an area known as “The Breakaways” followed by a trip into the desert to see some of “The Breakaways” close up and also the dingo fence.

Today we passed a fair amount of road kill including one small kangaroo being devoured by several eagles. Two of the eagles left but the third held its ground in the middle of our side of the road. We were amazed to see the eagle stare us down and I am sure that we would have killed the eagle had we held our line. It was fortunate that there was no other traffic around.

There are simply not the right words to describe what we saw today at “The Breakaways”. The area is remote with remarkable mounds and hills scatters on the desert floor. There are remarkable colours. Beyond this area is the dingo fence which is the longest fence in the world. It protects the sheep in the east from the dingo. We also saw an area said to be identical to Mars.

After 30 kilometres on dirt roads, we arrived at Coober Pedy and set up camp at the caravan park. We agreed that Blue Snoopy should be renamed to Brown Snoopy as the motor-home is now very dirty.

We visited a couple of local attractions during the afternoon including the “Old Timers” mine where we saw working mining equipment plus the chance to look for some opal colour in a “noodle” pit. We also had the opportunity to explore the mine which was the first in Coober Pedy but is now a tourist attraction. The mine also includes an underground house.

Chicken and pasta for tea followed by a video call to Mum and “His” sister then the family at home. Tomorrow we are booked on a local tour.

9 June 2007 – Yulura to Marla

Grey Nomad — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 12:00:11 +0000

The alarm went off at 6.00am and after breakfast, “He” went to the local lookout to watch the sunrise.

We departed the camp site about 7.45am and stopped at the post office to post a letter to Bruce & Jeannie and to purchase a couple of items from the supermarket.

After leaving Yulara, we headed to Erldunda. We saw a kangaroo close to the road but it retreated into the bush as we passed. Maybe the whistles do work (http://www.austhobi.com/product.htm). We also saw an elderly gentleman walking along the Lassiter Highway holding two camels, one which was pulling a wagon. We also had to slow down for cows on the side of the road.

It is curious to note that to-date, we have seen more wildlife in zoos than what we have seen on this trip.

After a brief stop at Eldunda, we headed south to our overnight stay at Marla. The campground is on the basis of “first come first served” and we had a reasonable spot for the night. For $17 we had far better value than what Voyagers had to offer at both locations we stayed at. We recommend this place for an overnight stop.

We met Arnold at Marla and we determined that he knows Derek. Arnolds brother was married to Derek’s sister.

Tea consisted of steak and salad.

8 June 2007 – Yulura

Grey Nomad — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 12:00:16 +0000

We slept in until 7.15am and were actually reluctant to get up then.

After breakfast we headed out to Uluru to partake of the final walk called the Kuniya walk. Firstly we drove around the rock stopping to take photographs in all the right places. We also stopped at the rock climb to allow “Him” to take some photographs from part way up the rock. All the signs ask you not to climb and “His” first attempt was halted with the discovery of a full memory card part way up the climb. After replacing the card, the second attempt was halted by a grazed hand from casually brushing by a boulder. Maybe the warning was there for a reason as the climb is really very dangerous!

The Kuniya walk was very nice and gave us the opportunity to see some rock art and also a waterhole that was said to be used by the local wildlife.

A quick coffee at the Cultural Centre before heading to Kata Tjuta (aka The Olgas).

It is our opinion that Kata Tjuta is more impressive that Uluru. We had two walks, the first being “The Valley of the Winds” and the second the “Walpa Gorge Walk”. The latter was very impressive as we walked into a gorge with heaps of vegetation at the end including a flowing water source.

When we arrived back at Yulara, we did a quick shop, refuelled the motor-home and had quick shower before watching the sunset from the local lookout.
Chicken “things” for tea, they were not bad and were served with salad.
We had a quiet night uploading photographs to the computer and thinking about the next part of our journey which is the start of the trip home(sob!!!).

We have been keeping records of fuel consumption for the motor home and it looks like the magic number for speed is around 90 kilometres per hour. This is 40 kilometres per hour under the Northern Territory speed limit however, the Iveco appears to perform very well at this speed and the overall ride is far better than that at 100 kilometres per hour. We will maintain this speed until the last day of the trip when we have to tear back to Sydney for a christening.

7 June 2007 – Yulura

Grey Nomad — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 12:00:56 +0000

The day started with a 6am alarm followed by a quick breakfast before heading to a lookout near the campsite for views of sunrise on Uluru. We were on the wrong side to see the sunrise but what we shared with a lot of other people was only ordinary. We won’t be going to the designated viewing site as we feel that sunset has more appeal.

We spent the majority of the day at the Rock where we took a guided tour of the “Marla” walk and then went to the local Cultural Centre. “She” spotted a small snake that disappears fairly quickly. “She” described the snake as being green in colour however, based on “His” observations and a photograph, the snake appeared to be a baby brown snake. Best left alone and in hind sight, not a close-up photograph to be taken!

We contemplated climbing the rock however, we chose to honour the requests made by the custodians not to climb. This had nothing to do with the fact that 37 people have actually died whilst climbing the rock nor the fact that it is extremely steep, slippery and downright dangerous. “He” did start the climb going as high as what is known as “chicken rock”.

We returned to the campsite mid afternoon for showers before returning to the designated area for sunset viewing. This was well worth the 2 hour wait. We did experience the joy of the motor-home lifestyle as we enjoyed a scotch with ice and cheese and biscuits whilst waiting for sunset.

On the return to our camp site, we tried the driving lights for the first time. Not bad!

Once again we had “emergency meals” for tea.