Marree

Thursday 3^rd November

From Rawnsley Park we headed north through the Flinders Ranges for 70 km to the small township of Blinman. We lost count of the number of Emus we saw either just off the road or right on the side of the road.  We had to be especially careful of the ones at the side of the road, as they were likely to decide at the very last minute to dash across in front of the car. Emus have got no brains and it’s a wonder we don’t see a lot more dead ones on the side of the road.  We also saw quite a few kangaroos.

At Blinman we turned west and travelled for 32 km along a very windy and hilly gravel road through the Flinders Ranges.  Christel was driving for the day, and she coped very well with what was quite a challenging road.  

We passed some amazing rock formations, and for a time the road followed a river bed where we had to cross a couple of fords.

We came across this Shingleback lizard in the middle of the road,

and Cameron had to get out and remove him before we carried on.  He was a really healthy specimen, one of the biggest we have seen.  We also saw this family of Emus feeding in the river bed.

We finally struck the main road at a small place called Parachilna, and here we turned north and for the next 70 odd km to Leigh Creek had to contend with the usual long flat straights.  For most of the way we closely followed the route of the old Ghan railway and we could see remains of the earthworks, cuttings and bridges, beside the road.

Leigh Creek is a fairly new mining town, built about 5 km from the huge Leigh Creek Open Cast Coal Mine.  It replaces the old town of Leigh Creek which was built a lot closer to the original mine, a little too close in fact, as they discovered the coal seam went right under the  town, so they built a new town a bit further away, shifted all the workers into it, and then carried on digging.

We had lunch at Leigh Creek, and then continued on towards the next town of Lyndhurst, another 30 odd km further up the road.  We knew the tarsealed road finished at Lyndhurst, and from there the next 80 km to Marree would be all gravel.

Lyndhurst is the southern terminus for the Strzelecki Track, an old drovers’ route which winds its way north for over 470 km to Innamincka, near the New South Wales border. It is also the main access route for people wanting to travel from South Australia to Cameron Corner, a trip of about 440 km form Lyndhurst.  When we told Cameron this, he was all for abandoning our plans to go to Marree, and head for ‘his’ corner so he could visit it again.   

I had always wanted to have a look at this track, so we turned off and followed it for about 10km, just so we can say we have been on it. The name Track suggests a fairly rough road, but in fact it was more like an unsealed highway.  There were a few rough patches, but you could comfortably travel it at 80 to 90 kph. After taking a few photos we turned around and headed back to Lyndhurst.  Back in Lyndhurst, we turned north again onto the gravel road.  The surface was, like the Strzelecki, surprisingly good, and we able to maintain a steady 70 to 80 kph.

About 25 km north of Lyndhurst we came to the old township of Farina.  It was originally established as a centre for wheat growing, and was a stopover point on the Old Ghan Railway. Unfortunately the climate put paid to the wheat growing venture, and when the new Adelaide to Alice Springs railway was completed, it also put paid to the Old Ghan line. With no reason for the town to be there anymore, it soon became deserted, and today there is nothing left except the ruins of some of the buildings. 

It was quite eerie walking among the ruins with nothing but the sound of the wind blowing, as it always seems to do out in the desert.  It had obviously been quite a decent town in its day with two hotels, a Post Office, Bakery, several shops, Police Station, a school, churches, and most importantly, a brothel.  The Farina Railway Station was also nearby.

Just north of Farina we had the luxury of 17 km of tarseal before we were back on the gravel again, until 8 km out of Marree where we hit tarseal again. From Lyndhurst onwards we were basically travelling through desert country, flat as a pancake, with very sparse scrubby growth, and no sign of any life except the occasional Emu and to a lesser extent, kangaroos. Very desolate country.

We arrived at Marree at about 3.30, and quickly established ourselves in the bar for a nice cold one or two.  We had been looking forward to spending the night in an old fashioned, two storied, outback hotel, but unfortunately, even though we had booked ahead, there were no rooms available in the hotel itself, and instead we were shown to a cabin type unit adjacent to the hotel.

Marree really is on the edge of the outback, and is literally surrounded by desert.  We had already travelled just on 80 km of gravel roads to get here, and from here on, all roads are classified as tracks.  Marree is the southern terminus of the famous Birdsville Track which runs north for 514 km up to Birdsville, which is just over the border in Queensland.  Like the Strzelecki, the Birdsville was also a Drovers route, for bringing cattle down from the huge Queensland Cattle properties, to the markets at Adelaide and Melbourne.  Nowadays it is a popular tourist route for those wanting a taste of the outback.

Marree is also the southern end of the Oodnadatta Track, which runs north west for over 600 km through Oodnadatta and on out to the Stuart Highway, which is the main road north from Adelaide to Alice Springs. For a long time it was also the northern terminus for the Ghan Railway, so strategically in the old days, Marree was a fairly important town.  

Unfortunately, in this day and age of fast 4WDs and relatively good roads, it is now just a stopover for thirsty travellers, and the bus loads of outback tourists that we seem to meet everywhere.

After a couple of refreshing drinks, we checked into our room, and then decided to fill in the time before dinner by having a look at the Birdsville track.

Ever since we had been back on gravel roads, Cameron had been hinting that he wouldn’t mind having another drive.  Remember he had driven a considerable distance on our way out from Cameron Corner.  So once we had got on to the Birdsville Track, we stopped at the side of the road and Cameron took over.  After carefully going through his well rehearsed  ‘cockpit drill’, (seat belt on, seat in right position, everybody belted up, gear lever in park, hand brake on, etc, etc), he carefully pulled out onto the ‘track’, and off we went.

The Birdsville Track, like the Strzelecki Track, isn’t a track at all, but a two to three lane gravel highway. We were soon barrelling along at a steady 70 to 80 kph, with Cameron having no problems with driving. 

Everywhere you go in the outback, station boundaries, and in some cases, their paddocks, are petitioned off on the roads by cattle stops, or grids, as they are called over here. They are well sign posted as you approach them, and the road always narrows down when you cross the grid.  As a result, deep ruts usually form in the wheel tracks with a sharp bump up onto the grid which is usually made from cut down railway rails. 

For this reason I always slow down when we get to a grid, and make a point of trying to keep to one side or the other of the wheel tracks where the bump up isn’t so severe. This of course brings you fairly close to the barriers on either side of the grid, so extra caution is needed.  When Cameron approached his first grid, he did exactly as I do and aimed for the high ground between the ruts, Now, you are all wondering where this is leading, don’t you?

Here we are, $45,000 of Mitsubishi Pajero, hundreds of miles from the nearest garage, inexperienced nine year old boy at the wheel, metal road, narrow grid, wheel ruts, no room for error, recipe for disaster, right?   He slowed down and drove across no problem at all.  Fooled you all, didn’t I?  Nobody said anything, and he just carried on driving, repeating the performance each time he came to a grid.

After about 20 km, we told him to stop and turn around as we had gone far enough.  He pulled off to the left and, after checking that the road was clear tried to turn around. Unfortunately the gravel at the side of the road was very soft and the wheels just spun. Again without us saying anything, he engaged 4WD and drove off.  After turning around we stopped and took some photos.   I climbed a bit of a mound beside the road to take some photos, and when I looked at countryside around me, it really bought home just how insignificant we are in this huge place called the outback of Australia.

Cameron drove us back, stopping just outside Marree, where I took over. On the way back he gave me a lecture about how you should approach grids keeping out of the wheel ruts to avoid the bump up.  I must let him drive more often, I’m sure I’ll learn heaps.

Back at the Marree Hotel we had a quick swim in their pool before going in for dinner.  It was a smorgasbord meal, and one of the meats on offer was pork.  As there was no steak, Cameron decided he would try the pork, and five helpings later declared he ‘quite liked it’.  Apparently driving gives you an appetite.

The Dining Room at the hotel seats about 120, and there were about 80 of us for dinner. Apart from ourselves, just about everyone else was connected to a tour of some sort.  Like I said earlier, Marree is now a stopover for tourists.

After dinner we retired to the bar for a couple of more drinks, before heading off to bed.