WANDERING AUSTRALIA: THE SHANLEYS
AS WE write this, we are looking over the beautiful Southern Ocean from the Lincoln National Park on the fabulous Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. We have hopped from beach to beach in five days, and what a five days that was – we travelled from the northern Sunshine Coast in Queensland to the upper Eyre Peninsula along the famous Strzelecki Track. This is an experience we won’t forgot, and the kids (and us!) have learned so much from it.
We started our travels from the coast, with a stop in Toowoomba for some small repairs to the rig and a quick once-over by the team at Mick Tighe 4x4 & Outdoor. We then headed west on our first big day of driving. Our mates Josh and Ellen from @79series travelled with us and provided great company and support, and we would really recommend doing a trip like this in a group. Knowing there is another vehicle, supplies and knowledge if needed puts your mind at rest. We knew if something happened to one of the vehicles or caravans or, heaven forbid, one of us, we’d have double the equipment and manpower to deal with it. Thankfully the trip was uneventful, and travelling with another likeminded family made it so much more enjoyable.
Our first day of driving was Toowoomba to Bollon, a total of 481km and around six hours with stops. It was only the beginning, but we were ready for a camp that night and found a beautiful waterhole with a wellmaintained campsite along the Wallam Creek. This is a free campground with a flushing toilet maintained by the locals. Let this be an opportunity to say how welcoming the locals in all the small outback towns of Western Queensland and South Australia are. Everyone we met was always so friendly and happy to share any local advice.
The next day was our longest driving day (in kilometres), travelling from
Bollon to the Dig Tree near the QLD-SA border. The farther we drove, the redder the dirt became, the less trees we saw, and the higher the thermometer rose! Along the way, around 200km from the nearest town, we came across a family running low on fuel that had travelled up through SA. After checking they had enough food and water, we pointed them in the direction of a nearby mine site that may have some unleaded, as we weren’t carrying any. This is a good reminder to plan ahead and take plenty of supplies and extra fuel. When talking to the locals, they said they come across this too often, with many people getting stranded in the great outback.
Arriving at camp around 6pm, we were all ready for a dip in the Cooper Creek and camped at the Dig Tree campground – definitely a bucket-list item. Situated on the Nappa Merrie Station in Queensland, the Dig Tree has been well-preserved and tells a story of the early explorers, Brahe, Burke and
Wills, the most famous of them and who in 1861 set up camp at the Dig Tree for four months. There is an abundance of information around both the Dig Tree and Nappa Merrie Station, and it provided a good reminder for our ipadsavvy Bella of how lucky we are to have the modern conveniences we do.
Escaping the flies and heat, we set off reasonably early on our third day of travel, heading for the border and beyond. Stopping in at Innamincka for a cold beer at 10am(!) and a look around, again we were greeted with welcoming hospitality.
It was then on to the Strzelecki Track, through outback SA. It seems we have learned the ‘Strez’ ain’t what it used to be! It is now well-maintained, with many mining trucks traversing it daily. However, it is not to be taken lightly as there are patches of corrugations and bulldust, and forever-changing road and weather conditions. With patchy to no reception, it is beneficial to have plenty of fuel, supplies and a two-way radio set to channel 40 to keep in the loop with the truckies.
After a quick lunch stop in the middle of nowhere, we then cut off the Strez’ on to a track towards Arkaroola
Village. This was much slower going as it was rougher, but we still managed to do around 80km/h. This is definitely one road where it’s essential to check conditions and weather, as we saw evidence of people getting stuck in the mud. Arkaroola, nestled in the northern Flinders Ranges, is a great little campground complete with fuel bowsers, a restaurant, astronomy observatory, rock wallaby feeding and a swimming pool.
On our final day of travel, we were looking forward to the black top and hit the highway bound for the Eyre Peninsula. This was a great drive around the Flinders Ranges and we plan on getting back to explore it thoroughly.
So, as you can tell, the Strez was only a small part of our trip from shore to shore, and we are so glad we went through the middle of Australia to tick it off the bucket list and teach our kids about outback Australia.
A big thanks to Josh, Ellen, Will and Tom from @79series for being great travel buddies.
Now, on to the Eyre Peninsula and all that SA has to offer.
Go wander,
Brendan and Nikita.
THE FARTHER WE DROVE, THE REDDER THE DIRT BECAME, THE LESS TREES WE SAW, AND THE HIGHER THE THERMOMETER ROSE!