CENTRAL AUSTRALIA
A GREEN HEARTLAND IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT TO THE NORM. COME REVEL IN THE VERDANCY
THE heavily laden work ute was bogged. Really bogged! And the young tradie who had been there for five hours already was really glad to see us.
We had been heading north from the small community of Apatula (Finke) and dodging around a wide, flooded area of track when we heard a bit of a distress call over the CB. Turns out it was another tradie who had spied our bogged mate and asked us to help.
In the end we had two vehicles, each with a double-line pull, hauling our stricken friend from the red mire. When I asked him if he was heading for Apatula, his reply was definite: “Not any bloody more I’m not. I’m going home, they can stick it. Thanks for the help!”
And with that he was gone!
Then, as we were trying to get out of the firmish area we had parked ourselves on, Trent’s 79 sunk in the
red slush and we spent another halfhour extracting him and his trailer.
We were nearing the end of four weeks of wandering the outback with my son’s Moon Tours and while this recovery was one of the more intricate ones, it was by no means the only one.
Initially, our little convoy had left Birdsville and, because of a flood warning on Eyre Creek, we were told the only way open into the desert was via the long, circuitous route of the Warburton Track. While it was a long detour we were just glad to be allowed to head into the desert, our group being one of the first, if not the first, to head west from Birdsville for the year.
We dodged around a little as we headed west, striking north to Poeppel Corner first where we came across a couple of vehicles bogged in the centre of the nearby salt lake. We took the diversion track around the north of the lake and wondered why these travellers hadn’t done the same. Their nonchalant replies and cocky attitude beggared belief really and, while we made sure they had water and didn’t need a sat phone to call for help, we left them to it.
Our route then took us down past the Approdinna Attora Knolls on to the WAA Line, a route less used than the French Line and one, I must say, I prefer. With a diversion to the Lone Gum we hit the western end of the French Line and, with the track improving greatly after Purni Bore, we made it to Mt Dare that evening, our fifth night since leaving Birdsville.
RAIN COMING
GREETED by Graham and Sandra, the current owners of this fine establishment, with dire warnings that heavy rain was on its way, we bailed out next morning before the roads closed and as the first spits of rain heralded more on the way.
At Kulgera and the safety of the bitumen the next day, we found dirt roads were closing all around us, with even the bitumen highway to Uluru and the road along the Western Macs from Alice Springs both closed due to flood waters rushing down the normally dry river beds. It seemed choices for a dirtroad adventure were dwindling fast!
A call to a friend who was running Kings Creek Station gave us some positive news with the proviso to watch the flooded creek crossings, but they were already receding when we arrived. That evening we opened the campers and I threw down my swag along the ridge-top camp they called the Drovers Rest, which has inspiring views north to the red raw ramparts of the George Gill Range. The property itself is pretty well set-up for campers and travellers, with a range of accommodation and facilities. With a new owner, expect even more and bigger changes in the future.
WITH DIRE WARNINGS THAT HEAVY RAIN WAS ON ITS WAY, WE BAILED OUT NEXT MORNING
KINGS CANYON
AS we waited for roads to dry and creeks to subside further, we took the opportunity to explore nearby spectacular Kings Canyon and later joined the manager at Kings Creek as he led us around the property which is basically being destocked. An ancient Aboriginal rock-art site was a highlight before we headed over the road to join an Aboriginal family and their Karrke Cultural Tour, run by Peter and Elma, traditional owners of the area. Over the years we’ve done a few of these tours in different areas of Australia, but this was one of the best and most informative.
Next day with news the Eastern Macs were open, we headed up the blacktop, crossing a strongly flowing Finke River which was worth a stop to view this rare happening. With news that the Hugh River Stock Route and the Old Ghan Line Road were both open, we headed that way and hardly saw any sign of water; although, the country was green from rain that had fallen through here a month or so previously. The only other travellers we saw were a couple of young Aboriginal men who had broken down, and we stopped and got them going again before continuing.
The sun was heading to the western horizon as we drove along the southern flank of the Eastern Macs, the evening light showering the mountains in the rich, reddish glow of the setting sun – it was magical!
We stopped that evening in the pleasant confines of the camping ground at the historic Ross River Homestead, one of the iconic properties of Central Australia and one of the first properties in the heart of the country to look at tourism as a way of surviving this often harsh land.
The nearby N’dhala Gorge, reached next day at the end of a reasonable 4WD track, was so green it nearly obscured the red rocks the gorge is so well-known for, while flowing water and deep waterholes were another pleasant surprise.
We headed east, stopping at a couple of historic sites in the Arltunga Historical Reserve and, while I’ve been here a few times, it is always an interesting place, depicting a time when pioneer prospectors helped open up the heart of the country with little more than their own feet, tough hands and a lot of manual labour.
That evening we pulled into the very pleasant and well set-up Hale River Homestead and the rich hospitality of the owners, Lynne and Sean and daughter Tracy, along with her two great kids. Set amongst the hills on the northern edge of the spectacular East Macdonnell Ranges and close to the ephemeral Hale River, it was so good our group elected to stay another day. We joined Sean on a trip around the property that the family is turning into a model of sustainable grazing for their small herd of prime cattle. As the heat of the afternoon descended, all of our party retired to the relief of the pool made from a large shipping container and decked out better than most suburban pools. Then it was time for a meal at the famous old workshed the family has converted into a fabulous rustic bar and lounge area.
THE LIGHT EVENING SHOWERED THE MOUNTAINS IN THE RICH, REDDISH GLOW OF THE SETTING SUN – IT WAS MAGICAL!