Day 4, Thursday 30/6/2016, Coober Pedy, day trip to "The Breakaways"

It still felt like night when we woke at 0730hrs with it being pitch black underground. Eliza and Amara were having a great time playing on the 'roof'. Watch out for the vent shafts! After breakfast Siân and Jack started the clothes washing. Jordan did the dishes and then helped with the clothes, while Col and I went grocery shopping. Col then needed a nap as he has a mild flu. Siân gave him some drugs, so I didn't even have to get my trusty 1st aid kit down. Leah was about to go and do some sightseeing without us. I thought it might be fun to spend some quality time together and asked if she could do her grocery shopping now while Gary was doing the washing, so that we could all do something together later (gosh I'm bossy).

After lunch I took everyone to Umoona 1st as it has a good museum and opal display, then Morgan's took us to Faye's house for a tour of a house that 3 women dug by hand over a 10 year period.

Next I wanted to see the "Breakaways" which is about 20km north of town on a dirt road. 

Bugger! We got almost there, but the 2nd dirt road was closed. I was so keen to get there that I decided to try from the other direction which is up the Stuart Highway and then in. The others followed which made me happy. The roads were open from the other direction, yay!!

Wow! It blew us away. It was an amazing vista of colourful mesas. Everyone managed to shift a few of those driving cobwebs. Jack ran straight down to the valley floor, Gary went across to an 'island', Eliza and Amara found some caves and Leah got to play with her camera, with Peter quite taken with her work. Jordan and Siân were my models, with Jordan and Siân then pretending to fall off a cliff. Siân had her first drive of a manual (on a dirt road). I just love rocks!

On getting back to Riba's we realised we had forgotten to top up our water so Col and Gary ducked back into town. We got the clothes off the line with everyone then grabbing their own to fold and pack away. Then an early dinner so we'd be on time for the mine tour.

Leah wasn't so fussed on it but I thought it was great. Very real and factual. Not over commercialised.  He talked us through each stage of getting your claim: counsel applications, license, staking it out and lodgement. How to find, dig and blast a slip, and most interesting, the science behind it all. 

We all had a chance to use the divining rod, and having gone in sceptical found that I had the power! My rods would go crazy everytime I passed the slip! I've had a wonderful day.

Day 3, Wednesday 29/6/2016, Olary Creek to Coober Pedy

Olary Creek did not disappoint with -5 degrees C this morning. There is ice on everything! Up at 0630hrs for a huge day of driving. It was lovely being up for sunrise. Jack and Siân got the pack up speed award today. They were done before the sun rose and before Jordan even emerged from her swag! Poor Jordan, she has a headache today.

Jack now has the Fawlty Towers award and may well lose the packup award as he leant his weight on the kitchen bench which collapsed. A billy of boiling water fell (lucky Siân had moved). All of the pots, mugs and other dishes fell into the newly made red mud from the billy water. Col wiped the mud off things while I washed everything in hot soapy water and Jack dried. It put our camp packup back by 20 minutes, but still done on time.

Eliza and Amara were bugging their quite tense parents and each other so I took Amara for a walk up the railway track which she loved as she's not allowed up there. Then I took the two of them for a short walk up the creek bed. We chucked a left and found Col packing up the dunny. The girls and I planted some seeds over the spot where we left our fertilizer. We planted a poop tree!

Leah and Gary again want us to go ahead of them saying they'll only be 20 minutes behind us and will meet us at Peterborough. I'm reluctant to split up again as it's best to all stick together, but again, with their faster car, not yet desert and the pressure being taken off them we decided to go ahead.

It's $164 per couple for two nights accommodation and a mine tour at Riba's in Coober Pedy. I'm wondering if we'll be able to get to it as the couple from last night told us that William Creek Road was closed. We waited at Peterborough for the others. They took about an hour longer than we hoped. I don't think we'll get there before 7pm.

Jack enjoyed driving over the Flinders Ranges with the fun curves. We took the usual photo at the lookout being the 4th one that we've done.

After filling our fuel tanks in Port Augusta we had to push on as we are running so late. Leah is upset that she couldn't get some groceries at Port Augusta and says she has nothing for tea.

We had a quick sandwich stop on the Stuart Highway. There are police everywhere doing alcohol and drug testing. While pulled over a whole convoy of police cars, bikes and horses went past. Apparently they're expecting a rowdy demonstration at Roxby Downs in the next few days against the dumping of nuclear waste.

We pulled over at another lookout with the best views along the Stuart Highway of a salt pan (currently more a lake) for a quick photo. Morgans/Davies didn't stop so we've lost them again. I'm not sure what they're planning or how we'll find them. I think they know where the accommodation is. It's on the itinerary, but it's a bit tricky as it's out of town in a working mine.

Yay, we ended up finding them 60km south of our destination. They had gone to a roadhouse at the Woomera turnoff. We've only seen galahs, sheep and emus today.

Arriving at Riba's Underground Camping and Rooms, 15 minutes late for our booked and paid for mine tour, plan B was required. Swapping tonight's tour with tomorrow's John's Pizza night is perfect as it covers Leah's lack of food and the fact that we're too tired to cook or go on a tour. So as it turns out, we are back having pizza in the same place exactly 4 years later, to the day! Happy birthday Fiona!

Amara felt sick at dinner and there were a few long faces after such a long couple of days. I'm sure they're thinking "when does this get fun?" Just with our time limits it's worth working hard to get to the middle quick to have more time at the highlights. Sorry guys. Gary ordered the "Coat of Arms" pizza and Jack and Siân had kangaroo on their pizzas.

After our showers we went to bed in our rooms underground and I certainly didn't read for long tonight.