Day 18, Sunday 8/07/2012, Birdsville to Cordillo Downs

Breakfast was at 7am in the front dining room (The Lizard Lounge) of the Birdsville Hotel. Of course we had to have the ‘Big Red’. We were lucky to get to the bakery so early as they were almost out of bread already! We had to fuel up at The Birdsville Roadhouse, and this is also the grocery store. They only get a delivery once a fortnight and are already running low on most things. Maybe this peak season was busier than usual. After finishing our purchases we headed to the info centre (which is also centrelink and the library) to check road conditions and closures. Innamincka and the Cordillo Downs Rd are open, yay!! The lady here said “ooh, I wouldn’t go on that road, it’s terrible!” It’s open, so we’ll be there! There was no store at all where you could buy books other than the old 2^nd hand books at the library (poor Peter).

Other than the places mentioned above, there is a small police station, an old closed courthouse, a small school, airport, clinic, hotel and racetrack. Birdsville has the only Geothermal Power Station in Australia. The Diamantina River flows through the town, with a caravan park and a Burke and Wills monument on its banks.  Other than a few houses, that is it for Birdsville.

There were the obligatory Birdsville Hotel posing shots with Jordan getting a lovely one of Fiona and me, and then we headed south. The Diamantina was flowing and there was plenty of birdlife to be seen but we didn’t stop since it was raining. We did cross the river though at the old causeway which was fun.

While photographing the racetrack I asked Lisa if she wanted a race. Col took off though without letting me out but Lisa still jumped out and went for a run on the track. Go Lisa!

Our next stop was to pull over on the Birdsville Development Road for Bruce to clean his air filter. Boy it needed it! You should have seen the red dirt blasted out using his air compressor. Now he wishes he did this before Big Red as he would have had more power.

Shortly after this we turned right on the Cordillo Downs Road passing a beautiful lake and salt pan surrounded by the red gibber plains of the Sturt Stony Desert, with a few emus running by. Given the recent flooding, there is the contrast of pale green grasses across the plains against the deep burgundy of the rocks.

 There are plenty of trees along each creek, with most creeks full. Our lunch stop was at Caldega Outstation Ruins which was used when mustering in the past. It is a gorgeous old house on the Caldega waterhole which was full, with birds galore. Haley decided it was too messy here to try to clean up but Jordan, Jack and Jess were planning their home renovations and picking their rooms.

There was much fun to be had with creek crossings. There were plenty of muddy cars, smiling faces and cameras clicking! We passed only a couple of other groups along this track today.

Time for a history lesson at the old Cordillo Downs stone shearing shed. This was a property with 24000 sheep in the late 1800s. A severe drought drastically took these numbers to a mere 300 sheep, but at the turn of the century they were back to 83000 sheep. It took 30 to 40 donkeys to tow 4 tonnes of wool. Horses couldn’t handle the Strzelecki sand dunes. There was a plaque commemorating the Afghan cameleers which took over from the donkeys.

South of the property the scenery is awesome! There are the burgundy gibber plains of the Sturt Stony Desert, white grasses, and a back drop orange sand dunes of the Strzelecki Desert which were particularly awesome when glowing in the sunset. The storm cloud we were heading towards seems to be dissipating thank goodness (although secretly I would love to get stuck out here).

We found a gorgeous spot to camp, on the NW bank of Montkeleary Creek. It is half full with beautiful gums along the banks. Amazingly it is not cold. There is plenty of firewood available though, washed down from the floods.

After an hour of daylight for exploring, wood collecting, photography and relaxing, we had dinner around an amazing fire.

Peter’s trying to bribe Jordan, Jack and Jessica into lending him their kindle as he was unable to get the 2^nd Hunger Games book at Birdsville. The clouds have gone, the stars are bright and the temperature mild. Dingos were howling throughout the night.

Day 17, Saturday 7/07/2012, Poeppel Corner to Birdsville

I was up at sunrise today getting a gorgeous photo across the salt pan to the west, getting the reverse sunrise colours and the setting moon. It was a chilly morning with ice on the swags again. A bit of a record today having packed up and left by 8.15am for our adventure to Birdsville! This first encompassed driving along the edge of, and then crossing a huge salt pan.

Then there were large swales of gidgee forest, gradually widening as you head east. We kept running into the group (3 vehicles with a homemade trailer and a T Van) that we met at Dalhousie. News from the radio chatter is that yesterday an 80yr old lady came out to Eyre Creek to scatter her husband’s ashes. While there she had a heart attack and had to be medi-vacced out.

It was a very busy QAA track today. Groups of 4wds heading both directions. At one stage we passed a group of motor bikes heading west. One idiot didn’t think his brain was important enough to protect it with a helmet! Next was a lady hiking east towards Birdsville with a “Spot” GPS strapped to her arm. She was hiking the Simpson Desert to raise money for the RFDS. We spent half the day pulling off the track to let others pass by.

There is a gorgeous eucalyptus forest for the final 10km before Eyre Creek.  The creek bed itself made for a lovely lunch stop, under the shade of a coolabah tree...... Unlike the bonnet high water of 2 years ago, the creek was bone dry!

There was another unscheduled stop just before getting to Big Red to make yet another rubber bush for Lisa and Stuarts’s suspension.

The crowd at Big Red was huge. People and cars everywhere. There were 4 tracks up with the left hand track near vertical. Only empty 4wds were attempting this with half not making it. Stuart had a couple of attempts at No2 and made it. Peter and Bruce had a couple of goes at No2 as well but had to end up using No3.

Col got up No2 first try. Go the Landy! Lisa and I then decided to have a go and we both got up No2 first go. Girl power! The crowd were fun with spectators all watching and cheering everyone on. Speaking to people we ascertained that only about 50% of the loaded up vehicles seemed to make it up No2. The rest used No3.

Our Dalhousie friends were nice enough to take a group shot of us on Big Red. The lake was still there on the east side of Big Red, but quite a bit smaller. It is such a beautiful wetland full of birds.

Once you are around the lake detour it is a quick and easy drive to Birdsville.

The very friendly Kim checked us in. We had the exact same room as last time. The others are all jealous as it is also the largest room (sorry not our doing). We do have a family of 4 adults though after all.

Instead of dinner in the dining room we have been relegated to the beer garden for a stew and desert set menu. The dining room was saved for a bus group. I don’t think everyone’s happy about the cold outdoors for eating again but I’m sure the atmosphere will be fun.

After a quick shower and putting some washing in the very convenient hotel laundromat, I had a very scrumptious lamb shanks with vegetables and sticky date pudding.  There was no allocated seating. Some locals and heaps of people from the caravan park were all there for dinner as well. So we all kind of ate in shifts when and where we could. It’s a shame they didn’t reserve tables for those already booked in through the hotel. I was sad not to all sit down together inside the Hotel next to a lovely fireplace. We ended up sitting inside in the front dining room for a drink next to the fire after tea, then as parents took the little ones off to bed, Col, Bruce Fiona and I had a bit of a drink in the Hotel proper. It was packed! We discussed future trips (a shame we don’t get more annual leave). Fiona and Bruce gave me an opal charm for my Pandora bracelet and a card to Col and I to thank us for all the work we put into planning and organising this trip. Thanks so much. I’m glad you appreciate it. I hope you are enjoying the experience. You didn’t need to do that but I do love it!

Back to the Parkes’ suite for tea and coffee with Peter and Lisa joining us. The teenagers had been watching TV in here and everyone else is in bed asleep.

It was another late night trying to do some blogging. It’s just too difficult to keep it up to date when my computer won’t hold a charge long enough to get the typing done as I go. I ruined a good night’s sleep in the hotel trying to catch up. I should just leave it until I get home instead.

Happy birthday Katie.......we love you and miss you!!

Day 16, Friday 6/07/2012, Poeppel Corner

What a gorgeous rest day, starting with a sleep in and then eggs on toast for brekkie. The kids decided to build Coober Pedy which became the entertainment for the entire day for the littlies. Jordan, Jack, Jess and Madison started it off with a bit of help from Col. It wasn’t long before Michael, Jamie, Haley and Chelsea came along to join in.

One of my favourite parts of the day was when our whole group went for a walk together, through Queensland, South Australia and then across the salt pan in the Northern Territory. Chelsea was so close to walking while playing on a fence wire on the salt pan.

Then it was time for the boys to potter around the cars, changing another bush on Stuart’s Pajero suspension. Bruce is desperately looking for something to fix under his car, then checking out why his winch didn’t work. Col needs to look at our water tank leak (maybe using the ‘magic tape’).  They also might have a play with Peter’s 12V outlets that are shorting out. Peter is topping up his oil again.

Fiona went for an extra walk, coming across a camel sculpture memorial amongst some amazing wild flowers.

After ‘happy hour’ around an early fire, Lisa, Bruce and I played with some night shots including sunset flash photography with the little kids.

It was such a lovely fire tonight which kept us warm while we had a fun game of charades. Talk about million star accommodation