The journey has begun.

[Faith In Virginia]

Re: The journey has begun.

Looking forward to the story of your adventure..safe journey home

[Laurentius]

Re: The journey has begun.

Hi Al,

I was about to put a world wide alert, out for you! Afraid, that you had went skinny dipping in a pond and had attracted saltie with your dangling participle, since you bloke can't speak the Queen's English!

[brickie in oz]

Re: The journey has begun.

Some more pics. Follow the link for more pics and vids.



Warning signs.



Dog fence.



A bad place to die.



Furthermost point from home in the trip, Lake Eyre.

I took the long way to Burra in SA, I went via Berri the home of fruit and wine, I picked up a 12 case of clean skin red wine for $48 on the way through.
Part of the next leg of the journey took me to a place where I had to catch a ferry across the Murray river, I just followed the GPS and was pleasantly surprised.

I found a place to stop for the first night just before Burra in a layby, I must have triggered something as the next minute there are all these bikers coming from nowhere and circling to check me out, then came a car full of heavies, I didnt stay, I kept driving.

I found another quiet spot and set up but couldnt light the fridge, I couldnt work it out so I left again and pulled into the caravan park at Burra so I could plug in and keep the food cold.
I though the camp fee of $25 per night was outrageous, but I needed to sort out the fridge.
Turned out to be the gas regulator has screwed itself in and wasnt allowing the gas through.
I spent 2 night in Burra then headed for Woomera.

[brickie in oz]

Re: The journey has begun.



Pimba

I stopped at Pimba for fuel and a bite to eat, the road splits here and heads for Alice Springs or Roxby Downs, the Ghan railway line also runs past the Pimba roadhouse.



I stopped at Woomera for a look at all the relics then made camp for the night in a disused rail siding 5kms further north.
Next day I headed for the opal town of Andamooka, I spent a couple of hours there and then headed for Roxby Downs.

The road from Roxby to the turn off at the Oodnadatta track for Lake Eyre was surprisingly well maintained, well it was until I hit the end of the BHP mine lease and the road turned to crap, it was like driving on a chocolate mouse.

Lake Eyre was reached and I camped there for the night.



Lowest point in Oz.

[Greenman]

Re: The journey has begun.

Hey Al - The central bit is certainly is an interesting part of Australia. The contrasts in our vast land are amazing, particularly where the various landscapes meet the ocean.

I have just had a couple of days on North Stradbroke Is with my grandkids with amazing beaches and the migrating whales visible from the shore and that is a whole different world.

I hope you have found your journey rejuvenating.

[brickie in oz]

Re: The journey has begun.

After so much driving my lower back was killing me, the tablets for relief were left at home so I stopped in Marree at the Royal Flying Doctors Service and the delightful nurse gave me some anti inflammatories and the pain was gone.

Just before Marre.



I left Marree feeling like a new man. (I just couldnt find one.)
Heading south for Leigh Creek I called in to Farina, this was supposed to be the town to grow all of South Australia's wheat in the 1880's, the town lasted a few years and the weather won.



There is a conservation group that every year travel to Farina to rebuild what they can, they open the bakery and sell bread to travelers.

The underground bake house.



The oven is underneath the gravel.

[brickie in oz]

Re: The journey has begun.

My next stop was to be Arkaroola in the Flinders Ranges, lovely part of the world.





Arkaroola.




I left the next day heading for Yunta, down the road I came across this hill and sign.

[Gulf]

Re: The journey has begun.

Thank's Al,
I'm loving the adventure! Keep'm coming . Following this thread has me wanting to get on my "little scooter" with only a bed roll and see some more of my country .

[Laurentius]

Re: The journey has begun.

Hi Al,

Now I know that you will be safe! I know of people who have gone off the GRID, but I see you Ozzies have road signs to keep you on it. That shows that your tax $$ are well spent.
Hurry back, the adoption has been approved!

[brickie in oz]

Re: The journey has begun.

this thread has me wanting to get on my "little scooter" with only a bed roll and see some more of my country .

Do it while you can says I, there comes a day when you wont be physically able to do it and have much regrets.

[brickie in oz]

Re: The journey has begun.

On the road from Arkaroola to Yunta, 270 kms and all dirt I passed lots of road kill, roos, emus, cats, the cats I enjoyed seeing dead because they are taking over and killing everything that moves, the other kills sadden me.

The wedge tailed eagles love the road kills and they are everywhere, I slowed down for one particular roo that had been hit and my heart sank for sticking out of her pouch was the legs of a Joey.
I pulled up and grabbed the legs, the Joey protested with a grunt and wedged itself further into mums pouch.
The poor thing was so cold, mum must have been hit overnight, if I had of left the Joey it would only be a matter of time before the eagles had it for breakfast.

I gave another pull on the legs and out popped the poor little mite complaining and struggling with probably its first human contact.
I wrapped it one of my towels and sat it in the back of truck until I could arrange the front passenger foot well for it.

I wrapped it my down jacket and covered it with towels where it settled.
I drove until I saw a station property, Frome Downs where I dropped it off to the owners who said they would look after it.



Mum.



The Joey.

I rang my missus before I had reached Frome Downs to see if she wanted a pet roo but she declined.
When I reached Frome Downs the Joey was as warm as toast but still protesting especially as the station dogs were all milling around trying to see what all the fuss was about with the stranger who had just arrived.

[brickie in oz]

Re: The journey has begun.

I spent that night camped behind the ruins at a place called Waukaringa, it used to be a copper mine back in the late 1800's.



The flue for the boilers was built on the side of the hill and run up the hill to the chimney stack.





Two of the drives, there were dozens and all frequented by sheep and goats.
I would have gone in if I had some traveling company but being on my own I didnt, next time, next time.

[brickie in oz]

Re: The journey has begun.

Next day I called into Yunta for breaky and fuel, I had 20 litres left in the tank which I had calculated I would have when I got there, I also had 60 litres in Jerry cans on board as reserve, the truck does 20 litres per 100 kms so I was well within my safety zone.

Next stop, Broken Hill.
I have mates who used to live in Whittlesea (my home town) who moved to Broken Hill many years ago for the drier climate, he says it helps with his arthritis, but getting to 50c degrees in summer is the killer.



Broken Hill has been producing silver non stop since 1885, they say that the wealth that comes from Broken Hill in mining royalties is equal to 1/3 of the total taxes taken from the whole state of NSW.

Quick cuppa and G'day (3 hours) and then onto Silverton 30 kms away.
Silverton was the original silver mine in the Broken Hill area, the whole town was literally lifted onto wagons and transported to Broken Hill when the huge silver lode was discovered at Broken Hill.
The Broken Hill lode measured 7.5 kms long and 1.6 kms deep, all silver, lead and associated minerals.
The cottage my mates live in is one of them.

By this stage I hadn't had a hot shower for 4 days, I had a few half cold showers, my mates in BH had offered but the camp site I was heading to in Silverton had hot showers as Id been there before, how wrong I was.



The original mine in Silverton, with newish poppet head.
When you walk over the closed off shaft the small of sulphides hits your nostrils, they must be deep for the lode to have turned to sulphides.



I would have loved to have gone down this old shaft all 300' straight down.



The Silverton creek.

I didnt take any pics of Silverton as there are plenty on Google to look at, the Silverton pub featured in the original Mad Max movie with Mel Gibson.

[brickie in oz]

Re: The journey has begun.

Next stop was an old limestone quarry I drove past 12 years ago, they built a rail line from Broken Hill to it back in the day, the line has gone, the buildings and the pub too, all that remains are the relics for the canny detectorist, enter yours truly.



Shelter from the wind.



Breaky.



The treasure haul.
The half moon shaped lump at the left of pic is I believe an eight ounce lump of silver, crudely smelted by one of the miners who would have come from the silver bearing area, its not lead as lead is very soft and turns grey over time.



I made some damper which wasnt at all half bad, the grill is in place to stop too much heat from the fire.

[brickie in oz]

Re: The journey has begun.

Next day I struck out for the opal town of Whitecliffs, I used to have a claim there many years ago and I felt almost guaranteed that I could get a hot shower there in town for $1 in the slot, but that was 12 years ago so who knows?
I wasnt disappointed, a nice hot shower for $1.

I took the long back road to Whitecliffs which runs through a property called Kayrunnera, in the 1960's the diamond company Debeers checked out the kimberlite diamond pipe at Kayrunnera but it is too small to be commercially viable.
I picked up some garnet clusters which is the associate mineral and an indicator for diamond.

I was also going to call into an old goldmine in the area but the ground was too soggy to take the chance so I carried on to Whitecliffs.

I got to my old expired claim and my heart sank, the ferals had been out here and had sat up 100's of beer bottles and shot them with a .22, the locals must have been thrilled with it all.



The back of Whitecliffs from my camp site.



I went for a walk across the gibber stones and found an old knife napping site.



One of the knives, its illegal to take them so I just find them and take pics.



This fox must have been so hungry it was just eating dirt.