The Strezelecki Track

On Monday, 4th July, we travelled south 25 km to Lyndhurst to refuel. The instructions for the automated fuel station required us to download an app called FuelCharge. Although my mobile had 4 bars, it still took nearly 10 minutes to download the file. Unlocking the bowser was reasonably straightforward after entering our Mastercard details. The fuel was priced at $2.59 per litre. I asked at the pub opposite the fuel outlet, as we had been told that the bitumen stretched for a considerable distance, and was surprised to be told that the first 76 km were sealed.

We stopped at the "Dog Fence" rest area to lower tyre pressures before heading onto the dirt. The track was quite stony but had few corrugations. We came across two grader drivers working on the track. We've often found that graders tend to bring stones to the surface on their first pass, and over the next 40 km, the track remained quite stony. We initially planned to camp at Blanchwater Ruins. 

But after making good time thanks to the sealed section, we stopped briefly for a photo before heading on to Montecollina Bore for the evening. The bore has now been capped, and the camping area is quite large. Two more groups arrived after us to spend the night. No fires were permitted tonight because the wind was quite strong and cold. The following morning, I launched the drone to capture some sunrise shots, despite the wind beginning to pick up. The camping area and surrounding countryside are quite sandy, and some of the small sand outcrops remind us of the lunar landscapes found in Mungo National Park.

We left at just 9 am and soon passed the turnoff to Merty Merty and the road that eventually leads to Cameron Corner and then onto Tibooburra. With only 40 km to travel to Moomba, we encountered road crews laying bitumen. The lollipop lady had us stopping while trucks ahead were moving back and forth, laying a white sheet before applying the tar.

We paused briefly at the Moomba lookout, catching up on emails and making calls as our phones used the tower at the gas field.

The road for the next 53 km east from Moomba was in the worst condition we'd encountered since we got onto the dirt yesterday. The road was at least 60 metres wide, and the corrugations covered the entire surface, making it difficult to choose the best line whenever no road trains were approaching.
Once we turned north for the final 49 km to Innamincka, the road, although still dirt and recently resurfaced with fresh gravel, was like driving on a highway.

We had planned to camp on the Innamincka town common, but because the Cooper was in flood and the causeway was submerged, the camping area was closed. We found a site without a view of the creek or its stunning river red gums, and camped in the bulldust, which wasn't ideal. So, we decided to leave the next day.
Before leaving home, we had picked up a Tec screw in one of the tyres that we had plugged and then reattached to the van. When we woke the next day, Ros commented that something wasn't quite right with the van, and lo and behold, the very same tyre was flat again.

Luckily, I had all the essential items to change the tyre in the bulldust, such as the large tarp and the jacking plate, to ensure the jack didn't sink into the dirt. Fortunately, we still had 60 litres in jerry cans, which I poured into the Chev, and thankfully, only needed 41 litres to top up the tank, as the fuel was priced at $2.76 PL.
 
I also checked and found out from the fuel outlet that the 57 km stretch to the QLD border is now sealed, since our last visit here in 2019. So, I inflated the tyres to bitumen road pressures before heading into Queensland.
 
We were surprised when we arrived at the Wilson River at Noccundra to find only a few vans present, although more arrived later in the day and even more the following day.

Northern South Australia

Leaving Menindee, we headed towards Broken Hill along a road that could best be described as a rollercoaster. We drove through Broken Hill without stopping and took a break for lunch at Manna Hill before continuing on to Peterborough. The day brought a slight headwind, and I was surprised when I checked my fuel consumption; we had only used 22 litres per 100 kilometres.
 
We are now camped at a new RV stop in Peterborough that wasn't available on our last visit. It's located on the western edge of town, about a 15-minute walk away, and allows a maximum stay of 5 days. The only facilities are rubbish bins and a bottle collection site, with proceeds going to the local youth centre. It's for fully self-contained vans, but during our stay, we've seen slide-outs and camper trailers using the site, as well as people disregarding rules by dropping their water on the ground.
 
If this continues, this site will close, just like many others have, because people simply cannot follow the rules. We visited all the attractions during our stay and found the steam train exhibit outstanding. Colin, our tour guide, worked for South Australian Railways for 25 years, and he was full of knowledge, even having been involved in some of the exhibits during his career.

We've been having trouble adding AdBlue to our Chevrolet, and the small amounts we pour in do not show up on the vehicle's display. We have a device that fits over the nozzle for use at garages, but it can only dispense a few litres at a time. One day, we drove to Jamestown to pick up a 15-litre container of AdBlue to take with us.

 

The days here are becoming busier, and tonight there will be about thirty vans. Temperatures have also started to drop, with our coldest being -0.3°C and daytime temperatures around 13°C, although the wind chill makes it feel about half that.

 

During our stay, we had two lunches at the Junction Hotel, recommended by Greg, who owns a Bushtracker and we met in Menindee. The meals are large and very reasonably priced. On our first visit, I thoroughly enjoyed my squid schnitzel, and Ros liked her chicken schnitzel. On the second visit, the seafood basket I ordered was enormous, and Ros enjoyed her spinach fettuccine.

Next Tuesday marks the start of the Big Red Bash at Birdsville, and traffic has increased significantly during our stay. 

We are also heading north as the traffic builds, but will only drive about 160 km to camp behind the Craddock Hotel for the night. There is a gin distillery at Quorn that produces four different flavours, and we know the pub here offers tastings and sells the gin, so we plan to enjoy dinner there.

Flinders Gin comes in four flavours: Butterfly Pea Flower, Outback Lemon-Lime, Farriers, and Quandong Gin. If they are to our liking, and they were, we purchased a lemon-lime and quandong.

We both ordered and enjoyed the chicken schnitzel, which was quite hearty.

We travelled further north from Cradock, stopping in Hawker to buy fuel at $2.50 per litre before continuing further north. We usually drive into a headwind, but for the past two days after leaving Peterborough, we've experienced a very slight tailwind, which is quite pleasant for a change.
 
We stopped briefly at Parachilna for a photo and noticed that camping is no longer available across from the pub before heading to Leigh Creek and taking a quick drive around the town.
 
It was then just 25 km north to Farina, where we stayed for the next two evenings. The bakery was back in full swing after being closed for the past week due to COVID. On our way in, we bought two sausage rolls for lunch and a loaf of bread before heading to the camping area. The fee is $10 per person per night, and they offer showers and toilets, but as usual, we prefer to use our own.

Lovely, clear days can only mean one thing, and yes, the following morning, it was just 0.8 degrees outside and 2.3 degrees inside the van, until we turned on the diesel heater. We stayed in bed until the interior reached a comfortable level before getting up and changing.

We had another lunch the following day with hearty meat pies from the bakery and enjoyed a beer alongside. 

This trip has coincided with the Big Red Bash, so we are avoiding the crowds as they travel to and from the Bash.