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.