Today marks our second trip along the Birdsville Track.
We took a relaxed start this morning, with about 240 km to travel today.
Another surprise awaited us, as the remaining section of the road to Marree has now been upgraded to bitumen. You can now drive the 77 km from Lyndhurst to Marree in any weather conditions. We crossed it many years ago after a light shower, and it was quite an experience trying to keep ourselves and our van on the wet surface.
We have camped in Marree before and passed through numerous times, so today's visit is just a quick stop for a photo. Afterwards, we will spend some time reducing the tyre pressures on our 4WD and van for the upcoming 517 km journey towards Birdsville.
The track passes through one of the driest parts of Australia and cuts across parts of the Strzelecki, Sturt Stony and the Tirari Deserts. Much of the road surface is made up of gibber stones, and although the trip is not terribly demanding, it still requires care to be taken.
A 4WD and quality all-terrain tyres with lower pressures and reduced speed can help minimise the risk of tyre punctures and potential breakdowns.
We have travelled extensively across Australia and along nearly every dirt road available. Always reducing our tyre pressures, we have not experienced any tyre damage in over thirty years.
On our previous journey, we camped at Mungerannie before reaching Birdsville. Last time, we towed a camper trailer, but thankfully, now we have more creature comforts to look forward to at the end of the day.
We stopped to explore the Lake Harry Ruins, 31 km from Marree, where in the early years there was hope to grow date palms. The water from a bore was enough for the palms to thrive, but issues with pollination eventually ended this project.
We have travelled extensively across Australia and along nearly every dirt road available. Always reducing our tyre pressures, we have not experienced any tyre damage in over thirty years.
On our previous journey, we camped at Mungerannie before reaching Birdsville. Last time, we towed a camper trailer, but thankfully, now we have more creature comforts to look forward to at the end of the day.
We stopped to explore the Lake Harry Ruins, 31 km from Marree, where in the early years there was hope to grow date palms. The water from a bore was enough for the palms to thrive, but issues with pollination eventually ended this project.
We came across the 'Dog Fence' just 12 km later. We have seen parts of it on many of our travels around Australia. It's a 5600 km fence that was built in the 1800s to keep dingoes to the north and help protect the flocks of sheep in the south.
We passed by Clayton's Wetland Campground. It's $10 per vehicle fee includes access to facilities such as showers, toilets, and even a spa powered by a nearby bore. Of course, it was far too early in the day for a stop, and besides, why pay to camp when we have our own facilities—minus the spa, of course—so we continued on.
A further 90 km along the track brought us to the Cooper Creek crossing. Luckily for us, the rain in late April, which had caused the track to be closed due to significant flooding, has now dissipated. We are now confronted with a dry plain; otherwise, we could be stranded here indefinitely.
A further 90 km along the track brought us to the Cooper Creek crossing. Luckily for us, the rain in late April, which had caused the track to be closed due to significant flooding, has now dissipated. We are now confronted with a dry plain; otherwise, we could be stranded here indefinitely.
Just 15 km later, we arrived at the Mulka Ruins, where we paused briefly to take some photos and
explore the remaining site. Most of the structure has crumbled to the ground, with only part of the fireplace still standing.
A store was established here in the early 1900s to serve the drovers transporting stock to Marree.
Originally, we planned to camp overnight near the ruins, but it was still relatively early in the day and there was a strong eastward gale, so we decided to head to Mungerannie instead, where we knew we could find shelter among the bushes and be protected from the constant wind.
Mungerannie Roadhouse is nearly halfway along the track and is the only permanent establishment. Facilities include cabin accommodation, a campground with amenities, tyres, basic repairs, fuel, as well as meals and a cold beer. The current diesel fuel price is $1.95 a litre, but with our long-range tank, we can reach Birdsville without needing to top up. Campground charges are $10 per person with all facilities available, but we weren't interested in staying there. We simply visited the pub for a few beers and dinner before retiring.
It's incredible how a little bit of rain brings the desert back to life.
We did pass the Birdsville inside track 140 km after leaving Mungerannie. Although it's a shorter distance of about 40 km, it's typically closed as part of the track crosses Warburton Creek.
Arriving in Birdsville, we set up on the town common south of town.
No comments:
Post a Comment