TILPA PUB

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nsw

From Broken Hill we took the road to Wilcannia then followed the Darling river to the little town of Tilpa. Tilpa pub doesn’t see too many visitors, mainly passing shearers and local farmers.

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The pub walls are scrawled with names from the past 40 years (or whenever texta colors were invented) I stayed at the pub 25 years ago and it hasn’t changed a bit.

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While we were there, discussion around the bar was centered on the pet sheep overdue for shearing. There was a shearer at the bar with a set of 12 volt clippers, so it was decided to shear the sheep then and there. Coaxed to the front of the ute by a handful of twisties, the poor old sheep was flipped over and shorn before she even knew what happened.

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After all the excitement, another handful of twisties for being a well behaved sheep.

WILD WEATHER

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nsw

Heading back across the flat land around Broken Hill we were buffeted by gusts of wind. As we continued willy willys began to form, sucking giant plumes of red dust into the air.

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The following day as we headed east massive storms built up, dumping rain for miles around

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The Dark backdrop of stormy sky made some interesting photos as shafts of sunlight broke through and illuminated the landscape.

STRANGE BIRDS

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Calling this a flock of corellas is probably an understatement. More like a swarm, descending on one little lonely house on the border of South Australia and New South Wales. The cleanup must be a nightmare!

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DESERT COUNTRY

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Heading East out of Coober Pedy towards William Creek is some of the most desolate country imaginable.

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The track crosses the Dingo Fence and passes through part of the Woomera Defence Area.

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For a while there are only two things to look at. A huge blue sky and a dead flat absolutely featureless landscape.

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The flatness soon gives way to sand ridge country. Dry salt lakes and claypans are dotted through this area

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The old Ghan railway used to pass through here. Many of the old stone siding buildings are still standing. We also discovered that some of the discarded rusty railway spikes had found their way onto the track        …goodbye  tyre number three.

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Weird creatures wander about at night…

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…and airplanes do strange things as the sun goes down.

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The Oodnadatta track ends at Maree where the track south takes you into the top of the Flinders Ranges. The ruins of Farina, once a thriving community, demonstrate just how hard this country can be.

WILLIAM CREEK PUB

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Half way between Maree and Oodnadatta, on the southern edge of the Simpson Desert, is the William Creek Hotel. It was established in 1885 as a watering stop and provider of refreshing beverages for the original Ghan railway.

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It is the closest pub to Lake Eyre, which normally doesn’t mean much, but this year the Lake filled with water and the pub was busier than it has ever been.

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Entering through the front door is thirsty work if you stop to read all the business cards, student ID’s and numerous other items of social importance.

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Once inside it is very hard to leave. Not just because of the excellent beer …

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…the abundance of  fascinating literature covering the walls, ceiling  and any other vertical surface will keep you reading for hours!

A pub not to be missed if you are traveling the Oodnadatta track.

COOBER PEDY

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Coober Pedy is a strange town. Half the population live underground and most of what appears above ground is weirdly tacky.

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The landscape is sparse, barren and pink

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Tourist attractions and opal sales blend into crass, desperate attempts to extract money from passing visitors

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Underground houses are burrowed into the hillsides around the town

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It is a strange sight, TV antennas, satelite dishes and solar heaters apparently mounted on the ground.

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Makeshift structures of corrugated iron and junk are everywhere.

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Trashed cars abandoned on the streets don’t look at all out of place

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Architecture leans more towards functional than decorative.

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The odd time function gives way to decoration the theme of over the top tackiness still triumphs.

The town is incredibly unique and, after a while, the trashy mixture of junk, dirt and recycled tin becomes oddly appealing.

ACROSS THE NT BORDER

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Approaching the NT border towards Docker River, the country changes into a series of spectacular ranges.  Reading Herbert Basedows 1903 journal of exploration through this area made it all the more fascinating. There were no tracks and the journey took him 8 months with a team of 18 camels.

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All along the Great Central Road are herds of wild camels. This old fellow was standing under a shady tree just outside Docker River.

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Approaching the NT WA border through a cracked and bug splattered windscreen.

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We camped the first night back in the Northern Territory between sandhills with a great view of Kata Tjuta (The Olgas).

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Ayers Rock (Uluru) is an awesome sight. Photos are useless, it is so massive – the only way to appreciate it is to visit it.

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These strange characters, walking up to a viewing platform near Kata Tjuta, wore bags over their heads to annoy the flies!

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Around 50 kilometers east of Uluru is Mt Connor. It is like the poor cousin to Uluru, given just a passing glance thanks to it’s famous neighbour.

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I climbed to the top of a high sandridge to get a photograph of Mt Connor. In the distance to the north I could see a large salt lake half filled with water. An unusual sight in Central Australia.

We traveled East to the Stuart Highway then turned South through gathering storm clouds to South Australia.

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