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An RV goes skiing- without the skis!

I saw in RV Daily Report that an RV slid down a hill at a ski resort. While the owners were out skiing, the dog got a wild ride. Of course it wasn't intentional. Apparently the owner parked too close to the embankment and over it went. You can see a photo of the end result in the Watauga Democrat. When the article was written, they still hadn't gotten the RV back to the main parking lot. A ride in an RV down a steep hill would not be fun! Had there not been snow, it would probably have been totaled. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Oodnadatta Track

After lunch at Marree, we began traveling the dirt Oodnadatta Track. We crossed the Dog Fence designed to keep dingoes out of Southeast Australia and away from sheep stations. Suddenly we noticed a large object sticking into the air. It was one of a number of sculptures from recycled materials - mostly smaller - on Aboriginal land, owned by the Aragana.

Where the Ghan Railroad had crossed the track, we saw Pricilla's Dune. The sand building up and moving across the tracks was one reason the Ghan was closed. Pretty desert flowers were in bloom.

We drove by a mound spring. We were now driving over the largest and deepest artesian basin in the world, the Great Artesian Basin. Tests have shown that some of the water comes from as far away as Indonesia. Generally the water is treated through reverse osmosis before using because of the salt content. These mound springs are places where water escapes through fault lines. It then builds up a mound. They support a lot of life. Water is also tapped through bores or by drilling. We stayed this night at the Beresford Bore at the huge Anna Creek Station. Here's a sunset photo.

Before we got to our night stop, we did stop at South Lake Eyre. The main lake is huge. The Lake Eyre Basin covers one-sixth of the continent and and one of the largest internally draining systems. It is about 40 feet below sea level and a salt lake. Both the main lake and the south lake are more like salt flats unless it rains. They are in a national park, but cattle ranchers won't allow access over their land to reach the South Lake along the Oodnadatta Track. We took our chances and even thought about camping there, but it was windy and not at all pleasant. The lake had retreated a fair distance since Rick had been there a couple of weeks prior to our stop. Rick showed us a petrified log that was partially exposed in the bank.

We did enjoy taking photos at sunset and at dawn at Beresford Bore. The only drawback to sleeping by water was the mosquitoes! Even with a mosquito net and spray I barely got any sleep. We had forgotten that Rick said we had tents along. That would have helped. It was also noisy! Between the frogs and birds, there was a racket late into the night and that started again predawn. Long-billed Corellas, medium-size cockatoos (pictured), were among the culprits, chattering at sunset as they chose their roosts and again at dawn.

Except for our detour to South Lake Eyre, this route could have been driven by caravan or RV. The Beresford Bore would be a lovely boondocking or bush camping spot, though get out the mosquito repellent! 

Tomorrow night we sleep in a real bed- but in an underground motel. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Flinders Range into the Outback

After that beautiful night, we headed out of the Flinders. It was fairly early so we saw a number of  kangaroos. This is a red kangaroo, the largest species with males reaching 7 to 8 feet tall. Their forearms are much more developed than other kangaroo species. They are the ones used for boxing.

We had a coffee/tea break at the Prairie Hotel in Parachilna on the edge of the Flinders, a stop on the old Ghan Railroad. You can reach Parachilna on a paved road so an RV or caravan that was not 4WD could get here. We got a kick out of their feral menu with kangaroo, emu and camel.

 
After a stop at Lyndhurst Coalfield in Leigh Creek, we visited a real desert character - Talc Alf. He is a desert philosopher and sculptor. His sculptures are in talc, thus his name. He has come up with a way to interpret the meaning of names by analyzing their letters. He has also designed a new Australian flag and is pushing its acceptance. I must say, he was interesting!

After lunch, we stopped off at Farina. Originally it was called The Gums or Government Gums and the rail head of the Ghan Railroad before it was extended to Marree. The name Farina came from the hopes of the farmers who settled there to make this a wheat-raising center. They must have settled in a rainy year because looking at the miles surrounding the ghost town, there's not much growing. Due to lack of rain, the town died, though the post office did not close until the 1960s. An Afghan camel train transported goods before the railroad was extended and you can find gravestones of residents of Afghan origin who were involved with the camels. Bush camping (or boondocking)is allowed in an area of the town by the present owners of Farina.

At Marree, where we lunched, we began driving on the Oodnadatta Track. A track is a dirt road. Rick was concerned that parts might still be closed after the heavy rains. It was quite passable, though we did dodge wet spots and washouts. The road damage was marked, though you could come over a crest and suddenly find a dip or washout so you had to drive cautiously. We crossed the Dog Fence that is designed to keep dingoes out of Queensland and southeast Australia, rich sheep-raising areas. It is the longest fence in the world. Here's a link to a map that shows its location. We would cross it twice.

This was a day of a lot of driving so I'll do the rest in another entry. We covered many miles, but we'd find roadhouses every so often. Some even had espresso machines! At one remote roadhouse, we found a French girl working there for four months. She enjoyed the travelers but was otherwise bored to tears.

If you were to travel these dirt tracks by RV, you would be wise to rent a satellite phone. Cell phones only got a signal in the larger towns near the Stuart Highway. We rarely passed vehicles on these roads either, so you could be stranded by a breakdown for a long time. We later had a brush with that fear of being stranded. Not a pleasant thought! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

 

Exploring the Flinders via dirt tracks

Without a camel ride, we were off to Kuorn for a break. Many movies have been filmed in this town, including the scary "Wolf Creek," about backpackers being murdered, which was loosely based on a true incident. We saw the first of several railroad stations and interpretive signs for the Ghan Railroad. Built in the 1880s, this was an important transportation link during World War II and opened up the interior. However, floods and drifting sand eventually closed the line. The northern section, near Alice Springs to Darwin is still in service. Our route would parallel or crisscross the old tracks for much of our trip. One night, we collected rotting ties for firewood for cooking.

Our next stop was the historic Kanyaka Homestead. During wet years, the South Australia Corp. encouraged migration and settlement up in this area. Land was given for sheep stations with taxes being assessed on the number of sheep the land would handle. This tax was set during wet years and was unrealistic for the majority of time when little rain fell so they were abandoned. There was also conflict between the immigrants and the local Aborigines, who had traditionally used the stream beds as sources of food and water for tens of thousands of years. At one time 80 to 90 people lived at this station. We passed a number of other abandoned stations too.

We also explored the Yourambilla Caves. The Abnaymathanha, our speaker Kay's moeity or clan, left drawings in protected overhangs at three sites here. They used manganese, charcoal and prized red and white ocre to make the drawings. It was quite hot and the flies pesky but the views were panoramic.

 

 

Our route took us miles around Wilpena Pound. This is a natural amphitheater formed by mountains. We would have loved to have hiked here but some roads were inaccessible and Rick wanted to get some miles under our belt. We passed lovely scenery. The colorful rocks below right reminded me of the Water Pocket Fold in Utah.

After a lunch stop at Wilpena Pound National Park, we drove through more of the Flinders Range. The trees were primarily different varieties of eucalyptus.

We drove through the Parachilna Gorge, then into Glass Gorge, stopping at several riverbeds where ancient red eucalypts grew tall and huge.

 

 

After what seemed like hours of driving, we arrived at a favorite spot of Rick's where we camped along a riverbed. This road absolutely needed a 4-WD vehicle. It was narrow and sandy. A caravan would not have made it to this spot. Once we unloaded, George and I picked a soft spot in the sandy riverbed, hoping it did not rain. Our spot gave us clear views of the Milky Way and the Southern Cross. With no city lights for hundreds of miles, you could easily see to walk around by the light of the stars. Magnificent!

 

We listened to owls and frogs all night. In the morning, George was able to photograph one of the colorful birds. And, on our way out the next morning, we saw emus. Once the mother lays the eggs, the father takes over and she leaves. He sits on the nest and then raises the chicks.

 

 

We would be leaving the Flinders Range and heading into the Outback the next morning too. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Christmas in Australia

Summertime does not seem like Christmas! However, it is still an important holiday in Australia. Here are a few photos of decorations, Aussie style. One thing we did not capture on camera was the Christmas spirit shown by various employees in the Cairns and Brisbane airports. Caroling and personal decorations livened it up!

The first are from Sydney. The tree is in a city park, the banners hung throughout downtown Sydney. The fact they said "Happy Christmas" surprised us, though Aussies we talked to said they usually say Merry Christmas. Parrots were a surprise too!

 

 

 

In Adelaide, we walked by this large tree. The Rundle Mall, a street closed off to traffic, was fully decorated.

 

In Alice Springs, Santa gets help delivering presents from a different sort of "reindeer!"

Then there's Jingle Bells, Aussie style, seen in a coffee shop:

Engine's getting hot

We dodge the kangaroos

Swagie climbs aboard

He is welcome too.

All the family's there

Sitting by the pool

It's Christmas Day, The

Classic way, by the BBQ.

Merry Christmas to all! Jaimie and George Bruzenak

An industry loss

We were very sad to see that Joe Peterson, one of the founders of the Escapees RV Club passed away. We always enjoyed his stories at the Escapades. He had a great sense of humor. What a legacy he has left behind. It is because of the Escapees and the books that Joe and Kay wrote that we started this lifestyle. He and his family are in our thoughts and prayers. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Outback tour- we're off!

Our second tour was from Adelaide to Alice Springs, through the Flinders Range and into the outback. We booked it through Intrepid Travel but it was done through Heading Bush. Our vehicle was a 13-passenger 4WD truck, with our driver-guide, Rick, and 12 passengers. All but one night we slept in "swags" and sleeping bags and often in remote spots accessible only by 4-wheel drive.

Our tripmates ranged from age 17 to 52 plus the two of us. Most were in their early 20s. Five women were from Holland, two young women from Switzerland, our only other male was a German 26 year old, and one young woman was from Sweden. The 52 year old was from Sydney. An interesting group!

We packed our bags into the trailer, crammed into the truck and were off. We passed some pink lakes- pink because they were salt lakes, which most of the lakes in central Australia are, with some sort of algae growth. When the sun hit it just right, it was a pretty pink.

We took a tea break where Rick told us more about his background and our itinerary. Due to extraordinary rains, some roads had been closed so our route and activities might change. We would be off the main highway that connects Adelaide and Alice Springs, often on 4 WD roads.

For lunch, we stopped at Port Germaine, which has the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere - or did at one time. Part of it broke off so it can no longer claim that, but it was very long- 5512 feet or more than one mile long. It was built in 1881 for shipping wheat. We had a shelter and tables to fix lunch and eat it, one of our more luxurious lunch stops!

Before stopping for the night, we drove to Warren Gorge National Park. Another area that had a small population of yellow-footed rock wallabies was closed so we detoured here. First we braked for a shinglebacked skink that was on the road. At the gorge, we were fortunate enough to spot a wallaby pretty quickly. I was thinking we'd see groups, but we only saw the lone wallaby. Wallabies are basically macropods that are smaller than kangaroos or wallaroos. though the wallaby hopped up higher in the rocks, it didn't seem too afraid. We were able to get photos, though getting a clear shot with all the trees and bushes was challenging. Plus, it blended into its surroundings. Baby kookaburras were making a terrible, pathetic-sounding racket in the trees. Kookaburras are related to kingfishers.

It was after 5 p.m. as we headed out, time when kanagroos and other animals came out to feed. It is cooler then, plus they often feed at night. We spotted our first on the trip.

We set up camp on a property owned by a camel tour place, Pichi Richi Camel Tours. Our plan was to ride camels in the morning. However, the camels were gone and the owner was not up when it was time to leave so we skipped that part. We did, however, have two Abiriginal women speak to us as we sat around the campfire. Kay and her mother Margaret are dedicated to educating children in the area about aboriginal life. They sang songs, passed around tap sticks, a spear thrower (like an atlatl) and other items and told us a little about their lives. They showd us the positive side of aborignal life.

We picked spots for our swags and laid out under the stars. Swags are canvas bags with a built-in mattress. You slide your sleeping bag inside. A flap at the top of the swag can be pulled over your head in case of rain. Rick mentioned we had tents available, but no one set one up. The sky was clear and the stars brilliant. We slept amazingly well. 

So far, a caravan could have followed the route we had taken, even though we had been on some dirt roads. That would be changing tomorrow! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

 

Adelaide - South Australia

Now that we have finished our Outback tour, we can catch you up.

After our tour in Sydney we flew to Adelaide. One thing odd to us- South Australia is in a different time zone, but only 1/2 hour difference!

We had a couple of days to explore and do some laundry. We were in a hotel off Hindley Street, a street with a lot of clubs. Gambling places never close so the morning we left we witnessed two Aussie policemen hauling a loud, presumably drunk and disorderly woman off to the station. They put her in a paddy wagon that was about the size that is used for transporting loose dogs to the pound. Needless to say, at 6 a.m., it was quite the circus. We were amazed at how many people we saw dressed up for clubbing walking around at that time of morning. We did however, feel very safe there.

We were near the Rundle Mall, an extension of Hindley Street, with lots of shops and decorated  for Christmas. Several bronze pig sculptures caught our attention. The one pictured shows the Aussie sense of humor! One older building had the Aussie Coat of Arms (see below). A free bus did a loop around the downtown area, which we took to the City Market.

After admiring the fresh veggies and fruit, we visited the Migration Museum. While Sydney was a penal colony, Adelaide was formed by a corporation and always encouraged migration. It was housed in Adelaide's Destitute Asylum, which housed the poor and homeless from 1852 to 1918. Children were separated from their parents. An old map was a surprise- it showed the dozens of Aboriginal groups that cover Australia. Each group pretty much stayed in its own geographic area and had a separate language from the others.

  The museum showed the various ethnic groups that came to SA, interiors from typical homes from 1945 to 1965, and the impact immigration had on the Aboriginals. SA is still under populated.

Close by was the South Australian Musuem. Of most interest to us was the extensive collection of Aboriginal pieces. Cases were filled with boomerangs and other weapons, tools, eating and cooking items, head dresses and more.

Another unique display showed fossils that were opalized. Australia has several rich opal deposits, prized worldwide. However, a opalized fossil is usually worth more than a single opal. This huge snail is partially opalized.

We would recommend visiting both when in Adelaide. We did not see any  caravan (RV)parks near the downtown, though did go by one the next day on our way to Glenelg, which was south of Adelaide. You'd need to take public transportation, which was available, or drive in to see these features. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

We meet the Three Sisters

This is the last day of our first tour. After a horseback ride, we drove out of the Megalong Valley, up to the crest of the Blue Mountains to Scenic World.  This is a major tourist attraction allowing you views and access to the Three Sisters, a famous rock formation. Tour buses disgorged passengers for a quick trip down the scenic railway (which practically drops off the face of the cliff) and then back up on the cableway. Most bus tours do not allow time for hiking through the rainforest or the other walks, which meant that the crowds thinned out as we walked the elevated boardwalk through the forest. We saw several rental motorhomes in the parking lot.

This ecosystem included trees not seen elsewhere on our tour. Rough barked fern trees looked like ferns but at the end of a palm tree-like trunk. Turpentine trees (pictured below right) are giants, as are the blue gum (eucalyptus) trees. The five-leaf vine (above) feeds leaves high up in the canopy.

The scuptures depicting the legend of the Three Sisters would be rated at least an R, so I won't include a photo, but it is an interesting story. The sisters' father wanted to protect them from men so temporarily turned them into stone. However, the father was killed before he could release them so there they have stayed for all time. (The formation looks fuzzy because it was rather foggy and drizzled a bit.)

 

We had one more stop before heading back to Sydney. That was after a long drive down a dirt road to Red Hands Cave in the Blue Mountains National Park. This is an aboriginal site where natives dipped their hands in red ochre then put their hand prints on the rocks under an overhang. The Daruk tribe has lived in the Blue Mountains for 14,000 years, so this site is undoubtedly very old.

Back into the city to the Railway Youth Hostel. Tomorrow, we fly to Adelaide where we'll have a couple of days to do laundry and explore the city before starting our second tour that will ultimately take us to Alice Springs. We can heartily recommend Sally's company, Aussie Farmstay and Bush Adventures for anyone wanting this experience. As I said earlier, George wanted to see the Blue Mountains, so that's why we chose this, but the real highlights for me were petting a koala and the farmstay plus the beautiful scenery west of the Blue Mountains.

We may also not have an Internet connection until we do get to Alice Springs. If not, we'll catch you up then. Until the next time, G'day mates! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Down in the Megalong

I thought the name "Megalong" meant mega (big) - long, since this is the second longest valley in the world, we were told. However, Megalong is thought to be an aboriginal word roughly meaning "Valley under the Cliff." The peaks of the Blue Mountains tower above.

Our stay in cabins at Werriberri Lodge was delightful - much more comfortable than the tent we slept in the night before. After having "breakie" (breakfast), we hiked down to a waterfall. Tiny wild iris dotted the eucalyptus forest floor. We also saw a couple of huge termite mounds. Plus I photographed what looked like a giant pine cone. (photos below this set). I later found out it is a pod of the "banksia" species. And, we spotted two more wild kangaroos grazing in a pasture adjoining the horse stables.

After our walk, we took a horse ride. George's only experience riding horses was a disaster. When about 10 years old, the horse he rode rubbed up against trees and posts, trying to rub off his rider. When the horse got close to a barbed wired fence, George jumped off and walked back. I was surprised he agreed to try it again. Dolly, his horse, didn't like other horses too close, but was a good choice for George. Outfitted with helmets and mini-chaps, we had a nice ride through the forest and to an overlook over a deep gorge on the Megalong. We got to trot a few times; they showed us how to post or at least raise up in the stirrups to avoid being battered by the rough gait. Since I rode horses frequently growing up, I even got to canter Pumpkin twice!

Earlier, a flock of sulphur-crested cockatoos squawked noisily outside our cabin. At the trail ride place, a lone cockatoo called "hello" repeatedly from his aviary. When I went to visit, he began displaying. I moved my head to the side and he would throw his to the right, displaying his crest and making a soft sound. He did it over and over, each time I would also toss my head. Maybe I'm anthropomorphizing but he seemed lonely or bored and not happy when we walked off.

After tea under the trees at a nearby tea house, watching and hearing a baby magpie screech and beseech its parent for food, we headed to the top of the Blue Mountains to view the famous Three Sister's formation. More on that next post. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak