Today started out OK with us bidding farewell to Frank and Helen as we left Birdsville and headed down the Birdsville Track. 

 

Given the amount of traffic that had been up and down the Track for the Big Red Bash, the first 200 kilometres was pretty good. Most of the time I was sitting on 80kph having to slow down to around 20kph in spots particularly in the creek crossings.

 

With 100 kilometres to go to the Mungerannie Hotel, I got a call on the CB from a car parked at a road junction. He told us that we probably had a flat tyre on the caravan. We pulled up to check it out. We were at Blood Creek.

 

Sure enough, we had shredded a tyre but due to the road noise on the deteriorating Track, never heard it blow. 

It didnt take long to change the wheel with the assistance of our CB mate, grab a geocache at the location then head on our way.

 

To check if the tyres were going down, I would do a wiggle every 10 kilometres and check the tyres in the mirrors.

30 kilometres out from Mungerannie Hotel, on one of the wiggles, I only counted 3 wheels on the caravan. On no, I have lost a wheel. And it was the spare one we had put on 70 kilometres back.

 

We dropped the caravan and headed back to see if we could find the wheel. Luckily I spotted it in the low bush about 2 kilometres back. We managed to find 2 wheel nuts as well.

 

Back at the van and 2 of the studs were broken off as well. After putting the wheel back on and grabbing a couple of nuts off the other wheels, we were back on the road with 4 out of the 6 nuts on.

 

I stopped every kilometre initially to check the tightness and each time the nuts were loose again. It was about 20 kilometres before the nuts remained tight.

 

Finally we made it to Mungerannie Hotel to find that we now only had 2 studs holding the wheel on.

 

After setting up, we had a meal and a few beers with Mungerannie Phil. There was not a lot he could do for us as he didnt have a tyre to suit our wheel or any studs either.

 

I decided to sleep on it and work out a plan in the morning.

This morning we checked out the Birdsville Visitor Centre, just a short walk from the caravan park. They had an interesting film on the people of the Diamantina.

 

We made sure that we were not too late for the Birdsville Bakery today grabbing a curried camel and satay chicken pie. I am not sure but the camel sure tasted like beef 🙂 .

 

It was then time to catch up with Frank and Helen and head out to Big Red to enjoy the sunset. Frank had been told that the road out to Big Red was rough and to be careful. Apart from a 100 metre section, this road was the best we have been on so far and even had a 5km sealed section in the middle.

 

Arriving at Big Red, I was somewhat underwhelmed. I was expecting a sand dune a lot bigger and higher. Even the track up didnt even look like it needed 4WD to get up. There were already a number of 4WD’s on top so we took some time to lower our tyre pressures to 20psi while they came down.

 

I headed up first to see what it would be like as Frank was not a huge 4WDer. The track was fairly firm apart from a bend near the top but overall it was an easy climb. I walked back to the track to talk Frank up but he had already started, unfortunately I could tell that he was in low range which would not get him past the soft section. As he reversed back, I got him on the radio and told him to use high range and use a bit of momentum. All good this time up.

 

As I returned to the car, it was a matter of dodging the 4WD’s coming up the western side of the dune and at some point I must have twisted my knee as I would find out in the morning.

 

There was plenty of action with 4WD’s making their way up the western slope but around 430pm they all disappeared and it looked like we were to have the dune to ourselves for sunset.

 

As we approached sunset, enjoying nibbles and beverages, two car came to join us but that was all.

The sunset was spectacular and we grabbed plenty of photos.

 

The drive back to town was in darkness and we called it a night once back in town.

 

Another warm day, with the flies warming up as well. We had a bit of cleaning to do. 

 

Yesterday while travelling on the dirt sections, the vent in the shower opened up and sucked all of the dust we were making into the van or at least it seemed like it.

 

Included in that was a lot of washing as everything inside was covered in dust. We headed into the Birdsville Caravan Park where there was water, power and washing machines.

 

Most of the day was spent getting rid of dust. By 3pm, we thought it was time for some lunch so headed over to the Birdsville Bakery to find it closed at 230pm.

 

Oh well, a quick tour of the town checking out the artesian bore and cooling ponds before calling in on Frank and Helen (the three wheeled caravan) to see how they were getting on.

 

Their home for the next few weeks is in their caravan in the Birdsville Roadhouse yard. We ended up doing happy hour with them before heading to the Birdsville Hotel for dinner.

 

The pub was still suffering from the Big Red Bash with no white wine or lemonade but plenty of beer. The meals were good, particularly the Barrimundi we had.

 

We got kicked out of the Dining Room at 10pm, they wanted to clean it so after buying the obligatory stubbie holder we headed back to the caravan.

Well we had some very changing road conditions in our travel today. It started with 2 lane bitumen then to single lane bitumen to wide gravel road.

 

Even the gravel road was changing with good gravel surface to bull dust to white powder and some sections of heavy corrugated road. Every now and then they would put a section of bitumen in as a “overtaking opportunity” or an “Emergency Airstrip”.

 

The first 200kms through to Haddon Corner was not too bad with bitumen for 3/4 of the distance then the Innamincka Road having been recently graded with little traffic on it.

 

The last kilometre into Haddon Corner involved a couple of sand dune crossings. I could have unhooked the caravan but what would have been the fun in that.

 

The first dune had a solid surface going up but on the down side it was very soft. That was no worries as there was a second return track to the north that was a lot less steep.

 

The second dune was not as large as the first and again had a firm surface going up but very soft going down. There was no second track coming back on this dune. Thus should be fun coming back.

 

At Haddon Corner there is the obligatory signs, visitor book and point post. This is the northeast corner of the State of South Australia. 

 

It was now time to conquer the dunes. First attempt on the western dune was a flop. Thats OK, reverse back and give it some more momentum. Second attempt all good and over we went.

 

The eastern dune wasn’t even a challenge with the northern track and soon we were on our way to Betoota.

 

A short distance from Betoota is Deon’s Lookout with views from a tabletop over the surrounding countryside. There was even another section of bitumen but this soon ended heading into Betoota.

 

The sign for Betoota says it all, “Population 0”. It is a ghost town however the Betoota Hotel is being resurrected in time for the Betoota Races at the end of August. 

 

However for us today it was a pub with no beer. We were going to camp here but decided to do the last 170kms into Birdsville.

 

This was probably some of the worst road with a lot of corrugations. In fact 35kms from Birdsville there was a caravan with only 3 wheels.

 

It was Frank and Helen from Griffith, NSW. We stopped to see if they were alright and all was good, just waiting for a tow truck, so we continued on.

 

Arriving into Birdsville just before sunset, we crossed the Diamantina River and I looked right and recognised a caravan on the banks of the River.

 

It was our friends from Western Australia, David and Deanne. They have been in Birdsville for a month, working the Big Red Bash.

 

We pulled up and camped the night with them along the banks of the Diamantina River and enjoyed a campfire.