Not as cool this morning with temps around 4C and no ice on the car. After connecting everything up, there was no signal from the caravan camera so after some quick soldering I was on the road again.

 

A last check on the weather to see if there was any rain on the horizon for the next few days. Nothing forecast so it is up the Oodnadatta Track.

 

Leigh Creek is not as bustling as it once was now that the coal mine has closed, however there was still some activity at the mine. I guess they are rehabilitating the area.

 

First stop was Farina which was a bustling town back in the 1870’s but is now a ghost town but not so much. The town is being revived by a huge group of volunteers which includes a bakery that is open for 8 weeks each year. It just happened to open up last week.

 

The volunteers run the bakery using an underground scotch oven and are busily rebuilding the old buildings. It is going to take a while but it will be something to see once it is complete.

 

After grabbing a pasty and a vanilla slice it was time to continue north to Marree.

 

I had hoped to get a flight over the Marree Man and Lake Eyre but as I was on my own, they wouldn’t go up and I had missed a flight with a spare seat by an hour. Oh well, looks like I try again when I come through in 5 weeks time.

 

After refuelling it was Track time. The Oodnadatta Track was in good condition for most of the way and it wasn’t long to realise why. 100 kilometres in, there were 4 graders working on getting the track into good condition.

 

Unfortunately the last 50 kilometres into William Creek were rough. It was obvious this was the next section the graders were going to be working. I was just a week too early.

 

There was a little damage to the van due to this rough section with the toothbrush glass jumping out and breaking, losing one of my chain D shackles and the seal around the door getting damaged and letting in the dust.

 

I found a new glass, a new D shackle and put some sealing tape in the door so we should be good for tomorrow.

 

It was getting around 1630, so time for a beer in the William Creek Hotel and call it quits for the day at the Campground.

Diesel was $1.905 at Marree.