Spectacular Border Ranges National Park

September 21^st

We woke up this morning to clear skies. Kyogle is the gateway to the National Parks in the area and today we planned to drive through the World Heritage listed Border Ranges National Park. Had a bit of an adventure getting there. We took the turn off to the main track into the park and after having driven for about 20mins we came across a traffic jam. A truck had come off the road and slide down the hill (driver ok) and there were all sorts of vehicles there trying to recover the truck and blocking the track. Most cars were turning around but the drive around to the other entry to the National Park was quite a distance and would take some time. Stephen went and spoke to the recovery team and got approval to go ‘off road’ to get around the blockage.  Pleased about that.

The drive was just spectacular. It wound its way through subtropical rainforest and then climbed up to the top of the escarpment for magnificent views of the crater and valley below. Incredible vegetation and scenery. A really ancient place. After the arid places we have spent a lot of this trip, this place was like an oasis of magical flora and fauna. We stopped for a few walks in amongst it all and took loads of photos which speak for themselves below. 

Goondiwindi - Condamine Gorge River Track - Kyogle

September 20^th

This morning I ran from Queensland all the way to NSW and back again!! Only 10km given we are right on the border. There is a beautiful walking path all along the Macintyre River and it was most pleasant running. Some great trees and birdlife (Goondiwindi derives from an Aboriginal word meaning “the resting place of birds”) and a lovely old bridge.

Leaving Goondiwindi, we continued heading east as the scenery changed yet again to be even more lush and lovely. We passed through the town of Warwick and end up in a café at Killarney eating cake. I managed to fall over here in the middle of the footpath for no good apparent reason. Grazed my leg and hand. All that travel in remote areas and walking in gorges etc and I manage to have a spill back in civilisation on a flat path – go figure!

We had heard that from Killarney we could do a really pretty drive on the Condamine Gorge River Track that takes in 14 river crossings – sounded like our type of thing. Had to stop at the beginning to give the Sherwoods a call to tell Will about the river crossings – always a favourite of his.

This drive was really beautiful and scenic with high cliffs on either side, magnificent trees and crystal clear crossings of the river. The track was pretty busy with lots of cars going both ways so there was a bit of stopping and manoeuvring to try to pass people. We stopped a few times along the way. It was a bit cold to swim however. The trip took hardly any time at all and before we knew it we were at the other end at a bit of a loss. 

We then looped back around towards Killarney again and stopped in at Queen Mary Falls in the Main Range National Park – very busy area with lots of tourists but we managed a nice walk down to some of the look outs and then stopped a bit further down the road at another equally lovely but less crowded spot for lunch.

From the falls we passed through the township of Legume (cool town name) and meandered our way through the ranges to end up in Kyogle. By the time we arrived it was raining, wet and cold. Found some accommodation and just hung out in our room for a while. When we felt hungry we drove into town for dinner but found just about everything shut – even the pubs! Our choices for dinner were the local Chinese and we didn't feel like Chinese two nights in a row, or the local take away which was very interesting in its selection of meals. We made do and had an early night as there really wasn't much else to get up to. 

Thargomindah to Goondiwindi

September 19^th

No real reason to hang around in Thago this morning so we headed off after breakfast on our eastern journey along the Adventure Way. The first item of interest was the town of Eulo (pop.50), affectionately known as the Lizard Shire. Eulo hosts the World Lizard Racing Championships on their Paroo Track annually. It was also once an opal mining centre and there are lots of mud springs and baths but we didn't wallow in any.

The scenery got greener, the trees larger, the wildlife more prolific and the river actually had water in it as we drove east. Next stop was Cunnamulla which very aptly has the Aboriginal meaning "long stretch of water". We had great coffee and cake here but the real claim to fame is the Cunnamulla Fella! The Cunnamulla Fella is an icon bush character or an Aussie larrikin and was made famous by the song "The Cunnamulla Fella" written by Stan Coster when he was ‘ringing’ in the Cunnamulla area in the 1950’s.

The song was sung and popularised by Slim Dusty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuf0khtslUA  and more recently Lee Kernaghan recorded the song with a great video clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUmtV21lkvs  Even the Screaming Jets have a version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjYMoB-6OW0

We were disappointed to have missed the Cunnamulla Fella festival by six weeks and so had to be content with visiting the Cunnamulla Fella statue in the town centre.

From Cunnamulla, we continued east and ended up on the border of Queensland and NSW staying the evening at Goondiwindi – lovely town right on the river and birthplace of the famous racehorse Gunsynd – the Goondiwindi Grey. Gunsynd was a champion Australian thoroughbred who won 29 races and $280,455 in prize money in the 70’s. He was popular with the racing crowds due to his grey coat and tremendous will to win.

Enjoyed wandering around Goondiwindi but did not enjoy the 1 ½ hour wait for our Chinese dinner that evening!!

Walkers Crossing to Innamincka and the Adventure Way to Thargomindah

September 18^th

Lovely morning yet again. Enjoy breaky at our Walkers Crossing campsite then on the road again heading towards Innamincka. The road was pretty good and we moved fairly quickly into the flood plain country of the northern overflow of the Cooper Creek. Our drive took us around the outskirts of the Malkumba-Coongie Lakes National Park however, it was still pretty dirty and dusty where we were.

We arrived in Innamincka before we knew it and had a bit of a wander around town. This tiny settlement is built around a hotel and trading post on Cooper Creek. It is the traditional home of the Yandrumandha, Dieri and Yarrawarrka Aborigines. The first European explorer to visit the area was Charles Sturt, who discovered the Cooper in 1846 while vainly searching for an inland sea. It was also the final destination of the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition. In 1860 all but one of Burke and Wills' party perished near the creek. There is a commemorative monument in Innamincka to Burke and Wills which was erected in 1944. Innamincka was proclaimed a township in 1890.

It didn't take long to see the ‘sights’ of the town which included a visit to and a drink in the pub, where we could have played mini golf if we were that way inclined, and an ice-cream from the Trading Post.

It was really hot and lots of flies so the appeal to stay wasn't great. We could have driven 100km to the Coongie Lakes and stayed there overnight but we decided to press on to hopefully get to something a bit greener and cooler. Besides, the call of the “Adventure Way” seemed appealing.

The Adventure Way is a road that heads absolute east in a straight line starting in Innamincka. It retraces the tracks of the Cobb & Co and takes you from outback plains and gibber country, through some of Queensland’s richest grain and cotton producing areas all the way to the coast. It is interesting that you start in South Australia go straight but end up in Queensland.

It was really fascinating that not long after leaving Innamincka, the flat, dry desert like areas started to give way to more mulga bushes and eventually we started to see greenery and larger bushes. Having said that, our stop for the evening was at Thargomindah (pop. 240) which is an Aboriginal word meaning "Cloud of Dust”. The town is on the banks of the Bulloo River but no water to be seen while we were there.

An interesting fact about Thargomindah is that it produced Australia's first electric street lights in 1893. First in the world to have hydroelectric street lighting was London, followed by Paris. Just a day later, 'Thargo' illuminated its isolation with power generated by water pressure from the Great Artesian Basin and continued to do so until 1951.

We stayed the night in a lovely cabin in the Oasis Motel where we also got a great meal in their dining room (had a drink in the pub across the road first – interesting experience). 

Back in Birdsville but not for long – onto Walkers Crossing Public Access Rd

September 17^th

Next morning we headed off in no hurry at all (still not ‘serious’ 4WD people in relation to early morning get ups!!). We gave Big Red another crack (without success yet again) and landed back in Birdsville just before lunchtime – just in time to have a pie. They were a little less stressed in the bakery than when we were last here and they were recovering from the Big Red Bash. Need to mention at this point that we did it!!!! Completed the west to east crossing of the Simpson without any issues at all arriving safe and sound in Birdsville via our own car and not a tow truck. We are VERY happy about this!!!

Should we stay or should we go?? What would we do if we stayed? Where would we stay? (not keen on the camp ground again). We deliberated over these questions and more in the Birdsville Hotel with a champagne for me and a beer for Stephen (never too early when you are on holidays). 

Still not keen on hitting the bitumen just yet we decided that Innamincka sounded like a good place to visit and narrowed the route down to two options – the Cordillo Downs Rd or the Walkers Crossing Public Access Rd. Thought a visit to the Birdsville Tourist Information Centre might be helpful. How wrong can one be!!

We asked the lady behind the counter (a local) what the Cordillo Downs Rd was like at the moment. 

Her response - “About the same.”

Us – “Same as what?”

Her – “Same as last week.”

Us – “Sorry but we aren't from around here and don’t know what it was like last week, could you give us some more information please?’

Her – “Well people have been coming and going along it so it should be ok.”

Us – “What is ok? Is it graded? Are there many corrugations? What might the travel time be?”

Her – “They have graded it this year.”

At this stage we were becoming a little exasperated to say the least.

Us – “What about the Walkers Crossing Rd?”

Her – “Couldn't say about that one. Do you know anything?” (she asks her colleague who appears to be a German backpacker)

The German backpacker proceeded to be a wealth of information about both roads and their most recent condition. Go figure!!! We decide on the Walkers Crossing Public Access Rd and after refuelling and grabbing a few minor food items we head off south along the Birdsville Track towards the turn off which is about 100km along and marked by a 44-gallon drum.

Not far before the turn off we pass the Page Family memorial cross. Tragic story of a family of five who in 1963 endeavoured to drive from Marree to Birdsville in a Ford V8 in a heat wave. They lost the track and ran out of fuel and then tried to walk south for help. All five died of thirst and are buried near the road with a memorial in place. What a tragedy! The message is the same today as it was then – this is harsh country for which you need to be thoroughly prepared and not become complacent when travelling in remote areas. Similar events have occurred more recently. Staying with your vehicle is certainly the safest and most sensible course of action.

With that sobering thought, we turned onto the Walkers Crossing Rd and into the Sturt Stony and the Strzelecki Deserts. The first part of this road is probably some of the most arid and dry country we have passed through all trip – gibber country. Not much around save for a few emus. We also pass some sand dunes (because we haven’t had enough of them) but nothing as large as in the Simpson. The road ranges from a single lane track to service roads for the gas fields and it is tricky sometimes to stay on the public access road – fortunately our GPS comes in very useful here and we only make one wrong turn.

We eventually got to Walkers Crossing at Cooper Creek where we decide to stay for the night. The crossing is named for Sydney James Walker who worked in SANTOS Field Services Division at Moomba. SANTOS is a large, predominantly Australian owned oil and gas company. Its name is an acronym for South Australian Northern Territory Oil Search. Syd Walker was responsible for the rebuilding of this crossing of the Cooper Creek which suffered regular flood damage. Soon after the project was completed Syd had a massive heart attack and in his honour, the men of Field Services decided to name the crossing after him and built a memorial at the crossing. 

Certainly no water in the creek but lots of trees and bird life and we found a great spot off the road for a quiet evening.

On a mission to do the west to east crossing of the Simpson Desert without breaking down!

September 14^th, 15^th and 16^th

Leisurely get up, breakfast and pack up this morning. Great weather – not too hot with a breeze. Enjoyed a great hot shower before heading out as we will need to be frugal with water over the next few days. Excited and a bit nervous about heading back into the Simpson. The elephant in the room is the car break down and recovery back in 2001 (if you don’t know this story and it is a good one, ask us to tell you sometime). Although the current car is in perfect shape and we are extremely well prepared, it is still hard not to be a little anxious until we pop out the other side.

Almost immediately on leaving Mount Dare the road surface became extremely corrugated again with sections of large loose rock. This continued pretty much for the entire 70km to Dalhousie Springs – a group of over 60 natural artesian springs that feed a large main pool with water temperatures like a hot bath (38 – 43 degrees Celsius). The springs are home to a number of unique fish species and other rare aquatic life that are found nowhere else in the world. It is quite the oasis in this very dry countryside. Very glad we didn't press on to try and get to the Springs last night as it would have taken forever plus the word on the track is that the mosquitos at the camping area there are voracious. We are still in Witjira National Park at this stage. Dalhousie Springs is a lot more developed than when we first ventured here in 1998 and then again in 2001. There is an amenities block and camping area and the area around the entrance to the Springs has a deck and step ladder. I had a swim in the extremely hot springs but didn't stay in for long as I was working up a sweat (Stephen doesn't enjoy the hot water so stayed on the side). It isn't quite the same arriving at Dalhousie coming west to east as you haven’t even hit the desert yet. I remember the springs being such a welcome relief when we came from east to west. After five days in the desert without a proper shower it was all you could do to keep us out of them! A few other people at Dalhousie but all appeared to be day trippers coming in for a swim and then heading back out again (as you do). We didn't come across anyone coming from the desert nor anyone heading into the desert like us.

After our stop at Dalhousie we made our way east with variable road conditions until we finally reached Freeth Junction where the Simpson Desert Regional Reserve begins and of course, the sand dunes start!! The Simpson Desert is the largest dune desert in the world (1,200 parallel sand dunes some up to 300km long), the fourth largest desert in Australia; and is also one of the most arid places on earth and the driest place in Australia. It is 550km between fuel stops – Mount Dare to Birdsville. The dunes began almost immediately at this spot and the rocks and gravel gave way to red sand (still corrugations though – you can’t get away from them!!). Up with our flag again, down with the tyre pressure and ready to tackle the 1,200 dunes over the next few days.

Our travel across the desert was mostly on the French Line which was built by the French Petroleum Company in 1962 as part of their oil exploration efforts in the Great Artesian Basin. Not far into the Simpson Desert Regional Reserve we stopped at Purnie Bore with water almost at boiling point (no swimming here). Purnie Bore is also known as the accidental lake! The French drilled a bore here in the 60’s to explore the rock strata. They drilled down 1.8km into the Artesian Basin and then capped the well which eroded over time and hot water started gushing out creating a lake in the desert which wildlife started to rely on. They have since recapped the bore but still let a little hot water out to maintain the ecology of the place. The birds here were simply amazing. We spent a long time enjoying some bird spotting but the wind started to pick up and it was hot and unpleasant so it was back in the car to continue our dune crossings.

So for the next three days and nights we drove at about 10-20km/hour, crossing dunes, admiring the magnificent scenery including amazing salt pans, finding an array of wildlife (some we were pleased about, some a bit too close for comfort), watching glorious sunrises and sunsets, enjoying the solitude and the stars and in general, just soaking up the whole ‘vibe of the thing’(except for the flies). We passed a few vehicles along the way coming from the east but not anything like the traffic we saw on the main track when we started the trip back in July and before we turned off onto the Hay River Track. School holidays seems to make a huge difference to the amount of people out and about in the desert.

Wildlife sightings of note include a mangy, skinny dingo which ran alongside the car for some distance with us one day but then didn't seem to be able to go any further. Getting sustenance out here must be so difficult for the animals, it’s a wonder there are any at all. The lizards seem to be better suited to the climate and terrain. The more up close and personal experience was on the first night that we camped. We pulled into a flat, cleared spot off the side of the track and set up camp. We were cooking our dinner with all the lights on and these were attracting a vast array of insects which is quite normal if not a little annoying and it is always a challenge to keep the moths etc out of our meal. This night however, we had some additional new visitors – a whole lot of spiders came seemingly from nowhere. They gathered under the lights and caught any stray insects that got a bit close to them. This was a bit disconcerting but we could cope as they weren't interested in us at all. The big ticket item that night though was a snake. I was chopping up something and out of the darkness slithered a snake about 2.5m long. It passed by very close to my feet and I screamed and yelled ‘snake’. Stephen had his back to me so when he heard me scream, he yelled too and turned around to see the snake slithering towards him. We backed out of the way quick smart but it seemed to be on a mission and moved across our campsite and off back into the blackness. I ate my dinner that evening with my feet up on my chair and was especially keen to get into the tent. This was the only night we saw anything like this – other evenings were relatively creature free.

The third day of the desert crossing found us back at Poeppel Corner (junction of NT, Qld & SA) where were stood with the Evans family two months previously. We took more obligatory photos and found our names from the earlier stopover in the visitor’s book. Of course, we signed the book again. From here we travelled very briefly on the K1 Line and then onto the QAA Line for the final stretch to Birdsville.

                                     

The third night saw us camping about 40km in from Big Red. We probably could have made it into Birdsville that night but couldn't see the point – we would much rather bush camp and continue to enjoy the serenity. This was one of the prettiest spots we camped in a clearing surrounded by trees. So pleased that we decided to take the Simpson Desert route back towards the east. It is one of our favourite places ever and it did not fail to deliver yet again.