Tue. 13/05/08 we leave Leonora at 8.00 am after getting the gas bottle refilled and on to Laverton fuel up and got to buy another gas hose for the cooker, left at 10.30am. Just out of town we hit the dirt dropped 10 psi out of all the tyres and off we go, got a list of photos off Damian the web site needed for the trek notes so we looked and stopped at them (you will know which ones are mine because the Troopy is always in one LOL). We stayed at Old Yeo Homestead that night; the only problem was that it was 24 deg. And the mozzies millions of them, we normally sleep in the Troopy and have taken the Oz Tent just in case well this was in case; we set it up and kept using it on the whole trip.

Wed. 14/05/08 we leave Yeo at 7.45 am and headed off stopping to have a look around and take photos. Dropped the tyre pressure down to 26 psi front and 38 psi rears on the black stuff I run 40 fronts and 55 rears.
Stopped at a nice camp site for smoko then headed to Neale Junction when we heard noise on the two way, we went up a track that is not marked on the maps to some breakaways just below the Rock Formations.
We then travelled to the air strip and met the people on the UHF the vehicles heading west stopped and had a talk, one had a brand new Kimberly Camper that was falling apart, did the shocks in on the first 150km (I have still yet to find the road that was that bad). We had a look at the then moved on finding camp by 4.30pm at the drum camp well used and nice set up camp, have some tea and drinks then off to bed it was still 20 deg. At 5.30 pm.

Thr. 15/05/08 left the drum camp at 8.45am had a look at the old van and then out to the plane crash site, we had just come over the last dune when a 4WD Coaster bus was coming out, he reversed back down to the sit and we all had a cupper and a talk, they where from Harvey in WA, husband and wife team doing a extended trip. It has good to chat with them and after some photos and a look around the plane we left (they had camped there the night and where just leaving at 9.30 am).
We got to the road house at 1.25 pm and fuelled up and had a long chat with the people running it, they where there helping out as the manager was away for 4 weeks. (They teed it up last year when travelling the AB, can’t what till I retire?) The Harvey mob turned up and we all decided to stop at the camp grounds for the night $10.00 per vehicles, hot showers, drop dunny, what more can you ask for.
We had a nice tea and a long talk around a small fire till about 9.15 pm then off to bed…

Fri. 16/05/08 leave at 7.15 am more photos out to the salt lake and smoko at camp No. 3, we then met Tommy V2341 heading west solo, he was with a party that whet up the Mt Davies road, we had a chat then moved on (we later talked during a sked on VKS-737 with me at Coober Pedy and him at Norseman).
We had lunch at 1.00 pm and got to camp No. 4 at 2.00 pm from there we travelled out a track to a salt lake and some rock holes the last dune just before the lake is tight first time in low range, if towing you can park at the bottom and just walk over to the lake about 250 meters but if you go over you can turn around before hitting the lake. We returned and set up camp at No. 4 it was a bit earlier than we liked but didn’t want to camp in the unnamed CP. This was a nice camp water tanks and drop dunny, except for the messy campers, nappies, tea bays and tins every where.. anyway good night even watched a DVD on the new portable in the tent. Found the broken bolt on the manifold during the day and wired it up, just had a major service carried out before the trip and valve clearage was done the bolt held a bracket that has vacuum switches on, so I will drop it around to them to repair it under warranty.

Sat. 17/05/08 left camp at 7.10 am and made our way to the border, more photos, then into the Unnamed CP just got across Serpentine lakes when the UHF arced up again gave them a quick call they told us the where 7 vehicles in the party, so we pulled off and boiled the Billy, anyways when they arrived they where famous people making a video of the AB and we had see some of them in a video on the Canning Stock Route (Desert Adventure) we all had a long talk and all the things you do when the car stops (poor tree to the north wont know what hit it.. LOL.) They had a Hilux Ute with them that had done in its front shockies, I said that they must not have been Toyota one and he they weren’t, pretty hard to break a Hilux.
So if you buy the new video you might just get to see me on it… LOL
So off we all went east and west, not much to see or do in the UN CP got to Vokes Hill Corner at 4.00 pm could not make it through the park without stopping. Very nice camp spot and pretty clean except for all the fire pits (we are none fire type people) oh well. Food, drink and sleep, all the time logging on to the nightly skeds got to chat with Member Signman R3364 and many others (I’ve got to watch I say to people of this forum LOL)

Mon. 19/05/08 away at 8.05 am lots to see and do today Totems 1 & 2 Markers Tallaringa Well and more and we where told by nearly everyone we passed that the track from Emu to Mabel Creek was the worst corrugated they’d been on, thinking we may have to add a day to the trip so off we went only to find out it was not that bad and because it was pretty straight I got it to third most of the time. We made it to the dog fence at 4.30 pm and set up camp, took some photos and went for a walk only to find better camp spots, and oyster shells all over the ground those damn dogs, no wonder they had to build a fence.

Tue. 20/05/08 we left 8.10 am nice drive to Mabel Creek but you would not like to be in this country when it’s wet what a bog hole cannel country. Got to the end took photos and read the boards telling us things that where not true and wrong and we should not be doing, I’ve always said it better to come on to these signs at the end of a trip than the start.
We got to the black top pulled into a parking bay and reinflated the tyres to 40 and 55 psi these new ARB compressors are just great, work a treat.
We got in to Coober Pedy at 11.00 am fuelled up restocked with supplies had a look around town and booked into the Stuart Range Caravan Park, where we did some washing of ourselves and some clothes the only problem was it was early and still hot, anyway it cooled down and we ordered a Pizza from the restaurant at the CP, WELL! it was the best Pizza we have had for years had it for tea as well as lunch the next day. So with full bellies we where off to bed for a great nights sleep, well that’s the Anne Beadell Hwy side of the trip part two the road you cant travel is next.

Regards

Richard Kovac

The Anne Beadell Hwy and more

Wed. 21/05/08 we packed up camp and left the caravan park at 8.10 am for a trip up to the Painted Desert stopping to take photos for the site and ourselves, we stopped on the side of the road a marvelled at the Moon Desert thinking of the different movies that had been made there.
We travelled from Mount Barry through to Arckaringa the turned right, what a sight, we went to the lookout and took photos then travelled back to Mt Arckaringa and did the walking trail to the top and back to the car park, we left straight away as we parked under the only shade for miles and some others may have liked to use it. Travelling back via the Stuart Hwy we did the Breakaways loop (nearly as good as the Painted Desert) back to Coober Pedy and stayed another night in the caravan park pigging out on the pizza again.

  Painted Desert

Thr. 22/05/08 packed and gone at 8.00 am we travelled down the Stuart to Glendambo filling up the tanks with as much diesel as I could get in, then off to finish our three trip quest to travel the Trans line access road.
Knowing the road out to Kingoonya was a very good dirt road I left the tyres at road going pressures (small mistake), we got to Kingoonya and had a look around they should have fuel bowsers up and running soon.
Leaving Kingoonya the road was still a good track sticking to the 80 km/hr rule we pushed on having a look at Tarcoola and other sidings, there where a lot of Transfield, Telecom and other workers using the road, we where passing 8 ton tippers that were side ways on corners.
The road was starting to get a little chopped up, still hadn’t lowered the tyre pressures or engaged the free wheeling hubs, I was travelling at around 60 -70 km/hr and hit some bull dust, and now we are sideways heading up the embankment turning right but going left, a lot of this was my fault as I let the thing pull up under it’s own steam, I didn’t use the clutch and drop some gears. (I was a bit busy)
We came to a stop, I was hoping for on all fours, got out had a look around, put the hubs in and reversed out travelling up the track till I found somewhere to pull off and lower the tyre pressures, we took the standard 10 psi out of all 4.
We got to an old train crash site .6 km east of Mount Christie where we camped the night.

  Tarcoola

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fri. 23/05/08 we got up and had a look around the crash site taking some more photos, we left camp at 8.12 am calling into Barton Siding for a look around, this siding is well used by the rail workers, and it has it own power and water supplies. There use to be an old railway worker living in a shanty with yards made out of sleepers and had a mass of dogs, we where told that he was only taken away around two weeks earlier. We got to Bates the site of another train derailment there where 10 carriages lying on the side of the tracks.
Travelling on down the track we bumped into a couple in a Troopy, as you do in the bush, so the same thing happen, we get out and talk for three quarters of an hour, anyway the couple where the managers of Maralinga, they had driven down to Watson to get there mail and were having a look around and then travel up the grog road back from Ooldea to Maralinga, it was a very nice and very interesting chat.
We had just left them when the UHF sprang to life, some people being escorted by a couple, from Ceduna tagging caves. ???
There where a couple of monuments to have a look at one for Daisy Bates and another for the joining of the railway lines east to west in 1917, the track was down to two wheel tracks only, it faded away after Ooldea you wonder if Maralinga had anything to do with it. LOL
We rolled into Cook at 4.20 pm and had just had a small rain shower, had a look around town and then called in to the managers house to find out were we could camp. There was a camping spot under some trees or a powered site and they also offered us a house, we took the house.
Getting back to the Troopy the front left was flatter than at the start of the day, so we drove to the old rail workers house, Robyn made camp (we slept on the floor in the kitchen), I changed the wheel then started to repair the flat, just as I started to pump up the tyre and down came the rain so I left it till the morning. (Dirt and water mix well) nice night hot showers good food drinks and back to watching DVD’s

 

Daisy Bates

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                    Cook Camp

Sat. 24/05/08 up at 7.00 am and had a good walk around the town (it will be a pity when they’re all gone), got back to the house and pumped up the tyre, cleaned up and loaded up, we were gone at 8.50 am.
We travelled down to Denman, Deakin, (I asked Robyn “why have we been here twice in our lives” LOL) Reid and then to Forrest.
Forrest, we got a liking to this place last year, we have marked it down as a retirement job managing the Airport. The same managers where there as last time, they had signed up for another six months, we decided to stay in the lap of luxury and stay in one of the self contained houses, House number 2 a little bit expensive, but what the heck, first night in a real bed, we had tea, some drinks and watched crap on telly.

  The Trans line

                                   

                                                                                                Forrest Camp

Sun. 25/05/08 after a great night’s sleep we got up at 7.00 am packed up slowly and went in to pay the bill, we all had a long talk and said our goodbyes. Off we went on the Forrest Mundrabilla Road. .LOL (track) we travelled around 4 km passing a rock hole too deep to hear the rock stop, and came to a cavers hut and dunny, we had a look around used the dunny and left the money on the fridge.
Down the track to the Old Homestead Caves which I took some photos of and had a look around.
There was not much of interest as we came into station country till we got to the top of the escarpment, nice view we call into Mundrabilla homestead to let them know we made it ok as we had phoned the at Forrest to let them know we where travelling down the track. We got to the Eyre Hwy and aired up to road going pressures, we got to Caiguna at 4.40 pm and payed $18.00 to stay in the Caravan park I don’t know why. Anyway we had tea in the roadhouse and some drinks in the bar, I didn’t need much rocking.

  The Hut

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

              

                                                                                                       Air up

Mon. 26/05/08 up and gone by 7.00 am turn left after 146.6 km and then right, call into Balladonia to use the loo and then on to Norseman through the road blockade (cops everywhere).
We have been trying to do The Granite and Woodlands Discovery Trail for years now, every time we try it rains, well today its fine, so off we go calling into all the listed sites there are 16 of them some just a site to stop and picnic at and some to camp.
We had a walk around Disappointment Rock, called into McDermid Rock and the Breakaways, The Breakaways site is very nice with a lot of camping sites table and chairs and a dunny.
These are the places we will do with the little Supreme Getaway van, so we got to Hyden, fed the dog had a couple of beers at the pub and then off to Bruce Rock for the rest of the week.

The Granite and Woodlands Discovery Trail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                             The Breakaways

 

It was another good trip and, are hoping the bad one doesn’t come to quickly, we tried out a CGear Mulitmat they are great in this type of country.
We will ALWAYS test the cooker before we leave or at least add it to the list

Cheers

Words by Robyn

Photos by Richard

R2K

Richard, Robyn and Benney