Week 7 - Flinders Ranges and Oodnadatta Track

For more pics: 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/59119397@N04/sets/72157626544315128/




Having left Clare the real adventure began. I was starting to see the red dust more and more often. All the cars I meet are waving at me in an outback kind of way as a way of greeting as you are passing by. I spend the first two nights in Flinders Ranges National Park and thought I would try some 4x4 driving whist I was there as there are some very good tracks here on some properties that are privately owned and operated. I decided to do one of the longest most spectacular tracks of the region called the ‘Sky Trek’. This is 65 km of dirt road which takes you up and over some of the highest peaks of the National Park. I got my satellite phone ready and headed off. The good thing with these private roads is that they come and rescue you if I was to get stuck. :-) I found this very reassuring and set off. It was a hard days driving and the scenery was out of this world, bushland, along rivers, over mountains, and across some plains with some very rare kangaroos on it. 

I finished the day off by cooking dinner for a lovely gray nomad couple who had an electric guitar pedal making business in their caravan. I also met an English couple who where freelance photographers and did family portraits through out the outback. It never stops to amaze me how people make money on the road so that they can travel and get out of the cities.

I checked the weather and the Government website each day as I wanted to find out if the Oodnadatta Track would be open or not. I had been looking forward to travel this legendary outback track for the last few months and thought I would chance it and head North even though the track was closed. Perhaps by the time I got to the beginning of the track the next day it would open up.... I would chance it and headed to Maree. Maree is the main town to go to if you want to get a flight over the enormous salt lake - Lake Eyre. I had a beer in the local hotel when I got there and met a guy at the bar who I convinced to go flying with me the next morning. We spent the afternoon at a hot spring and went to see the dog proof fence. This fence runs for hundreds if not thousands of km to keep the dingoes out of the cattle stations.

The flight over Lake Eyre was magnificent and it had that spectacular pink colour which is created by the algae in the lake. We even saw over 100 pelicans on the lake. At the time I was there the lake was at 80% capacity and this happens about 1/10 years so I was really lucky. The next day I travelled in convoy with a great couple from Sydney who had all the gear and toys with them. At the hot springs, I met four off-road motor bikers who I got chatting to( 3 aussies and 1 swede) . As they where heading the same way as I was,  I asked if I could travel ahead of them just in case I got stranded. After a few km I got to a deep water crossing where I could get through, but not them. No problems for Norbert! So I continued a few km further to get through to William Creek, a cosy outback pub, Population 10 !  I had heard that the ‘ringers’ ( ala cowboys) had been in there the night before for a night out so I wanted to head there and see what that was all about. When I got there, the pub was closed! However, luck was on my side yet again and I got invited into the office of the pilots who runs the tourist flights over Lake Eyre for a burger and a beer. Had quiet dinner with them and went to the pub for breakfast instead. As the river had got down over night, I caught up with the motorcyclists again and we travelled in convoy to the next town Coober Pedy 230 km away. As we were 30 km outside the town, I slow down... I see a motorbike in the bushes. It did not look good. One of the motorcyclists ( the Swedish one) had got the front wheel in a rut and got catapulted over the handle bars at 90km/hr. He was not looking in a good shape and after a long rest we get him to to hospital.  A bruised, ribcage, fractured ribs and a very dodgy shoulder.....  I guess he won’t be riding for a while.