We had thought we might stay in Coobs but had second thoughts when we saw it. We decided to push ourselves on and ended up staying behind a roadhouse 230km up the highway at a place called Marla. I found it funny that we were a source of entertainment to the locals watching the RV's roll in while drinking beer on their verandah. I did make time the next morning to check out Iwantja Arts, who sell artwork in the roadhouse from the local aboriginal art centre.
We travelled from Coward Springs to William Creek, which was really just a pub in the middle of nowhere, where you donated a gold coin to take your photo inside. It had plenty of Outback charm though with it's Golf Course and fuel prices. We re-fuelled and continued on more dirt track, for about 160km, until we came to Cooberpedy. This was probably the ugliest place I have seen so far. I don't find opals and slag heaps appealing. I find the alien landscape intriquing but the residents must be extremely resilient,strong, persevering characters with great senses of humour to make it their home. The fun must all happen underground. The best thing I spied was this chair sitting on the highway.
We had thought we might stay in Coobs but had second thoughts when we saw it. We decided to push ourselves on and ended up staying behind a roadhouse 230km up the highway at a place called Marla. I found it funny that we were a source of entertainment to the locals watching the RV's roll in while drinking beer on their verandah. I did make time the next morning to check out Iwantja Arts, who sell artwork in the roadhouse from the local aboriginal art centre.
0 Comments
Just a little sculpture we saw on the Oodnadatta Track....this dogs head is a car body! Lake Eyre with water!! It only fills to capacity once every 50 years and (below) the salt encrusted surrounds. Above: Just me and my shadow alone in the desert. We are well and truly in the outback now. What an experience it is to rattle along 200km of dirt road watching the landscape change before our eyes. The outback is far from boring.....the plant life, sand colour , sky colour, bird life and evidence of human existance changes from hour to hour. We stayed at a oasis in the middle of the desert called Coward Springs, once a railway siding for the original Ghan. It once had a pub run by a couple of Afgan brothers but now there is only the used glass wine bottles and beer bottles and rusty food cans as evidence. The owner Prue and her partner have installed a spa to harness the natural spring bubbling up from the Artesan Basin. What a welcome gem and how bizarre to be chatting with fellow campers sitting in a spa in the middle of the desert. We left Adelaide a few days ago to head to Melrose, the oldest town in the Flinders ranges in the foothills of Mount Remarkable (don't you love that name!) . We travelled up through the Barossa Valley, which apparently produces 60% of Australia's red wine, then on to the Clare Valley, known for it's great Reislings and other white wines. The Clare Valley was magic with it's green endless pastures and mellowed historical towns. Little towns like Rhynie, Auburn, Clare and Stanley Flat have pretty stone houses and gorgeous gardens. I would like to explore this area a bit more at another time. We continued on through small one pub towns like Yakka, Laura and Wirrabara until we reached our destination, Melrose. We unpacked and headed to one of the two pubs in this town where we met lots of locals while perched on bar stools in front of the fire....love it.
|
Jenny ShawCanberra based. Archives
December 2011
Gigs
All
Check out handsomepretty too
|