Day 10 - Coober Pedy

Day 10 – 2/4/2011 – Coober Pedy

The day started like any other, we made a plan, actually set the alarm and before dawn we headed out to The Breakaways Reserve.  The breakaways are colourful low hills that have broken away from the Stuart Ranges, hence why they are called “The Breakaways”.  They were beautiful and the morning was cold and crystal clear.  Once I convinced the family to get out of the car they to enjoyed the view, sights and amazing silence.  Because I got everyone up so early, dragging the children out of their beds, we had breakfast at the amazing place!!  I took about 50 photos as the sun rose the colours of the hills changed. This experience alone was helping to change my view of Coober Pedy.

We also got the chance to see the Dog Fence and explain the the kids, why it was built and how it is maintained today!! 

Once back at the van we packed up ready to leave and head towards the NT.  Pete of course got talking to a grey nomad that we had met on the road and he suggested that we take the trip out to Lake Eyre, calling into the William Creek pub for lunch.  After conferring with a number of other nomads, Pete confirmed that whilst the whole 440km trip was on a dirt road it was all open and the roads were in good condition.  So instead of hitting the road with the caravan of peace, love and happiness, we offloaded the van in a new caravan park and headed out. 

The kids were happy to accompany us on the adventure but to be honest they had no idea what they had signed up for!!  We promised Callum lunch at the William Creek pub for his birthday which was tomorrow.  During the trip out Callum exclaimed “Mum, we don’t have to go to the pub for lunch just going 4 wheel driving for my birthday is enough!!”  Obviously the road did not feel as smooth for them as it did us!!   We did learn though through experience, that all drivers should take notice of orange flags on the road !!  I mention to Pete “look an orange flag, maybe that means something”  Pete is quiet on the subject and then THUMP!!  We are though a small but deep washout – every bone in our bodies jarred – rally drivers we are not.  Well from then on every orange flag had the children yelling “ditch” just in case their Dad was still confused about what an orange flag meant!!!

We arrived at William Creek – starving and thank goodness because the meals were huge and we ate everything in sight!!.  The kids were impressed by all the writing and business cards all over the pub walls.  Callum even got a small present as the staff heard us saying happy birthday to him earlier – a pub sticker and fridge magnet.  We confirmed at William Creek that the road to Lake Eyre was open – we were just advised to travel slowly the last 20kms as there were a number of large washouts and we found out that there would not be any orange flags so the kids were on ditch look out duty!! 

The county side that we drove through from Coober Pedy to Lake Eyre was green and lush, there was water lying on the side of the road and many dams and small lakes were ½ - ¾ quarters full.  Zac even described the landscape as being just like home!! So green and flat as far as the eye could see it was flat.  So much for the dry and dusty interior once we got out of Coober Pedy itself the sensory experience was unbelievable, even the kids were looking out the windows!!.

When we told the kids that we were going to Lake Eyre Zac was particularly excited and seriously asked if he could take his fishing rod, he had recently watched a special on the ABC about Lake Eyre and he was convinced that he could fish there.  We tried to explain to him but gave up, it didn’t help when we got a txt from Uncle Wayne saying he hoped we took our swimmers…..all that we had told Zac about Lake Eyre being shallow and salty had just gone out the window if his uncle thought he could swim there then he had been ripped off when told he couldn’t fish!!

But Lake Eyre – how beautiful – we drove down to ABC Bay and then headed off across the salt encrusted surface of the lake.  It didn’t take long to get to the water but on the way we found skeletal remains of hundreds of fish, grass hoppers and baby birds!!.  We found lots of salt encrusted puddles but as you broke through them it was straight in to mud. The lake was very wet underneath.

The kids splashed about in the water and I tasted it – vvv salty.  The afternoon was a beautiful experience and what made it more amazing was the knowledge that our footprints in the mud could remain there for many years as the lake is generally dry!.

I won’t talk about the drive back, let’s just say that the 220kms to Lake Eyre were exciting, the 220kms back to Coober Pedy were long!!.  Also by this stage Pete had morphed into Pete the experienced rally driver and I can assure that I was not a good co driver and the kids complained bitterly when he hit a ditch to hard – apparently it disturbed their game playing!!. 

I have decided that whilst Coober Pedy itself did not appeal to me at all – the town had all of the social problems that I didn’t want to expose the children too but once we got outside of the town limits we all became aware of how special this area is….the land and what it had to offer us was magical.