Setting out from Balranald we planned on getting ourselves across to Renmark. The route we had set was for about 300 or so kilometers on highway. The intention was to stay in a caravan Park, do a minimal set up and then push on to somewhere like Leigh Creek.
And the reason that I add all of this in one little post is that the camera went on the fritz and there are no photos from this part of the holiday.
Suffice to say that the stop in Renmark was fantastic. The owners of the caravan park on the riverbank treated us extremely well and we got ourselves settled in, cleaned up, the car checked out and everything ready for a really long day.
So after an early night we did set off fairly early to get to Leigh Creek before dark. The main part of the drive was through grazing country, the along the edge of the Flinders Ranges, and then in to the Caravan Park at Leigh Creek.
Again treated well by the caretaker, who gave us a couple of nice spots under trees and told us to head up to a communal fire at about sunset. We did and had were able to have a bit of a chat with fellow travellers. All was looking up for what I believed would be the real part of the trip. Hitting the dirt road to Oodnadatta, seeing Lake Eyre and experiencing this part of the outback.
So after a not so early night, and realistically a not so early set off the next day we were into it!
Sorry about the lack of photos!
I didn't realise the camera was on the fritz at this stage and kept snapping away oblivious to the problem...
Showing posts with label balranald. Show all posts
Showing posts with label balranald. Show all posts
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Outback trip 2 - Day 1 - Yanga National Park
After weeks of planning and even a couple of changed plans we finally had a plan - drive to Lake Eyre and have a look at it with water in it. The intention was to travel in winter - which can be pretty bitter at home. The hope was for mild days and not to cold nights. So we got out the maps, got together with some friends and the plan was hatched. A couple of days of hard running on the blacktopo to get us to Leigh Creek and then the outback adventure would begin.
What I didn't know was that we were about to see some amazing parts of the country and experince things that you rarely get to see and do.
Day 1 we set of early and travelled along the Hume, Sturt and Mallee Highways until we reached the vicinity of Balranald. The first stop was to be Yanga National Park - and a free camp at a campsite within the Park, quite near the historical Wilga Woolshed. Yanga gives you the opportunity to camp fairly close to where the Burke and Wills expidition camped. And Balranald - just down the road was a fairly important part of their expedition. An auction was held at Balranald and a fair bit of the gear that had been hauled from Melbourne was sold off.
We would cross the path of Burke and Wills more than once on the trip, along with their rival John McDouall Stuart!
Suffice to say that arriving at the Willows campground after close to 600km on the road was a relief.
As far as campgrounds go this place was a brilliant introduction to the outback. A campground with fire places (and firewood), well maintained toilets and as much room as you need to set up comfortably was much welcomed.
.JPG)
How is that for a nice lot of room to set up camp.
The vista was amazing - as the sun went down through the mallee and the saltbush it really did feel like we were in the outback - fantastic!
And the view kept changing for us.
I really enjoyed the first night away - but I do enjoy the peace of a good bush camp and this was exactly that. With dinner cooked on the campfire we went for a walk and checked out the woolshed and with the sun down completely had a bit of a chat around the campfire.
It was time for bed - the day had been tiring, but getting 600 or so kilometres into a 5000 kilometre trip was worth the effort.
Some details...
Access: Some campsites are accessible by 4WD. 2WD would be OK in dry weather or if you want to camp close to the wooldshed.
Toilets: Yes.
Showers: No.
Water: Didn't see any - might be some near the picnic area.
Shop: Not nearby - that said Balranald is not that far away.
Campfires: Yes - subject to firebans. Bring own wood.
Pets: NO - National Park
What I didn't know was that we were about to see some amazing parts of the country and experince things that you rarely get to see and do.
Day 1 we set of early and travelled along the Hume, Sturt and Mallee Highways until we reached the vicinity of Balranald. The first stop was to be Yanga National Park - and a free camp at a campsite within the Park, quite near the historical Wilga Woolshed. Yanga gives you the opportunity to camp fairly close to where the Burke and Wills expidition camped. And Balranald - just down the road was a fairly important part of their expedition. An auction was held at Balranald and a fair bit of the gear that had been hauled from Melbourne was sold off.
We would cross the path of Burke and Wills more than once on the trip, along with their rival John McDouall Stuart!
Suffice to say that arriving at the Willows campground after close to 600km on the road was a relief.
As far as campgrounds go this place was a brilliant introduction to the outback. A campground with fire places (and firewood), well maintained toilets and as much room as you need to set up comfortably was much welcomed.
.JPG)
How is that for a nice lot of room to set up camp.
The vista was amazing - as the sun went down through the mallee and the saltbush it really did feel like we were in the outback - fantastic!
And the view kept changing for us.
I really enjoyed the first night away - but I do enjoy the peace of a good bush camp and this was exactly that. With dinner cooked on the campfire we went for a walk and checked out the woolshed and with the sun down completely had a bit of a chat around the campfire.
It was time for bed - the day had been tiring, but getting 600 or so kilometres into a 5000 kilometre trip was worth the effort.
Some details...
Access: Some campsites are accessible by 4WD. 2WD would be OK in dry weather or if you want to camp close to the wooldshed.
Toilets: Yes.
Showers: No.
Water: Didn't see any - might be some near the picnic area.
Shop: Not nearby - that said Balranald is not that far away.
Campfires: Yes - subject to firebans. Bring own wood.
Pets: NO - National Park
Cost: FREE.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Winter camp - the plan
In my previous post I added some winter camping tips to the tips that Coleman have published. The reason I added go somewhere you can't go in summer is that we have just returned from another outback NSW trip.
I'm not sure what summer along the Oodnadatta Track would be like but I would suggest hot and dry, so the thinking was lets get out there are have a look around while it's winter, while there is water in Lake Eyre and best of all - at a time when we could travel with some friends and there would be other travellers out there as well.
The first thing we did was decide roughly where we wanted to go. Our mission was to get to The Pink Roadhouse at Oodnadatta from south along the Oodnadatta Track. Once at Oodnadatta we would then work out where to next.
Our first thing was to do a bit of homework about travelling through the area, where we would bo and what we should see. To a lesser extent where we would stay. Enter the Hema Maps Great Desert Tracks map set. With the map of the area generally on the floor we decided that it was fairly do-able in two weeks. The plan was sketched out, just the details and the preperation was required.
Naturally the 4WD got a service - oils, filters changed, spares checked, the third roof bar was installed so a second spare tyre could be seet up on them. The usual recovery gear was put in - snatch strap, tree trunk protector, D shackles, tyre repair kit, tyre deflator, air compressor and a decent tool kit.
The next mission was to set up our water supply. In the past we had only ever travelled with about 20 or so litres of drinking water - that is usually adequate for a weekend or when not travelling far from drinkable water. The map, and other people, told us we were going to a desert and most of the water is from a bore. After a bit of looking around we settled on a big plastic 85 litre tank whick was installed behind the seats against the cargo barrier. With the water tank in, the tent on the roof all we had to do was load in the fridge and home made shelf/drawer set up and we were ready to go!
So one cold and frosty morning we hit the road for what was ultimately a long trip south, then west, then north, then... You get the picture!
We saw some amazing parts of the country as we travelled, staying at Yanga National Park just outside of Balranald before travelling on to, Renmark, Leigh Creek, William Creek and Oodnadatta.
We made an interesting decision at Oodnadatta. Over the next few weekends I'll post the story of this amazing trip, and what happened as we made our way along one of the most historically interesting track. If you stick with me for a couple of weeks you will find out what happened at Oodnadatta and where we went from there.
I'm not sure what summer along the Oodnadatta Track would be like but I would suggest hot and dry, so the thinking was lets get out there are have a look around while it's winter, while there is water in Lake Eyre and best of all - at a time when we could travel with some friends and there would be other travellers out there as well.
The first thing we did was decide roughly where we wanted to go. Our mission was to get to The Pink Roadhouse at Oodnadatta from south along the Oodnadatta Track. Once at Oodnadatta we would then work out where to next.
Our first thing was to do a bit of homework about travelling through the area, where we would bo and what we should see. To a lesser extent where we would stay. Enter the Hema Maps Great Desert Tracks map set. With the map of the area generally on the floor we decided that it was fairly do-able in two weeks. The plan was sketched out, just the details and the preperation was required.
Naturally the 4WD got a service - oils, filters changed, spares checked, the third roof bar was installed so a second spare tyre could be seet up on them. The usual recovery gear was put in - snatch strap, tree trunk protector, D shackles, tyre repair kit, tyre deflator, air compressor and a decent tool kit.
The next mission was to set up our water supply. In the past we had only ever travelled with about 20 or so litres of drinking water - that is usually adequate for a weekend or when not travelling far from drinkable water. The map, and other people, told us we were going to a desert and most of the water is from a bore. After a bit of looking around we settled on a big plastic 85 litre tank whick was installed behind the seats against the cargo barrier. With the water tank in, the tent on the roof all we had to do was load in the fridge and home made shelf/drawer set up and we were ready to go!
So one cold and frosty morning we hit the road for what was ultimately a long trip south, then west, then north, then... You get the picture!
We saw some amazing parts of the country as we travelled, staying at Yanga National Park just outside of Balranald before travelling on to, Renmark, Leigh Creek, William Creek and Oodnadatta.
We made an interesting decision at Oodnadatta. Over the next few weekends I'll post the story of this amazing trip, and what happened as we made our way along one of the most historically interesting track. If you stick with me for a couple of weeks you will find out what happened at Oodnadatta and where we went from there.
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