Our first taste of the Outback - July 24 to August 4, 2009

[p1michaud]

Day 1 Saturday 25th July – Brisbane to St George (560 Km).

Back in early May when the Callide B2 plant outage was in full swing, I was working 12 hours a day, 6 days a week in a town 600 Km away from Martha. Was this really why we came over to Australia? At some point in those long and challenging work hours, we had a brilliant idea. Let’s pick a date and go see this beautiful country. What better way to make these work blues fade into distant memory than sun in your face, the road stretched out in front of you and red sand as far as you can see? We had hatched a plan to head west into South Australia to a place called Innaminka. Now all we had to do is figure out what else we wanted to see along the way. Have you looked at the Australian map lately? Every time you look at it, you see a new place. If you mention a trip into the Outback to some other travellers, you here about more places to go!
We decided to divvy up the pre-trip preparation tasks. As this was our first time being totally self sufficient in this new land, the preparations were quite extensive. Martha was in charge of the first-aid kit and meals. Pierre was in charge of truck preparations and modifications. Martha got her St. John’s Ambulance first-aid certificate back in April and this helped her identify the appropriate contents for an Outback worthy first aid kit. Experience from our previous short trips helped to identify the top three priorities regarding vehicle preparation: sleeping arrangements, water supply and fuel capacity. To address these items we installed:

1. a long-range fuel tank with a 180 L capacity to increase the total fuel capacity to 270 L;
2. a rear bar capable of carrying the spare that had to be moved because of the new long range fuel tank; and,
3. the appropriate suspension upgrades to cope with the additional weight.

Due to financial and time constraints, we opted to use our tried and true Moutain Equipment Co-op Apollo tent and Thermarest sleeping pads.
Our first hiccup occurred early in the morning on departure day as we were loading up all the food, camping gear and clothing. Our 6 month old fridge freezer had been loaded with pre-frozen meals and selected to freeze the previous evening. When I removed the basket before loading it into the Landcruiser, I noticed that most of the items were partially thawed. My heart skipped a beat before my pre-trip excitement turned to frustration. Thankfully the fridge freezer was purchased from a very reputable Australian 4WD accessory company who shall not be named until we get to the bottom of the issue. One phone call saw my frustration dissipate as they pulled a few strings and supplied a brand new replacement unit for the trip given we were leaving town at that exact moment. Ok, our first crisis had been averted.
After months of pouring over maps, talking to various acquaintances and packing, we were finally off to see for ourselves what the Australian Outback is all about. The anticipation was over and the kilometres were ticking by...
We settled into a comfortable rhythm and continued our westward progress. As the daylight started fading, we started searching for a decent place to camp. Around 5:30 pm, we rolled into St. George and figured it would be as good a place as any to set up for the evening. We chose to stay at the St George Caravan Park for no specific reason other than it was convenient. At $15 for the evening, the price was reasonable but we could not in good faith recommend it to other travellers for two reasons: first the Balonne Hwy crosses a bridge very near the camp site and every time a tire hits a metal junction on the bridge, it makes an awful racket and that managed to keep us up most of the night. Second, the local dogs started barking as soon as the sun went down and did not let up until very late. It probably didn’t help that Martha had the bright idea to sleep out under the stars instead of setting up the tent. So much for a peaceful sleep...

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[p1michaud]

Day 2 Sunday 26th July – St George to Noccundra (~635 Km).

Following a less than restful night, the morning saw us pack up quickly, enjoy a coffee and cereal before making tracks. We were anxious to put some distance between us and our noisy camp site.
Shortly out of St George, we encountered our first wildlife! Cattle on the road...


This became a regular occurrence as the road crosses many cattle and sheep stations. Care must be taken to avoid vehicle/animal impacts otherwise the word “bull bar” could take on a whole new meaning. We were surprised to even see billy goats chowing down on the side of the road along the way.
Further along we noticed lots of opportunity to collect firewood along the sides of the road thanks to ongoing road works. We decided to take advantage and collect a bit of wood in case we decided to cook on the fire.
Loading fire wood onto the roof rack:




The road stretched out before us:


With lots of fire wood, we were on the road again. This was turning out to be an interesting road trip. After settling in for another stretch of road, I caught something moving on the side of the road just as we slowed down to cross another cattle grid with Martha driving. I yelled out in excitement, look it’s an Emu!...or several to be exact. As Martha slowed the heavy Landcruiser down, I got the camera ready. We were able to get reasonable close before the group of Emu started being nervous. What an amazing sight, these animals are very well camouflaged.
Can you spot the Emu, there are four in total in this picture?


A different shot, look between the two trees in the centre of the photo and you should see thee of them the other is past the tree on the left to the left hand side of the photo.


Sometime around noon, we rolled into Cunnamulla. From what we had read and heard, the scenery from this point on would change to a drier, redder and barren landscape. We couldn’t wait after all the smell of adventure was in the air and the road signs supported it...
This marked the beginning of the “Adventure Way”.


As the day drew to a close, we set up camp in Noccundra. The place had been recommended by a fellow ExPo member and a co-worker so we decided it was worth checking out. We rolled into the bush camping spot on the Noccundra Waterhole directly across the road from the Noccundra Hotel. The Noccundra Hotel was built in 1882 out of heavy concrete blocks, a common building material at the time.


An added benefit was effective protection from the sun and intense heat in this part of Australia. It was a nice quiet bush camp roughly 400 m from the pub and public facilities (washroom, hot showers $1 coin and toilet). We set up camp at a leisurly pace, enjoyed a great meal of garlic lamb saussage and spinach prepared by Martha and a cold beer. Perfect for washing out that dust out of your throat.

We took advantage of some down time to go and chat with other travellers who were camping around the waterhole. One gentlemen Tony and his wife were farmers from Victoria spending a bit of time exploring the Northern part of Australia to escape the cooler southern climate. Another lad by the name of Ritchie was listening to his battery powered radio, sitting in his camping chair with his line in the water enjoying the sun set over the waterhole, perfect! Turns out Ritchie was an avid ferral pig hunter in his younger days. We shared a few yarns over a beer and I learned a few things about pig hunting. One that particularly interested me being a hunter back in Canada was meat preservation after the kill. Given the very hot climante, I was curious to know how they kept the meat cool while travelling for hundreds of kilometres before getting home. Easy, you catch them live. They use dogs to track and herd the pigs. The dogs bite the pig’s ear, twist it’s head giving the hunter time to come in and tie the pig up. After that you bring it back to camp and put it in your trailer that you’ve turned into a cage. To keep the meat fresh, you keep the animal live. Simple solution.

Another successful day!

To be continued...

[mrbishi]

welcome to Oz! looks like your having a great time

[p1michaud]

Day 3 Monday 27th July – Noccundra to Innaminka, South Australia (~220 Km).

After a lazy morning, of coffee and breakfast we packed up. Given the short distance we had to travel, we were in no hurry. Today would mark a few important milestones in the trip. First in approximately 100 Km the bittument would give way to gravel and bull dust. Next, we were officially going to enter into a new state, South Australia.

The Landcruiser ready for another day on the road. Picture taken at the Noccundra public facilities with the Noccundra waterhole in the background.



We have to hand it to the Australians, they do a great job of making public facilities available and easy to locate. Here’s one example in this arid land.



Just a shot sowing the landscape and our trusty vehicle. An 1997 HZJ80 Landcruiser, a classic expedition vehicle.



A trip milestone, from here on in it would be mostly dirt except for a few patches of bitumen. Time to drop the tire pressures and affix the sand flag as an additional safety measure. For the hard packed gravel roads we were running at 28 psi in the front and 32 psi in the rear. Tire pressures were constantly monitored and adjusted as required. We used a calibrated hand to feel if they were running cool, warm or hot.

For the next 50 to 75 Km, the roads were a mix of gravel and bittument. The only reason many of the roads this far west received a coating of bitumen.



The landscape as we approach the Queensland and South Australia border.



Our first bit of history during the trip, on the way we decided to go see the Burke and Wills dig tree. The exploration efforts of Burke and Wills helped to open up this region of Australia. Unfortunately, their achievement cost them their lives. Wiki covers the Burke and Wills expediting nicely (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burke_and_Wills_expedition). The very tree where both parties missed each other by only hours after waiting for months….



It was also at this point that our second challenge of the trip occurred. As we stopped for some lunch at the Dig Tree, I conducted my usual vehicle checks. Fluid levels, batteries and battery cables, tire pressures and air bags...10 psi in the left hand side air bag, and a worrisome 0 psi in the right hand side air bag. Hmmm this can’t be good... Ok, the reason we ended up with air bags is a long story best told over a camp fire with a cold drink in hand so we will save that for another time. We finished lunch and continued towards Innaminka, our destination for the day. It was also during this stretch that we encountered our first Road Train. Following the advice we had read and been given we pulled well off the road.



Back behind the wheel for a few more kilometres before reaching another important trip milestone. The entrance to South Australia and the Innaminka Regional Reserve.



To be continued...

[Ursidae69]

Nice.

[tdesanto]

Very nice shots Pierre. I'm subscribing now. Can't wait to read more.

[FortyMileDesert]

Great write-up! Now that the bug has bitten; are you planning any true off-road treks?

[tdesanto]

Now that the bug has bitten; are you planning any true off-road treks?

Oh, I think the bug bit Pierre a long time ago when he was at home in Canada. It's probably one of the main selling points for moving to Australia.

[p1michaud]

Great write-up! Now that the bug has bitten; are you planning any true off-road treks?

The trip as described so far has been mostly on paved and gravel road, but from this point on I'd consider this to be an off-road treks admittedly more touring oriented. Understanding that there are other more difficult locations that really up the off road factor such as a trip to the Simpson Desert or Cape York. Australia is a large country and you have to do the pavement and gravel roads to get to some of the good stuff.

The postings will be a bit slower moving forward. I had managed to pre-type everythign so far, but bear with me.

Cheers,
P

[mountainpete]

Pierre, this is great! Absolutely looking for more!

Pete