Motoz North to West South Australian Expedition

[motoz]

Flinders Ranges to Streaky Bay South Australia.

Jane and I joined the group from New Triton on the Flinders Ranges trip during the Easter long weekend. The Tour went from the Wednesday till when we departed to start our westward journey. A full trip report with pics can be found here;

http://www.newtriton.net/phpbb/viewt...p?f=27&t=11132

I will begin this trip report from Arkaroola and document our adventure north to Farina, across to Andamooka, then down the 'Googs Track' to Ceduna and then on to Streaky Bay.



The Flinders Ranges were fantastic. The recent rains through the area had done wonders and to see the area lush and green was truly spectacular. After doing a morning of 4wd tracks with the guys we made our way south to Copley then up to Lyndhurst.

From Copley we travelled north to Lyndhurst to refuel. As we approached the Leigh Creek Coal field we noticed there were a lot of Hawks circling in the sky above a ford in the road. There were hundreds of fish trying to cross the shallow causeway. The hawks were picking them off one by one as they made the impossible journey.



We decided to stay in Farina for the night. The town was settled in the late 1800’s with huge plans. There were 400 odd ¼ acre blocks to be sub divided though with problems with water and the moving of the railway line the town died a slow death. There is great bush camping on site at the station complete with a ‘donkey’ heated shower and flushing toilets.



The next morning we pushed west through Mulgaria Station over the top of Lake Torrens to Andermooka. The road conditions were quite poor. The track was in desperate need of repair as the recent rains had caused sections of track to be totally washed away. It took us over five hours to travel 150kms.

Goyders Survey point

The scenery was amazing and the flies were friendly.
There were many sites along the way and we could have taken a lot longer to stop and explore this ever changing landscape.



We arrived in the Opal mining town of Andamooka just on dusk. The last stint had put us slightly behind so after a quick pint at the hotel we pushed on down the thirty odd kms of blacktop to Roxby Downs for the night. The next morning after a refuel and top up shop we journeyed South to Purple Downs before the swing back up North to Parakylia, Billa Kalina, Mount Eba, Mount Vivian then on to Kingoonya.



This stint would take us through the Woomera Prohibited Area and along the ‘Dog Fence’. On the whole the track conditions were great and we averaged around 80km/k which were a welcome change from the 40kmp/h we had endured the day before.

[motoz]

I had planned to head straight to Kingoonya as the last point we could get fuel until Ceduna. With a quick google search Jane found a post from the operators of the Pub that they were closed due to bereavement. We changed plans and diverted to Glendambo.



Refueled and just on dusk we made our way to Tarcoola and the beginning of the Googs Track. The trip distance is 360kms to Ceduna, the track itself is a little over 200kms and runs North to South. It is mostly a hard packed single track that has about 300 sand dunes to negotiate. It’s recommended to travel from the South to the North as the angles of the dunes mean there easier to approach from the South.



To be honest we didn’t have an issue ascending any of the dunes some of which are 25 meters high. We drove the first part of the track till around the 30km mark and pulled up camp at Mt Fink.
It was great to get up in the morning and to see the amazing scenery that was hidden in the previous night’s darkness. A pre breakfast hike followed by a few photo’s of the surroundings and we continued the voyage south.
Jane drove the next 100 odd kms and I just enjoyed the ride and red sand of the desert country.



We stopped at Googs Lake for lunch and paid our respects at the monuments to commemorate the efforts of John ‘Goog’ Denton and his son ‘Dinga’ who decided to undertake this enormous task of building this track in 1976.
With about 70kms to go I was starting to get really bad feedback through the steering. The MN had decided to expel all the power steering fluid from the steering rack. With no spare fluid on board (have since added to our kit) I had to limp the Triton into Ceduna for repairs. The 360kms trip saw a fuel usage of 55lt for the Glendambo to Ceduna leg.

[motoz]

After a funny interaction with a somewhat animated mechanic we were back on track and en route to Streaky Bay.
NTBB had left us a map and we were at his property just on dusk. After introductions and a chat we made our way to the cabins on the shores edge. We were quite prepaired to camp though our host insisted we use the comfort of the cabin and relax after the previous 8 days tour.



The next day was a very laid back affair we took in the beautiful costal location and used the time to clean the vehicle and re gather our thoughts. NTBB came down in the afternoon with 3doz Oysters and a big heap of prawns that I’d arranged as a surprise for Jane.
Freshly shucked Oysters, a Prawn Saffron and Chilli Risotto all washed down with a bottle of Verve carried us through into the evening.



There were a couple of Kayaks on site so the following morning we paddled the two odd kms across Baird Bay to the Sealion Colony. We had the pleasure of at times up to 10 Sealions coming over to investigate and showoff as we gently paddled along. I couldn’t believe how inquisitive and playful there guys are.



Here's a couple more shots from our adventure to visit the Seals...

[motoz]

NTBB took an early minute from work and we headed out for a wheel along the coast and into the dunes. It was great to have a tour guide and he shared a lot of local knowledge taking us to some absolute gems.

put this one down to user error... :lol:



It seems that around every corner is another secluded bay, with hardly a soul in sight...



That night we joined one of his mates and went out to help rid the property of feral cats and foxes. Jane’s bit of an avid hunter so I got the job of passing the ammo, I still managed to stuff that up. The following morning we were loaded and began the journey along the blacktop back home.



With around 3000kms travelled over the 10 days this was a great trip. Its was great to test our setup over an extended period and on the whole worked exceptionally well. The only part that was set in this trip was the Flinders leg and Streaky Bay as the destination. It was great to take the road less travelled and see so much more than you would just touring the highways.

We would like to thank the guys we travelled with through the Flinders as well as NTBB and his family for the amazing hospitality he showed us.

[BobA]

Thanks for sharing