How to get from Darwin to Broome!

Whether you got to Darwin by plane, train (the Ghan), or my 7 day Road-trip from Adelaide, once you’ve seen the sights – like my TOP TEN things to do in Darwin – you’ll eventually have to leave.

But if you’ve got another 7 days (or more!) to kill, the alternative to returning the way you came is to take a road trip. Hire a car if you didn’t drive, and drive across the Top End through the Kimberley from Darwin to Broome via the Great Northern Highway!

But be warned! Even though the Darwin to Broome road trip CAN be done in a week, you must carefully pick and choose the sights you want to see or you’ll run out of time. That’s why my 7 day road trip itinerary has optional extras so you can add extra time and extra attractions!

So choose what you’d REALLY like to do from the itinerary and enjoy!

Day 1: Darwin to Victoria River Roadhouse

Distance: 510 km

Driving Time: 6-7 hours. Leave as early as possible – there’s a lot to see and do when you reach the Victoria River Roadhouse!

Route & Scenery: Head south from Darwin along the Stuart Highway, passing through tropical bushland and savannah and over low rocky ranges. At Katherine, leave the tropics behind and enter the RED Outback, heading south-west along the Victoria Highway. Near the Roadhouse, the road passes through Judburra/Gregory National Park and Stokes Range.

Points of Interest:

• This itinerary assumes you travelled to Darwin via Katherine and have already seen those attractions. For attractions between Darwin and Katherine, see Days 6 and 7 of my Adelaide to Darwin road trip itinerary.
• Outback scenery and pastoral properties, low ranges and Buntine Highway (alternative route to Halls Creek) turn off
• From the Victoria River Roadhouse, climb up to the Escarpment Lookout, hike the 1.7 km Joe Creek Loop Walk. Take a look at Australia’s WILDEST river (watch for crocodiles!), watch spectacular sunsets over the Victoria River Escarpment and have a meal at the roadhouse.

Options:

• Take an extra day to explore attractions en route to Katherine. Stay overnight in Katherine on Day 1 and travel to Victoria River Roadhouse on Day 2.
• Alternatively, stay at Katherine, then combine Days 2 and 3, seeing the Victoria River Roadhouse sights en route to Timber Creek

Read MORE: Things to do at Victoria River Roadhouse

Day 2: Victoria River Roadhouse to Timber Creek

Distance: 91 km (yes, you read that right!)

Driving Time: 1 hour (yes, you read that right!)

Route & Scenery: Head west from Victoria River Roadhouse, climb the Victoria River Escarpment and pass through the Stokes Range. Spectacular outback scenery complete with Boab trees all the way!

Points of Interest:

• Today’s short trip means there’s time to see any attractions around Victoria River you didn’t have time for yesterday.
• In Timber Creek, book a sunset Victoria River Cruise to see more of Timber Creek, discover Australia’s wildest river, see more crocodiles than you’ve probably ever seen before. AND enjoy drinks and snacks while watching the sunset.

Options:

• Save Timber Creek for another visit and continue to Keep River National Park campground (150 km), Lake Argyle (190 km) or Kununurra (225 km)
• Stay an extra night and explore Timber Creek. There’s the historic museum, Escarpment Lookout, crocodile feeding in the creek behind the caravan parks and more of Gregory National Park.

Read MORE: Cruising with Crocodiles on Australia’s Wildest River

SEE MORE:  Victoria River Region Photos on Flickr

Day 3: Timber Creek to Kununurra

Distance: 225 km

Driving Time: 3 hours (including extra for a WA/NT Border vehicle check – don’t carry fruit, vegetables, plants or flowers). Gain bonus extra time at the border by turning clocks back to WA time!

Route & Scenery: Drive west along the Victoria Highway passing through spectacular ranges and land formations. After the border checkpoint, approx 150 km from Timber Creek, continue to Kununurra.

Points of Interest:

• Keep River National Park, sometimes referred to as the Mini Bungle-Bungles, is just 3 km from the WA border.
• Lake Argyle, Australia’s largest body of fresh water, is 34 km off the highway just across the border.

Options:

• Stay overnight at the Keep River National Park campground for amazing scenery and the 7 km Jarnem Loop Trail
• Stay an extra night at Lake Argyle for a sunset or morning cruise and a dip in the infinity pool
• Extend your stay in Kununurra and use it as a base to explore the region thoroughly (including Lake Argyle and Keep River National Park)
• Stay an extra night at Wyndham to see the amazing Five Rivers Lookout at sunset, and a number of other attractions

Read MORE:

• Top TEN Things to do in Kununurra;
• 5 Reasons why Wyndham is a TOP Aussie Town;
• Marlgu Billabong

SEE MORE:  Kununurra Photos on Flickr

Day 4: Kununurra to Halls Creek

Distance: 360 km

Driving Time: 4 ½ – 5 hours

Route & Scenery: 46 km west of Kununurra, turn east onto the Great Northern Highway. Spectacular scenery with multi-coloured rock formations through the Carr-Boyd and O’Connell Ranges. Outback scenery with red rock and spinifex closer to Halls Creek.

Points of Interest:

• Doon Doon Roadhouse
• Warmun (Turkey Creek) Roadhouse, Indigenous Arts Centre and Bungle-Bungle Scenic Flights
• Punululu National Park (Bungle-Bungles)
• At Halls Creek, visit the China Wall quartz formation, Caroline Pool and Old Halls Creek.

Options:

• Stay an extra night at Warmun or one of the Bungle-Bungles campgrounds and explore Purnululu National Park
• Stay an extra night at Halls Creek and visit Wolfe Creek Crater National Park (260 km round trip) on the Tanami Road

Day 5: Halls Creek to Fitzroy Crossing

Distance: 290 km

Driving Time: 3 ½ – 4 hours

Route & Scenery: Travel south-west from Halls Creek passing through oddly shaped rocky mountains, cliffs and canyons then lightly wooded pastoral country.

Points of Interest:

• When in flood, the Fitzroy River has the largest water volume of any river in Australia.  In the world only the Amazon is larger!  Take a look – even if it’s NOT in flood!
• Take a cruise through Geikie Gorge, a Devonian reef system about 20 km from Fitzroy Crossing.

Options:

• Stay an extra day and explore Geikie Gorge via several walks, or take a tour to Tunnel Creek and Windjana Gorge.

Read MORE: The Incredible ‘Icebergs’ of Geikie Gorge

Day 6: Fitzroy Crossing to Derby

Distance: 260 km

Driving Time: 3 – 3 ½ hours

Route & Scenery: Head west along the Great Northern Highway and head north at the junction with the Broome-Derby road. It’s then only 40 km to Derby on King Sound.

Points of Interest:

• Watch the ebb and flow of the highest tides in Australia from the Derby Jetty. It’s 12 metres above the low tide line.
• Other Derby attractions include the Jandamarra Heritage Trail, old prison, Boab Prison Tree, Frosty’s Pool, the Long Trough and the Joonjoo Botanic Walk.

Options:

Stay an extra night in Derby and experience the Gibb River Road on the Windjana Gorge/Tunnel Creek Day Tour.  Alternatively, visit the Buccaneer Archipelago and Horizontal Waterfall

Read MORE: The Highest Tide in OZ!

Day 7: Derby to Broome

Distance: 220 km

Driving Time: 2 ½ -3 hours

Route & Scenery: Follow the Great Northern Highway south-west to Broome.

Points of Interest:

• Willare Bridge Roadhouse
• Roebuck Plains Roadhouse

Read MORE about Broome’s attractions:

• 5 Reasons to Visit Broome in July
• Good Times at Gantheaume Point
• Sun Pictures and the Scenic Public Loo!
• Broome Bird Observatory

SEE MORE:  Broome Photos on Flickr

Broome’s many attractions probably mean you’ll want to stay for a LOT longer than just one night! And why not? You deserve a break after an epic road trip like this!

And anyway, you may as well kick back and enjoy yourself while you work out where to go next!

Want even MORE?

• MORE about the Kimberley
• MORE Red Nomad OZ Roadtrips
• MORE Kimberley Photos on Flickr

PS  For the record, it took me 28 nights to do the Darwin to Broome Road Trip.  I spent 15 more nights exploring Broome and surrounds!

And I STILL didn’t see everything!

So yes, it CAN be done in 7 days – but if you’ve got the time, you’ll see a LOT more!

The post 7 Days from Darwin to Broome via the Great Northern Highway appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

As Aussie road trips go, the Lions Road NSW isn’t the best known. Or the longest. Or even the most demanding! But this 50 km fully sealed stretch of road linking the Mt Lindesay Highway near Queensland town Beaudesert with the Summerland Way near New South Wales town Kyogle is one of the most scenic, unusual and intriguing stretches of road in Australia.

According to me, anyway.

I’ve travelled the iconic community owned and operated Lions road in July 2014 twice.

Once travelling north from Kyogle, NSW to Rathdowney, Queensland; then later that same day back south to Kyogle. The drive itself doesn’t take long if you’re just trying to get from A to B.

But as a self-drive tour, the Lions Road NSW with its eclectic mix of natural attractions, fascinating history and unusual points of interest is as good a day out as you’ll find almost anywhere!

Here are my TOP 7 reasons why!

1 The History

If you want something done, it’s sometimes quicker to just do it yourself!

After government funding for a road roughly following the interstate railway line through the McPherson ranges fell through in the mid-late 1960s, the Kyogle and Beaudesert Lions clubs joined forces to build a gravel road themselves.

Since its official opening in 1973, the communities raise funds for

maintenance and improvements via a donation box at the Queensland/New South Wales Border, and visitors to the area have the option of a shorter, scenic and more direct route south.

The construction history in the area goes back even further to the railway line – a project employing over 1500 people over four years – with one of Australia’s most historically significant railway engineering feats in Australia, the Spiral Loop.

2 The Spiral Loop

To the casual observer, the photo (below) shows a fairly standard landscape featuring a not-unattractive well-forested hill with an jagged-edged mountain range in the background.

But lurking beneath the contours, pixellations and wooded slopes is one of Australia’s most intriguing feats of railway engineering. To reduce the length of the Main Range tunnel a few kilometres north, trains gain (or lose) 20 metres of altitude by passing through the mountain below the lookout twice, completing a loop. Naturally, given our national penchant for clear naming conventions, the whole structure is known as the ‘Spiral Loop’!

According to the Kyogle Council Visitor Information Guide, Neville Bonner (first Indigenous politician) was the first person to travel from QLD to NSW through the main tunnel. When he was a child, his stepfather worked on the line, and Neville was passed through the hole when the tunnel broke through!

Tragically, the daily passenger train from Brisbane generally passes through the loop and tunnel VERY early in the morning. So rather than risk a dark, frosty drive during our mid-winter stay in Kyogle, we planned a Sunday drive to catch the mid-morning goods train – which we would have done if not for a FLAT TYRE! So I leave you with this photo (above) of a passenger train passing the Kyogle Caravan Park instead!

Just as well a visit to the lookout is interesting in its own right, right?!?! Here’s a list of other things to do there (in no particular order):

a) Admire the Scenic Public Toilet!

b) Watch the birds (feathered)

c) Play ‘Spot the Trainspotter’

d) Walk the Border Loop Track!

3 Border Loop Track

From the Border Loop Lookout, the Border Loop Track is a 1.2 km easy stroll through a stand of wet eucalypt forest before entering the dense rainforest of the Border Ranges.

It’s an insight into the difficulties in constructing a railways roads through thick, tick-infested scrub over rugged and mountainous terrain!

4 The Viaduct

At the junction of the High and Low roads, a few kilometres north of ‘The Risk’ – the locality off the Summerland way where the Lions Road NSW starts just 19 km north-west of Kyogle – the Viaduct towers above Gradys Creek. From here, the Low road follows the railway line more closely before re-joining the High Road a few kilometres north.

But for me, the Viaduct is just another compelling reason (along with the Spiral Loop) to make the trip across the ranges by train one day!

5 New South Wales/ Queensland Border

There are a few good reasons to stop at the border. Here they are, in no particular order:

a) Make a donation. All funds raised from the donation box go to the Kyogle and Beaudesert Councils for maintenance and improvements of the road.

b) Check your rig for runaway rabbits! Because bringing a rabbit across the border into Queensland (that’s what EVERYONE wants to do, right?) will attract a fine of up to $44000.

Who knew?!

c) Admire the scenery (see 1st photo above). It’s REALLY worth it! Especially the view looking from the New South Wales side down the range – and extraordinarily steep road – into Queensland.

d) Take a photo or two, or two hundred. And be grateful I haven’t uploaded ALL the photos I managed to take in the few minutes we stopped at the border gate to Facebook.  There’s plenty – read: ‘more than enough’ – here, right?!

6 Andrew Drynan Park

Across the border, down the road and round the corner – actually, make that LOTS of corners and many crossings of Running Creek – the Andrew Drynan Park with its picnic area and campground is a great place to stop and admire the superb scenery.

And a scenic amenities block is one of the BEST reasons to stop! Or is that just me?!

7 Rathdowney

A turn-off to the left just before the Lions Road meets the Mt Lindesay Highway at Innisplain ends at Rathdowney, where we turned around for the return leg of our Lions Road NSW odyssey.

Gateway to the magnificent ranges of the Scenic Rim, including Mt Lindesay and Mt Barney, the small town of Rathdowney is a great base to explore the Rim’s eastern reaches.

But that’s another story!!

Lions Road: Fast Facts!

Name: Named for the Lions Clubs, not Mt Lion, part-way along the road

Start: The Risk, 19 km north-west of Kyogle on the Summerland Way

End: Innisplain, 24 km south of Beaudesert on the Mt Lindesay Highway

Traffic: Over 100,000 vehicles per annum

Distance: 50 km

Surface: Fully sealed

Restrictions:  Please NOTE that some vehicle height and weight restrictions may apply.  Please check before taking this route if you are towing, or if your vehicle is high.

Age: 40^th anniversary celebrated in 2013

Scenic Public Toilets: Two, one at the Border Loop Lookout; and the other at Andrew Drynan Park

Want MORE?

• The Lions Road
• Kyogle, New South Wales
• Rathdowney, Queensland
• Woodenbong, NSW (just across the border)
• Book:  “The Lions Road” (by Jack (JD) Hurley OAM)

The post 7 Reasons to Road-trip the Lions Road NSW appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

My first adventures on the Kanawinka Geotrail pre-date Pilchard by quite a few years. They also pre-date both owning a camera AND knowing that the Kanawinka Geotrail even existed!!

Now I know the Geotrail connects 60+ significant sites across South-Eastern South Australia and South-Western Victoria.  It forms Australia’s first UNESCO Global Geopark – one of the largest regions of volcanic activity in the world. Seeing them all was going to take a longer time than we had available.  Even though I’d had a head start going back nearly … well, never mind how long!

I’ve even passed through all five Precincts – Craters & Limestone; Plateaus and Falls; Coast & Caves; Cones & Flows; and Lakes & Craters – although I’ve only explored attractions in three.

But here’s a random selection of what I’ve discovered so far on the Kanawinka Geotrail!

1. Budj Bim – Mt Eccles NationalPark (Cones & Flows Precinct)

‘… stop! Stop!! STOP!!!’ Pilchard shouted as I strode ahead of him round the Lake Suprise circuit trail just above the high water mark. I nearly ignored him.

He’d probably just seen another bird fluttering through the trees lining the slopes of the Mt Eccles crater towering above us.

But I stopped anyway, sighing audibly with foot poised in mid-air in my very best ‘Girl Interrupted’ pose.

Just as well.

Something slithered under the dry grass at the edge of the track where my foot was about to land, dislodged a pebble or two, and hit the water with a plop. Was it any surprise the snakes were about on this warm spring day?

If I’d actually seen it, there’s no way I could have finished the 2km hike around the Crater Lake’s waterline. Which would have been a shame because the crater lake surrounded by cliffs and wooded slopes was a fantastic introduction to the fascinating Mt Eccles.  The mountain’s lava flow created ponds, wetlands and lakes were managed by the Gunditjmara people to form Australia’s first aquaculture initiative.

I’m not sure what REAL surprise Lake Surprise was named for – but I hope it was more pleasant than mine.

And maybe there’s something to having a well-trained birdwatcher observer’s eye …

2. Mt Rouse, Penshurst (Cones & Flows Precinct)

One of the advantages of a flat, treeless plain is that a killer view doesn’t require much elevation.  A smallish extinct volcano will do the trick! The scoria accumulation that is Mount Rouse rises 100 metres to tower over the tiny town of Penshurst and has the longest lava flow in Victoria.  The awesome view from the summit of Mt Rouse gives no indication, however, of the treasure below, hidden away in the town’s back streets.

Although it’s only a treasure if you’re a sucker for second hand books like I am! Ruriks Shed is the equivalent of a magic kingdom for bibliophiles – all the better for being completely unexpected AND in the shadow of an extinct volcano! Cool!!

Mount Rouse is unlikely to start erupting again anytime soon according to the nearby Penshurst Volcanoes Discovery Centre.  Its looming presence visible throughout the town remains a reminder of the violent forces that once shaped this part of Australia.

The staggering view across the lava plain to nearby volcanoes (Mt Napier and Mt Eccles) and the Southernmost edge of the Grampians Ranges (Mt Abrupt and Mt Sturgeon) is well worth the drive and short walk to the summit.  But I’m still thinking about how to mount a rescue operation for all the books I left behind …

3. Byaduk Caves (Cones & Flows Precinct)

‘Are they worth seeing?’ the older gentleman accompanied by a younger woman and two small children asked as we held the gate open for them at the Byaduk Caves carpark.

Now, how was I supposed to answer that without being a mind reader possessing more tact than I’ve ever been known for?

The Byaduk Caves are an intriguing system of sinkholes, lava tubes, domes and chambers.  They formed when a fountain of lava erupted from nearby Mt Napier, highest point in this district, and youngest volcano in Victoria.

Fascinating, if the resident colony of Bent-winged Bats didn’t bother you.

Or the possibility that the large snake we saw on the road in to the Caves complex wasn’t a loner.

I didn’t question whether the family group were locals and accustomed to the area’s hazards.  Or whether the kids were up to a hike through the long, dry grass.  Or whether they would find a few holes in the ground as interesting as I did.  Instead, I took the easy way out.

‘We thought so,’ I replied!

4. Tumuli (Cones & Flows Precinct)

Not far away, the Tumuli, also called Lava Blisters, were surrounded by long, dry grass. Just getting out of the car for a photo was enough to put me on full snake alert after the excitement of Mt Eccles.

However, the smallish domes (up to 10 metres high and 20 in diameter) are a rare occurrence in the wonderful world of volcanoes.  So I took what perhaps may be my only opportunity to photograph them in the wild …

I’ll leave you to decide if it was worth a potential snakebite …

5. Mt Schank, Mt Gambier (Plateaus & Falls Precinct)

Mt Rouse wasn’t the first extinct volcano I’d visited. Way WAAAAY back in the dim distant past – when I was nearly HALF the age I am now – I climbed Australia’s youngest volcano.  I was with my then flatmate on – yes, I was even doing it way back then – a road trip passing through Mt Gambier!

Living in a pre-Facebook and pre-digital photography world – yes, those were dark times – didn’t stop us from taking a ‘selfie’ equivalent. We wound our way up the 159 metre elevation to the top of Mt Schank to look down into the crater. Current tourist information talks of the marvellous summit views across the limestone plains, complete with lava flows. Those attractions clearly passed us by with our own selves front and centre in ALL the photos of this trip!

That wouldn’t happen today …

And there’s other differences between my current and past selves – next time I go to Mt Schank, I’ll SO be doing the crater floor walk!!

6. Tantanoola Caves Conservation Park (Craters & Limestone Precinct)

Even further back in the mists of time, the Tantanoola Cave formed an unwitting backdrop to a turgid little soap opera between me and one of the serial relationships of my (extreme) youth …

My then (thankfully now LONG-ex) boyfriend – lets call him David – and I were on a mini-break. A 4-day road-trip to South Australia’s South-East, and I was ready for some sightseeing.

Well, that’s why I travel to new places!

Not David. A bit of wacky ‘baccy in the hotel room, and a few drinks at the local pub was what he had in mind. He’d tried to cut the holiday short at the last minute citing lack of funds (those baggies don’t come cheap). I cleverly managed to persuade him to take the whole 4 days by agreeing to pay for everything, thus avoiding a costly cancellation fee.  In return, he dutifully ‘agreed’ to ‘pay me back later’!!!

Two words. ‘Young’ and ‘Silly’.

I have a few (perhaps presciently blurred) photos of this momentous, but long ago holiday so one of us must have had a camera.  But who actually took this GOOD photo of the inside of the Tantanoola Cave remains a mystery. I may have bought it from the kiosk. If anyone from the Tantanoola Cave recognises it, please let me know so I can give appropriate credit.

David wasn’t that interested in the cave, despite the scenic splendour of (what I now know to be) its pink dolomite caverns and unusual speleothems. But with the benefit of hindsight, I suspect he just wasn’t that interested in me.

But that’s OK. I got the best end of the break-up deal – I got to keep the road trips!!

7. Wannon and Nigretta Falls (Plateaus & Falls Precinct)

The first time I visited Wannon Falls, I didn’t take a photo, despite the impressive flow of water over the 30 metre high precipice.

The second time I went there, I was fascinated by The Taxpayers Reward – a not-so-scenic public toilet erected as part of a previous prime minister’s ‘Nation Building’ program!

But on my third and most recent visit, I’d just discovered it was part of the Kanawinka Geotrail – which gave my (endless) photographic recording and inspection of its points of interest far more gravitas!

So now I can tell you the river follows an ancient lava flow.

This photo (above) from Pilchard’s archive shows that not much changes at Wannon Falls apart from the amount of water and access to the bottom of the falls. But his interests have changed too.  Instead of the waterfall, he was (unsuccessfully) scanning the tree tops, as the picnic ground is a known Powerful Owl habitat.

We were both fascinated by the water at nearby Nigretta Falls, upstream, and part of the same river system. Absolute virgin territory (ie the first visit for both of us) these falls are supposedly on the site of a super volcano!!

Whether or not that is so, the falls and river above make a splendidly scenic spot to explore, have lunch or just hang out.

I can see an overnight stop at the Wannon Falls campground in our future – when Powerful Owl will not prove so elusive, if he knows what’s good for him …

8. Blue Lake, Mt Gambier (Craters & Limestone Precinct)

The best adventure is sometimes the one you haven’t had yet. Over the years, several road trips have taken me through Mount Gambier, in South Australia’s South-East, and site of the intriguing Blue Lake.  And if Blue doesn’t do it for you, the neighbouring slightly-less-blue lake (see below) has been imaginatively dubbed Green Lake (aka Valley Lake)!!

But other than buying a bottle of Blue Lemonade and taking a couple of photos – the above happily during November to March when the Blue Lake is at its bluest; there’s no corresponding period for when the Green Lake is at it’s greenest – the region remains a relative mystery.

SO … exploring the Blue Lake, Green Lake and neighbouring Crater Lakes complex remains firmly on the to-do list.

PS  Yes, we’ve now explored the Limestone Coast a bit more thoroughly, including even MORE Kanawinka GeoTrail attractions.  See below for the link!

Want MORE?

• Click each heading above for information about specific attractions
• Kanawinka Geopark
• Kanawinka Geotrail
• The Ultimate Beginners Guide to the Limestone Coast

The post 8 Random Adventures on the Kanawinka Geotrail! appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

For some, the whole point of Central Australia is Uluru. For others the whole point of AUSTRALIA is Uluru. And who can blame them? It’s HUGE. It’s magnificent. It’s RED!!

But Central OZ isn’t just about Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Of COURSE they’re several kinds of awesome, but there are lots of other attractions that’ll show you just as good (and far less crowded) a time! And – even better – they’ve all got that trademark Central Australian RED!

So you’ve hired the car, seen Uluru and you’ve got another few days to kill. Or if you’re REALLY lucky, you’re an Aussie with a camper trailer and a bit of time on your hands.

Just like me!

So what do you do?  Hit the road – and see my TOP 7 Central OZ Red HOT Spots!  Just click the headings for more info!!

1. Watarrka (Kings Canyon)

Just down the road and round the corner from Uluru, Watarrka, as it is known to the local indigenous people is SO worth the 166 km one way detour off the Lasseter Highway back towards Alice Springs. For many Aussies, visiting Kings Canyon is a tribute pilgrimage to a famous scene from classic OZ movie ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’. Haven’t seen it? Click HERE for a trailer!

But you don’t have to hike the Canyon in a frock to show yourself a good time. The 6 km (4 mile) Canyon Rim circuit requires a reasonable level of fitness, but as you cross the rugged rocks you’ll get to see stunning vistas across the plain, the Lost City and Garden of Eden and sensational sunsets that make those towering rocky RED cliffs GLOW.

Besides, it’s not a race! Is it?

Stay at the Kings Canyon Wilderness Resort campground (closest to the Canyon) or at nearby Kings Creek station so you don’t have to rush. The men in frocks have long gone, but the awesome RED Canyon will be here for a LONG while yet!

2. Stuarts Well

So you’re back on the Stuart Highway heading north to Alice Springs. An hour or so before you get there, you’ll pass the Stuarts Well Roadhouse. Unless you’re a SMART traveller, in which case you’ll stop. Because Stuarts Well has one of the most bizarre and uniquely Australian Outback travel experiences you’re likely to see.

Unless you’ve already spotted a singing, piano playing Dingo named Dinky someplace else, that is.

For many years, roadhouse owner Jim ran tours to Kings Canyon from a resort he and his family built from scratch on nearby leasehold land. Until one year, the landowner resisted all attempts to re-negotiate their lease. Strangely unwilling to ‘gift’ the resort they’d paid for and built by themselves on their leasehold to someone who hadn’t done anything towards it but collect the rent, Jim and his family destroyed it.

Now Jim’s based at Stuarts Well. As well as running tours to nearby Rainbow Valley, Jim now assists visitors achieve their (perhaps as yet unrealised) dream of seeing a singing, piano playing real live dingo in the flesh! For perhaps the first and last times in their lives …

There’s even accommodation and campsites at the roadhouse for those who want a dinner and show experience with a difference!

STOP PRESS!  In what must be a dark day for Central Australian Tourism, Dinky the Singing, Piano Playing Dingo has retired.  Of course, the legend lives on in the hearts and minds of those who have seen him … AND countless YouTube clips!  See Dinky in full voice HERE!

Just as well there’s a special bonus EXTRA attraction below to make up the numbers, huh?!

3. Rainbow Valley

Staying at Stuarts Well puts you in the hot seat for a 22 km one way dirt road detour off the Stuart Highway to the amazing Rainbow Valley.

With a rainbow of multicoloured rocks rising above the (frequently dry) salt lake in front of it, the rocks are easily accessed from a short track from the visitors car park.

Exploring and/or photographing the rocks is an excellent way to pass a few hours. Or a day. Or more …

Stay at the Rainbow Valley Campground (is it a coincidence that my best photo of the Valley contains one of the best Scenic Public Toilets in the country?) to be right in the (RED) hot seat for some extraordinary outback sunsets.And if it rains?Well … the road might be impassable, but at least you’ll get to-die-for pics of the amazing Rainbow Valley formations reflected in the lake!

And I’ll be as jealous as hell!

4. The Ochre Pits

Many years ago when I first toured the West MacDonnell Ranges, I didn’t call in to the Ochre Pits ~115 km from Alice Springs along Namatjira Drive. I won’t be making that mistake again! The intriguing contours of (not just RED) colour in the creek bed and surrounding rocks, and its status as a place of significance to local Indigenous people from the area show a different – and fascinating – side to Central Australia.

5. Ormiston Gorge

Just up the road from the Ochre Pits, if you can’t find LOTS of cool things to do at Ormiston Gorge, you clearly haven’t read my 7 TOP Ormiston Gorge attractions guide (see link in title)!

Yes, it’s going to take more than one day to explore this end of the West MacDonnell Ranges and Ormiston Gorge is the best spot from which to do it!

Staying at the nearby Glen Helen Resort with its own spectacular gorge, or the Ormiston Gorge campground means you don’t have to rush back to Alice Springs before you’ve seen – and done – everything.

But be warned. Don’t bother with this option unless you’re up for magnificent sunrises and sunsets; the Ormiston Gorge and Pound walk – one of the best short(ish) hikes in OZ; the stupendous splendour of nearby Mt Sonder; the beauty of Glen Helen Gorge and the glorious, glowing RED – everywhere!

6. Tnorala (Gosse Bluff) Conservation Reserve

This is as close as I got to Gosse Bluff. 175 km west of Alice Springs, the long line of gorges, waterholes and mountain ranges that forms the West MacDonnell Ranges comes to an end at Tylers Pass – from here the road snakes down onto the plain.

We’d spent the day exploring the area around Ormiston Gorge and driving as far as the Tylers Pass lookout had been an afterthought to end the day before heading back to the campground.

About 21 km from the lookout, the vast bulk of Tnorala – the remains of a comet crater, 5 km (~3 miles) across – is an impressive sight.

With no camping allowed at the Bluff, the only option was a flying visit. But even if we’d wanted to attempt a kamikaze night drive cutting a swathe through the nocturnal desert creatures feeding at the road’s edge, visitors to Tnorala need a Mereenie Tour Pass. And the nearest place to get one was back at Glen Helen Station.

But it’s SO on the list for next time!

7. Simpsons Gap

Yes, I know. EVERYONE’S been to Simpsons Gap, that narrow passage (there’s only so many ways to say ‘Gap’) through the MacDonnell ranges.

Only 18 km west of Alice Springs (or 17 km along the bike track) it’s the ‘Claytons’ Central Australia tripette de rigueur from the Alice if you haven’t got much time.

And there’s nothing wrong with that!

BUT the rewards are even greater for those who spend a bit more time and take the 1 hour return Cassia Hill walk up onto the schist escarpment (once part of the floor of a massive inland sea) and look down on the Gap.

Wildflowers, classic Central Australian scenery – and a staggering 360ºview, of which Simpsons Gap is a very small part.

That’s the thing about Central Australia. Wide open spaces. Magnificent mountain ranges. And an endless supply of RED!

Did I say SEVEN cool things? Of course there are WAAAAAAY more than that – so here’s another one for nothing!

8. Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles)

Even though it’s 412 km and ~4 hours north of Alice Springs, the great sprawl of spherical sandstone rocks weathered by the wind and sand all aglow in the Outback light are worth the trek.

Especially if you’re there at sunset. Or sunrise! Which generally means staying at the Devils Marbles campground, or at either of the nearby settlements of Wauchope or Wycliffe Well.

Aboriginal Dreamtime legend and scientific explanation both offer theories about the spheres’ formation. But in this region with its strong colours, harsh climate and stark beauty, the Indigenous theory seems more appropriate. It’s easy to see why this is a sacred site and also a ceremonial and trade meeting place for four different Aboriginal language groups.

Besides, just 20 minutes further south and also renowned as the alien capital of Australia is Wycliffe Well! But that’s another story …

Central Australia has enough other attractions in both colours – RED and not-RED – to keep you busy for weeks.

What’s YOUR favourite?

Want MORE?

• Central Australia
• Alice Springs
• More RED Nomad OZ in Central Australia

The post TOP 7 Central Australian RED HOT Spots once you’re done with Uluru! appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

Australian Opal

I didn’t understand all the fuss about SiO₂.nH₂O until 2004.

That’s when I first visited Coober Pedy.  It’s slap bang in the middle of absolutely freakin’ nowhere in the South Australian Outback.  And it’s where I first found a piece of SiO₂.nH₂O I wanted to take home with me.

You might know SiO₂.nH₂O better as Hydrous Silica. Or maybe Opal!  Down here, diamonds AREN’T a girl’s best friend. 95% of the world’s opal is sourced from downunder, so Australia comes by its national gemstone honestly!  Australian Opal Rules!

Back in Coober Pedy, there was only one thing standing between me and my Opal. A small matter of $AUD800+. A bit much for my wallet, even if it was already a tasteful ring that actually fitted me.

But then I had a scathingly brilliant idea!  Why not find my OWN piece of opal and make my OWN jewellery? It couldn’t be THAT hard, could it?

So over the next few years I disregarded the legendary BAD luck attached to precious opal. My quest took me to five Aussie opal towns, also slap bang in the middle of nowhere. That’s because the ideal climatic and geological factors in which cryptocrystalline hydrous silica (yep, that’s yet another way of saying OPAL!) forms seem to occur in the harshest, most desolate and inhospitable land on earth.

Where else but the Australian Outback!

Was my quest successful? Well … here’s a set of random adventures from each Australian Opal town!

1. Coober Pedy, SA – Australian Opal’s capital

I awoke in perfect pitch blackness and waited for my eyes to adjust to the light.

They didn’t.

That’s what happens in a windowless room hewn from the solid rock under Coober Pedy in the middle of the night. But for the absence of shackles we could have been in a dungeon. Although the locals who’d built underground to beat the heat were probably used to it.

Meanwhile, the noise from above that had woken me – a pinging sound like pebbles on an iron roof – continued.

I put aside thoughts of poison pills, ventilator shafts and being buried alive. If anyone wanted to do me in, it’d be simpler to dump me in a disused mine-shaft!

Most of South Australia’s 80% contribution to the world opal market is mined in Coober Pedy.  It’s a pock-marked paradise where the golf course (‘blacks’ instead of ‘greens’) enjoys reciprocal rights with St Andrews of Scotland.

This isolated town has what I believe to the world’s only underground campground.  The Big Winch also has the distinction of being first place in the world where we successfully demonstrated a complete lack of opal-finding expertise.

And the noise?? Rain, of course!

2. Yowah, QLD – Australian Opal Exclusive

From our vantage point high above on the Bluff, the small town was almost lost in an endless sprawl of vegetation.  It promised total disorientation if you left the main road in.

Below us was the only place in the world where Yowah Nuts – small rocky nuggets of opal – are found.

Stay in Yowah for a full-on Outback experience to go with your Yowah Nuts.  This town is SO remote it’s visited by the Royal Flying Doctor Service.  The only fuel in town at the caravan park is only available to their paying guests!

I didn’t expect to meet an ex-legionnaire, whose anecdotes about life in the Foreign Legion, including the true meaning of ‘decimate’, kept us entertained over lunch at the town’s only cafe!

After that, getting a fossickers license seemed a bit anti-climactic.

Luckily for inept unlucky opal-mining tragics like me, opal can be purchased locally.

SO … I was forced to descend into true tourist behaviour.  After passing up several fiendishly expensive cuts, I bought my first ever piece of opal.

A multi-coloured shard of Yowah Nut cunningly carved into a pendant.

Although I have to stand right for the sun to illuminate its colours, at only $AU25, it’s a reminder of what awaits our return to Yowah.

3. Lightning Ridge, NSW

As we left the Lightning Ridge Visitor Information Centre, I was asked the dumbest question in living memory.

‘D’ya reckon we’ll like it here, love?’ the the most inebriated of a clutch of beer-swigging Grey Nomads asked.  He drunkenly staggered against the door as he held it open for me.

Say what?

But Lightning Ridge is memorable for a whole lot of other reasons. We followed the ‘Car Door’ self drive tours to the Corcoran Opal fields – the richest stretch of black-opal-bearing soil on earth.  We also saw enough quirky attractions to make us wonder exactly what was in the super-heated bore water bubbling up from the Great Artesian Basin way below into the hot baths full of tourists exhausted after a day in the diggings.

Quirky Lightning Ridge

Think Flying Combi, the Chambers of the Black Hand, the Black Queen Experience and Amigo’s Castle! AND it’s home of the self-proclaimed ONLY black-opal-mining Cactus Farmers in the WORLD!! Black opal requires a tonne of equipment to reach the depths at which it is found.  So our short stay was spent exploring the place where legendary and prolific Aussie author, Ion Idriess worked and wrote ‘Lightning Ridge’ over 100 years ago.

Ironic, though, that any one of his books is now worth more than all the Australian opal Pilchard and I have EVER scavenged put together!!

4. White Cliffs, NSW

Call me a coward, but I can’t face the overhang of a LOOONG ladder tilting backwards into oblivion with nothing between me and the bottom of the mine shaft.  That’s why I did my ‘research’ on the surface while brave boy Pilchard went below for a mine tour.

The good news is there’s almost as much opal on the surface these days.  It’s hidden in the cast-offs surrounding the deserted mine-shafts scattered over the surface, if you don’t mind worthless smaller pieces! Tragically, the collection of ‘colour’ Pilchard and I found after a hard day digging won’t even make jewellery, let alone our fortune.  But I finally got the thrill of the quest and why people keep coming back for more.

Besides, White Cliffs is the only place on earth with unique Australian Opal Pineapples!

As a special treat, the owners of the Red Earth Opal Showroom and Cafe who’d shown Pilchard through their mine, threw in an above-ground mine-shaft tour for free for me.

A real bargain considering it normally costs 50c!

And what’s NOT to love about the place I spent 7½ minutes in paradise?

5. Quilpie, QLD

A bakery run by a gun shearer who still holds the world record for the most sheep shorn in one day is one of many distractions from Quilpie’s main business of mining boulder opal. Hell, with its own HOT Artesian Bore baths and in-season entertainment, you don’t even have to leave the Caravan Park to find yourself a good time!

It’s also not far from Eromanga – arguably furthest spot from the ocean in any direction in Australia.  With attractions like these, you could stay in Quilpie for a week without even thinking about Opal.

The ‘Deuces Wild’ Opal Mine is SO remote a rescue party is sent out (at your expense) if you’re not back by 5:00pm. The distraction of Bourkes Parrot, a lifer for twitcher Pilchard, was almost enough excitement without hunting for the elusive opal.

On the claim, our ever-growing opal-mining ‘expertise’ resulted in some seams of ‘colour’ running through the rock. But while they look nice in the sun, I’m not sure how they’ll become my Opal Ring …

The Quest for Australian Opal Continues

To date, the unkind could successfully argue my quest for my own piece of SiO₂.nH₂O jewelry has been a fools errand! But in the process, I’ve discovered an intriguing sub-culture out on the edge which I’m not yet done exploring.

SO … watch this space – and maybe next time I’ll hit the Australian Opal jackpot!

Want MORE?

• Opal according to Wikipedia
• Coober Pedy, South Australia
• Yowah, Queensland
• Lightning Ridge, New South Wales
• White Cliffs, New South Wales
• Quilpie, Queensland
• MORE Aussie ABC!

The post Aussie ABC: O is for Opal! appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

I was 4 – nearly 5! – the first time I crossed the Nullarbor. Christmas day, and we were on the Indian Pacific* heading for Adelaide. We’d spent Christmas eve in a pub somewhere in rough as guts Western Australian gold-mining town Kalgoorlie, but I don’t remember that.  Maybe I had blanked it out …

Many years later, I made my second Nullarbor crossing, this time as an adult by car along the Eyre Highway. And while it was hot, dry and dusty with a killer sand-laden wind fresh from the furnaces of hell, I couldn’t suppress the frisson of excitement that travelling this iconic landscape gave me.

Because the Eyre Highway’s 1660 km length**, crossing two monster states, three time zones and the world’s largest limestone karst shelf covering 200,000 km²makes a Nullarbor crossing the ultimate Australian rite-of-passage road trip!

The Nullarbor is WAY more than just a long, dusty drive from A to B.

With unique Australian AND World Exclusives jostling for position amidst magnificent coastal scenery, remote roadhouses and the opportunity to be truly alone, who WOULDN’T want to experience the wonders of the treeless (Null = none; arbor = tree) plain?

BUT … if you’re having trouble picturing how a Nullarbor crossing – perhaps the ultimate Australian travel adventure – is a good thing, here’s 6 trip-teaser things to see and do on the Nullarbor Plain so you can see what you’re missing!!

 1 The Golf:

OK, you’re on the Nullarbor on (arguably) Australia’s greatest road trip and I’m talking GOLF??

Yes.

Even if – like me – you’re NOT a golfer, you’ll surely want to add a World Exclusive like World’s LONGEST golf course to your repertoire, right??

Nullarbor Links stretches 1365 km (848 miles) over 18 holes from the ‘CY O’Connor’ and ‘Golden Mile’ holes in Kalgoorlie to ‘Denial Bay’ and ‘Oyster Beds’ at Ceduna with 14 other aptly named holes – think ‘Skylab’ at Balladonia, ‘Nullarbor Nymph’ at Eucla and ‘Dingo’s Den’ at the Nullarbor Roadhouse – along the way. And you don’t have to lug a whole lot of (to me) superfluous golfing gear around either! Hire clubs at each hole!!

MORE about Nullarbor Links!

2 The Bight:

Once across the border into South Australia, the highway skirts the Bunda cliffs with their white base of Wilson Bluff Limestone.

A dramatic edge to the Great Australian Bight – that 1160 km long mouthful shaped chunk that eats into Southern Australia – the impressive 200 km of unbroken cliffs is part of the longest sea-cliff line in the world.

From here, there’s NOTHING between you and Antarctica except what we Aussies call the Great Southern Ocean. To the rest of you, it’s just part of the Indian Ocean.

MORE about Great Australian Bight and Great Australian Bight Marine Park

3 The Whales and other Wildlife:

Between May and October each year, up to 60 Southern Right Whales migrate to this area to breed and calve. One of the best places to sight them is the northernmost tip of the curve of southern coastline, imaginatively called Head of Bight!

Get below the cliff line on the Great Australian Bight Marine Park’s viewing platform that puts you as close to the whales as you can get without getting wet! But don’t just drop in like we did – break your journey at the nearby Nullarbor Roadhouse so you can spend all the time you want whale watching.

If whales aren’t your thing, birdwatch at the Eyre Bird Observatory – Nullarbor Quail-thrush is only found on the Nullarbor!

Failing that, foolishly driving from dusk onwards will virtually guarantee sightings of wildlife up REAL close …

MORE about Head of Bight’s Whale Watching AND Eyre Bird Observatory

4 The Exclusives:

A Nullarbor road-trip really is the best way to appreciate Australia’s size and scope as well as some experiences to be had nowhere else in Australia – or the World!

During the trip, experience the longest straight stretch of road in Australia!

Just how long IS 90-mile straight?? Of course … it’s 91.1 miles (or 146.6 km)!!

And if you miss the bight and longest line of sea-cliffs in the world because you’re travelling by train, make up for it by riding the longest straight stretch of railway line in the world – 478 km (297 miles).

Under the world record breaking limestone karst, worn by the weathering of millenia, lies the world’s longest cave system complete with rockholes and blowholes, including Koonalda Cave and Murrawijinie Caves near the Nullarbor Roadhouse.

At 2.5 million acres, Rawlinna station is the biggest sheep station in the world!

Yes, that makes it bigger than quite a number of countries … although the dry sheep equivalent out here is pretty low!

Taking a photo of the big nothing emptiness isn’t too difficult … on roads this long, there’s not a lot of other traffic to get in the way!

5 The History:

Perhaps because of its isolation, harsh climate and unique features, the Nullarbor’s fascinating history can be experienced along the way.

Several settlements and roadhouses are built around the Telegraph line, like Eucla, near the WA/SA border, once the busiest Telegraph Station outside the capital cities when it opened in 1877. Drowning in sand, the ruins can still be accessed by 4WD.

The Eyre Bird Observatory was once an historic Telegraph Station, itself on the site of a watering hole used by Edward John Eyre during his Nullarbor Crossing. Back on the highway, nearby Cocklebiddy was once an Aboriginal mission. Indigenous legend and history is further explored at the Head of Bight Interpretive Centre.

If you can remember back to 1979, spare a thought for Skylab when you reach Balladonia – debris was found at Woorlba Sheep Station 40 km east. A Cultural Heritage Museum in the hotel complex also recreates the area’s history including Aboriginal Dreaming legend and Afghan Cameleers.

To cement YOUR place in history, pick up a Nullarbor Crossing Certificate from the Norseman Tourist Centre OR from the Port Augusta Wadlata Visitor Information Centre – depending on from which end your trip started!!

6 The Nullarbor Nymph:

The story of a blonde white woman living among kangaroos on the Nullarbor Plain was first reported, perhaps unsurprisingly on the day after Xmas, 1971.

After some footage of a woman wearing kangaroo skins was released – did I mention she was half-naked?? – the small town of Eucla (then with a population of 8) on the Western Australian side of the border with South Australia, was swamped by journalists from around the world.

Sadly, the Nullarbor Nymph was outed as a hoax in 1972, although perhaps she remains a subliminal fantasy for in the ‘best’ Aussie tradition, the story of the nymph has been immortalised in a (you’ll not be surprised to hear low-budget) film.

Most – if not all – travellers won’t get to see the nymph, so will have to content themselves with this Aussie BIG Thing at the Half-way Across Australia mark instead …

MORE about the Nullarbor Nymph AND more about the FILM and Kimba’s BIG Galah!

Just between us, this is only the beginning … there are WAAAAY more than these 6 things to see and do on the Nullarbor!  But I’ll leave finding the rest up to you!!

Interested? Intrigued?? Incited??? THEN … Read MORE:

• The Nullarbor Plain, South Australia and Western Australia
• Travellers Guide to the Nullarbor

ALL the Aussie ABCs:

• M is for Mount Kosciuszko
• L is for Lookout
• K is for Kangaroo
• J is for Jabiru
• I is for Islands
• H is for Holiday
• G is for Gorge
• F is for Fossils
• E is for Emu
• D is for Dune
• C is for Crocodile
• B is for Bushranger
• A is for Alice Springs

* Famous Australian train running from Sydney to Perth ie between the Indian and Pacific oceans!!

** From Norseman, Western Australia to Port Augusta, South Australia – with the accepted limits of the Nullarbor Plain being the ~1200 km from Norseman to Ceduna. The actual distance from Perth to Adelaide is 2700 km.

The post Aussie ABC: N is for Nullarbor appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

Blowering Dam

The chances of the overly excitable, imaginative and paranoid of finding their Blowering Dam Wall public amenities experience a little stressful are better than average.

World Water Speed Record

Not to the neurotic, anyway!!

• Blowering Dam and Snowy Mountains Scheme
• Tumut, New South Wales
• World Water Speed Record
• The other Australian Scenic Public Toilets

The post The Blowering Dam Dunny – Scenic Loo #35 appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

STOP PRESS!  2020 Farina Bakery Update:  Due to COVID-19 the Farina Bakery South Australia will NOT be operating in 2020.  However, the Farina historic township and Farina campground will be open and can be visited in line with South Australian state government border closures and travel restrictions. 

The sign shimmered through the haze of dust and heat like a mirage. Or the product of too much wishful thinking. Or the BEST kind of fantasy …

Whichever it was, the Bakery Baking Today sign at the turn-off to the Farina Historic Township in the middle of the South Australian Outback just HAD to be too good to be true.

Where is Farina?

Because over 600 km (370+ miles) north of Adelaide, we were on the last stretch of continuous bitumen for several hundred kilometres.  Which kind of put us in the middle of nowhere!

We’d already passed Lyndhurst, a roadhouse and small settlement at the beginning of the tyre-shredding Strzelecki track.  That notorious stretch of dirt through the Strzelecki desert connects Lyndhurst with Innamincka, 469 km (291 miles) to the north east.  We’d driven a short distance along the track, but pulled out before all four tyres became punctured.

From Marree, there were only two ways out.  East along the Oodnadatta track, a 607 km (377 miles) dirt track through the remote Outback that joined the Stuart Highway at Marla.  Or the fabled Birdsville track to – you guessed it – Birdsville, 519 km (322 miles) further north.

Yes, we were on the outskirts of Australia’s Boys Own Adventureland.  A 4WD and/or motorcyclists’ paradise traversed by groups of three (WHY ALWAYS THREE???) blokes.  And on this day, we would, for the first time, visit the start of each of these iconic tracks.

Now, en route to Marree, we’d heard about Farina, a ghost town full of ruins.

Wasn’t it??

A Bakery in a Ghost Town

The white marquee rising incongruously above the partially restored stonework of the Farina ruins in the distance suggested otherwise.

As did the banner indicating South Aussie icon Laucke Flour’s personal interest in this little bakery in the middle of nowhere.

Clearly, further investigation was required, so I turned to Pilchard – but the car had already swerved towards the turn-off. No bakery-seeking-sensor required in THIS car!!

As we drew closer to the knot of vehicles gathered around the cluster of old buildings surrounding the marquee, the smell of freshly baking bread gave the game away.

Yes, there really WAS a fully functional bakery in this remote ruin. And judging by the roaring trade being done with the constant arrival of incredulous visitors from both north and south, a Back-of-Beyond Bakery was just what the doctor ordered.

A VERY Civilised Restoration!

In a masterstroke so civilised it should be made mandatory, the underground Bakery was the first building to be restored to full working order by the Farina Restoration Group Inc (FRG).

Ironic, given that Farina is, of course, the Latin word for flour. And the town was so named in expectation of it becoming the ‘Granary of the North’. Sadly, the unpredictable climate, remote location and lack of water ultimately meant its decline, despite its one-time position as the railway head for all northern lines.

But in one of those undeniably symmetric coincidences, Farina is finally living up to its name.  Now the Underground Bakery opens for a few weeks every year in the Australian winter months.  It’s become a focus for fund-raising, publicity and – of course – a completely unexpected opportunity for an excellent Back-of-Beyond Bakery pig-out.

This was one of those times that sacrificing myself for the sake of my blog became not just a duty, but a pleasure!

Farina Bakery Volunteers

Bron and Syd, volunteers from FRG that keeps the Bakery operational for a few weeks in May, June and July, expertly fielded queries, served customers and – in my case – mopped up the coffee I overturned in the excitement of finding this bizarre bakery.

All while posing for photos!

The FRG, now about five years old, was founded by Tom Harding.  Along with current station owners Kevin and Anne Dawes,he saw Farina’s potential as an historic site and set about restoring it as a tourist attraction.

Apart from partnerships with various organisations and professional stonemasonry, all work on site is done by volunteers – to volunteer in 2021, use the online registration form HERE.

Those who are planning a similar venture should not underestimate the effectiveness of having a Bakery drawcard!  Word of mouth has already worked its magic at Farina – as winter’s onset signals the start of the Outback Adventure season and all sensible travellers head north for warmth.

Judging by the number of vehicles out the front, most of them stop at the bakery, spending up big on baked goods and souvenirs.

Stay at Farina Station Campground

Of course it helps that Farina station has also set up the excellent Farina campground with barbecues, fire pits, toilets (look out for one of them in MY BOOK!) and hot showers.  All this luxury can be yours for just $AUD5 per person per night. It’s an excellent staging post en route to the rough stuff of the tracks further north. But it’s a destination in its own right with walks along the river and along the disused railway tracks.  The story boards along the way detail the history of the town’s rise, fall and restoration.

The Group’s volunteers stay on site in the campground for the annual restoration activities while the bakery is operating.  Some are reportedly the bakery’s best customers, and they work on a roster system to ensure the bakery stays open.

I almost joined up on the spot!

What’s on Offer?

Of course it also helps that the Bakery goods are absolutely top shelf.  The old Scotch oven in the underground kitchen turns out an astonishing array of sweet, savoury and plain breads and rolls; pies; sausage rolls; and pasties.  Oh, and the best cream buns I’ve ever had the privilege of tasting.

Martin, the baker du jour, dexterously whipped trays of superbly baked goods out of the oven while telling us he’d co-opted a few of his baker buddies to volunteer for a stint at Farina.

‘Well, they USED to be my friends,’ he laughed, while proving – at least to MY satisfaction – that 80 years of disuse didn’t seem to have affected the oven’s effectiveness.

The oven’s underground location probably also helped to preserve it.   One of the many storyboards around the ruins mentions the destruction of outside dunnies in violent storms.  And that, my friends, means no Scenic Public Toilet pic from the Farina ruins.

However, there IS an awesome dunny in the picnic area down in the campground to be found in my book Aussie Loos with Views!

But I digress …

One of the Driest Places on Earth!

This arid part of the South Australian Outback is the driest part of the driest state in the driest continent on earth.  As we drove to and from Farina, it was easy to see the hardships faced by the early settlers in these outback towns. After a long, hot and dry summer, today’s green and fertile pastoral country could be tomorrow’s dust bowl.

But the FRG’s hardy bunch of volunteers are putting Farina back on the map by offering their unique Bakery at the Back-of-Beyond experience!

And that puts it well and truly on the map for THIS Aussie traveller!

STOP PRESS:  The Farina Underground bakery will NOT be open in 2020 due to COVID-19.  However the historic township of Farina and the Farina campground will be open in line with South Australian border closures and travel restrictions.

Want MORE?

• Farina Restoration Group Official Website
• Copley things to see and do, Outback South Australia
• Lyndhurst things to see and do, Outback South Australia
• Strzelecki Track
• Oodnadatta Track
• Birdsville Track

* PLEASE NOTE:  The Bakery is only open for a few weeks in May/June/July.
** Oscar Wilde said it first, and best

The post The Bizarre Back-of-Beyond Bakery – Farina, South Australia appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

Live on the edge from just ten bucks a night.

That’s all it cost us for a powered site at Carrieton’s Horseshoe View Caravan Park with the Stay-2-nights-Get-2-nights-FREE deal.

While the special deal isn’t available now, the real cost is still a small price to pay for a chance to explore Carrieton South Australia. It’s perched on the edge of the vast expanse of the Minburra Plain stretching east with virtually nothing civilised to stop it until it hits the Barrier highway en route to Broken Hill.

Although that doesn’t really count as civilisation either!

Staying in Carrieton

Three hours north of Adelaide on the alternative route to the Flinders Ranges, Carrieton is a TOP Aussie town. It’s also a hidden jewel in South Australia’s mid-north which is often ignored in favour of the big ticket items further north.

But bypass Carrieton and you’ll miss some of the most intriguing and delightful Outback scenery in South Australia!

It’s no hardship to stay for 4 nights and get the full benefit of the Horseshoe View’s special deal. The superbly set up AND quiet little caravan park has everything.  It’s off the main road in the old school grounds purchased by the community when the school was closed a few years ago.

Not a camper? You’ll LOVE how the locals have converted the old school buildings into cottage and bunkhouse style accommodation.

Carrieton History

The locals are used to living on the edge. Yanyarrie Whim is on the outskirts of town.  It’s all that remains of the watering point on the 1800s North/South Stock Route and mining trail responsible for putting Carrieton on the map.

Partly responsible for keeping Carrieton ON the map these days are the annual December night Rodeo.  This event is one of the largest in South Australia.  There’s also the April/May Campdraft and Gymkhana.

The district’s low and inconsistent rainfall drove many from the land leaving only a legacy of stone ruins behind.  It’s on the wrong side of the Goyder Line, surveyed in 1865 to determine the boundary of viable cropping land.

Later, the Prince Alfred mine closed in 1907, the railway in 1981, followed more recently by the school.  Carrieton faced an uncertain future.

Now taking responsibility for keeping it on the map is a determined and forward-looking progress association.  They are refusing to let the town die.

Community owned and run, the caravan park is just one innovation to keep the town afloat. The excellent and well stocked general store – also a community initiative – means visitors can stay in town to purchase fuel or food.

But the REAL reason to base yourself on the edge in Carrieton is to explore this amazing and intriguing region of South Australia.  Many Aussies haven’t even heard of it, let alone seen it!  A selection of sightseeing options will make up several day trips.  Especially if you don’t forget to factor in some time to relax in the beautifully kept school grounds, and chat to the friendly locals.

So here’s one version of how to spend 4 days on the edge in Carrieton South Australia:

Day 1: Eat and Explore

Drive 44 km north to the Cradock Hotel for lunch. Sightings of the ghost of former publican ‘Lawrence’ aren’t guaranteed, but you WILL get a great meal served up with country hospitality!

When you return, explore Carrieton’s attractions like Yanyarrie Whim (see below) and the excellent 12 metre Mosaic Mural depicting the town’s history on the Public Toilets. YES, the Loo AND the mural are IN MY BOOK!

Ask for directions to the creek behind the caravan park and walk up the creek bed where massive river Redgums and high RED cliffs tower above you.

Then set up a date with the sunset over the Horseshoe Range …

Day 2: Ruins and Redgums

Take a picnic lunch and drive 20 km east on the Oladdie road to Johnburgh.  The superb mountain scenery includes farmland, many ruins and unusual rock formations.

After looking around almost-ghost-town Johnburgh, take the Belton turnoff and follow the marvellous Bendleby Ranges to the Weira Creek crossing.

The massive River Redgums are locally known as ‘widowmakers’ because a branch big enough to crush a house (or a person) can fall without warning …

After lunch, return to Carrieton via the Belton road – and watch for the clouds of pink dust billowing behind you on this oddly coloured road surface.

Oh! And the scenery’s not bad either …

Day 3: Lookouts and Landscapes

Drive 35 km south to Orroroo then further south via Pekina (check out the Pub and Coffee shop!); to Magnetic Hill, an intriguing natural phenomenon.

Return via Black Rock and take a detour to the Black Rock Lookout for superb views across the valley to the Pekina Range.  Take a walk through Black Rock Conservation Park to see what the countryside looked like before being cleared for grazing and cropping.

In Orroroo, the Tank Hill Lookout has superb views to the north and a superb cafe in the main street. Then check out South Australia’s largest River Redgum, the old Railway Bridge and the historic buildings in town.

On the way back to Carrieton, stop at Walloway, site of a nasty train crash in the early 1900s.  A little further north, take a look at the Eurelia railway siding for a sample of the area’s history.

For a total heritage experience, take a detour and return via the historic town of Hammond.

Day 4: Ranges and Rocks

Take another picnic lunch and drive 28 km west through the superb countryside of the rocky Horseshoe Range towards Moockra Tower. When the road gives out, hike to the Tower for splendid views over the Range and Willochra Plain to the west.

Back in Carrieton, after testing out the golf course circumnavigating the town, make another date with that sunset …

And thank me – along with the locals!! – for introducing you to this little-known wonderland. It won’t take much to make Carrieton part of your South Australian Flinders Ranges, Mid-North or Outback experience.

Although my stay in Carrieton South Australia undoubtedly assisted the local community in a small way, it didn’t take long to realise the locals were doing ME a favour by making it easy for me to stay and enjoy life on the edge!

Want MORE?

• Carrieton, South Australia
• South Australia’s Mid North
• Flinders Ranges, South Australia

 

The post Life on the Edge … Carrieton South Australia appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

The lyrics of Aussie folk ballad Waltzing Matilda* are responsible for most people’s entire knowledge of billabongs**.  So visiting a real one – like Marlgu Billabong – raises certain expectations.

Visiting a real Billabong

That’s why I found the unexpected lack of swagmen, coolibah trees, jolly jumbucks and troopers at the Marlgu Billabong, oasis in the Kimberley west of Kununurra, a staggering disappointment.

But we didn’t have to wait long to find out why!

The two-sentence teaser from the Glove Box Guide to the East Kimberley didn’t fully capture the essence of Marlgu Billabong or prepare us for its many attractions.

A boardwalk and shaded bird hide have been constructed over a billabong within the Parry Lagoon Nature Reserve. A birdwatcher’s paradise.

Yes, it was technically accurate.  But no, it didn’t describe the reality.

Birds at Marlgu Billabong

The description would – and did – capture a twitcher’s attention. “Marlgu” is an Aboriginal word meaning “wild bird”, after all. But it wasn’t going to reel in the crowds that Marlgu Billabong, an unexpected jewel-like Outback oasis, deserves.

And the roads in weren’t doing it any favours either.

But then, it’s probably just as well. Massive crowds at Marlgu Billabong would almost certainly affect the quality of an experience dependent on listening, observing and patience. Even though bigger crowds would significantly enhance my own secret indulgence – people watching!

And watching the visitors who think Marlgu Billabong is an amusement park with performing animals just waiting for their pix to be uploaded onto a random strangers FaceBook page are funniest of all. Because the creatures who frequent this remote and sometimes inaccessible spot are wild, unpredictable and don’t seem to have the tourist experience at the top of their agenda!

A quiet observer is usually rewarded, and although it’s possible to come here and NOT see anything, that didn’t happen to us!

Despite the crowds!

Where is it?

Marlgu Billabong is on the alternative back route (read ‘rough 4WD track’) from Kununurra to Wyndham.  The Parry Lagoon Nature Reserve of which the billabong is a part, is a RAMSAR*** wetland of international significance as it’s on the shorebird migration route.

Although shorebirds are the last thing you’d expect to see after driving through the magnificently dry and arid East Kimberley landscape en route to the Billabong.

The parched dry season landscape doesn’t look as if it’s EVER been wet, let alone wet enough to support a large and thriving permanent waterhole.

Crocodiles!

But it isn’t just used by the 60+ bird species we observed on our two visits (totalling 3-4 hours).  The birds didn’t seem worried by the ever-present – and quite large – crocodiles that delighted the random selection of tourists who actually saw them.

Maybe because the big crocs rarely bother with such small prey.  The energy burned by catching them is far greater than the small amount replaced by eating them!

They’re after larger prey. Like swagmen and jumbucks.

And maybe even tourists!

Killer photographs aside, witnessing direct interaction between the crocodiles and the bird life wouldn’t have been pleasant. Thankfully, despite the aggression imbalance, the scene remained peaceful and serene.

Our caravan park neighbour also seemed happy enough not to be involved in a direct human/croc interaction, albeit for different reasons. Upon hearing he was to travel northern Australia in a campervan, his Swiss friends were apparently convinced he’d fall victim to a crocodile attack.

‘So I CAN’T be taken by a crocodile, you see,’ he explained. ‘I’d never live it down!’

What to expect at the waterhole

A random selection of vehicles jolted down the rough, rocky track to the waterhole from the old Telegraph Station on Telegraph Hill overlooking the billabong. I was pretty sure they were breaching the hire care agreement.

They were only a brief distraction from the billabong’s main attractions.  These started with a pair of Brolga in the carpark, a massive selection of ducks in the shallow waters surrounding the main pool, an astonishing array of birdlife on the billabong itself, and – of course – the crocodiles!

No amenities block and the thought of a stray crocodile policing the surrounding trees ensure most visitors move on after a short time. Whether or not it’s a deliberate strategy to reduce human impact, tragically it means the billabong won’t be featuring in my Australian Scenic Public Toilet series.

This also turns the Waltzing Matilda subject matter – a swagman boiling his billy while camped beside the Billabong with a freshly killed sheep ready to roast – into potential Waterhole Massacre.

But with all the crocodile, tourist and other wildlife action, who cares?

* Refer to lyrics from Waltzing Matilda, arguably the most popular Aussie song of all time

** Billabong = Oxbow lake

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