Day Two
DAY TWO; PORT AUGUSTA (+30km) TO COWARD SPRINGS
476kms, LPG @ Roxby Downs $79
We all woke up very chipper, a damn sight better than the last time we stayed at the roadside camp. It was much easier to get up without the broken ribs and kitty litter in my throat.
In the early hours of the morning a beautiful breakfast of egg and bacon muffins were cooked up on the campfire and a nice big mug of coffee.
After a very easy pack up we were all on the road by 9am and ready to cruise up the Stuart to get to our next stop, Roxby Downs and Andamooka. A bit of chit chat on the radio and before long we were going past Spud’s at Pimba and up north to Roxby. I called out on the radio for the convoy to do what they wanted and meet up at Andamooka ready to go at midday. Nat and I went in to get some oil from autopro and then fuelled up at the BP. Not too much has changed from the last time I came through after the Simmo trip in 2012. Shawn said G’day to Terry “This is definitely my last year!” behind the counter who reckons he remembers us from the wet crossing. He can probably remember us washing our cars behind the store and leaving a clay-topped carpark!!
We all met at Andamooka and aired down to tackle the gibber roads north of here.
I was having a chat to a few of the lads and I said “This bloody year I won’t miss that turn off and go direct.” Guess what?? I get up the road 15kms and drive alongside the airstrip, Shawn says, “Hey Rick, I think we are on the wrong road again.” Oh, CRAP, done it again!!
Of course I replied, “Nah mate, just wanted to show the folks the airfield and the Desert Pea growing in the middle of the wheel tracks!”
Anyway, a small detour but we end up at the same spot and then head up to Stuart Creek Opal Diggings. I know the last time we came through here B.D. and myself were not in a good state but I can’t remember the terrain resembling the Simpson so much. Red sand dunes loosely covered with saltbush and flowers but only 10 feet high. Then we start to see some detours, me being up front some of the side roads were holding more water than the main roads and with Luke being in my drag he followed. It wasn’t long before we both had red bonnets and windscreens.
I was a little concerned for my Oldies and their bog stock Pajero but they took it all in their stride and listened to every work relayed back through the convoy. Ever wonder why they would position themselves behind you Dessy!?
We arrived in Stuart Creek after a bit of gibber crossing and to our surprise the place was deserted.
The old weather beaten couple were nowhere to be seen but they had done some wild renovations to the caravan and annexe. They now have a thunderbox dunny and the caravan had a flue coming out of the roof. We all pulled up to have a quick look at the diggings and a bit of a look at the big 30 tonne excavator that someone must have driven all the way in!
Ok, all ponied up and ready to move. Shawn was keen to try another track out of here but the day was creeping away from us and many were looking forward to a dip in the hot spring at Coward so we opted for the direct way out to the Borefield Road along the dingo fence. This is where I made my second detour, albeit only a short one, it did require a few of the cars to turn back to cross the fence through a gate. As I was drifting away further from the fence my instinct took me across a paddock to see the track on the other side. “Back we go Folks, sorry.” One thing I did see though through the fence was a boggy track and on my side I was spinning on the grass dodging saltbush and moguls. I gave them the heads up so they opened the fence and pushed on. As I turned back, my ever faithful TEC was waiting for me to go through the fence and closed it behind me. Then I hear Shawn having an issue with the boggy section. Mark went up high on the detour track and watched as the Navara slipped in deeper and deeper. I drove up along him and a snatch was needed to get Shawn up on the high line with us.
A couple of hundred metres later and we are back down on the fence track but it’s getting boggy again. I tell them all to keep it up near the fence but after I rutted down a couple of times poor Shawn in the laden Navara is back in the slop again. This time it was Mark who helped out to rescue and we all stuck up on the high line once again. If you wanna keep up with the big boys you need a big toy Mate!
We pop out on the Borefield near the dog fence and we are back up to 100kph to make good time for the next 130 odd kms to get into Coward Springs. The owners and operators of the park accommodated us very well and gave us an open area for us to fit in, even bought down a couple of fire bins for us to use.
Well we had shorts on already but towels and drinks were grabbed even before the turbo timers had stopped the car. With no one really knowing where the spring was, we headed for a lap of the joint to find them. Eventually we had to ask a traveller, there’s one beer down already as I’m power-walking around the place and picking up the thirst of a camel. We see a bit of a green area and we can hear a pump so the pace picked up nearly to a jog! Get stuffed…I’m on holidays!
And then we see it, heaven.
Umm, is that the small teaser, plunge pool?
Oh, no, this is it hey?? I guess materials are scarce out here except for railway sleepers so the pool is sort of set by the length of the sleepers, anyway, it could’ve been a bath tub for all I care, I wanted in. Shawn is first in and he is dancing around a bit. “What’s the matter mate?” “Um, I think these are the
not so hot springs, or the
tepid springs!” We all still drop in to the stand-up pool and it was bloody wonderful, I don’t care what anybody says, it was welcomed after a day on the dusty roads and throwing sleepers on the roof racks.
The Davis tribe venture over and some bloke in a fresh set of cut-off denim shorts (and not just above the knee either!).
Wayne had no shorts so he sacrificed a pair of jeans and fashioned them into a set of Daisy Dukes.
Remember the beers I had when power walking like a prime minister? Well, they have caught up with me! I had to get out, the sun had gone down and it was freezing. Walking back to camp in a pair of wet shorts and a wet towel draped over the shoulders, my teeth were chattering and my penis was like a press-stud.
No need for that leak anymore! The others had a good fire going and us bathers all getting in line, crowding around like a Wednesday at centrelink. After a few hot showers and dinner we were once again sitting around the fire talking about the travels we had just had and a few of the expectations to come. With Shawn asking Wayne for some pointers to keeping a beautiful beard, he says to him, "Well Shawn, you know what they say?" "If you Dad doesn't have a beard...you have two Mums!"
