Day Trip to the York Pen.

[shane 45]

I am saving the money to get one from TJM I have heard they are the best for off roading and have good maps as well as city streets

 

[WILKAT]

If I am doing the trip on my own I will swag it if I have some one coming with me it would be a tent. That way its easy to pack up and set up every night when we are not in the same camp 2 nights in a row.

We have had this van up so many times for 1 night at a time trips,going across Aust (only takes 20min) sleep,pack up in the morning, then on to next overnight stay & do the same thing.We have done this hundreds of times & I mean hundreds.
This van is very good for short or long stays,as we have lived in it while travelling at different touring trips that have gone on for 12 months or more.The tent takes longer to pack up than the van.Plus the van is alot more luxurious & comfy & got everything already in it.

 

[shane 45]

Thats ok WILKAT but I like things simple when travelling all the time I find campers good for a base camp. when I am on the move everyday I prefer a swag as its is setup and packed up in 5 mins. If it is raining I use two tarps to keep dry just tied to the 4by bull bar. I have everything I need in the 4by and I only take out what I need for the night leave the rest in the 4by.

 

[WILKAT]

I grow up with a camping family,camping far as Vic border to Gold Coast as a kid.
Then went on surfing camps with friends far as Vic to Sunshine Coast when abit older.
Then I didn't camp for a few years (apart from sleeping in the back of my magna).
Until I met Kathryn,we started camping in the magna,then we got the 4 man tent.
Then her 2 boys & my daughter (before Kelli)went camping in WA,they slept in the 4 man tent & we went & bought a 8 man tent thats where my enthusiasm for camping came back.
Anyway,Kath & I then decided on getting the campertrailer & haven't looked back.

 

[geoffsa]

You made very good time considering the distance you had to cover to get home! Well done. I was home not much before you, at about 10.10pm.

You should be OK with a camper trailer. Farm tracks for the trip through the sheep station country, north east of Burra. Dangalli Conservation Park is a place I have never seen, and hence the trip. Tracks through there might be a bit rough. I don't think there would be any sand up there, but we will see! Chowilla Game Reserve has a lot of clay. Not a problem if dry, but muddy in the wet. If too muddy it will be closed and we will use the Renmark Caravan Park instead.

Sunset Country is a mixture of firm, rocky tracks and quite sandy tracks with sand hills. But quite navigable with a camper trailer, provided the trailer is appropriate weight compared to the power of your motor. BEK from Melbourne had no probs with his camper trailer, but he did have a big 4.2 litre motor in his GU Patrol, and his trailer was on the smaller side of average.

I will find a few pics to show you what to expect. But bear in mind that the first few pics, north of Burra, were taken in February on a 40 degree day. I would expect there to be a lot more live vegetation in September, just after the winter.

I find this region area a joy to drive through for the rugged and isolated scenery. The Sunset Country is a lot softer on the eye, as you can see in the last few pics. And what the Dangalli has to offer I will be finding out for myself, as a first timer out that way.

I need to do some more research, especially regarding safety and emergency planning. I have a map I can dig out to find out where the repeater stations are out in the north east. and what frequencies they operate on. I will invite my mate Tiny along. He has an excellent HF radio and knows how to use it. He is a volunteer with the Australian 4x4 HF radio network. If he can't come along I am considering purchasing a HF myself. And then of course learning how it all works. Tiny will help me with this.

Millsy, Wilkat, a camper trailer just loves that area of our state, and Danngali is mainly easy sandy tracks. Okay when wet, and the camp sites are quite good, and okay when wet also. There is a few areas of mud if you get very heavy rain just as we did recently, and we had a couple of serious boggings.
It sounds like you will be entering the park from the northern boundary, a good road all the way in to the house.
The house in the park is vacant currently, unless they have a new Ranger in the past couple of weeks. The park is being managed by the Ranger in Berri. Don't take any notice of the brochure mentioning toilets either, the only ones are at the house, and that is at least a kilometre from the nearest camp sites.
All camping areas a well spaced out, so you won't even know there are others there.

The roughest bit of road was after Danggali and Chowilla on the way to Renmark.

Good luck with the trip.

 

[millsy]

Thanks Geoff. I had a chat with one of the teachers at school today. He tells me he used to take groups of students into the Dangalli farmhouse / camping ground for school camps. So I have just learned today about the ranger's hut at the same site! It just looked like a homestead on the Google view.

Just out of interest, are there camp sites scattered throughout the park, or are they all in the one area around the old farm house/ranger's hut?

My main idea is to just drive through the park and camp on the side of the creek in the Chowilla Game Reserve, or maybe a bit further north, near Lake Litra I think its called. Apparently it had a fair amount of water in it last Xmas. I was up there myself in the early nineties with a kayaking excursion. Nice sandy camp grounds around the lake with plenty of trees for wind protection.

I think we will get that far, leaving Burra servo at about 8.00am on the Saturday morn. But if we don't its good to know we can camp in the Dangalli.

Looks like we don't need to go as far north as Lillydale. We will be turning east / south east just a bit past Braemar Homestead.

 

[shane 45]

Millsy post it up and see if you get any takers mate I will be in with Glenda.

 

[millsy]

Am thinking I might wait till we have finished with the Gawler Ranges trip. There will be plenty of time after that for people to express an interest. Geoff and Jean might even be interested!

By then you might know where you will be job wise, and so I can pick a time that suits both your's and Wilkat's work schedules.

I am thinking that two nights under the stars might suit Wilkat better, and probably others also, considering the fact that most people will need to get back to work on Monday. So if we leave the Sunset Country by about 3.00pm Sunday arvo we should all be home by about 7.00 or maybe 8.00pm Sunday night.

We can leave that detail hanging for the moment and see what people want. If there is enough interest in some wanting to make it a 3 day event then I guess the Labour Day weekend will be it. And then some can leave Sunday arvo, and others spend Sunday night evening up at Pheeney's.

 

[shane 45]

If its a long weekend trip it will be 2 nights or 3 nights it all depends on what day you leave and where from mate. I will get the full weekend off but not know if I could make the friday nite so would have to meet you some where sat morning if its the Octerber long weekend.

 

[millsy]

Burra Hills

Wilkat, here are some of those shots I promised. A few tonight and some more tomorrow night. They take forever to upload!

So the first five are of some of the scenery on the drive up through the ranges north of Burra. This is the route that takes us through the old Mongolata sheep station about 20km east of Burra, 15km north of Burra Gorge;

1, 2 and 3 - On the Mogolata tracks ( That is a concrete lined ford - no probs )
4 - The view from the top of Dare Hill looking to the east and where we will be heading
5 - Just 10 minutes further on, the road follows the creek line at the bottom of the valley, towards Collinsville homestead

 

[shane 45]

Thats is good country out that way mate. I have been to collinsville station before with my folks

 

[millsy]

Heading east/north east

1 - Another 25km - 30km north - Ketchowla ( or Pine Creek on the Google maps )
2 - just a bit further on looking eas again
3 - All alone and abandoned by the look of this one
4 - Another 30km east or so on the north/south track, and we will have passed the 'Out of Districts' sign! Not sure what that means exactly, but it spooked me a bit when I saw it driving solo out here!
5 - The far horizon

 

[shane 45]

It means no council district. I think that what it means mate

 

[millsy]

If its a long weekend trip it will be 2 nights or 3 nights it all depends on what day you leave and where from mate. I will get the full weekend off but not know if I could make the friday nite so would have to meet you some where sat morning if its the Octerber long weekend.

I was thinking of getting off to a good start Saturday morning by driving up to Burra Gorge on Friday after work. So camp at Burra Gorge Friday night ( it will be a late one, since Burra Gorge is about 2.5 hours north of Elizabeth ). People could either meet at Burra Gorge at their own times, depending when they can get away. Or if anyone wants to they can meet with me at my house and we go up together from Elizabeth, if they are not sure how to get there. Quickest way would be through Marrabel and Waterloo. Only difference is we will find Waterloo this time since it is on that main road north of Marrabel!

Then Saturday morning fill up the tanks, if anyone needs to, at Burra servo ( opens at 7.30 I am told ) and off to Mongolata. Saturday night at Chowilla, either near the creek, or maybe not too close to water considering little Kelli is with us! Then as I said, if it is a long weekend, people can choose to head for home after exploring some of the Sunset tracks, or if they like they can camp another night, do some more tracks Monday, and be back in Adelaide Monday afternoon or evening.

So would it be possible for you to come up from Adelaide on Friday night, or will it be easier for you to meet us at Burra Saturday morning about 7.45?

 

[millsy]

It means no council district. I think that what it means mate

So I guess if they put their rubbish bins out on Thursday night they will still be sitting there full the next Thursday!

 

[shane 45]

At this stage I wont know till it gets closer to the weekend. It all depends on what time I get home from work on the friday.

 

[millsy]

The Chowilla Creek and suurounds

A few views and info boards around the Chowilla floodplain area. As you can see, there are a lot of camp sites along these creeks. But whenever I have been in here I have had the whole place to myself. It was soooo peacefull ! Except for my tantrum when I reached in for the FUIC and the esky was empty!

1 & 2 - Creek views
3 & 4 - Info boards
5 - The rugged ( summer ) outlook from the Old Coach Road looking down on the wetlands in the distance. An oasis in the donga, as is most of the Murray in SA.

 

[millsy]

Border Track views in the western Murray Sunset Park

A few shots from the northern end of the Border Track. Tiny and I came in from the little town of Meribah last July, and turned south to end up at Pine Hut Soak in the Scorpion Springs Conservation Park. the next day we did 'The' Border Track that most people have heard about - form Pinnaroo down to Bordertown. But it continues down south of Bordertown also.

There are several north south tracks in the Sunset Country. I will need to do a bit of research, but I met a father and son team out in the Eastern part of the Big Desert, and they came into the Sunset from near the Yamba roadhouse. They visited a meteor crater. And I have seen photos, on Google Earth, of a very large valley a bit north of Pheeney's Track. Spectacular. If Wilkat has trouble pulling the camper up that hill we can always back track a bit and come down another track. All part of the fun!

1, 2 & 3 - some typical views travelling along the border track
4 - a softer section. A challenge for the camper maybe?
5 - Tiny with his neat 80 Series. he has put a lot of work, and money, into setting up this car!

 

[geoffsa]

Just out of interest, are there camp sites scattered throughout the park, or are they all in the one area around the old farm house/ranger's hut?

My main idea is to just drive through the park and camp on the side of the creek in the Chowilla Game Reserve, or maybe a bit further north, near Lake Litra I think its called. Apparently it had a fair amount of water in it last Xmas. I was up there myself in the early nineties with a kayaking excursion. Nice sandy camp grounds around the lake with plenty of trees for wind protection.

There are camp sites in a several locations around the park, and each site is large enough for a small group with trailers. They even supply fire wood, but maybe there could be a fire ban during that time of year.

I don't remember being able to camp near the homestead though, that area was reserved for the rangers use. Uninhabited when we were there last in March.

Are you coming in from the top end (north)?

 

[millsy]

There are camp sites in a several locations around the park, and each site is large enough for a small group with trailers. They even supply fire wood, but maybe there could be a fire ban during that time of year.

I don't remember being able to camp near the homestead though, that area was reserved for the rangers use. Uninhabited when we were there last in March.

Are you coming in from the top end (north)?

Yep, coming in from the Morgan road I think, having come up from Canegrass Station, which is about 73km south of where you turn right at the T junction to head back south into the Danggali. That's one option. Or we could just go right up to near Lillydale Station and tuen right at the T junction and come in at the top of the park about 23km east of Quondong Vale Station.

Or we could cut across the back tracks from Braemar Station to Sturt Vale and then across to Pine Valley. Not sure whether these are public access tracks though. If they are on this Topographic map I don't suppose that means they are for public use?

Am thinking I might go up tomorrow and have a bit of a look around. Might even head off tonight and camp at Burra Gorge.