Time to move on,

Some ks up the winding track on an open area, an old stone ruin presented itself. Too good not to explore.

Mt. Fitton Ruins, the remnants of the old station homestead.

Made from hand chiseld stone, the work and skill that went into building these buildings out in the middle of nowhere is something to wonder at. An old wood stove still sits in the crumbling kitchen, the roof overhead long gone.

Fireplaces that once kept the family warm now look out onto empty rubble strewn rooms. The ironwork from a piano leans on a wall, If only these walls could talk.

Out back the old wash house and bathroom stands, the bathtub removed sits outside with other remnants of the homestead. As we wander among the relics of the past we cant help think of the life, hard work, trials and hardships in this unforgiving landscape way back then.

Off we go again, After a lot of ks and another overnight camp, the track became a little wider and transversed more open country. Soon we hit the Strzelecki Track, turning left it stretched westward. Being late afternoon, a truck rest bay coming up was a good camp for the night. Pulling in we parked up in the corner giving the trucks plenty of room if needed. There were three trippel trailer road trains there full of cattle. We knew they would be off again after having a break and a little while later they pulled out one by one. The night was peaceful not another soul on the road till early morning.

Moving off in the morning it was only a couple of ks and we were on, bitumen road!!!?? We were about 100 ks from Lyndhurst and did not expect this, as it turned out the black tar stretched all the way to Lyndhurst. Took a while to get used to the smoothness as well as the speed, it had been forever it seemed since we had been on a smooth flat road.

While at Lyndhurst I filled up with fuel as it would be the cheapest for a long stretch the way we were headed at $1.68 per litre. Water is also hard to come by in these parts, none can be obtained here and neither at Marree and unknown further on. Our water tanks were still fairly full so it would be rationing from now on. Normally we can go a couple of weeks with our 180 litre supply and I was sure there would be somewhere up the track we could fill up again.

Next stop Farina, the ruins of an old Ghan railway town where a group of volunteers are painstakingly restoring the stone buildings. They have restored the old underground, wood fired bakery oven and sell fresh baked bread and pies and other goodies. So it was lunch at Farina.

Pies eaten, and with an armful of bread and cakes we loaded up and headed for Marree.

 Marree.

The Marree Camel cup held each year in July is one of the biggest events out here if not the biggest. We have been before, but this year it was on the weekend before we arrived, we rocked up on the Monday and the town was deserted. Didn't bother us, more the better really.

Stopped at the shop and mailed a few little pressies to the grandkids and got a few essentials. Then to the next stage of our little adventure, the Oodnadatta Track.

From Marree the Oodnadatta track heads westward into the desert, following the old Ghan railway line. All that's left of the iconic railway line is the mound the tracks once rested on and the rusting remains of railway bridges spanning dry river beds.

There are also old stone ruins of railway siding buildings, defying the forces of nature and standing as reminders of the once busy line.

We slowly make our way on the track, as we are in no hurry and there are patches of rough corrugated road, but mostly the road is in good shape. Also there seems to be a lot more vehicles on the track htan we expected to see. We let them pass and stay out of their dust.

First camp was at Callanna, the ruins of an old siding next to the railway. Spent a peaceful night and continued on in the morning.

Some 80 or so ks up the track we skirted the southern end of Lake Eyre South, and found a couple of tyre tracks going to the white of the lake bed in the distance. So as you do, we followed them and came to an area not to far from the shoreline of the salt lake. This will do for a camp, amongst the wildflowers and salt bush, far enough from the road and with a glimpse of the lake shimmering in the distance. After a beautiful sunset we bedded down for the night.