The Breakaways

 

The Breakaways.

From Evelyn Downs road travelling east we intersected the more major road to Coober Pedy.

About 20k before you hit Coober Pedy there is a road skirting a range of hills called The Breakaways. Worth a look, so off we went.

The detour was well worth it, another fantastic show of nature in all her glory. Like the painted desert, the outcrops are streaked and splashed with weathered colours straight out of an oil painting.

Around each corner was another surprise waiting. Was a cloudy day but the views were no less spectacular.

The aboriginal community maintains and cares for the area as it is a significant site for them. Signs and story boards at certain places tell the dream time stories of the hills and is an informative read.

On to Coober Pedy.

The underground town, Coming into town the mounds of soil each side of the highway, stretching inland as far as you can see, tells you you are in opal mining country. Makes you sad for the landscape.

When in town, there are conventional buildings and a smattering of fasards built onto rock-faces, with entrances leading underground. Motels, Shops, Hotels, residences, all escaping the heat of a desert summer, and wind, because it can roar through here like a freight train. We experienced the roaring wind as we camped overnight on the town common. Locked down tight and huddled up, as the buffeting winds rocked us to sleep.

Being in town and having phone signal and radio coverage again, we found out that South Australia was in lock down. Didn’t bother us as we had been in self imposed lock down for some time anyway, not venturing out of our little cocoon unless for essential supplies and a wander around an uninhabited and endless sky landscape.

After resupplying and filling up with fuel and water it was, where to now.

There are numerous tracks leading out of Coober Pedy, going through stations and out stations in all directions, but this is all in the Woomera Prohibited Zone, and you are not permitted to travel anywhere except on the highway out of town.

So it was inflate the tyres again and onto the bitumen.

The plan was to head south till out of the Prohibited Area and venture into Lake Gardner National Park and on to the Gawler Ranges.

Trans Australian Railway Line.

At the bottom of the Stuart Highway before you hit Woomera, there is a dirt road that cuts the corner and comes out at Kingoonya on the Trans Australia Railway Line. A little town with one pub, fuel, and an overnight free camp with water and showers. We headed there.

When you get to Kingoonya, you can travel east or west beside the railway line. We went west, to the former railway town / siding of Tarcoola, about 75k up the line.

Still following a railway line, but this one is still in service. Tarcoola is where the east west line meets the north south line (the new Ghan). Tyres down again and off to explore.

First thing we came across was a giant hole at the side of the road. On closer inspection it turned out to be a wombat hole. The wombats don't do things by halves here, the hole was enormous, So was the wombat I’d say.

Made our first camp in the hole of a roadside gravel pit. It kept the wind at bay as it was blowing strong as we pulled up. In the morning, things had calmed down and venturing outside, found we had parked next to another wombat hole dug into the side of the pit wall.

We were to come across many more wombat homes along that road. There is a thriving wombat population around there, but I wonder for how long as many are dug into the road side. Thank goodness there isn't much traffic along that road.

Tarcoola

Eventually Tarcoola appeared in the distance. This was once a busy little town beside the railway tracks, with a garage giving mechanical assistance to vehicles, hotel, school, with a swimming pool, shop, all the things to keep a community happy. Nowadays all but a few houses are abandoned. The railways still use the site for their operations but the town lays forgotten and deteriorating in the weather.

We followed the line to the intersection of the tracks, one going west the other going north, then back to explore the town.

After a drive around we decided the old school would make a good camp. It overlooks the town on a bit of a rise with reasonable views of the surrounding country. The school is also the site of the swimming pool. If you close your eyes and listen hard, you can hear the joyful sequels of the children, and others, who once enjoyed the cool waters of this pool. Now it lays empty, except for a few inches of muddy water in the deep end.

Also not far from town is an old gold mine, probably another reason for the town being there. Smoke coming from machinery there said to us the mine was still operating, probably on a smaller scale than years gone by though.

Having had a pleasant couple of days exploring, we turned east again and headed back.

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Stone Tank Camp

Along the track heading back to Kingoonya, we came to an old stone water tank and couple of wells which we had passed on the westward drive. As it was intersting and a nice flat area away from the road, it became our camp for another couple of days.

Wells and tank had ceased to be used long ago, water could be seen shimmering in the depths of the wells far below the surface.

With a good walk around, more wombat homes were discovered, and rabbit holes.

Another windy night, spent closed up and rocking. This is what you come to expect on these flat, open, endless planes. Luckily it dosen’t blow every day and most mornings are calm, giving you hope of a beautiful day ahead.

Spent a peaceful couple of days there except for one windy night, and moved on.