From salt lakes to Georgia Bore and Thring Rock

 With the morning light shimmering on the salt surface of Lake Disappointment, we enjoyed breakfast and packed up, ready for another day crossing the desert. The sandy track leading away from the lake soon changed to rocky stretches over vast plains, then back to sand tracks skirting low hills. Crossing some small salt pans, we came closer to the hilly country and the scrub closed in again.

Georgia Bore was a welcome sight, our main water tank was starting to get low, the past few wells were not good for water, so this would be an opertunity to top up.

Georger Bore is not a canning well, it is the legacy of a mining exploration camp. When the camp was no longer needed, the company equipped the bore with a hand pump, leaving it for the travelers and locals to source water, a very scarce resource out here.

Being a closed bore, the water can't get contaminated and is good drinking water. I put in about 70 liters into the tanks, a lot of pumping.

Well 24 was our next destination, a small pool of water from a spring refreshes the local wildlife. One wasn't so fortunate as the pile of camel bones attested to. Set amongst a grove of melaleuca, this spot makes for a pleasant camp. Honey Gravelia, flowering on the outskirts injected some colour. Stopping for the night, we enjoyed the surroundings.

Moving on the next day, we came to well 25, it sits on the border of a large clay pan. As you come onto the clay pan, the track you should follow was under water, others had followed the bank around to meet up with the track further on, so we did too.

Halfway around we spotted a form coming across the pan, splashing in the water. We stopped and observed. A wild dog, bounded towards us. Coming close, but wary, looking for food we thought, others had obviously fed him before. Continuing on, he followed us for some time.

Well 26 was our camp. As we rolled in, there were a couple of campers there already. A Japanese man came over to chat. He looked at the truck and said, how you get up the dunes? I have had problems with some. He and his small family had come from Japan, he said, just to do the Canning, they were going back to Japan when finished. Din pointed to Ned, he’s Japanese too she said, Mitsubishi, they laughed and laughed.

I told him the secrete is tire pressure, the lower you can deflate them the better. I can crawl up the biggest ones easy. You try it I said. Yes, he said, I will. Don’t know how they got on, but they were having a ball by the sound of him.

At this well, there was a plaque, honoring Alfred Canning, and a water tank displayed, that the camels carried. 

Next day, as usal, we were the last to leave camp. This, we like, we give the other travelers time to get a good way ahead of us if they are going in the same direction.

The dunes appeared again, steeper ones with big holes gouged out in regular intervals up the climb. Ned, however waddled up without a complaint, to cheers from us as we crested the bigger ones.

then we were crossing flat plains with wattle scrub pushing in on us. Soon the scrub disappeared as we came to a section which had been burnt recently, the traditional peoples burn off sections as a control measure, preventing large, hot fires in the dry season. The dunes looked bare with only thin sticks standing against the red sandy ground. Passing through this section, we were back to spinifex covered dunes and wattle bushes dotted with yellow flowers.

Before finding a camp site for the night, we passed through mesa country. The rocky outcrops rose out of the flat, stony ground, scattered about, some with flat tops and others cone like but all spectacular.

Then, as we climbed a dune and peeked over the top, Thring Rock dominated the landscape before us.

with its craggy outline against the desert sky, and dark recesses of its caves high on its slope, it was an impressive sight. This was to be our camp for the night.

Durba Springs to Lake Disapointment

 

With a bit of reluctance, we packed up and left Durba Springs. It had been a nice rest and a beautiful setting, despite being overrun by campers for a day, we had enjoyed our stay.

 Retracing our route along the sandy path skirting the cliffs of the Durba Plateau to the main track, soon we were heading north again.

Calling into well 18 for a quick look, we continued on. The dunes appeared again, some chopped up on the approaches, but with gentle persuasion, Ned scaled them with the confidence we had come to expect of him. On one approach, we were starting to climb, and a 4wd appeared over the crest coming at us. Fortunately, with the slow pace, both of us stopped and I backed up and pulled off to let him pass. Sand flags, attached to warn of oncoming vehicles, prevent collisions in these circumstances.

On our way again, crossing dunes and trans versing spinifex planes, then amongst desert oak groves, and skirting around small salt lakes. Our days were filled with the diverse landscapes in this region. As the afternoon shadows grew longer we came to well 19, on the edge of a small dry salt pan. This, we decided, would be home for the night.

After a peaceful night on the edge of the salt pan, we continued on, across more desert oak flats, and occasional dune crossings, coming across more vehicle casualty along the way, finally coming to a small creek crossing.

Savory Creek runs into Lake Disappointment, named by early explorers, expressing their feelings when discovering it was dry, and if it held water, it would be so salty, it could not be consumed.

Not far from the crossing, indeed, there was water in the serpentine creek. On the far bank, Din spotted a group of seven camels. They had been drinking from the saline creek, their remarkable constitutions allow them to drink salty water, another reason why they thrive out here. Having disturbed them, they padded off away from the water into the dune country.

the blue waters of the small creek snaked along with white salt borders on each side, eventually spilling into the lake. Leaving the creek behind, we took the track which leads you to a spot on the edge of the lake to observe the great expanse.

Lake disappointment is a huge salt lake, standing on its shore, staring across the blinding white of its bed, you can’t see the other side. What a sight it would be to see it full of water.

being a special spot, we thought it was only fitting that we camp here and take in all the atmosphere of this place, so we did.

Canning Well 12 to Durba Springs

 

Well 12 was a couple of days stop for us, why rush when you don’t have to. Everything was holding up well, fuel usage was good, plenty of food left, no breakages so far and the wells were providing washing water, so our reserves weren’t being taxed too much.

Back on the track, the dunes kept on coming, some bigger than others, but Ned took them all in his stride. Driving along the swales,(the valley between the dunes), you would make a sharp turn to attack the dune, then at some, just before the crest the track would turn again before hitting the top and pointing down the other side. Making for interesting driving.

Ever changing country kept us entertained, Holly grevilia, in bloom, flashing bursts of red among the orange and green of the desert colors. Other plants were starting to flower as well. The honey grevilia, a spectacular plant, with the flower jutting out, if you touch it the sticky coating gets on your fingers, or anything that brushes past. Sweet tasting, it’s the bush Lolly. Ned was also streaked with the sweet nectar, from scraping past the bushes.

 On the way to well 13, we passed another casualty of the track, sitting, rusting in the harsh environment. Well 13 came up, the locals had burnt off around the area, managing the land in their traditional way, lessening the chance of large, hot, fires in the dry season.

 The dunes let us have a rest, by being scarce on this section, but the wash outs continued, as did the rocky ground, and long stretches of sandy track. Never boring, keeping you alert.

passing well 14, we reached well 15 in the early afternoon. Having time on our hands, the shower went up and water was sourced from the well and a good time was had by all. This was our camp for the night.

Dawn came, and we readied for more desert exploring. Again, the dunes greeted us not far from camp. Ned scaled them with the ease we had come accustomed to, only struggling when I failed to select the right gear to begin the climb, then only pausing at the near top, then bounding over after a short reverse down to regroup.

As we moved further north, more of the plants were flowering. The grevilia's were in bloom, lots of different ones. Din started her dash garden, brightening up the cab.

Near well 16, on a lonely stretch of track, there stands an abandoned trolley. Murray Rankin’s trolley rests under a gum tree, left by Rankin when he gave up on his attempt to walk the track in 1972. apparently, the sand wore away the bearings in the wheels and rended the trolley useless. His second attempt in 1974 also failed. But, due to his persistence, in 1976, he, with two companions, were successful.

After camping at well 16, we continued along the soft, sandy track, crossing yet more dunes, then coming to some rocky headlands. Negotiating these, we approached the foot of the Durba Plateau.

Rounding the Northern tip, we made our way down the western side, where a track leads you to Biella Spring. Being only a few Ks, we took the track to the spring, a rough, slow drive, but we thought it worth it.

negotiating our way back to the main track, we skirted the rugged, towering cliffs of the plateau, making our way to Durba Springs, our camp for the next few days.

An oasis in a dry, harsh landscape, Durba Springs refreshes, like it has done for thousands of years. Tall gums shade the cool pools at the base of towering stone cliffs stretching up the gorge. Couch grass, soft underfoot, grows naturally around the camp.

Ended up spending a total of four days there. Mainly because on the third day, a party of 15 camper trailers drove in and stayed the night. Wanting to give them time to get ahead of us, we staid an extra day after they left. Not a difficult decision to make.