The inaugral 2004 Legendary Outback Expeditions (LOE) took expeditions into remote Cape York. Read all about the trip in the following article, written by Ron & Viv Moon, which appeared in 3 parts in the July; August and September issues of 4x4 Australia magazine. This is Part II - read on ....

Part I   - Through the Flinders               Part II  - Into the Desert               Part III - Onwards to the Gulf

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Gulf to Gulf - Following McKinlay

Part 2 - Into the Desert


Like McKinlay’s 1861 expedition the real adventure of crossing the continent began when our party entered the vast desert country of northern South Australia. From Blanchewater, McKinlay had headed north to Tooncatchin outstation and then to Manawaukaninna hut – the last building on the vast historic property and the most far-flung European habitation in the colony at that time, on the very edge of the desert.

We had worked hard to get permission of the landowners to cross their vast territories; some we had won, others we had lost, but now a more discerning problem was occurring. The Cooper was in flood and had already cut the causeway at Innamincka for weeks, while other tracks and places of interest were under water, so some plans had to change. Our planned route was to also cross the Cooper somewhere north of Mungeranie HS, but with the flood approaching, were we going to be too late?

As we pushed north we were in daily contact, via satphone, with the station owners’, trying to ascertain where the head of the flood was, how quickly it was moving and how far it would penetrate down the Cooper.

Two days after crossing the salt flats of an expiring Lake Gregory, close to where McKinlay had crossed at what is known as Stuckey Crossing, (after the man who had discovered the third great break in the horseshoe of salt that had encircled Eyre’s Mt Hopeless) and then travelling along the lake’s samphire edge in a trackless expanse of sand and salt, we were in sand ridge country west of the Cooper Creek.

McKinlay had spent close to two weeks in this same country and today it remains little changed from when he saw it. A few station tracks, a fenceline or two and the occasional water tank are all that have been added by man in this remote area of Australia.

 

 

The station track we were travelling on crossed the dunes at right angles and for a short time it was reminiscent of a Simpson Desert crossing along the French Line – albeit far less used. There were few dunes that caused any grief though; low tyre pressures saw all of us sailing over the dunes with only a rare occurrence of a miscalculated climb or a required second try.

One surprise that wasn’t expected and that the early explorers would not have seen, was the sight of a small herd of red deer. Yep, I didn’t believe it either when Macca called it through on the CB radio.

There was a spindly stag and about eight or nine hinds. The ‘rut’ was on and the stag looked a little thin from his manly efforts, but the hinds looked fine. They were curious of our group too, and didn’t trot off until the camera vehicle got within 100 metres. By all accounts, talking to the local station owners there is another smaller group in the area – often seen on the Cooper itself. How they survive is beyond me, far from the green and well-watered Scottish highlands of their ancestry, and while the locals know about them, only a few have seen these desert herds!!!

As we got closer to the Cooper we began to get confused by the tracks used by the energy company to access their oil and gas wells that make up part of the Moomba Basin, Australia’s largest on-land gas and oil producing area and McKinlay would be surprised at the infrastructure that now exists over this area that he explored. We had explicit instructions not to wander off the prescribed route but we did deviate 100 metres to check out one oil well. We shouldn’t have! (See box story below).

We camped on the wide floodplain of the Cooper, close to the still dry main channel of the stream, the country looking and feeling bleached and parched from the lack of rain or of any floodwaters. Sadly, as it turned out, the flood was not to reach this far south.

While we had crossed a dry Cooper Creek, further north towards Innamincka, the creek had flooded a vast area of floodplain and ephemeral lakes and our planned route was in disarray.

We had been lucky enough to visit Lake Massacre a few times previously. Here McKinlay had found a grave he believed was that of Charlie Grey, one of the men who had tracked across the continent with Burke and Wills and who had died on their return to a distant depot. While we had gained permission to again visit Lake Massacre, the flood now stopped us cold. As well, the Walkers Crossing Track and the Inside Track of the Birdsville Track, both of which combine to follow pretty closely McKinlay’s travels were cut by floodwaters, so we turned our eyes towards Innamincka and headed there.

Innamincka wasn’t a disappointment. While the creek had dropped to the stage that the causeway was now open, the floodwaters had rejuvenated the area, giving new life to the floodplain and reinvigorating the magnificent gums that line the creek. It’s one of our favourite areas in outback Australia and it’s time likes these, that only reinforce that feeling.

Our group had a couple of nights here, the trip planned to take in the ‘Sunday Roast’ at the pub where local ringers, station owners, oil workers, travellers and tourists mingle in a friendly atmosphere and enjoy a good feed.

Many of our group then visited the historic ‘Dig Tree’ where Burke had established his main camp on the Cooper. The old coolibah, carved when his men left this camp, still stands, it’s ancient limbs still casting a faint shadow over that place that still echoes of service to Queen and country, glory and ineptitude in the history of Australian exploration.

We also visited Burke’s Grave, the site today a peaceful, picturesque, sandy stretch of river bank, and which marks the furtherest point along the creek that McKinlay reached.

McKinlay, now knowing that Howitt had discovered the remains of the Burke and Wills party some weeks beforehand, returned to his depot camp near Lake Buchanan and struck north.

That evening our group boarded a small cruise boat and took in the delights of this wonderful waterway from the stream itself. The boat trip takes in a long stretch of the Cooper from near the Innamincka township as far downriver as Will’s Grave, another spot McKinlay had visited in his travels. He would have enjoyed the cold beer we had, probably more than we did!

                         

Our timetable meant we couldn’t dally any longer at the meandering waters of the Cooper and we tore ourselves away and headed across the throbbing heat-hazed gibber plains towards Birdsville. This route passes the historic, heritage listed Cordillo Downs shearing shed and the ruins of Cadelga homestead, the latter on the banks of Nappamikie Creek. The waterhole here was near full, testimony to recent rains which had also seen grass, now dried yellowish gold, sprout amongst the gibbers of the vast rolling plains.

Birdsville, on the edge of the Simpson Desert, is one of those ‘must visit’ places in Outback Australia and the keen ones in our group were up early in the morning to head out to ‘Big Red’ and watch the sunrise from the biggest dune in the desert.

McKinlay had passed to the west of here, but rain had forced him out of the desert, where he had abandoned his carts, and travelled back to the Diamantina River, which he followed north.

We too headed out of the desert on a good dirt road to Bedourie, but before we turned east to meet with the Diamantina we stopped at Cuttaburra Crossing. Here the Eyre Creek crosses the main dirt road and this permanent waterhole is an attraction for the region’s wildlife. It’s a good spot to camp too and one that is rewarded with a host of different bird sightings.

Nearby is Glengyle homestead, one of the legendary properties bought by Sidney Kidman in the early 1900s and still owned today by the Kidman Company. A tree near the homestead is registered by the National Trust as the ‘Kidman Tree’ and was once the meeting place for settlers and drovers alike. The property’s richness much depends on the frequent flooding of the Georgina River that oozes south into King Creek and Eyre Creek, to name just two streams that benefit. Such floods brought life and grass to the flood plains but a number of graves found on the west side of the road are mute testimony to those who also drowned trying to cross a swollen life giving -life taking Eyre Creek.

The desert was behind us now and the Gulf was calling, but we were to have our biggest and most enjoyable find well before we got there – and our timing was perfect!

To continue reading about the LOE 2004 adventure, go to LOE 2004 Part III

Travel Planner

For fuel, supplies, accommodation and camping:
Mungaranie Roadhouse, ph: (08) 8675 8317
Innamincka Trading Post, ph: (08) 8675 9900
Innamincka Hotel, ph: (08) 8675 9901
Birdsville Auto & General store, ph: (07) 4656 3226
Birdsville Caravan Park, ph: (07) 4656 3214
Birdsville Hotel, ph: (07) 4656 3244

For info on the Innamincka Regional Reserve and camping, as well as the Walkers Crossing Track, contact the Desert Parks Pass hotline, ph: 1800 816 078, or the NP&WS, office in Innamincka, ph: (08) 8675 9909.
Also check out the NPs web site at: www.environment.sa.gov.au/cgi-bin/pass.pl?Desert

Safety in the Gas/Oil Fields
When travelling through the north-east of SA or the south-west of Queensland, there’s always a temptation to check out one of the nodding oilwells that are often close to the road.

We did - and wore the wrath of an oil rig manager – big time!

And it’s not hard to understand why SANTOS, the company who is responsible for most of the onshore oil and gas production in this area, is absolutely paranoid about travellers passing through the fields!

While the crude oil being pumped by these ‘beam pumps’, to give them their correct name, is highly inflammable, it would only take a small leak of gas from any one of these wells and a spark from a car fridge, or a flame from a match of gas stove, and an oil well and anything close by could be blown into oblivion.

The best advice? Admire them from afar and don’t interfere, in any way, with any of the equipment that lays in ordered confusion at any of these sites. You too could wear the wrath of an oil rig worker – or worse still be prosecuted for trespass!

Shady Days
It was hot out in the desert and whenever we stopped we were looking for some shade. Often that was in very short supply! Luckily, just before we left on this trip, we had fitted a 2.5 metre Howling Moon ‘Alu-Awn’ roll-out awning, which is mounted on our vehicle’s roof rack. They can just as easily be fitted to a camper or caravan.

Howling Moon awnings are available in a range of sizes and styles but the real plus is how easy they erect, especially if there are two of you. With no extra poles or equipment required, apart from that built into the awning itself, it took only a minute and we would have the awning erected, casting some welcome shade for us to cluster under.

For longer stays or for an insect proof enclosure, optional front and side walls are also available.

The Howling Moon range of awnings are distributed by Bushranger, ph: 1800 654 767, or check the web at http://www.bushranger.com.au/open_sky_awnings.php.

You can also check them out at our good mates at Outback 4WD at 174 Canterbury Rd, Bayswater VIC 3153, ph: (03) 9720 6226 http://www.outback4wd.com.au/outback_4wd_077.htm

 

Images courtesy of Offroad Images - Action pics from all over Australia.

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