Sketches

I have made it to Coober Pedy and have spent the last two days here after driving from Bermagui to Coober Pedy in three very long days. Along the way I have seen some amazing country.

I took a couple of hundred photos along the way and this post will sketch the trip so far using the panoramic shoots I have uploaded. I love my panaromas and it was a simple way of determining which photos I would upload out of all the ones I have taken. There are more photos than these, click through any of the photos below and you’ll see them. I’m also tweeting as I go, but you’ll have to make an account and ask to follow me as my twitter account is private. If you do that though you’ll get more updates as I go along.

Having stayed at my Mum’s for three nights I headed across the roof of Australia, through Jinadbyne, Thredbo and across to Swan Hill. From sea level to 1500m+ then to the Murray I passed through some of the most spectacular scenery Australia has on offer.

Snowy River

Swan Hill

From Swan Hill I continued along the Murray River Valley across to Port Augusta, that was a huge trip. Remark was a pretty cool place and I ate at a fantastic place called Oscar W’s at Echuca. The sunset at Port August was absolutely amazing.

Mighty!

Port Augusta Sunset

In Port Augusta I stayed at The Flinders Hotel for $55 for the night. Great deal. When I said that I was coming in late they said it didn’t matter as they where available until 3am, I didn’t really think about what that meant, but as the talking and music kept me up until 3am I realized that they meant the pub was open until then. Oh well.

Thankfully this hotel didn’t include a room of people getting to know each other in noisily intimate ways, although I did get to hear about the sexpoilts of the night before while the guys in the room next door packed their car the next morning, at least I didn’t have to listen while it was happening.

They were just leaving as I came out to pack my car. Didn’t quite know where to look.

From there I started my serious Northern trip. The land started getting flatter and redder and hotter immeadiately.

Red Dirt Rail

Nothing much happened as I headed north, I paused at Woomera, which was an empty place, like a Ghost Town but the ghosts were all still people somewhere. Felt like a lot was going on just not anywhere I could see. They had rockets, most of which failed, and not much was said about Atomic testing. I could see the detention centre but they had boom gates a long way out.

Rockets!

Just when I thought the area couldn’t get any more flatter and redder and hotter it did.

Redder

Flatter

Then I saw something very very very strange. At first I thought they were very juicey bugs, then I realised that it was rain. Rain! Rain! What kind of outback experience is it to drive through a sun shower. I even had to turn my wipers on, only to intermittent but still the wipers were on.

The road didn’t actually end up looking wet but water was falling.

Eventually I got to Coober Pedy. I had been tag teaming a few cars, getting ahead of them and then stopping to take some photos and then they pass me and I get back on the road and over take them again.

Coober Pedy is a crazy, desolate, things left where they fell place.

I am living in a hobbit hole. I churched in a hobbit hole. I ate in a hobbit hole. They call them underground or dugouts. They are dug into the side of the hills, some are the Opal mines turned into a home, some are purpose built. There is an amazing smell which gently touches your nostrils each time you enter a dugout, it’s not unpleasant, but noticeable, which I guess is the smell of the rock. Unique.

Hobbit living

Hobbit churching

Church was a small affair, and felt like we were doing something that had to be done. Maybe it was just me, but I think not, but then I have felt that a bit about church for a while, just hadn’t work out those words. It’s like we don’t now why or what or how but we just know we do (or think we do) and so we just do what has ‘always been done’ and follow a pattern without owning it or making it unique. Without making something that flows out of the people and situation we are in.

The message was encouraging, that we are enough for God to love us. So often we think we are not good enough, but the lady who preached said we are enough, we are enough for God to love us. She said other stuff but that was my take away. It was a side point too. But an important one for me.

I’m off to Uluru tomorrow morning, bright and early it will be. Want to be on the road no later than 7. Gives me more time to pause along the way. I will also pick up a bonus hour when I hit NT, thanks to them not doing daylight saving. I’ll be there until Australia Day and then in the 28th push hard to Dariwn. I’ll be there on the 29th or 30th. We’ll see how I go. I can’t see everything and the sooner I get to Darwin the sooner I have a traveling companion.

3 comments

stella

January 23, 2012 at 11:31 pm (UTC 11)

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Hi BJD. We don’t really now you other than through the footboot blogfeed so assume you know people we know… Ryan, Tom, Howie. We gather you are heading to Alice Springs which is where we live and move and have our being. We live on 20 acres a bit out of town at Honeymoon Gap with a bunch of people (including Ryan) in loose community. I gather from your post you have no plans to hang in this area… a pity as there is a lot to do and see. Uluru is only one of the spectacular formations in this area… and at this time of year beautiful rock holes to swim in are far more inviting. Any way, if you need somewhere to camp the night in Alice and sit around a chat to a few locals who live together here, you can be in touch. Our home number (out of work hours only) is 89550851. My husband, Keith’s mobile is 0418898095. Or you could just turn up to lot 4012 Bullen Rd, first house just south of Honeymoon Gap. We have a couple of houses and a bunch of cabins on site so someone is usually home. We could debate church planting on our verandah over a glass of wine if you like.
lesley

January 24, 2012 at 12:06 pm (UTC 11)

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Wow! That is one spectacularly gorgeous sunset!
aunty cath

February 1, 2012 at 10:09 pm (UTC 11)

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Love you Pasta sauce!!!H