Lunch finished, were again on the road, over dunes and then, with a change of direction, paralleling them for a while. The corrugations on the road are bad in sections, but the “splendid isolation,” Richard observes, makes the roughness worthwhile. (I’m glad he thinks so, since he’s doing all the driving!).
On toward Merty Merty Station, past a giant dune, and then onto the Strzelecki Track, one of several tracks in Australia famous for remoteness and ruggedness.
Desolate area, largely. However, near the beginning of the track, signs remind us that not far away from this intersection, there is drilling for natural gas, which makes Australia self-sufficient for this resource.
Far off to our right, the giant red dune runs parallel to the track for miles and miles. Richard says that all the dunes stretch across the desert like that. It seems odd to look across the miles of pale beige sand to see the deep-red dunes rising in the distance. Richard says the dunes are generally 30 to 50 feet high.
At the end of the track, we turned right and headed back into the red dunes. We’re beginning to see spinifex. Then out of sand country and back to gibber plains. Into Innaminka just after 4:00. Stopped at the rangers station, to find out about the best places to camp and to pay camping fees.
Dozens of galahs and a few corellas swirled into the air nearby, then settled again, hunting for seeds. No time to investigate, however, as we need to find our campsite, so we can set up camp before dark. Pretty bleak area, really, but dramatic.
And suddenly, it’s lush and beautiful, as we reach Cooper Creek. We have a great camp site. Splendid view of the wide, still creek, with lots of trees and birds everywhere. Perfect.
And I’m immensely pleased to actually be camping on the historic Cooper Creek. Our campsite is named King’s site, because king was found here by the rescue party. Wow. (If you’re not familiar with the significance of Cooper Creek, check out info on Burke and Wills. Of course, if you have my book Waltzing Australia, you can just turn to the appendix, where I include the entire tragic tale.)
Splendid sunset—merest sliver of a moon (but slightly more than last night), clear dark blue sky with a blaze of orange along the horizon, all reflected in the water. A great flotilla of pelicans coming up the creek is outlined darkly against the bright, sky-reflecting water. The cries of galahs and corellas ring through the trees around us. Lovely.
Oops. One tire is flat. Richard found a nail in it. He’ll change it in the morning, and we can get it patched in town. It tells you something about the area that every stopping point is prepared to fix things like this.
Another nicer dinner, campfire, conversation, and to bed before 9:00.
Waltzing Australia 