Day 91 - 29th Apr - Outback Safari - Day 3
Shortly after waking and eating we were taken by our Aboriginal host to an area of spiritual significance, the ochre quarry just a short drive from Iga-Warta. This was an area that was essentially a pilgrimage site for native Australians many years ago. They would walk unimaginable distances to reach this place in order to gather the coloured ochre from the ground for use in religious ceremonies.We got to experience one of these rituals which involved using the ochre as face paint, each colour having a different symbolic meaning such as yellow for the sun: the beginning of a new day, or a new life, or the colour white which represented a spiritual link with the earth. It was a wonderful experience and I was delighted to learn about the beliefs of these fascinating people. Aboriginals really must be the toughest race of people on earth. They've managed to survive for tens of thousands of years on what is quite simply one of most inhospitable environments on the planet. Their respect for the land is admirable and they have always made sure
to maintain the delicate balance of nature without taking too much or damaging the environment. Of course, sadly, this is something that most of humanity has given up on.We carried on and at this point the land was starting to get seriously flat and barren. We came across the site of a mine and spent a few moments exploring the old area and old equipment, though we didn't actually venture underground. We then stopped momentarily at a small town to gather some supplies before heading deeper into the outback.
We came across the location of an old town called Farina, now a ruined, desolate ghost town. It was apparently chosen to be the place for a wheat growing community back when inland Australia was still being explored and colonised. I can't even imagine what kind of drooling, pig-ignorant delirium someone would have to experience in order to suffer the misapprehension
that this would be a good idea. You might as well set up a farm at the south pole or deep in the Sahara Desert. The area was nothing but dry soil and rocks and the buildings had clearly been falling apart for a long time. Needless to say the town did not even export a single sack of grain. I suppose it's possible to be impressed by such staggeringly idiotic optimism but the whole idea really did seem to be the height of insanity.We continued driving and soon stopped for lunch at a tiny place called Marree. This was one of those 'last chance' truck stops at the entrance to the middle of nowhere, the last place to get food, water and petrol. The places we had already visited were isolated enough but the sign warning of 'remote areas ahead' made us realise that we hadn't seen nothin' yet! We unpacked the food and had a barbecue, one of the great Aussie outdoor traditions. We also threw in a few beers, perfection!
It really felt exciting to be so deep into hostile territory, though our expert guide and our equipment meant that the danger was absolutely minimal. Nevertheless it still felt like quite the adventure. It was still hard to believe that I had recently been strolling around the majestic rolling alps of New Zealand. Now I was crossing thousands of miles of dirt road in a desolate but incredibly enthralling country.After changing a tyre we were off past the warning sign, heading down the endless Oodnadatta track. This continued for quite some time until our guide spotted one of the old abandoned railway tracks and we stopped for firewood. We grabbed some railway sleepers and hoisted them onto the back of our trailer. We carried on, stopping briefly to watch the sunset, then continued on even further into the middle of nowhere. We found a place to camp and, in the dark of night, we set up camp.
At this point we were about as far away from civilisation as I had ever been in my entire life.
Although the dark night prevented us from seeing it, the endless and desolate bush continued in every direction. We lit our campfire and cooked our dinner: burritos. We downed our delicious meals and enjoyed a night of merriment around the campfire. It was also a perfect clear night for stargazing, due to our great distance from any light sources. After finding a quiet spot to sleep far away from everyone else I spent some time staring dreamily at the sky and enjoying the solitude and the silence. I could see the glow of the campfire, a tiny pinpoint glow in the distance as I lay there in my swag-bag looking up at the night sky without a single sound at all whatsoever to distract me.I really could live like this!
Day 92 - 30th Apr - Outback Safari - Day 4
I watched the sun rise slowly over the silhouette of the jeep and trailer. In most places at this time the silence would be broken with birdsong but here there was nothing. Slowly but surely everyone rose from their slumber one by one and began to prepare breakfast. By now we really had a routine going, we would wash up and then pack the trailer with our bags, food and equipment. We would then pack away our swag-bags, one person would jump up on top of the trailer and we would pass up the swags to them before throwing a tarp over the top and strapping it down. Each day we would pack and unpack a little faster than the last.We stopped at yet another roadhouse in order to refuel and greet the population of three. We continued down dirt roads until we reached the Stuart Highway, the main road that all those boring bus tours take you on. Had we been on this road the whole time we would have already
arrived in Alice Springs ages ago, in other words it would have been no fun at all. We didn't stay on the highway for long, just long enough to reach Coober Pedy where we would stop for lunch, supplies, fuel and a quick look around.Coober Pedy's claim to fame is that eighty five percent of all the opal (firestone) in the world comes from here. In my opinion this is just a cover story. Its real claim to fame should be that it is Australia's, if not the planet's most hideous town. The only reason for its existence is mining and as a result the landscape has been transformed in a staggeringly un-picturesque way that is so awful that it's almost an achievement in its own right. Endless mounds of dirty, mucky, pinkish mounds of excavated dirt lie all around town like molehills, an eyesore far more ghastly than any unsightly architecture. Pink isn't really a good colour for a town even when it's a nice shade of pink and the soil here was a mucky, filthy shade that reminded me of rotten chicken liver pate. More than half of the population live underground in these 'molehills' to escape the stifling summer heat and freezing
winters so all you see are dirt mounds with chimneys jutting out of top. The rest of the locals live in hastily erected ramshackle huts that look like they might well collapse any minute. The distance of this town from civilisation, water and other people is the final crowning turd on the icing of this cake.All these things added up to make a surreal, let morbidly entertaining experience, it was just so ugly I actually liked it. Of course I would rather move to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean or to Guantanamo Bay than Coober Pedy but it was still fun to visit. It came as no surprise to learn that the population was dwindling and all the young people were leaving. I reckon I'd last two weeks living here before I would go crazy and try to gnaw off my own legs with boredom. We stopped for some excellent pizza for lunch and then toured an opal mine and an underground home before resupplying our food stores.
We continued out into the desert and I glimpsed my first sight of a mirage. I'd never seen one before but it really did look like there was water on the horizon. This must have driven early explorers completely insane. Definitely one of God's more cruel jokes, along with making sea water completely undrinkable on long voyages back in the age of sailing ships.Again it was dark before we found our place to camp. It was another wonderful evening around the campfire and we enjoyed more great food before turning in for the night. This time, instead off seeking solitude away from the camp I rolled out my swag right next to the campfire with everyone else. It was pleasant to doze off next to the comforting glow of the fire, the only sounds being the burning crackle of the flames.
Well that and the occasional snoring sounds from some of the group.
the mirage effect! It really looks like water doesn't it?
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