Friday, November 11, 2011

11 November 2011 - Big4 Oasis Coober Pedy, South Australia


I woke early, cold and took joy in gathering the duvet close about me. How refreshing it was to rise fresh and breakfast while the temperature was still below 20 degrees. Who would think I would ever say that!

We were the last party out of the rest area, but with no need to be gone by the regulation 10 o’clock check out time, we took pleasure in lingering in this pleasant place. We were still gone soon after nine, and on the road joining the road trains and tourist traffic, heading south.
Initially the skies were clear, but soon we encountered another pall of smoke and drove on through the mist-like environment, again uncertain of where the source was, and then it was all clear again and we travelled on over the flat desert plains, covered in low scrub and great swathes of dry orange red earth. The sky was the palest blue, and appeared as scrunched quilting, the workings more intricate as it moved away to the east.

We travelled the hundred kilometres or so to Marla, and stopped first to use the conveniences. There we encountered a family of five who had stopped for the same purpose and to have morning tea. The children squabbled over the biscuit box and the parents sucked on their cigarettes with relief. They had been travelling for about five months, with a caravan not much bigger than ours. The men swapped fuel consumption notes, one of the important subjects raised in such meetings. These folk from the Gold Coast were getting less than four kilometres a litre, making our almost six seem incredibly economic. We decried insurance premiums, swapped travel tips, us about Yulara, them about Coober Pedy, and then parted company once more on our way.

Before we left Marla, we topped up with diesel, buying just enough to get us through to Coober Pedy even taking into consideration the building head winds, reluctant to pay more than necessary at these more remote service stations.

The next two hundred and forty odd kilometres took us on through the desert lands of South Australia, cattle stations on either side of the road, but so dry and scant of vegetation for the odd cattle we saw. In fact we saw more road killed cattle than those grazing, along with discarded automobile wrecks, tyre rubber and beer bottles.

Much of the land was gibber desert, covered with small stones as opposed to the sandy ridges of the desert lands further north. It is truly amazing to consider that this land is grazed and considered even remotely productive.

Within fifty kilometres of Coober Pedy the land form changed and we passed across low shallow valleys, over the ridge and down across what must have been a wide river bed once upon a time. After crossing about five or six of these, evidence of opal mining appeared. Pyramids of mine castings, coloured white, apricot, pink, brown and a mass of other colours, some small like termite hills and some dwarfing the old machinery about. Some reminded me of pictures one sees on the television of the tent cities erected for refugees of disaster or war.

And then Coober Pedy came in to sight, low uninspiring buildings on this moonscape. We found our way through to the Information Centre, and came away armed with brochures for a mass of attractions waiting for our visit and services to be engaged.

Our CMCA bible had suggested that we stay at the Clothes Barn Op Shop for a mere $5 a night with the first night free. Of course this appealed immensely but we could not see the street on the map we had picked up. Chris suggested I go ask someone, so I intercepted the policemen in their land cruiser behind us. The driver said he would escort us if I would just wait until he finished his business at the EFTPOS machine, and so soon we were off toward the edge of town with a police escort. We gave them a big wave and thank you, and drove to the gate of this generous host, however on looking about the neighbourhood, decided that we would not be comfortable leaving the caravan here while we explored the area, and so there was no point in pursuing this avenue.

Instead we returned to the town centre and came to this caravan park, chosen because it was the cheapest commercial caravan park on offer. The service on checking in was brilliant and we are so far very satisfied with our choice. We were to be placed under a carport roof arrangement, however chose instead to be out in the open, more exposed to the searing sun, but next to a water supply. Water here in Coober Pedy is at a premium, piped in from an artesian bore, then desalinated and filtered through a Reverse Osmosis filtration system. It is available to the public at one outlet, costing 20 cents for about 30 litres. For our plug-in water supply we pay an extra $5 and receive a key to the connection box.

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