Our time in Barossa has been fantastic – a visit to remember. As older age sets in and minds fail though, we just wonder if it will eclipse the memory of Barossa, Sandhurst. The next day it’s the road to Quorn for preparation before the Oodnatta track. Our route takes us through the Cockatoo Valley. Previous readers may like to know; no members in sight. Onwards north along South Australia’s fine B-roads towards Port Pirie and Port Augusta.
A double-take stops us for morno’s. Are we lost? Or is it?
Nessie sprouts from a shimmering, dried-up Lake Barunga.
A good crowd-puller for the local butcher, who sells me Peanut Brittle, and all of us, snags*.
Signs again, make a long drive entertaining.
- Redhill – ‘It’s not red, and there isn’t a hill.’
- Snowtown – ‘It’s a desert. What are they on? Cocaine distribution?!
- Guns, ammo, pub, bakery, cafe, free camp – We consider pausing at the welcome sign, and move on.
Harry is offering ‘Humpalicious camel’s milk‘. But we keep going, too.
The road becomes flat and boring, enlivened only by a police checkpoint, pulling everyone over. I drive slowly towards the single police officer, the lead of two military-looking vehicles, expecting interrogation. Much to my surprise, she waves us straight on, smiling. Must have heard we’re part of Australia’s latest defence enhancements -AUKUS Pillar 3. Or alternatively be thinking ‘Nobody could be that stupid!’ I didn’t feel like stopping to ask.
Off the highways and into the Flinders Ranges. The grey raincloud that has been following me flinches and retreats, leaving only its wind. A dry, hilly, landscape beside the old Ghan railway.
We cruise into Quorn, ‘the heart of the Flinders Ranges’ and filmset extraordinaire. Gallipoli, the Water-diviner and others all got their backdrops here.
There is lots to say about Quorn. From the Trans-continental pub, (to be wokely correct, not that sort of trans), but full of characters who seem to have been there since 1955, watching speed-boat racing in the middle of the woop-woop**.
Jeanie introduced us to this expression, and now we have evidence!
A sound and light show that night projected on the ever-present silo amid a wicked wind entertain Guy and I until cold chases us back to the campsite, another spotless facilities-filled gem.
In the morning Galas are everywhere; todays pest, waking us on a day off. But there is more to explore. In its time Quorn was a railway hub; very busy sending troops to Darwin in the Second World War. Now, literally, it’s the end of the line. It’s used by the Coffee Pot train service; but it doesn’t really make Quorn commuter-belt.
We take the opportunity to do a little pretty fruitless maintenance, in gear that we got when troop leaders.
More fiddling with those pesky brakes, makes no real difference.
Peter still stops, though. We’re in ‘throw away the warning light’ territory.
One of the differential oil levels is low. I try the local service station, still doing business on a Sunday. There’s nothing on the shelf but the obliging mechanic offers to put some in a container. ‘You got an oil pump?’, he asks. ‘No, nothing like that’, I reply, not looking forward to the prospect of putting oil into a filler-level plug with a teaspoon. ‘Here, take this.’ He heaves a 20-litre container and pump across the counter. Bring it back when you’re done.’ Wilco service on a Sunday for $15.00 and a six pack. What a place!
The camp kitchen makes food easy, here. Breakfast in the morning is almost a full-fried English; eggs, bacon tomatoes and black pudding. Only without the eggs and black pudding. Must be a pig-flu crisis as well as a bird-flu one. James excels on the toaster, though.
In the evening an IGA*** pre-paid roast chicken finishes the day in this fascinating time-warp town.
Tomorrow we head north again. Blogs will become harder in the next few days as reception becomes more flukey. But that’s no reason for us to forget the purpose of this trip; to raise funds for four charities supporting young people and veterans. So, if you haven’t already, please share the story and the gofundme link with your friends and colleges so that we can give more the opportunity to contribute.
English Dictionary
- * sausages.
- ** outback; probably a bit less ‘outback’ than the GAFA.
- *** small supermarket.