So it was that on July 11th, 2019 that WTF? - Where are The Farrows? re-entered our home state of South Australia almost 7 months after we had set out. Southbound on the Stuart Highway we drove… and drove… and drove! Between the NT border and home were 4 more Bush Pubs to visit so with these destinations locked in we continued on our meandering way.
First on the list was the Kingoonya Hotel about 35km south of the highway and 45km west of Glendambo Roadhouse.
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| We enjoyed sitting around the fire with locals and visitors alike at the Kingoonya Hotel |
With the signature of the publican secured we enjoyed counter meals with three blokes that had ridden their motorbikes 200+km on the muddy tracks from the upper Eyre Peninsula. After dinner we adjourned outside to sit around a nice warm fire and have a couple of drinks with them and three or four local station hands that had arrived. While their party was just kicking off we bid them all goodnight and returned to the caravan that was parked in a wide open space a couple of hundred metres from pub near the railway line that runs through the town. Fortunately, only one train rumbled past during the night - but it was a long one!
The next day was bright sunshine and clear blue skies which made for some great photos when we stopped at Lake Hart - a dry salt lake on the edge of the highway and railway line. For some reason the railway line in the middle of nowhere reminded me of the old silent movies where an evil villain (me?), would tie a damsel (Heather) across the line ahead of an oncoming train. I don’t know why - it just did! See photo of ‘Damsel in Distress’, below.
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| Heather as the 'Damsel in Distress' lying across the train tracks |
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| I love the bright white of the salt and deep blue of the sky in this photo of Heather at Lake Hart |
Next pub to visit on our route, albeit requiring a short 300 km detour to get there, was the William Creek Hotel situated along the Oodnadatta Track. The Oodnadatta Track has a reputation for being rough, heavily corrugated and hard on vehicles - it is well deserved! At several stages in our journey we were down to walking speed and at one point the ute and caravan (and us as occupants), were being shaken so vigorously that the flexible whip antenna for our UHF radio was snapped right off of it’s base! We made camp at Coward Springs, and without the caravan in-tow, proceeded to drive to the pub a mere 75km further up the track. Anyway, we finally made it to the pub, met the publican who was very happy to sign his page in our book, enjoyed a refreshing beverage before making the return trip back to camp.
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| After a bone-shaking drive it was good to stand on solid ground again at the William Creek Hotel! |
We broke camp from Coward Springs and drove 130km east until we reached Marree at the eastern end of the Oodnadatta Track. Along the way we stopped at some roadside ‘art’. Considerable effort has gone into this ‘open air gallery’ which appears out of nowhere, is located in the middle of nowhere, on a road between nowhere and nowhere else, and includes a couple of light aircraft ‘planted’ in the ground, amongst other curios.
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| This 'roadside attraction' is worth a stop - if only because it is the only thing for over 100km along this section of the Oodnadatta Track! |
The Marree Hotel, also in our Bush Pubs book, is the main feature of the town of Marree which is located 675km N of Adelaide, and is the starting point (or end point) of BOTH the Oodnadatta and the Birdsville Tracks.
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| The Marree Hotel at the start/end of the Oodnadatta & Birdsville Tracks |
With the last of the dirt roads now behind us it was smooth sailing on sealed roads all the way home from Marree. One of our stops on the way home was a ‘Station Stay’ in the southern Flinders Ranges. We were the only campers there and really enjoyed the tranquility of our campsite alongside a dry creek bed. I managed to take a photo that I think captured that most peaceful time of the morning as Heather enjoyed a cup of coffee beside the campfire.
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| Serenity is a hot cup of coffee beside the campfire first thing in the morning! |
Heather also had some good success metal detecting in this region. She managed to unearth 4 dog tags in great condition. The oldest from 1892. The others were 1898, 1901 and 1922. The smile on her face (see pic below) shows just how happy she was to have found these beauties!
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| Heather, very happy with her Dog Tags from 1892, 1898, 1901 and 1922 |
As we moved south the weather got wetter and colder - which turned out to be a little bit fortunate for us as I will soon relate.
The last pub for us to visit on this road trip was the Overland Corner Hotel on the northern bank of the Murray River near Barmera in SA’s Riverland. So, after making camp near the pub we went into the pub, had a beer & a wine, got our book signed by the publican, and it was ‘mission accomplished’.
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| This pub is for sale if you are interested... |
As soon as we had got back to the caravan after getting our book signed we discovered that the refrigerator/freezer in the caravan had stopped working and refused to operate regardless of whether it was plugged into the ute, mains power or the gas bottle - it was done! Nothing but a blinking red light. Luckily we were just a three hour drive from our home rather than hundreds of km or days from anywhere that could try to repair the fridge. Given the cold SA winter weather we knew the food in the fridge would last one more night but nonetheless we agreed that tomorrow we would have to go home and, sadly, bring our 2019 road trip to an end.
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| 16 days and 2,442km through SA and we were back home |
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| A long and winding road… It was great fun! We will be back at it as soon as we can once I have retired! |
Over almost 7 months WTF? - Where are The Farrows? had towed the caravan 19,735km around Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory and South Australia. A long and winding route saw us visit 23 of the 50 Bush Pubs in our book - some brilliant, others very ordinary! The natural attractions and sights are what impressed more than the man-made ones and the vast emptiness of large, enormous stretches of the country also stand-out. While there was not always alot of people out in the remote parts, there were always plenty of flies out there to keep WTF? - Where are The Farrows? company. We look forward to sharing some stories of our next extended road trip - whenever and wherever that may be...
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