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THE CANNING
STOCK ROUTE
4 August—4 September
Participants:
Errol and Jenny Gordon (Trip Leaders)
Ken Winders and Di
Long Russell and Jenny Kennedy
Bob and Marilyn Schofield Geoff and Christine Moller
Barry and June Mills
Week 1 by
Marilyn and Bob Schofield
It was just light when the seven vehicles left the caravan park
at Port Augusta, South Australia. The day’s travel took us to the seaside town
of Ceduna and along the Great Australian Bight to a bush camp short of the SA-WA
border.
The next day took us through the border checkpoint, on to
Cocklebiddy for the last fuel before heading north to “Arubiddy” station where
the RFDS was on a regular visit. The track was slow from here closely following
the Dingo fence for about sixty kilometres to Rawlinna on the Transcontinental
Railway Line for a camp in the local Gymkhana grounds.
Across the railway line and through the gate appeared to be the
correct way, but was it? The navigational dilemma was eventually solved when a
sign appeared confirming that we were on the Connie Sue Highway crossing the
Nullabor Plain. The dirt road was twenty metres wide in sections and dust was a
problem towards the back of the convoy. At Neale Junction we turned west again.
Sixty kilometres on, our bush camp was made with a chilly minus three degrees
next morning.
Further on at Laverton WA two vehicles topped up with fuel to
continue the journey. A vehicle from our convoy backed into Barry and June’s
Nissan leaving a substantial dint in the off side front door. By early
afternoon camp was set up in Leonora caravan park.
The “Gypsies” (according to the receipt written by the Caretaker)
spent the remainder of the day and the next attending to mundane chores and a
tour of the Sons of Gwalia mine, museum and ghost town. The local hotel was
well patronised each evening for meals as was the camper’s kitchen in the
caravan park.
At Wiluna the last checks on water and fuel were made for the
Canning Stock Route. Bob and I carried 180 litres of diesel and 80 litres of
water. The adventure began, so did the corrugations, bumps and dust.
GPS readings were used to locate the first of the wells. Camp was
made under the shady, tall gums with the restored Well 3 providing copious
amounts of pleasant water. There was also a toilet. This enviro. dunny was like
nothing seen before, with a circular contraption and foot pedal to remove the
“deposit”.
Week 2 by Russell and Jenny Kennedy
The scenery was amazing from Well 11 onwards, with many tough
corrugations and sand dunes to cover we managed to forge ahead well by well.
We came across a burnt out vehicle and a pajero that had been
left by their owner due to a burnt out clutch. (The cost of recovery for the
vehicle was around $8,000 so the owners left it exactly between the sand dunes
with no insurance and the vehicle only possibly be worth the same as the
recovery cost)
Some great sights and highlights -
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· Lake Disappointment
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· Durba Springs
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· Canning’s Cairn
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· Georgie Bore
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· Broken coil off coil springs. Russell’s vehicle. Not
highlight…
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· Well 33 for ice creams
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· Well 33 for $2.80 per litre fuel
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· Well 33 for supplies
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· Thring Rock
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· Another broken coil off coil springs. Russell’s vehicle.
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· Fantastic photo opportunities.
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· Hot shockies.
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· Corrugations, sand hills, wild flowers.
It was truly amazing experience for the remoteness of the track,
landscape and adventure and understanding how Canning and Snell navigated the
Stock Route all those years ago.
There is so much history from the Canning and I recommend anyone
travelling to the Stock Route to purchase a book called Canning Stock Route by
Ronelle and Eric Gard. This will give you all the information about the stock
route well by well.
Week 3 by
Geoff and Christine Moller
Week three
was not much different to the previous week, but we were starting to get sick of
putting the tent up every night. We were into the 19th
day since we left home and except for the first few nights we had been in the
tent.
It is hard
to realise how isolated it is out there. We had been on the CSR since last
Saturday week and will still be on it until Thursday of this week. It is a long
time to be on two wheel tracks that will cover more than 1800 k’s. What an
adventure, the longest stock route in the world. We could only travel up to
140k’s on a good day and that would be from 8.00am to around 4.00pm, some days
you see one or two cars and on one occasion we passed 19 cars by lunch time.
The cars in
our convoy all performed very well with only a few hiccups, most problems were
from add on parts. Our car would not start one morning with what we thought to
be a flat battery. On investigation we found that the battery was loose in its
tray, and found that we had broken the eyes out of the tray itself and the
battery had lifted high enough to dint the bonnet. Then at Well 48, Christine
had walked around the front of the car and had held on the bull bar and found it
to be loose, so under I went with spanner in hand to tighten the bolts to find
that they were all tight and that the brackets had split on both sides and both
brackets. One side of each bracket had completely broken off and the other side
was only held on by a whisker. Then we removed the bar and brackets and waited
til the next morning. Thanks to Barry and June, who have a welder built into
their car, Barry was able to weld the brackets and they were fitted back to
car. But when you consider the conditions of the track with very heavy
corrugations and chopped out approaches to sand dunes, where the car would
almost stand in one place and just bounce. Should nick-name the car TIGGER.
Barry and
June’s Nissan broke the front brackets on the auxiliary fuel tank and had
dropped to road, pity it wasn’t a little wider, could of have graded the road
for the rest of us. The tank had in excess of 50 litres of fuel @$2.80 per
litre. Barry was able to pump the fuel into his tank and remove it from the car
and it was able to complete the rest of the journey on the roof rack .I think
the only other problems we had was Bob and Marilyn’s car had destroyed some
shock absorber rubbers and Russell and Jenny’s car broke both rear coil springs.
We covered
so many different types of landscapes, from open spinifex country to desert oaks
that closed in on the track with just enough room to get the cars through, to
big open clay pans and salt lakes and flats that almost look like coastal areas
at low tide. Mountain ranges with lookouts, rock pools and grass tree areas and
most of the wells have larger trees near by.
It was good
to see that some of the wells have been restored, some by Car Clubs, one by
Chamberlin Tractor Club. A lot of the wells are not much more than depressions
in the ground, but with the tell tale rusted water troughs and structures.
There is
also the tragic side, where men had lost their lives and have been buried around
the well areas, with only the end caps of the water troughs to mark their
resting place.
Thursday
morning, last day of the CSR, Ken and Di with Russell and Jenny left to go to
Wolf Creek Crater while we replaced the bull bar, the rest of us had already
been there on other trips. We broke camp and went on to Well 51, the final Well
that is marked with a big windmill and earth tank. From here we went to Lake
Streach where we had lunch and pumped up our tyres ready for the fuel stop at
Billiuna.
While at
Billiuna we rang to Alice Springs to book some cabins, or accommodation for the
weekend, as we all had enough of camping to do us for a while, only to find that
most of the place was booked out because that was week end of the Henley on The
Todd.
We met up
with the other guys who went to Wolf Creek, just outside of Billiuna and set off
for Alice Springs. Camped overnight in a old road camp clearing. Next morning
we broke camp and headed into Rabbit Flat for morning ice creams (a real treat
now) fuel up and off to Alice. We arrived there late that afternoon and some of
us found motel rooms at a Backpacker’s Motel and some had another night in tents
with cabins being available next night.
Saturday
morning Christine and I set of for town to watch the parade for the contestants
for the Todd River Races. The only place in the world where they have boat
races on a dry river in bottomless boats!!!!! What a day, do these Territorians
know how to have fun?
We all got
together that night for a farewell dinner at the local bowls club, as the next
day, Sunday, we were all going separate ways. Ken and Di, Russell and Jenny,
Paul and Sheryl were staying another day and then heading off to Birdsville to
meet up with other party from the Mitsy club.
Bob and
Marilyn came back over the Plenty Highway as they were having some problems
with suspension in their car and wanted to take the most direct route and we had
made arrangements to meet them again in Boulia on the Monday night. Errol and
Jenny, Barry and June, Christine and I came home via the Sandover Highway as
none of us had done this road before.
This was a
good decision as the road was being graded and was in excellent condition, and
crossed some really nice country.
Well that is
week three in a nut shell. Thanks to Errol and Jenny for a fabulous trip with a
lot of preparation and ground work. Thanks to the rest of crew for your company
and some new found friends.
Week 4 by
Paul and Sheryl Lee
The three remaining cars, Ken and Di, Russell and Jenny and Paul
and Sheryl, left Alice Springs on Monday 27 August and continued towards
Birdsville via the East McDonnell Ranges. After spending a few hours at the
ruins of Altunga, we headed along Cattlewater Pass track towards the Plenty
Highway, camping midway along the track.
After an event-free run down the Plenty Highway, we arrived at
Boulia and camped at the caravan park.
Before leaving Boulia on Wednesday, we all visited the
interesting Min Min Encounter show. Morning tea was had after the show then we
left for Birdsville, arriving at the caravan park just after lunch.
The camping area was close to full but they squeezed us in a
small area on the road where it was very dusty. After setting up camp, we
headed to the pub along with hundreds of others. By Thursday night there was
probably close to 3000 people at Birdsville.
Due to the dust, overcrowding in the caravan park and no horses
at the races, it was unanimously decided that we would all go our separate ways
home on Friday morning.
Many thanks to Errol and Jenny Gordon for organising and leading
this very enjoyable trip. Also thanks to Bob and Marilyn Schofield, Geoff and
Christine Moller, Ken Winders and Di Long, Russell and Jenny Kennedy and Barry
and June Mills for making the trip a memorable one.
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