That’s the recent experience of local Chris Maher and two others, something that Chris says he will never forget.
A former steelworks employee and now a consultant with the DMW Group, Chris says the month away, although a rush, will always remain an unforgettable part of his life.
But, let’s go travelling!
It wasn’t until after they joined the Barrier Hwy out of Broken Hill and travelled to Yunta, a railway settlement in South Australia with a population of six and a hotel and two service stations, that they turned off the bitumen onto a dirt track which took them north to Frome Downs Station and then west to Leigh Creek, overall some 360 kilometres in all.
Chris says this countryside was variable, ranging from hills to flat land including some spectacular travel through the North Flinders Ranges, and it was very dry.
It wasn’t until a couple of days later that they were told the track they had taken was closed by police because of heavy rains.
From Leigh Creek it was off to Lyndhurst and the beginning of the Oodnadatta Track, and to another dirt section that was once a critical support track feeder for the old Ghan railway line. The Oodnadatta is one of the vital network of dirt roads through this part of the country.
Chris says this section was flat, arid and with frequent evidence of bores and old water feeding spots. There were also ruins of premises that had once helped service the Ghan.
At a stopover at Coward Springs they were surprised with the bores they saw and were advised that many years ago as much as 1.2 million gallons of water flowed there daily. Apparently, Chris says, the waters flowed underground, even from as far away as Papua - New Guinea, and this was where it rose to the surface. Coward Springs was also the first encounter with dingos calling at night and an early morning confrontation with a camel.
Along the Oodnadatta is Anna Creek Station, the largest cattle property in the world. In the past the property carried many thousands of head of cattle and a workforce of between 70 and 75. Today, due to severe drought, the station is home to some 500 cattle and there are only five employees.
A highlight of their trip through this area, Chris says, was to stand on the edge of Lake Eyre South and imagine what it would be like when both lakes fill with waters from the north. “Given the chance, and when it occurs again, I will certainly be there,” Chris adds. Along this part of the track, he adds, you are up to five metres below sea level.
On they travelled, completing the entire Oodnadatta Track, before exiting at Marla and heading towards Alice Springs. Most of the run up bitumen to the Alice was done with windscreen wipers operating and upon arrival in The Alice the group was advised that not only had the Oodnadatta Track received heavy rain but further back Broken Hill had floodwaters on all sides.
At Glen Helen, west of the MacDonnell Ranges, they were able to spend time on day trips to various nearby attractions and Chris says these included some spectacular gorges and mountains, as well as some of the most unforgettable sunrises and sunsets one might ever see. Standley Chasm, Ellery Big Hole and Ormiston Gorge are all breathtaking.
The real trip was about to start as they returned to the dirt for 2200 kms of travel through NT, WA and back to Coober Pedy in SA.
Chris says the area they were about to visit was the outcome of the work of explorer Len Beadall, who in the 1950s developed a network of tracks through the local deserts, mainly created to support the rocket and missile launching activity from Woomera to the north west.
A story that needs to be told
The Len Beadell story should not be allowed to go unnoticed, Chris says, and should definitely be part of our overall school curriculum.
From Glen Helen about 350 km of dirt had the group arrive at the northern end of the Sandy Blight Junction Road. Beadell named it after an eye disorder - “sandy blight”. This narrow track offered sections of deep sand, significant washouts and constant corrugations, along with camels.
Completion of the Sandy Blight gave a brief respite on moderately good dirt to Warburton where they overnighted in a compound before what local police told them was “a very difficult journey” along the Connie Sue Hwy (named after Len Beadell’s daughter) with its severe corrugation, low hanging trees and the single–minded camels, who would often only move out of your way when they felt like it.
At Warburton Chris had got chatting with some people representing the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and to his surprise one of them came from Unanderra.
After the Connie Sue came the Anne Beadell Hwy (named after Len’s wife). The section they travelled is about 950 kms of dirt ranging from an almost nonexistent to clearly defined and well rutted track. On a good day this allowed no more than 180 kms progress at a time.
“We lived in fear of what might fall off our vehicle,” Chris recalls. The corrugations, holes, overhanging branches and the trees and bushes on each side always threatened damage.
At Emu, a former base for atomic testing in the 1950s, they found it quite sobering to see a sign warning that kangaroo food should not be cooked or eaten and that it was an area generally seen as unfit for permanent habitation.
Then on to Coober Pedy where they found their perceptions about deserts being arid, dusty and generally offering a nothingness, were far from the truth. Most of the desert in this area offered vegetation with gums and smaller trees abundant, as was the spinifex, and evidence of fauna. “There was certainly more life there than we realised,” Chris says. “Obviously, though, there are other desert areas that more closely resemble the original perception.”
They also found that the locals were concerned about the increasing presence of Americans and police at Woomera, and there was an air of apprehension about what might be on the future agenda.
At Port Augusta they were shown the notorious Baxter Detention Centre, a facility that from the outside appears forlorn, depressing and inhuman.
And as far as Chris is concerned the backblocks of our interior are a must for anyone considering a holiday with a difference, and one that every dinkum Aussie should consider making. He has in mind the Birdsville Track, the Strezlekis and the Simpson Desert, but if you are planning something like what Chris and his friends have just completed you must have a four-wheel drive - otherwise forget it.
There’s also a need, he warns, to ensure you get the necessary permits which will allow you to enter and cross Aboriginal lands. | 
