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On location, hunting for dinosaurs! While waiting for a massive Sauropod to wander across the barren...
Destinations > Sand Storm
Sand Storm
We had no sooner left the roadhouse and started our way back along the Great Central Road, when we came across a vehicle in trouble on the side of the road. The workman from Alice Springs was on his way out to one of the local Aboriginal Communities when one of his rear tyres was punctured and needed changing. To his horror, the jacking handle for the jack was missing, and he had spent the last hour under his fully loaded Nissan ute slowly raising the jack with a small ring spanner. We were able to help out and in 15-minutes, we had his wheel changed and he was on his way to Warakurna to have his tyre repaired. It brought home the fact that you must be prepared for all types of situations that may arise when travelling in remote locations. We would love to have been a fly on the wall when he returned to Alice Springs and advised his fellow workers to check his vehicle correctly before being sent out by himself!
Back on our way again, we made a very small detour, turning off down the Wingelina road for a few kilometres to inspect the marker that Len erected for the original starting point for the then unnamed track north. At the official starting point for the new road north, there is a stand of desert oaks on the other side of the road, opposite the Len Beadell marker, which make a great little campsite. It is from here that it all started on the March 31, 1960.
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After leaving this important little spot, it is back out to the Great Central Road and further east to the next marker that Len had blazed on a ghost gum, with Gill Pinnacle as the backdrop. What had only taken us a very short time to reach this spot along the main road had taken the Gunbarrel Road Construction Party 10 days. Travelling further east, the Schwerin Mural Crescent was terminating and the Rebecca Creek was getting closer. As there are no signposts to tell you where to turn off, it is important to carry out pre-trip preparations correctly. Just before reaching the Rebecca Creek, there is a track on the left, indicating that this was the start of the famous Sandy Blight Junction Track and it was now time to start the northward journey with the Anne Range and Mount Ant the next beacons. The road through this section is very wide, sandy and smooth.
You are now travelling parallel to the Waler James Range, and we were hoping that the track built by the Gunbarrel Road Construction Party into Bungabibby Rockhole would still be visible. The only bush sign that indicated that we may now be at the correct turnoff into the Walter James Range and the waterhole, was an old Ford wheel, complete with tyre leaning against a small bush and the well used track leading straight towards a gap in the range and hopefully Bungabiddy Rockhole. Turning towards the gap in the range, we were soon made aware that we were on the right track into Bungabiddy with a very old sign from the 'Keep Australia Beautiful' campaign days stating 'Do Not Litter or Pollute Water Holes'. Arriving at the end of the track, the gap in the range was clearly visible and we were at once greeted by the sight and sounds of hundreds of zebra finches. Any traveller to remote locations in outback Australia will be aware that a sure sign of reliable water in the area is local wildlife, and the great number of these birds would testify to this. Recent local rains in this area had brought to flower, the holly grevilleas that were numerous in this area and a very pleasing sight. As my group set off towards the gap armed only with cameras, my thoughts were reflected back into time and the sounds of Len's hobnail boots as he made his way up this silent canyon. We were not afforded the silence, as again the zebra finches were very noisy and echoed in the narrow rock covered canyon. Well before seeing the waterhole, the next sign of permanent water was the discovery of camel droppings, ground to fine powder by the countless number of feral camels that made their way up this one-way canyon in search of that life giving liquid. Another sign of an important location to the local Aboriginal people were the very old rock painting that stood as silent sentinels near this body of water. The water level was down a long way, nearly two-metres judging by the high water level markings on the rocks, but was still very deep. Sitting down and admiring the sheer size of the vertical walls and this large body of natural water, it would be a very unreal sight in a very wet season, with the water cascading down from higher up in the gorge and filling this remarkable rock hole. Making our way back to our vehicles, we decided to make use of this very pleasant area and made it our lunch stop, before venturing on.
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Back on our way again, we made a very small detour, turning off down the Wingelina road for a few kilometres to inspect the marker that Len erected for the original starting point for the then unnamed track north. At the official starting point for the new road north, there is a stand of desert oaks on the other side of the road, opposite the Len Beadell marker, which make a great little campsite. It is from here that it all started on the March 31, 1960.
read on below advertisement
After leaving this important little spot, it is back out to the Great Central Road and further east to the next marker that Len had blazed on a ghost gum, with Gill Pinnacle as the backdrop. What had only taken us a very short time to reach this spot along the main road had taken the Gunbarrel Road Construction Party 10 days. Travelling further east, the Schwerin Mural Crescent was terminating and the Rebecca Creek was getting closer. As there are no signposts to tell you where to turn off, it is important to carry out pre-trip preparations correctly. Just before reaching the Rebecca Creek, there is a track on the left, indicating that this was the start of the famous Sandy Blight Junction Track and it was now time to start the northward journey with the Anne Range and Mount Ant the next beacons. The road through this section is very wide, sandy and smooth.
You are now travelling parallel to the Waler James Range, and we were hoping that the track built by the Gunbarrel Road Construction Party into Bungabibby Rockhole would still be visible. The only bush sign that indicated that we may now be at the correct turnoff into the Walter James Range and the waterhole, was an old Ford wheel, complete with tyre leaning against a small bush and the well used track leading straight towards a gap in the range and hopefully Bungabiddy Rockhole. Turning towards the gap in the range, we were soon made aware that we were on the right track into Bungabiddy with a very old sign from the 'Keep Australia Beautiful' campaign days stating 'Do Not Litter or Pollute Water Holes'. Arriving at the end of the track, the gap in the range was clearly visible and we were at once greeted by the sight and sounds of hundreds of zebra finches. Any traveller to remote locations in outback Australia will be aware that a sure sign of reliable water in the area is local wildlife, and the great number of these birds would testify to this. Recent local rains in this area had brought to flower, the holly grevilleas that were numerous in this area and a very pleasing sight. As my group set off towards the gap armed only with cameras, my thoughts were reflected back into time and the sounds of Len's hobnail boots as he made his way up this silent canyon. We were not afforded the silence, as again the zebra finches were very noisy and echoed in the narrow rock covered canyon. Well before seeing the waterhole, the next sign of permanent water was the discovery of camel droppings, ground to fine powder by the countless number of feral camels that made their way up this one-way canyon in search of that life giving liquid. Another sign of an important location to the local Aboriginal people were the very old rock painting that stood as silent sentinels near this body of water. The water level was down a long way, nearly two-metres judging by the high water level markings on the rocks, but was still very deep. Sitting down and admiring the sheer size of the vertical walls and this large body of natural water, it would be a very unreal sight in a very wet season, with the water cascading down from higher up in the gorge and filling this remarkable rock hole. Making our way back to our vehicles, we decided to make use of this very pleasant area and made it our lunch stop, before venturing on.
next page »
