When we started to leave Marla, there were already many on the road either travelling north or south. As we learnt last year in Broome, when the daytime temperature starts to get towards 30 degrees, the Victorians and Tasmanians tend to travel south to cooler climates.
On our way, we came across the first wild dingo that we have seen this year. It looked quite healthy. Soon after we saw a very big wedge tail eagle standing guard over a small red kangaroo that must have been hit by a vehicle at some time very recently. There were crows and some other birds also trying to get some part of the carcase,
Once on the road, we travelled for quite a while before we either saw a vehicle coming towards us or passing us going north. Sometime later, the line of caravans, motor homes and four wheel drives increased going south. We believe a lot of the four wheel drives have completed crossings of the famous Simpson Desert.
We stopped for a break after about 1 ¾ hours at a road house at Kulgera. There is a small community there but it is mainly connected to the road house. As we walked in, there was a couple sitting beside their NSW registered four wheel drive. As everyone often does, you ask where they are from. It turns out the lady used to live next door to my grandmother in Pymble, in Sydney. She remembered her quite well as she was in high school around the time she died.
After refreshing ourselves with a machine coffee, we again set off for about an hour drive to Erlunda Roadhouse, “An Oasis in the Desert”. It is so busy being situated on the junction of the Stuart Highway, Adelaide to Darwin, and the Lasseter Highway, to Uluru and the Yulara Resort.
This Roadhouse was established in1979 growing from one pump to what it is today. It is situated on 20 acres of freehold land that was excised from the Erldunda Pastoral lease which is a holding of 3500 square kilometres. Small compared to what we flew over on Anna Creek Station last week. The Roadhouse endures very hot summer temperatures and down to -3 degrees in winter. The roadhouse generates its own power with 3 big generators. Water comes from 3 bores of which only 2 are potable and the other is used to water plants. Supplies come in from Alice Springs, weekly. The staff number is usually 23 to 30 depending on the season and all live on site.
There is a constant stream of traffic through the Fuel outlet and into the Takeaway and Tavern complexes. The tour coaches going in all directions seem to stop and feed their passengers. While we were having our lunch we noticed three big coaches and numerous smaller ones coming and going. In addition there is a seemingly endless line of vehicles, of all sizes, waiting to refuel at the multiple banks of fuel bowsers.
We booked into the Desert Oaks Resort Caravan Park. The amenities for us are big and clean and no charge for their use, unlike in Coober Pedy where a 20 cent coin had to be used to operate the shower for 3 minutes.
Our site has a small amount of grass surrounded by red dirt and dust but we do have a nice shady tree to sit under in the 30+ degree temperature. How nice it is to finally escape the cold weather we had in Wilpena Pound several weeks ago. I am finally into shorts!
Prue did some washing just to keep ahead of it while she can. This may allow us to utilise all the time necessary around the Uluru area.
We walked towards the Tavern for Dinner and came across this couple we chatted to as we walked. On arrival at the Tavern we discovered that Brian and Yvonne are very good friends with Ian and Kay that we met in Kununurra last year. Well, what a night! I called Ian’s mobile phone and put Brian on and this did confuse Ian for a while. Our night was fantastic especially after 4 bottles of Angus Grant Cabernet Merlot! Dinner was really nice with Prue, Yvonne and Brian eating barramundi while I had a magnificent rump steak.
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