Outback tales

It's been an eventful few days since we last 'blogged'...

We are now in Marla, SA, about 500km below Alice Springs. We have had a good taste of the outback over the last few days.

Notable events (in chronological order)

1. Silverton. Where Mad Max II was filmed. Amazing (probably would have been even better if we had seen the movie)

2. Cameron Corner. Just cool for being the spot between three states and in the middle of nowhere

3. Innamincka. The greatest outback pub yet

4. Strezelecki track. First established by some dude trying to get cattle from Queensland to Adelaide
5. Burke and Wills. We  (we meaning James) became slightly obsessed with the Journey of Burke and Wills in 1860, trying to forge a track from South to North up the guts of inland Australia. Hopelessly unprepared but amazing that they nearly did it. We saw the 'Dig' tree and where Burke died.

6. The Oodnadatta track. Follows the route of the old ghan railway, named because of all the Afghans who would transport stuff on camels along the same route to load onto trains.

7. Coward Springs on the Oodnadatta track. An amazing camp ground with a wetland in the middle of a desert. From a naturally occuring bore from the great Artesian Basin, a natural spa has been made at the campground.

8. Our first wildlife casualty. An Emu that wouldn't move off the Oodnadatta track. Bull bar, just paid for itself.

9. A flat tire 16km off the Oodnadatta track. We decided to take a 'side' track for 4wd only. We arrrived at some crappy ruins, changed a tire in 38 degree heat, then turned around. Min was so confident in my ability that she spent half the time trying to work the satellite phone. Not emasculating at all...
10. Errol. The man at Marla who repaired our punctured tire. Legend.

11. Amazing ouback scenery. Red dirt, blue sky and amazing stars

12. Burke and Wills. Just because they are worth mentioning twice