MEMBER TRIP REPORT UP THE GUTS
Four of us met on a frosty Melbourne morning in April 2021 at the Calder BP to start our epic journey – ‘ Up the Guts ’. Our trip leader was Alan Sellars a very experienced bushman and 4WD expert . His co-driver was Noel Lees also a very experienced bushman with a breath of knowledge on the environment / animals as well as excellent 4WD skills . The rest of the party were Bruce and I ( Evie ). We are a married couple who had just bought a newish 4WD , completed one trip to Dargo , did the proficiency course and were doing our first 4WD adventure !
Our outback adventure started with a couple of big days . Mildura the first night , shopping at Burra ( SA ) and up the RM Williams Way and Outback Hwy . On the third day we met up with Graeme Halliburton , the fifth member of our trip , at Craddock . We had a lovely stay at Farina station and then a very interesting look at the old settlement and restoration project before heading to Maree and the Oodnadatta track following the Old Ghan Railway .
Old Ghan Highlights
For me the highlight was going to the Australian Ochre pits where the color and vastness was a sight to behold . Being a painter and reading a fascinating account of some of the history of the region on the way there , made the experience more memorable . We also went to Lake Eyre South which was something I had on my bucket list . The expanse of white salt was a dazzling sight . No visit to Lake Eyre would be complete without a visit to the local Yacht club ( Yes there is a real Lake Eyre Yacht club at Maree ). They have about 300 signed up member from around the world with regular regattas when Lake Eyre is flowing ! Whenever that is !
We visited many iconic Australian pubs such as the Williams Creek , Maree and many others where there was much history and more than a good yarn or two . One of the most interesting aspects of the old Ghan was the history with many deserted settlements and fettlers cottages ( workers who lived on site and maintained the railway line ), as well as railway infrastructure . We were interested in the history of the area which we learnt from various signs and information boards as well as each other . Graeme had spent some time in the area previously and gave us all some interesting information especially about the construction of the Telegraph line and the logistics of shipping from England with the poles having to be designed with both transportation and durability to withstand outback conditions . Something that I would have just thought is a steel pole and not given much further thought to was actually a piece of engineering wonder ! The fettlers in particular were another group of people who faced years of isolation working in the toughest outback conditions , so I left with a deep respect for their contributions and ingenuity .
The final leg of the Old Ghan was from Finke , following the track with a detour to Chamber ’ s Pillar and Lambert ’ s geographic centre of Australia . We camped for 2 days at Chamber ’ s Pillar and experiences those iconic desert sunrises and sunsets . Great to relax , do some photography which was popular with everyone , and walks . Unfortuately Alan ’ s rear door on his vehicle locked from the inside . Our 3 bush mechanics worked overtime to try and fix this problem but were unable to open it . A lovely young couple came over and having young eyes were able to open the internal locking mechanism . That is how friendships start ! Alan later took them out for dinner and stayed with them in their home in Cairns . After our respite in Chamber ’ s pillars we reached the end of the Old Ghan in Alice Springs where we stayed in a nice bush park with excellent views of the MacDonnell Ranges . A well- earned rest , restock and adjustments to camping equipment was made .