EXCEED MAY 2017 May_Emag | Page 52

TRIP REPORT
SATURDAY - 15th April
David Crainean takes up the story …..
After a pleasantly cool night we woke to a day that promised to be fine and warm and that is how it turned out,
absolutely lovely.
The plan was to do a run down into Big Desert and complete the loop back to camp inside Murray-Sunset National
Park.
The first objective was the Salt Museum which was to be reached via the Mount Crozier Track. Along the way we
stopped at a road-side example of a mallee fowl nest introduced by way of an informative Park’s Vic plaque and out
came the cameras (about 9:40 am). The next stop was Lake Kenyon which was the first pink lake encountered, more
photos. Finally the Salt Museum on the edge of Lake Crosby (about 10:00 am). An interesting place with a display of
old machinery that had been used when salt was harvested many years ago. The remains of a salt dump can also be
seen and even tasted, but beware, it’s very, very salty! Two people cycling on the lake provided a side-show.
From the museum it was down the Pink Lakes Rd and a short run on the Mallee Highway to Boinka where we had
morning tea (hot, hot-cross buns no less) beside the old silos, a reminder of the adventure planned for Monday.
After morning tea we headed for the White Springs Lookout for lunch (Boinka South Rd to South Rd then Break
Track from where White Springs Track took us into Big Desert). We arrived at about 12:00 noon. The plan to lunch
at the lookout was almost abandoned when we saw that access was via a sand climb that some likened to Big Red.
Perhaps in Victoria we have Big White! Not having time to play and after one failed attempt we looked for an alternate
track and fortunately found a detour which got us all to the top. The White Springs Lookout commands a 360 degree
view of the Mallee in its original state, as far as the eye can see.
After lunch (about 1:30 pm) we did a sweep further south into Big Desert State Park (Brushcutter’s and Campbell
tracks) then west along Delisio Track. It was a long a section of sandy track that was somewhat deeper and steeper
than most where I got stuck. It was a good experience in self recovery, use of the long handled shovel to dig sand out
from under the Pajero and from behind the wheels, let the tyres down even further, reversed out to the bottom of the
hill then it was up and away. I must add though, many thanks to Mike Loton for his moral support.
Leaving Big Desert we headed north on the Murrayville Nhill Rd to Murrayville, from where we did a short run on
the Mallee Highway to Cowangie. It was then along Sunset Rd, which led us back into Murray-Sunset NP at the
commencement of Underbool Tank Track. We reached the Underbool Tank just before 5:00 pm then made a run for
camp (Grub Track skirting Clay Lake, then onto Honeymoon Hut Track and finally back onto Mount Crozier Track)
for fivesees at Six!
Recollections: Lots of corrugations, stretches of smooth soft sand were a welcome sight and delight to drive on, an
ever-changing environment (vegetation, colours, soils), beautiful sunset, wild life (emus, roos, birds) ……… and dust.
Mind you, dust is better than battling mud.
David Crainean (1279)
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Vol 34 No. 4 -May 2017