tantly between low laying hills and
numerous creek crossings, all dry of
course. Small clumps of vegetation
grew in these dry creeks, making a
perfect place for animals. We only
saw their tracks.
We stopped at 50km, just over the
crest of a hill. I had to pee. Despite
a severe lack of human life, I knew I
would still get ‘stage-fright’. I wan-
dered away from the track and back
towards the top of the hill. Reaching
it, I noticed a strange gully cut into
the other side. Closer inspection
revealed it was the old route for the
Ghan. The gully was littered with old
railway sleepers and track, plus the
occasional rail spike, there was even
some debris from the old telegraph
line. We’d been told that there was
nothing left of the old Ghan. Rub-
bish, here lay tonnes of it.
We continued and the progression
for the remainder of the day was the
same; ride for 50km stop for 30 mi-
nutes, repeat. At the halfway point
the track turned more towards the
south-east, the wind now coming at
us more diagonally although, with
the road being as good as it was it
wasn’t too much of a problem in fact
in some places we could cruise along
at 90kph.
Reaching Oodnadatta mid-after-
noon, I was pleased to see how dif-
ferent it was to what I had been told.
There was a uniqueness to it, a great
feel of community. The locals told us
that the aboriginal community had
embraced what they had and were
now happy to share this. Yes! There
are still many underlying issues. Al-
TRAVERSE
75
coholism is a major problem and the
community has acknowledged this,
change is in progress. I was glad.
A quick bite to eat at the famous
Pink Roadhouse, we decided to stay
at the camping ground at the back of
the roadhouse. We could’ve pulled
off the track further down the road
and camped but this was a chance to
experience more of the community.
The history and tales of community
from all aspects was encouraging. I
felt enlightened, seeing the change,
witnessing the progress.
Waking the next morning the wind
had dropped a little. Perhaps this
meant greater heat. Perhaps it meant
just a more comfortable ride.
Refuelling at the roadhouse wasn’t
too bad, AU$0.20 cheaper than in
Marla, despite the remoteness, and