in next to no time, it is thirsty work
riding in the desert … ok … had to
order another one. A quick chat to
the ‘locals’ and then it was time to
setup camp across the road in the
camping area. This was surprisingly
good, powered or unpowered sites,
dongas (cabins) and great toilets and
showers.
Once setup we were back across
the ‘main road’ to the pub. Meals
here were great, so much so that the
backend of the pub, built mostly out
of old Ghan Railway sleepers was qui-
te full. Where the hell did all these
people come from? It was a good ni-
ght with a few more beers and a few
games of darts and then off to bed.
The next morning, we were woken
by the sound of aircraft taking off.
William Creek also has an airport, it’s
certainly no Heathrow, but was busy
on this morning as a group of friends
celebrating a 60th birthday were
off on a sightseeing flight over Lake
Eyre. No doubt hoping to be able to
appreciate the vastness of the lands-
cape from altitude.
Refuelling at William Creek was the
second most expensive of the entire
ride at $2.00 per litre and it was only
91 octane. Heading south we came
across the only two other bikers we
had seen on the entire track, heading
into William Creek. They’d obviously
camped on the roadside somewhere
TRAVERSE
78
the previous night. A quick wave and
they rode on.
Our first stop on day three of the
track was at the ruins of Strangways.
In many ways, a welcome stop after
traversing the flood plains and dune
fields that lay south of William Creek.
The land is extremely harsh out here
and it was no surprise to find what
was left of what could only be descri-
bed as a small township lay in ruins.
Strangways Springs, as it is really
known, is a little off the track and was
a struggle to get to. The way in, al-
most 2km of thick bulldust, not bad
in a four-wheeler but a bloo-
dy struggle on a bike pa-
cked with gear.