TRAVERSE Issue 31 - August 2022 | Page 149

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site that displays of the recent past . Now a ghost town well worth a visit camping is encouraged with flushing toilets and hot showers ( you need to get a fire going to heat the water ) and come at the right time of year you can get a feed from the original underground bakery .
The Outback Loop offers a little for everyone . A history that dates back to almost 65,000 years , the 70 Aboriginal language groups that called the Lake Eyre basin home have been traced through archaeological surveys to around 40,000 years where the people demonstrated a rich understanding of the land and environmental conditions enough to thrive in the harshest of lands .
Extensive knowledge of water seasons meant the Aboriginal people were able to survive and move freely throughout the desert . It was a knowledge that passed down through generations and eventually led to the construction of the original Ghan or Central Australian Railway . The railway was started in 1878 when a train ran from Port Augusta to Government Gums before reaching Hawker in 1880 , Beltana in 1881 , Marree 1884 , and Oodnadatta in 1891 . The line was eventually extended to Alice Springs in 1929 before discontinuing service in the 1980s .
Evidence of the railway exists in many forms , abandoned sidings , large water towers , scared landscapes , and the famous towns .
Th Outback Loop is a unique experience , fascinating and challenging , serene , and desolate . The landscape offers an experience that every motorcycle traveller must experience , sections are relatively easy , sections are beyond the skill level of many riders , and yet all of it is worth the effort . Take a ride on The Outback Loop .
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• More information on The Outback Loop can be found at theoutbackloop . com . au where resources including maps and contacts is included .
NEWS MAGAZINE
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