FriendBurst Blog

Day 10 – Saturday – September 25, 2010

Weather:  Sunny, Clear & Warm

Destination:  Coober Pedy, South Australia, Australia

Odometer Reading:  98379

Total Distance Traveled:  3036 kilometers (1886 miles)

Price of Fuel:  Port Pirie – $1.26.9 liter, 55.21 liters, $70.07; Woomera – $1.51.9 liter, 48.00 liters, $72.91; Glendambo – $1.41.9 liter, 23.14 liters, $32.83

Route Taken:  Port Pirie to Port Augusta to Woomera to Glendambo to Coober Pedy

Highlights:  It’s finally warm and soon we’ll be traveling in shorts.  We started early today since we wanted to make it to Coober Pedy before dark.  We stopped in Port Augusta to pick up supplies, especially water.  Since we’re at the start of the Outback the two things we really don’t want to run out of is water and fuel.

After Port Augusta the drive is long, boring and tiring.  Not much but flat, red desert from horizon to horizon, broken only by the highway, a few trees and stubby plants.  If it weren’t for the constant search to try and see some critters, and the occasional photo stop, I’d probably be failing as a co-pilot and sleeping on the job.

We did see a red fox run across the highway, an emu standing out in the flats, and a fair sized lizard, but we haven’t seen a live kangaroo since we left the Adelaide area.  Road kill, however, abounds.  It’s got to be because of the road trains.  We’re told they stop for nothing.  They don’t have to since they are so huge.

The highway took us through the Gairdner National Park which broke the monotony of the scenery a little bit.

We made it to Coober Pedy right about 5:30 p.m. and drove through town.  There’s not much to the town and it appears that most of the shops are closed (as in empty).  I hope that’s not the case, since we came here to check out the opal shops and the underground parts of town.

Stops:  Photo ops, diesel and stretch stops were the only thing on the agenda today.  We have a long way to go between civilized places now.

Where We Stayed:  We made it to the Big 4 Oasis Tourist Park just before closing time.  We grabbed one of their last powered spots for $30.00 a night.  The guy at the desk was so nice (surfer boy cute, too).  We talked with him for a bit and discussed the outcome of the Australia Football League playoff game which has been the biggest thing talked about on television for the last week.  For anyone interested, it ended in a draw.

Where We Ate:  I tried to get The Man to go out to the underground restaurant to have dinner, but he was too whooped from the drive.  So we stayed in and had McCain’s Fettuccine Bolognese, green salad and the Bega cheese and crackers.  We’re hooked on that cheese.