Maralinga Mystery Tour
During August 2013, we ventured out into the very heart of the
Great Victoria Desert with the help of my great friend, Robin Matthews from
Maralinga. Some of the tracks like the
Nawa Junction Track, Browny's Highway, Kent Street, we were the first group of tourists to ever be given permits to travel the remote tracks. We met Robin at
Dingo Flat
Gate were we camped that night, before spending the next day travelling with him back into
Maralinga.
We travelled private Station Tracks from
Coondambo Station, through to
Mobella Station and out past the
Dog Fence. We intended to see even more remote locations, but due to "Special Boy" Aboriginal Business taking place, we were not able to venture to a few locations.
Robin and Della were going to be coming with us, but Della was airlifted to
Adelaide by the RFDS. Given the key to the front security
gate, we departed
Maralinga alone, while Robin headed down to
Ceduna to fly out with Della.
I kept in contact with Robin and a week later we returned back to
Maralinga and we had the whole place to ourselves. As a welcome
home surprise to Robin, we had a group clean up around the Village and out at the Airport Terminal, and we even put a new "Under New Management"
sign on the front
gate, after all, I now had the key and could come and go if we wanted.....we would loved to have seen Robin's face when we turned up at the security
gate to get back into
Maralinga.
The
Great Victoria Desert was in peak condition from heavy rainfalls that had fallen around 6 weeks before we were out there.
I would like to thank Robin and the EO Members that came along for the drive and made the trip what it was....fantastic. I will not
bore you with any more words, but you can be the judge from the photos if we really had a great trip and saw some truly incredible country in my favourite desert and Australia's biggest.....The
Great Victoria Desert.
Stephen Langman
September 2013
Low cloud cover over Mt Remarkable at Melrose
Countryside around Wilmington
Old Kaolin Mine Site south of Pimba
At the old Kaolin Mine Site
Old Kaolin Mine Site
Old Copper Mine that dated back to 1906
Area around the old Copper Mines
Another old Mine Shaft
Heading Towards Woomera
It is not often that the country around Woomera looks like this
Len and Anne Beadells Grave site at Woomera
The Plaques on the Memorial Stone
Woomera
Allan explains how the equipment worked
Woomera
Lake Hart
Lake Hart
Coondambo Station old Nissan Hut
Heading out from Coondambo Homestead
Private Station Track
Coondambo Shearing Shed
Inside the Old Shearing Shed
Old Building on Coondambo Station
Missile Bunker on Coondambo Station
Inside the bunker
The Bunker
Private Coondambo Station Track
The SAS use this as a mock Radar Training Target
Heading towards the Centre Line of Fire Road
On the Centre Line Road
Boom Gate on the Centre Line Road
This Radar is Real
This old Sign when Kingoonya was on the road to Alice Springs
Camped on the gibbers...it made a better camp than it looked
Group chairs set up around the fire
The end of Day 2
Station Tracks at the start of Day 3
Even when they disappeared, they just followed the old Telegraph Poles
It was on this Track that we also saw our first Sturt Desert Pea flowers
Time to head towards Commonwealth Hill Station
Being a mining road road, it was a true super dirt Highway
Heading towards Commonwealth Hill Station
Real Good Road still heading towards Commonwealth Hill Station
One of our many stops to investigate the Wildflowers
Sign to the Commonwealth Hill Airstrip
Simon and Katie from Commonwealth Hill Station
Meat House - Commonwealth Hill Station
Commonwealth Hill Station Shearing Shed
Shearing Stand
Inside the Shearing Shed
Low Loader on the way to Mobella Station
Stopping for more Wildflowers
Jumbuck Outstation Shearing Shed and Missile Shelter
Challenger Gold Mine from the Road
Challenger Gold Mine
Mobella Station track that took up out to the Dog Fence
We had to pass through Two Stone Gate to get through the Dog Fence
Looking South along the Dog Fence
Meeting Allan the Dogger in action along the Dod Fence
The Start of Day 4 after our first night with Robin
Wildflowers were everywhere
The Track from Dingo Flat Gate to Nawa Junction
Some Wildflowers were harder to see than others
The Eremophila flowers came in all colours and sizes
To this rare and very small Eremophila flower
Nawa Junction Track
Spinifex on the Nawa Junction Track
Nawa Junction Track
Group photo with Robin at this old sign on the Nawa Junction Track
Fiona and I by the sign
While at the old sign, Robin collected our fresh food orders for the next day delivery at Maralinga
Our first morning in Maralinga - covered in thick fog
A fog covered Maralinga
This little fellow was on the side of the road heading out of Maralinga
Leah the Lizard catcher with the Thorny Devil Lizard
Drains like this around Maralinga capture the rain run off and drain it to the dam
Robin explains the history of the Air Strip and Airport Terminal at Maralinga
Heading into the old terminal building
Old structure at Maralinga - What was it used for?
One of the large water tanks at Maralinga
Entering Maralinga Village
Original old Maralinga Structure
Old Maralinga Structure
It was at this site that Section 400 was handed back
Out at the old Rifle Range
Maralinga Cricket Pitch
At the Maralinga Rifle Range
Maralinga Oval..it even had goal posts
Not much left of the old fountain at the swimming pool
Old Maralinga Structure
Maralinga Village Water Tower
Out at Roadside - part of the Range Tour
Learning about Tietkin's No 2 Well
Len Beadell found the only fresh water out on the Range at Maralinga
Lunch stop in the old Taranaki Decontamination Shed
Ground Zero - Taranaki
Ground Zero - Breakaway
Old Photographic Bunker - Range Tour
Old Bore on the Range Tour
Now what were these wires used for???
Sign at Marcoo
Fort Maralinga BBQ Area
Maralinga Village Sunset
Robin can arrange Petrol if you need it
There is always diesel fuel on site
Wildflowers out on the Emu Road
Leaving the Northern Security Boundary on the Emu Road
Fines apply if you do not have Permits
Group Photo by Len Beadells - Emu Blaze Tree
Wildflowers on the Emu Road
Heading north on the Emu Road
Camel pads across a claypan
We found Murnaroo No 1 that was drilled in 1976
Leah with another Thorny Devil Lizard
Leah the Lizard Girl
With Robins help, we found Cook's Creek
Rock formations in Cook's Gully
In Cook's Gully
Looking down Cook's Gully
Wildflowers near Cook's Gully
Rock Cairn and Plaque on Observatory Hill
The Plaque
Emu Road Wildflowers
Did I mention Wildflowers for as far as the eye could see?
Other Colour Variations
Our Emu Camp
Sunset over Emu Claypan
Open fire cooking at our Emu Camp
View from The Lookout - Emu
Mulga stump used as one on the Astro fixes for the 300 Mile Marker
Group photo at the remote 300 Mile Marker, north of Dingo Claypan
Old ruins at Dingo Claypan
More ruins at Dingo Claypan
Dingo Claypan Runway
David putting the EO Flag on the old Wind Sock Pole
He needed extra Hight with the help of Allan's Troopy
Group photo by the old Wind Sock
Our campfire for breakfast next morning on the Dingo Road
Old Antenna System on the Dingo, complete with old batteries
Heading back to Emu - the right track is the Anne Beadell Highway
Mulga Woodlands on the back track to Emu
Sturt Desert Pea growing in the middle of the track
I love those Mulga Trees
Totem 1
Totem 2
No escaping those Anne Beadell Highway corrugations
One of the Kittens Test pits at Emu
Old wind sock pole at Emu Claypan
Old Tent Site at Emu
This Old Jayco has now been out here for 3 years and is completely stripped
Making a Sat Phone call to Robin - checking on Della's Condition
Giving the good news to the group on the Anne Beadell Highway
Showing the group where we were intending to go - those tracks are not on any ordinary map
After last years trip, we now get to see what the BMR Roads are really like
The BMR Roads were excellent - so time to inflate tyres after the Anne Beadell Highway
The start of the BMR Roads
Still wall to wall wildflowers along the BMR
Early section of the BMR - before it was clay capped
There was some stunning scenery out along the BMR
Straight like the Simpson Desert Tracks - But far better scenery
Back into Spinifex country along the BMR
There was even a road sign for one of the sharp corners
Back into low Mallee country
I just love those Spinifex shapes
Still fantastic scenery along the BMR
3 lonely Marble Gums on a small dune
These 2 Galaha's made this hollow their home
Once we encountered those old pits, the roads were clay capped and true super Highways
Now we know where the BMR Road went
Without Robins help, permission would not have been given to travel these roads
Another Eremophila
More pits out in the Great Victoria Desert - they were massive
They would have been very impressive when they were in action
We were so lucky with our permission to travel through this area
Heading up another of the BMR Roads
Marble Gums were now the dominant taller vegetation
These Hakea francisiana - Bottlebrush Hakea were in flower along the BMR
Our camp out along the BMR
Looking down to our camp from on top of a dune
The top of the dune was a great vantage point for the setting sun
Ever changing colours as the sun sets
And it just got better minute by minute
Those awesome colours
Changing colours
These Mallee Trees springing back to life after the devastation fires
Scares of the massive fire
New ground covers offer feed to these camels
The views from on top of every dune were just unreal
Then crossing another dune and this swale was left untouched from the fires
Those dunes were just fantastic
Dune crossing - it does not get any better than this out in the Great Victoria Desert
Capped well at one of the drilling sites
Old fuel drums at a remote airstrip
We are all stopped for a very good reason
The very rare Eucalyptus wyolensis
Val confirms that these are Eucalyptus wyolensis
Eucalyptus wyolensis
Browny's Highway
Browny's Highway
Wildflowers line the sides of Browny's Highway
Removing storm damage along Browny's Highway
Large Shelter Shed and Rain Water Tanks - Cook - Voakes Hill Road
Back into Bluebush Country - heading south towards Cook
Heading towards Cook
Heading south towards Cook
Cook
Cook
Old Police Cells - Cook
This Railway line links the East Coast to the West Coast - Cook
Old Railway Van - Cook
This is why the track is called the Caravan Track
These are the only structures out on the Caravan Track
Old vehicle used for collecting Rabbits out along the Caravan Track
I had arranged to give Robin a Call at 6pm
Peter in the clean up around the Village
Seeing I now had the front gate key......
The New Management Committee
Coffin Blowhole at Ooldea
Robin with the group at Daisy Bates Memorial at Ooldea
Daisy Bates Memorial
Old Mission ruins out at Ooldea Soak
Sand dunes out at Ooldea Soak
West meets the East
This important historic landmark should be fixed, rather than a pile of old timber
West meets the East in 1917
Large Solar powered generating plant between Ooldea and Watson
Robin shows us this lonely grave east of Watson
Back out on the Range
Large tie downs that once held a Nuclear device in place
Eagle Observation Tower site
Smokey Lane
Kite Site ground zero
Out at the Weather Balloon Site - or as it was known "Lollipops"
Trig point out on the Range
Old burial pits out on the Range
Old ruins along the Trans Line access road
Stopped to investigate old building structures
These were alongside the road
At the site of the Derailment
Derailment site
Derailment Site
Derailment Site
Lunch stop
Barton
Water Tower at Barton
Old Rail Tanker at Barton
Barton
These were now getting common alongside of the road
Even along the Trans Line the Wildflowers were unreal
Large stone dam at Wynbring Rocks
Wynbring Rocks Dam
Wynbring Rocks Dam
Our camp at Wynbring Rocks
You have to travel through the Dog Fence to get to Wynbring Rocks
This is the site where Daisy Bates lived at Wynbring Rocks
There was other old remnants where Daisy Bates lived at Wynbring Rocks
Left to rust away at Kychering Rocks
Old Tarcoola Gold Mine Ruins
These were used in the Tarcoola Gold Mines
Old Machinery at Tarcoola Gold Mines
Tarcoola Goldmines
Old Tarcoola Gold Mines ruins
Tarcoola Gold Mine Ruins
Great views from the old Gold Mines looking towards Mt Finke
Remains of the old Stamping Battery
Old Battery at Tarcoola Mines
Heading south towards Yerda - we now had to be very careful of Wombat Warrens alongside and even on the road
The Wildflowers looked like fields of snow
Old Kenella ruins
These old windmills have now been replaced with solar
We were heading for Lake Harris in the distance
It was a great drive up from Yerda Outstation
The Old Glenloth Gold Mine site extends over a vast area
Modern Day Mining at Glenloth
This old drilling rig is left to rust away at Glenloth
Old Mines at Glenloth
People still live out here on and off at Glenloth
Glenloth Stamping Battery dates back to 1903
Glenloth Stamping Battery
Lake Harris from the old Stamping Battery
Inside the old Stamping Battery Shed
The old Stamping Battery
Inside the old Stamping Battery Shed
I wonder how much gold was obtained in this old sluice table
Old Stamping Battery Shed
Old ruins at Glenloth
Glenloth ruins
Another old Mine Shaft at Glenloft
Almost back to where we started from
Now there was only 2 vehicles in the party
Those clouds looked like the heavens were going to open up
The moon setting next morning over Lake Hart
Many great stories were told around the campfire