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Post by questa on Apr 5, 2014 6:38:19 GMT
During the summer of ‘89/90 I spent 5 months doing my work with the babies, families and schools in the desert area of Roxby Downs, Woomera and Andamooka in South Australia. I would fly up to the mining settlement of Olympic Dam where there was a basic airstrip, collect my “company car” and drive 11km through red sand dunes to my clinic in the new modern town called Roxby Downs which had all the facilities big mining companies can supply. This town is about 650km north of Adelaide and was built for the miners working on one of the largest gold, silver, iron and uranium mines in the world. ( These photos were taken on film and not in any order, I have tried to organise them a bit.) [img src=" ![]() s19.postimg.cc/6g56dn2dv/img063_zps0f04cbdc.jpg" src=" " style="max-width:100%;"] "http://i754.photobucket.com/albums/xx185/myquesta/Roxby/img064_zps1f688051.jpg" style="max-width:100%;"]   These were my taxis The narrow body and pointy nose of the Metroliner gave it the nick name of “flying pencil”. Sometimes we would get a SAAB aircraft when we had enough passengers.
The airport had 2 women who did check in, packed luggage, fuelled the planes and talked the pilots in and out. Also weather data collection
Coming in to land I could see the dry salt lake of Island Lagoon…more of this later.
This is the car I had while there – 4 wheel drive Subaru with CB radio and “Roo Bars” on the front. It was stocked with plenty of water and food supplies in case of trouble.
The windscreen had been hit with a rock from a passing car, causing a hole in the glass. I had to drive it to Adelaide for repair, then back north.
To give you an idea of the countryside...
rs754.pbsrc.com/albums/xx185/myquesta/Roxby/1_zpsced5c953.jpg~c100
First from Adelaide to Port Augusta…breakfast to lunch…good roads and the lovely Flinders Ranges running along on our Eastern flank for kilometres
Then from Port A. to Roxby the road varies.
This is what is called a gibber plain...flat with smallish smooth stones...used to be sea bed.
The settlement of Pimba (pop = 50) is where the road that links Darwin to southern Australia meets the railway that links the continent east-west.
Woomera is a few km north. It was the testing base for all the rockets, missiles, bombs etc that the Brits, French and others were building. Built in the ‘50s the homes had no air-con and the terrible problem of child deaths arose. An Adelaide man developed an evaporative air-con and saved the program closing. It is still sad to see in the cemetery so many little graves and 1 or 2 adult ones.
There is a Park in town with many of the military devices painted up for public display.
The ELDO was the living quarters for the single men in the testing era. It was my ‘hotel’ when I was working in Woomera.
The local church is St Barbara’s…patron saint of explosives
When I was there, it was a US air force base with about 3000 US citizens living in Woomera and serving the base at Nurrungar, a listening and spying facility hidden from the road at Island Lagoon..
Continuing north we pass groups my favourite trees. Acacia papyricarpa…interesting shapes with soft leaves, which flatten out on top like the iconic African tree.
More later
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2014 7:20:55 GMT
This looks like a real adventure! I'm sure that roo bars are a good idea, but I am wondering how often a car hits a kangaroo. I imagine that it almost always happens at night. I hit a big dog at night once. I have never forgotten the feeling.
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Post by mossie on Apr 5, 2014 7:38:19 GMT
Interesting to see the old Meteor T7 with the photo recconaissance nose. No doubt to get pictures of missiles as they shot past it.
Lucky you to be cooped up in a barrack block with a lot of young single men, talk about Queen Bee.
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Post by tod2 on Apr 5, 2014 11:05:12 GMT
Questa - I am really looking forward to the next installment! You mention looking down on the salt lake of Island Lagoon, and in your photo I can see Lake Gairdner which is even bigger. My Australian Guide book tells me that Lake Eyre is the biggest salt lake in Oz.
When I went to Australia I was interested in seeing Coober Pedy much further west with it's Troglodyte homes but never did get there.
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Post by questa on Apr 5, 2014 12:04:20 GMT
K2...'roos and other animals are often hit, livestock wander free without fences as the land is so arid. High percentage of road casualties in this area is caused by drivers swerving to miss wildlife or stock. A skilled bush driver will brake, not swerve, and hit animal straight on with roo bar. 'Roos are more active dusk to early morning. Just about everyone I know and I have hit a roo...nasty experience.
Tod...some opal mining and underground living in Andamooka coming up soon. If you Google Port Augusta on their maps, put setting to satellite you will see dozens of salt lakes. Lake Eyre is where the land speed records are attempted.
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Post by questa on Apr 6, 2014 0:41:13 GMT
Mossie...that was in the 60s! By the time I got there the place was full of guys who were building the highway from Woomera to Roxby...not your 'officer and gentlemen' types. All multinational teams of muscle, clay covered boots and rough language.
Eventually I was moved to the former nurses' home near the hospital where I shared with the US Air Force single women officers.
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Post by questa on Apr 6, 2014 3:37:52 GMT
Still heading north to Roxby Downs. Woomera was built for the boffins of Europe to develop and test weapons. It was a closed town but now travellers can go into or through the town but may not leave the roads. The no go area extends for 100s square kilometres.
There are a couple of these in my area...the grave for the cattle station family. Here one of the workers has been given a headstone by his mates.
 ]
Road trains come in all sizes, take 1km to pull up when going full speed and when you see one coming you offer him all the road.
My son's photo and his Subaru at the rear.
The road is an old track used by the opal dealers in the past. A new super highway was being built to truck the yellow cake from the uranium to the export port.
The new road cometh! Using machines bigger than houses the company built about 100km of superb highway and came in under time and budget.
When it rains it comes with a blast
And I am glad I am on the beginning section of the roadwork
I had a few muddy excursions from the road detours, and was last car through before they closed the road. The police knew I was coming and didn't want me to miss the clinic next day.
I wish now that I had taken my camera more often and photographed the towns better.
Still to come ...mines and Andamooka
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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2014 5:20:06 GMT
Would I be foolish to think that there are fewer road trains now that the Adelaide-Darwin rail line is complete?
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Post by questa on Apr 6, 2014 6:13:19 GMT
I don't know for sure, but the road train numbers seem to be increasing because the amount of freight is increasing. Possibly rail freight is also increasing. Drivers can break down the trailers into 'doubles' and are allowed to enter the cities like that to deliver to the freight company door.
I can't imagine a tanker truck rolling it's 84 wheels down some of the Paris streets you have shown us!
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Post by tod2 on Apr 6, 2014 12:55:56 GMT
Questa the Road Trains always seemed to be coming towards our tour bus....never did we come up behind any. Several times our vehicle had to travel with one set of wheels on a narrow strip of tar and the other set on the dirt when vehicles came towards us. They were doing the same but talk about close shaves  Quite a strange if not a bit unnerving!! The other "weird" observation for me was that every single vehicle had a 'roo' bar across the front. I accept the reason but my goodness what a ghastly thing to experience! Hitting a roo that is.. |
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Post by questa on Apr 6, 2014 22:19:23 GMT
tod2 ..coming up behind is far worse than a front on meeting. All those wheels kick up a huge cloud of dust so the car drivers can't see if they can overtake safely ("eating dust")A good 'truckie' will signal you when you can pass, but it is a long time to get in front and I am always a bit twitchy.
Roos are stupid! they like to hang around on the edge of the road for various reasons, then when a vehicle is almost upon them, they freeze in the headlights, then decide the other side of the road is better and hop into the path of the car. They cause many driver fatalities each year.
I was in a bus heading for Darwin when about 2am a big male came in from our left and hit the windscreen. Shattered the left screen and lights. Driver in shock so passengers cared for him and re-arranged bus so co-driver could bring us to next stop (Katherine NT)Spare bus and driver took over but I had been sitting awake in front seat and had seen the roo from just before it jumped. I was also the only one who checked to see if it was completely dead.
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Post by questa on Apr 7, 2014 6:51:44 GMT
Oh Dear... I finished a chapter of my red sand story, clicked review, all well...then closed down my anyport without clicking to post. All gone like a willy-willy blew them away!
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Post by questa on Apr 7, 2014 7:45:34 GMT
I forgot this one...Lake Mary by the road from Woomera to Roxby. The playground of the sailing club and power boaters.  This is the terrain here, spectacular in its own way. This shows the mine on the left, then out on the right is Andamooka. Lake Torrens is the huge salt lake far right.  The road to Andamooka, about 34 km from Roxby. When the mine offered to seal the road the 'mookans shouted "NO". They felt bitumen was out of character for a town which has no council, cops, organisation etc. As the town is built on top of the mines it is quicker to drive zig-zag around the buildings, sheds and machinery than to go to a public road and use it. Now those miners' runs are the roads of the sprawling town and their road maps unreadable!   Wild (feral) horses beside road.   Beautiful sand dunes...When you are on a road built over the dunes and swales, the up and down and hide and seek nature of the road is fun. When you are on a highway it is so flat and boring you get mesmerised...more dangerous I think.  Of course some cars were not built for this treatment. Andamooka, home of great opal and people who are certainly distinctive characters.  |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2014 8:22:17 GMT
Still fascinating! Is that a fresh water lake or a salt lake? The satellite view of the terrain could just as easily be Mars or the moon.
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Post by questa on Apr 7, 2014 9:07:42 GMT
1. Freshwater, but dries up a lot.
2. Not just the terrain...I wonder about some of the people sometimes!
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Post by questa on Apr 7, 2014 9:57:31 GMT
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Post by questa on Apr 7, 2014 14:07:17 GMT
About 15km from Andamooka, is a place called White Dam. It is in a lonely landscape with just the worked out mines sitting with their moonscaped white mullock around them. Here a chap called Bill Macdougall lived in an array of old caravans and corrugated iron sheds and lean-tos. Gradually people from all over sent signs to Bill...usually council or government signs, Then he had people stick their business cards to his ceiling, and then an array of ladies undergarments on a clothesline in his main room Nothing was free. He had a special bar licence that he could sell 1 glass of port to each visitor who then got an afternoon of old bush stories. He died a couple of years ago, after raising AUD 250,000 for the royal flying doctor service.      [I  MG] Bill was a national treasure and a funny bloke. This is his 'amenities parlour' |
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Post by bjd on Apr 7, 2014 15:06:44 GMT
This is fascinating, Questa.
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Post by questa on Apr 8, 2014 9:32:14 GMT
Thank you, bjd. The people were fascinating as well. It is a shame I was there in a professional role and can't pass on the stories. Anyway, the Andamooka creek quickly sank into the sands and the CBD became accessible again  . Homes were built from anything that was available  And I mean anything, even beer bottles.  This is the hospital. An air strip behind the building receives small planes and the nurses have to talk the pilots in.  Growing by the roadside was the Sturt Desert Pea, the floral emblem of the state. A brilliant scarlet pea flower with a black centre.  Back in Roxby Downs, the children at the kindergarten had made their Christmas tree. Have you ever seen a tumbleweed in an old Western movie? The round ball of long twigs that blows across the ground to lonely music? Well, the kids spray painted a good-looking tumbleweed with silver paint and decorated it. Looked very sweet in a town that will never know a pine tree.  Only the big mine to see now... |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2014 12:34:36 GMT
The houses are a real hoot and I can imagine the search for "building materials" in a place like that. In any case, humans seem to have the same ideas on how to build and decorate a primitive dwelling because those are actually quite similar to the houses of a lot of the bayou people who lived at the end of dirt roads where nobody went.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2014 12:42:10 GMT
Interesting, fascinating thread, questa. Some of the roads and scenery remind me of the Nevada and Arizona desert areas.
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Post by tod2 on Apr 8, 2014 14:55:04 GMT
Interesting as always Questa - I have packets and packets of Sturt Desert Pea!! Little buggars wont sprout - going to give it another go along with my Kanagroo Paw. I like the green and black flowers the best.
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Post by questa on Apr 8, 2014 22:51:12 GMT
I have tried to get the seeds to germinate as well. Try this
"The hard seed coat of Sturt's Desert Pea inhibits germination. This effect can be overcome by filing or nicking the seed coat away from the 'eye' of the seed; alternatively, the seed may be rubbed gently between sheets of sandpaper. Soaking the seed in warm water gives variable results, Boiling water should not be used as it destroys beneficial bacteria on the seed coat. Since the seedlings develop a long tap root and do not tolerate root disturbance, treated seeds should be planted directly into the chosen garden site or container, or alternatively into small pots for transplanting soon after germination.
Full sun, perfect drainage and protection from snails are essential. Supplementary watering may not be necessary once the seedlings are established. Under ideal conditions flowering commences about four months after germination. Sturt's Desert Pea is usually treated as an annual but vigorous flowering may result if root crowns survive from one season to the next. Alternatively, it may be grown in large drums, tubs and upright terracotta drainpipes which allow adequate root development."
Here it is sold as grafted plants and, alas, seems to do very poorly out of its desert.
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Post by questa on Apr 8, 2014 23:44:52 GMT
K2 Reply number 13, 5th pic, is the interior of a hut. This is the outside. It is semi occupied by a bloke who "goes bush' looking for "colour" (good opal) and lives here when "in town". It is on the property of the B&B I used when in Andamooka...the cream building in the background. Looking again at the interior pic, I should have mentioned the "Coolgardie Safe". It is the green storage box on the table with 6 perforated sides, and a hanging hook. you put your meats, cheese, butter, jam etc inside and hang it in a cool (!) place. You cover it with a wet cotton drape. The food lasts much longer and ants and flies can't get to it, and it locks with a key for the Cook to keep. I see the faithful "Tilley Lamp" is still in use...I have lived with these things when younger  |
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Post by questa on Apr 9, 2014 0:00:28 GMT
 This is the place I stayed...a 4 room B&B /motel which was run by Margot. She was also the postmaster, official weather recorder, 'tower' for aircraft movements, opal dealer, ambulance driver/ medic, mining lease officer and the towns 'go to' person. It was she who arranged for a school mother to 'have a chat' with me which possibly saved a kid's life. It was her Dad who built the bottle house. |
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Post by questa on Apr 9, 2014 10:54:30 GMT
Just to finish these pics.
In 1956 the summer Olympics were held in Melbourne. Out on the arid lands of the sheep station called Roxby Downs, the Boss and workers finished building a dam to supply more water. To mark the occasion they called it the Olympic Dam.
The mine as seen from space...it is huge
The heaps of ore can be seen many km away
The mine had only been operating about a year when I was there. One day I asked a security guard if I could photo the mine. I had to stay distant from the machinery and vehicles, but otherwise OK
You know how gigantic the mine trucks are, now look at the mine opening!
 Conveyor takes ore to crusher  Finally, A tiny portion of the big salt Lake Torrens on the East of my circuit as seen from the plane.  The Salt lake called Island Lagoon as seen from behind a friend on a rock.  |
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Post by questa on Apr 9, 2014 11:20:06 GMT
I forgot to say...I flew up early Tuesday mornings, did Roxby clinic, drove 90ish km to Woomera, dinner and slept at ELDO. Then did clinic at the hospital, drove to Roxby, got Chinese take-away and drove to Andamooka to eat it. Slept at Margot's, clinic at hospital then drove to Olympic Dam airport, flew home Thursday 4pm
It didn't seem like work, even though I was very busy clinically, it was 5 months of holiday.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2014 20:51:34 GMT
It really does sound like a holiday, but I imagine how it feels from the other end. "Too bad you broke your leg -- the clinic will be open in 4 days!"
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Post by tod2 on Apr 11, 2014 14:10:50 GMT
Great visuals Questa! I'm fascinated by you getting a Chinese take-away out in the middle of nowhere.....thank goodness for the wandering Chinese, where would we be without them!
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Post by nycgirl on Apr 11, 2014 15:28:55 GMT
These are great photos of a beautiful landscape, and I also like seeing the quirky little homes and sheds. Thank you for posting these. I'd love to see some kangaroos one day. But I'd be absolutely devastated if I hit one.  |
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