A tough-riding week, very hot, from Alice Springs to Coober Pedy.
Coober Pedy is a Anglicization of aboriginal words that mean white-man's burrow because the town was founded on Opal mining and people took to living in the caverns that had been mined. Back in those days, building supplies were hard to get and in the caverns, it's a constant 20-25 degree temperature versus temperatures in the 40s outside.
Before leaving Alice Springs, we had a visit to their reptile centre.
On the road it was hot, often fighting the wind, fortunately on the longest dy it was a tail wind....
Two of the overnights were in rest areas with no facilities, not even a WC. But through the ingenuity of some of our fellow riders, we were able to sit back and enjoy movies.
We left the Northern Territories and entered South Australia...
...nice sunrises at the bare site....
There really are signs warning of knagaroos on the road here...
...but regrettably, evidence of their presence is mainly the road kill...
We continued to see birds on route, these parrots filling a tree at the side of the road...
...a wedge-tailed eagle...
...and this little blue bird for Bruce to identify...
Coming into Coober Pedy, this unusual sign because there are literally a quarter of a million shafts dug in the opal field all around the town, many of the 30 metres deep, no protection, no requirement to fill them in after the mining is done.
Our rest day excitement came from going out to the painted desert. Not having seen anybody for 80 km and knowing we were 12 km from the nearest settlement, we discovered that not only did the rented vehicle have a flat tire, it also had no jack. We managed to change the tire without a jack but doing a bit of digging, mostly by hand. Fortunately we found an area at the side that had soft earth.
Notwithstanding that hassle, the trip was worth it...
This afternoon we wandered Coober Pedy. 70% of the present population lives underground for all the practical reasons that the early settlers did. The following photos are from the museam, first a depiction of the old working part of the mine back in the earlier days...
...and the miner's 'home'...
...and modern accommodation in the same premesis...
Tomorrow we're off for another five successive days to Port Augusta, passing the Woomera rocket test range on the way.
So all's well here; we're both well; we're getting better at handling the heat... but not headwinds.
The little blue bird looks like a Splendid Fairy-wren. Below that was another Yellow-throated Miner. The parrots are Galahs.
ReplyDeleteLooks amazing! The scenery, the birds, the struggle with the flat tire, the movie in the middle of nowhere, the caves! Thanks for sharing and keep on riding! You'll get there eventually ;)
ReplyDeleteTail wind!
Helene