MUSIC & DESERT, Here and back to the Big Red Bash

Planning as usual behind the eight ball with only 4 hours till we pick up Chris from the airport and head off, Steve is still fixing the water for shower system on the challenger.

So looking forward to this, a great line up and interesting journey – 1660km from Alice Springs to our destination – taking account for a detour into Diamentina National Park.

The concert is in Birdsville – or at least 40km out the other side, we have to take everything we need for the journey there and back and 3 days of concert, water, fuel, firewood and food.  The challenger is stuffed to the brim as is the roof rack.

12.15, Steve finishes the car and then to finalise other minor bits and pieces before picking Chris up at 12.50 – cutting it fine, but we made it – partly due the plane being a few minutes late.

Off to the shop for a few last minute items and off we go.  The first 200km is bitumen so easy enough driving to gem tree for lunch (a sandwich at the side of the road with many many flies). 

No going slow here as we need to make Harts Range for Fuel before 5 – no worries we are here at 4pm – BUT the store was shut due to lack of staff (according to the sign on the door). All the staff where in Alice for Nadoic week we think.  Bummer, there is not a lot of fuel stops on this road.  Still off we go again, just making it to the next stop at Jervois station just before dark.  (We do have 2 spare containers of fuel in case).  A slow pitching of tent due to not remembering how to do it in the dark (which it was by the time we got it all out of the challenger).  Tea tonight (and tomorrow) a Sri Lankan curry made in advance – no boring food for us). Lovely little camping spot though – but would be better still without 1 idiot with a generator.  Why come to the bush surely it is about the serenity?

Picture above is a Rocket shelter used when Commonwealth forces tested rockets from Woomera, they would telephone the station and advise them to go into shelter when launching rockets. After filling with expensive fuel in the morning off we go again.  About 40km down the track was another great looking free camping area (Arthur river) with so many birds, it was amazing and will definitely be an overnight on the way back( no birds on the way back so didn’t stop).  Another brief stop was Georgina River, a stunning free camping spot. The other spot possible on the way back.  We made it to Boulia by 5 at least we can pitch the tent in daylight – a bonus.  We were incredibly lucky to get a spot in the caravan park as it was packed to the gills.   It was a surprisingly quiet night due in part to the ban on generators.  Hardly anyone has tents like us now, mostly camper trailers and caravans – but after watching people set them up both at Jervois and her – even if we had thought about wanting to travel that way (which we had not) then we would have changed our minds – we can get our selves set up and taken down quicker than your average camper trailer – and what a pain towing, let alone the extra fuel.

Should be a short day today, although still dirt we only have to go 240km –need to find more wood on the way as we are eating through it with the cold nights.  We have all taken to wearing our clothes in bed as well as having sleeping bags, blankets, towels and coats on the beds.  Barren scenery most of the way, although interesting in its own way as the colours and vegetation change all the time. So many birds of prey too – most probably due to the floods in April.

We found out not long before leaving that in Qld now you have to book National Park campsites in advance – online and there is no internet in the parks.  We had booked one of the only 5 sites in Gum hole no others were booked when I booked.

On arriving early afternoon, there was only 1 site left, by 6pm there were 8 sites set up in places they should not have been – including 2 camper trailers butting in and setting up in our camp site –wonder if anyone else payed at all.

Not a great system.  It was a fantastic spot though, right on the river with lots of birds (and supposedly rare wildlife that we did not see).  I could easily have spent a couple of nights here, but no time.  We did have time for a drive to nearby Lake Constance – what a surprise, massive lake full of water, very scenic although lacking the “abundant bird life”.  Too much water around, they have all spread out.

Next off to as near to Birdsville as we can get for free – which turned out to be an amazing little off road hot bore, steam and water all around – really lovely. Too hot to touch until you got away from bore itself. Along the drive there are some funny tin sculptures and a boot tree to liven up passers by.

No breakfast this morning as we want to get to Birdsville early (only 82km away) and they have a famous bakery that will do great for Brekkie.  Unfortunately our luck is not in – the bakery shut 3 weeks ago after losing too much  money due to the floods.

The music festival has been going a few years now and has gone from 200 people to over 10,000 this year.  It is the most remote music festival in the world, right on the edge of the simpson desert.  It is incredibly well organised and although it can take up to 2 hours to get in and out due to numbers no one seems to mind.  For us, apart from queuing for 10 mins for fuel we had an easy time – many people arrived a day or 2 earlier.  After supplying up in Birdsville and getting wrist bands we walked along to Pelican point, an area where 2 rivers converge.  Due to the recent floods it was all amazingly green with stacks of birdlife.  We spend a while watching the little fairy martins flying in and out to feed their young.  Birds that are only here after a big flood.

35km drive out to the concert sight and setting up camp- perfect timing, we were all done by 2.30 and the bands started at 3pm on the first day.

Day 1, John Swan, Dale ryder (boom crash opera), Mark Williams (Dragon), Steve Balby (noisworks), Tribute to Easybeats, Richard Clapton. The best day of all to the 3 of us, all apart from Steve Balby we thought were fantastic. An amazing day.

Day 2, Chantoozies, Mark Gable (Choir boys),

Eurogliders, tribute to INXS, Bjorn Again, Chocolate Starfish, 1927, The living End.   First half of the day was really good, 2^nd half not so to my taste, The living end were awful (I liked them last time I saw them, but they were very loud and very punky), still the younger generation enjoyed them.

Day 3, Neil Murray, Busby Marou, Steve Kilby (The church), Casey Chambers, Midnight Oil – The oils were fantastic, better than last time we saw them, full of energy, political quips and great music.

Met some amazing characters and overall everyone was very friendly.  So glad we came and thoroughly enjoyed it – but would not come a second time as it is hard work with the distances and logistics. Dont think the truck collecting waste water thought much of QLD beer.

Lots of quirky only Aussie would think off or do whenever there were no bands playing. Drag racing, Bagpipe playing in the dawn every day of concert. Air guitar competions etc.

Up early to get out before the crowd gets too bad – it still took 20 mins to leave the site (and we were nowhere near the back of the queues).

The first 100km was awful, the dust from the road did not shift – no wind, and just streams of trailers and caravans.  Very stressful driving so we turned of to go a longer route (but it got us away from traffic), this route was signed as tourist route to view Lake Machattie – apparently Australia’s largest breeding area for Pelicans – we thought it would be packed as there were lots around.  What the blurb failed to tell you was that you could only glimpse the Lake along the route at about 1km distance – not much help at all.  At least the road was good and we beat many camper trailers into Bedourie.  After the slow hard drive we decided to stop at Boulia Caravan Park again, then head on.  We had planned to stop at Arthur River but when we got there the birds had flown so we kept going – and going till we got home at 7pm.  Feels pretty good to have a shower and power.