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Published: October 20th 2014
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Lunar Eclipse at Lake Hart
Unfortunately, this was as close as I got to taking a photo of the full eclipse. It is almost full here, with the Earth's shadow causing the brown across the face of the moon. Yesterday was still a Southerly wind, although a bit lighter and a top of 24
0C expected. We decided to have a rest day and catch up with the housework, which we both did together. Barry then had a rest while I went into the sunshine and sorted the opal dirt Stella had given me yesterday. I found quite a few tiny chips of colour and a couple of larger stones with a small touch of colour hiding in it. Nothing usable as gems but pretty and fun to have found myself
Today the wind is still going to be a headwind today but not very strong. Barry has decided we can’t stay here forever and is anxious to move on towards Woomera. We went to the public dump point in Coober Pedy to get rid of our waste water but had to put the van up on the levelling blocks as there was a really bad slope on the road – away from the side that drains and the dump hole was quite high up. I don’t know who designs Dump Points but some of them have obviously never been in a vehicle with holding tanks! We also had to
pay 20c for the water to rinse out the area after we’d finished, with the coin box being further along the road where you can fill up with drinking water. We’d already filled while still at Gary’s, so that wasn’t necessary. We also made a brief stop at the supermarket for some very fresh “Outback” brand bread and some fresh milk.
With everything set for the trip we continued the long journey down the Stuart Highway. About 40 kms outside Coober Pedy, we saw another area of mining with lots of mullock heap and the big “Blowers” next to them. One was dropping its load and the dust was pouring out across the whole area. Soon after that, Barry spotted a sand goanna on the road and managed to avoid it as it crossed to the other side. Unfortunately, he was too quick for me!
We stopped at Ingomar for a drink and a short break. The fresh bread smelt delicious and we couldn’t resist having a few slices with butter and jam on them. By the time we’d finished we’d eaten half the loaf!!
Back on the road, we saw an emu and also a Wedge-tailed
A Treeless Plain Along the Stuart Highway
We saw quite a few sections of the road on the way South from Coober Pedy. The saltbush thrives here. Eagle sitting on a small pile of rocks on the lookout for his next meal. You don’t usually see them perched so low but there was nothing taller in the whole landscape, which was flat plains that went on forever.
By this time the wind had lessened and changed direction somewhat so we weren’t fighting the headwind. We stopped at the Bon Bon Station Rest Area for lunch and a drink and to read the information boards on the area. A young Frenchwoman asked us how far it was to the next place that would have petrol. She was travelling with two friends in a Britz camper van and they were getting very low on fuel. They had been to Uluru, which they loved, and had only hired the van for 5 days from Adelaide. They’d driven all that way just to see it. They’d spent last night at Cadney Homestead and hadn’t refilled since then, so they’d done about 320kms and the nearest fuel was another 84 kms away at Glendambo. I hope they make it! They said they have to be back in Adelaide by Friday. I’m so glad we don’t have such tight time constraints!
A Red-backed Kingfisher
I think this is a red-backed Kingfisher that I saw at Lake Hart, although I never saw his back. The only other one similar to this is the Laughing Kookaburra and this is well outside his range and habitat. As we travel along the Stuart Highway we keep going across cattle grids. These separate the properties that we pass through. At each grid there is a large street sign that tells you the name of the property you are now on and warns that the livestock is loose and could cross the road. Some of these places are really enormous, more than a thousand square kilometres.
The other thing we keep passing are the little square windowless “houses” with a solar array next to them. We have discovered they are the Fibre Optic Cable Relay Stations and so are vital for communications. Each one has a name on it to identify it, often the name of the property it sits on or a nearby mountain or lake.
Unfortunately, we’ve seen a lot of dead Red Kangaroos beside the road, too. We didn’t have very many in the Northern Territory and it’s sad to see the numbers increasing again. The Black Kites and Whistling Kites numbers have also increased with such an abundant food supply awaiting the brave and clever ones who know when to stay and when to go while feeding on the road.
Another surprise
Lake Hart Salt Pan
The salt just seems to go on forever. We couldn't see the end of the lake. This shows the rails that were used to transport the salt being mined off the lake. was the sign that declared one section of the Highway was an emergency air strip for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. There was a band of broad white bars painted at both ends of the “Strip”. There didn’t seem to be any traffic lights or way of notifying the other road users so I guess you just keep your eyes and ears peeled.
We passed through Glendambo, and were happy to realise that we hadn’t seen the French girls in the Britz so they must have made it without running out of fuel.
We stopped at Lake Hart for a break as we were both getting stiff and tired. Barry really wanted to get all the way to Woomera but it was another 113km away and so he agreed to stay overnight at the Lake Rest Area and then push on in the morning, arriving in time to still do some things. Lake Hart is another large salt pan, which we’d seen 3 years ago on our Lake Eyre tour. We’d walked out onto the salt then and I wanted to again. Barry stayed and rested under the awning of the van while I went down before the
A Tall Blower
This Blower is at the entrance to Coober Pedy to welcome people coming up from the South. We saw it as we were leaving. It is a big vacuum cleaner that sucks the rubbish out of the mine and into the drum which empties them onto a mullock heap while blowing all the dust into the air. light failed. I was pleased to see that the tracks from the old salt processing operation were still on the surface, covered in even more salt than we saw before.
Soon after, a small group of people came down to the salt lake. One lady bent down and was doing something on the surface. I got speaking to her soon afterwards and she told me that she was purifying her necklace that she’d bought from Opalios. She’d also chosen a Moonstone when offered the box. She is a Reikie Master and specialises in the use of crystals for healing. She said her Moonstone had felt very “slimy” and full of negative energy, which soap and water hadn’t improved. She was using the salt in the pan as a stronger cleanser. She was also taking part in the “Long Ride to Uluru” raising funds and awareness of the problem of prostate cancer, especially in middle aged men. She said they had met at Uluru and were now heading home. 427 riders had taken part and they had raised $320,000 so far this year!
Later that evening I was outside getting a breath of fresh air and seeing the Lake with the coloured sunlight reflecting in the range, when I noticed the moon was going a funny colour. I took a few shots and managed to get one clear example. It turns out that we were having a lunar eclipse – the Earth was blocking the light from the sun. It really looked strange. I didn’t get the full eclipse but the one I got was good. The unusual sight didn’t last long, and, unfortunately, we didn’t get much colour on the salt of the lake but at least the wind had lessened almost to nothing and the evening was very pleasant to stroll in. Let’s hope the wind stays put tomorrow.
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