woomera to coward springs

It was strange leaving woomera, there was no fuss no fanfare, we just left. I could have stayed a little longer but by the same token i was quite happy to leave. It was the disappointment it could quite easily have been, but neither was it as fullfilling as i had hoped it might have been. Anyway i was very keen to get to coward springs on the oodnadatta track as i had read there was an arteseasn spa and i was very keed to try it out.

On the road out of woomera i was, yet again, amazed at just how much nothing there is. This place has 'wide open' in spades. At one stage we stopped and regardless of which way you lookked it was flat and ther was not one tree, power poles and a road, but no trees. This changed as we got about 40km out of roxby downs. We were now riding through dunes and if it wasn't that the sand a rich red colour, you could easily think you were on the coast.

When we got to roxby downs i was completely taken aback. I was expecting a small, slightly shabby town with a roadhouse and a couple of dozen houses and lots of flies. What we found was a very affleunt, very neat, bustling, go-ahead town that is bigger than woomera. We bought our lunch to have on the road and suprisingly good coffee and a great ham and cheese croisant(?) for second breakfast.

the very much thriving town of roxby downs

After roxby we were onto the dirt and we had been told that the first 40km out of roxby were not great but that the rest was ok. For possibly the first time on the trip we had received an accurate summation of the road conditions. The first 40km were indeed pretty bloody ordinary, very rocky with patches of our beloved sand. But after that the road was remarkably good and when we got to the oodnadatta track, where we stopped to finish our lunch, it got even better.

a nice shady spot for lunch

wal on the road out of roxby

Cruising along the track, in the direction of william creek, we crested a small hill and there was lake eyre south. It's huge and it's only the little bit at the bottom of lake eyre proper. The other cool thing about it is it's 12m below sea level.

finally on the oodnadatta track

lake eyre south

The last 5km of road to coward springs was pretty corragated but it was worth it. Coward springs is the classic oasis in every sense. The artesean spa is really a bore that has been here since the late 1800s when it was a siding for the ghan and there was even a hoel from 1910 to the 50s. The campsite is privately own and surrounded by national park and prue and greg have done a great job in setting it up. The have restored the 'spa' and it's fabulous, although it feels a little weird as you can't touch the bottom, but it is lovely and warm. The bore also helps to maintain the lush vegetation which gives the campsite a very private feel, and to run the wood fired showers. These were a first for me but they were brilliant. There's a small boiler outside the showers, you light a fire under it, wait 30 minutes for the water to heat, and away you go and as long as the fire is going the water the water will be hot. wal's campsite ar coward springs

the woodfired showers, really, really good

me in the artesean spa, also really, really good

a coward spings sunset

This place is seriously in the middle of nowhere, but if you're ever even remotely close to nowhere, go and see it, it's worth the trip.

Tomorrow we're off back the way came for a bit (at least we know the road's good) to maree and from there to wilpena pound in the flinders ranges.

our exact location: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-29.4012,136.8148&ll=-29.4012,136.8148&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Comments

[the wife]

my mountain man - you're all Grizzly Adams in the tub there - nice work Spanky!