Tommy Camper goes south coast and red desert

 

In the beginning, the question was…

Could an old geezer, a French sailor, and a funny, spoiled little dog really enjoy exploring Australia’s southern coast…and then survive a tough outback trek to FNQ?

The coast? Always a good time.. The outback? Bit more questionable. Will they find the thrilling freedom of being a speck in the never-never, or get fed up with red dust up their noses?

They were oddly confident. After all, they had done alright bushbashing in their fifties and sixties — why not now, as fresh 70+ adventurers?

                Highlights by him. 

We picked up our brand new 4WD D-Max ute kitted out with a legendary Tommy Camper canopy from Ballarat.  We named the rig “Tommy,” and two days later, we were heading west.

The Eyre Peninsula gave us that wonderful carefree feeling. The dramatic sandhills of Coffin Bay were incredible, only outdone by the famous fresh oysters. My petite French mate felt like she was back home in Brittany —

At Venus Bay, the caravan park sits right on the edge of the beach. The sunrise over the water was magical.

We were now settling nicely into our Grey Nomad lifestyle. There were photo opportunities everywhere: windmills at Penong, the pink lake on the way to Cactus Beach,  camping on the edge of the cliffs and gazing out over the Southern Ocean, while crossing the Nullarbor.  Everyone was smiling.

Yep, you can even play golf while crossing the Nullarbor. It’s the longest course in the world, stretching 1,365 km. www.nullarborlinks.com

But once we hit WA, my evil intentions began to show, and cracks started to appear in my partner’s enthusiasm. We’d been doing great — long drives, Tommy’s kitchen running like a dream, and the pug was dodging 1080 baits. So why did I start driving down messed-up dirt roads marked “CLOSED”? She wasn’t convinced by my excuse: “Just testing the suspension before the real outback begins”.

Thankfully, things calmed down again.  A couple of weeks spent driving along silky snow-white beaches, swimming, and lounging around the gorgeous SW bays helped me regain my credibility. Then, 5 days’ rest in the lovely town of Esperance was a hit.  (Fun fact: it’s named after the French ship Esperance, which anchored in Lucky Bay in 1792)

The Big Diagonal…moving NE

Check the Hema map — our route carved diagonally across the county from Albany to Cairns, tackling some of the most iconic remote outback tracks. Gets the blood pumping! (Well, mine.)

First up, we stopped at small towns dotted around the Kalgoorlie gold fields.  Southern Cross, Coolgardie, Gwalia, Hyden, and Menzies — full of history and warm welcomes.

           Fifty-one human statues are scattered around the salt lake.

I reckon she fancied one of the blokes 🙂

                          This massive granite surf break at Hyden is 2.5 billion years old.

Coolgardie train station was established in 1896. Gwalia is a Ghost town, but the mine is still trucking gold from a depth of 1600 meters. All worth a look, and it’s  surprising how often we bumped into familiar travellers; the joy of a good chat shouldn’t be underestimated

It’s worth the 50 km drive from Laverton to Giles breakaway. Top spot for a campfire and sunset views.

Into the Desert: Anne Beadell & Connie Sue Highways

From Laverton we headed 375 km along the Anne Beadell Hwy, to Neal’s Junction — recently reopened and freshly graded after flood damage. Bit too smooth, to be honest. We saw no one for days. Just us, a snake, a dead dingo, two bustards, and a few camels.

There are possibly a million feral camels roaming Australia’s deserts. They may be considered vermin, but we love to meet them.

Connie Sue’s highlights included a spectacular Rocky Butte and meeting another vehicle, which was cool to swap stories with.

It’s fascinating to observe tracks in the red sand. Most nights, at least one curious camel or dingo will approach our camp. Tiny prints are left by snakes, beetles, desert mice, scorpions, and rats that hop like kangaroos, adding to the mystery.

Usually, there are no prominent features in the desert. It’s easy to get lost if you’re not careful. One morning, I got up for a sunrise walk. I piled wood on the fire so I’d see the smoke and find my way back. But surprise! Frenchy had packed up, doused the fire, and moved Tommy back to the track. I stood there, lost — until I remembered the iPhone in my pocket with a Hema Satellite map. Phew!

The final stretch

After 317 km and 4 nights on the Connie Sue, we arrived in the community of Warburton. It’s about 1,000 km to Alice Springs, with fuel available at roadhouses every few hundred kilometres. The road turned from dirt to Bitumen once we crossed into the NT and approached the stunning Olgas and Uluru.

At Alice Springs, we did the tourist loop around the McDonald Ranges — breathtaking.

But soon, the call of the map struck again. This time, 800 km off arid plains and the dirt   Sandover Highway to Mt Isa. Two tiny communities are suitable for fuel, and traffic is sparse. One day, we didn’t see anybody, just some abandoned cars — wheels gone, windows smashed. A bit eerie, like stumbling across bones in the bush. You wouldn’t want to break down out here. The shire grader comes every 3-4 years, so I suppose they eventually get pushed out of the way.

It was a delight camping on the  Georgina River bank next to this magnificent old tree.

Slowly, mallee scrub turned to grassy plains as we reached Barkly Downs in QLD. It felt good to see a sprinkling of cattle and horses.

Beyond Mt Isa, we explored Richmond and Hughendon— dinosaur territory. Then turned up the Kennedy Highway. Mostly sealed with a few creeks flowing across the road to remind us we were nearing the tropics.

And finally, the road opened up to the lush green of NE Queensland. The Atherton Tablelands felt like paradise. Six months on the road — and what a ride. Tommy held up brilliantly.

I had an unbelievable trip. What about you, my love?

The answer… By her.

* The coast was brilliant, but next time I’ll take a plane over the desert.

*I’m so happy you cleaned the car and canopy when we got home.

* I’m thankful it didn’t rain in the outback.

* The Tommy camper canopy is a marvel, but a motel that served breakfast would be perfect 🙂

* My favourite places were Duke Orleans Bay, Wharton Beach, and further to Albany.

* My favourite male: that statue at Lake Ballard. 

* Corrugations = pain and suffering.

* OK, I admit it was fun, and I’ll do it again next year… are the nights warmer around the Pilbara?