31.07.07

Departing Roxby

We finally saw dust in the mirror today, and was it dusty, the AVan was full of it especially on the right hand side.

Packed up early and left by 0930 after taking the car back to Paula, filling up with fuel 145 and

calling into NPT.

BOREFEILD ROAD

It was cloudy and a strong north wind with dust storms and b****dy freezing cold (forecast for 24 but they got it wrong again).Stopped about 20 k’s out and changed a tyre for a solo woman who was heading into Roxby. Her tyre on the Toyota bus was shredded. She worked at the Neppabunna Community in Marree.

Stopped about half hay to the Oodnadata track at a pumping station( Roxby water comes from the artesian basin some miles from there) and attempted to put the roof up for a cuppa. The wind was so strong it acted as a sail , so were unable to put it up. No one told us about strong winds and erecting the roof! Crawled in and retrieved some things from the fridge and made a sandwich in the car.

The land is very dry flat and desolate, came to an old station on the Ghan railway line that must have been an imposing building once. Surrounded by flat and stony land to the horizon.

West of Marree there was a siding with a homestead and all sorts of ‘object de art’, including a dog made out of the old water tank. The head was a car body swinging in the breeze. Some eccentric from Melbourne owns it. Willie later said that it is suspected that he is the creator of the Marree Man, although no one knows. But in my mind it adds up as it is just opposite his place and he sounds mad enough.

Arrived at Marree about 1400 and were made very welcome by Willie. Denise was returning from Adelaide were she had been to see Port Power play on Sunday. We put the van in his backyard and then found it to be literally full of dust. Helped unload a transport with his weekly supply of grog and stores. Later went for walk and bought a trailer plug that had come out on the way.

After a haircut and a shower we went in for tea and stayed til half nine. Di spent some time with Denise and some local girls (school teachers) doing “scrap booking”.