Day 9 Marree to Birdsville 525.3kms.
Marree is an aboriginal word for possum and aboriginal trade routes existed in this area for centuries providing access for the trade of ochre from Lyndhurst and Parachilna in exchange for pituri, a narcotic from the Simpson Desert. The spring two kilometres north of Marree formed the junction of the routes which led from the south to the Cooper and Diamantina regions in the north-east and to the Finke River and the Musgrave and MacDonnell Ranges in the north-west. These original trade routes, explored with assistance from aborigines, have now been established as the Birdsville and Oodnadatta Tracks.During Stuart's attempt first attempt to cross Australia, one of his party David Hergott discovered the springs and Stuart called them Hergott Springs. They became an important camping place for travellers. In 1883 a new township site was surveyed about 2 kilometres south of the springs and the railway reached there in early 1884. Marree was the official name given to the township but the railway and post office still used Hergott Springs. Due to the hostilities of World War 1 all German sounding names were changed and the whole area became known as Marree.
Remains of railway yards Marree.
Marree became the most important service centre for the north and the population rose to about 600. Afghan cameleers from Marree supplied stations on the Birdsville track and there was a strong Afghan community north of the line. Camel transport was essential to the survival of Birdsville and the stations along the Track. In 1910 there were 1500 camels working out of Marree and even in the late 1920s the stagecoach on the Strzelecki track was hauled by camels. Horses were unsuited to the sandy conditions as they did not have the same stamina. The Marree camel depot on Muloorina Station was closed in 1938, however mounted police patrols using camels continued until the late 1940s.
In 1957 the railway to Marree was changed to standard gauge (4 feet 8.5 inches) while the line on to Oodnadatta was still narrow gauge (3 foot 6 inches). This meant that everything had to be moved from one set of railway carriages to another. As a result, the railways had a large work force in the town just to tranship the cargo. I did a trip in to Marree and beyond by train in 1960 and the train arrived at 11.00PM at Marree and it was not until morning that the train could leave on the narrow gauge. To move the trains over the standard gauge to other locations, the railways had some flat cars with railway track (narrow gauge) fixed to them so the narrow gauge train and its rolling stock was shunted onto the flat cars and the passenger train hauled them back to Port Augusta. There were a number of places in South Australia that had 2 different railway gauges and when the standard gauge line came from Broken Hill, several towns had three different gauges. Now most of them have gone.
With the opening of the new line to Alice Springs the line to Marree was closed and the population declined rapidly, however essential services have been maintained and the aboriginal community has taken an interest in the fortunes of the town and also the old Afghan mosque has been restored. Now the population is only about 80 people.
We had a look around the town and its impressive railway station and empty railway yards then we headed out to Birdsville down the Birdsville Track. Years ago cattle from south east Queensland were walked to Marree where they were then loaded on the train to go to market. Now all the cattle is moved by "Road Trains" one prime mover hauling three double deck trailers and they are up to 50 metres long and special beef roads have been constructed in the remoter areas. The Birdsville Track had a reputation of being a long and remote trip but now the Track is graded to a reasonable condition and even cars with a good ground clearance, can make the journey. However a little bit of rain can easily close the it and people have perished on it when they have taken wrong turnings.
In 1957 the railway to Marree was changed to standard gauge (4 feet 8.5 inches) while the line on to Oodnadatta was still narrow gauge (3 foot 6 inches). This meant that everything had to be moved from one set of railway carriages to another. As a result, the railways had a large work force in the town just to tranship the cargo. I did a trip in to Marree and beyond by train in 1960 and the train arrived at 11.00PM at Marree and it was not until morning that the train could leave on the narrow gauge. To move the trains over the standard gauge to other locations, the railways had some flat cars with railway track (narrow gauge) fixed to them so the narrow gauge train and its rolling stock was shunted onto the flat cars and the passenger train hauled them back to Port Augusta. There were a number of places in South Australia that had 2 different railway gauges and when the standard gauge line came from Broken Hill, several towns had three different gauges. Now most of them have gone.
With the opening of the new line to Alice Springs the line to Marree was closed and the population declined rapidly, however essential services have been maintained and the aboriginal community has taken an interest in the fortunes of the town and also the old Afghan mosque has been restored. Now the population is only about 80 people.
We had a look around the town and its impressive railway station and empty railway yards then we headed out to Birdsville down the Birdsville Track. Years ago cattle from south east Queensland were walked to Marree where they were then loaded on the train to go to market. Now all the cattle is moved by "Road Trains" one prime mover hauling three double deck trailers and they are up to 50 metres long and special beef roads have been constructed in the remoter areas. The Birdsville Track had a reputation of being a long and remote trip but now the Track is graded to a reasonable condition and even cars with a good ground clearance, can make the journey. However a little bit of rain can easily close the it and people have perished on it when they have taken wrong turnings.
Wildflowers along the Track.
The Dog Proof Fence was crossed again and about 30 kms from Marree we came to Lake Harry where there is an artesian bore and the remains of some buildings. During the 1860s it was established as an experimental date palm plantation, along with several other locations. Many palms from here were propagated in other areas but it closed down in 1915 due to the problems of getting labour during the war years and its poor yields. On a previous trip here in 1970 there were still several palm trees but they have now disappeared. The area is treeless except for some salt bush and blue bush with the occasional clump of stunted cassias while on the sand dunes cane grass and the occasional clump of acacias could be found along with many different ephemeral plants. Due to the summer rains there were masses of them in some areas. Their flowers produce an abundance of nectar and seed which attracts many insects and this in turn attracts birds. In other places the ground was covered in stones as the Birdsville Track has the Simpson Desert on the left hand side and the Sturt's Stony Desert on its right so the countryside varied between these two areas. Char1es Sturt was another explorer in this area.
Wildflowers.
The Track originally weaved from one artesian bore to another in order that the cattle being driven down the track could get water. Now with the upgrading of the road and the cattle going to market in trucks, many of these bores are not in use. From the Track we could see what appeared to be some smoke in the distance and we followed the wheel tracks in and soon arrived at the Koppermanna NO.1 bore. Here the water comes out of the ground at 99C and the smoke that we could see was actually the steam from it. As it comes out of the ground under pressure, it drives a small generator which provides electricity for a nearby cattle station. The water then flows into ponds where it cools a little, then into troughs so that the cattle can drink it. The water contains iron sulphide, which gives it a slight smell and the salts cake the surrounding rocks. There are several bores near the Track that are hot, the rest give good quality water at a normal temperature.
Artesian Bore, the colour is due to the buildup of salts found in the water. The water comes out at nearly boiling.
At Etadunna the Coopers Creek was crossed and it still had a little water in it. In times of flood the crossing can be 8 kms wide, though generally shallow. To break the monotony of several hundred kilometres of flatness, there were several ruined buildings which once were farm houses but the droughts forced them out. At Mulka there was once an old store, now only a pile of stones and a plaque remain. We had lunch at Mungerannie where a hotel now provides petrol and food, about half way down the track. A nearby waterhole is also a popular stop over for travellers.
Artesian bore.
At Clifton Hills there is a steel boat by the road side. It is now of historical interest but when the Track would cross the Goyder Lagoon in flood time the crossing could be many miles wide and the mailman would drive his truck down, load everything into the boat and row across to where he kept his other truck and continue on. It was also used by the station owners in the area to cross the Lagoon. Now with the opening of what is called the Outside Track, it is no longer required. As the Goyder Lagoon was still in flood we kept to the main road which also tends not to cross as many sand dunes but run parallel to them so it gives a better run into Birdsville.
The final section into Birdsville was between some large dunes until we reached the Queensland border then the bridge over the Diamantina River was crossed and the short section of sealed road signalled that we had reached Birdsville.
Christine wrote. I looked forward to see Birdsville. I hoped I was going to see a flock of several hundred budgegars but I didn't. However I did see several hundred birds around the waterways, many were wading birds with long legs. We pitched our tent on a grassy patch and I discovered when walking near the water's edge many birds' footprints. The owner of the caravan park had a cat, a white fluffy cat with blue eyes which probably had a luxurious life with the patting from the tourists .
Artesian Bore, the colour is due to the buildup of salts found in the water. The water comes out at nearly boiling.At Etadunna the Coopers Creek was crossed and it still had a little water in it. In times of flood the crossing can be 8 kms wide, though generally shallow. To break the monotony of several hundred kilometres of flatness, there were several ruined buildings which once were farm houses but the droughts forced them out. At Mulka there was once an old store, now only a pile of stones and a plaque remain. We had lunch at Mungerannie where a hotel now provides petrol and food, about half way down the track. A nearby waterhole is also a popular stop over for travellers.
Artesian bore.At Clifton Hills there is a steel boat by the road side. It is now of historical interest but when the Track would cross the Goyder Lagoon in flood time the crossing could be many miles wide and the mailman would drive his truck down, load everything into the boat and row across to where he kept his other truck and continue on. It was also used by the station owners in the area to cross the Lagoon. Now with the opening of what is called the Outside Track, it is no longer required. As the Goyder Lagoon was still in flood we kept to the main road which also tends not to cross as many sand dunes but run parallel to them so it gives a better run into Birdsville.
The final section into Birdsville was between some large dunes until we reached the Queensland border then the bridge over the Diamantina River was crossed and the short section of sealed road signalled that we had reached Birdsville.
Christine wrote. I looked forward to see Birdsville. I hoped I was going to see a flock of several hundred budgegars but I didn't. However I did see several hundred birds around the waterways, many were wading birds with long legs. We pitched our tent on a grassy patch and I discovered when walking near the water's edge many birds' footprints. The owner of the caravan park had a cat, a white fluffy cat with blue eyes which probably had a luxurious life with the patting from the tourists .
No comments:
Post a Comment