August 8th 2017

Lake Hart showing white salt and blue water

We drove by many salt lakes today, but Hart Lake was the most spectacular with the edges bright white with salt. It is a large lake as many are. One other salt lake fascinated us as lumps of salt had formed on the water and appeared like ice-bergs in the Antarctic.

Yes, the morning was cold as expected..0.7 deg. We do not look forward to the frosts of NE Victoria but heating should be better in 'Kyamba' than in our Jayco.

The sky was blue with only a few clouds and the sun quickly warmed us up as we travelled SE to Port Augusta. The bitumen road makes for easy driving and travelling. The scenery along this section of the Stuart Highway is remarkably flat with a treeless horizon. It is hard to credit after we have driven through so many trees and rocky hills.

Sadly there were many dead kangaroos lying on the roadside or worse still in the middle of the road. We did not see one live kangaroos so maybe these deaths happen in the evening, early morning or at night with the animals being dazzled by the lights of huge Road Trains which cannot afford to swerve for a kangaroo.

The latter part of the journey to Port Augusta  found me watching the curving trail of a water pipe, a railway line and of course our road...what lovely stitching lines! The pipe delivers water from our Murray River to Coober Pedy which is a long, long way. Maybe people in Coober Pedy use water that has fallen in the Ovens and King Valleys.

There was not one train to be seen which disappointed us because we have seen wonderful long trains on the line when we have travelled this road before. The Ghan Train goes from Darwin to Port Augusta. The Indian Pacific travels from Sydney to Perth going through Port Augusta .There are mining trains and fright trains as well. We heard a whistle blow once, but no trains!

We have continued on to Quorn this evening. What a pretty drive though the Pichi Richi Pass. We are camped in a small park at Quorn which will satisfy all our requirements.