Tweaksta
Senior Member
DAY 8: Arkaroola to Marree
Had a quick breakfast, and checked out of our room. As planned, we headed down to Arkaroola Gorge - about 5km from the village. It was another rough 4wd track which would have been much easier with low range, but with careful throttle and 1st gear we managed across the rocky riverbeds. As we walked into the gorge we were met with a mindblowingly beautiful waterhole in the middle of the harshest, driest, unforgiving landscape. Several metres deep, and with 4-5 large pools linked by a creek, it was a magical place and we found it hard to leave. Swimming isn't allowed as the mineral-rich waters would get stirred up which would then mean that the local wildlife cannot drink from the thin layer of fresh water on top.
Pulling Faces at Arkaroola Gorge
Angle Parking?
This guy was covering 100km on a pushie!
The Arkaroola Chooper
Arkaroola Gorge
Rest Stop (note the mud)
We loved Arkaroola but had to leave.......onwards and upwards........onwards and upwards.
On our way back to the main road we passed through some Aboriginal Lands which have some nice clean camping grounds at Iga Warta where you can go on tours where they tell you all the stories about the local land.
We turned Northwards at Copley , grabbed some supplies at Leigh Creek and headed up to Lyndhurst to check the Strzelecki Track conditions. The big electronic sign said it was closed but that's cool coz we aren't planning on heading up there until after Lake Eyre in a few days time.
The road from Lyndhurst to Maree had only just been reopened but only to 4WD and Heavy Vehicles with high clearance. We thought we'd be fine in our Subaru.....
Water crossing after water crossing came.....some deeper than others, then we hit one which was 1 km long. You couldn't see the road out the other side. We were driving in a river - a wave came up to the bonnet and I thought the engine would conk out. One of the drive belts started to squeal and we had a slightly adrenalised moment. We made it out the other side without any mishaps!
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug2gfs6PQ5A&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube - Flooded Oodnadatta Track - Water Crossing in a Subaru Forester[/ame]
Marree was basic....but the atmosphere was great. We went straight to the pub and got a room. The place was packed with several 4x4 tour buses and a heap of offroad adventurers of all walks of life. It was like a party with everyone exchanging their outback tales and offering information about anything of relevance to their trips. We walked around the town, wasted $15 on two phone calls(bloody dodgy phone), took some snaps, had dinner and crashed out.
Had a quick breakfast, and checked out of our room. As planned, we headed down to Arkaroola Gorge - about 5km from the village. It was another rough 4wd track which would have been much easier with low range, but with careful throttle and 1st gear we managed across the rocky riverbeds. As we walked into the gorge we were met with a mindblowingly beautiful waterhole in the middle of the harshest, driest, unforgiving landscape. Several metres deep, and with 4-5 large pools linked by a creek, it was a magical place and we found it hard to leave. Swimming isn't allowed as the mineral-rich waters would get stirred up which would then mean that the local wildlife cannot drink from the thin layer of fresh water on top.
Pulling Faces at Arkaroola Gorge
Angle Parking?
This guy was covering 100km on a pushie!
The Arkaroola Chooper
Arkaroola Gorge
Rest Stop (note the mud)
We loved Arkaroola but had to leave.......onwards and upwards........onwards and upwards.
On our way back to the main road we passed through some Aboriginal Lands which have some nice clean camping grounds at Iga Warta where you can go on tours where they tell you all the stories about the local land.
We turned Northwards at Copley , grabbed some supplies at Leigh Creek and headed up to Lyndhurst to check the Strzelecki Track conditions. The big electronic sign said it was closed but that's cool coz we aren't planning on heading up there until after Lake Eyre in a few days time.
The road from Lyndhurst to Maree had only just been reopened but only to 4WD and Heavy Vehicles with high clearance. We thought we'd be fine in our Subaru.....
Water crossing after water crossing came.....some deeper than others, then we hit one which was 1 km long. You couldn't see the road out the other side. We were driving in a river - a wave came up to the bonnet and I thought the engine would conk out. One of the drive belts started to squeal and we had a slightly adrenalised moment. We made it out the other side without any mishaps!
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug2gfs6PQ5A&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube - Flooded Oodnadatta Track - Water Crossing in a Subaru Forester[/ame]
Marree was basic....but the atmosphere was great. We went straight to the pub and got a room. The place was packed with several 4x4 tour buses and a heap of offroad adventurers of all walks of life. It was like a party with everyone exchanging their outback tales and offering information about anything of relevance to their trips. We walked around the town, wasted $15 on two phone calls(bloody dodgy phone), took some snaps, had dinner and crashed out.
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I love the video. A bit too crazy if you ask me, but kudos for going for it 
One of these days, I'm gonna make it down under for an epic journey. Beautiful country!
