Back to the “Outback” Yea!!!!!

After Port Augusta our next destination was Pimba on the Stuart Highway.

We stopped to look at geographical points of interest along the way and a spot of lunch before arriving at Spuds Roadhouse at Pimba.

This free camp ($5.00 donation) has toilets and showers and proved extremely popular. There were about 25 caravanners, mobile homes, camper trailers etc. 

The next day we travelled up the Olympic Dam Highway to Woomera. Woomera Village initially operated as a “closed town” between 1947 and 1982, when the facility supported the operations of the Woomera Rocket Range during the Anglo-Australia Project. 

Construction of Woomera Village began in mid-1947 to cater for thousands of people moving there as part of the Anglo-Australian Project. The project lasted for 34 years and saw Woomera become one of the most secret allied establishments in operation during the Cold War. During its heyday (1949–71), the village population reached around 7,000 as people lived and worked at Woomera and at Koolymilka campsite near Range Head, 42 kilometres west of Woomera village within the Woomera Prohibited Area. However, by the end of the 1960s the Anglo-Australian Joint Project was rapidly winding down following the UK Government’s reduction in further experimental work. 

Since 1982, the public has been able to visit and stay at Woomera. However, only Australian Government personnel and contractors to the Commonwealth can live at Woomera on a permanent basis. The settlement was established in 1947 because of the Department of Defence establishment of the adjacent rocket testing range. 

The population is now around 200. We visited the rocket park and community museum which we found remarkably interesting. 

Another good hour and a half saw us camping at Andamooka for the night. You go to, not through Andamooka, and although the roads leading to this small opal mining township are now well sealed and all weather, this was not always the case. 

The town’s isolated location was first sighted by explorer, John MacDouall Stuart in 1858, marked and named as one of the several waterholes in the region. Subsequently Andamooka Station was established, taking out a pastoral lease in 1872 which encompassed the area. 

This remote township, which lies inside the station boundaries arose in the 1933 following the discovery of opal in the area by the boundary riders in 1930. Today much of the township remains as it was since the discovery of opal here in 1930, focused on the opal industry. The style of construction used in the residences and facilities is unique to Andamooka and each opal field in Australia has a distinctive method of extracting the gemstone and hence the equipment innovation and style of machinery is unique to Andamooka. With increasing international demand and new methods of presenting opal in jewelry design, opal is enjoying a revival. High quality stones from Andamooka are in great demand, if not in ready supply. 

After setting up camp ($8 a night with toilets, showers, playground, and dump point) we travelled out of town to Lake Torrens. Lake Torrens is usually a dry salt flat with patches of seasonal water. Thunderstorms occasionally provide a small amount of water in the lake and when this occurs the area attracts a variety of birdlife. It was about 20 kilometres of slow going to get there but we were able to do the whole track in 2wd.  

The next morning, we visited the underground Andamooka Opal Showroom and Museum as well as some historical cottages. 

We hooked up the caravan again and went back down the road to visit the Olympic Dam Mine and then Roxby Downs. At Roxby Downs we filled up with water and had lunch. We purchased some blade fuses and Stephen replaced a faulty fuse so now everything is back to normal with the caravan electrics. 

We then headed back down to Pimba where we are staying tonight and once again the campsite is full.