Report by Graham Bell

We left our bush camp beside Lake Eyre by 8.30am after awaking to a beautiful sunrise. First stop Marree for fuel, but not for Steve, he ran out of fuel 200 metres from the pump and Graham towed him in.

Tony’s rear window was shattered by a stone that hit the trailer, smashing a spare battery, then hitting the rear window. We helped Tony rig up a screen against his rear window. Wayne’s rear brakes also needed attention.

Pie lunch was William Creek Hotel, a fascinating outback pub. Headed west towards Coober Pedy, the track was interesting, winding through salt-pans and desert country unfamiliar to most. As the sun sank in the west, dust became a real problem and the convoy was well spread out with some very tired drivers by the time we reached the blacktop at Coober Pedy at dusk.

After some frustration in driving tent pegs into the concrete-like ground at the camping area, we had time for a quick clean up before two buses arrived and took us on a brief night tour of the underground church, an opal mine and the tour organiser’s underground home where we dined on home delivered pizzas and extras provided by the locals, before being bussed back to the caravan park and then off to bed.