CROE5 2014 Report

Bryan Schell    Published: Monday, 22 September 2014

Website pictures of CROE5 and a Summary of all 5 CROE trips

CROE 5 2014

From Friday September 9 to Sunday  September 21, 2014

39  Participants, 28  from  SA and 11  from  Drouin, Victoria, in 15 vehicles.

The accomodation offered during the trip was a bed for those that wanted that extra comfort, and at extra cost. Depending on where we stopped for the night, this varied from caravan parks, camp hostels or shearers’ quarters. Fo For those that wanted something extra special, there was Sleeping under the Stars in a swag or a tent.  I did the first night under the stars then  pestered John Schubert, in charge of accommodation, for a bed for the remainder of the trip.  See Photos at:  CROE5 pictures  / Flora & Fauna

Adelaide  TO Port Hughes 

Where we had 39 participants all gathered for a welcome and a wonderful three course meal supplied by the Northern York Peninsula Rotary Club (in D9500). 

This was one of the many three course meals to challenge us during the trip.   Also present were our President Frank and Connie, and 7 other couples from the Club.  They were there to see us off and to provide a good breakfast the next morning. 

It was the first of many FUN nights. We were entertained by WACKA (David Richards) and PAULA (Paula Rupe) from Victoria.  They had a signature song “HEY-HEY PAULA – HEY-HEY-WACKA”,  which we heard from then on each night (almost).  Their jokes were good as were the fines.

The first of many successful auctions were held. 

Saturday, Day 1: Port Hughes to Wudinna

The day started with a cooked breakfast by our Fellowship Committee led Pat Ruotolo and his team.  It was more like a banquet than a breakfast. 

Then we were off to Wudinna via Port Augusta. (the longest drive of the trip.)

At 1pm we arrived at CLEVE where lunch was supplied by the Cleve Hospital Ladies Auxillary.  It was typical country hospitality: a 3 course lunch!

At lunch we met Owen Crees  one of Angel Flights pilots.  A flight with Owen  to Wudinna was won by lottery for two lucky participants. (Jim Fischer and Charlie Rupe) Our fundraising this day was to be for Angel Flight.

Val set up a clothing stall of new women’s clothes that were donated to The Shed.  This was a great success with all new items selling for $5 each.

Finally we arrived at Wudinna Caravan Park for dinner, joined by some Wudunna locals. Entertainment was by guitarist  Jasmine Kimber, with another auction of donated goods.

Sunday, Day2: Wudinna to Gawler Ranges with stops at

  • Peela Rocks. originally a water catchment area, with channels diverting the water that falls on the rock into a large underground water tank.
  • Corrobinie Hill Conservation Park, a large granite dome, some 1585 million years old,  with many interestingly shaped rocks on it, even some caves.  A great  walk to the top with one’s morning cup of tea.
  • Mount Wudinna for Lunch.  This monolith is the second largest exposed granite monolith in Australia,  (the largest being Uluru)
  • Pinkawilinie Conservation Park, There were plenty of challenging rolling sandhills and tracks to test the cars and the drivers !
  • Our final destination was our accommodation for the next three nights: Old Paney Homestead’s Shearers’ Quarters, in the heart of the beautiful Gawler Ranges National Park

At night we were entertained by various trip participants. This was mainly Wacka and Paula with their endless jokes – and a song at every opportunity.

Auctions were held each night too, with Colin Gardner from Drouin as auctioneer. Val set up her clothing stall in another room enabling the girls to try on items before buying.

 

On our second night at Paney we were entertained by the ‘CROE-GIRLS’, at great expense and after lengthy negotiations.  Thanks Jenny Holmes and Helen Silby (and also Ralph and Brad) for a great amusing act!

 

Days 3 and 4 were spent exporing the Gawler Ranges with stops at

  • Pondanna Homestead
  • Waulkinna Hill, which some of us climbed, at 198m it is the 301th highest mountain in SA!
  • the Organ Pipes, formed from volcanic activity about 1600 million years ago.
  • Sturt Lake, a vast salt lake that had some water in it giving the most beautiful refections.
  • Flowers: the Sturt Desert peas in particular were spectacular, lots of wattles, succulents, flowering gums, etc
  • Old Paney Homestead, where a golf game was initiated at lunch time.  Gwen Schubert was the eventual winner!
  • The sand hills causing challenges: a couple of bogged cars, which were easily enough freed.  Add in the bulldust and corrugations and you can see the driving was fun!
  • Special treats were Val's damper  one day, and then her golden syrup dumplings the next, both cooked by Mal on an open fire.


Day 5 Wednesday: to Ceduna with stops at

  • Pildappa Rock. a large pink granite outcrop.  One section of this has weathered to form SA’s own Wave Rock.  (look at the photos) 
  • Gamma rockholes, used by aboriginies to collect water
  • Dam walls constructed by pioneering farmers to increase the water catchment
  • Minnipa for a three course lunch provided by the Bowling club.  I was convinced that the schnitzels they served were on steroids as they overlapped the plates.
  • Ceduna Big 4 Caravan Park, was our night's rest.
  • Dinner was held at the Thevenard Football Club.  Entertainment was by Peter Coad and Sisters, who have been part of all previous CROE trips.  Some locals joined us and a very successful auction was held.


Day 6, Thursday: Ceduna to Glendambo

  • A later start enabled some of us to explore Ceduna, walk out along the jetty, and smell the sea air.
  • Then more dirt and sand and corrugations AND great scenery
  • Lunch at Hiltaba, formerly a working sheep station, now managed by the Nature Foundation of SA.  The local fauna and flora are now protected, and all ferals, stray stock, wild goats, weeds, even dingoes are being eliminated.
  • Kingoonya Hotel, a brief stop, to see a once thriving town, now almost deserted.
  • Glendambo on the bitumen, our stop for the night
  • A simply glorious sunset
  • Dinner at the Glendambo Hotel, itself worth a visit because of the shearer’s shed ambience.
  • Another successful auction was held.

Day 7, Friday: Glendambo to Woomera

  • We are on the bitumen of the Stuart Highway going north, then it was back to sandy tracks. This is cattle country.
  • Bon Bon and Mount Eba and Millers Creek are all stations we passed through. 
  • The Dog Fence gate needed to be opened, by Mal and shut by Tail End Charlie on our way to
  • Billa Kallina, located north west of Roxby Downs for our lunch stop.  This station has been in the family for 70 years.  They run 2,000 head of beef breeders and 3,000 head of Dorper ewes on 7,000 sq kms.
  • We explored the homestead environment.  It’s a lovely family home, with a tennis court and swimming pool. The earth dugout shelter, to protect them from fallout from Woomera, is a bit of history together with a museum shed. There is a large modern shed for tractors etc, lots of hens, a rooster and the farm dog.  We were invited into the school house, where the children demonstrated how they receive their school of the air lessons.  Our contributions for the provision of lunch here are going to the Isolated Children and Parent’s Association.
  • Woomera Traveller’s Village was our destination for the night.  We were accommodated in what would have been two storied units for servicemen.
  • Dinner was at the Eldo Hotel, passing the large display of rockets outside the Woomera  History museum.
  • Entertainment was by Tiffany Reynolds, and a very successful auction was held

Day 8, Saturday:   Woomera to Leigh Creek

  • We left Woomera on a rare bit of bitumen to travel via  Roxby Downs.
  • then to morning tea at Andamooka, adjacent to the Andamooka Historic Cottages
  • Morning tea and packed lunch was supplied by the Rotary Club of Roxby District, organized by Sandy & Craig Sumsion. A lovely reunion of Campbelltown members.
  • Then it was back into sand hills along a rough track that ended at Lake Torrens. As this was not the route we were meant to be on, the convoy retraced its route.  However an unlucky puncture meant an unexpected long stop in a dry creek.  There, as the men fixed the tyre, were lots of Sturt desert peas to photograph.
  • Back to Andamooka, Roxby Downs and onto the Borefield Road, past Olympic Dam, onto the Oodnadatta track to Maree, next Lyndhurst for fuel and finally Leigh Creek.  We had travelled over 500 kms that day.
  • Our final night was in the Leigh Creek Caravan Park; excellent facilities for those in accommodation.
  • The final dinner was in the Leigh Creek Tavern, where we were joined by an enthusiastic mob of young locals who made the final auction a most successful one. Entertained again was by Jasmine Kimber.
  • At breakfast, in the same place, would you believe there were still more auction items.  A final listing of the monies raised on this trip will appear as a separate news item.
  • After speeches, especially a special thanks to Mal & Val for organizing the whole event, we all said our goodbyes, especially to our Victoria friends, and then set off on the 600 km journey home on the bitumen!   I did miss the dirt and sandy tracks and the dust that we had become accustomed to over the past 8 days.

Wacka, Stevo and myself shared the same vehicle for the trip of  3,236km, with many a good laugh.  Wacka took the first passenger seat, while Stevo and I shared the driving.  As ‘Tail End Charlie’ (Wacka) was navigator, radio operator, manager, and photographer.  He will produce a DVD of memories for the participants.

Reflecting on CROE5 2014

I will have many fine memories of the fun we had, and the new friendships made.

We are especially grateful to Val and Mal for making this happen.  It has been a great success.

If Val & Mal decide to organize another of these trips and you have not experienced the true Outback of SA or Val’s dumplings or damper cooked by Mal you should seriously consider joining them for one of the memorable trips of a lifetime. From the Vics and the Sth Aussies thank you again Mal and Val Hansen!

A proud CROE5 2014 participant

Bryan Schell.