"The best one yet ..."

In many of the campsites we have visited, Marilyn has made the comment, “I think this is the best one yet”.

From the shores of the lake at Copi Hollow, to the desert rocks at Sturt National Park. From the banks of the Cooper in the Innamincka Town Common, to the great facilities of Birdsville Caravan Park by the shore of a Diamantina billabong. Each place was worthy, in its own way, of this proclamation. However, as we pulled into the less-than-attractive Marree Caravan Park, greeted by a couple of dogs who chase and bark ferociously at each car that  enters or leaves, Marilyn made the observation, “I don’t think this will be the best one yet”.

We had decided a couple of weeks ago to bypass Marree altogether. The plan was to break our drive down the Birdsville Track at the Mungerannie Roadhouse before driving on to Coward Springs. But upon arrival Mungerannie held little appeal for us, and we found ourselves with the energy and desire to push on and complete the Track in a day, effectively putting us ahead of schedule. We had also planned to spend the following couple of nights in William Creek and take a Lake Eyre flight from there.

Marree, the junction of two famous tracks – the Birdsville and the Oodnadatta – had suddenly re-appeared on our itinerary. It marks the end of the first stage of our journey across four states up to “Corner Country” and then back south. After Marree we head north again on “Stage 2” towards Coober Pedy, Alice Springs and Darwin.

70km out from Marree, we blew our second tyre in three days. The boys have now become adept at tyre changing!

Our first task when we entered town was to find somewhere we could buy a new tyre. We met Lyle. Lyle owns the general store, the caravan park (the only one that remains open) and supplies all of the town fuel. In a matter of a few hours the next day, Lyle fitted a new tyre for us, was then at the airport refuelling aircraft as we took a flight over the magnificent Lake Eyre, and on our return was seen doing some running repairs at the caravan park!

Our early impressions of the town weren’t great. At one stage I asked the boys if they wanted to come for a walk with me. Ryan’s retort was “There’s nothing to see”. We did however discover that Lake Eyre flights were a little cheaper than we expected. That, combined with the need to replace the tyre and the opportunity for some time to catch up with our journaling, led us to the decision to stay in Marree for two nights instead of just one.

So in what sense did Marree become “the best one yet”?

It certainly wasn’t the caravan park, with its very basic facilities and barren outlook over the start of the Oodnadatta Track. This is a stopover where, in high season, the park empties each morning and fills up in the afternoon. We were the only ones that stayed two nights. Nor was it the buildings in town, with its deserted train engines and iron sheds – although the pub and the Lake Eyre Yacht Club buildings certainly had some appeal.

There are two ways in which Marree has etched a place in my memory.

The first is its history. Marree was a significant railway town. The original Ghan railway initially ended here. Stock that had been herded down the famous droving tracks such as the Birdsville, were then transported by rail from here to Adelaide. Even when the line was extended, first to Oodnadatta and then to Alice Springs, Marree remained integral as the point where trains changed from narrow to wide gauge. The town is filled with legendary stories of characters such as the Afghan cameleers who transported supplies up the challenging tracks to remote stations, returning laden with wool for the markets.

The second was a phenomenon that occurred each evening in the basic camp kitchen, around the fire and bordered by a wall made of old railway sleepers. The boys would engage fellow travellers in conversation (and the occasional game of cards). They met people old and young, from places as close to home as Ferntree Gully (who turned out to be old friends of ours – Mark & Beth!) to countries as far afield as England and France.  They heard stories, traded jokes and joined in the campfire banter in a manner that (after they had gone to bed) drew repeated praise from those who engaged with them.

We have been acutely aware of the benefits to the boys’ development of being exposed to the wide array of experiences they will encounter on this trip. I had perhaps underestimated however the significance of their interactions and exposure to such a wide array of fellow-travellers.

I am incredibly proud of each of the boys for the manner in which they have embraced so enthusiastically each of the experiences the trip has provided for them thus far. They have been positive, resourceful, helpful and energetic. But never so proud as when I observed their interactions around the campfire in Marree.

For this reason alone, Marree will in its own way be “the best one yet”.