Birdsville West- Madigan’s Line
Saturday, 15 May 2021 6:48 am
Arrived Birdsville yesterday afternoon in time to have a quick drink at the Pub and also book dinner for the evening.
Good news for travellers - The Birdsville Bakery is open.
Coffee is great as are the locally made pies.
This morning tasks:
Refuelled ( yesterday 16.6Lt/100Kms @$1.70/Lt) & Water fill.
Milk for our coffee machine - important
Applied & Received the e-mail approvals from both the Central Land Council to travel Madigan’s Line and the Hay River track, and also from Adria Downs to transit their cattle property to Madigan’s camp 20 and beyond. Good to go....
35Kms to Big Red.
Set the tyres at 24PI front ( HOT) and rear 30PSI ( HOT)
Started 1st high then quick into 2nd high, with e-locker on - EASY AS !
Then drove down the other side - whoops - forgot that all important photograph!
So had to drive up the west side just because we can !
The desert is drier than last year. The Adria Downs email stated they had 200ml in January and only 20ml since...
60kms after Big Red we turn up Ayer Creek and followed the station tracks passing Madigan’s camps 22 and 21.
I can now understand why the old homestead of Annadale did not survive - the waterhole it is situated next to, is completely dry.
Just not the same idyllic place.
I have a copy of Madigan’s 1939 journal notes and read with interest of the old Kaliduwarry Homestead 2kms east of here.
Tomorrow we will search
That sand-ridge mentioned is just opposite us, and those Black Swans,Cockatoos and Galahs, they are still here.
Camp 7: Madigan’s Camp 20 at Kuddaree Waterhole, part of the Mullligan River system.
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 54m
Today: 155 Kms
GX West: 1,924 Kms
Saturday 15th May 2021
A cool start to the day, somewhat warmed by brewed coffee and fire.
The old Kaliduwarry Homestead was not shown on Pocket Earth, or Google Maps however there were 2 yards marked on the 1995 1:250,000 Birdsville map I previously downloaded onto Avenza Maps.
This proved handy to try and located them.
Our camp site and current position is the red dot.
The closest yards were soon found, and looks that they have been kept in reasonable shape and possibly used recently.
The more easterly yards definitely slowly returning to dust.
These must be the original yards so that old homestead must be close by.
The steel axle and parts from an old wooden dray.
Almost gone are the remains of the homestead.
On a small mound, scattered bits of tin, bottle fragments, and broken bits of cast iron.
There was not much in 1939, even less now.
Fly hitchhikers !
A number of vehicles pass by as they head quickly towards Birdsville and that long awaited shower following a week in the desert along the line.
We will stay here another day.
We have showers on tap, the bar is still (reasonably) full and so is the fridge...
...all is good !
Sunday 16th May 2021
Tonights dinner preparations - Corned Beef, with veges.
Done in the Dream Pot and cooked on the diesel cooktop for 20mins then sealed and it cooks all day long.
We do not rough it.
This is our new coffee brewing machine.
Taken a bit of practice but todays brew was great - just need to get that final leaf shaped image in the foam.
Todays walk is to the top of the opposite sand dune then on to the Kuntianna waterhole, it’s further up Eyre Creek ( or the Mulligan River as Madigan calls it)
As we crossed the dry creek bed this structure.
It does not seem to be cattle yards and our thoughts think a native fish trap.
We find other evidence of previous travellers - this grinding stone left behind
As we expected Kuntianna waterhole is dry, but it was worth the 8Km walk to find out.
The daily 5pm satellite phone call back to the office and family to ensure all is good both ends of the call.
And dinner that night !
