Ask Andy Roo a question....

I love to travel and meet new friends, discover new places and learn about really cool things.  If you have a question for me, drop me a line at my new email address: 

  andyroo@savannahphotography.com.au

I'll only be too happy to hear from you and answer your questions.  If I don't know the answers it will be fun to find out for you.

Keep bouncing

Andy Roo

Farms aren't just for animals...

Bright eyed and busy tailed.  Well, I was can't say Michele was hee hee :).  This morning we headed back to Windorah.  Do you know there is a blind gentleman there that runs the petrol station?  He is amazing.  Outside town is a very unique farm; a Solar Farm.  Five huge dishes that follow the sun like massive sunflowers collecting sunshine, which sends it to a special machine converts it to electricity for the whole town to use.  The electricity company is trying to reduce the use of current diesel generators and it seems to be working.  It is amazing.

The distances between towns out here is sooooooooo big.  I'd tell you my legs would be a wee bit sore if I wasn't in a car we travelled 218km today.  So the decision was made we'd camp beside the Cooper Creek.  Water from this creek actually runs into Lake Eyre when there is a big wet season.  Guess what?  That is where it is running right now.  All the way to SA, whoa long way to go and we'll get to see it again in SA.  It will be great to hang around the Cooper.   You never know I might find some more friends.  

Learning all abour the Solar Farm

5 dishes in total

112 mirrors in each dish.

Camping on Cooper Creek with Phoenix.  Can you see me?

Room with a view from the rooftop tent looking over Cooper Creek

Helping Michele with her work, on the Cooper.

Andy Roo's Fact Finds:  Windorah Solar Farm:  Five dishes in total.  Each Solar Dish is 14.5m high, so if you are about 1m tall it is 14 times taller than you!  13.7m wide.  Has special tracking systems to follow the sun, with 112 curved mirrors made out of glass, polymer and steel laminate. Amazing stuff.  For more cool facts about the farm; click on the link above.

The best laid plans...

After they almost forgot me; I made sure I was in the car before anybody today. We left our friend Adrian to his filming of Outback Sandgreens. Made our way to the turnoff for the corner country. Where all three states NSW/QLD/SA meet. BUT sometimes things don't go as planned. Well the road was open and then closed. We had travelled 300km on dirt, actually mud roads. It was a little disappointing; however we camped at a magic spot called Deon's Lookout, just outside the ghost town of Betoota. No-one around for miles. Man it was soooooo windy though and very cold so it was an early night for everyone.

New friends I found on the road...Emus

A wee bit of mud on our tyres

Hanging out at Deon's Lookout

Beautiful view from the lookout.  Looking towards Betoota and Birdsville.

More new friends..Corellas.

Looking out over the Gibber Plains at Deons Lookout.

Andy Roo's Fact Finds:  Betoota has 0 population.  It is 170km east of Birdsville Queensland, was formerly a Cobb and Co changing station and border town before Australia became a Federation (six separate British run colonies; NSW, QLD, VIC, SA, TAS, WA joined as one nation).  Before Federation it thrived by collecting tolls and taxes.

PS:  If you would like to see some of Adrians short films on outback Queensland golf courses, just click on the word Sandgreen above and check it out. :)

Secret mission shhhhhhh......

Hi

Sorry I haven't posted any further days of my trip but I got caught in a secret mission.  I can't tell you about it yet.  BUT stay tuned and all will be revealed (I'll tell you all about it).

Thanks for your patience; can't wait it is exciting.  Really cool and something you will be able to join in.

Andy Roo