Andy Roo's Fun Facts - Sturt Desert Pea

Sturt Desert Pea

Emerging from the harsh environment of desert sands, Sturt Desert Peas' add vibrant reds to an already colourful landscape. Aboriginal dreamtime story of the Pea; a beautiful young maiden was promised to a young warrior who gave her a cloak of red parrot feathers. She roamed the arid lands with her warrior and tribe. When drought hit her warrior was sent afar to search for food. He didn’t return, the tribe moved on, she remained for her warrior. The last view by the tribe was her surrounded by her red cloak surrounding her black head as she knelt on the ground waiting for his return. In 1961 the Pea was adopted as South Australia’s native floral emblem that was named after explorer Captain Charles Sturt, who in the early 1840’s explored remote regions of South and Central Australia.

Silverton or bust.

I'm a little cold sitting in the frost..but it is the first time I've seen it :)

Wholly dolly.  Now I come from Far North Queensland and when we woke up this morning there was FROST on the tent.  Yep, you heard me right, frost.  Oh my goodness it was cold.  Have any of you guys been in a frost before?  Wow, I was pretty cold but was brave and had my photo taken at the campground at Silverton because I've never seen it before and it was really cool.  :)

Old Church at Silverton

Silverton was named in 1883 because of the silver and lead ore miners found in the surrounding Barrier Range.  By the late 1880's the town's population expanded to 3,000 people.  Now it goes from 10 to 100, and not quite a ghost town, but has a lot of cool buildings that have been left from yesteryear that you can explore. 

An Australian classic movie 'Mad Max' was made out here too, and you can still see Mad Max's car in town.  It is one of those really cool, go fast one.  Yahoo.

Mad Max's car...classic Australian movie

It's a great little town to explore.

A nice cold beverage, or warm pie, it was a cold day.

The road just kept going....

On the road again.

Because there was soooo much water around and we had to take the 'black tar' all the way to Silverton, it was a long road trip.  So far we had travelled 1,679km from Coopers Creek to get to Silverton....but we made it and after Michele cooked us up a yummy dinner after a big day on the road, it was bed time.  Night!

 

 

 

 

 

Passing time saying hello to fellow travellers....

Nearly at Silverton ... Yahoo

Finally some dirt.

Michele; cooking up a storm.  Very cold night.

The Road Just Keeps Going on and on and on.........

The Road the just keeps going.....

 

We left Eulo, after my early morning training session at the Lizard Track ready for as far as we could get.  With the dirt roads all closed off we have to stick to the black tar for a while until we get to Broken Hill and go from there.  We did cross the Queensland/New South Wales Border. :)

Passing the time waving to cars...some people did wave too :)

So what do you do when you are sitting, in a car to pass the time????

Man, I was so bored at one stage I started waving to all the cars, and then played eye spy, making up sentences with the three letters on the rego plates.  Phoenix wasn't much fun he just slept.  Some 355km later we arrived at a bush camp just outside of Burke.  So I guess you could say we really were at "The back of Burke."  ......

Yahoo crossing the border from Qld to NSW

In Outback NSW....

Phoenix and I taking a break after a long drive....

Wild blue yonder calling...Eulo

Hanging out at the General Store in Eulo...great honey

On the road again...

Wow, I really did enjoy the Cooper Creek.  But now it is back on the road, yahoo.  With all this water lying around and back tracking we are spending alot of 'Quality time' in the car.  We crossed the Paroo River today and it was flowing over 500mm, it was really exciting.  Then found a real neat little town called Eulo.

Opal mining was king of the hill back in the late 1800's here, and there was a lady here called Queen Eulo that run the pub.  Not a lady to get on the wrong side of that is for sure.  Eulo also has a date farm, with a big stew pot out the front that Michele tried to cook me up in (joking)  I escaped she is too slow to get me.....hee hee.

It's a cool town that even has lizard racing, I did a lap around the track just to stretch my legs.  Had the track all to myself.  The lizards must have been having a rest day from training.  

Andy Roo's Fact Finds:  Eulo is located in SW Queensland, and is 67km west of Cunnamulla.  On the road out ot where the three states meet (SA, QLD, NSW)  Cameron's Corner.  Population:  109

Crossing Paroo River

the stew I escaped from

Dates on a tree..

the cool Lizard track in Eulo

Running away from the big lizard...he is 20ft tall

Taking a rest after the big run

Lost but now found....where have you been Andy Roo?

Holly Dolly Andy Roo got a little side tracked there didn't he, and has been gone a long time.  He just loved it at the last camp spot on the Cooper Creek, he decided to stay for a while.  So hope you have all had a great Christmas and Happy New Year.  Wonder where Andy Roo is going in 2012?


But for now....we better finish off his 7,000km adventure and then I can share some exciting news with you...

Happy tails...

Michele :)

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