Thierings on Tour

It was time to say goodbye to our quirky stay in Coober Pedy and we all said that we really enjoyed it – the house, the sights and meeting so many interesting people! Highly recommend for an off-the-beaten track adventure. 

As we left town we made a stop at the Serbian Orthodox dugout church, which is open 24/7 and is truly beautiful! The carvings in the dugout were extraordinary and the decorative windows made even more beautiful as they were the only source of natural light in the church. The girls have been curious about all the different branches of Christianity as we have explored different places of worship along our way, so it was a good opportunity to share a little more with them.

Just before we headed out we got our token tourist photos with the Coober Pedy and Opal City signs. I just wished I could have gotten one with the Hollywood style sign on top of the hill too, for our collection.

Then we hit the road, but Chris was unpleasantly surprised to find that it was dirt rather than bitumen and so we had to quickly stop and drop the PSI in all our tyres to make for a smoother drive. It was a very long and very rough road, we’ve probably forgotten what it’s like or maybe it’s that we’ve blocked those memories out of our minds?!? The only positive was seeing some incredible eagles and kites along the way!
Much to Chris’ despair he found a massive crack in the bullbar at one of our stops and so began the frantic work of the bush mechanic to find a solution until we could have it welded. He managed to get a ratchet strap on it as a temporary solution. I could see the stress on Chris’ face and I really don’t envy him for the responsibility he feels to always get us everywhere safely…

We made a stop at William Creek and decided to grab lunch there. Whilst waiting for lunch the girls found a book about Kidman, who had the world’s largest cattle station and did so with kindness and generosity. There was information about him everywhere, to be honest. 
It was very hot and very windy in William Creek. Chris was hopeful to find out about flights over Lake Eyre, but by the time we got to the office it was closed so we continued along.

Initially we planned to her as far as Lake Eyre South, but none of us had it in us to go any further when we reached Coward Springs, so we decided to stop there for the night and yet again Chris and I had a massive sense of Deja vu. We had actually visited this place 11 years ago.

The campground was lovely and the girls finally got to enjoy a bit of relaxation (followed by fighting) in the hammock. We also checked out the natural spa, which was a lot colder than I remembered. Oh well, it least it gave everyone time to calm down and unwind from a long day of driving.

It was a gorgeous sunset, but once the sun was gone the mozzies came out in force. I tried to enjoy the hammock once the girls were asleep but got eaten alive and decided to cut my losses and go to bed with them. Oh well! 

Kms travelled – 245