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Life on two acres of arid dirt, on the edge of the Australian outback.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

A day out

On a long weekend with lots of sunshine, 
what better thing to do than go for a drive...

Just out of Port Augusta heading North is Tent Hill, not sure if it is the big hill or the little one as they both look like tents...
The country is flat with lots of salt bush and occasional salt lakes...


 In the distance we saw a couple of Army Helicopters. We have the El Alamein Army base here that is used to train the troops for their overseas deployment.  The county side is similar to Afghanistan and the like apparently.


More emus...


 We got closer look at these ones :)


On to a place called Bookaloo...
Hubby wanted to go and see the reservoir there as it was erected when the Trans Australian Railway line was built across Australia...

The windmill has lost it's top...


 Must climb up to get some better pics...


The reservoir...


Where the water flows...


Not much water around the day we were there...


A well weathered stump...


The view from the back...


 Salt bush...


 Getting a closer look...


Yes there is water!


We found the top of the windmill, it must have blown off in a strong wind, rolled a distance away and stayed there...


Next we came across some old lonely graves...


 In 

memory

of

Samuel Gason

Died April 11 1897

Aged 52 years

Erected by friends and admirers

Samuel (click the link for more information about his interesting life) was surrounded by other unmarked graves, some appear to be babies and children :(  Hubby was reading about Samuel in an information sheet that has been placed in a jar on his grave, a bit like a message in a bottle :)


Next we stumbled across this old wreck, in what we thought was an underground tank, but it turned out to be part of a hotel that used to be there, could have possibly been the cellar...


Gibson Camp Hotel if you click on the link it shows an old picture of the hotel. I think Samuel Gason may have been the owner of this hotel...


It's just rubble now...


 I enjoyed walking around and discovering different areas where the hotel had once been.

I found myself drifting back in time to when this place was a buzz of activity, I could almost hear the noise of all those patrons having a good time...


Lots of evidence of days gone by...







A sea of smashed bottles...

I want to return to this place one day, there was something about it that will draw me back :)


Time for a break, a cup of tea and some lunch under a nice
shady tree...
It was quite warm :)


On our way home hubby climbed on the roof and took this pic of the nearby ranges...


We took some back roads and found some of these...quandongs or wild peaches as we call them...


Hard to add just a few photos to tell of our day out...I take so many then just pick out the best...



Thought I would include this little film clip about life in Port Augusta, hopefully it works for those overseas...


Just found this on YouTube, it's another view of Port Augusta from the air, taken from a helicopter...
Port Augusta, where the outback meets the sea!


Wishing you all a great day!

xTania


9 comments:

  1. Why thank you for inviting us along the tour of your Out Back. Love Posie

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  2. What a fun time for the both of you and oh so very interesting! The videos worked perfectly and it was so neat to see what your part of the world is like. Very different. So very different! Thanks Tania and have a great day.

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  3. That looks like quite an adventure!

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  4. Where is that photo of you I took from the wind mill tower....;-).

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  5. I really enjoyed your trip thanks for sharing it with us....

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  6. I love your photos of your drive. The emus are gorgeous, so lovely to see them together in the wild. Exploring old places is fascinating whether the be ruins or still standing. Thanks for sharing.
    Anne xx

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  7. That would be interesting, fossicking around an old hotel like that. Imagine what you might find with a metal detector!
    I see the train made it into the video. :)

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  8. Samuel Gason was my great great grandfather

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  9. Ive been there a number of times and my son has too , we are interested in his history in SA / NT as a mounted police officer and hotelier in Beltana, he was also at Barrow Creek

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Your comments really make my day. Thank you for taking the time and for being so kind.