Uh oh - I guess the snorkel didn't work...

Lunch at Caroona CP

Burra Town Hall

The old Jinker

Birthday celebrations under the gazebo

The old powder store

Sorry mate - we lost the key!

The old Burra Railway Station

There ain't no place sacred anymore!

Whatcha doin' Deano?

The old Burra Gaol

One of the tunnels under the old brewery

Old dugouts in the banks of the creek

Large miner at Kapunda

Day one. The CB crackled with "Any Dodgey’s out there?" "G'day Denise, where are you?" was the reply. This was the start of the Australia Day long weekend to Burra. Stuart and Denise were just about to leave Stuart’s place of enjoyment, his work, and slowly make their way to Cavan to top up with fuel. As I was at the bottom of Tapley’s Hill it was decided that Jan and I would try and meet up where Stuart refuelled. Jan and I were cruising along Richmond Road talking to Stuart when there was a breaker on CH 15. Our conversation was being picked up by the Navy, namely Ian and Jamie. After a few pleasantries and well wishing were exchanged the signal started to drop out so it was back to the heavy traffic on South Road and on to Cavan. With Stuart and Denise topped up I was asked to take the lead as Stuart was unfamiliar with the road across the back of the RAAF Base to Gawler. Once off the Port Wakefield road the rest of the trip to Burra was easy. As there was very little traffic now the convoy of two with caravans in tow were supremely confident of reaching Red Banks Conservation Park in time for happy hour.

Passing through Riverton I asked the question "What infamous event took place at the railway station?" With no-one able to get it right it was on to "what’s a" and to this day nobody can tell me "what’s a Saddleworth". Ok enough of the guessing games, it’s on to Burra. "Right Jan, find the button on the wireless to fire up the six stacker." Whoop’s, there’s an error sign on the screen "Why won’t it play?" questions Jan. "Oh bugga! I put the CD’s in back to front." Dean’s first blunder for the weekend. So with no music it was back to CB chatter. With the country having just been reaped and the stubble cut for hay, comments like "Does that hay stack up?" were coming thick and fast.

Closer to Burra, Jan asked if I had a tie, to which I replied "God that’s the second blunder, I meant to put one in but forgot." Now a lot of club members will be wondering why I need a tie in the bush. Well, as happy hours have become the norm, I thought I would make it a more eloquent and social affair as in the past things have been a little unruly with there being no real dress code. Passing through Burra and Jan was searching for something to make a tie out of as she believed everybody else would have one. The only thing we could find was a plastic six pack can holder. Lucky Jan remembered as there were Gerry and Bev, Greg and Leonie, and Ruth and Gary, all of who had arrived earlier and were standing there with drinks in hand, ties around necks and girls looking elegant in pearl earrings.

With camp set up it was time for a bite to eat and then sit back and enjoy the rest of the evening. In all the excitement of chatting we missed the new Red Banks Conservation Park town house complex. As with all new amenities it is paramount to cast a critical eye over and under such a structure. On further inspection we found that this new paramount on-road town house was towed in by Gary and his lovely wife Ruth. With vans such as these gracing our campsites I can see a request for smoking jackets to be worn at happy hours in the near future.

Day two. Saturday dawned bright and sunny and very noisy. With the sun just breaking the eastern horizon most vans experienced loud scratching and scraping noises on their roofs. This commotion was due to a large number of parrots trying to refresh themselves from the overnight dew on the van roofs. Listening to the noise these little bugga’s made, thank God it wasn’t a murder of crows. Being woken at five in the morning is not appreciated by all in camp, but those of us that do get up early found the park alive with a variety of birds, insects and the odd skippy. With the sun slowly creeping towards the treetops, bacon and eggs sizzling on the hotplate, a large black coffee, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Today’s outing was to take in some sights of the surrounding country with lunch at the Caroona Conservation Park, then back to Burra. Departed at 10:15 and with Stuart and Denise up front our first stop was to be the red banks of Red Banks Reserve. As the convoy headed of to the banks Gary radioed he had to go and pick up Ruth, who had decided to walk to the main road. This made Gary TC for which Ruth would be rewarded later down the track. While we checked out the red banks Gary caught up to us, which put the convoy back in order. Back on the track and heading north we left the main road and followed a track marked on the new RAA maps, which took us past the workings of the Mongolata gold fields. It was here that Ruth was rewarded for being TC. On this track there were about 12 gates of which most were closed. Denise was up the front opening gates and Ruth was closing. Being TC, Ruth was able to collect the small token of appreciation that was left on one of the gateposts. This being one solitary lolly left by the Young’s. At one point we spent some time trying to find a gate as the sign on the fence said "Please leave gate as found." But nowhere was the gate to be found. Silly Aussie bush humour that.

Travelling a little further a creek crossing with water in it slowed proceedings as TL Stuart, being ever efficient, announced the depth and course to be taken. Great leadership qualities that. With all precautions taken Stuart entered the crossing, only to find a large hole which was undetected in the reconnaissance, no real problem though for the 80 series. With the extra warning Gerry and Bev crossed without incident, next were Greg and Leonie who waded through without even finding the hole. Dean and Jan next, not only did stupid find the hole but also managed to stall the engine. Of course the engine didn’t fire up straight away. So there’s Jan looking daggers at me saying " You got it stuck, you climb out the window." Well, I thought, "Id like to see that." Then with a little bit of coaxing it fired up and we were out of there, only to reach high ground and stall again. Time for the WD40, Gerry gave it a quick spray and with a flick of the key we were away. Once again Jan had the final dig "You buy a snorkel and it doesn’t work!"

Back on track we headed for the new Caroona Conservation Park. With more gates and a narrow but easy track, we wound our way to the top of the range for a great view of the plains to the east and rocky hillsides to the west. After lunch had been taken at the top we backtracked until we found a 4WD track that took us back to the Barrier highway and then to Burra.

On arrival in Burra the clock said it was time for afternoon smoko. While some reminisced over a past 4WD annual general meeting we found time to check out the town’s old buildings and many antique shops.

With happy hour approaching fast it was back to camp. Some of us took a different track just to be independent. Approaching camp we found Dieter and Brigitte had arrived and set up camp. Next thing Dieter and Gerry were putting up a gazebo. Then an invitation was passed around camp for the ladies to bring champagne flutes and plates, and the gents to bring the chairs and a beer. The occasion was Brigitte’s big "O" birthday. With savouries and a large strawberry cake accompanied by a big bowl of cream adorning the table, Dieter popped the champers bottle and happy hour was underway. It wasn’t long before things started to warm up with Dieter spinning one of his top yarns.

For those who weren’t there, here is Dieter’s yarn. Its Christmas Eve and there are three blokes a little worse for wear when their car leaves the road, hits a tree and kills all three outright. On arrival at the pearly gates St Peter tells them that because of their behaviour and lack of responsibility they should be knocking on the gates of Hell. As they plea for forgiveness St Peter bows a little and says "Because its Christmas I may make a little concession but only if each of you could show a little Christmas spirit." The first searched his pockets and found a cigarette lighter, flicked it on and said "Look, a Christmas candle." St Peter, a little shocked, agreed and allowed him in. The second rummaged through his pockets and found a bunch of keys, pulled them out, rattled them and said "Christmas bells." St Peter allowed him in. The third, having no lighter or keys, suddenly pulled from his pocket a pair of young ladies knickers and said "Carols."

With tea time approaching some tried out a new Cobb camp oven while others tried steaks cooked on a different type of gas BBQ. After the dishes were done we settled back with drink in hand to discuss such topics as camp cooking in the Cobb, the day’s trip, and any other insignificant topic until it was time to retire. Yes, Jan spotted the first of many satellites in the clear calm starry night sky.

Day three. Once again the birds were up early refreshing themselves for their daily grind. As the day had dawned bright sunny and with an estimated temp pushing the mid thirties this would push the limits of a few as the day drew on. We were not going to leave camp until around smoko, which gave me the opportunity to do a quick repair on my elect windows which had suddenly stopped working. With Gerry’s help they were soon working again. We couldn’t work out why they had stopped working. Electricity, marvellous stuff if only you could see it.

The five minute warning horn shrieked through camp. "I just love protocol." And soon the convoy was on the road to Burra. Once again Ruth was walking, this time she was bloody near half way to town. She must have had enough of opening and shutting gates and wasn’t going to get caught this time. Later, Gary reckoned it was a very peaceful trip halfway to Burra.

On arriving in town we went to the info centre where we paid for the key and booklet to do the Heritage Trail. With Denise acting as tour guide over the CB we started being educated in the town’s history. It was disappointing that the museums were an extra charge on top of the $15 per person for the trail. Anyway, with Stuart and Denise up front and a convoy of five vehicles we headed for the monster mine. This copper mine saved SA from virtual bankruptcy in about 1845. We spent quite a bit of time here exploring as much of this area as possible. We did have a little trouble getting Stuart out of the powder magazine as he loves anything to do with big "bangs." From the lookout you can see that the town was once a collection of five distinct townships. These were Kooringa, Aberdeen and new Aberdeen, Redruth, Hampton and Liwchwr. For those who are having trouble with the last town its pronounced ‘Lewisher.’ From the mine it was off to the banks of the Burra creek for lunch. What a top spot with its manicured lawns, well kept gardens and very friendly ducks.

After lunch it was off to the old railway station where one photo shoot took about ten minutes to set up and shoot. From there it was off to the courthouse and police station with its lockup and stables. The joke of the hour was hiding in one of the dark cells and scaring any girl who looked through the 2 inch by 4 inch window in the door. With things back to normal we made for Redruth jail. Here most took time to read the many information boards throughout this fascinating complex. Of most interest was the one listing all the prisoners names and offences. Very interesting stuff here. Pearce appeared quite a lot for being drunk and disorderly, also with desertion of wife and family, and the odd assault thrown in. Grant only appeared once which at the time pleased Stuart, until he read the offence of desertion from the army. The Young’s were there, but in an official capacity. After the jail we were off to the village of Hampton which was built in the English tradition and was virtually self contained. Apparently most of the stone for the buildings in the Burra district came from the nearby quarries. Next stop was the old Unicorn brewery with its extensive underground tunnel system. Once again Stuart had to have his fun in these dark corridors. Being in a brewery with no beer it was time to move on to the smelter, but alas most of that is in total ruin. The last place on the list was the dugout homes in the side of Burra creek. Only four of these remain but in its early days it was a very large estate. Since returning home I have found out that a club member’s mother, "Jacko’s" mum, lived very comfortably in one of these homes for a couple of years.

With the temp climbing past the mid thirties and happy hour beckoning it was back to camp. After tea we reminisced of the past days and made plans for future trips.

Day 3. "God, don’t you birds ever sleep in?" After sausages and eggs for breakfast it was time to pack and start the homeward journey. Gary and Ruth were the first to leave as they had to be home early. The rest of us except for Dieter and Brigitte, who were heading for Clare to stay with friends, made tracks for Burra Creek Gorge. Checking the facilities we found plenty of shady campsites for tents, vans of all sizes and even a swag or two. With long drops and a permanent water hole this would be a great spot. From there we headed towards Kapunda, passing though Robertstown, Point Pass and Eudunda. The road, which is in excellent condition, follows the old railway easement. Eudunda is of course the birthplace of the famous Aust author Colin Thiele. After Eudunda we headed for lunch in Kapunda. History abounds here as it was the first mining town in Aust and had the highest grade copper ore in the world. It was also the home of Sir Sidney Kidman for over 40 years. On the southern side of town there’s a pretty big bloke waiting for a bus or someone to give him a lift. I think that this town is looking for a future O.R.V.C. weekend trip. So with lunch taken it was head for home.

Well that’s it so a big thanks to Stuart and Denise and all our good friends for another great outing.