Thursday 25th November 2004 - The Coober Pedy Mail Run

The night before we'd met a group of travellers at the hostel, one of which was from oop North and knew a few people who we did. Small world eh?
After, stupidly, consuming way too much beer and wine, we weren't the eager beavers we should've been in the morning.

The mail run left at 08:00 and armed with a big bottle of water and a box of paracetamol we jumped aboard the custom built 4WD OKA van.

We had to cover over 600Km today and as Thursday is also fresh food day, we had a bit more to deliver.



After a quick photo stop at the Dog Fence, a 5600Km fence (the worlds longest) which runs from Surfers Paradise to Bligh in Western Australia, we were on our way again.

A truck passed us and the dust it threw up was almighty. Derek, the mailman, said they can get dust storms out here. The worst he saw was about 2Km high and 25Km wide - that's a lot of dust!

With the morning deliveries done to several outback cattle stations, it was time to head over to the Pink Roadhouse in Oodnadatta for some lunch.

Two little Aboriginal boys popped into the roadhouse and I took a photo of them. They loved seeing their pictures on the LCD screen of the camera. They were so cute albeit covered in snot and dirt!

Next stop was the Algebuckina Bridge, which used to carry the Old Ghan railway line. The wreck of the car in the photos, was shunted across the bridge years ago when the driver thought that the bridge was a road bridge!
I think the tracks on it may have been a dead giveaway that it wasn't!

We crossed over the northern boundary of Anna Creek Station and after an hour finally reached the homestead. Anna Creek is the world's largest cattle station and is the same size as Belgium! They'd recently delivered a foal, which was just like Bambi and could only just stand up.

The remoteness of some of places is totally unbelievable. Teamed with the heat, in January there's 3 weeks were the temp is always over 45°C, it's not our idea of home! We'll never call the weather back home ever again.

Only one more mail drop and that was William Creek. Apparently, the smallest town in Australia with a population of just 12, William Creek consists of just a pub and a store.
A few well earned beers were had - it's thirsty work this mail delivering business - and then we were on our way for the 2 hour journey back to Coober Pedy for 9 o'clock.

The mail run was a long day but was well worth it.

Me and Joo at the Dog Fence



Dog Fence sign



The Mail Van



Road train, followed by dust.



Pink Roadhouse, Oodnadatta



Aboriginal children






Algebuckina Bridge






Foal at Anna Creek Station



Derek at William Creek



Lake Cadibarrawirracanna (Longest place name in Australia)