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Follows on from part 6:
Part 6
The next major point of interest when traveling south along Dillons Highway is Cordillo Downs Station and its famous wool shed. It's still a working station and visitors are welcome to look around the woolshed and nearby relics.
Built in 1883, its curved roof shape it quite an engineering feat in the fact that it is self supporting and did away with the need for any internal timber frames. As you can see by the lack of trees in the area that timber was very scarce indeed!!
It's also interesting to note that the shears traveled up from the south by rail to the rail head at Maree and then road bicycles the 550 odd k’s to Cordillo Downs roughly following the route of the Strezelecki Track/Dillons Highway. :shock:
The old timers were tough bastards that’s for sure!!
There are few relics inside to look at as well as a small interpretative display, but mostly its still in use as storage for the station.
The real interesting stuff is outside... I love these old steam engines, fantastic quality and workmanship (you have to remember they are hand built by blacksmiths.
Had a long chat to the guy on the bike in this photo, he'd just done a Simpson crossing (not his first either) really interesting fellow and seasoned traveller.
Continuing south the track got quite sandy but still relatively easy. Had some long stretches of bull dust though.
We rolled into Innaminka after dark and had to settle for a campsite right at the end of the town common, back from the water. You wouldn't believe it, it was full (15-20) Morris Minors all with 1950's style caravans!!. We had a bit of a sleep in, in the morning and by the time we got up at 9am the whole lot was gone!! We didn't hear a thing!
We spent the next 3 nights camped alone about 50 m back from the Cooper Creek.
Looking towards the town common from Innaminka township
The former Inland Mission and now Parks and Wildlife HQ.
The pub and store...
This is all that remains of a bottle heap that was once 100m long, 5m wide and over a meter deep.. over 100 years of beer bottles being stacked behind the original pub... the whole lot was washed downstream in the 50's during a flood, along with the Police station!
The Cooper Creek...
On leaving Innaminka we headed out to the Dig Tree... very stirring place if you know your history well. The entry fee is a bit steep though!! (Works on honor system btw)
There are actually three carvings.. one is Burke and Wills blaze from when they first set up camp here, the second is the famous "dig” carving and the last is a carving, of Burke, by a station worker some years later.
On past Moomba... Moomba is a closed facility. Access is only allowed in emergencies. Moomba is not actually a town (despite being marked so on some maps) there are no permanent residents. All workers are fly in/ Fly out.
More to follow..
Goto Part 8:
Part 8
Mick
Part 6
The next major point of interest when traveling south along Dillons Highway is Cordillo Downs Station and its famous wool shed. It's still a working station and visitors are welcome to look around the woolshed and nearby relics.
Built in 1883, its curved roof shape it quite an engineering feat in the fact that it is self supporting and did away with the need for any internal timber frames. As you can see by the lack of trees in the area that timber was very scarce indeed!!
It's also interesting to note that the shears traveled up from the south by rail to the rail head at Maree and then road bicycles the 550 odd k’s to Cordillo Downs roughly following the route of the Strezelecki Track/Dillons Highway. :shock:
The old timers were tough bastards that’s for sure!!
There are few relics inside to look at as well as a small interpretative display, but mostly its still in use as storage for the station.
The real interesting stuff is outside... I love these old steam engines, fantastic quality and workmanship (you have to remember they are hand built by blacksmiths.
Had a long chat to the guy on the bike in this photo, he'd just done a Simpson crossing (not his first either) really interesting fellow and seasoned traveller.
Continuing south the track got quite sandy but still relatively easy. Had some long stretches of bull dust though.
We rolled into Innaminka after dark and had to settle for a campsite right at the end of the town common, back from the water. You wouldn't believe it, it was full (15-20) Morris Minors all with 1950's style caravans!!. We had a bit of a sleep in, in the morning and by the time we got up at 9am the whole lot was gone!! We didn't hear a thing!
We spent the next 3 nights camped alone about 50 m back from the Cooper Creek.
Looking towards the town common from Innaminka township
The former Inland Mission and now Parks and Wildlife HQ.
The pub and store...
This is all that remains of a bottle heap that was once 100m long, 5m wide and over a meter deep.. over 100 years of beer bottles being stacked behind the original pub... the whole lot was washed downstream in the 50's during a flood, along with the Police station!
The Cooper Creek...
On leaving Innaminka we headed out to the Dig Tree... very stirring place if you know your history well. The entry fee is a bit steep though!! (Works on honor system btw)
There are actually three carvings.. one is Burke and Wills blaze from when they first set up camp here, the second is the famous "dig” carving and the last is a carving, of Burke, by a station worker some years later.
On past Moomba... Moomba is a closed facility. Access is only allowed in emergencies. Moomba is not actually a town (despite being marked so on some maps) there are no permanent residents. All workers are fly in/ Fly out.
More to follow..
Goto Part 8:
Part 8
Mick
Thanks very much for making me miss being on the road.. 
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