Coober Pedy Here we come

Introduction to the Stuart Highway

The Stuart Highway is a remarkable roadway that spans over 2,800 kilometres through the heart of Australia. Stretching from Darwin in the North to Port Augusta in the South, it serves as a vital link for travellers seeking to explore the stunning landscapes and remote outback of the Australian continent. This highway not only offers a unique experience for adventure enthusiasts but also presents an opportunity to witness the indigenous culture and natural beauty of the region.

Filling Up for the Journey

Our Stuart Highway journey started with a stop at a truck stop, and well as filling up with diesel we could also top up the ad'-blue. We'd never seen ad-blue before but it ensure the emissions from the diesel engine as less damaging to the environment. If we run out of it the van won't drive!

Road Kill and Road Signs

Setting off we quickly came across a sign for the outback and saw the scenery change. We saw a live roo hopping across the highway which was a sight as not expecting it at 8.45 in the morning. As we went along the ground became redder with less vegetation. We also saw more mountains on the route usually just one in two sticking up from the desert.

We'd been told that we would see lots of dead kangaroos on the route and so far that has been true. We didn't expect to see a camel as road kill but we passed something too big for a roo with a hump! Looking online feral camels are a thing in the outback!

We mentioned around sign for the outback, we also love the road signs warning about tiredness when driving. These includes; survive the drive, drowsy drivers die, fatigue is fatal and stop, revive and survive. As today's drive was 6 hours we did come up with a few our own but they were too corny to share!

Bonnie/Karen and Clyde

Mid journey today we topped up with petrol, Karen got an ice cream so I left her to pay whilst I took a toilet break. As we got in the car the assistant came out as Karen had only paid for the $6 ice cream and not $130 of fuel! How rock and roll are we! She swears blind she said pump 9 aswell...

Today was just under 600km and should be our longest drive. We enjoyed the scenery, the roads again a very straight with surprisingly little traffic. I think we were overtaken twice and overtook 3 times.

The downside is as we reached the campsite it was 41C and the lady in reception said it will still be 35C at midnight. We were glad of a dip in the pool and looking forward to exploring the area tomorrow.

We think tomorrow will include some Opal mines which the area is famous form, one mine we passed which sounded different was Peculiar Knob Mine! We also saw signs near the mines telling people not to run or walk backwards apparently the mineshaft can be over 20 metres deep and hidden in the bush.