Strzelecki Track - Montecollina Bore

 30 - 31 October 2021

The road from the Dig Tree turn-off was sealed all the way to Innamincka. We detoured into the town and were pleasantly surprised at the great facilities available. There was ample parking near the store and pub, adjacent to new looking toilets and showers. We fueled up at the Trading Post store and bought a coffee.

Chatting to the staff we learned that the Strzelecki Track had been closed because of rain in the last few days, but had just reopened the night before. Great timing on our part. As well as a very good variety of groceries, frozen food, and camping and fishing gear, the store also has a book exchange. If you don't have one to swap a donation to the RFDS will get you one too.

We drove down to the Town Common to have a look and use the dump point. You can camp on the Common and, with toilets scattered about, some shady trees and the creek, it would be a good spot. We decided to stick to our plan though and head along the track.

A few kilometres out of Innaminka the bitumen ends and the unsealed road begins. The condition varied and there were a couple of stretches of bitumen along the way. Signage indicated each was about 7km in length.

We stopped for lunch at the Moomba Rest Area. There is a picnic shelter and rubbish bins, but no toilets. The information shelter gives an insight into the Moomba oil and gas industry. We couldn't fathom why Santos, the company making a huge fortune from the natural resources, couldn't provide a loo for the travelling public.

We drove on to Montecoĺlina Bore Rest Area which is about half way along the track. Again, there is plenty a space to camp and we chose a spot next to an old picnic shelter. There are lots of small dunes creating a sense of privacy - although it wasn't needed as we were the only ones there.

There was a bit of wind and a few flies, but nothing that would make our stay unpleasant. Lots of birds around kept Mick happy and occupied with the camera for most of the afternoon. As night fell, the temperature started to drop and reached 12.5 degrees by morning. We had hoped for some cooler weather after sweltering in over 40 degrees, and we sure did get it.

Despite the cold, it was a beautiful morning with a stunning sunrise - I could see it through the window by my bed. Breakfast in a sunny spot helped to warm us up. Mick went out again with the camera and found one of the dingoes we had heard calling.

We decided to stay until after lunch and the move further on down the Strzelecki Track to another camp-site at the Old Blanchwater Station Ruins.

We almost missed the turn-off to the ruins as it is really only visible coming from the west - we only found it when we turned around. Thank goodness for Wikicamps. After a bit of a look around we decided to give it a miss. Many reviewers rate the ruins more highly than the bore, but we preferred the solitude and unusual landscape of Montecolllina so we continued on towards Copley for our next stop.