Port Augusta

We enjoyed a relaxed morning and then packed up ready to head into Port Augusta.

yes... it does happen! ALL playing together! 

Our plan was to spend some time at the Wadlata Outback Centre. We had lunch in the carpark and then headed into the Centre.

We watched movies on how scientists believed the world land masses were separated, 'starting right here in South Australia'... It was very informative and interesting, giving us plenty to talk to the kids about... how we believe shells came to be on top of mountains (the flood) and why we believe the world is actually only 8000 years old.

This photo cracks me up! You can probably tell none of

them have seen a screen for weeks!

There was interactive displays on aboriginal art and stories, as well as short videos on how they make fire, boomerangs, cook a kangaroo etc. Since the kids have been taught aboriginal studies at school and how to build shelters, this was a great place to add to that
nowledge.

From there we went onto more displays on Edward John Eyre and his expeditions across Australia and the trouble that he encountered, as well as detailing his first trip from Sydney to Albany. After him came Charles Sturt who dragged a boat across Australia looking for an inland sea.

It went through the different modes of transport.  Horses, camels, oxen, bicycle and walking, depending on what needed to be done - exploring, moving sheep, travelling sheep shearers, etc.  The camel trainers who came with the camels were from India, although they were always referred to as Afghans.

We then entered a small theatre to watch a short movie on the different trials experienced by the first pioneers.  Their dreams of raising sheep and growing paddocks of wheat were often shattered by drought forcing them back to the coast (or back to the home country). The tales of men who delivered wine barrels, drilling holes in them (for a quick drink) and plugging them back up with twigs, and of a cyclist who burst a tyre so he replaced it with a brown snake around the rim and put its tail in its mouth and kept on riding.

When we exited the theatre we came to a section which had an old desk and radio which was pedal-powered for students to participate in 'School of the Air'. The radio played old lessons with kids voices interacting with the teacher. As soon as the student stopped pedalling the radio stopped too. No chubby kids back then!!!

There was also a section explaining morse code where the kids could try and send a message. Harder than it looks!  The kids tried their connecting phone calls with an old phone operator board.  They could listen to conversations of how things were back in the old days.

It progressed to the mining days where the big trucks came in and were used to transport rather than animals. The kids could have a birds eye view from the drivers seat of a truck cab.

After another video with some more history of the area we eventually left. It was a great experience!

We walked over the road and stocked up from Coles for our trip to Uluru. A family of 7 attracts quite a few comments!

We loaded our shopping into the caravan then re-fuelled and then drove out of Port Augusta. We stopped about 30kms out as we still had to cook dinner and sort showers. We parked quite close to the railway line (thankfully only 2 trains!) so that was fun for the kids to see!

Red dust... trust Brenton to ask - can I have some water to make mud? NO!