AUSSIEPICS

Coober Pedy etc 2013


Some shots from a run up to Coober Pedy and then back to Melbourne via the back roads.




The array of solar collectors at Carwarp, south of Mildura.

4722
The array of solar collectors at Carwarp, south of Mildura.




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Passing the Boot Tree out of Morgan

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Passing the Boot Tree out of Morgan (again), these look almost brand new.




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First of the stone-house stops

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First of the stone-house stops, the bright green of the spring grass suits this one well.




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The green green grass

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The green green grass of... in this case, the gentle hills around Burra.




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Lake Dutton

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Lake Dutton, the first salt lake on the turn north up the Stuart. Whoever put that fin in there really gave me a laugh.




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Spider on the salt crust

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Salt crusts seem a strange place to find spiders out hunting. I'm not sure what to make of that.




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A selection of the textures in an evaporating lake

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A selection of the textures in an evaporating lake, the red would be a bacteria that stains the salty crust.




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Layers of salt deposits

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Layers of salt deposits as the lake level drops.




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Illusion of trees

4779
Taken out of context, you'd be forgiven for thinking these were much larger at first.




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A railway sleeper

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A railway sleeper becoming one with the edge of Lake Dutton




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The Island of Island Lagoon

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The Island of Island Lagoon from the lookout point.




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An eagle that wouldn't settle

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An eagle that wouldn't settle.




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Just a crow

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Just a crow, minding his own business




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4794
At The Breakaways, Coober Pedy




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4795
At The Breakaways, Coober Pedy




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4799
At The Breakaways, Coober Pedy




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4827
At The Breakaways, Coober Pedy




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4832
At The Breakaways, Coober Pedy




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4845
At The Breakaways, Coober Pedy




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4849
At The Breakaways, Coober Pedy




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4851
At The Breakaways, Coober Pedy




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4854
At The Breakaways, Coober Pedy




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4860
At The Breakaways, Coober Pedy




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4867
At The Breakaways, Coober Pedy




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4878
At The Breakaways, Coober Pedy




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4880
At The Breakaways, Coober Pedy




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4884
In Town in Coober Pedy




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4886
In Town in Coober Pedy




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4887
Above ground dwelling. Abandoned as a bad idea?




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4890
Patrons Explosives are not to be brought into this theatre. The Manger.




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4893
A pretty random conversion. Possibly to take the tailings away to inspect in comfort?




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4899
Movie props (probably inspired by the real air vents of Coober Pedy) at 'The Hong Kong guy's' place.




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4900
Coober Pedy Tree. If they won't grow naturally just make them yourself apparently.




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4902
In Town in Coober Pedy. The Comfort Inn. If you're feeling tired?




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4904
In Town in Coober Pedy, a shot from the closed? abandoned? "Big Winch" over the top of the town.




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4906
A "Blower". This badly named device is basically a self emptying vacuum cleaner. It all starts with a turbine on the truck that evacuates the air out of the drum, this creates a vacuum which is filled by broken down rock from inside the mine via the second pipe that follows the working face. Once the guy with the digger decides it's probably getting full he drops the revs, allowing the hinged flap to drop and release the tailings, then increases the revs again to suck the flap closed and start drawing more rubble (although potentially valuable rubble) out of the mine. That's the explanation I got from a chap with a good Scots accent at 'Toms Working Mine' anyway.




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4907
In Town in Coober Pedy, another movie prop. The sign says all I know. "Tail fin used in movie 'Fire in the stone' - 1984 Plane crash scene."




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4908
In Town in Coober Pedy. Just a very nice old truck with a good background.




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4911
In Town in Coober Pedy. The "Big Winch" is deserted and looks to have been like that for some time. Check out all the air pipes though. Almost all buildings can be determined from outside because fresh air needs to be constantly circulated through every room to avoid suffocation.




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4912
In Town in Coober Pedy




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4916
I dubbed this the 'Flying Panelvan'. From a movie called "Pitch Black" that starred Vin Diesel who is apparently famous.




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4925
Mullock heaps outside the Coober Pedy town boundaries.




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4926
Mullock heaps outside the Coober Pedy town boundaries.




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Mullock heaps outside the Coober Pedy town boundaries.




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4935
An Apollo camper on the Stuart Highway with a bit of heat haze to spice it up.




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4949
One of the few above ground buildings (not counting the main street). Maybe it's big enough to be 'shady' rather than 'hotter than an oven'.




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4974
The sign reads..
JOHN McDOUALL STUART
The Stuart range and highway were named after John CcDouall Stuart who was the first european explorer in this area. He climbed the highest northerly point of the range visible to the east, then passed near this site, continuing on to the southern ocean near Streaky Bay. This exploration in 1858 was the first of six by this great explorer, culminating in the South to North crossing of the continent in 1862. To perpetuate his name and achievments this plaque was placed by the Coober Pedy Historical Society inc. and John McDouall Stuart Society inc. on the 14th of August 1993 with assistance from the District council of Coober Pedy.
(Using pack-camels this route was retraced by Philip and Ifeta Gee in 1993)


The converging lines are a big-sky effect of the shadows in the sunset directly behind us.




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4986
This dog ran along the ridge as his master (I guess) drove into town and stayed and waited there.




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4987
Sunset at Coober Pedy




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4991
The same shot as before but just after the sun has set behind us.




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4993
Glowing clouds in the post sunset minutes.




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4997
Glowing clouds in the post sunset minutes.




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5003
Sunrise on the plains out from Coober Pedy with the Southern Cross and the Pointers still showing in the sky.




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Out There 4x4 Warragul Mark A. Biggs, Author