This post is written from the comparative coolness of the William Creek Hotel, an iconic 'outback' pub situated in the middle of nowhere. The pub was built in 1887 to service the Ghan railway line that ran between Alice Springs and Adelaide. The rail service was axed in 1980 but the tiny settlement of William Creek lives on as a must-do stop for adventurous over-lander's traveling the Oodnadatta Track.
William Creek is also the closest settlement on the Australian Continent to the great inland sea of Lake Eyre. This lake is normally a vast dry salt pan without water for decades at a time. Last year it rained in the Australian 'outback'…water poured into Lake Eyre reawakening a normally dormant wilderness. Such a rare event has bought a flush of visitors to William Creek and boosted the settlement's usual permanent population of just two or three people.
It is said the opportunity to view Lake Eyre with water in it may occur only once in a life-time…so with clear skies forecast for the coming days the Bazflyers flew west from Dubbo to sample the Australian 'outback'.
Three weeks earlier the lure of a short sojourn back in New Zealand was compelling so with BAZ safely parked at Archerfield the Bazflyers flew Air New Zealand into Christchurch. It was a great pleasure to catch-up with our family and grand-children again. How quickly the young ones grow up…! Then back to Brisbane and onto the International Comanche Society AGM at Dubbo...a throughly enjoyable gathering of Comanche aircraft, owners and partners. Saturday night's BBQ dinner held outdoors under a clear moon-light sky was made even more memorable by three great musicians who so accurately pushed the Comanche group's genre button. Yes we danced the night away…!
With the AGM behind us some important decisions were required like; when to fly BAZ home to Taupo and what do we do in the meantime? Weather forecasts were consulted, options explored and eventually a cunning plan was agreed. We would sample the great Australian 'outback' during the week ahead and on the weekend fly back across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand. And so the Bazflyers departed Dubbo for the underground settlement of White Cliffs. This is a place like no other, set in a fascinating landscape where almost the entire population of some 150 folk live 'wobble-like' in underground caves.
Leaving White Cliffs in the cool of the morning we once again pointed BAZ skywards and at an altitude of 8,500 feet flew deep into the 'outback' over Lake Eyre to land at William Creek. Tomorrow the Bazflyers head back east to Broken Hill….
