Thursday 10 December 2015

Woomera

We were away by 8 o'clock this morning which must have been some kind of miracle. 


That or it was the early sun beating in on the boys that did it?  Either way, it was a great start, as it meant we hit Port Augusta by mid morning.  It seems hard to believe, but we needed still more supplies.

After stocking up with fuel, gas and yet more food and alcohol, we had lunch on the run and were soon back on the road, arriving at Pimba by mid afternoon.  Pimba is a small settlement lying on the transcontinental railway line, at the turn off to Woomera, Roxby Downs and Andamooka.  We found the only shady spot in the car par of the iconic Spuds Roadhouse, which sells fuel, groceries, grog and meals.

After a refreshing cold drink we took the short drive into Woomera to have a look around.  Woomera is the largest land based missile and rocket range in the western world.  Initially a joint project between Britain and Australia, the site continues to host space activities for Australian and international defence and aerospace organisations.

It's a hot, dry, deserted, dusty town with a fascinating history.  It has a Heritage and History Museum, missile park, supermarket, theatre, swimming pool and observatory.

Missile Park
 
Fletch was keen to get on board.

At 5pm it was still pretty warm, so we headed to the local pool for a swim.
 
Fletch was first on the diving board.
 
Jarrah got some air.
 
Jack did some moves.
 
 
Poor Jarrah face planted off the diving board and gave himself a blood nose.  There was so much blood that the local ambos who happened to be at the pool came over to see if we needed a hand.  But after a quick clean up in the showers he was straight back up on the board again!
 
It was after 7pm before we headed home for some dinner.  We sat outside until 9pm enjoying a gentle cool breeze, some Uno, smarties and a rugged outback sunset.
 

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