b'numbers have been drastically reduced. restoration programme. This great community Next stop was in Blinman, a look around and thenwelcomes visitors.onto the great wall of China. We camped at Maree and were surprised at the The great wall of China is a magnificent rockamount of people, cars, campers, and caravans there. ridgeline capping a mountain in the Flinders Ranges.It didnt take long to find out why, the town was On a closer look at the wall is made up of verymainly the overflow people from the Birdsville Bash eroded rock formations which now give naturalin Birdsville and on arrival here they learnt there shelter to animals, it is another one of natureswas no fuel. Luckily for us the fuel truck was arriving miracles. overnight. The pub was fairly bubbling, and people Leigh Creek was our next destination, which is ahad their own parties happening and turned it into former coal mining town established in 1943 a fun time for all. I was up and packed and waiting and then became an open cut copper mine. Theat the servo before 6, on arrival it had just opened- a closure of the Leigh Creek coal mine in Novemberquick phone call and the rest of the troops arrived, 2015 closed as a result of the decommissioning ofwith full tanks we were ready to venture up the the Port Augusta Power stations, putting over 400Birdsville Track. Heading up the Birdsville Track we people far north region out of employment. Leighpassed Lake Harry and passed through the vermin Creek welcomes people to come and stay. proof fence to Mungerannie Roadhouse. The petrol On the way to Maree, we called in to Farinausers topped up in case there may have been a fuel (ruins) established in 1878, it had 2 hotels, school,shortage ahead. While we were having lunch it was post office, bank, brewery, and several stores. It wasa great opportunity to look at all the money notes, the rail junction for both narrow gauge track andcaps, cards, hats, signs, horns, and anything else one standard gauge track. The area had a successfulcould imagine hanging up or pin to a wall or roof. water well and nearby copper and silver mines. TheOnce again, we were on a great track surface small ruins- village has volunteer workers restoringall the way to Birdsville, somehow both Stefan and some of the better ruins and are looking forwardBrian each had a puncture on this road.to receiving a train loco to complement their trainWe stayed in the Birdsville Caravan Park, had a 24 TRACKWATCH|March 2023'