Mouth of the Cooper

The mouth of Coopers Creek on shores of Lake Eyre north. It’s hot summertime hot, and flies have been ruthless. Tonight, like last night, we camp on the Cooper near Cuttapirra waterhole. The river is dry, with Queensland waters not yet at Innaminka. The lake is 60% full, most of the water hasn’t been here long enough for the birds. The country is looking lush after some local rains recently, with a swath of Mitchell & other grasses between the dunes.

The road out to here is about 80 kms and took 8 hours. We followed a station road out to Georgina Bore (west) then turned north on to a shot line that  took us up to Cuttapirra waterhole. Camped the night in a beautiful setting on the salt bed of the Cooper, under an escarpment of gypsum.

This morning we backtracked down the shot line about 5 kms, then travelled west on a GPS bearing across the dunes. The surface is choppy and soft here and there. Low-range 2nd-3rd mostly. After two hours turned WNW, and continued for two more hours until we hit the river at the mouth. In a dry season, a drive down the riverbed salt flats from Cuttapirra would be better going.