and is in stark contrast to Newhaven.
As we near the end of our time in the arid lands, we feel so glad that we had the opportunity to visit Newhaven after such a wet season, when the flowers and birds were in abundance, and the freshwater and salt lakes have been filling. Lake Bennett is vast – 100sq km!
It is amazing the way the ephemeral plant populations explode after the rains, and populations of birds then explode, presumably as a result of increased food, water and breeding opportunity. The total number of bird species on our list for Newhaven was 80+ and the total including Alice was 90+.
Even along the road in areas where it is very barren, the grasses grow because of the run-off from the road. This green feed attracts cattle (no fences in many sections of the highway) and results in rather a lot of dead cattle on the roadside verges – probably hit by road trains which are 53.5m long! We were surprised that there are very few kangaroos in these habitats – a few Euros and wallabies in the rocky areas - and subsequently only a couple of road kills.
The Todd River in Alice only had a few puddles in it. Apparently it flows on an average of 2.5 times per year, but in 1974 it flowed for 300 days!
The drinking water in Newhaven is absolutely beautiful and is in abundance. It is taken from an aquifer in calcrete, only about 3 m under the ground. The water here at Coober Pedy is desalinated bore water and is also beautiful drinking water.
No way we would spend time walking around the town, hence we are catching up on phone messages and the blog!
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