After a bit of sunshine in the morning, we decided to try to get back down to Leigh Creek (only 80km dirt road) instead of continuing north towards Coober Pedy (over 300km dirt). We thought this way would be passable, if difficult, as the road was mostly gravel with a few paved sections at the stream crossings. Also, the warning signs said it was still open:
The first few kilometers weren't that bad, but then things started to get a bit hairy. The car started sliding out a bit, but Matt was able to maintain control by maneuvering the car as if driving in snow. However, once we reached a section that was completely flooded, we stopped to determine which way to go, and promptly got stuck in the mud. After a short tow from some friendly guys in big 4X4 trucks, we were on our way again. There were definitely some other spots where we should have gotten stuck, but simply motored through them because we had to. In retrospect, the road was definitely not intended for a two-wheel drive vehicle, but Falkor, our Ford Falcon Futura managed to make it.
It took about 2 hours to get through those 80 kilometers, and its definitely not something we plan on doing again any time soon. The rest of the day we drove back down to Port Augusta, where we decided to stay at Shoreline Caravan Park after giving Falkor an extensive bath.
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