Inside the Roadhouse The Pink Roadhouse

Steve

Scenes from the Painted Desert

10th and 11th July, 2009
Now we’re off to Oodnadatta via the Painted Desert. We were going to camp at Cadney Homestead for the night, but were making good time and thought the late afternoon would be a good time of day to see the desert. We were right, it was a great drive, not too rutted. The colour of the mountains reminded us a lot of the Ochre Pit walls in the West MacDonnell Ranges – really pretty. After another big day of driving, we arrived at the Pink Roadhouse in Oodnadatta.

I know everyone raves about this place being an icon and all that, but personally, I found it a dump. There is literally junk lying all over the place, the building is like a jigsaw puzzle with the amount of add-ons and lean to’s attached to it. Also, on the road we often hear stories about the people in these outback places being cranky old b***ards who will leave someone stranded if a wrong word is said. We usually put these stories down to Urban Myths as we have always experienced great hospitality in the outback. However, here we saw it happen: A young couple camping next to us snapped their spring mount on the camper. The owner was going to fix it for them, but then flew into a foul mouthed tantrum because one of his staff let a traveler use his compressor. The language was more colourful than the roadhouse itself, and he drove off in a huff and left the couple stranded. As they were standing there a bit bewildered, Steve had offered to have a look at it for them and two hours later he had fixed it for them and they were off again (only cost them a thank-you instead of the hundreds of exorbitant dollars the Roadhouse would have charged). Now, there could be a lot of other stuff going on in the owner’s background, but I do think that although they might be in a remote place and the last and only hope for a lot of travelers, it doesn’t give anyone license for rudeness. We are slugged a fortune for food, camping, alchohol, souvenirs – you name it – but we pay it to support these places in tougher times. So I say “Stop believing the press and publicity you are receiving and start appreciating the travelers that keep you in business!!!

Anyway, the night we got there, we met the managers of Neutral Junction Station in Barrow Creek NT, who were there for the annual Bronco Branding/Camp Draught competition the next day. So, we stayed for another night so we could go. It was a great day out. Ranchers from all over SA travel to compete in this for cash prizes and we certainly met our share of characters. Cam and Dan made friends with one of their sons, and we’re off among the cattle yards, on the horses and having a great time. They finished the day off with some Bronco Riding which really proves how tough these guys are. Loved it. We ended up staying for a few beers with some of the lads afterwards and generally mucked up with some really genuine and friendly outback people.