“Excuse me, do you have a sat phone?” Jarrad, my husband, stands on the car roof to get some better photos of Lake Eyre South from the lookout on Oodnadatta Track. I stand impatiently next to the car, waiting to walk down to the shoreline of the lake, full of water for only the fourth time in 150 years. All of a sudden, we forget about the good fortune we have of seeing water in this lake. We both nod, and their faces show the relief.
“There’s a family about 20 kilometers further up The Track. The car’s rolled over twice. They’ve got another family there, but they’ve got five kids under seven with them. No one appears to be seriously injured, but they don’t have a sat phone to ring
“Excuse me, do you have a sat phone?” Jarrad, my husband, stands on the car roof to get some better photos of Lake Eyre South from the lookout on Oodnadatta Track. I stand impatiently next to the car, waiting to walk down to the shoreline of the lake, full of water for only the fourth time in 150 years. All of a sudden, we forget about the good fortune we have of seeing water in this lake. We both nod, and their faces show the relief.
“There’s a family about 20 kilometers further up The Track. The car’s rolled over twice. They’ve got another family there, but they’ve got five kids under seven with them. No one appears to be seriously injured, but they don’t have a sat phone to ring for help.”
Our hearts sink. We grab the sat phone that we carry religiously, and hand it over. They ring 000 (for those overseas, this is our equivalent of 911). We drive along the Oodnadatta Track to look for them.
We remember horror stories we’ve heard about accidents on this track, where people would probably have been OK if they’d been able to contact someone — but instead slowly slip away while waiting for someone to help. Like the mum last year who passed away during the night while trapped in the rolled car with her husband and two year old. It was morning before they were found, and help was contacted. I shudder to think of it.
We finally find them. The car has been pulled up, and looks terrible. The camper trailer they were towing is ruined too.
The parents and three kids aged six, four and two were in the car when it rolled.
It takes three phone calls to 000, and a direct phone call to the Port Augusta police six hours away. Port Augusta is the nearest manned station late on a Saturday afternoon. They know of the accident, but haven’t been able to contact the closer stations. They’ve tried Marree, where there are police because of today’s Camel Cup. The phones at Roxby Downs are diverted to Port Augusta, so they can’t reach anyone. We’re frustrated, and wondering even with the sat phone, how long it’s going to take for help.
This is the reality of travel in outback travel. The towns are few and far between. There is limited or no mobile phone coverage. Good luck raising anyone for help on the UHF radio. Without a satellite phone — there’s no way of calling for help if anything goes wrong. Even with a sat phone — it can take several phone calls. A quick response can be measured in hours, not minutes like in metropolitan Australia.
Happily, this family finally had two ambulances turn up as the sun set. We’re hoping they are all OK.
We bought the sat phone after Peter crushed his finger. We’re sharing this in the hope that other people heading out bush consider this problem before they head out, instead of waiting like us till after something happens. It’s $3000 to buy the sat phone in the first place (there is a 50% government rebate if you are eligible) and $30 a month to have it connected, not to mention the $3 a minute phone call charges — not cheap to carry, but we wouldn’t be without it in a remote area.
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About Amy and Jarrad
i never see kanggorro before i want to see more closely because i want to know the face real this animal