Algebuckina, THE BRIDGE on the old Ghan Railway.
At Algebuckina, the Oodnadatta Track and the Old Ghan Railway are side by side once more. This is the site of “THE” Outback Rail Bridge and many other interesting areas. I reckon it is the highlight of the Oodnadatta Track! There are three graves in a rock enclosed area near the North end of the bridge. To find them, turn left on one of the wheel tracks after the creek crossing, follow this up to the rail embankment. Turn left through the small cutting and the graves are on your left. The only marked grave is of the young prospector, James Helps, who drowned in the creek during a flood. The reference to Proverbs 27.1 on his epitaph appears to be a slight reprimand for the young James. He must have left home during the Great Depression, talking of the riches he hoped to find during the brief gold rush at Algebuckina. Prov. 27.1 "Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth". There were other deaths in the area but there appears to be no record of where these people were buried.
Chin Chue, a gardener was murdered by a tomahawk blow in June 1888. Rail ganger, David Saunders, was yet another victim of the hot summers here. He died at Algebuckina in January 1890 from “heart disease accelerated by heat apoplexy.” Carl Carlson, a laborer, died in April 1891 from a fractured skull, presumably the result of an accident. The railway Line to Oodnadatta was completed in 1893 enabling bodies to be transferred there for medical examination, autopsy and burial. (Providing of course the line was not flooded or otherwise damaged at the time).This would have meant the end of most “on site” burials along the railway. One interesting place you don’t find mentioned very often is the site of the proposed Algebuckina township. This was surveyed and marked out in 1858 and is still visible today. About 200m before the actual creek crossing is a small dusty rise on the right of the main road. If you walk up there among the small bushes you can see the “T” and “X” rock patterns laid down by the original surveyors. Another area often overlooked but worth exploring is west of the graves where the remains of mine shafts and buildings are scattered through the regrowth. Note the kingfisher nests in the sandstone cliff face and the fairy martin nests under the cliff overhang. A popular dwelling, still partly visible here, was built by digging into the steep hillside, building up the entrance with rocks and covering the roof with bushes or a tarpaulin. The waterhole east of the bridge is one of the best along the Oodnadatta Track. Groups of my mates have camped there for days at a time boating, fishing and swimming. We have caught plenty of the bream-like fish using shrimps for bait. The shrimp were caught using gum leaves in a drop net. Friends soaked the bony fillets in a special vinegar mix to make “Roll Mops”, but I stuck to tinned sardines! The kids had a lot of fun exploring the lignum covered banks in a small fibreglass rowing boat. They could explore the many parts of the waterhole not accessible from the bank. One local legend attributes the permanence of the Algebuckina water level to a spring somewhere in the waterhole. This is where the big Yella Belly are supposed to be! Another legend says there were plenty of big fish in the Algebuckina waterhole before a conscienceless opal miner blew it up with explosives many years ago. In the summer it pays to camp back from the water a bit to avoid the worst of the flies and mosquitos. Rig a simple shade area between two vehicles and swim often to keep cool if you need to. We were kept entertained for hours on one trip watching a couple of our fmates trying to assemble a “must have” fly proof enclosure made from 100 cheap imported parts, while keeping hydrated with red wine. True Bushies! GPS coordinates 53J 0579467E 6914061N
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