Aileron - Pub, Big Black Man
Wycliffe Well was a little oasis in the desert. After our bad start to the day with the car the drive to this little place was quite long. We arrived very late, about 5.45pm and ended up down the back of the park which turned out to be very quiet and serene with no one to play with. Hence, an early night. We woke the next morning to find the park deserted and realised that we had slept in – 8.15am. I cannot believe how early the old farts, oops - people get up and leave. Will someone please tell them they are on holiday!! One of the benefits to being the last to leave everyday is that you don’t have to fight to get a shower.
We left and drove about 17 kms up the road to the Devil’s Marbles. The nearly spherical (7m in diameter) granite rocks balance precariously on one another. A little bit of nature at its amazing best.
We left and drove about 17 kms up the road to the Devil’s Marbles. The nearly spherical (7m in diameter) granite rocks balance precariously on one another. A little bit of nature at its amazing best.
Wycliffe Well and Devils Marbles
We stopped and collected some wood along the road. We have now crossed the Tropic of Capricorn and the days are about 26 degrees and hopefully the evenings warm enough to sit outside and enjoy a fire.
A fuel stop at Tennant Creek and of course the obligatory visit to the hardware store so that Stephen could feel and smell the goods on offer. He hasn’t seen one for sometime and was starting to fret.
We drove onto Threeways where we stopped for lunch and managed to get covered in bull dust. This is where we turned right off the Stuart Highway and onto the Barkly Highway. This highway is quite busy as it is the main highway across to Queensland and Mt Isa.
About 4pm we arrived at the Barkly Homestead. An interesting roadhouse and a busy stopover for truckies and travellers alike – not much else around. They of course have a monopoly on the fuel price. We met some new best friends for drinks who have sold their house and are on the road looking for a new place to live. This couple have a “Lux” which is only 6 months old and a caravan of about the same age. They have never owned, used or towed a caravan before (although they are seasoned campers) so they have made an enormous life changing decision to become “white trailer trash”. So far most of the people we have met have been from Queensland – has Anna Bligh done anything we should know about since we left???
Up and away, I think it’s Friday, and onto the Tablelands Highway which runs through the Barkly Tablelands. What a find!! It is a one vehicle lane for 379 kilometres to Cape Crawford. A little freaked at first, it proved to be a gem. It started out with a bushy landscape leading to vast, expansive grasslands where flocks of birds would fly into the sky as we passed and lots of floodways. We saw eagles, buzzards, swallows, galahs, cockatoos and lots and lots of road kill, big and small. We had many stops because of cattle on the road, roadway which had been holed because of flood water and, of course, the obligatory photo opportunities, but it all added to the adventure. Towards the end of the road woodlands emerged, creeks began to fill with water and rocky outcrops appeared.
I actually drove for about an hour and a half and before I took off we had to find a stick for Stephen to bite on otherwise he’d have bitten his tongue off. As it was he nearly pulled the Jesus bar from the passenger side pillar. You know, it’s the handle that you grab onto when the driver is putting your life in mortal danger and you yell “JESUS” or worse.
Anyway, while Stephen was driving on this single lane minor sealed road he passed 2 4x4s and one caravan which had stopped for morning tea. When I took over I passed 3 road trains with 4 truckie thingys each, 2 caravans, 1 “Lux”, 2 Murdoch vehicles, 5 4x4s and 3 Kimberley Kampers. Why me?? What did I do wrong????
Of course in this remote part of the country there is no radio reception!!! No JJJ, no 774 ABC, no Neil Mitchell, no nothing. Lucky we have the IPod, loaded with 1502 songs or 4.2 days of music. For anyone planning a long trip we can verify that travelling at 80 kmph for 5 hours uses approx. 70 songs.
A fuel stop at Tennant Creek and of course the obligatory visit to the hardware store so that Stephen could feel and smell the goods on offer. He hasn’t seen one for sometime and was starting to fret.
We drove onto Threeways where we stopped for lunch and managed to get covered in bull dust. This is where we turned right off the Stuart Highway and onto the Barkly Highway. This highway is quite busy as it is the main highway across to Queensland and Mt Isa.
About 4pm we arrived at the Barkly Homestead. An interesting roadhouse and a busy stopover for truckies and travellers alike – not much else around. They of course have a monopoly on the fuel price. We met some new best friends for drinks who have sold their house and are on the road looking for a new place to live. This couple have a “Lux” which is only 6 months old and a caravan of about the same age. They have never owned, used or towed a caravan before (although they are seasoned campers) so they have made an enormous life changing decision to become “white trailer trash”. So far most of the people we have met have been from Queensland – has Anna Bligh done anything we should know about since we left???
Up and away, I think it’s Friday, and onto the Tablelands Highway which runs through the Barkly Tablelands. What a find!! It is a one vehicle lane for 379 kilometres to Cape Crawford. A little freaked at first, it proved to be a gem. It started out with a bushy landscape leading to vast, expansive grasslands where flocks of birds would fly into the sky as we passed and lots of floodways. We saw eagles, buzzards, swallows, galahs, cockatoos and lots and lots of road kill, big and small. We had many stops because of cattle on the road, roadway which had been holed because of flood water and, of course, the obligatory photo opportunities, but it all added to the adventure. Towards the end of the road woodlands emerged, creeks began to fill with water and rocky outcrops appeared.
I actually drove for about an hour and a half and before I took off we had to find a stick for Stephen to bite on otherwise he’d have bitten his tongue off. As it was he nearly pulled the Jesus bar from the passenger side pillar. You know, it’s the handle that you grab onto when the driver is putting your life in mortal danger and you yell “JESUS” or worse.
Anyway, while Stephen was driving on this single lane minor sealed road he passed 2 4x4s and one caravan which had stopped for morning tea. When I took over I passed 3 road trains with 4 truckie thingys each, 2 caravans, 1 “Lux”, 2 Murdoch vehicles, 5 4x4s and 3 Kimberley Kampers. Why me?? What did I do wrong????
Of course in this remote part of the country there is no radio reception!!! No JJJ, no 774 ABC, no Neil Mitchell, no nothing. Lucky we have the IPod, loaded with 1502 songs or 4.2 days of music. For anyone planning a long trip we can verify that travelling at 80 kmph for 5 hours uses approx. 70 songs.
Tableland Highway - lots of cattle, caravan beginning to look a little worse for wear now, grasslands, woodlands (obligatory tree photo), Cape Crawford drinks
Finally we reached the Carpentaria Highway and there it stood – The Heartbreak Hotel Caravan Park at Cape Crawford. The journey had taken much longer than expected and we were pretty sick of sitting in the car for the past 3 days, so at 1.30pm we stopped and settled into the lush surrounds of the Heartbreak. We relaxed in the sun or under the trees, as was our want, cut up some wood for the fire (which momentarily disrupted the serenity) and ‘had a refreshing drink’ to wile away the afternoon. As evening fell we lit our fire and cooked a couple of scotch fillets, without jumpers on. Finally it is warming up. No heartbreaking tonight, we are still getting on famously!!
Last to leave yet again, we drove to Borroloola. Very exciting day in the Big B. One of the aboriginal elders (Sadie) had passed away and the locals had come in from near and far in their Sunday best. At first we thought there was a wedding but were informed that it was a funeral. We were also informed that the wake would heat up and it would be very wise to not hang around for long. (no photos as it would be tacky) So we filled up with diesel and drove on to King Ash Bay.
King Ash Bay - 21 kms of red dirt, McArthur River, dusty bikes
Now for those of you who don’t know where this is, it is on the SW corner of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Over 12 months ago Stephen heard someone interviewed on the country hour (6 – 7 am on Saturday) on Radio National and they raved about King Ash Bay. So of course we had to go. Hmmmmm!!!! If you love red dust and grass with more dirt than grass then this is the place for you. Personally, it is not the place for me and even Stephen agreed it was not the place for him either. The age requirement is at least 70+, you are not suppose to have your own teeth and if so several should be missing, and if you don’t have a boat, go home. The McArthur River runs alongside the camping ground and is quite picturesque but other than that there is not much to do except sit at the bar at the fishing club. So guess what we did? We heard some very funny stories and had some wonderful barra for dinner, probably the best meal on the road since leaving home. The people were very friendly but it was no Kennett River.
You live and learn – get us the hell outa here.
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