Day 8 – Thursday 4th

We both slept good, me sitting up again. Woke to a wet day and it was going to get wetter. Chris hooked up and packed up outside in the rain, we had showers before we left Injune so set off dry and warm.

The road out was very wet and muddy on the edges in some places quite a lot. When the road trains come you need to move onto the shoulders of the road, it would send a shiver through me, (after our Mt Moffat experience) hoping we wouldn’t have to do that on the really bad soppy areas, fortunately we didn’t. It was a wet trip to the Carnarvon turnoff and even wetter along the road in. Also lots of cows on the road that didn’t always like to move, we were herding a big group for a while eventually one by one they would move off the road. We also had to avoid the mines they left behind.

Our trip in wasn’t going to be smooth sailing, no this place wanted to throw more at us and see if we could take it. And yep our OFF ROAD VAN can. We came down a hill and around a corner to the first of 6 creek crossings, signs up saying water on the road, seems to be a permanent thing, a little camper van was turning around at the creek crossing, not wanting to go through. The only place we could go was reverse back up the hill and around the cnr to flat ground. Chris checked out the crossing that was wide in both directions, flowing fast and nearly up to his knees, higher on the van door side and flowing in that direction. The issue for us was the force of the water and if it would come in the bottom of the caravan door. An older couple in a 4wd and camper trailer came along and decided they weren’t going to try it. I said I would photograph it, but they wouldn’t go for it, worried there washed up camper and car would feature in the next edition of 4wd monthly.

Carnarvon Creek-Crossing

We went through and stopped up the hill on the other side for Chris to check the van door, yes water had got in a bit on the step but all was ok. Just then the ranger came by and said the rest was easy after that. We later found out they were there to put a sign up to say road closed so we were very lucky in many ways that we got through.Chris put a rock on the water edge to see if the water was going down while we went and had lunch. The people in the little van did the same. A while later a 4wd towing a camper came through so Chris asked him what it was like, this crossing was the worse so once we made it though here it would be ok. The little van went through and we left it a little longer to give the creek chance to go down a bit.

We then hit the gravel road which was pretty wet the rest of the way in, with water over the road in many places. The Carnarvon Creek was flowing pretty hard; this is the creek that flows all the way through the national park. Once it clears we hope to get some good shots of the creek.

When we got to the Takarakka bush resort there was a sign on the door saying the road out was closed. All were surprised we got in. The people next door to us said the management came and told them the police had closed the road at 12 noon, and people weren’t aloud to leave, we had come through just before then. More adventure than we can shake a stick at this trip; we are so hanging out for some nice sunny days and no more dramas.

The weather is supposed to start to clear tomorrow, we will spend tomorrow around here, check out the park and then hopefully it will be on for the national park.