Friday – 6/4/12
We were on the road just after 8am, it’s warming up quick. The nights are still pretty warm, glad we have the fan. It was 40 degrees in Birdsville the other day but we reckon yesterday was hotter, hottest day we have had so far. As we travel back east we are hoping it starts to cool down. We both got some extra water into us this morning, we were both feeling a bit dehydrated yesterday.
The fly net/hats are great for keeping the flies off your face, one thing we have been conscious off is to lift the net when you blow your nose, brush your teeth, have a drink etc. this morning Chris forgot hee hee 🙂
You see a lot of gibber rocks in the outback area, they have their own beauty and fascination. This trip I found an info sheet on them. They are generally considered to be formed as a result of mechanical weathering. Originally chalacedonised sandstone transformed overtime by the harsh environment. They become polished and rounded by the wind-blown sand grains, while a thin coating of oxide iron gives them a red-brown polished appearance. As the sand is gradually removed the polished stones form a layer spread over the flat surface of the plains. So now you know too.
We just saw 5 Bustards crossing the road in front of us. Got off a few shots before they flew away. Couple of hundred meters down the road some emus. The animals are all pretty flighty, not used to humans so fly off or run as soon as you get too close. With all the Kites we have seen we have very few shots as they fly off and high.
It’s so flat and green, interesting to see what it will be like when we are back out this way in July. We might be back on the black top but it’s a narrow bumpy road. Some dirt roads have been better than this but it’s nice not to have the dust.
Not happy Jan, another flat tyre. The tyres that came on the ute are obviously not suited to these conditions, and this was on the tar road. Least it’s not quiet as hot as yesterday still mid 30’s and we have some shade and of course it’s not quiet in the middle of nowhere. Chris was able to repair the flat from yesterday. We would of got it properly fixed at Quilpie but being Good Friday most places we’re closed. The plan is to get it fixed at Charleville tomorrow. Chris tried to repair the current flat but it’s a slit so he couldn’t. More suitable tyres were always on the agenda but when these ones wore out, might be sooner than we thought. Interestingly we had Pirelli Scorpions on the Jackaroo and it all the towing and miles we did we never had a flat and we took it on some pretty rough roads. Oh well stuff happens when you are getting out there enjoying life. All adds to the adventure.
We just saw a wild bore, first one ever. See all sorts out here. We are also seeing more Wedge Tail Eagles. Goats not sure if they are feral or not. Lots of silly cows that have this urge to run across in front of you for no reason. As Chris said you would think for something so large they would have a bigger brains.
We pulled into Ward River to check it out for a nightspot. There were several other campers obviously fishermen. Might be a good spot for fish but it really had a very strong odour from the river. Too much for us, might get used to it but being on the river we were also concerned with mossie. So we moved up the road a few km’s and spied a side road with a possible spot. It was 16kms out of Charleville up Bannermans Road on a gravel pit. Off the main road and hidden by some trees. Travelled 520kms