CSR Day 3

CSR day 3

Another cool night, we were up with the sun again and away around 8ish. Just a few km up the road, we spotted smoke and soon after the cause was revealed, a completely burnt out prime mover! As if that wasn't bad enough, the fire had set the scrub next to the road alight, and with the wind, it was moving quickly. There was nothing we could do, as the driver wasn't there, and we are not equipped to fight big scrub fires!

We stopped at Barkley roadhouse for a cuppa, and continued on. The next exciting thing to happen was an intersection! Three ways! We fulled up at the roadhouse and kept on going, and going, and going....Elliott for fuel, then Dunmarra.

We both resolved we;d had enough of bitumen and decided to take the Buchanan hwy. Not only is it shorter, but it promised to be a more intersting drive, simply because it is dirt.

As soon as we turned off, our mood lifted. The bush suddenly has wild flowers galore, flocks of budgies flicked left and right through the trees, to dive across the road just missing the front of the vehicle and climb again, hundreds of individual birds thinking and moving as one. It gladdens the heart to see such amazing things just a few k's from the 'civilised' highway!

Across the Ghan rail-line and westward. The road is brilliant, one of the best dirt roads we have ever driven on. As a bonus, we seen two vehicles in the first 5 minutes, and that was it, we had the road to ourselves! The downside of all this wonder and amazment is the fact that it's really difficult to find somewhere tucked away to camp. We pressed on,deciding if we could get to Top Springs we would stay there. The road runs mostly through thick scrub, with fences on both side, but suddenly, about 40ks from Top Springs, it breaks out into open country. Cattle crowd around, dozily on and beside the road, heads slowly turning, following you as you pass by, reluctant to move out of the way, as if it is vitally urgent they do not move from this spot.

Top Springs it turns out, isn't.

Still it is a friendly place to stay, with an inviting lawn to pitch a tent on and wonder of wonders, a shower block! Not sure where everybody is going, but there seems to be a lot of traffic!

CSR day 2

CSR day 2

We spent most of the night lamenting why we didn't pay that little bit more and get better sleeping bags...it was freezing! Stupidly cold for only 120km south of Normanton. A biting wind managed to mangle the awning that has withstood the worst that Cooktown could throw at it. I spent a pleasent few minutes in the outdoors, inappropriately dressed, trying to fix said awning so that it would stop rattling for a few minutes. The joy of camping!

A crisp clear morning greeted us as we crawled bleary eyed from the tent, a spectacle that was lost on us! I got the kettle going, but it needed constant care as the wood was wet from yesterdays rain. Eventually we got enough hot water for drinks and later on, threw everything in the car in complete disarray and hurried out of bang bang jump up as quickly as the car would accelerate away!

First stop was Cloncurry, our first time back in 18 years...just like we remember...

Fuel, morning tea and away. The bright lights of Mt Isa beckoned us. Actually, the first thing you see is the massive chimney above the mine! Thankfully, Mt Isa has progressed to a point where you can buy decent -6 sleeping bags, and then due to a ticketing error, get 15% off!

No time to celebrate though, back on the road, westward, ever westward.

Camooweal next, took about as long to read it as we spent in it!

The obligitory photo at the NT border, with the stunning nothingness of the Barkley tablelands on all sides. It is beautiful to be able to see the horizon in all directions, sweeping across your eyes with no interuptions.

We have camped about 100km west of the border, in a roadside stop. Nowhere near as cold at the moment, although the wind has been howling all day, and doesn't look like easing off soon. Clear and sunny all day.

Fuel today at Cloncurry, $1.72cpl and Camooweal $1.91cpl.

Canning Stock Route Day 1

CSR Day 1

We didn't get a really good sleep last night, in anticipation of starting our long awaited CSR trip. Obviously, because we had to pack the car, we had record breaking rains yesterday, (over 200mm) but today was looking slightly brighter, cloudy but not raining.

We had everything packed and were underway by 8am, about half an hour down the road, we realized that we'd forgotten to turn the hot water service and the gas off! A quick call to Nanettee and Murray, who kindly offered to zip around and turn them off for us.

Atherton was situation normal...mizzle. It's thicker than mist but not quite drizzle. Over the ranges to Ravenshoe. It was just like flying, driving along the road, the clouds just above our heads! Turn right at the Matilda roadhouse, and settle back for the 200km run to the next intersection.

Really the only interesting thing to report was that it continued to rain periodically most of the day. Usually the weather once away from the great dividing range is sunny, not today. We stopped at Mt Suprise for cup-a-soup served from the tailgate, what an old couple we've turned into! Mt Suprise is a lovely little place for a stop.

Next was Croyden where we stopped for fuel. $1.63cpl. Here wa got a very pleasent suprise. Our fuel consumption is 13l per hundred k's. I can hear everybody groaning, 'oh no, he measures fuel consumption' but on a trip like this it is important, especially when the stuff is going to get more and more expensive! Considering the load we have, I thought the consumption was excellent. We have pulled up at a jump-up called bang bang, about 120k's south of Normanton. A beautiful outback sunset welcomed us to the Savannah, as we set the camp up. It took us an hour or so, hopefully we'll get quicker as the trip progresses. Quite chilly tonight, early to bed!

Flying the Morning Glory Cloud 2011

In September 2011 Bob and I drove the 12 hours to Burketown to experience a most amazing weather phenomenon....The Morning Glory Cloud.

Here is our compilation video from the trip.

Einsleigh Camping Weekend

Chillagoe smelter

A free weekend! Woohoo!

After the Cape York trip, what we needed was more camping! We couldn’t resist the urge to get away from the recent wet weather Cairns and the coast has been experiencing, and the call was go west. The trip out from the tablelands is really beautiful, lots of changing scenery and history galore, for those who wish to find it. It is all in the landscape from Aboriginal peoples to the pioneer cattleman and miners (Ion Idriess wrote many famous stories of this area) to the Second World War and the modern day eco-friendly wind farm.

I reckon there are places around here that if you stay still and listen really carefully, just on dusk, you can hear all these people still in the bush. The aboriginal kids chasing lizards, the miners yarning as they roll a smoke after another hard day digging rocks. The bullocky’s whip cracking as he swears at his reluctant team to haul the huge boiler teetering above them up the impossible slopes to the new field. The young Aussie soldiers stirring each other up during what is supposed to be marching practice. It’s all here, and most of it is just a short walk from the road.

We traverse the ranges, the little Suzuki motor giving all of its 47kw to get up and over the Great Divide. Loaded with only enough gear to make dinner, a cup of tea and sleep comfortably, the trip takes only a few hours. The landscape changes dramatically in those few short hours though. What was lush rainforest and tall rose gum trees is now low shrubs, grey stumps, brown grasses and ironbark trees. There isn’t a lot of shade, but it’s important not to camp under the trees, as they are likely to drop a limb when you least expect it.

The people out here are very welcoming as well, they really appreciate the effort you’ve made to come out and say hello. It’s a genuine friendliness too, the same we experienced on the cape. People willing to stop for a yarn, to answer your questions, and curious to know where you’ve come from and are going to.

First night is at Einsleigh. We pick a spot near the confluence of the Copperfield and Einsleigh Rivers, just below the Copperfield Gorge. The ground doesn’t like tent pegs, and refuses to even consider letting them in, so we find a reasonably level spot, away from the trees, unfold the tent and put the billy on to enjoy the sunset, and clear star-filled night skies.

The next day sees us back in Forsayth, after being away for too many years. We have visited here before, on the Savannahlander train. The town hasn’t changed much, but the atmosphere is still the same. Faded pictures of the towns’ roaring days displayed in the main street, along with notices for the next RFDS clinic and fund raiser for the hospital.

The road to Georgetown is an easy run. The highway back to Mt Surprise full of construction trucks making the new high level bridge over the Einsleigh River.

We detour down the Ootaan road. We have been here before as well. Things have certainly changed along this stretch. It is now a designated road-train road, and is barely recognisable since we last visited about 17 years ago. Luckily, only one road train had to move aside to let the Suzuki pass, so it wasn’t too scary for them.

We set up camp on the banks of the Chillagoe Creek and headed back to the smelters to take far too many sunset photos, once again. The smelters at sunset seem to have that effect on photographers. We know we have already taken that shot, and that one, but we still take it again.

Another lovely clear night, listening to the wallabies thump through the bush on their way to where-ever it is that Wallabies go to at night.

We pack up and head back into the developing coastal grey, only to find out the weekend we left behind has been OK. There hasn’t been any rain and everyone is feeling much better, including us!
If you get the chance, head west to the old goldfields. You will find history, scenery, mighty rivers, gemstones (if you are lucky and actually look for them, unlike us!), wide open spaces, starry nights and good people.

Einsleigh train station

sunset on the Copperfeild River Gorge

Happy Dog!

sunset Chillagoe smelter

Locals......

The Historic Einsleigh pub

Cape York Adventure Highlights video

Bob arrived back from Heathlands on Saturday afternoon after 3 days of driving.  On Sunday we removed all the packaging from the trike. Bob had wrapped it in layers of heavy duty cling wrap, followed by the heavy duty covers followed by the camp covers and then a tarp. It faired well considering the roads and dust. We vacuumed, wiped it it over with a damp cloth and then degreased the engine.  The wing traveled well and has no folds or creases. She is all brand new again and ready for the next adventure!

So, here is a short video of highlights from the trip.........

Day 17 (last day)

Dawn was a beautiful calm sunny affair. Only later did the clouds roll in and the wind start to pick up once again. Things didn't get packed very neatly today. All of us could smell the grass in the home paddock, and were pretty keen to sleep in our own beds again, without water dripping on us in the middle of the night. So everything basically got jammed in, where it would fit and not fall out too often.
The road between Musgrave and Hann River is probably the worst on the Cape at the moment. Very large corrugations, and lots of them, plague the road along the flats. The country here looks like it gets wet and stays wet when the rains come. Skinny, sickly looking stunted trees that offer no shade and shrubs that have large not-friendly thorns struggle to stay alive on the thin dusty ground. As soon as it dries out, the soil instantly turns from mud into corrugations, and stays that way until the next rains.The road isn't actually terrible, it's just that the roads have been so unusually good the rest of the trip that a few corrugations upset us. Called in quickly to Harold at Laura Store to say thanks and then sped along the oh-so-smooth bitumen once it started near Lakeland. The cars got a wash down at Lakeland, through the automatic weed seed washer-offer. Stopped for lunch at the cafe at Mt Molloy. A huge burger each nearly sent everyone to sleep on the drive back to Mareeba.
We got home around 3pm. All our stuff was thrown in a heap on the driveway and sad farewells exchanged. Got started straight away on the de-dusting, sorting, washing and drying out of gear chores.
It has been a great trip, despite the weather dramas and distinct lack of flying (especially for Steve and Tanya) but I'm glad we went.
Thanks to everyone who helped out with gear and services. Thanks also to our responsible adult, Dee. All of those who told us we couldn't (or shouldn't) do it, and turned out to be right, thanks for that advice as well. We went anyway.

Rather be a has-been than a never-was!
All that remains now is to get back in a car the day after tomorrow and drive the dusty 700km back to the top and bring our aeroplane back!

Last brekky, Musgrave.

Bob & Tracey