Day 10 dingoes and budgies

Day 10 As we sit at well 41 enjoying our dinner the  full moon is rising over a distant sand dune in a spectacular haze of purple and orange light. As it rises higher in the night sky it appears to be a partial eclipse. The bottom right quadrant has a shadow in front of it, increasing in size.
We were up and at 'em around 6am, porridge for brekky, a quick pack up of the tent and hit the track at 7.45. We met Jon and Kerrin about 15 minutes down the track where they had found a nice camp site. They were packed and ready to leave. Jon had a test light that was easier to get than mine on board so we checked the voltage in the auxiliary battery....not a lot...well..not enough anyway. We shut the bonnet in thorough disgust and decided to have a good day anyway! LOTS and lots of sand dunes today. Our guide book said between wells 43 and 42 was the longest section between wells with the most amount of sand dunes and the highest sand dunes on the CSR, some measuring almost 17metres high. We did well though and didn't miss a beat over any. We saw another dingo today. This one not as friendly and was keen to get back to her hideout. We spotted her near tank 42 Guli Lake where the book says there are very large rabbits! The dingo would be well fed judging by the size of the rabbit burrows we saw on the southern edge of Guli Lake! Morning tea at Guli Tank 42 where we were entertained by flocks of emerald green budgies flitting and swooping all over the place. Meanwhile two miserable looking major Mitchell galahs looked on without much interest! Continuing on we found a great spot for lunch under a stand of shady gum trees. Just as we were about ready to depart we heard some radio chatter, ten minutes later a tag along tour arrived......10 four wheel drives of various description, makes and models came lumbering over the sand dune and into our  shady lunch spot! A quick chat to the guide revealed the two vehicle in front of us are towing trailers and finding the dunes hard going. We were also filled in on the story of the abandoned Jeep we saw yesterday....apparently he ran out of fuel and just got out and started to walk! We thought the whole thing looked a bit strange! Onward ever southward we continued, finding well 41 at around 3.30. We decided to set up camp, have a wash with water from the well and hand wash some clothes. Hopefully they will dry by the morning....no doubt they will, it very dry out here...my lips and skin are not used to this dry climate!

Day 9 real sand dune country

CSR Day 9 Early rise 6.15am for us, 5.15am for Jon and Kerrin. Breakfast of porridge then pack up and away from camp at 8.15am.  We had camped at the base of a sand dune so two minutes after departure we climbed a sand dune!  We could hear over the radio a couple of camper trailers having issues in the dunes but they soon faded from radio range. Today we saw two broken jeeps. The first one was  a complete mystery. Parked beside the track containing the owners clothes, some ID and other personal items. The radiator was full of spinifex grass seeds but no sign of anything fires or indication of breakdown. It is as if he has just got out for a walk. The second jeep however was a burnt out shell which had been rolled onto its side to unblock the track. The policeman in Halls Creek told us the driver was ok.  Today we visited wells 46, 45 and 44. Near well 46 a dingo came to have a look at us. She was very inquisitive  and not very afraid. We got lots of photos then continued on to the well. Well 46 was fully restored in 1998 & 2002 but some one had stolen the bucket so no water for us. We had morning tea at well 45, just a hole in the ground with a rusty old bucket to mark the place. We drove over lots of sand dunes today. I walked up some of them to get some video and photos. Tyre pressure were reduced again to 18psi on both vehicles. We could hear other people on the radio having trouble on the dunes, but we did OK with only one or two requiring a second attempt. At around 4.30 we spotted a camp site at the base of a sand dune about 20kms from well 43. Bob and I have camped for the night here, Jon and Kerrin have continued on as they couldn't find a place to turn around. They will camp further up the track and hopefully find somewhere to camp before it gets dark. Lamb and vege soup for dinner whilst watching the almost  full moon rise above the sand dunes.  After dinner we re-fuelled the car with fuel from the big tank in the tray.  We think the second battery is buggered as it has not recharged after 3 days of driving. So, no fridge. We will see if there is a mechanic at Kunawarratji to check the battery then decide what to do from there.

Day 8 CSR Breaden Hills

CSR day 8 Late getting away, discovered the terminal on the battery was loose, hopefully that will fix the fridge, and fabricated a new sand flag to replace the one lost yesterday this one lasted about an hour before also being lost... Let some air out of the tyres yesterday to take the edge off the corugations, and let some more out today. Breaden hills was the stop of choice today. We got to visit both Breaden pool and Godfrey tank. Both natural water holes on gorges behind Breaden hills. The finches kept us entertained. They come to drink in their thousands, the air vibrating with their wing beats. Also spotted what looked like a peregrine falcon hunting the finches. More finches at Godfreys tanks  as well as a grinding stone, used by aboriginal people to make spinifex flour. Had lunch at Breaden pool and got going late. J & K wanted to get to well 46 but last thing, right on dusk we came across two massive sand dunes that held us up for ages while we dropped pressures, etc. Finally, we got over them, but it was dark, so the first available spot, we have pulled over and camped.

Day 7 CSR

CSR day 7 Wolfe creek to well 49 via Billilinu. We set off from wolfe creek about 8am. The road is very open and in good condition, so we got to Billiluna in no time at all. Scotty had told horror stories about fuel at Billiluna, and how you had to pay for it, even if you didn't use it. We had to wait for Harold to fill up the town grader, but you estimate how much you need and the pump stops when you reach that amount, easy! The mandatory CSR sign photo and we were actually on the track. A little way down the track, we stopped to attach sand flags and Jon attached his spinifex shade cloth to the front. The track is very rough, very corrugated. The shock absorbers ran red hot all afternoon. It was actually really dangerous, as the track is so rough it becomes necessary to travel around 40kph to get above the corugations, but then you are traveling too fast to actually see anything, and to quick to stop if someone is coming the other way. A real find of the day was after lunch at well 50 Kerrin's guidebook suggested a place called Calverda soak about 4 k's from the clay pan of well 50. It is actually incredibly beautiful and a real highlight. It is about 700m walk and the soak is up a side gorge with aboriginal petroglyphs. Just awesome. We are camped tonight at well 49 we have hauled some water up and discovered our fridge isn't working...

Wolfe Creek, the crater not the movie!

CSR day 6

We actually slept pretty well last night, both of us toasty in our sleeping bags. Up just before sunrise, we packed up slowly, not really wanting to get back on the road. The roof racks needed adjusting, the corrugations giving them a workout. Other than that, we are travelling well. A little way down the road, we tried to charge the computer on the inverter, but it told us we didn't have enough power... it appears that we have used too much power yesterday, charging things up. The fridge isn't working very well, the same thing that happened in Cooktown. Because we only drove as far as Wolfe Creek, about an hour down the road, the battery didn't get enough charge to keep everything running smoothly.Bugger, bugger, bugger. We decided we had had enough and set up camp in the camping area. After lunch, we decided a walk was in order and set off over the lip of the crater and across the bottom. It is actually really beautiful, lots of wildflowers of all variaties and shapes and sizes. Against the red rock, we soon had the digital cameras running hot!

Across the other side, we ascended the ridge and up to the lip. Suprisingly, the other side has almost no lip, it is the same height as the crater. We turned left, and followed the lip all the way back to the path. It is a beautiful walk, well worth the effort. We have turned the fridge off, as there is no point all it is doing is running the motor for no good reason.

CSR finally underway!

CSR Day 5

We woke early and decided to walk into town to the bakery, a lovely walk along the lake edge, sun rising over the red ridges to the south. We all needed to do some last minute shopping and met in town behind Coles about 9.30am. Finally, it felt like the trip is actually getting underway! Across the diversion dam and away! The first part of the trip was following a three trailer road train. It was impossible to get passed him once he got a head of steam up, but we managed to get around him as he was accelerating from a corner.

The scenery is spectacular on the way south, just beautiful. We stopped at Doon Doon roadhouse for a spell, and then a roadside stop for lunch. We hit Halls Creek about 3pm, seeking out the shell servo to top up every container of fuel and tanks we could. A quick visit to the police station gave us the info that we do not need to report to them anymore, they recomend informing friends and if something happens, then ring them. So, with no reason to hang around, we headed south! 16 ks out of town, we turned left and hit the dirt! The road is actually not too bad, patches of corrugations, but overall pretty good. The sunset arrives pretty quickly in these parts, so about 4pm, we started looking for a spot to camp. As usual, there was no-where! A few dead-end tracks proved no good, so we kept going. Finally, around 5pm, we seen a parking area and pulled into a lovely little tree covered area with two perfect places to camp! Lovely! Two others, both camper trailers, have pulled in as well, but well away. Really cold tonight...

CSR Day 4

CSR day 4

Between the fruit bats squabbling for territory in the tree beside the car, and the trucks idling beside the roadhouse, it was a pretty long night...hence we were both suprised to sleep in until 7.15! We are getting better at packing up, and it didn't take long to get everything organised and away. We have tried several different ways of packing the cab, and will try a few more I reckon before we get it right.

The road continues after Top Springs in excellent condition. The country changes rapidly and scenically through breakaways, jump-ups and valleys, all the while accompanied by cattle dreamily looking on...

We pass through the legendary VRD cattle station, crossing the Victoria river at Deadwood crossing. Not deep, but a nice diversion from the dust. The next scenic wonder is Japser Gorge. This was a real suprise, as it isn't really marked on the maps as anything scenic, but it truly is! The road breaks out of thick scrub onto open country, with beautiful tabletop hills, as if to say 'ta da! here is the Kimberly!!"

We wished we had more time to explore Japser Gorge, it just begs to be walked through and on and around, but we zipped through with only a few photos to show we even went there. From there, the road is still pretty good, but does start to get lumpy, just enough to make sure you are paying attention!

We hit the blacktop again about 20ks from Timber creek, and it doesn't take long to settle back into 115ks an hour, with the scenery flashing by once again. We have arrived in Kununurra and managed to find Jon and Kerrin in the correct van park. It is a lovely spot right on the lake, but pretty exxey price wise..

We leave for Halls Creek tomorrow, and our last internet for 3 weeks and 2,000km. We will update when we get to Kalgoorlie!!