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Monday 25/8/2014 Flynns 5th birthday.
We have some big driving days ahead of us now on our journey back to the East Coast. Heading to Spring Creek via the Bungle Bungles today - 660k. Been on the road since 8.30am, it's now 10.00am 31.6o in the car, windows open. Air con is too cold! Derby to Leycesters Rest via Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek, 657 km. A free camp site, with a long drop toilet. Toilet bowl was of concrete construction but had no toilet seat. Had an interesting experience when I went to use the toilet before going to bed, luckily I had my head light on as in the bowl just an inch or so down from the top was a huge huntsman spider, consequently I couldn't bring myself to use it. Mind you squatting in the bushes is also fraught with danger in this country.
We passed the turn off to Wolfe Creek, this is a big meteorite crater, and also famous for a very scary movie. Luckily it was 100 km down the road so didn't go and investigate it.
We have come across this meat in WA, marketed as Yeeda. Pete and Dawi had these rib eye steaks, they still had the bone on them and were massive, could feed a family of four easily. Yeeda is a station not far from Derby, there are three families that own this station plus 5 others. They run 96,000 head of stock, beef, lamb and goat. They have 10 full time staff, 8 part time, and 8 contractors. They have their own helicopters, and road trains, abbatoirs, etc,talking a huge scale operation.
Tuesday 26/8/2014 We pulled out of our camp site at 6.00am via Kununurra, Katherine, to Mataranka Homestead Resort. We called into the Victoria River Roadhouse, mainly to quench our thirst, first beer for the day (mid afternoon). The sign on the roadhouse read "Under New Ownership" but overtop of Ownership was written Wife. Another saying in the bar was "Alcohol - because you never hear a good story eating salad".
We went through Katherine at 6pm, 33o. 899 km for the day.
Mataranka Homestead Resort is renowned for their thermal springs, the water is bubbling up out of the ground @ 30.5 million litres per day. It was found in WWII, as there was an army base near the spring, officers only were able to use it! In 1975 the new owners of the station turned it into a tourist attraction, there are paved walkways into the pools, the sides are concreted and there is a water fall where the water flows out, it has a sandy bottom, around 3 to 4m deep where it flows in to around a 1m where it flows out. The water is crystal clear and oh so warm, perfect at 7.30am when we tried it out. The pool is surrounded by these really tall palms, obviously because of the abundant supply of water. Had a wallaby come right down to the waters edge to check us out.
The defender had another problem, it had been banging and making unusual noises since the desert, it turned out to be the back driveshaft universal joints. In Derby the boys removed the drive shaft, locked the centre diff, then drove it in two wheel drive. Yesterday at Kununurra Pete got it repaired, the guy at the bearing and machining shop just by chance had two on hand. He had bought them in for a Discovery but when he went to fit them the complete drive shaft needed replaced. The guy couldn't believe it when Pete turned up looking for one, he fitted both universals to the driveshaft $104.00 cash!
Wednesday 27/8/2014 The boys fitted the driveshaft to the truck this morning, so the Defender back on track again.
Since commencing this trip on the 3rd August we haven't had one drop of rain, do we miss it, no! T shirts and shorts since Alice springs. Have a good tan going.
Heading to the Barclay Homestead Roadhouse, south via Stuart Highway, turning left at Three Ways Roadhouse onto the Barclay Highway towards Mt Isa.
Speed limit in NT is open in some areas, then 130 or 110, wish we were in the Falcon. The roads are so long and straight not really a problem. Haven't seen a cop on the open road since staring this journey, apart from one near Halls Creek that was being followed by an ambulance. Probably because there had been a helicopter crash on one of the stations near there and the pilot was killed.
A lot of the places we have visited generate their own power, on the outskirts of the town you will find a big bank of generators and a couple of huge diesel tanks. The Barkley Homestead Roadhouse have a sign up advising people that their prices are higher because they use 500lt of diesel every 24hrs to run the place. Most of the roadhouses have camping areas, powered and non powered sites, motel units etc, plus a bar. $6.00 for a stubby. Basically everything you would find in a town is at the roadhouse. You can buy a stamp, post a letter, have a meal, etc. Lots of Road Trains pulled into Barclay, seems to be popular with the truckies. The Road Trains are pretty impressive to see at night, lights, lights and more lights, and spotlights to show the road in front for miles.
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Michelle Hi have enjoyed reading all your blogs and keeping up with all your travels. Sounds amazing. We are definitely going to do the horizontal falls now. Great to catch up. Safe travels