8/03/2004 - Stage 1, Day 20, Page 4 of 4 - Moongrosse Channel (on the Birdsville Track) to Port Lincoln, SA

Not much further up the track we came across the place where the flood waters had been weeks earlier but had already receded.  We drove over a sand dune and the barron desert turned into a lush green field!  There was almost a line you could draw dividing the two, it was far from gradual.

Then came the South Australia/Queensland border.  Prior to this stage Bradley had been a Queensland virgin, so here's the big pictures of his first time in the top end!




I wasn't quick enough with the camera to get him jumping for joy across the border.

A couple more km and we were in Birdsville.  Stopped at the libary to check emails and count the flies.  Drove past the caravan park and both decided it sucked (along with the flies and the heat).  Decided to lash out on a room at the pub with an air conditioner and a real bed!

Cruised into the Birdsville Hotel, had a couple of beers (it's compulsory in these places) and asked for a room.  We both fell clean off our bar stools when the bloke said $100.  We stumbled dumbfounded from the pub with our tails between our legs and moped back to the caravan park to book our tent site (4/3/2004).

By god I had thought there were a lot of flies in Mungerannie.  Well, I think there was at least one more in Birdsville, if not a million!  AGGGHHHHHHHHH!  And the ants!  Those hoards of biting, tickling black ants!

Met some lovely local children who drank us clean out of apple juice and chatterboxed our ears off.  The two girls Talia and Michelle were really keen on my Australian Bird Field Guide and their little brother Henry said our dinner looked like, 'Yuckie poo poo'.

Another early pack up the next morning (5/3/2004).  We'd left one of our 10 litre water containers open during the night and the surface of the water was totally black with dead ants.  The bastards were on EVERYTHING!  We were almost finished packing up when the caravan park owner came over to tell us that he'd just heard about us on the ABC radio (those journalists!).

Took off with no time to spare.  We both decided that we were over ants, flies, mozzies and heat.  We were now south bound tourists on a mission!

Straight out of town and back over the Diamantina River.  The picture below shows the river at about 3.5m, but in the preceding weeks it had peaked at 7.9m, flowing well over the bridge and surrounding the township.


Well south it was. We drove the whole Birdsville Track, then through to Marree and on to Hawker where we camped up at about 7.30 at the caravan park (5/3/2004).  Nice place, but still too hot, so off we went again the next morning.  Through Port Augusta and onto Whyalla where we'd planned to stay the night.  Well what a hole!  After a short drive around town we decided to keep going, so we took off further south to Cowell, but the caravan parks were too full there.  Off again to Arno Bay.  Their caravan park was poky, so we had a beer at their pub and drove back out of town to camp in the bush along-side the road.  Good spot too.

Next day we checked out Tumby Bay.  Very nice place where people were catching garfish and king fish off the jetty.  Definately worth returning there.  Headed south again and pulled in at the Port Lincoln caravan park.  The park's about 30mins walk from the town centre - which is a good thing after sitting in a car for three weeks!  Had a lovely seafood dinner in town last night and spent today (8/3/2004) walking around town and updating the website (takes about 3 or more hours each time).  Port Lincoln is a lovely place and we're planning to stay here a few days before heading up the western side of the Eyre Peninsula.

Must go now.  Bradley's dying of boredom beside me!

Back to work now all you employed sorts!

Love to all from Katie and Bradley


ps.  what a view at Port Lincoln!