(written by Nancy (again...)) Up early at Banka Banka – pretty cold this morning – perhaps it is just the dark that makes you feel that way! There is some kind of Outback Adventure tour that stops at this place and when I went into the 'abolution block' early this morning it was chock-a-block with young … Continue reading Stuart Highway Express – Banka Banka Station to Elliot (155/4440k)

(written by Nancy) (note from Dave: Blues Win, Blues Win!!! NSW 18, Queensland 8, State of Origin II)) Another quiet night at the caravan parks, other than the packs of dogs barking in unison at random times during the night. It did not seem as cold this morning when we finally got up and moving … Continue reading Tailwinds on the Stuart Highway – Tennant Creek to Banka Banka Station (101/4285k)

(written by Dave) We woke early, even though it was a rest day – you just get in a rhythm. Perhaps it was me fidgeting, in anticipation of our pancake breakfast as well. Yes, that's right, we finally got to have pancakes today and they were great. We split a full batch between the two … Continue reading Tennant Creek chore day – interesting town

(written by Dave) We enjoyed the evening sitting round the table with Steve. The caravaners all headed inside their trailers once it started to get cold. The wind died down so it seemed relatively pleasant to us, compared to the last few days. All the locals and caravaners who've been here before are complaining that it … Continue reading Conquering the Barkly Highway to Tennant Creek (95/4184km)

(written by Dave) We had a great dinner in the roadhouse last night – the Sunday roast special. It was delicious with gravy and some good veggies too. We got some hot water to make our tea and headed back to the tent. While we were away some other folks set up their tent right … Continue reading A nice ride with Steve – Barkly Homestead to bushcamp 70k from 3-ways (117/4089

(written by Nancy) Cold overnight but not as chilly this morning as it was yesterday. We did not get up and going until almost 7 as it was very dark in the campsite. We seemed to be moving slow but made oatmeal and coffee to warm us up. Steve was up and ready to go before … Continue reading Kinder winds on the Barkley Highway – Bush camp to Barkly Homestead (125/3973k)

(Written by Nancy) We set the alarm for 5:45 so that we could get things packed and be on the road by the time it got light enough to ride. We made oatmeal in the room and had instant coffee to save time. Packing got a bit tense as we tried to fit the full … Continue reading Hard day in the cross winds – Camooweal to 130k from Barkleys Homestead (134/3848ks)

(written by Dave) Surprise, we are still in Camooweal – heavy overnight rains plus hard rain and wind when the alarm went off this morning forced us to pull the plug on riding today. The forecast was for less than 1mm of rain. By the time the alarm went off, according to the internet, we … Continue reading Rain forces change in plans – rest day in Camooweal

(written by Nancy) Well, we survived our first true bush camp! We slept okay though the wind picked up a bit during the night, which always seems to create weird noises that you can't identify. I don't think we had any animal visitors other than a cow on the other side of the fence – … Continue reading The weather turns – Bush camp to Camooweal (86/3714k)

(written by Dave) Today was the start of a long section where we are not sure of camping, food and most important water conditions on the road ahead. The next town is 190k and we didn't think we could ride that far so we planned to bush camp half way there. There was one rest … Continue reading Bush camp and water trials – Mt Isa to somewhere in the bush (102/3628)