GTG - Day 18–Somewhere to Bedourie!

Setting off again, we’re seriously good at packing up these days, and we’ve got a big day ahead, as the normal road to Bedourie is closed, meaning an additional 50-70 km in detours. Boo.

 

The sun is pretty vicious today, and it’s shaping up into a head wind too. Not ideal, and the group is just slogging away.

Rick (in the sweep truck) tries valiantly to keep morale up…it’s good to have him out here sometimes!

 

By the time we finally turn back to Bedourie after the detours, we’re all knackered, and it’s a welcome stop for morning tea near a weird little natural spring bubbling up from under a sand dune. Neat!

 

A large herd of cattle make some mischief after morning tea, along with the occasional dust ball truck!

 

Rick once again provides a welcome drink stop and some cookies, before we finally make the turn back to the north along the recently re-opened road into Bedourie.

The next 22 km’s is a total blast, with a healthy tails wind, bitumen and a bunch of water crossings that cheers everyone up a heap … cool fun!

 

 

Arriving into Bedourie ends one of the hardest days so far, and after a quick set up of tents, it’s off to the town swimming pool for a cool dip. Ahhh.

Bedourie is a neat little place, with some amazing infrastructure – pool, sports center, council chambers – all in all it seems way out of proportion with the population. After a chat with the locals, we discover that it’s a centre for quite a few big cattle stations and a bunch of satellite townships. We also discover that we’re a little lucky to get through on the roads, as they’ve only re-opened 2 days before, and had been closed for over 2 months. Wow!

There are bugs here in proportions that we haven’t seen before, and the locals tell us they all came in on a storm front 3 days ago. We’re talking walls colored black with bugs, and dead bugs over 1cm deep around the toilets and showers. Quite amazing – thank heavens for tent fly screens…

< end of day 18 >

GTG - Day 17– Towards Bedourie …

It’s off again, and farewell to Birdsville caravan park. Good spot for a visit!he
The distance signs serve as a sober reminder that we’ve still got a long way to go, but it’s a beautiful day, a tail wind and bitumen… so what could go wrong?

Ok, so if the road was closed that would be bad, right ? Not for this bunch of loonies… we push on!
The excitement for the day comes in the form of a tree called  “Waddi” tree. Apparently it’s so hard, it can cause damage to axes and saws. Neat, but not that interesting… really… so we push on towards morning tea.
 
Another kind of tree begins to represent the general state of mind of the traveller that happens to make it this far, and it’s nice to come across some amenities! (silly Pete… you should’ve gone before we left!) Apparently an artist from Birdsville likes reconstructing household scenes on the side of the road…. now that’s art. Hmm.
 
The road continues to wind gently north, and because we’re looking for a bush camp tonight, we can camp anywhere.

 
There really isn’t much out here.


<end of day 17>

Updated - Total track so far

Gulf to Gulf - Mt Isa at EveryTrail

.. and more daily entries to follow as I can!

GTG - Day 12 to 15

Heading out from Mungerannie sees us ride for 4 days with 3 bush camps. It’s about now that the trip starts to feel real, and the enormity of this country becomes increasingly apparent.
 
The occasional hot spring continues to amaze, as they are really too hot to bear… and the camping spots start to become somewhat ad-hoc.
 
There is plenty of evidence that it has been wet, although we haven’t seen much of it on our travels…
 
Sometimes you can see the curvature of the earth…. and the road often disappears.
 
OMG – water….
 
Lunch on day 14 is set near our first real water challenge…!
 

20 minutes after lunch, and we’re counting our blessings that this is only the first stretch of water… it was cool, but very muddy. After cleaning the bikes and our shoes, it’s off again to our Pandie Pandie campsite. Flies flies and more flies. Luckily, it’s Pete to the rescue with the trusty aero guard.
 
Pandie Pandie is a beautiful setting in the sand dunes.

We’re all excited on day 15, as we’re off to Birdsville for a welcome rest day.
 
We cross into QLD, quite a milestone really.
 
 
.. and finally, the halfway point by time… Birdsville!
 
The bakery is a big hit, and it’s high time to clean the bikes!
 
Some of us take a sunset tour, and we’re glad we did… simply stunning.
 
Back at the Birdsville Hotel, something is not quite right.. must be heatstroke as some of the boys forget that they are … boys..

Dinner at the pub is followed by much partying and frivolity…. and we’re up early the next morning for the Anzac Day services…
<end of days 12 top 15>