The first exits start to roll at 7.00am. There were vehicles packed and queuing at 5am.
Sunrise shining onto Big Red.
The trees were in a roped off area just opposite our camp. Note the moon still setting.
Using the last of the billy water to crown windscreens.
And it was a free service.
All packed up and ready to roll. Just the billy to be packed and the bucket n
Phil and Steve out of camp and heading up to the main track out.
They got around the corner without stopping.
In 2017 we queued for a long time to get out. The claim is that a vehicle leaves Bashville every 7 seconds. Anyway I was stopped at intersection by traffic management for 5 or so minutes, then let out and off we went seamlessly without stopping or even slowing down all the way to Birdsville. Amazing organisation.
Stef needed to dump Porta pottie contents and Phil and Steve has rubbish for the tip. The plan was to meet on other side of Birdsville on way to Windorah.
While waiting at the T the grey water guys drove past. Mustn’t be fans of 4 XXXX.
We hit the road bound for Windorah with numerous others. Quite a bit of challenge in keeping the convoy together over a mixture of gravel and bitumen roadway.
Even had a couple of RFDS emergency landing strips to drive over.
Numerous vehicles were pulled off changing flat/shredded tyres which makes you hope that we won’t have any. With 4 vehicles and a camper you think about the odds. Anyway we got through today without any mishaps.
On the RFDS landing strip.
Back to the real world- dust and corrugations.
A Dreamtime snake on a rocky outcrop. We reckon it’s had a refresh since our last drive by.
It was getting on when we decided we needed lunch - passed a couple of rest stops with loos - but they were chockers - the lines for loo were longer than those at the Bash. One had 3 coaches and numerous others pulled up for TWO loos. We found a track to a tank and pulled up for lunch before proceeding on to Windorah.
Windorah was next stop for fuel for me - however when we entered town there was a detour for fuel - the vehicles were lined up around the block - a fair wait was needed. Some radio discussion concluded everyone else would make it to Quilpie and Phil was carrying 20 litres that would ensure I could make it too.
Entering Barcoo Shire.
Some old stockyards
The dam we stopped for lunch at.
Through the fence to check the dam.
Old tanks once filled by a windmill.
There are very few windmills left operational. They have been superseded by Solar operated pumps and fibre glass tanks.
Some plants responding to the water.
Another of these plants
A sadly dead windmill.
A relic of times past.
This was the more recent of two vanes
The maybe original vane.
Windorah was next stop for fuel for me - however when we entered town there was a detour for fuel - the vehicles were lined up around the block - a fair wait was needed. Some radio discussion concluded everyone else would make it to Quilpie and Phil was carrying 20 litres that would ensure I could make it too.
After a quick pit stop we headed on our way. While there Mary phoned Quilpie Caravan Park, we were hopeful of a couple of cabins and a shower - no answer - a message left. The lady at the info centre/library/driver reviver told me that many people had mentioned that the Caravan Park wasn’t answering. We assume we have no chance tonight.
We continued to pass through channel country with swathes of green and quite a few different ‘fields’ of wildflowers - unfortunately we have many kms to cover and no time to stop for close up pics.
A rocky outcrop along our route
Rocky one minute and then a small red sand dune the next.
green and grassy the next
More of the lush growth following floods
Fields of yellow ‘flowers’
Crossing the Cooper Creek.
A lot of water in the creek.
It grew quickly darker watching carefully for Roos, goats and other potential road kill and I was watching my fuel quickly diminish. We hit the fuel light with 140kms to go. Mary did some research in the car user guide to see how the fuel pump is primed and we determine that we should ‘play the game’ and see how far we can get. Watching the needle fall to the empty line and beyond to the top of the E to the middle of the E and then it was done 16kms from Quilpie and fuel. Anyway thanks to the jerry and the fellas assisting the heavy lifting we topped up, primed pump and were on our way. Into Quilpie to fill at a 24 hour fuel stop. Meg phoned the caravan park again only to find no vacancy AT ALL, not even unpowered sites. Meg checked out the pub and Mary and I the bowls club. Buffets all around as the place was full of BRB folk. We chose the Bowls club.
We finally made it to Quilpie after dark and filling with fuel.
Thanks to Meg and her various free camping apps we found a camp option just out of town on the Bullo River. Too dark to see much but quite a few campers already scattered around. We went a bit further in and picked a spot. Pretty rough but Sarah and I reckoned we could find a flat enough spot. So set up camp about 9.00ish. Built a quick fire, loo tent up and a cuppa and hot water bottles filled before bed.
The campsite was actually an area that had floods through. All the wood for fires was wrapped around the standing trees -easy wood collection once I figured that out.
A flower outside the loo tent.
A friend in my tent
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