“That was Mungalalla”

“Huh? Where?  What?”

“Oh, sorry, you missed it!”

Today we passed through Dulbydilla, Amboola, Yo Yo Park and  Augathella to name a few.

This morning was 0 degrees C.  Boy, was it cold.  Someone at the caravan park had ice inside their tent, but I think we were all warm enough last night.  Katie and Nadine  had the bunk beds, the three big boys had one end, and Grant, Cooper and I had the other.  All snug and cosy.  I slept like a complete log, and didn’t notice a thing all night. 

After a chilly breakfast and cleaning up, we were on the road at 8.30am.  Pretty good for us after such a long day yesterday.  It was a bit sad not to visit the Mitchell artesian baths, but we had to keep moving to get to Darwin and across to Broome before the wet season comes.

There was more wild life along the road today. We saw a lot of live emus and a couple of live wallabies. But what is a black shadow on the road, then as you get closer turns red?  Ask Dominic, he is the road kill alert. He spots the crows from a long way away and then just before we hit them, the crows hop casually away and there is mangled Australian Emblem.   There were so many all along the road today.  Once I counted forty in 10 minutes.  Grant said to keep our eyes open for a fresh one we could take for dinner!   Cooper  took  up the cry and kept calling out “word kill”.  We tried to correct him but he was adamant.

We stopped just before Morven to finally check the air in the tyres.  Has been surprisingly hard to find somewhere with (a)a hose for air and (b) air somewhere we can get the caravan into. 

The boys decided to wrestle in the back just north of Augathella,  so we stopped there at a rest stop to stretch our legs.  There was a toilet block on stilts and  Cooper managed to fall down them, or through them, and cut his tongue a little.  Nothing an Anzac cookie couldn’t fix.

Dominic found a big piece of bitumen that was soft and bendy and he wanted to bring home with him.  “I’ll never get another piece like this!”  He was right about that!  Grant pacified him with a small bit broken off.

Nadine found some interesting dried mud that she wanted to bring with her….she didn’t get any of that!

After that we came across two lots of road works.  Out here in the outback, they like to live nice and relaxed….so 15 minutes or more later….we got through the first one! 

Lunch at Tambo was very picturesque

Tambo for lunch, beside the river with some desperate ducks.  It was a very pretty spot, nice and green.

We passed a few buildings in Tambo that were built in 1888 or around there.  They were very nice. Signs pointed out that Major Mitchell explored around the area in 1849.

Longreach caravan park is quite small and squashed in.  Ok for an overnight!  But we had to back in the caravan and disconnect the car.  This evening the kids were finishing off a video they had started in the car, and were all sitting on our bed – six of them.  Grant came in and decided he wanted to be part of it too, so on to the bed he went, then I poked my head around – and the whole caravan tipped on it’s end!  I ran back to the other end and it righted itself!  But now we know that those little balancing feet that you put down when you set up camp are good for something!  And not just to stop rocking from side to side!
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Vicki