DAY 18 - PUNMU + TO DOOLENA GAP [MARBLE BAR +50KLM] 07/05/16 342 KLM

It has rained on and off since midnight, but we are in a really safe position where we stopped.  It is very light rain as Tony knocks at 6.00am requesting that we get  going  to the Telfer Mine Road before more rain, which may result in us being forced to stay.  The Telfer Mine Road is approx 27 klm away, which we hope is a much improved road.   We reluctantly agree to the request, realising it is the best thing to do, but very apprehensive about what lies ahead.

We encounter some very large puddles across the road where you are driving blind for 3 – 5 seconds with water going over the top of the car.  Fortunately the road base has improved compared to yesterday, though we still encounter some fish-tailing.  30 klms on and we hit bitumen….hooray!!!    We find a truck stop area to stop for breakfast and then to reinflate the car and van tyres.  The latter proves to be not possible due to decorative collars on the van valves, being too long to enable pump attachment to hold.

Michael spends some of the time scraping thick mud off the running boards of the car……the cables connecting the car to the van are covered in red ironstone.

We have not had sunshine for the past two days and we note that the van’s battery charge is down to 56%.

Back on the road and unfortunately the tar finishes and back to dirt and more slipping, but roads improving.   By this stage we start to encounter the Ripon Hills, which can range from a series of Mesa like hills, to rocks ranging in colour from red to some of a bluish-green.  On the dirt we are glad we have not increased the tyre pressure for the van as it gives us a bit more control.

We finally hit a permanent run of bitumen of approx 150 klm to Marble Bar, where we stop for a break, and lunch of Fish & Chips at the Marble Bar pub. Lunch very nice, with a sav blanc!!!! Impressive little park to recognise Australia’s armed forces and campaigns over the years.

Time to fill up and we find some very helpful people who assist with the removal of the tyre valve collars to enable us to pump up our van tyres.   Then the boss takes us to his property so that we can use his bore to wash some of the accumulated mud from the vehicles and vans.  The petrol station boss is also a cattleman, who heads off and leaves us to the mud removal, but returns a half hour later in his helicopter.

We then head off on the Port Headland Road and some 50 klm above Marble Bar we come across a large gorge system that requires all vehicles to go to UHF 40 and speed restrictions of 40 kph for the large trucks with 4 trailers.   Wiki camps has identified free camping in this area so we are on the lookout for the turn

We have switched over to Channel 40, but not Tony who is having difficulty communicating with us.   He slows down to the road shoulder in front of one these large ore carrying trucks.  Hehe, there was some very colourful language coming from the truck driver.

We drive into the first part of the track and stop in an area well off the road in an open area beside a dry river bed, with some interesting tree trunks growing in the area.

Tony immediately after setup, organises his fire for cooking.   Michael cooks our marinated pork spare ribs on our outside BBQ , a great meal compared to last nights sandwich.  We sit around the camp fire  discussing the last day and a half, and taking in the night sky as the cloud layer dissipated.

I  decided to experiment with the camera and take some shots of the fire, this is one I got, what are the chances of photographing deer shaped flames?