Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd June, 2024

We only drove about 120kms yesterday. It would have been double the kilometres to get to Warburton, which felt too much for a day when we weren’t getting away early. Also, after leaving the stretch of bitumen that spans the roadhouse the gravel was very rough again, not much fun for driving. But, after a while we struck gold, a section of newish bitumen road and we haven’t left that section. Perhaps this is the 40km section of bitumen we’ve heard about.

After packing up we farewelled our host and bought some mixed frozen veggies and a meat pack for our dinner. We have eggs and cans left, but as we were only planning a shortish drive I thought we would actually enjoy cooking in the evening.

We then drove across the road and out to a stand of rocks called The Zoo. We couldn’t really make out animals, but were able to walk to the top where there was a wonderful view. It was our first completely cloudless day and the atmosphere was very dry. We drank more water than usual to keep up.

On the way to The Zoo there was a big area with smashed cars, Stephen has a photo, so I must get that from him. There are smashed up cars along the road, but this was a proper graveyard.

We stopped at a place called Paradise Camp for lunch. It was a very wide area of blue metal and we set up the Starlink on the ground as it was so clean. There was no one else there, but it looked like a good spot to spend the night.

I had read about the Desert Surf Central campground which had positive reviews. It is a huge area, with lots of possible camping places. We initially drove left along the cliff face through an area that was like beautiful parkland. I wanted to stay there, but Stephen was keen to see the moonrise over the horizon, which meant going to the right of the entry road. It was difficult to find a level spot. The road to the top of the cliff was too steep for us, though it would have been an ideal place to view the moonrise.

Then, after we had settled in the clouds rolled in. We walked to a place to watch the moonrise, but couldn’t see anything. On the other hand, the clouds helped to make for a beautiful sunset.

We had a peaceful night, a little too close to the main road for my comfort, but there isn’t much traffic anyway, I just don’t like being visible.

This morning was less chilly than usual due to the clouds, though there is a strong breeze. It’s still partly cloudy.

I’ve suggested to Stephen that we stay at Warburton tonight. It’s only about 130kms away, but the next free camp along the route is called Piggies Place, which is too much of a come down from places called Paradise Camp and Desert Surf Central.

And so, we made it to Warburton. We had bitumen for a while, then gravel, then some bitumen, then some gravel. If we had let down our tyres for the gravel we would be forever pumping up and letting down. Very annoying.

We had a brief stop for morning tea at a roadside parkup with a view to the Brown Ranges, we think, though it could have been the Warburton Ranges.

On arrival here we booked in, checked out their well stocked grocery range, then struggled with the lock to the compound where we are staying. With the help of the kind staff we got in and found a pleasant camping place with grass. There are all of the usual amenties, which look a little nicer than those at our last roadhouse. Plus a dump point.

We have some young people with a rooftop tent next to us and they have lit a campfire in the supplied firepit. I can’t see it from where I am sitting, but the smell of the smoke is really pleasant.

The caravan park has a locked gate and fences with barbed wire at the top. It is well lit and there are CCTV cameras. Nevertheless, locals have been known to snoop around and take stuff. There is no danger of violence.

There were people wanting to sell paintings following us a bit when we arrived, including into the roadhouse. The paintings looked nice, but we don’t have room to buy stuff.

There is a 4G Telstra signal here, but it’s slow and we have put out the Starlink for our call with Matt. We will bring it in later, of course. Even when we were parked on our own last night I bought it in at bedtime. We could hear dingos howling and I worried that an animal might come by and bounce it over, or nibble the cord, or something. Once it came in I could enjoy peace of mind.

We saw the beautiful moon later in the night, but it would be good if we could see it coming up over the horizon. We have one more chance tonight. We will drive half way to the next roadhouse to a free camp. Then stay two nights at the roadhouse. After that we cross into the Northern Territory with one more stop before we reach Uluru. We are not in a hurry as the Great Central Road was the major part of this trip, a destination in itself.