Australia

Today we drove through the Gulf Country on some of Australia's most remote dirt roads and river crossings. We had some 800 kms to get through today which was broken up by a couple of Ozzie themed videos which Alan put on for us to watch.

We passed about 5 cars and 2 road trains all day. The trucks communicate to each other by radio. The road is a single track so when Alan can see a road train approaching, he speaks to the driver on the radio to let him know that he'll pull left/right off the road and they might advise each other of the weather ahead/flooded areas or if there's any cattle ahead.

The roads out here cut right through cattle stations, so now and again you get a herd of cattle just doing their cow thing in the middle of the road. These stations are massive, they can be the size of Switzerland! One station we went through is so big that during mustering season when they gather all their cattle together to brand the calfs and chose which to keep and which to sell/slaughter, it can take a few months. It's done by motorbike and horseback. During the dry season they have to keep the 70 odd water holes full for the cattle. So they employ 2 people full time, to regularly fly over each water hole to check (this alone is an 8 hour flight), if they see any problems they drive the 4x4 out to fill it or correct it. Most of larger stations are owned by companies and the smaller ones (well anything a quarter the size of Switzerland and under) are usually family owned.

We stopped for lunch at Tennant Creek. This place only has a police station - nothing else! The police station is in the centre of the area it patrols and deals mainly with missing people and road accidents etc. Quite a few people go missing around this part apparantly!

Lunch was set up, eaten and packed away in record speed because of the amount of flies. As you open your mouth to take a bite, one flys in. I think we all munched a couple of flies with our sandwich! They go for the moisture of your eyes and like to get up your nose and in your mouth - not pleasant but an experience nevertheless!

A quick stop at Hells Gate Roadhouse for a cold drink then back on the road.

Further on, and Alan pulled the bus over for a 'nothing walk'. We got out and he told us to walk - there was nothing for 360 degress, not even a tree on the horizon! It was so hot, the ground ahead looked blurred from the heat rising from the ground. We just walked for 10 minutes before Alan caught us up with the bus. It makes you appreciate the isolation and vastness out here.

Finally we arrived at the Heartbreak Hotel; a bar with some dormitory accomodation attached. It got it's name from the heartbreak it caused when being built in such a remote place. This is said to be one of the most remote places in Australia.

We all met in the bar and Dave the Owner had dinner ready... then the generator went! Nothing, no lights, no showers, no back up 'genny'! Dinner was eaten in the dark with a couple of torches on the verandah. The only other people in there 2 blokes from a white 4x4 that had overtaken us during the day. Their 2 dogs soon turned in to the talking point, they wanted to play with all the cane toads and of course wasn't allowed to because the toads would kill the dogs. The guys drove their car over to the verandah and put some music on for us...country & western of course. They were friends, one was driving the other from Noosa to Alice Springs to help with his cattle station for a few months.

So we all sat there in the dark for the night with the car stereo on, helping ourselves to the beer by torch light because the till didn't work. The 'genny' did eventually come back on right at the end of the night so I settled up my tab with Dave and decided not to take a shower that night incase the lights went again when I was in the shower, a 5 minute walk away from everything in flimsy corrigated iron blocks with all the bugs and toads.

Road Train

Nothing Walk