Days 31-32 (3-4 Aug) Life at the Roadhouses and Stations

Back to Drysdale Station on Wednesday (3 Aug) to do the washing and reclaim our van. Fellow campers were set up with their camp chairs facing the road, anxiously scanning the horizon for a distant cloud of red dust which might signal the imminent arrival of a supply truck, bearing spare parts for their vehicles. The Mitchell Falls track (which we’d just completed) is notoriously tough on cars, and those that make it back to Drysdale often have to order replacements for broken bits (tyres and shock absorbers being the most common), and then await the next supply truck. The guy next to us was ecstatic to receive his replacement shocks, fitting them on the spot. We were able to get a replacement second battery, the first not surviving the vibrations from the corrugated road (this caused some fridge dramas a few days earlier, but no good crying over spoilt milk).

Despite many vehicles needing replacements or mechanical work of some sort, it is a cheerful little travelling community up here (seriously, why wouldn't we be happy, all on semi-permanent holiday?), with happy hour (5-6pm) being the time to BYO drink and camp chair and gather round with neighbouring campers to swap stories and hear the latest travel gossip (broken vehicles, latest injuries/incidents to travellers, road conditions, places to visit (or NOT to visit), or simply to brag about who has been most vehemently mauled by midges [sandflies]). Last night we heard that the lady who fell in El Questro Gorge is soldiering on with her injured knee, despite hearing strange grinding noises whenever she moves it.

It is time for a confession. Remember we mentioned our lovely hot showers in our ensuite tent back at the Bungles? We were unable to - ahem - refold said ensuite. So we hid the evidence under our caravan bed, and were too afraid to lift the cover on that compartment in case it came back to haunt us by springing a surprise attack. Well, at Drysdale we spotted exactly the same style of tent - neatly in its cover - propped against a neighbouring camper. We introduced ourselves to the neighbours (Paul and Alison from Sealake, Vic) and casually asked how they'd gone with refolding their ensuite tent. They looked at us in horror.
"Oh no, we don't actually use it! We haven't taken it out of the cover because we don't know how to refold it!" exclaimed the wife. "We just shower very quickly in the dark..."
Now we didn't feel so silly, and confessed that we had such a skeleton in our closet not properly laid to rest.
"Well now I'm REALLY not ever going to use mine!" said the wife.
But, the husband and a another newly introduced camper (Doug) decided they were up to the challenge and convinced us to open the hatches and bring out the tent for another attempt. We assured them this wasn't really our fault. How is one supposed to fold such a tent without the Youtube clip? Our tent folding committee had now swelled to five, and we were considering charging an audience fee. Somehow this brains trust did figure it out, and the tent is now safely stowed. But, we haven't yet been brave enough to use it again...

By this stage, most of us have run out of fresh fruit and vegetables. Bread is readily available (~$6 for a frozen loaf), and soft drink is plentiful (a cold can will set you back at least $4), but there is not a lettuce or orange in sight. Many of these outback cattle stations supplement their income by providing camping space and some grocery lines, but the freshest food doesn’t quite make it. Fortunately we were next headed to the famous Mt Barnett Roadhouse, which sits in the middle of the Gibb River Road, and does actually carry some fruit and veg (with a hefty price tag).

On our return to Drysdale station, we held the entrance gate open for a tourist coach, who thanked us by opening the window and tossing us a litre of fresh milk – a highly sought commodity out here! We were very pleased to have it to replace our spoiled milk.

When still about 60kms east of Mt Barnett we saw a Ford Explorer upside down on the roadside, with personal effects strewn about and abandoned to be scavenged by passers-by. It had obviously been quite a violent rollover incident, with a large debris field as evidence of the vehicle having tumbled some distance, probably only a few days before. On our arrival at the roadhouse, staff confirmed that a group of young backpackers had been driving too fast and gone greasy-side up. Amazingly, all survived, even one young woman who was hurled from the vehicle during the rollover. We wondered if the young man with the missing passport was involved in his haste to catch his flight out of Darwin, but apparently not. He had returned to the roadhouse and retrieved his belongings, but his vehicle remains there, abandoned. It is suspected that he managed to convince a chopper/light aircraft pilot to fly him out in time for his international flight.

Pulling into the Roadhouse today, we also noticed a few cars and their campers loaded on to tow trucks – their holiday is obviously over. They are no longer eligible for the “I survived the Gibb River Road” T-shirts and bumper stickers.

PS – Gone one month today! Total distance travelled so far: 7,417 kms.

Camped at Drysdale Station (Dave)

Backpackers come a cropper driving too fast on dirt roads (Dave)