Set off at 9:00 this morning, heading to Normanton and Susan’s second cousins (and her husband’s) farm, where we stayed the night.
The road was really good for such a minor one, they were doing lots of maintenance due to the influence of the mining companies that use it so we only had a couple of ‘dodgy’ patches. we passed four or five huge road trains passing us. This is quite an experience, you have to get off the road to give them absolute right of way since they have little manoeuvrability. They would just plough anything down that got in their way. The dust they kick up is incredible and one is blind until it settles.
We stopped at Gregory Downs for a rest (hehe LOO stop) and were quite amazed at the width of the roads and the road trains parked there
After Gregory Downs, the road was BITUMEN. We are always so glad when we encounter this, the cars purr along and there is NO DUST!
We pushed on and came to Burke and Wills Roadhouse where there was a Camp draft (horse event) and Susan’s cousins family were there competing (this is approx 200 km from their property). We followed Kelvin back to the farm. He suggested that we put our CB radios onto channel 40 (the truckies channel) so that we could hear him and any information from road trains coming through. It was quite funny to hear their comments back and forth to each other about the suicidal tourists (not us we have been well trained), who do not get off the roads to let them come through. One of the drivers was quite happy with us and helped us to pass him by letting us know when the road was clear up ahead.
We finally arrive at the farm to be made welcome by the family, dogs and a kid (of the goat kind). Kelvin, Tamara, Matilda, Neve and Charli (identical twins) are truly wonderful people. Kelvin is the butcher, a farmer, the undertaker (yep you read correctly – apparently they swap the signage on the car according to which function it is doing), the captain of the SES and the CFA, an amazing man, Tamara is a teacher and is heavily involved in the running of the farm. We are in awe of the lives they lead and their capacity to cope with whatever is thrown at them in terms of weather (flood, fire or drought). And believe you me the flood here are something else, the water rises 10 to 14 metres and they can be completely cut off for three months. They showed us to our campsite and spent some of the evening with us around the campfire. Matilda (10) sat with me and gave me a very long chat about here life in the country. I was extremely impressed by this young lady. The twins seemed to enjoy our company and kept on ‘scaring’ Dean as he worked on getting his and Karen's tea.
We were camped alongside a large river (the Norman? not sure and didn’t think to ask.) Tamara pointed out a large crocodile sunning itself on the far shore. She gives us ‘the crocodile talk’ and tells us that we are in no danger.
Hehe. Tony erects a ‘fence’ in front of his tent. The unfortunate part about this is that: if the crocodile should encounter his fence and follow it around, it will come straight to our tent. SIGH. Headcount in the morning showed that we had all survived the night. Haha.
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