Another beautiful morning, we have truly been blessed this trip so far. Anny needs fuel before we can head off, so as I wait for her I watch the sun rise. Bit of wind today but that’s ok.
sunrise in Tennant Creek
Not far up the road and there are cows on the side of the road, gotta love the outback and the speed limit. Not much happening this morning, head and cross winds and we power on to Barkly Homestead. What an amazing place in the middle of nowhere. Apparently, the homestead is still owned and run by family members. While I’m getting morning tea and a t-shirt, the Harley crew from yesterday pull in (they stayed at Three Ways last night, regrettably). Fuelled up, both body and bike, Anny and I haul out for Camooweal.
the locals….lol
Barkly Homestead
Now we had been warned that there is about 30kays of dirt due to road works. The countryside is peaceful and flat but it’s not until 50kays outta Camo that we hit the dirt
slight detour of dirt (damn road works)….red rocky dirt, oh well
My fear and hatred for dirt is slowly dissipating with each day of this trip. I’m still not the best at it but am getting better and steadier. Red rock side track is what we had below the road level. Concentrate Kimmie or you’ll come a cropper. Phew the end is near and we are out of the first section of dirt only to hit the second bit 10kay down the road. We see this fella walking a horse in the road works so Anny pulls up and has a chat to the guy ( I can’t hear a thing with my music in my ears). Anyway, she tells me later that he is going around Australia on horse because he can….so there ya go.
Quintessentially Australian….love it!!
We cross the border and roll into Camooweal, where we stop for lunch. Dry and dusty, flat and hot, it’s time for a good lunch and for peeling off layers. Pub special it is “corn beef fritters with chips and salad” – $12, how do ya beat that. The fritters were great, and would great for a Sunday lunch. More riders pull in, but they don’t think they’ll be going much further today. One guy’s down to canvas on his tyre, the other has not front suspension-yikes. Hope they get it sorted.
Off again headed for Mt Isa. I’ve been trying out my artistic camera skills the last couple of day – what do you think.
me being artistic….did I get Winston’s good side?
There isn’t much happening and the scenery is pretty much the same all day. One thing I do find fascinating is the termite mounds. They seem to pop up in colonies, and look like tombstones in a graveyard. I haven’t got any photos as the verge on the roads today are not very safe to stop on.
Termite tombstones
You can see the Mt Isa stacks from miles away as you approach town. Anny and I stop to get a pic (the McDonalds sign tells us it’s only 29 degrees) and head towards the end of town. Anny has a friend in Isa, so we part ways while see goes and has a catch up while I continue onto Cloncurry.
Mt Isa
For ages now we have been seeing and smelling smoke. There has been heaps of controlled burning happening on this stretch so there are scorched patches along the way (makes it a bit easier to spot the wildlife). Heaps of road kill also and the crows and eagles/hawks think it’s wonderful. Dodging one roo, eagle/hawk(s) feasting on the remains heads out but the other goes up and then heads straight for me. CRAP, I bang my head onto my tank bag and phew! We miss each other….hearts pumping.
The road to Cloncurry is the first bit of road in days that has twisties……well open sweepers/bends and considering the rest of the roads I’d classify them as twisties. Into Cloncurry bang on 5:30, check in, ride around to the cabin and who should I find….Ken & Brett, awesome. I pull up on the grass and I had to ask the guys to turn my bike around after I unloaded her (otherwise I’d never get her out in the morning). Showered and feeling human and the boys and I head across the road for dinner while I listen for Anny to arrive.
About 8:30pm Anny pulls in and I’m almost ready for bed after I finish typing this up. Sorry the fires have knocked out all the Optus towers, so I have no reception on the phone or internet, so you’re reading this a bit later than planned.
