Home Valley - 6th July 2016

Packed up and on the road before 8am this morning.  A record for us!  We got back to the main road past the ''Scone-sational" sign thanking us for visiting Ellenbrae and turned right and east.  The road was still pretty rough even though most of it had a covering of grey road base (so that our car now has a layer of grey/white dust over the red/pink dust) and safely negotiated Durack Crossing.  This crossing was all the talk along the Gibb - it has been shredding tyres and breaking axles regularly apparently.  We took it very slowly and so safely across.  Took us about 2 hours to get to Home Valley Station.  As we topped the hill before the valley all of our phones (minus Ben's, because his phone is always on silent) miraculously started pinging.  There was reception!!   Quickly checked emails and Facebook (managed to update my status!) and Larry rang Neil to register this week's footy tips.  Stopped at the lookout for the photo opportunity across the mighty Pentecost and across to the Cockburn Ranges.  Then down the hill and into Home Valley Station.

I see what they mean about it feeling like entering a resort.  Professional looking signs and 'branding'' of HV8 everywhere.  Headed up to reception and booked in for 3 nights and then booked in for dinner.  Even though it was only about 11am, the restaurant was already booking up and we couldn't get a reservation before 7.30pm.  We figured we better head on down to the riverside campsites and went round and round looking for an appropriate site.  Something with a bit of shade, reasonably level and with no bull ants and not too close to the amenities (but not too far!) and not too close to shade shelters (in case of loud groups) and definitely not too close to the crocodile infested waters of the Pentecost River!!.  We eventually settled on a site and set up and then Jenny cooked up a huge pot of noodles for lunch. 

After lunch and a bit of a relax looking out across the river to the ranges it was time for household chores and maintenance.  Larry and Ben got to work getting the water storage tanks sorted.  As with the battery holders they had been attached insufficiently to the bottom of the van and had shifted across on the frame.  Now we finally understood why the water level gauge had been a bit iffy!  The tanks were emptied and maintenance was undertaken to fasten them more securely.  Meanwhile Jenny took the big pile of dirty clothes up to the amenities block and did some handwashing in the two big trough provided.  Note to self:  invest in a couple of cheap plastic plugs!!  Still, everything smelt cleaner and looked slightly less grubby so it was worth the effort of plugging the drain with a sock and sloshing everything around in the environmentally friendly detergent.  Back to camp to hang it all out and then time for a cuppa and to sit and chill and read my book.  As it headed into late afternoon it was time for showers and then to sit on the banks of the river and watch the tide go out and the Cockburn Ranges go all purply in the twilight.

About 6ish we headed off in the dark for a couple of drinks and dinner at the Homestead.  Saw 3 cane toads on the road and Larry got out and booted them to the edge.  Found out later we're supposed to pick them up and bag them and take them to a ''disposal site".  Oh well.  With the time we had before our dinner reservation we had a drink (Ben got his longed for OJ) and connected to the WiFi so we were able to do our AFL.com footy tips, update Facebook and have a quick chat to Kate via Messenger.  Good to hear that the 9/10 girls had a win in the State Championship  hockey carnival - won all their games then a One all grand final before taking the championship on penalty strokes.  Way to go girls!

Headed into dinner and treated ourselves to yummy bread with dukkah, main courses of steak for Larry, ribs for Ben and pork belly for Jenny.  Then decided we may as well have dessert as we've been making do with a funsize chocolate bar for dessert most nights.  L and B had creme brulee, J had panna cotta with salted caramel and macadamias.  Yum yum yum.  A lovely evening sitting in the big outdoor eating area and listening to the acoustic guitar and singer doing good ol' country and western.