What time is it really?

 

Friday 22 July 2022 – What time is it really?

I don’t know that our bodies really worked out what timezone to wake up in so it was about 8am NT time and 6.30am WA time when the sun woke us up.  We were a bit slow to get packed up and, with a few checks of car related things as well, it was a late start of about 9.20am out of camp.  H&M had time for a little wander and reported back that there were fresh camel tracks over our wheel tracks in so, once again, the stealth camels of the night eluded us once again.

We drove about an hour up the road to a more official overnight rest stop called Yarla Kutjarra which was close enough to Jamieson for a little phone reception.  Being an ‘official’ rest stop it also had a picnic area and a drop toilet – luxury!  We availed ourselves of everything the camp offered and had a leisurely cuppa.  We don’t have a long way to go today or much to see so we can afford to take it leisurely.

Another hour or so down the road we stopped at the Gnamma holes rest stop as it lots of holes which range in size from 1-3 metres in diameter and are full of water being replenished from underground supplies and rainwater run-off.  They look a little stagnant at the moment and a couple had camel bones in them so we are always seeing evidence of camels but not that many live ones.  In the rest stop nearby there were also lots of camel footprints in the fine sand so they around here somewhere!

                                            

From here until Warakurn the road was pretty rough and we were glad we had lots of time to spare and could take it at the right speed.  The corrugations were reminiscent of the Kalumburu Road which almost makes your teeth rattle loose.  We stopped at Warburn to once again top up with fuel where the guy from the roadhouse filled up for us whilst regaling us with dad jokes.  The roadhouse had a little gallery attached so we checked out some lovely artwork done by the local Indigenous community.  We thought it funny that one had done a West Coast Eagles inspired picture but not a Dockers one – they obviously have taste!

We headed slightly out of town to the Giles weather station but it was closed to visitors, as was the community next door, due to Covid-concerns so we just stood at the gate and had a look at the weather related instruments from there.

                                                

Another hour of so of bumpy road and we made it to Gil Pinnacle rest stop, the last of our free camps along the Great Central Road and by far the most spectacular.  We are perched at the highest part of the campground with 180 degree views of Gil Pinnacle and the entire Schwerin Mural Crescent range.  Looks fabulous and will be worth lots of photos both at sunset and at sunrise tomorrow as we have to make an early start to get to Yulara campground before the queue forms late morning.

L&J on dinner duties tonight and it promises to be another big campfire, the last we will have for the next week or so as we hit civilisation.  It was an interesting exercise in cooking with one hand and waving the flies off with the other – far more flies than we have experienced elsewhere but they disappeared around sunset and Miranda whipped up a self saucing chocolate pudding for dessert so another lovely evening around the campfire.