It’s a new day…we’ve been serenaded by Barking Owls and watched over by a flirtatious peacock, we’ve rinsed off the red dust in a donkey system shower and we’ve pulled off the last of the shockers. We are on a mission to get out of here – we hold our breaths and hope nothing else falls off the camper.
Our vehicle, and sanity, remain intact as we head back up the road and towards the Southern Lost City of Limmin NP. Silent sentinels lean precariously, evoking memories for us of trips to Turkey’s Cappadocia region. A bushfire has been through this area, clearing the scrub, scorching the base of rocks, and opening up the view of some amazing rocky outcrops and sandstone rock spires. The contrast of the deep reds and ochres against the black scorched rock was stunning.
My artist mum would go crazy in here.
We wander past rounded dome formations, resulting from erosion of the sandstone escarpment over millions of years during a hot and eerie walks through the area. We almost expect some ghostly form of caretaker to appear before us.
As with all our top end of Queensland and NT walks to date, we’ve guzzled all the water and are covered with red dust by our return to the car.
Butterfly Springs gave us the chance to wash that all away.
What we feared would be a stagnant water-hole turns into a 2 day refreshing swim-fest watched by Merton’s Water-Monitors sunning themselves on craggy ledges and a million fluttering Common Crow butterflies.
The trickle of a waterfall drips into a rapidly diminishing croc-free swimming hole … Cockatoos, Azure Kingfishers, Greater Bowerbirds and Apostle birds feeding noisily on its ledges.
The Squids calls and echoes bounce from the golden cliff face which towers above us.
We enjoy two lazy days of bush camping, wandering for firewood, damper experimentation, and talking idly with the occasional traveller who stops by for a swim.
There’s also time to take an inventory of damages sustained and repairs required:-
- The gas stove needs an overhaul
- The Waeco fridge is only working intermittently
- The Canon Lexus camera lens has seized
- The last of the shock absorbers are now removed
- 2 broken sets of headphones for the DVD player are noted
- One of the squids tablets (purchased on sale at the beginning of the trip and dropped 10 days in) is officially dead
- One DVD player has decided to cark it, leaving one between the Squids to squabble over
- My iPhone (dropped when a tree frog was thrust at me back at the Great Green Way and smashing its cover) is behaving rather oddly
- Two pairs of dead thongs are un-earthed
- The Skipper determinedly glues his beloved Teva sandles for the 2nd time
- There’s a pile of t-shirts with holes in them
- The zips on one of the duffle bags, and the mosquito netting on the camper trailer door has started to seize
Clearly the trip is starting to shake our gear up a bit. And the Savannah Way is starting to leave its mark on our equipment, as well as thick coating of fine, red and frustratingly ever-present bull-dust.
Strewth, and we’re only 2 1/2 months in!
Check back in later, I’m way out yonder and there’s not enough juice to upload photos! Or pop over to our Instagram page and see what we’re up to.