Hi All

Since our last post we have travelled about 2000km and seen many strange and interesting things. Currently sitting by a water hole in Birdsville watching the birdlife come down for their sunset watering. Quite the cacophony.  The first few days were pretty full on driving but then we hit the dirt and slowed down a bit both literally and figuratively. Had a lovely evening camping at Farina ruins and got to have a fresh made cream bun from the bakery (cooked in an underground wood fired oven). Jo said she hasn’t had a ‘real’ cream bun since her school days and it was fabulous.

We spent last night on the Birdsville track at the Mungeranie Roadhouse which was a very interesting experience to say the least. We had the quintessential outback pub experience. The highlight would have to be enjoying a beer with Molly the camel, in the pub, yes actually inside the pub. Clearly the dress codes are somewhat flexible. After Molly left, in came the donkey for a drink. Later that evening, there were random bearded men playing  guitar and getting the whole pub to sing along and the bar tender cut off the ponytail of a customer and a nailed it to the pub ceiling along with assorted other dreadlocks and pieces of hair – all to raise money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Not sure how we felt about having dinner under all that hair that might drop in our schnitzel at any time.

The other good thing about camping here was the artesian bore which meant that after Jo had her morning run on the Birdsville Track (cool), she was able to have a hot spa provided by nature.

The scenery on the Birdsville track is simply amazing, vast stretches of Gibber country as far as the eye can see as we traverse Sturts Stoney Dessert.

Tonight we will spend the night camped at Birdsville and will watch the State of Origin decider in the pub, should be a good night.

This will be our last post for about a week as we enter the Simpson Dessert tomorrow and won’t have access to any communication until we hit Alice Springs, that is of course if everything goes according to plan.

Here are a few highlight pics.

The real adventure begins!

Bye for now.

Camping at Mungerannie Road House, Birdsville Track (Drone)

Sunset on the Birdsville Track (Drone)

The Birdsville Track (dash cam)

On the road to Marree

Molly the camel

Jo in the pub!

Jo and a few locals do the nutbush

Donna gets a hair cut (not a good one)

Some strange bar tenders at the Mungeranie Roadhouse