Thierings on Tour

It was a rushed start to the day as we needed to be on the road early and get as much driving done as we could. The girls got one last play to stretch their legs though, always keen for a playground play. 
With full fridges, water tanks and batteries we are ready to make our way up to the tippy top!

The corrugation was intense in parts and the clouds of red dust behind the car and van were a telltale sign for what was to come when we opened everything up later 🤪

We saw our first dingo of the trip crossing the road, but I was too slow for a photo… 

We pulled over for a while and whilst I did my meeting from the van Chris cooked hotdogs for the girls and we all stretched our legs a bit. This was also the crossroads that leads to the final leg of the road to Pajinka via Bramwell Station.

Just to give you an idea, those 108kms took us over 2 hours, you really have to drive to conditions and be watching the road so closely at all times. Whilst there are pockets of bitumen, they can sometimes be in worse condition than the gravel roads. There is corrugation, potholes, tight corners and river crossings. In short, Chris is doing an incredible job driving the car and van through these parts of the world and keeping us all safe! Thanks to my handsome hubs.

Bramwell was a welcome stop and whilst we didn’t stay too long, it was cool to see the giant termite mounds that are getting bigger. We giggled at the number plate trees all around the roadhouse and of course filled up some more. Whilst this isn’t the most expensive diesel we have bought ($3.03 p/l at Archer River Roadhouse!) it gives you an idea. After 5 weeks on the road, our diesel bill is sitting at just shy of $2,400. Yikes!

We headed further and saw the turnoffs for the Old Telegraph Track or OTT as it’s more commonly known. This stuff is for the hardcore 4WDers and whilst I have no doubt Chris would be experienced enough to do it, it’s not so something we are going to try on this trip with the van. Or even with just one car rather than travelling in a convoy. Instead we headed along the bypass towards the falls. I swear the dirt got even redder!

We finally made it to Fruit Bat Falls and it was just what we needed. The water was cool but really pleasant as it was still 31C outside and we found a safe way to walk across to the falls with the big girls. I’m pretty sure they would have stayed there all afternoon if it wasn’t getting late, but it was a great time to visit as there was only one other family around. We all thought it was the absolute best!

Scarly was happy to be held and dunked in the water near the edge and pretend that she was swimming. She is getting so big our littlest beauty!

Camp was simply on the side of the road for the night so that we could check out Elliot Falls in the morning without taking the van, as some people had said the road to Elliot Falls campground was still a bit washed out this season.

Jazzy finally got to try her coconut as well that we have been lugging for days. It tasted like a coconut, but she was really happy!

Kms travelled. – 374