Tuesday 1 September 2015
We were both a bit anxious about the drive out to the main road in case we got bogged again. The group had renamed the corner where we got bogged as "Jim's Corner" so the stress levels had risen by the time we got there. We breathed a sigh of relief when the corner was in the rear vision mirror. Today it was Steve's turn to bog his International truck plus break a side mirror on the branches overhanging the road. He also had to be towed out by the Unimog.
The road to Finke was rough in places and the scenery not too exciting. There was no water in the Finke River but the river bed was very wide and sandy. It is hard to imagine the amount of water that would flow down the river when it is in full flood. We all crossed the river without any problem but Ric bogged his Blitz on the river bank when he was trying to turn around. Once again the Unimog was put to the test and used to tow a bogged vehicle. In 2 days of travelling all 3 of the 4x2 trucks had to be towed out of sand.
The road to Finke was rough in places and the scenery not too exciting. There was no water in the Finke River but the river bed was very wide and sandy. It is hard to imagine the amount of water that would flow down the river when it is in full flood. We all crossed the river without any problem but Ric bogged his Blitz on the river bank when he was trying to turn around. Once again the Unimog was put to the test and used to tow a bogged vehicle. In 2 days of travelling all 3 of the 4x2 trucks had to be towed out of sand.
The Old Ghan railway used to pass through Finke but there is not much of the old railway left now. When the river was in flood the train could be stranded for weeks. The road to Mt Dare Station was through gibber country - such a desolate area and little feed for the cattle. We all had lunch at the Mt Dare Hotel. An interesting pub with stubby holders from all over the world hanging from the ceiling. Fuel was $2.45 per litre. The road from Mt Dare to our overnight stop at Eringa Waterhole was a shocker. Corrugation, dust and potholes so it was very physical driving. Broken eggs and an empty ginger beer bottle greeted me when I opened the fridge. The waterhole is obviously a popular camping spot as there were people camped all along the water's edge. Hugh T went for a swim while the rest of us were happy to find a comfortable chair under the shade. We were spoilt with a magnificent sunset over the water.
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