Northern Hotel Port Augusta

We're getting organised, finally. All up at 5:30, riding by 6:55. Nice quiet road, tail wind and really nice scenery. It's greener & lusher up here than Melbourne or anywhere in between - not what I was expecting. Like yesterday, we worked really well together today, just rolling at a conservative pace. The car was stocked with a mountain of food so we didn't need to visit any shops today, which are time ...

... Trevor (Canberra) is still recovering from his nasty dose of the flu and therefore riding in a support vehicle.<br><br>On the way we had lunch at a nice park in a small town called Minnipa, which had a uniquely named public convenience.<br><br>Wodinna itself also has its own iconic feature - a tribute to the Australian farmer.<br><br>We are staying at the local school gym and will be having tea at the Uniting Church.

... I boarded the train I had an aisle seat next to someone else, so I was not looking forward to it. But luckily a couple got off the train at the first stop (Port Augusta) so I was able to move to an empty window seat with no one beside me. That made sleeping infinitely more comfortable. Port Augusta was just a stop to let off a few people and change drivers. Then we were on our way again into the night.

EN: Our caravan park in Quorn, the gateway to the Flinders Ranges, was not very big and most of the caravans were deserted and looked like they have been there for a very long time. It was clean enough and had a tiny camp kitchen, so we cooked us a home made meal which we didn't have for over 7 months, it was really nice. The climate here is much colder then in the desert, so especially at night we were shaking while sleeping in the car. It's very windy too ...

... ve sold myself cheaply as a bit of a Brit-abroad here. I'd like to say that we did take a good look around Quorn first, we went to the visitors centre, purchased souvenirs and postcards. We gasped at the shop billboard telling us which films had been made in and around Quorn (mostly Westerns but with Gallapolli being a notable exception) we took in the original station, the Pichi Richi railway and the telegraph station...and then we got bored and found a pub. I've ...

... there lived Akurra; giant water snake who has a beard. Akurra is the main creator and keeper of all permanent water holes and springs (awi). Akurra lived in the Gammon Ranges. One day he travelled to the plains looking for water. When he came across Lake Frome and Lake Callabonna, he drank them dry. Because the water was salty Akurra became bloated and his trip back to the ranges was very slow. The heat from the sun warmed his trip back to the ranges and made ...

... a diesel streaming along toward Broken Hill pulling approximately 60 freight cars - it went on forever. The boys put their arms out the window and the driver gave two tugs of the diesel horn. Made their morning. Another aspect of travelling along flat, desolate roads is that when you do pass anothr vehicle everyone offers a wave. In New South Wales at first it was just the folk towing caravans, then those with motorhomes kicked in ...

... could vote in advance of Saturday's election so we headed off and did our duty (really just wanted to avoid a $220 fine and the hassle of finding somewhere on Saturday where we could vote). Next on the agenda was a quick walk around town and having located the library we were informed that once registered that you could get free wireless internet at most libraries in SA (Inc: Community School Libraries). You don't ...

... one through, savouring the music that we would never voluntarily listen to under normal circumstances. Some of them really began to grate after a few days though - only the legendary ones lasted the course! Anyway, the next stop up the track was Glendambo roadhouse, which welcomed us with the tongue-in-cheek sign ...

... disant qu'il faudra absolument revenir ou repartir vers un destination encore plus lointaine) ou alors 5 jours de voiture vers l'Ouest, ça c'est pour les cinglés comme nous, mais bon on voulait découvrir l'Australie dans toute sa splendeur, on est servi!