A Long Day in the ‘Saddle’

We left the comfort of the Outback Spirit camp at Lotusbird Lodge early, heading NW to Weipa. And my first view of the Gulf of Carpentaria. I felt a bit like Burke and Wills. Would we get there?

First there was Musgrave Road House – an old telegraph station but now fuel and food for travellers on the Peninsula Development Road. We spent most of the day on the PDR. Initially promising with a bitumen surface, but we soon found we were to get alternating good bitumen with then good/bad/very corrugated dirt surface.

We were only about halfway to Coen which was to be our morning tea stop when we came to a gentle stop. “Just a bit of a problem” our driver announced. We have air brakes. Seems the connection between the air hose and brake cable had separated. He thought he had reattached it quite quickly but after about 100m it was clear all was not good. So we all piled out to stretch the legs while he consulted with the head mechanic in Albury (Outback Spirit HQ). Needs a new connecting screw-on thing. Several such things in the Spares box, but only one that fits the current task. Driver on his back in the dirt under the bus with one of the passengers ready to offer assistance if required, but all was fixed and we were on our way with only about 40 min delay. (It was only last night over dinner that there was a discussion – we are so far from anywhere – what would we do if our driver got ill or there was a mechanical issue. Our driver was confident it could all be sorted out fairly quickly and gave some examples. And now we have another example!)

So with a shortened morning tea at Coen and lunch at Archer River Road House, we were almost on time at Weipa. It was a big drive. Even with comfy seats I was getting a bit squirmy. Not much of interest as the ongoing treed cattle country passed by. (Though there was one cattle property which has imported grass which just now is very green, most unlike the natural grassland. And they even had big hay rolls, looking like a Victorian farm. ) I listened to my music as I would on a road trip but couldn’t sing along!

So what DID we see? Musgrave Telegraph Station building – looks like an old house; New 12m high bridge to avoid the ford over the Archer River; and the nice looking Archer River – quiescent in the dry season. And I’ll also attach a ‘from the moving bus’ pic of the typical country though this one does show the last view of the eastern ranges.

we’re due to see more of Weipa before we leave tomorrow so I’ll leave writing on Weipa until the next blog.