Last night was another restless night; the heat didn’t let up until after midnight. We all found it difficult to sleep, and even Scarlett was tossing and turning until the wee hours of the morning when the night air started to cool.
We woke to another beautiful morning in paradise! The skies were clear, and the calls of the Australian bush were music to our ears. As usual, I was the first to rise, with Bec and Scarlett soon to follow. Scarlett pulled back the curtains and excitedly informed us that all the other caravans were already leaving.
Luckily for us, we weren't in any hurry this morning. We lazed around, and caught up on some minor jobs on the car and van that were in much need of attention. We were still waiting to hear if our containers were on the way from Adels Grove; so by 10am Bec called them to see if they had passed on her gear to anyone heading our way. She returned from the public phone box, and unfortunately they had not found anyone to bring them out.
After an early lunch, Bec and Scarlett moved down to the Gregory River to relax and play in the cool running water, I jumped in the Pajero and headed back to Adels Grove – 90km away! The trip back to Adels Grove was a straight fwd affair; except for the cattle, wallabies, road trains and dust! The road was unsealed most of the way, and it took me almost 1 ½ hours to reach the Grove.
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| The fires have moved down from the escarpment |
I soon had the containers and vegetables that were left behind, and quickly placed them in the car fridge before heading back up to the lookout to check for messages on our phones. I took the opportunity to take some quick photos of the area, as the fires and smoke could now be clearly seen below the escarpment and on the plains closer to Adels Grove. I’m hoping what I saw were back burning fires; as if not I’m guessing Adels Grove would be evacuated by the end of the weekend – if not before!
I quickly returned to the car, and headed back to Bec and Scarlett. I was back before 3pm, and discovered that during my whole time away, Bec and Scarlett had never left the water. I couldn’t blame them, as it looked very inviting. But instead, I used this time to hitch up the car to the van, and prepare them both for our journey tomorrow.
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| Here fishy fishy fishy... |
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| Bec and Scarlett feeding the fish under the bridge |
During my time resting back at the van, I found myself surrounded by a dozen or so Crimson Finches, which were foraging around and under my chair as I sat sipping a Bundy. They came right up to me, and to my surprise one even landed on my toe – before realising its mistake and making a quick retreat to a safer distance. It was a fantastic experience that I will never forget! It’s not anything that I would expect many people would understand, but it was a magical experience that I found breathtaking. The finch was so small and inquisitive at the same time!
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| Gregory River |
Bec and Scarlett finally returned to the van after almost 5 hours in the water, and Scarlett was a shrivelled as a prune! Bec tried to get her out of the river a number of times earlier, but Scarlett being Scarlett wouldn’t leave. She is such a water baby!
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| Going for an afternoon walk... |
After dinner, we went back down to the river to feed the fish under the bridge, and later went for a short walk along the river upstream. We found some beautiful camping spots, but there was no chance we could have gotten our van this far up the dirt track. We’ll have to save these experiences for a camper trailer or tent!
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| Our campsite on the banks of the Gregory River |
I think today was a day we needed to sit back and relax. I’m glad that Bec and Scarlett were able to spend some quality time together, without having to worry about housework or travel. I on the other hand had a small errand to run! Luckily for me Gregory Downs isn’t that far from Adels Grove, but it did end up being almost a 200km round trip on some very dusty and corrugated outback roads to retrieve Bec’s containers!
The things we do for love!
posted by Shane
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