Another water pump.
The track was quite rough in places.
The Gunbarrel was now completed.
Gunbarrel Highway 21-8-2013
Re: Gunbarrel Highway 21-8-2013
A blazed tree.
Another water pump.
The track was quite rough in places.
The Gunbarrel was now completed.
Another water pump.
The track was quite rough in places.
The Gunbarrel was now completed.
Re: Gunbarrel Highway 21-8-2013
From here on I was on the Old Gunbarrel Highway or Abandoned Gunbarrel Highway as it is called on the permit.
I drove up onto a plateau and spotted some old kero tins and metal bits so got out for a look.
I scrambled down into a gorge disturbing a Perentie Monitor which climbed a tree and hissed loudly at me as I moved in for a pic.
There were a number of caves in the gorge.
not far up the track was another cairn.
I drove up onto a plateau and spotted some old kero tins and metal bits so got out for a look.
I scrambled down into a gorge disturbing a Perentie Monitor which climbed a tree and hissed loudly at me as I moved in for a pic.
There were a number of caves in the gorge.
not far up the track was another cairn.
Re: Gunbarrel Highway 21-8-2013
I stopped at Mangi Rockholes for a look which sat on a large bare expanse of rock.
There were shallow holes.
And deep holes.
The water is a lifesaver for the birds and animals but for this bird it was a killer as it looked like it tried to land on the green stuff which sunk and trapped the bird as there is an overhang all the way round the opening.
I put an escape stick into the hole to try and help future trapped animals.
There were shallow holes.
And deep holes.
The water is a lifesaver for the birds and animals but for this bird it was a killer as it looked like it tried to land on the green stuff which sunk and trapped the bird as there is an overhang all the way round the opening.
I put an escape stick into the hole to try and help future trapped animals.
Re: Gunbarrel Highway 21-8-2013
Back on the track the water has done a lot of damage over time.
A rare Australian Bustard.
An even rarer burnt out Nissan G60.
I came out onto a wide graded road at Jackie Junction and had a chat to a few people in a trio of white 70 series vehicles and a BT50 who were stopped there and were just about to move off, there was some smoke coming from just behind them and I presumed they had stopped to boil the billy.
As they moved off and I turned left the smoke turned into flames, it turned out one of them had taken a dump on the ground and set fire to the dunny paper which had set fire to the Spinifex ... Honestly, is it so hard to dig a hole in sandy soil ?
It took me about half an hour but I manged to put the fire out, another minute later and it would have gotten away and turned into a huge bushfire with the steady wind that was blowing, just lucky I turned up in time.
I drove on finding the road had improved immensely and was easily able to maintain 100 kph.
I missed some Rockholes at an intersection and chased some Camels for a while until they finally moved off the road then made camp at Million Dollar Corner [a large “S” bend]
I heard some weird noises in the bush which sounded like a pack of wild dogs growling so I threw some more wood on the fire to give me a better circle of light.
The noise then changed to a strange grumbling which I think must have been made by a nearby hidden Camel … Eerie when you cannot hear anything else in the stillness.
A rare Australian Bustard.
An even rarer burnt out Nissan G60.
I came out onto a wide graded road at Jackie Junction and had a chat to a few people in a trio of white 70 series vehicles and a BT50 who were stopped there and were just about to move off, there was some smoke coming from just behind them and I presumed they had stopped to boil the billy.
As they moved off and I turned left the smoke turned into flames, it turned out one of them had taken a dump on the ground and set fire to the dunny paper which had set fire to the Spinifex ... Honestly, is it so hard to dig a hole in sandy soil ?
It took me about half an hour but I manged to put the fire out, another minute later and it would have gotten away and turned into a huge bushfire with the steady wind that was blowing, just lucky I turned up in time.
I drove on finding the road had improved immensely and was easily able to maintain 100 kph.
I missed some Rockholes at an intersection and chased some Camels for a while until they finally moved off the road then made camp at Million Dollar Corner [a large “S” bend]
I heard some weird noises in the bush which sounded like a pack of wild dogs growling so I threw some more wood on the fire to give me a better circle of light.
The noise then changed to a strange grumbling which I think must have been made by a nearby hidden Camel … Eerie when you cannot hear anything else in the stillness.
Re: Gunbarrel Highway 21-8-2013
Friday 23rd August
I checked the area out and found camel tracks had encircled my camp not more than 5 metres away, at least that explained the eerie noises overnight.
Breaking camp I drove on then turned off the good road where it swept right to a community and was once again on a rough two wheeled track through the dunes.
The corrugations continued unmercifully but were interspersed by rough rocky terrain or termite mounds growing on the track, luckily the Ute has good clearance and other low slung vehicles have knocked the top off most of them already.
Eventually I came across an abandoned dwelling and shortly after came out on the Great Central Road.
It had taken two full days to do the Gunbarrel and Abandoned Gunbarrel with not a great deal of man made stuff to look at along the way, I had enjoyed the solitude and terrain immensely.
Next part of the trip continues ... viewtopic.php?f=2&t=88
I checked the area out and found camel tracks had encircled my camp not more than 5 metres away, at least that explained the eerie noises overnight.
Breaking camp I drove on then turned off the good road where it swept right to a community and was once again on a rough two wheeled track through the dunes.
The corrugations continued unmercifully but were interspersed by rough rocky terrain or termite mounds growing on the track, luckily the Ute has good clearance and other low slung vehicles have knocked the top off most of them already.
Eventually I came across an abandoned dwelling and shortly after came out on the Great Central Road.
It had taken two full days to do the Gunbarrel and Abandoned Gunbarrel with not a great deal of man made stuff to look at along the way, I had enjoyed the solitude and terrain immensely.
Next part of the trip continues ... viewtopic.php?f=2&t=88