DAY 5 –
Another night in the Abu Ghraib tent.
Today was the big day. 70km into Innamincka to fuel everything up to the brim, then another 460km down the Strzelecki Track before branching south to Arkaroola for the next fuel.
This was my personal lowpoint of the trip. You travel a few kms on the Strzelecki Track proper just before Innamincka. My mojo was completely missing-in-action and the Track’s loose stony surface, combined with an absolutely howling & freezing westerly wind, played with my head. 460km of this ? I was screwed.
Pulled in last to Innamincka to be greeted by this sight –
Seemed appropriate to the mood –
Shivering, we struggled to keep windblown sand out of our tanks & pods, before buying lukewarm stale pies and paying the sullen proprietors
. Couldn’t wait to get out of this shithole despite being, frankly, scared about what was ahead.
The first 10 kms or so were a nightmare as the cross wind made a mockery of attempts to keep in firm wheel tracks, constantly blowing me off the camber into the loose rocks. I couldn’t relax or get any proper technique going, and it was exhausting.
Then the loose surface stopped. Firm surface started, the wind dropped a touch, mojo whispered in my ear, and we were away
.
The only mechanical of the trip. Mick’s TR650 had a wire work loose causing all his warning lights to flash. With all-knowing Viktor with us, it was an easy fix
–
A short stop at Moomba gas fields –
Then on and on down the Strzelecki.
We had a couple of sections of roadworks where a water truck had just passed. The first had an inviting smooth grey surface which was later described by John as “an icerink with motor oil poured on it”. Bikes instantly went in every direction much to the amusement of the water truck driver
, nothing major happened though as we were doing the posted 40kph. My own was fully crossed up in the blink of an eye and I was actually happy it headed for sand
.
We eventually got to the Arkaroola track turnoff at Mt Hopeless and were glad to get onto it. By now the Strzelecki had deteriorated into 4 wheel channels amongst deep loose gravel. However we were now also sharing the road with a few trucks. There’s nothing like the feeling of doing 70kph-ish down a narrow tyre track with a road-train filling your mirror
-
Mt Hopeless was the destination of Burke & Wills’ (& King’s) final fatal walk, through desolate wastelands. What a place to spend your last hours.
The Arkaroola track was stunning with the North Flinders Ranges tantalizingly on the horizon. Everything was also suddenly red –
It was now that we realised the fuel situation was not good. The constant head winds down the Strzelecki had screwed with everyone’s consumption predictions. Quick mental maths had only Casey & I getting to Arkaroola. Others were going to variously either run out well before or perhaps just make it. On the upside, this brought everybody back to my more modest & economical speed
(although in my defence I
was stopping a lot for photos
) -
The light was fading through this beautiful stark country and soon it was roo o’clock. But not before I dropped the bike again in a stony-creek bed. This pissed me off
– wasn’t I learning anything ?
Came across Paralana Creek at dusk and called it quits. A great spot with lots of firewood –
A 6’7” tiger was spotted (RHS of pic) -
Evening came, overlooked by Venus –
Then the moon -
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