Day 17 – 4th September
Posted by TravellingStrom on September 4, 2008
Here is a map for those that like them; they come in useful sometimes 🙂 I started in Mt Isa, bottom right where the A is, and then west to B, which is Camooweal, West again to C which is Barkley Homestead.
It was a coldish overcast and blowy day as I packed up early and headed West, but not sure how far at this stage, I would play it by ear and see whether I hear from Saab, I had left him a message yesterday. I had filled my 3lt camelback with water from the camp site, but it was yuck and I did not find that out until I was on the road! It had a very metal sort of taste, so I did not drink much of it, I eventually emptied it out at Barkleys and refilled with their water, it was better but a bit soapy taste. I suggest getting water from the Curry or somewhere else!
This old windmill bore was broken last time I came through here, early in the year, but it looks fixed now, getting a right old spin up with the southerly that was giving me grief, very strong crosswind from left to right.
I filled up with fuel at Camooweal, where I managed to contact Saab on the phone. We agreed to meet up at Cape Crawford Friday night for beer and footy. I crossed the QLD/NT border, but I did not bother to stop this time, just learning how to use the camera on the bike while moving 🙂
As usual on the way to Barkley’s Homestead, not much to see except this and lots of it
Then about 100km into NT the cloud cover broke up but the wind was just as fierce
Who’s a pretty boy then 🙂
I arrived at Barkley’s Homestead around 1.30pm and grabbed a bite to eat before setting up camp, with lots of pegs this time, the wind was howling through!
Had a bit of a read and a nanny nap, before a few beers and a feed up the bar. Met a chap called Sniffy who works in the Cloncurry mine, he was on his was home to Tennant Creek for a week off, after 2 weeks on. Also met a bloke from Gladstone but never got his name, he had finished his contract work up in the Kakadu parks and was heading home. I had a good evening, but not too many drinks as they were quite pricey out here. The Cape would be the same, but Saab was going to score me a square bear from Katherine. The fuel is the most expensive I have seen at $2.10/l, but apparently it was down on last week at $2.17/l.
Day – 479km
Trip – 4570km
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TravellingStrom 
build said
G’day T-Strom,
I just stubbled on your blog looking for motivation to write my own blog, it’s badly behind.
Anyway it’s nice to read another bloke has an allergy to gusty wind, I hate that wind bastard. Although as the above was posted so long ago I guess you’ve become more familiar with the wind demon. I certainly have after a trip to NZ, strong, cold, gusty wind is quite common there. I learnt that confidence is 90% of the solution for me and also a bit of speed seems to help. If I go too slow or too quick I get knocked around, so I just build up speed till I go through the sweet spot then ease back to the sweet spot. Sounds easy but took me a long time to … well certainly not master but more … well, tolerate.
Anyway thanks for the motivation.
beers,
build
TravellingStrom said
Thanks mate. Yep I hate too much wind
Good luck and safe riding