Day 68 Gunbarrel Laager Travellers Rest 12km east of Wiluna

Distance today – Rest/ Prep Day

TOTALS: Distance 4687km Donations $6911.09. Days remaining 71. Deserts: Sturt Stony, Strzelecki, Tirari, Gibson, Great Victorian. Tracks: Birdsville, Oodnadatta, Red Centre Way, Great Central Road.

Note to new readers: I am travelling with my bike who’s name is Banjo. I often refer to ‘we’ meaning Banjo and I. ‘We’ have an amazing support team of family, friends, sponsors and folk we meet each day. But it’s still up to ‘us’ to face the challenge and tackle each day one peddle at a time.

It’s 8pm on Thursday the 8 July 2021.

It was such a productive day today and I’m really satisfied with how it’s all worked yay. It made all the difference with the girls dropping off my postal packs last night. It meant I could get straight into my day after cuppa o’clock of course. You can’t rush these things 🤣

It was a blue sky day and quite warm in the sun which was a welcomed change. The campgrounds were quiet so I could spread my stuff out on the grassed area between the dongers and slowly chip away at my to dos.

Banjo needed his back tyre tube changed with new silicone in both. This was a new experience for me. I was able to remove the core valve using the leather man pliers on loan from Ian who I met at Warakurna Roadhouse. The tubes, silicone and other essentials were in the Wiluna postal pack for the job at hand. It all went to plan and now the boy is running the right gear to tackle the track conditions on Wiluna North Road. Mum also popped in the pack, a new flag that she made out a high vis vest. Great job darling. Banjo looks the goods!! In addition I have an extra battery bank which means I can charge up my essentials for a week before needing access to power. I have solar panels as a back up if needed.

The resident magpies and cat kept me company while I did my choirs. I shared some cheese slices, bread and oats with them so I was in their good graces and they were all happiness. It was nice hanging out together and it made the prep day also relaxing.

I had difficulty seating the tyres back into place with the hand pump. It’s the one bit of essential kit that continues to be my nemesis. There’s a couple of guys staying at the campgrounds while they do work in the area. They’re out in the neighbouring bush land taking samples for a mining company and we’re back at camp after lunch.

I asked them if I could used their compressor to seat Banjos tyres. Unfortunately their compressor wasn’t working so I used their foot pump instead. It worked a treat. It’s a ‘slime’ brand foot pump from Repco that retails for about $30.

It’s only about 500g and folds down compact. I took a picture and have asked the family to see if they can pick one up for the parcel pack in Marble Bar. Yay!!!!!

It will make such a difference to be more independent and confident in managing his tyre pressures. There’s still a long way to go and on remote tracks at times. This will give us more peace of mind if it can work. Here’s hoping!!!

We were done by 6pm. Perfect timing to call the family over twilight with the evening star.

Tonight I’m enjoying dinner sitting in the camp kitchen at the campgrounds. It’s full of rustic charm and atmosphere and a chill way to end my stay here at Gunbarrel Laager Travellers Rest.

A special thank you to the manager Jasmine who has made my stay comfy and cosy in my room. They let me use the laundry facilities for free today and with the sunny day my gear is now squeaky clean and ready to get dirty again.

It’s a long haul from Wiluna to Halls Creek that I have broken down into smaller sections. The first is 5 days from Wiluna to Newman. Wiluna North Road is approximately 200km to the junction with the Great Northern Highway. From there we turn right for 89km on sealed road to the Kumarini Roadhouse. That should take us 3 days/2nights depending on the conditions. There’s a campground at the roadhouse where we can stay and water up. It’s then 2 days/1 night to Newman. I’ve watered up for the first leg to the roadhouse so we’re all good to get underway in the morning. Let’s see what the next days bring. For now its 3 degrees and time to get ready for a cosy bed. Oh bliss!! Night and talk soon xx