The 10 desert challenge

Day 18 Birdsville

Distance today 85km Ave 19km/hr

It’s 750 pm on Wednesday the 19th May 2021. Yay Birdsville!!!!! 1637km.

I’m very happy to be here. Brisbane to Birdsville is (was 😀) stage 1 of the challenge. It was an important stage to get me and the gear in sync and see what works and what needs tweaking. Most importantly it was about waking up the body and mind into the right head space.

I have been much more elevated over the last years dealing with some traumatic events and personal issues on top of working through Menopause. It’s taken a toll on my perspective and self belief. Anxiety and depression have made some days a bit more tricky. With the support of family and professionals, I continue to grow through the process but there is a gap between the woman I am and still want to be. Challenges have always been my way to find the motivation to rise up and especially when I’m part of, and contributing, to something bigger that I believe in. This stage has been very much about waking up in that space and revitalising my energy levels to tackle new experiences and keep evolving

The road here has definitely been a journey each day and I’m very happy and satisfied with how Banjo and I are going. Fundraising for Beyond Blue counts and helps me keep perspective when I could otherwise bottom out. The amount of support from family and friends is key and precious to stay focused and on track. I’m very grateful for the sponsorship team and this is about being committed to my promise of giving every day my best shot. I was talking to my boy tonight and he said, “Maree when I gets hard just do your very best.” Bless him!! 💕 I’m also on a promise to send him a picture of the first spiky desert plant I see 🤣 I’m on the look out for a cactus just for you mate xx

It was a later start today sleeping in after a bit of a restless night. But eventually I made mental peace with the dingos and got some decent zzz’s.

Today was 85km of recurring scenery. Really interesting to notice the pattern of riding up a sand hill crest with a slow decent into a floodplain. I would cross over a wooded dry river bed that meandered through the bottom of each plain then slowly ascend again to cross over another crest. Red sand hill country!!!!!! Some of the crests were sealed I suppose to reduce the corrugations. These are the bumps in the road caused by trailers and make keeping momentum up the crests a bit harder.

With 20km to go we had our break and devoured the last of the fruit gifts scored along the way

At last we were on the road into Birdsville happy happy 😃

I found the campsite easier enough and was welcomed at reception with “oh you’re the cyclist fundraising for Beyond Blue” He immediately made a phone call to the local police officer to notify them I had arrived. Apparently the police from Windorah heard I was cycling their way and called ahead as a safety measure. How cool is that. Tomorrow I’ll pop into the station and find out more about how I can support the process and thank them for looking out for us!!

I have a couple of days now to pick up my postal packs and reorganise the gear from what I have learnt from the last two weeks. Banjo of course needs a good service and I’ll revisit the maps and itinerary for stage two— the Birdsville track!!! I can feel an excited feeling in the tummy when I type this so that’s a very good sign of leaning into the next stage to come. Bring it on!!!!!

It’s after 830 and I still want to call my partner and have some dinner so I’ll sign off there. Talk soon xxxx

Day 15 Morney rest area

Distance today 109km ave 20km/hr

It’s 653pm Sunday the 15 May 2021

So here’s a first. The choice spot for me to camp at this rest area is right behind the toilet block… Nice!!! However it’s freezing o’clock and the wind chill adds another dimension that makes my campsite look a treat. In saying that the evening is an unbroken sky of stars hanging out with the crescent moon.

Today started with a hot shower all squeaky clean and warmed up somewhat to tackle the chill bill morning. Banjo and I headed down to Trudy at the petrol station for a flat white and cookie for breaky. The place was a hive of travellers and locals and I got talking to anyone interested. Don’t mind a chat 🤣

I met up with Annie and Reg again from yesterday and lots of other folk all keen to share their travel tips and encourage our fundraising challenge

Finally we got underway at about 10am.

It wasn’t long and we were stopped by Rus and Margaret who are also in the party travelling with Reg and Annie. They’re all from Gold Coast and very encouraging about our fundraising for mental health and Beyond Blue. They too, like most of us are impacted by close friends and family struggling mentally. Their network of friends share a commitment to build the best mental health in their community. They were inspiring to talk to and very likeminded so it was good to connect. They donated $50 cash and I’ll upload it when I can.

The countryside today was breathtaking and a privilege to ride through. I found myself constantly wanting to grab the phone and share the many moments with you. I love the experiences but sharing it is what matters most.

As you can tell I was pretty excited 🤣🤣🤣 Even the flies were tolerable and particularly from under the fly net that I was thankful to have on board. It got a good working out today

It’s mostly very flat in this part of the world with hills and ridges of red dunes and jump ups for as far as the eye can see. Anything in the distance has a shimmering mirage under it until it gets closer and clearer. The effect is a constant entertainment.

It’s still mostly cattle stations although food seems a scarcity. The Mulga trees I spoke about are the main vegetation just more sparse.

Later in the day we crossed into the Lake Ayre Basin and Diamantina catchment. This was after some slow steady gradient climb which was rewarded with a downhill into a expanse of landscape that blew my mind

The road was winding around this amazing countryside with subtle surprises around most corners

I got a taste of the head wind for the last 5km and was happy to arrive around 4pm. There was a truck driver waiting with his rig to pick up a load of cattle at one of the stations about 40km away. He was interesting to talk to. His working life is 7 days a week most days with little notice from the farmers when they need their cattle moved. He’s been doing truck driver since he was 18 and living out of the cabin is a way of life. It’s just like a compact mobile home

So thats our day today and we say goodbye to sealed road and tail wind tomorrow. It’ll be a hard slog no doubt but we’re up for the challenge. Accept, adjust and adapt!!! The everready bunny moto yay!! Time for dinner and an early night. Talk soon xx

Day 17 Cuppa Creek 85 km out of Birdsville

Distance today 85km Ave 19km/hr

It’s 808pm Tuesday the 18 May 2021

It’s later o’clock than I usually do my post but I’ve been on patrol with a dingo howling and doing a wide birth around my campsite. Maree’s on alert mode. I’m the only camper here tonight and its a bit unnerving. I have every light on board shining a 360 degrees around the camp to let him know I’m here and not to get too curious. I haven’t heard him for the last half hour or so and have settled now to share the last couple of days with you.

Last night at Betoota pub was very social and not the time to be posting. Instead I had a fun night hanging out with the locals and visiting campers.

It was a bleary eyed and super chill bill start to the day yesterday with a wind that added an ice factor. I didn’t sleep that well with rats knocking on my tent. It was heads up not to leave open food in the tent as it will attract hungry critters. I haven’t made the same mistake tonight and may have some dry noodles once I finished the post. I definitely don’t want to cook anything and create smells with a dingo hanging around. Dave the manager at the Betoota hotel was telling me that dingos are a bit of a problem in the area and to have a fire when I can to keep them at bay. That’s not an option tonight so the lights are the next best thing. So far it’s doing the trick. Hopefully he’s well passed now with nothing keeping his interest. The toilet block was looking an option when he was closer earlier and I my head torch picked up his eyes. A bit creepy indeedy.

So it was 105km into Betoota population 0 just a pub and very friendly hosts and visitors to enjoy a great night by the campfire sharing everyone’s travel stories.

The ride into Betoota was fabulous. We said goodbye to sealed roads and Banjo is as happy as a pig in mud in the off road conditions.

We came across our second emergency airstrip that felt like a highway after the gravel.

Around lunch o’clock I spotted a tree lined patch with heaps of bird life perfect for a bit to eat by the dam and enjoy the activity.

The road is quite corrugated in parts making for a bumpy ride until a local farmer stopped and gave me heads up to use the recently graded side road. It was like my own bicycle path yay. Thanks Darren!

The landscape yesterday was varied with sections of higher sand hills and great descents to whoohooo down

I’m loving the arid countryside and there’s a lot to love so different do anything I’ve experienced.

I met Floss from Roma who stopped for a chat. She just spent the long weekend at the Betoota Hotel and raved about it being a must to stay. She took her garden gnome along to join the festivities. She seemed fun. One of the blokes at the hotel said he called the gnome Fairy. Very funny

Betoota was just around the corner!!

The Betoota pub was closed back in the 70s and bought by Darren the manager about 5 years ago. He’s done it up with an old school feel that invites people to put down their devices and be part of a local experience. COVID delayed the opening and it’s just been open for the last two months. It was definitely worth the 7 extra kms in and out. This morning I got some video of the building and phots with the hosts.

It was a later start this morning enjoying breakfast together in the hall. Once we got on the road I was stopped three times by people wanting to know our story and make a donation. Thanks to Sam and John for donating $40. They’re from Australian4x4.com.au who run 4WD experiences on the more remote tracks. They may be in Birdsville in September when I finish the challenge and will look out for us if they are. Also Raymon and his partner from Bundaberg donated $20. Dads a Bundy boy and we were able to share some local stories which was cool. The other couple I met last night and they’ll be in Birdsville when I arrive tomorrow so hopefully we’ll cross paths again. They were all so friendly and generous and a great way to start the day

I arrived at Cuppa Creek Rest Area about 4pm and dam no water. I was counting on the toilets having a tank like the other rest areas but unfortunately wrong call and again a good heads up not to count on that. Good lesson. So the first thing to do was grab a water bladder and wait by the roadside to flag down the next car. It wasn’t long before a group of campers came passed and they couldn’t be more willing to help out. I even scored some lollies and sultanas for snacks. Thanks guys for coming to my rescue

It’s exposed and windy at the rest area which made setting up camp a bit tricky. So the bag of bits and bobs came out to tie everything down and pop up the tarp for some wind protection.

I was set up in time to enjoy the sunset setting and twilight. It’s a stunning time of day and invite to a sky of stars that soon follows.

So I suppose it’s time to scoff down some dinner and get ready for bed. Hopefully the dingo and any of his mates will keep a distance. There’s still the occasional lone howl but I imagine that’s going to be a regular occurrence as the challenge continues. It’s definitely a new experience for this little traveller that’s for sure. Off to Birdsville tomorrow. Night and talk soon xx

Day 14 Windorah

Distance today 129km Ave 22km/hr

It’s 754pm on Saturday the 15th May 2021. The night sky of full of stars and there’s a crescent moon sitting on the horizon looking so handsome

The moon is almost as handsome as Banjo who is also shining bright after his first degrease and lube

We’re in Windorah township tonight staying at the community campgrounds for free. Its a great chance to clean me and the boy up for our next stage. We have one more day of sealed roads then it’s unsealed soon after the junction onto Birdsville development road. That will be our next stop, 108km to Morney rest area where we turn onto the road heading to Birdsville Monday.

It’s been an awesome ride today with a pretty strong tail wind helping us along. I appreciated every km because it won’t be long and I’m sure we will hit the same winds head on. But for now it was thumbs up as we cruised through the heart of the channel country

We were stopped earlier on the road by a couple, Reg and Annie from the Gold Coast. They pulled up when they spotted us and were full of compliments and intrigue about our challenge. Apparently they spotted us first in Roma and were keen for a chat. They also donated $20 which we added on the fundraising page tonight along with Murray and Helena’s $5.00 donation from Charleville.

Woke this morning with the sunrise and enjoyed a cuppa with the pink galahs entertaining us. They were full of cheekiness playing king pin on a tiny twig in the creek, taking turns to see who could hold the prize position for the longest. The rest laughed on from a tree on the bank.

It was 9am when we got underway

We made good time with a strong tail wind and managed 66km before our first break at Barcoo

Got a close up shot of one of the spikey bushes to look out for. They’re prolific when you get off the road and into the shrub and a real hazard for Banjo so I promised the boy we would try and give them a wide birth we we can

The channel country we road through today was a huge expanse of plains just waiting to catch those precious rains for the artesian basin and eventually into lake eyre.

It was super interesting to come across our first emergency air strip. There’s very little traffic on the road so as long as I keep a keen eye on the rear view mirror there’s opportunity to cruise down the centre of the road with a freedom that’s intoxicating. The airstrip was one of those occasions. Fun!!

But there’s still the occasional road train to keep us on our toes and show respect by giving them right of way

Much of this country is large cattle properties with sections that are unfenced and lots cattle grids to cross. Unfortunately that means cow road kill from time to time and we saw our fair share today. They don’t stand a chance against the road trains. A cheeky group of cows were hanging out on the road until we disturbed them

Cooper creek is one of the major rivers of the channel channel country and it was flowing full as we crossed over its bridge. I stopped on the other side and checked out the area full of campers appreciating the free rest areas on both sides of the river. There was one bar of phone reception so I called my partner and the boy to catch up there last days and share the experience. Nice chats my darlings you’re always on my mind.

Closer to town we changed direction and experienced what it will be like with a head wind on these open roads. Instead of 20-25 km/hr it was a slog for the last 10km dropping down to 12-16km. So Windorah gave us nice windy welcome. Just outside of town there were a number of satellite dishes silhouetted by the afternoon sun. Great sight!

We arrived in Windorah at about 4pm and stopped off at the local petrol station that is also the local cafe, post office and general store. The shop assistant couldn’t help enough raiding the cafe for tea bags and tomato sauce because the shelves were a bit scarce. We managed to find something yum for dinner and set up camp to get into some choirs. There were a couple of lads working on rotation from Adelaide and I got chatting to them while polishing up banjo. They’ll also be in Birdsville when we arrive so we plan to meet up again if that works. They both donated $50 each. Thanks guys I’ll see you in Birdsville hopefully.

For now it’s time for dinner. Bit hungry!!! Shower in the morning I think. It’s way to chill bill to contemplate that tonight. Talk soon xxx

Day 13 Kyabram Creek rest area, Thylungra

Distance today 116km Ave 21km/hr

It’s twilight o’clock, 607pm Friday the 14 May 2021.

Let’s start from where I finished up today. The perfect place for my first fire and how yum. There’s not a sound except crickets and plops in the creek. The locals and visitors into fishing, apparently love catching their yellow belly out here and this spot looks ideal. I’ll settle for an amazing fire soaking up the day and the reality of desert country on the horizon.

The day started later after chatting to my mum and some other campers. I was compelled to check out the local bakery that did a delish toasty to start the day.

10 o’clock it was on the road

Banjo was more weighted up with two days of water. It was a positive step to start getting used to heavier loads and particular before the roads become unsealed so it’s not too much too soon. This stage out to Birdsville is about adjusting. I have a new moto for the challenge inspired by the Energiser bunny and his AAA batteries. Triple A stands for accept, adjust and adapt. There’s going to be a step up in the riding experience most days from here on in so it’s time for my flexible foot forward. I could feel the difference when I first started the day but as we got into and on with the day it was all good. A little tail wind didn’t hurt either 😉

15 odd kms out the odometer clicked over to the 1000km and very nice milestone to share with you fine folk

The landscape has changed and I got my first feel of desert country. It was a reality check and heads up of what’s around the corner. Very exciting indeedy.

We cycle through the edge of channel country with 36 kms of flood plains; very barren but teaming with bird life.

This section of road has lots of roadkill mostly sheep and cattle with the occasional roo and emu. The cattle are unfenced so it doesnt end well when they take on the road trains. Roadkill means an abundance of wedge tail eagles. I could spot them from a distance away in groups of up to 6 at a time feeding off the carcasses. They’re a grand bird and epic to watch take like in slow motion.

The sparseness is raw and remote and very real but there’s a beauty in the scarcity

The countryside made spotting emus a bit easier. I disturbed a mated pair eating by the roadside. I don’t know who got the bigger surprise. They ran a short way into the shrub and then followed the roadway for a time. Eventually they cut across the road ahead of me to show off their amazing gait and bouncing bottoms. They can run and so handsome dressed in their finest plumage. I adore emus. I think they were in the pre-mating dating phase :- I wish I had footage to share but no luck getting the camera out in time. It was just beautiful to appreciate nonetheless.

During the day we came across our first sand dune red and stark and stunning

The main trick today was to keep the flies off the face and they were relentless. I have a sun protection veil on my hat so it came in very handy today and worked a treat

So that was today by far my favourite leg of this stage to Birdsville. Nice to share with and ponder over the embers. It’s also my first big sky of stars tonight and I’m thinking about my family with all my love. Time for dinner. Talk soon xxxx

Day 12 Quilpie

Distance today 121km ave 20km/hr

It’s 730pm on Thursday the 13th May 2021.

I was all keen to start super early this morning but didn’t quite get there 🤣 I was invited to have a cuppa and toast with Neil and Maree from Tamworth. They were also camped along the banks at Cooladdi. What beautiful people and so interesting and gracious. They own a farm in Tamworth and were very impacted by the drought loosing all their cattle. But they also run horses and that kept them afloat during the tough couple of years. They’re slowly building their cattle numbers up now with healthier grazing yards since the rain this year. Neils right into his horses. He spoke about another country sport where you have to round up cattle on horseback and manoeuvre them through three points and back into the yards. At 70 he still competes and loves the sport. Maree showed me her camp it out cooking set up which I can only imagine creates some epic dinners. It was a very chilly night and early morning and it was easy time spent around the fire chatting.

It was 10am when I finally got going on the 121km ride into Quilpie. That meant 6hours in the saddle so it was head down bottoms up to get through the kms before dark with a few breaks where I devoured the banana and mandarin treats from Maree.

The road was straight and long cutting through stunning countryside. It was a lot more quiet on the road with only the occasional road train and caravaners. The road is still sealed and good condition.

Neil and Maree mentioned the road remains sealed through to Windorah but then changes to gravel once you hit the Birdsville development road. That’s still a couple of days away.

I spotted my first emu today yay 😀 so excited. I first noticed him slowly crossing the road 100m ahead and let out the biggest squeal “eeeeeeemuu” I grabbed the camera and tried to video him when I got closer to where he went into the bush land but he was all camera shy. As soon as I put the phone away he ran out and crossed the road right in front of me oh my goodness how wonderful. Later in Quilpie I was sharing the story with the lady at the local Foodworks and she said that Emus have been coming into town during the drought just wandering the streets and grassed areas in search of food and water. They’re apparently quite revered by the local folk who let them come and go as they need. It’s nesting time and with the rain they can have up to 12 babies. Let’s see if I’m lucky enough to spot a family over the next days.

I arrived into Quilpie at about 430-500pm this arv and after topping up some supplies found the local campsite. The owner, Anne let me stay for free so I’ve been able to clean me and the gear ready for the next couple of days into Windorah. They use bore water here and it has a very pungent smell of sulphur but does the job all the same. I’m feeling squeaky clean happy.

The next twos day ride will be longer again with a stop at Thylungra midway ish. It’s 239km from here to Windorah so with a couple of good rides I’ll be in Windorah later Saturday. I’ll carry 10litres of water tomorrow for the two days as a gentle intro to carrying the extra weight. For now it’s dinner time. Chilly night!!!! Talk soon xxxx

Day 10 Charleville

Distance today 92 km ave 20km/hr

It’s 648pm Tuesday the 11th May 2021

Hi fine folk posting from the Cob and Co caravan park in Charleville. The owners offered me a free camp and it’s a beautiful spot 1km out of town. I’m squeaky clean after 2 longer sessions in the saddle today. This morning started at very early o’clock with a radio interview over the phone for ABC breakfast show hosted by Craig and Loretta. I think it went well. It went for about 5 minutes. I had walked out of the Showgrounds and into a nearby paddock so that my voice didn’t carry and disturb the other campers. Talk about surreal standing in total darkness and chatting to the hosts about the challenge. There’s a link to the recording on the socials so check it out if you like.

We spoke mostly about the postal packs topping up supplies and the support from Mum and dad and my partner to make sure they’re posted in time. Oh my goodness I got so emotional speaking about this but managed to pull myself together and not be a blubbering mess for the 5 minutes. The next interview was at 830 with radio 8ccc Alice Springs. This went a bit longer and they were very interested in Banjo and his make over before we left to make sure his bits are siloconed, greased and lubed up for the dusty tracks ahead. Thanks again to the guys at The Mountain Biker in Stafford for donating all the service work to make Banjo shine. I’m waiting for the audio file for this interview to share on socials.

The support from sponsors is inspiring. I want to share with you tonight the story around my favourite bit of kit, the Inreach mini. This is the orange electronic you see strapped on the backpack. It’s a satellite tracker, messenger and navigation device that pairs with my IPhone. It tracks me and my riding each day. The information is recorded on Mapshare so you can follow our travels. There’s a link to mapshare at the top of my blog page. It also enables me to share emails with my family and message on Twitter and Facebook when out of cellular service. I am able to SOS in an emergency and two way communicate with the 24/7 responders about the situation until resolved. In a nutshell it’s my lifeline.

The mini needs a satellite subscription with the iridium network. This is bigger bucks. I had applied to a major company for sponsorship to cover the costs of the device and subscription but was unsuccessful. A few weeks out from leaving I needed a plan B.

I approached Anaconda Northlakes to see if they would come to the party. The manager, Colleen offered to approach the company again on my behalf and see if she could get them to reconsider. When that didn’t work she stepped up and donated the mini. Thank you again Colleen and Anaconda for my favourite and essential bit of kit. The next challenge was covering the cost of subscription to Telstra and Iridium that cost $1000 total with set up.

Being a Sandgate girl, my plan B was to approach 10x businesses in the Sandgate community who know me well. This process was amazing as each of the following businesses were happy and excited that they could support our cause. We set up an account at the Sandgate Commonwealth Bank so that they could donate $100 straight into the account to be used then for monthly payments. All transparent and is working beautifully. Sandgate is like a village and it’s a privilege to be part of a close knit community.

So it’s with all my heart I say thank you to Linda and Jacki and Laurels Beauty Salon, Karen at Oakwood Cottage Organic Whole Foods, Fiona at Fiona Green Podiatry, Tim at Market Meats, Arte and Brock at Sandgate Realestate, Peta and Bruce at Bruce Connolly Builders, Viv at Sandgate Wreckers, Steve at Rigby Family Chiropractic and Terry at Terry Duffy Optometrist. Both Steve and Terry donated an extra $100 and Terry also gave me my subscription polarised sunglasses. Your support has enabled me to travel safely and get on with the challenge ahead with peace of mind for me and my family. Time for dinner and onto Cooladdi tomorrow. Talk soon xx

Day 9 Morven

Distance 90km

It’s 710pm Monday the 10the May 2021.

Hi fine folk. I’m camped at the Showgrounds in Morven. It’s a popular spot for travellers. There were sheep dog trials happening when I arrived. I spoke to one of the local fellas competing and he said it’s an annual event over three days in Roma, Morven and Charleville tomorrow. This dogs were so handsome and lean and clearly loving putting their skills to the test for their farmer. Very cool.

There’s also good phone reception which is great. I have two radio interviews in the morning which I’m super excited about.

The first interview is for ABC radio Brisbane with Craig and Loretta Brakfast show. They will call at 550am and it should take about 5minutes. The second interview is at 8am with Mark Bensted at radio 8CCC Alice Springs. I think that will be 830 my time in Qld as NT is half hour behind. I’ll post how that goes tomorrow but I’m hoping this publicity will inspire folk to donate to a great cause and help us reach our fundraising goal for Beyond Blue.

I’ve been thinking today about why I’ve taken on this challenge.

I believe that anything is possible if I put my mind to it. Taking on the 10 desert challenge will stretch me not only physically but also mentally, socially and spiritually. All these parts of myself are interconnected and when they’re working well together I experience a flow of energy and excitement to tackle each step as it comes. I thrive on this positivity and know anything is possible with this mindset. Fundraising for Beyond Blue contributes to a bigger purpose that matters and keeps each day in perspective through the ups and downs.

Time for dinner and bed as I have to get up at early o’clock in the morning. Talk soon xx

Day 8 Mitchell

Distance today 72km

It’s 730pm Sunday 9th May 2021. Happy Mother’s Day everyone.

I came through the town of Amby today during the time my family was having their Mother’s Day picnic so I was able to call and join in on their celebrations via phone chat. Super special to send my love to my mum, dad, partner Dawn and the boy, Dylan.

Leaving Roma, he countryside changed with wide open fields and big skies. It was a beautiful ride again. I stopped at the the dot town of Muckadilla for the first break and popped into the sleepy servo there. I was welcomed by an ol’ fella and his cat who had worked there for an era and he was keen for a chat which was great. What a gentle old soul he was and kindly filled my water bottles with cold tank water and a warm smile. He was getting ready for some chill time with mates with videos, Kentucky and whisky on the menu, so he was in good cheer and had a twinkle in his eye.

I arrived in Mitchell and stopped outside the general store drawing lots of attention from the locals. More fun chats of course around Banjo. His 4.8 inch tyres continue to be a show stopper and a great conversation starter. I also met a lady who was a teacher at the local school and her family own a cattle property outside of town. She was excited to share photos of the running creek on their property and spoke about the challenging times for farmers with the long drought. Apparently there’s a ‘free land’ droving corridor that runs through their property. There’s about 2000 cattle being moved through the area at the moment and it’s likely I’ll come across them tomorrow. She gave me her number and offered to contact her if I need any help and she’ll know someone who will know someone who be more than happy to help out if needed 🙂 Very nice to know. She also invited me to camp on their property which is about 15km out of town. That was the plan until a storm came through this afternoon. I was a bit damp and smelly and in need of a shower so I ended up heading to the Major Mitchell campgrounds where they were kind enough to offer me a free camp and clean up.

It’s a beautiful campsite just before the bridge and the town sign welcoming travellers to “the gateway to the outback.’ Very appropriate!!! I’m one week into this stage of the trip and feeling a lot more settled and excited about the challenge ahead. It’s a good feeling indeedy after lots of ups and downs getting into gear. Tomorrow I’ll be in Morven which is great because on Tuesday morning I have a phone interview with a breakfast radio station from Alice Springs so needed to make sure I had good phone reception.

Tonight Ive had a look and rough plan for the next days to Birdsville and I’m still on track to be there before 5pm Friday the 21st to pick up my first postal pack to top up supples. That’s the logistics I want to share with you tonight.

There’s some essential food and other items I need during our travels. To top up on these supplies I have arranged parcels to be posted to towns on route with postal services. These parcels are addressed to me care of the post office address and they hold it for up to 30 days for collection. The trick has been to make sure I’m arriving at these places during trading hours. Most towns are open Tuesday to Friday but the hours vary. Mum and Dad have the prepacked boxes at their place and will post them allowing plenty of time to arrive. Mum and I finalised the Birdsville box today which will be posted Tuesday. Even though I don’t have a support car following, I still have a very extended support crew who make this challenge possible. My mum and dad and partner are my number 1 crew members and I am so grateful and doing this because of their love and support.

Time for dinner xx