Day 42 – Fri, 20 Aug to Mary Pool Campground

As expected another 4am awakening and rising at 5:30. Bird life everywhere, the early rise is a blessing actually as by the time I was on the road at 7:30 it was 35.5C

Anyway I broke camp, had breakfast in the camp kitchen, had a short walk around the lagoon to see some of the birdlife then hit the road. Today was expected to be a transit day.

As I said yesterday, I rode to Wyndham which is the most northerly town in WA. In fact I road to the end of the bitumen on the Great Northern Hwy, which I now should be on until I hit the W coast.

So I headed back out S along terrific countryside with the river plains between the ranges.  I stopped in at the Grotto, a pool formed in a ravine formed by a waterfall which only flows in the wet season.

I turned right at the intersection with the Victoria Hwy and continued S on the Great Northern Hwy. This Hwy ran through the Carr Boyd Ranges which forms the backdrop of Lake Argyle and the road continues down the W side of the Bungle Bungles, where I had flown over only a few days ago.

I passed the entrance to the Argyle Diamond Mine, but you would never know where this was except that I saw the mine site on the map. I guess they don’t want to advertise their access road for security reasons – who knows.

This terrain continued through to Warmun (a closed aboriginal community) with the Turkey Creek Roadhouse where I fuelled the bike and continued on.  I stopped for an early lunch a little further S before entering Halls Creek for another refuelling stop - I just wanted to top the tank off.

Halls Creek was a larger town, but all the houses and facilities have cyclone wire fences, usually topped with barbed wire. I guess they have some problems. I was thinking of calling it a day but it was still early so I pressed on to my original destination at Mary River.

On leaving Halls Creek the terrain became flatter (well less escarpments), the vegetation became more sparse and the earth redder. The temperature stayed around 36C for most of the day. It was hot and dry riding. The road was excellent, part of the National Hwy 1, with lots of upgraded sections.

As the vegetation was becoming more sparse and the earth more exposed I was beginning to worry about my choice of camp site for the night. If it turned out to be a rough earth site then the next town was Fitzroy Crossing some 180km further E and this would mean me riding through to after 5pm – not a decision I wanted to take as I like to be off the road well before 4pm to avoid the wildlife – Skippy and his friends.

I turned into the Mary Pool Campground (free camping – toilets but no showers) and it was worth the extra travel from Halls Creek. The river is almost empty although I did sight one fresh water croc. I selected a site and a chap, Peter walked over from a 5th wheeler and suggested a better grassier spot near the bank – don’t worry the water is some 50m away.

I got to chatting with Peter and his wife Sandy, they are from Castle Hill and still returning from the Ulysses AGM in Albany last March. Their Harleys are in the back of the specially built 5th wheeler and they are just taking their time returning home. It took them 2 months to get from Albany to Perth after the AGM. They still have a way to go.

I rode about 480km today, a little tyring given the heat, so I have had dinner, finishing this blog in the fading light and will be saying good night very soon.