Heading east - additional

I know Mark has already posted the main bits that have happened this week, so here is additional stuff he left out.

On our first night out of civilisation (aka Perth) we met another 5^th wheeler of the same make – what are the chances? I guess our van didn’t want to be alone J

A few days later, the weather started to change and we heard a few drops of rain on the roof during the night. At 6am the following morning, we were awoken abruptly by an almighty clap of thunder and flash of lightening right above us and the skies opened. It certainly made us jump and we had an early start as Mark was worried the rig might get bogged down where we were camped. Later that morning, I drove the rig 180km to the next service station, part of which was along the ’90 mile straightest stretch in the west’. The first time I was passed by a huge road train made my heart beat a little faster, but I got used to it after a while.

Bunda Cliffs was magnificent and the photos don’t do it justice. Watching the mist and spray rise and creep across the plain later in the day as the temperature started to drop was fantastic. The sunset was really spectacular too.

The following day we saw the whales at the head of the bight. Listening to them speak to each other and watching them frolic in the water was something to behold.

I also baked my first loaf of bread and it was really quite edible. It caught me by surprise as I’ve never used a gas oven before, had no idea when/if it was up to temperature or how long to cook the load for. Now to see if I can do it again!

Heading through Ceduna and into South Australia proper, they really take their quarantine seriously here. Someone actually comes on board and checks your fridge and cupboards for fresh fruit and veg!

Every town has got an attraction and Minnipa is famous for its ‘concrete crapper’. To be honest, it was far nicer than some of the roadhouses we’ve visited along the way.

We passed through a town called Kimba which is half way across Oz. It’s also famous for it giant galah, but Mark wasn’t about to stop and let me take a photo, so I’ll get it on the way back next year. . We stopped for lunch at Iron Knob (great name) which is the heart of Australia’s steel industry. I couldn’t really get a good photo from the car, but the landscape really was something to see.