Theaussiechallenge Post # 62 Murcheson River Rest Area

Day 74 68 days to go. Distance today 115km total 6193km. It’s 8pm Wednesday 19/9/12 Murcheson River Rest Area. It’s late o’clock and Ive just got back to camp after spending a delish delish evening with Tiss and Gary. These are the couple I keep running into and have since Longreech. It’s been so nice sitting around the campfire getting to know them more. What a cool couple. They live at Curumundi Beech Caloundra only 30 minutes from home. With their side tripping we’re traveling at the same pace and I’m loving meeting up with them along the way. Tonight’s been the first opportunity we’ve had to sit for hours just chatting and sharing stories. They spent ten years in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands doing contract work for the building industry in those places. Incredible stories about the local challenges and ex pat living over such an early era and long period of time. This experience set them up financially and built amazing skill sets for them both professionally but not without their share of challenges each personally and for their relationship. It’s been beautiful sharing a fire as its chill bill tonight the first for ages and I have my thermals on and the grape now away from the warmth of the fire. I’m kinda liking being rugged up in the cosy grape and looking forward to beddy byes. It’s 100km into Geraldine tomorrow to stay with Sue and John who we’ve also met in our travels. Today was a beautiful ride. Rube did it a bit tough on the inclines carrying the extra weight in water but my girl did awesomely. The scenery has changed and showing of are the wild flowers with heaps more varieties and color amongst the native grasses, bushes and trees. Everything is in flower and apparently it only gets better from here on into Perth. If today’s just a taste I can only imagine the carnival of flowers we’ll be riding through yayayayaya. The floodways have been replaced by open fields of green pastures and crops. The difference is startling from the distances of barren expanse we’ve seen for the last weeks. I must say I’m euphoric with the change and it feels like the arrival of springtime all over. WA is proving to be such a vast State of diversity from the Kimberleys to the coral coast to the barren floodways and now entering the lush finery of the south. And our experience is just a slice from the highway let alone all that the inland has to offer along with the National Parks throughout. It’s be interesting to talk some more with Sue and John who live here and I’m sure will have so much more to expand on our experiences. The rest area is stunning right on the river flowing and alive with black swans. After setting up camp i enjoyed a cuppa watching them feed on the river bed grasses with their long necks bobbing. Theres lots of signets and they were happy to let me sit right alongside them enjoying their afternoon grazing. The rain clouds that were threatening earlier have cleared to a beautiful sky of stars and a crescent moon. Yep its a bit awesome and its very nice to be a part of. But for now it’s time for dinner and that cosy bed which is calling. Talk soon x ps Evan I saw another shooting star tonight xxx