Theaussiechallenge Post # 86 Border Town SA

Day 108 33 days to go. Distance today 85km total 8812km. It’s 6pm 23/10/2012 SA Side of Border Town. I said to Rubes yesterday during some ‘way too hot’ crazy moment…… ‘Rube last day in WA!!!!’ and it was 🙂 We’re sitting at the roadhouse on the SA side of Border Town and have just spent the last couple of hours planning an itinerary for here to Brisbane by the 25/11 via Warrnambool to Melbourne, the Hume to Sydney, then A1 to Brissy. At least on paper it’s possible without doing crazy kms per day. I just needed to see the distance and days could work so subject to change, that’s one of a few options. On the route from Eucla to Border town we were thinking about our favorite WA bits and bobs. Roebuck Bay’s up there not just for the ‘Stairway to the Moon’ but that we managed to get there by the full moon then treated ourselves to a day out chilling and collecting shells on the beach for our birthday. Nice!!!! Of course Bungle Bungles was magical and that we even got to see this amazing place was magic in itself thanks to Bruce…You’re the man my friend and hope you have settled back to Warwick home life x My favorite wildlife experience had to be riding with the emu…it still makes me smile and can still see the whites of his eyes checking us out as he ran alongside us with his neck out and pom pom bouncing. I must say the wedge tail eagles are pretty cool but. We spotted our first by the roadside this morning eating his roadkill. He hung around long enough to grab a picky then took off in slow motion to a branch in a nearby eucalypt and perched himself next to a mate both checking us out as we rode by sooooooo cool!!!

It was just after 6am when we started this morning and we woke to overcast cool weather. Can you believe it after yesterday, you wouldn’t pick the same country soo different. I didn’t care that much about the wind today, it was just nice not to have the brain not cooking. A truckee fella this morning was up early and we had a wee chat. I told him about Lindsay’s treats yesterday in the heat. He said it was 44 degrees at the roadhouse so on the road it would have been turned up more with the heat coming off the bitumen. It was forecast another hot one today but apparently this huge cloud has blown in from the southern ocean across the SA Bite coast. It’s been raining on and off but nothing too dramatic. The next 30km of coastline is suppose to be spectacular so we decided to stay here overnight and give ourselves every chance for it to be clear tomorrow to enjoy the cliff views to the max. This morning we started early enough to finally see the red roos in numbers hoping off when we startled them. They’re cool creatures in full bounce and can move at speed. I haven’t seen red kangaros in the wild before and their moving color was particularly awesome against the green shrubs, red soil, overcast sky and escarpment back drop. There’s been a cliff line that has followed the road since crossing the Madura Pass. We crossed it again today coming up over the Eucla Pass before the border. We’re now quite elevated and will hit the cliffs pretty soon after border town. It’s time now to head back to camp and have an early dinner and zzzz’s. I’m soo weary tonight probably still recovering from yesterday’s brain fry. It was good to stop a bit earlier today for some time out and background noise of TV while I pawed through maps. Welcome to SA and the stretch from Border Town to Mt Gambier before Victoria. On paper it’ll take from the 24/10 to the 5/11 all going well!!! I’m kinda expecting the route to change due to the unexpected but hey that’s what meeting Theaussiechallenge is about and we’re once again safe and sound and into another chapter. The folk here at the roadhouse have again let us camp for free and to hang out in their diner which has been very cool indeedy. Time to go check out my girl and see if she’s ok. I just looked outside and forgot how dark and wild the weather is. Deep breath and go brave it Maree….. Talk soon x
PS I’m sitting back at camp next to Buddy and the girl with the grape on very chill bill. This time last night I was in my undies and t-shirt still stinky hot with the storm looming. It never made a mark last night and tonight it’s hanging round for another go. Fingers crossed it’ll find it’s way round our cosy border corner. Time to feed the starvs big yaaaawwwwnnnnn and biddy byes. Rubes moisturized her sunburnt bits from yesterday and is already snoring zzzzzz’ds. She ‘s working so hard and doing a spectacular job at it!!!!!! I love her heapsest biggest everest x