The adventure continues

Well I thought that after a few days without reception while I sit here I. Broken hill I would update you all on where we’ve been.
After exploring more of wyperfeld/big desert np we continued north through murrayville cutting almost straight across the mallee hwy to stay on the dirt and off the black top and headed north into Murray sunset np. We spent a bit of time here following some tracks which were all in good condition. We finally ended up in mildura and after a quick stop for food and fuel we headed for the Murray river (lock 9 to be exact ) from here we followed a track that runs right along the rivers edge. After a few km we pulled up for the night light the fire and generally enjoyed the surroundings.
The next morning we had a lazy start and decided to keep following the track along the river with hope it would lead us into the top of Murray sunset np on the boarder of sa all was looking good until we had to cross a small river that ran into the Murray. We followed the track a bit further in the hope we would find a better spot to cross. But we finally came to a property fence after a couple of km with no gate through. After back tracking to the water crossing and a few minutes of contemplating weather to try the crossing I made the call to don the shorts and walk it first. After making it all the way across with the water only getting to my knees I walked back across and got ready to cross. Knowing it was a bit soft under the water I gave it enough power to hopefully get me out the other side. Well when I got within a meter of the other bank I was about a foot to the right of where I had walked and wouldn’t you know it I went straight to the axles 😦 . With the river being as wide as it was we had to join 3 snatch straps together and even then it only gave mark about 1-2 meters to snatch from without the risk of getting stuck himself. As it turns out after getting the snatch straps wet and muddy after several attempts he was never going to move the patrol which was well and truly sitting on its axles. So out came the winch and the tree prospector and the 20m winch extension strap all with mark sitting on the other bank having a good laugh. Once everything was setup I jumped back in and winched myself out. But now I had to get back over the other side as the call was made not to continue along this track as it was only heading into more wet areas going by the map. So a quick pack up of the recovery gear and the patrol now facing back to where I had come from. I aimed the wheels a foot to the side of where I had come to grief and hoped for the best. With the foot down I made it through and a foot from coming out the other side I came to a stop but this time a quick throw into reverse and back into drive soon saw me back on the other side with mark. From here we back tracked to lock 9 and back to the sturt hwy which lead us over the as border and into renmark. From here we headed north onto the dirt into chowilla reserve to follow another track further north and into danggali conservation park where we pitched up for the night.
With another early start we continued north eventually turning east. A few km from the border stopped at an intersection in the middle of nowhere I looked out the passenger window not to see mark parked next to me but the owner of the neighbouring property who turned out to be a top bloke and had only owned the property for a few weeks. So after following him back over the border onto his property we had a chat for awhile and continued on dodging the goats on the way until another 100km or so we hit the black top once again about 95km from broken hill which is where we are now and about to head to silverton to spend the night.

Photos

Little to big desert

After a day playing on some of the tracks in the little desert we found a nice campsite next to a waterhole and soon after arriving got a fire going and set up camp for the night. With the fire going we thought it was time to get the old campoven out and cooked a nice roast lamb and veggies washed down with a few cold beers. Around 1am a big down pour set in but we slept it out and by sunrise the rain had stopped.
After a quick cuppa we were on the tracks again and heading north. We had a quick stop at Nhill to top up the tanks and shortly after we were entering the big desert and on the chinaman track which turned out to be a but of fun with some water across the track being a bit deeper then expected at times but we both made it through that track plus a few others and we are now kicking back around a nice firepit (dug with our multi tool shovel 😉 ) with the chook in the campoven and beer in hand and hopping for clear sky’s tonight.

Grampians then onto little desert

After dropping Anna off at the airport in Melbourne Mark and I headed towards the grampians for a look around. Arrived there around lunch time and spent the next few hours driving around and checking out some of the amazing views and waterfalls in the constant rain. As it got to dusk we headed back to a nice spot called boreang we had checked out earlier and set up camp for the night. With an early but slow start the next morning we reorganised the rigs and headed out of the grampians and set off towards little desert arriving around lunch. Having only been here for about an hour we have already had water up to the Mazda’s windscreen and having a great time checking out some of the side tracks coming off what they call the McDonald hwy. this is one hwy I wouldn’t contemplate bringing the family sedan. Anyway will update again a bit latter as its time to hit the tracks again 🙂

Day 1 Melbourne

Arrived in Port Melbourne yesterday morning after a very uneventful sailing from tasmania. Had about an hours delay docking due to the protest at the dock. Which was fine by me as it meant I only had a short 5-10 minute wait at the airport when collecting Anna.
After the airport pickup we made our way into St Kilda for a quick breakfast at a very nice cafe. Before heading off to meet with a couple of suppliers. We finally arrived at Country Outfitters ( Burke & Wills ) and met up with Shane the owner. After a bit of a talk, Shane showed us around the factory and explained the manufactory process. It was great to see an Australian company going so well locally and internationally. So a big thanks goes out to Shane for his hospitality. And remember to watch this space as there may be some exciting new products coming soon 😉 .
Now we have looked at how we can help you get a great nights sleep, keep dry and warm with these great Australian oil skin and canvas products. Today we are off to look at all your LED lighting needs including light bars for your rigs as well as strip lighting for your camping setups. So again watch this space.