Monday, April 13, 2009

SATURDAY 4TH APRIL 2009 – FOWLER’S BAY TO FREE CAMP (NULLABOR PLAIN) – DAY 26

We’d still like to do a little more sightseeing before we leave here so we pack up. Alan suggests some sand driving, which we are not that experienced at but we agree anyway. With Alan’s expert guidance, our trusty UHF radio and lots of luck we drive along the beach. It is great fun! The scenery along the way is beautiful as we head to Point Sinclair which is well worth seeing.

After about an hour and a half we drive back to camp (along the beach) and hook up the caravan/camper and before long we have arrived at the beginning of the Nullabor Plain.

About 60kms into our journey we encounter a huge road train travelling in front of us. I am driving and decide to overtake him (the road is so straight the thought of this is not a problem)!. As I drive up along side of him he accelerates and I find the van is becoming uncontrollable with fishtailing vigorously. I was finding, at 100kms an hour, it was difficult to accelerate which is the done practice in this situation. Jan and Alan were apparently screaming at us via the UHF radio but it had somehow been knocked off channel (2) and we couldn’t hear them. Despite panicking I was able to correct and avoid a catastrophe.

By the time we met Jan and Alan at Head of Bight, the reality of it all had hit me and I began to suffer from delayed shock and as we opened the van door we were faced with chaos! Broken glasses and breakfast cereal strewn all over the van. As soon as I was faced with this sight I completely broke down and realized the seriousness of the situation and the thought of what could have been!!!

Jan made us a cup of tea (where’s the brandy when you need it) and a sandwich before we headed down towards the Head of Bight Lookout. Unfortunately it was too early for the whales but as we saw many of them when we were here in 2005 we weren’t too disappointed. It would have been nice for Jan and Alan’s sake however, the view was spectacular nevertheless.

We continue our journey and only stop for petrol at the various roadhouses along the way.

The rest stop we find for the night is about 50metres off the road and it is here we do a ‘free camp’. No toilets or showers and fairly remote. We stayed hooked up to the van/camper and as its quite cool it is a good opportunity for us to get our ‘gerilla’ out so we head off to collect firewood.

Jan and Alan have an early dinner (I am wanting to use up our fresh vegetables in a risotto as we have to relinquish any unused tomorrow at the border quarantine station). It takes a little longer for us to finish ours but once done we sit around the fire trying to create atmosphere. It just doesn’t happen. I think the night sky is not that clear, no stars and we are all a bit tired so it’s not long before we abandon this idea and head to bed.

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