Early in the morning I looked out the window and spotted a lone dingo checking out our camp…. We raced out side and got a couple of pics before he slunk off into the bush…

Our destination today was about 30 mins north of Karratha – Cleaverville Beach – so we packed up and left the free camp after having a great night together – despite Dave’s embarrassing marshmallow faux pas 😊… tricky managing those hot melted marshmallows around an open fire!!

Everything is so arid and dry – we travelled over dry riverbeds which occasionally had mud puddles in them… lots of red dirt and spinifex….

Big mining ventures with their huge transport areas occurred at regular intervals along the road….

Wide loads are common along the highway as huge mining machinery is moved around so lots of care has to be taken when passing one…

We turned off into Karratha for fuel and some supplies… the gas and mining industries dominate here – lots of road trains, gas plants, mining accommodation for FIFOs….

The bakery at Karratha had an extensive range so we had lunch… Trev indulging in a Banoffie Pie…

Continuing on north, we reached the turnoff to Cleaverville Beach and hit the dirt road – lots of red dust kicking up behind the vans…

The road was a bit windy and slippery with loose gravel, so we travelled carefully – the condition of the road was excellent though – very few corrugations…

We passed over clay pans, went over a crest and Cleaverville came into view.

The camphosts were lovely and pointed us to our sites which were fantastic – drive through, beach front and level!!

I was staring to feel a little under the weather having caught Trev’s cold but nothing a couple of codral couldn’t fix….

It was a little windy but not too bad… the best thing was that there were NO FLIES!!! It was great!!!

After setting up we walked along the beach – the tide was on the way out – tides are big up here….

We saw some interesting rock pools – and some really ugly chitons!!!

The sun set over the south headland – another beautiful evening!!

We discovered that at night in Cleaverville the hermit crabs come out in the campground – we saw so many – different shapes and sizes crawling over our mat – investigating our campsite….

Matt and Sharon were up at the crack of dawn to leave for their long journey to Chilla Station then Karijini…. So we got up to say goodbye and farewell…

Matt noted that there was no movement in the Hunter Lotus so he went over and knocked… knocked…and then banged on the bedroom window…

Kerry appeared and finally a sleepy Gordie… so we all said our goodbyes and watched them drive out on the next leg of their journey….

Well…. things had been too good to be true… Branch had been having a great holiday relaxing in the Ranger taking in the sights with not much to do….. until it was time to check out of Exmouth…

We had planned to depart at 0800 and so all the cars were hooked on, ready to go…. And then there was noted to be a flurry of activity at the Wells draw bar…

There appeared to be a problem with the you-beaut techno up to date Black Jack device that Dave had purchased instead of the standard jockey wheel….

It was jammed and would not go up…. Branch was so excited – now he felt useful again and he dragged MacGyver over to take a look…

Unfortunately, we were all situated on the main exit road out of the van and the fact we could not move out due to Dave’s Black Jack issue became quite awkward with a traffic jam starting to form… the pressure was on….

MacGyver identified that the gears appeared to be stripped in the Black Jack (? how did this happen???) and so after many attempts to reengage the mechanism, he decided to completely undo it and remove it – replacing it with Klaus’s jockey wheel…

Gordie did a great job directing the traffic and ensuring there were no collisions…

During this lengthy period, Klaus had managed to slowly squeeze his van past (very nervous about the tree close to his van…) and drive out….

Branch had to rescue his step as in all the anxiety of getting out it had been left behind…

Back to the Black Jack fiasco… the Black Jack lay forlornly on the gravel beside the Pearl – a tribute to modern technology and its fickle behaviour…

the jockey wheel was on and the Pearl was now securely connected to the Franklin… Dave and Rose ready to drive around the block to Exmouth Caravan Supplies and buy a replacement jockey wheel…

We were finally on the road at about 10…. Stopping for fuel at the cheap Shell just outside Exmouth…. Dave managed to pay big $$ for a replacement hydraulic jack – opting for that rather than a standard jockey wheel… in his whirlwind morning that had thrown everything out of kilter he came in too hot to the turnoff to the Shell servo and had to turn around….

The iconic anthills on the road from Exmouth seemed to have proliferated in the last couple of days…

Despite all the hiccups we made it to Bullara Station for morning tea… Matt and Sharon had been there earlier… Matt had managed to but out the last of the scotch fillet and porterhouse… sending us a triumphant photo (pseudo apology!!)…

The landscape as we continued north was extremely dry and arid – the classic red dirt, spinifex, blackened bushes, and blue sky made for some great pics…

We drove past mesas, dry creek and riverbeds……

… finally arriving at the free campsite we had chosen for the night – Warramboo Creek. The site was large and flat, so we were able to set up as a wagon train…. and built our firepit in the centre…

We had happy hour amongst the flies which were pretty persistent… Trev tried a novel was to keep them at bay with not much success….

The sun went down…..

and we sat around a great fire… Gordie led us in a reading from John where Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their hypocrisy – JC Ryle had some great comments on it – very important for us to all look at ourselves… pride can be a big stumbling block to us all…

Today was our last day with Matt and Sharon as tomorrow we leave to travel north and they head west to Karijini and the start of their 3 week journey home.

Turquoise Bay is renowned as an amazing snorkelling spot accessible from the beach along the Ningaloo Coast and so we headed out there in the morning to spend most of the day there at the beach.

The 40-minute drive went quickly …. along the coast between the sea on the right and Cape Range with its canyons and gorges on the left…

Arriving at Turquoise Bay we unpacked our gear and headed onto the beach…. the tide was high and the water was almost up to the fence with a small strip of dry sand to put our gear.

Matt, Sharon, Trev and I went straight in for a snorkel and spent the next hour and 45 mins in the water taking in the incredible sights of the Ningaloo Reef…. A myriad of fish all different colours of the rainbow, different sizes and shapes….

Coral formations that were intricate, large and small….

Turtles chewing the coral and swimming lazily…

the elusive clownfish family that were hiding in anemones buried deep within a coral bombie…

and the tiniest baby clownfish I have ever seen….

The pictures really do not do the underwater world justice… the further our we snorkelled the clearer that water became…

Gordie and Klaus also jumped in for a snorkel and the others had a swim and relaxed on the beach – the day was beautiful and warm – ideallic really – as was the location…..

After having a drink and a snack, Trev Sharon and I went out for a second snorkel – there was just so much to see – the reef area seemed endless and each time you swam on there was yet another beautiful coral structure or sea creature to marvel at….

The others left for the day and we stayed on – Matt and Sharon did a swim against the current for some exercise as the tide continued to drop…. We finally left and drove back to Exmouth for showers in preparation for our last farewell dinner out with the Bowyers…

We had booked the BBQ Father Italian Restaurant which was located in the caravan park for dinner that night…

the food was delicious, and we then had dessert and coffees at our place… a joint farewell to the Bowyers and early birthday celebration for Sharon with ice-cream cake and Portuguese tarts lovingly baked by Klaus!!!

We had decided to explore the northern areas of the peninsula and save the snorkelling at Turquoise Bay for the following day as Matt and Sharon were really keen to do that with us.

After an easy start to the day, we drove first to Bundegi Beach – passing the Naval Comms Centre on the way…

The wind was very strong and the swell still large so even Bundegi Beach which is very sheltered was windswept and did not look appealing to swim at…

We continued on out to the point where the Mildura wreck was still visible despite the swell – the SS Mildura was carrying over 500 head of cattle from Wyndham to Fremantle when she ran aground in heavy seas on 13^th March 1907. The boat was wedged firmly on the reef and the crew stayed put for several days hoping she would float free… which did not eventuate…the passengers and crew were rescued a few days later but the cattle were lost…

The VLF antennae located at the Harold E Holt Naval Communication Station looked so tall and dominated the skyline for much of the way.

The 12 tower VLF (very low frequency) antenna system was built in the mid-1960s by the US Navy in a joint venture with Australia. The centre tower (Tower Zero) rises to a massive 1271ft with the others in a concentric ring around it – it was the highest manmade structure in the Southern Hemisphere. Its original purpose was to fill a gap for the US Navy’s communications with its submarine fleet – for the first 25 years it was run by the US Navy but is now run by the Australian Navy.

The sea was wild and the wind strong at the point….

We then drove back along the beaches having a quick look to see if there were any spots good for a surf or swim…

At Dunes Beach there were a couple of people out surfing and a kite-surfer who was having the best time…

…we watched for a while…

You would not want to come off your board onto the oyster stacks that seem to be prevalent in this area – very interesting collections of oysters growing together into clumps…

The Vlamingh lighthouse was erected not long after the Mildura disaster and still stands today a prominent feature on the headland…

The views up and down the coast from the lighthouse were breathtaking…

A beautiful osprey was riding the updraft above the lookout….

It was really interesting to see the changes in the landscape from red dirt to sandy dunes to scrub all in a short distance…

and you could see both sides of the peninsula from the one point…

There was a defense tower there – remains from WWII –

The anchor from the SS Mildura was also there as a memorial to the wreck…

We drove on and checked out the turtle rookery – even though breeding season was finished you could see the divots in the dunes where the turtles would have nested….

Jacobsz beach was the next stop…. Followed by Jantsz beach – both popular surf spots but too blown out today…

While the Hunters and Wells returned then to camp, the Weiss’s and us drove on to the Milyering discovery centre for a quick look – not too much there – and then on to Lakeside – a popular snorkelling spot.

The wind had dropped somewhat and the beach at Lakeside was looking much calmer and inviting so we grabbed our gear and walked along the beach to the snorkelling area.

Two ospreys perched on poles were overseeing the tourists….

It was actually a good time to snorkel – the water was walk and visibility was not too bad… we saw some beautiful fish, clams and coral…

Beryl even got in for a go at snorkelling – still a bit hard as she is still recovering from her cold/ flu making breathing in a mask a bit difficult… but it was great she was able to get in for a swim!

We finished up our snorkelling and drove back the 40 mins to Exmouth… Matt and Sharon arrived back safely after an awesome day – they swam with a whale shark despite the rough conditions and managed to see some bonus humpback whales breaching near the boat – a great day!

Beryl had found some info on Bullara Station which was on the way to our next stop, Exmouth. The station had MEAT for sale which was an immediate attraction for Matt and Sharon – the rest of us were keen to have a look at the station and check out its famous café….

We packed up and left Coral Bay driving the 50 minutes there along the Minilya-Exmouth Road – passing the myriad of termite mounds along the way.

On our arrival the place was extremely busy….

the station had done a great job of setting out the grounds… there were horses, sheep and cattle wandering around….

Great signage and lovely artwork…

the café was inside the old woolshed and was full of rustic paraphernalia…

Matt scoped out the location to buy meat and he and Sharon hurried off first….

sneakily followed by Klaus and Beryl… to see what meat was on offer…. Unfortunately, they had sold out of everything except rump steak – Matt still made a big purchase….

We enjoyed delicious homemade sausage rolls, pies and scones with coffee and sat around enjoying the ambience for a while…

As we drove out of Bullara, a large road train pulled onto the highway in front of us…. another big thing to pass!!

At Exmouth we made our way straight to the Ningaloo Exmouth Caravan Park where we were booked in for the next 3 nights and set up – the sites were a little tight for some with the position of a couple of trees… nevertheless they were great level sites, and we were soon set up.

After a bite to eat Klaus, Beryl, Matt, Sharon, Trev and I decided to spend the afternoon going to Shothole Canyon and Charles Knife Canyon – both located close to Exmouth in the Cape Range National Park. Kerry and Gordon chilled in the van and Rose and Dave took a drive in to check out the shops…

As we drove out to the canyons it was had to imagine that they would be anything of significance as the area was so arid, flat and dry….

Shothole Canyon is so named due to the large number of shotholes in the canyon wall caused by seismic drilling activities by WAPET looking for oil in the region in the 1950s. A small deposit was found – this was the beginning of the Australian oil industry – the reservoir was so small it was abandoned, but oil was discovered at Barrow Island off the WA coast in the 1960s and the Australian oil and gas industry was then truly established.

We drove along deep into Shothole Canyon along the dirt road admiring the impressive rock formations and cliff faces…

shotholes were very obvious all along the way…

the colours of the rock faces changed from red to yellow, white, brown and black – contrasting with the green of the bush foliage and blue sky it made for a beautiful scene…

At the end of the road was a parking area and a short walk to a lookout down the canyon… we climbed up the steps and walked along the ridge to the end….

We had to exit the gorge the same way we came in and then hit the main road to drive further on to Charles Knife Canyon which was named after Charles Knife, one of persons who surveyed the road into the area for the WAPET drilling teams…

The canyon was spectacular – we drove up to the top for breathtaking views down along the canyon itself and you could see the coast in the distance… it was far more spectacular than we had expected – the canyon rises to 320m above sea level and is 13km long and 20 km wide…

After taking some pics…

….and Matt and Sharon taking their obligatory selfie…

….we drove further on to the Thomas Carter lookout… and came upon a solitary motorcyclist camped at the top – he was on his way to Karratha and was just staying the night….we had a chat to him then kept going as the view from the lookout was no where near as impressive as the top of Charles Knife Canyon…

The canyons on the way back down were amazing at every turn… we stopped for a couple more pics before returning to Exmouth…

Back at camp we had happy hour in the camp kitchen area – then Matt and Sharon got organised for tomorrows early rise and journey back to Coral Bay for the whale shark swim…

The night was very eventful with a large storm coming over Coral Bay with torrential rain – huge downpours which were deafening on the caravan roof…. At one point at around 1AM Trev heard a loud bang and woke me up… unsure what it was ?? a branch down?? – it did not seem too windy and we still had our awning up so we debated whether or not to put it down – Trev looked outside and could not see any issues so we went back to bed – the rest of the night we were restless listening to the rain and concerned whether we should put the awning up….

Come daybreak the reason for the loud bang became very apparent….. Klaus and Beryl’s caravan awning had actually had the roller section snap and collapse…. What a mess !!! Fortunately the caravan was not damaged but the awning was completely broken – it appeared that it had sagged with the downpour and the weight of the water had caused the aluminium roller to break in the centre!

Definitely a Branch moment…. He was hard to locate as he was fast asleep when the event occurred but was later identified hiding within the awning folds….

He and MacGyver quickly got to work to assist Klaus to disassemble the awning….

When Gordie got wind of it he was keen to try and salvage the awning PVC as it was better quality than his awning – and the same size!!! The PVC was pinched between the broken aluminium and Branch, MacGyver and Klaus left Gordie to it as they felt it was a no-go…

Gordie persisted for ages but could not extricate the PVC from the roller…. Finally giving in after about 45 mins of fiddling around…..

MacGyver cut the PVC off which Klaus kept and the rest of the remains of the awning was transported to the local tip in the Ranger….

Klaus was very concerned when he saw Rosie left with a couple of chairs near the dump point…. Had Dave dumped her there by mistake????

As it was Sunday we then had breakfast and got together in the Hunter Lotus for our next instalment of Exodus as the weather was wet and windy….making sitting outside impossible…

After the service we walked down to the bakery for coffee and baked goods…. Hoping the weather would improve!!

The sun broke through the clouds around midday but it was still fairly windy – however as it was our last day in Coral Bay we decided to go to Five Fingers Reef hoping for a snorkel as we had heard it was a great area to snorkel straight from the beach…

We drove out along the 4WD sandy track after letting the tyres down and made the short trip to Five Fingers Reef…

It was a beautiful spot but still very windy and the reef area was quite choppy….

We decided to snorkel anyway and were so glad we did – even though the water was a bit rough, and slightly cloudy we saw a huge variety of brightly coloured reef fish, clams, an octopus, corals and starfish – beautiful – we could only imagine how spectacular it would have been on a bright sunny day with no swell – absolutely awesome no doubt!

After spending some time on the windswept beach we headed back to camp to pack up and prepare to continue the journey north tomorrow…. Matt and Sharon had some good news – the whale shark swim they had booked for today that ended up being cancelled was going ahead on Tuesday…. and so they were able to drive back from Exmouth for the day to do their much anticipated dive with whale sharks!!!

Matt, Sharon, Rose, Dave, Trev and I were up early to get down to the Coral Bay Eco Tours for out swim with the Manta Rays cruise which started at 0730… the Weiss and Hunters had planned a chill-out day today while we were gone…

We were bussed down to the jetty and boarded the boat ready for the day out on the water.

As we journeyed out to beyond the reef, the spotter plane was seen taking off on it’s mission to locate the Manta Rays so we could be dropped into the ocean to swim with them.

The tour was much the same format as the whale shark swim we did with Coral Bay Eco Tours in 2017…. 10 people at a time were allowed in the water to swim alongside the Mantas for a period then the group huddles together in the ocean waiting for the boat to drop off the second group and return to pick the first group up.

It was not long before the captain was notified that 2 Manta Rays were spotted not far from where we were so they moved the boat over – and we were in the first group to jump in with the photographer and guide…

There were 2 magnificent Manta Rays – a female swimming in front and a male close behind her – they glided through the water effortlessly and looked very relaxed…

We took some GoPro footage which was not too bad however due to the swell the water was a little murky….

Altogether we had 3 swims with the Manta’s which was truly incredible – the last swim was the best as there were less people in our group as some were a bit fatigued with all the swimming so elected to stay on the boat… it was quite challenging in the water as the swell was big and it was quite windy – and getting back on the boat required thought, coordination and effort to say the least!!! There were a few unintended kicks to faces and other body parts… needless to say we had a great day….

After the swims we had morning tea while the boat cruised back inside the reef to a great snorkel spot called the maze… we were able to jump in and do a guided snorkel tour though the maze of coral and bombies seeing many varieties of fish, coral, turtles and even a sleepy reef shark under a ledge…

Lunch was served on the boat and then we were taken to the next snorkel spot – the Shark Cleaning Station – the only known “cleaning station” for grey reef sharks in the world (apparently!). The reef sharks come into the cleaning station and circle around while the small cleaner wrasses clean their teeth!!

It was a snorkel like no other – snorkelling single file though a narrow passage between 2 bombies to come out the other side to see below a number of big and small sharks circling around getting their teeth cleaned! The area was full of a plethora of fish all swimming in various directions above the main coral platform that was the “cleaning station” – we swam around the station and stopped to the side to watch the activity – it was very unique and not a confronting as I thought it may have been…

After watching for quite a while, we snorkelled on back around the bombie to the boat admiring the amazing structures of the coral and the abundant sea life that lives there…

We purchased the professional photos from the day – amazing quality – far better than our GoPro Hero 5 images (no surprises there!!) – the pics below are the ones from Aimee Nicholson-Jack Photography… check her out on Instagram @aimeeenj

Some aerial shots of Coral Bay as well….

Returning back to the caravan park we had showers and got ready to go out for dinner at the local restaurant “Fins” which was just at the entrance to the park…. The food was amazing – Matt was in awe of the seafood tasting plate which looked fantastic!!

It was time to leave Warroora Station for Coral Bay…. Packing up like a well-oiled machine, Dave even got time in to give the Pearl a bit of baby-wipe love before we hit the dirt….

Matt made sure he was in pole position for the take-off….

As we drove north, termite mounds started to appear more frequently, and the landscape was the characteristic red dirt interspersed with some scrubby greenery as there had been some rain here over the last few weeks which had greened things up a bit…

We turned off the highway toward Coral Bay which is part of the Ningaloo Coast area…. Everyone keen to get some snorkelling in as the reef is amazing!

As we were slightly early for checking in, we stopped in at the Coral Bay Bakery for a coffee….

We checked in to Coral Bay People’s Park…. With swipe card access no less… (Joe Rao-Davies eat your heart out 😊)

The park was well landscaped, and we all set up….

then walked across the road to the beach for a swim and snorkel – the water was amazingly warm, and we saw quite a large variety of fish….

Back at camp there was a Branch moment unfolding with Klaus unable to start his Landcruiser…. Dave was out to assist, and the jumper leads were on their way as it appeared to be a flat battery (??how??) …. Until MacGyver and Branch appeared and asked Klaus for the keys…. Which were discovered back in the caravan…. Funny how you need keys to start a car!!!!

All was well – not a flat battery and the car started once the keys were present 😊

As some of us were booked in to do the Manta Ray swim the following day we had an early night in anticipation of the early start and full-on day ahead….

As the flies were still fairly overwhelming, we decided to head to the beach early today to check out some of the coastline south of Warroora….

Beryl was still feeling quite unwell and was coughing a lot – she was RAT negative thankfully but was still not recovering as quickly as she would have liked so she opted to stay behind and rest in the van…

Rose was dressed in her best resort wear looking awesome in the pink overswim and white crocs – all ready for the day out – contrasting with the red dust of the station…

Gordie had been talking to a French guy who was working at Warroora about surfing, and he told Gordie to check out Bulbarli as it was supposed to be a good break…. So we set of to look at Bulbarli…

The road along through the station was sandy but not too hard to navigate – as we pulled up at Bulbarli there was a derelict windmill near the beach – made for an interesting pic…

As we walked over to the beach, Gordie was very excited about the left hander he could see…..

Gordie was so excited he asked me to take some pics of the waves…. As I scrambled to catch a couple of big ones, I did a partial Klaus and kicked my toe on a loose rock half buried in the sand….. ouch!! I did get some good pics tho’…..

Rose and Kerry looked great relaxing on a rock watching the surf…. Until a set came through and created havoc!!

We were the only ones on the beach which was quite a picturesque place…

but the surf was not rideable, so we decided to continue on to have a look at The Lagoon – where apparently there was a number of tiger sharks who frequented the area making swimming an unlikely option…

The Lagoon was pretty and looked very inviting….

Trev and Gordie got talking to the camp host who confirmed the tiger shark situation… so after a good look around we drove up to the cliff area to get a good view of the coastline – and the big swell coming in…..

Gordie parked the Titan in a conspicuous position which made for a good promo pic 😊

The view from the cliff was spectacular with the limestone cliffs meeting the surging swell of the ocean… and in the distance waves crashing on bombies out past the reef….

Next stop was Nick’s beach – again a very picturesque spot but not much of a swimming place….

So we drove back then to Stevens and had a swim and spent time enjoying the beach… and lack of flies….

We arrived back in the afternoon to camp – Branch felt it was time to make Beryl a hot lemon drink and see how she was…. She had rested but was still not feeling great….

Branch then checked out my stubbed toe – a reminder of the last trip where I did a number on my little toe – this time it was my second toe – felt pretty sore but hopefully not as bad as last time…

Sunset over Warroora Homestead was beautiful and tranquil as the wind had died down and the flies disappeared with the sun….

Until the tranquility was broken by a smoke alarm… and smoke coming out of the Wells’ van… Branch and MacGyver rushed over to see Rosie fanning the smoke with a tea towel… but the smoke increasing by the second… MacGyver grabbed the offending pan (steak cooking….) and took it outside…. The smoke took a while to subside…. Just a case of too much heat from a gas stove and a splatter pan on top of cooking steak – leading to burning fat… and smoke…

That night we had a fire as it was the last night we could for a little while – and the last night Matt and Sharon could have a fire with us – and Sharon was keen to re-try the damper – this time with sultanas…. The result was awesome – perfectly cooked and delicious!!!

Just after sunrise Trev was up and dressed for the day with all the eco-friendly fly control options in his arsenal at the ready…..

While preparing brekkie, I noticed an issue with the stove that had re-occurred (we had it fixed pre-trip) – the stove lid had come loose and Branch was on to it… MacGyver located the missing screw under the stove and extracted it with the help of his fly implements….. we were just about to go out so the full repair had to wait til later that day…

Branch had also heard via the grapevine that the Weiss freezer was still causing trouble, swinging open during the trip to Warroora and expelling all the contents over the van floor – Branch arrived to find the freezer neatly repacked… and checked out the loose latch… with no suggestions for a remedy…

We had decided to drive north from the station along the tracks to check out Stevens and Pelican Point…. Everyone let the tyres down to the recommended pressures (20-25) as per the station staff…

We drove the 6 kms to Stevens which was a popular surfing and swimming spot… you could camp there as well…. The campground was nestled in the sand dunes and well protected…

Everyone walked over the dunes to the beach – what a spectacular sight… waves breaking on the reef and turquoise waters to swim in…

The beach was beautiful with surf and a great area to swim…. A couple of tourists were there swimming….

After a couple of fashion shots…Trev was working the camera after taking a leaf from Rose and Dave’s book….we walked along the beach…

and then Trev, Gordie and I jumped in for a quick swim before we continued on north to Pelican Point.

The track was not too rough, sandy in places with green farmland and large dunes contrasting each other… to look east you could see nothing but flat scrubby land as far as they eye could see…

The track into Pelican Point was very sandy but easy to negotiate… and in the distance between the dunes you could see the sparkling blue ocean…

At Pelican Point it was a short walk through the dunes to a beautiful beach with calm azure waters…

we walked all the way to the furthest point and back… The water was lovely and warm, the day was hot and we saw a turtle in the distance and many shovel-nosed rays (often mistaken for sharks) on the water’s edge….

We all jumped in for a quick swim at the end and then returned to camp that afternoon…

MacGyver and Branch got stuck into the Loveday stove issue and had it fixed in no time!!!

That night we sat around the fire, enjoying the relief from the flies….

Sharon made her first damper of the trip in the coals – delicious even if the outside was a bit crispy!!!!

The stars were amazing that night with no moon up…. A few shots of the Milky Way and the night sky….