Holiday Bob has completed Part 2 of this epic tale, read on and enjoy….
Might have been a few sore heads this morning. Pack up our cold wet tents & head into Echuca for a Macca’s breakfast. KLR Dave gives me a litre of Fuel so I’m good to go.
After Breaky its over the river & head out through Deni ,Moulamien & Balranald for refuel & hit the bakery for lunch. These roads aren’t doing my new tyre any favours, but we turn North & are soon on the dirt & heading out to Mungo National Park. Feels like we are in the outback proper now. Mandatory stop at the Woolshed & head west to Pooncarrie.
We decide to camp near town & I grab a bag of wood & some snags from the general store. DR Dave looks funny riding down the road with a slab & a bag of ice tied on the pack rack . Camp on the river with a shower block & a BBQ.. Choice!! Apparently a hot shower is the go when the cramps get ya ! Spanner gives me some Magnesium tablets too . Covered !
Heading South out of town we turn west over the bridge, then North on the road less travelled up to Menindee. Not with out its moments either! A big sandy corner I’m tipping most of us entered too quick & some long stretches of soft sand with those tank slapping parallel lines in them. Check out another wool shed & park but things go south a bit when Dr Dave gets caught being a corner man on a track we shouldn’t be on. Mrs Ranger points and said “you are going out that way… “ but eventually everyone meets up in Menindee for a late lunch.
We decide on an early stop & ride about 100k’s along the Darling to camp for the night. Excellent campsite with heaps of dry wood overlooking the river. Val deals with a slow leak & we settle down for an evening round the fire . It really doesn’t get any better.
I don’t know what it is with this guy ,but Spanner is up in the dark and making noises about moving. Still ,the fire is going & its a pretty misty dawn as the frost again settles on the bikes while we breakfast & pack up. Moving out I’m having trouble seeing & realise that the mist & dust are freezing on my visor & won’t wipe off. Riding into the rising sun doesn’t help, out with the sunnies, visor up & we are all good, if chilled !
We have had breaky & ride through Wilcannia & onto the blacktop with a view to getting to White Cliffs & seeing Mick’s Dad Doug & Barbara for a cuppa & some nibblies. Lunch at the store & a quick look around the Pub (being Renovated ), repair a puncture on Spanners bike & a look around town for the guys that hadn’t been there before .
We had planned to head North East & turn right across the Paroo to Louth, but the road was under half a meter of water & cut off. You don’t want to get caught on a closed road up here either, so we head further north-east to Wanaaring. When we leave the intersection, I ride up over the bank but Hans’y didn’t see me coming as he pulled out. I gave a call as I came up beside him, but he got a start & did a fainting goat, falling down the bank. Sorry about that !
It’s an interesting ride into Wanaaring, sandy & loose with big wide open corners. As we are refuelling in town some kids come up & ask us if we’d like a game of Soccer. Luckily Mick suggests we all put in and buy them all an ice-cream & saves me from certain injury.
We spend the night on a billabong just out of town . Dry warm & sandy .
TO BE CONTINUED……. Part 3 is coming soon