West2East Challenge Day 10: Boulia to Bedourie – 200km

It’s our last full day with the gang and I can’t help feeling a little sad today! Not only does this mean we’ll be without 3 of our fabulous team, it also means we’re on the home stretch now. What an experience we’ve had so far, I can’t believe I’ve been in this wonderful country for 2 whole weeks already and this time next week I’ll be back at home in Uckfield! So today’s dream time in Rig 1 is Gina, Simon, Lance and I and we set off as usual at around 7am, watching the sunrise as we go.

More long, unchanging, straight, uninterrupted, ceaseless, undeviating roads are laid out in front of us when we reach the Shire of Diamantina on the Developmental Road when we stop at Vaughan Johnson Lookout for lunch and it was totally worth the drive! It’s like we’ve landed on Mars! The landscape here is very rocky and yet a 3km road has been carved out of the rocks officially opened in 2012 and leads up to the most stunning viewpoint we’ve seen so far! As far as you can see is just rocky desert. There’s no vegetation, nothing other than the seamlessly never-ending Diamantina Developmental Road. There’s little wildlife that we can see and yet this place will not only be exposed to the most extreme of high temperatures, much like most of the country we’ve covered, it’s also prone to flooding – I can’t believe it standing here right now that this place can be anything other than barren desert, let alone a lush plane of rare flora and fauna spilling over with wildlife and greenery! This definitely calls for a trip back here I think, because just like these mysterious kangaroos (which we still haven’t seen any of, by the way!) I can’t get my head around the need for water drainage areas at the side of the dirt roads! Holly Day and Andy Venture take full advantage of being in this unique landscape and insist on posing for a photo right at the top – their wish is my command!

The creative genius Wozza comes up with a new way to have bacon and egg sandwiches – called ‘Frogs in the pond’ apparently! I’m not arguing, I can definitely think of worse places to be for a spot of lunch!

We arrived in Bedourie (meaning ‘sand storm’) in good time again – I think we’re finally getting the hang of this y’know! Bedourie is much like many of the towns we’ve visited so far in terms of layout – there’s one main street where you’ll usually find a much needed ‘servo’ (petrol station), a school or two, a visitor centre, community centre, pub/restaurant and a campsite. However, Bedourie has the added luxury of an Artesian Spa and 25m Swimming Pool Complex where the water comes from 400m underground from the bore head which was drilled in 1905! Not bad for a town of only 120 people! 120! There’s over 300 people working at The Caravan Club East Grinstead offices! And they’ve got 95,000 sq. km in this town! My word! The most endearing thing for me is that each town, and this one being no exception, has a police station!
Bedourie also has a claim to fame – The Bedourie Camp Oven. Outback cookwares, usually made out of cast iron, were posing problems under harsh outback conditions so a new design was created for the outback pioneers and is now recognised by the Australian government as ‘uniquely Australian’ and there’s a great example of this outside the visitor centre. However, there’s no time for fun and games right now, there’s a serious game of cricket going on! Not that Adrian and Simon are competitive you understand, nor has Simon been ribbing Adrian about the ashes either! Game faces on, cricket isn’t life or death. It’s much more important. Luckily I manage to slip away and pop to the petrol station with Lance where we’re actually able to find birthday balloons, party poppers, games and sparklers – Gina’s surprise birthday party is on!

We’re eating in the pub this evening and the ladies in there are more than happy to accommodate us taking over the place! One of the girls working there is from Norwich of all places, and it’s nice to hear a familiar accent! I asked her how she ended up working here – we really are in the middle of nowhere! She said she flew out here, got on a bus, travelled 400 miles and ended up here, simple as that!

Balloons are all blown up, presents are wrapped (which are a game of snakes and ladders, mosquito net hat and cuddly toy camel!) and we’re good to go – I just hope we can keep it a secret! It would have been a lot easier had Adrian not said we should go for dinner early at 6 – everyone else was getting there for 7! Nightmare! There wouldn’t have been much of a ‘surprise’ if we’d have turned up to an empty pub! The other thing is that Gina is ready to go and somehow I managed to drag out getting ready for 45 painful minutes – she must have thought I’d lost the plot! Sorry Gina! It was all worth it though to see the look on her face, happy birthday G!

There’s a juke box and a pool table at the pub so we’re having a ball this evening! We’ve heard little else music-wise other than what’s on our phones, and I think we’ve heard it all at least twice over. I’ve even inflicted The Greatest Disney Songs on Lance, Gina and Eddy –although they loved it, and don’t let them tell you anything different! We’ve got another early morning tomorrow to drop off our three stooges in iconic Birdsville so we best get packed up and ready to leave at 6 or face the wrath of Wozza!

We’re on the home straight now – let’s go! J

Twitter: caravan_han

Facebook: West2East Challenge

Instagram: caravan_han