In saying that we still managed to get away before 9am
through fear of packing up in the rain. We got lucky with a dry spell for a
couple of hours.
The cows got fed again and the boys managed to ride
around and meet every camper. A nice place to stay though a little expensive
if you want to eat at the restaurant.
We left and stopped briefly at the roadhouse then
adventurously decided to go and have a look at the Old Telegraph Track (OTT).
There was no intention to do it, although if it was easier than people said we
may have given it a go.
That all ended a the first creek crossing called Palm
Creek.
Wet, muddy, steep, ruts as deep as the passenger windows
& basically impassable. In the dry with some skill you can appreciate
people get through, but not today. The pictures say it all. One 50m decent,
through the shallow creek, then a
similar climb the other side.
Some young guys came along and got big erections when
they saw it & decided they would go through. First to go was a Nissan
Patrol who made it basically to the bottom of the decent through sliding down,
then gunned it up the other side and got absolutely nowhere. There was a crowd
of about 20 at this stage and we all watched while they attempted to winch
out........they were going to be there for a long time!!!
The crowd got what they came to see and after waiting for
15 minutes or so with no more action, promptly retreated back to the main road
and onward. Funny stuff and hats off to the boys for having a crack. That will
either make for an expensive extraction, or a great yarn by the campfire for
years to come. Well done.......not for my Prado though......
As we left we hit road that had seen quite a large amount
of rain which on these unsealed roads is not something we have seen. It was
literally like driving on ice. Extremely slippery made worse by a 1700kg
trailer behind you. At one point the Mann Vann decided to go in a different
direction to the Prado and we were looking at the side of it in our side
mirrors and getting bent way out of shape quickly. Nat had her customary panic
attack which is of the same tone if this happens or Mav spills some milk, and I
just said its OK & managed to straighten it up. Pretty scary though, I
thought we were gone for all money.
This of course was viewed by the Toms family who thought
it was (as Jo puts it) "hilarious" and it made quite the talking
point over the UHF's for the next little while. I am just glad we didn't lose
it.
Further north, it dried a little although pleasantly not
enough to create dust, which was a welcome change today. We took a right turn
to get into Fruit Bat Falls for lunch & a swim. The falls were magic,
perfect for the boys and a welcomed cool off from the humidity. Most of us took
the opportunity to swim and smiles all round afterward.
We then ventured up another section of the OTT to head
towards Eliot Falls where we were camping. Along the way we faced a creek
crossing in terms of deepness we had not seen before. Some others came across
before us and the height ranged from bonnet level to mid bull bar depending on
the car. It looked easy enough so we all went through unscathed, with Tomsy
probably getting nearest to the bonnet given his Pajero isn't raised. Still no
challenge for him though.
On to Eliot Campground to find someone had pinched one of
our campsites. After some negotiation they moved on and we all got set up quickly
enough.
Down to the falls (Eliot & Twin) for more swims and
needless to say the boys were in their element.
Whilst they were nice falls, they really don't hold a
candle to anything that the Kimberley possesses, but definitely worth a look
while up here. The Toms family have so much more to see.....we are so envious.
BBQ dinner, no fire, a couple of stubbies and another
episode of Game of Thrones, and it was off to sleep. There may have been some
chocolate and Tim Tams in there also.....
PS...The funniest thing we have seen this holiday
happened tonight when Zac Toms had a panic attack when his Mum & Dad asked
him to wipe up the dishes. We have heard all these stories about how he
suddenly needs to go to the toilet, has stomach pains or a headache when he has
to help out in some way, but we just thought it was a funny story - seeing it
first hand had us all in fits of laughter.....bloody funny & well done for
your creativity mate.
All in all an eventful day today.
Jase & Nat.
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