The departure is difficult

Day: 164 Stage three / total expedition days 555

Sunrise:
5:44

Sunset:
18:38

As the crow flies:
25,4

Daily kilometers:
31

Temperature - Day (maximum):
32° degrees, in the sun approx. 52°

Temperature - Night:
13.9° degrees

Latitude:
24°05'30.9"

Longitude:
143°04'29.1"

Mulga Fress-Camp – 27.10.2002

After the rest days, it’s not easy to get up at three in the morning again. I sleepily assemble our camp beds and carry them to the other equipment lying under the canopy on the veranda. ‘Good morning,’ I greet Tanja quietly, who has prepared a delicious muesli with apples, pears and oranges for us in the meantime. We sit in silence and enjoy the delicious fresh fruit. Lost in thought, I see us walking in the heat. I am reluctant to put myself through the strain again. The days here have rested my body, but the amount of writing I’ve done and the challenges of the last few weeks I haven’t yet digested have left my psyche still battered. In order to recover my mind from the constant exertion, I need a longer rest. I am aware that our success also depends on making the right decisions at the right time. Without wishing to exaggerate, any wrong decision can plunge us into disaster. It is therefore easy to endanger our lives, or at least the expedition, with a little carelessness.

I don’t have time to let the alarming thoughts sink in. As soon as our breakfast is finished, we load our equipment onto the Ute and drive it to the saddles, which are neatly lined up next to the camel enclosure we have built.

Georg arrives before sunrise to watch us loading. Everything runs smoothly and we are ready to set off at 07:00. We say goodbye to Georg and leave Westerton heading east. A few clouds cover the sun and ensure pleasant temperatures. The mountain range at the foot of which the homestead lies quickly becomes smaller. The path winds back and forth a few times, leads over a slight hill and when we turn around, Westerton has disappeared. Just a week ago, this station was our long-awaited destination. Now it is behind us. The town of Longreach has taken its place and represents a new challenge for us. Our camels saw their last city about two years ago. (Diary overview of 21.10.00 day 163, stage one) Since then, we have walked over 4000 kilometers through wilderness, deserts and bush. How will they react to road trains, cars and the noise of civilization? Will we find a safe way around the human residence? Many questions cross our minds, but before we reach Longreach, we still have about 200 kilometers to cover.

The landscape is still very dry. We hardly see any cattle. Most of the farmers evacuated them months ago and brought them to safety. It doesn’t take long before we reach Winton Jundah Road again, which is called Tonkoro Ban Ban Road here. Every few kilometers, one of the dreaded cattle grids blocks our way. (Diary overview of 23.06.00 day 43, stage one) Fortunately, there is a gate next to each grid through which we can lead our camels. We have to overcome a total of five of these obstacles today.

“There’s a dam up ahead. Maybe we can find some greenery there for our camels!” I shout. We leave the Tonkoro Ban Ban Road in the direction of the dam. When we reach the earth wall, I give Tanja the lead line so that she can inspect it more closely. A young bull sits next to the water and tries to escape. He has difficulty standing up. Apparently he had been sitting in the mud for several hours before the farmer pulled him out. His joints have become stiff from sitting in the water, making it impossible for him to escape. I have seen a similar case at Huckitta Station, where a young bull fell into the drinking trough. He also sat in the water for several hours until Dean was able to pull him out. “It will take a few hours. Then his joints will be supplied with blood again and he’ll be able to walk,” Dean explained.

As I approach the bull, he tries to get to his feet without success. In order not to frighten him any further, I give him a wide berth and walk along the bank of the dam. I discover a bovine skeleton covered in withered skin. Half of it is in the water. Just a little further on, the fat body of a wild boar is bulging in the sun. Either it also got stuck here or was shot by a pig hunter. Because of the two dead animals, I decide not to water our camels here. Disappointed, I walk back to Tanja. In search of a few green trees and some shade, we wearily continue our caravan. Just a few kilometers behind the dam, we discover our beloved gidyea trees, which have often helped us out of trouble in recent weeks.

We set up camp in the shade of the trees. As our boys have been eating a lot of hay over the last week, they are happy about the change and are sinking their teeth into the gidyeas. Herds of kangaroos populate the area and watch us. Rufus is beside himself with excitement and is in seventh hunting heaven. As if hypnotized, it stares incessantly at its supposed prey, which is bouncing peacefully back and forth just 50 metres away. If he wasn’t on the chain, he would shoot off like an unstoppable rocket. Willy Willys pass by at regular intervals. Fine dust rises into the sky and settles over us and the equipment. The setting sun penetrates through the cloudy wall. The light from the glowing star, which is still bright at this time of day, is pleasantly dimmed. Reflecting rays flash cautiously through the branches of the gidyeas. Flocks of birds hop across the ground in search of food. We enjoy the idiosyncratic atmosphere until the daylight merges with the darkness, then we get ready for the night.