Next stop Yulara. After a roadside camp we rolled into Yulara, then promptly fueled up to full capacity, fuel tank and all 7 jerry cans full, the way we were going, fuel stops were few and far between.
Out of Yulara and on to the Docker River Road, the start of the Great Central Road.
We had travelled this road before, some 29 years before, and were a bit saddened at the improvement of the road. Now a wide graded gravel road, vastly different to the corrugated rough track we had traveled so long ago. Took some of the adventure out of it, well to our mind anyway.
Soon we were at Docker River Community. A run-down campground is just past the entrance to the community, and we pulled in for the night. It is a free camp now, but once it was a paid camp with toilets and hot showers, but the bore suppling water there had gone dry, so all the toilets and showers were locked up unusable. Never mind, it was in a nice setting, amongst the gums very pleasant.
In the morning, always looking for an opportunity, a couple of locals came around wanting to know if we wanted to buy some paintings done by them. They were good and just up Dins ally. After a bit of haggling, we bought one, all were happy with the deal, and they took off with a beep of the horn. Soon after some more came over and offered a deal not to be refused. To their disappointment, I informed them the others had all my money, they left without a beep of the horn.
Packing up, we headed west. Giles Mulga Park Road was about 75k down the road, this would take us to Wingellina,
Wingellina, the community where our friend's mining camp was just outside of. With the aid of our Starlink technology, we gave him a ring and told him we were on the way. He was pleased to hear from us and said we were welcome and gave us directions to the camp.
Rolling into the camp in the afternoon we met up and he directed us to the back of the buildings to park up, then pointed us to the showers and said meals are on soon, come and have a feed. Luxuray, for us, so we partook of the welcome showers and fronted up for a feed.
He worked there alone, catering for the five or six workers in the camp for a four week on four off basis. And what a great cheff he was. Every one of the workers we spoke to praised his work and always looked forward to his shift. He also had created a herb and vegy garden outside the mess hall, with all types of plants thriving in this harsh envioroment. The workers water his gardens when he isnt there.
It was a small camp, doing drill testing for minerals in the area. The next day one of the workers offered to take us to the CORNER, where the three states meet, and he also took us up to the top of a hill nearby for a look. There had been exploration done many years ago and the rocks uncovered then were all about. Don’t know what they are called, but they look spectacular, with blues, green and purple hues.
We stayed for 2 days and were thoroughly spoil, even with Dins favorite, a roast dinner, on the last night. With many thanks, we bid farewell, our time at the camp tucked away with our favorite memory’s.
Westward we rolled, on the Blackstone Warburton Road. We only got about 15k out when we came across a small car in the center of the road. A few locals were sitting in the scrub on the side. I stopped and called out, you, OK? The old fella came over and said, no, we run out of petrol. I explained we only had diesel, he looked around a bit and said, yeah. A younger girl, I assume was his daughter, came over and said, you going to Blackstone? Yes, I said, and it was agreed we would let someone there, know of their plight.
A bit down the road a convoy of about 6 station vehicles came from Blackstone way heading toward them, so we knew they would be taken care of.
That afternoon we came to a Canter truck on the side of the road with a burnt out cab. It had been there for a while, partly scavenged, as are most of the wrecks out here. We camped for the night off the road and in the morning, I obtained a few parts for Ned, along with one, which I had been looking for, for a while. The road was dotted with wrecks in all sorts of condition. Some on the road, some just off, I say it's the community’s auto parts store, they know where to get the part they need.
The road ends at Warburton on the Great Central Road, where, not too further on, the Gunbarrel Highway starts. Its called a highway, but it is no more than a couple of wheel tracks heading west to Carnegie Station, 300k east of Wiluna, and that, is where we were going.
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