Toward Carnegie

 

Breaking camp in the morning, we continued across the Gunbarrel. As always, the terrain changed throughout the morning. 

Eventually, we came to a junction, where another of Len Beadells roads, the Gary Highway, met the Gunbarrel. The junction was called Everard Junction. Another of Lens plaques was there as well as a tin, with odds and ends travelers had left, and a book to sign and leave a comment. We did and moved on.

 Passing more wrecked vehicles and trailers, it reminded us how careful you have to be in the remote outback.  

More natural scenery was a pleasure to the eye, even the malley scrub has its own beauty.

Some of the gums out here were so white and with twisted shapes, standing out amongst the reds and green.

The day was wearing on, so a camp was scouted, and that was it for the day.

Geraldton Bore was our next day's destination, it had a working pump and good water, according to our information. As you turn into the bore area, there is one more of Lens plaques on a tree. This was a more than overnight camp, the shower was put up and a pot of water put on for hot water.

With the fire going and coals building up, it would be a shame to waste them, so, a roast lamb was prepaired and cooked in the camp oven on the coals. Next, I whipped up a butter cake mix with mixed fruit mixed in and that was soon baking on the coals too.

Spent a restful couple of days there then moved on down the track. Coming to a clear area, we noticed a lot of camel bones scattered all over. Probbebly shooters controlling the numbers out here. They should make an industry out of camel meat and the hides, rather than just shoot and drop, feeding the wild dogs and cats.

 The track was improving after Geraldton Bore, we were entering Wiluna Shire and getting onto graded tracks. Mangkilli Claypan came into sight, a large claypan, after the claypan, thankfully dry, because we had to cross it.

After the claypan, Mt. William Lambert jutted out of the surrounding plain. There was a track leading to the top turning on to it we wound our way up. Views from there were epic, the flattened landscape spred before you, going on for weeks, confirming the enormity of this country.

Further up the road, someone had perched a truck, with a car on the back, on top of a mound, as a tribute to all the vehicles that hadn't made it. Our camp for the night was called the Oval, complete with a couple of steel pipes as goal posts. We turned in, then drove through the posts and camped up.

Carnegie Station was not too far off, then about 300k to Wiluna and the start of The Canning Stock Route. this track, The Gunbarrel was a test run for the Canning, without the sand dunes, and it was going well so far. but it wasn't over yet.