Mon 25th August Walkers Crossing (side of road) - Birdsville

Day 8

What an interesting night!!!  We all woke to the sound of some quiet alarm, a semi constant beeping tone.  Was it a car battery warning, was it a fridge warning (Kate's thoughts), was it coming from Paul’s car or mine?  Tracey said it was an owl, I said it may be an alarm in the distance at one of the oil or gas plants littered all over. I did a quick reconnoitre confirming nothing to do with either car, somewhere in the distant (more than 10 ft) so back to bed to count the number of alarm tones between each activation to see if there was a pattern!!  Paul and Kate also got up to identify the tones, spent more time than I did and located it somewhere deep inside a large tree… hence likely Tracey was right and it was an animal – we dubbed it the “Repco Owl” – as it sounded like a car alarm.

After some sleep we tried to get away early today before the flies wakeup too much, into Birdsville before lunch. 

Being watched from a distance in a very baron “Sturt Stony Desert”.

  

Travelling on the Birdsville Track, although it is more like a gravel highway.  Wide an smooth and easy to cruise at 100kmh.

 

Into Birdsville for washing, shopping, shower, fill up water and fuel… all in preparation for our Simpson Desert crossing.  Should take about 4 days ending at Dalhousie Springs for 2 nights.

 

And of course dinner at the pub.

     

 

Now tomorrow we head into the desert, no coverage – not even a payphone for 6 days.