Ode to the Canning Stock Route

Tracey has kindly prepared an “Ode to the Canning Stock Route”.

Well, Well, Well!

We have clattered over corrugations, hating the black tipped ones the worst.  We have bounced over sand dunes porpoising down the other side.  We have sat at maximum speed streaking over salt pans to our delight with the quietness we craved.

One Well at a time, some restored and some in ruins; we diverted after seeing the flooding at Well 25.  We drove through Rudall National Park, what a beautiful place.  Returning to the CSR at Well 33, leaving no Trace!

Leaders for the day chose the nights campsite, some with trees, some without; some next to salt lakes that looked like lakes of ice.  The best was the one near Well 45 with an escarpment towering above us, it took our breaths away and was such a delight.  Some had music and one had a party, that was a night to remember; we danced under the stars and around the campfire to all our favourite tunes.

The lowest temperature overnight was minus 3.7 with most nights on the CSR being very cold, layering from around 5pm and lucky to make 9pm before heading to bed to keep warm.

We love our campfires by night . Glenn would search the countryside near by and bring back enough wood to burn for a week. We would start the night with a burn fire in the pit and take turns with the knurdaling stick.

We looked for satellites but not many found in the West, but shooting stars a plenty and these were the best.

We slept in our tents on the top of our cars safe and secure.  We had 2 nights of winds that we thought would be the end, but our trusty little tents stayed strong until the AM.

We have bathed (camp shower) with Queens of the Desert, under the trees with water from the wells and felt like a million dollars.The cars are so red from the dust that we dread, we have had dust in places we did not expect including some places which should not be said.

We have been serenaded by dingos and a dinner companion camel named Cyril.  We’ve had camels on the road not in a hurry to move, dingos on the prowl, stalking you while you go to the loo.  We have seen kangaroos, pelicans, lorikeets, ducks, emus, echidnas, galahs, snakes and jabiru's, just to name but a few.

We drank out of cardboard boxes and dreamt of bubbles.  We ate like kings and queens with nibbles on Sundays,  Damper was finally had with cheese fondue.  Roasts were the best we have ever had, all thanks to our trusty little Cobb’s, they never let us down with great food for our gobs.

We finally made it to Well 51 with excitement and gratitude for what we had done. But as Hall Creek is the true end, we have still more to come, it won’t be complete until back on the bitumen.  So off we plod to Stretch Lagoon where we will sit and ponda and drink the rest of our goon.

We will contact our families and upload the blog as we get to Kununurra, where we will sit with our friends as we’ve got to the end; we will soak in the pool and relax in the cabana. With 2391kms on the CSR completed you’d think we’d be done… But wait one minute the trip has still more to come.

So just hang in there and we will share what we get up to as we head for the coast.  We have bush pubs, national parks and the bit we have all been looking forward to the most… a catamaran cruise along the coast.