Awoke to a bit of a puddle alongside our camp site- the sprinkler system across the way had burst and been running madly for several hours. Fortunately it was close enough to give us a sea view but not so close to turn us into a houseboat. 

And what a view it was. The first sign of water in a desert and along come the birds _ a family of beautiful brolgas among them- just mesmerising. This led to us having a slower start than we planned but well worth sitting and taking it in.

We finally headed off just after 9am turning our nose south towards Windorah. 

The first half of the trip (actually most of it) was once again under big skies and vacant landscapes- amazing how truly beautiful nothingness can be, even if the photos don’t do it justice.

First stop was at Stonehenge- a tiny little town with one of those signature outback pubs. The town has a population of 14 and at 11 am when we arrived 4 of them were in the pub. Lovely chatty folks who obviously come in for their daily yarn with the young woman working the bar who is working her way across the outback and coastal NSW depending on the time of year. Was hard to move on and leave the atmosphere butt alas we had to.

From there we stopped for a brief look at the Swanvale lookout- a rocky outcrop with magnificent views over a relatively lush landscape – a bit of an oasis that kind of emerged and left as quickly as it appeared.

And then there were two

A quick caffeine stop at at Jundah roadhouse  then on to Windorah. Windorah  is right in the heart of channel country and seems to be a key intersection of routes in the outback. North towards Longreach, west to Birdsville, East to Quilpie and South towards Corner country. 

Fuelled up in Windorah – a massive $3.35 per litre but hey, it has to travel a long way to get here.  Perhaps we need to return to the one horse power alternative….,

We arrived round 4pm in blistering heat and are now camped up in a free camp at Cooper Crossing (a small causeway across Cooper Creek). There’s quite a few campers here. We managed to snaffle a shaded site on the east side of the river- very peaceful except the occasional roar of the cattle trucks as the cross the bridge (an unavoidable sound in this neck of the woods).

River sunset and man cooked omelette for dinner. Life is good