Millstream

Moving on again, down to Millstream National Park, some 160kms inland. But first we were told that to go over Rio Tinto land, adjacent to their railway, we had to get a permit, and to get that we had to sit through a 15 minute video to tell us how to drive. Us- that have completed over 3000 kms off road! All we learned was that we must not wear red near the railway lines as the driver has to stop if he sees red!

An easy drive, half on tarmac, brought us to the visitor centre, an old homestead, with some interesting displays showing how the aboriginals lived in the area before the Europeans came.

A few miles further on, through the Fortesque River, we came to our campsite, at Crossing Pool. This is a bush camp, nothing here but a pool, (and a drop toilet), but one of the nicer ones we have been to. The pool is very deep, and to get in we have to go down a ladder. Temperature- just right!

Another camper offers me the use of his canoe, I paddle up and down the pool for a while but it’s hard on the bum, so I get back into the water for a while.

But the flies- the flies! Driving us mad, we have to wear our nets, (a fashion statement) and that isn’t easy when we are trying to have our afternoon tea. At least we can look forward to them going to bed at dusk, when we will get our burners out to keep away the mossies and other small annoyances they have in this country. I have to say that since I put up our new yellow lights we haven’t had the little creatures that we used to have buzzing round, so I only have to find a solution to the bl**** flies now.

As we sit a four foot goanna walks by, takes a look at us and decides to move on. They are lovely creatures, quite harmless if you leave them alone, they eat frogs, snakes and other small creatures.

A cheeky magpie lark picks up the crumbs I have dropped between my feet, I just hope he doesn’t peck them, that beak looks sharp!

First thing in the morning, instead of our usual shower, it will be back in the pool as soon as we have packed up. Karijini next stop!