TRIP to CANNING STOCK ROUTE DAY 37 - CSR

18 July 2012

STAGE 3 CSR Day 16

wATER 38 – ROCKHOLE WAJAPURNI, WELL 39 MURGUG), WEll 40 – WADDAWALLA (88km)

Mornings are now much warmer but breezy and the days are getting hotter.

In the morning on our walk we found McLernon’s grave and I also got my soil sample from the well site.

We travelled through sand dune country to the rockhole.

We passed a cave that recently collapsed where there is some aboriginal art.

It’s most recent rockfall was on 13 July this year when a large rock fell on a young gir’s foot. We met the family on the track going south.

The rock hole we visited was not evident from the track. If you were not made aware of it you could have passed it.

It’s a magnificent rockhole. Lots of interesting rocks and blowholes across the river bed.

There were also markings made by the aboriginals and users of the route on the rock walls.

Today was a mixture of corrugations, dunes and moguls. Our mantra over the corrugations is go slow and easy. Sometimes a slight prod is required to ease the heavy lead foot but it soon settles down to a comfortable ride. The moguls on the dunes are another story. Some of the holes are BIG. Very bouncy rides sometimes. Watching the others cross, as we are tail end Charlie, is interesting as they roll from side to side and up and down over these moguls.

The spinifex is forever waving in the breeze like waves trying to roll in but somehow caught in the spot.

Well 39 had a little water on one side of the well.

After Well 39 we came to the claypan and Lake Tobin. We couldn’t believe it – 7 km of no corruations lovely straight track. We came close to going 50km per hour in this section.

Then two more dunes and we were at our campsite for the night by Well 40.

The well, or what is left of it, is at the end of a claypan.

We all looked for Tobin’s grave but didn’t come across it. Apparently it was further up the actual track but none of us walked that far in that particular direction. Walked everywhere else but there.

Another lovely evening around the campfire.

TRIP to CANNING STOCK ROUTE DAY 36 - CSR

17 July 2012

STAGE 3 CSR Day 15

well 35 – KINYU, WELL 36 via BUNGABINNI – KIRLKIRL (WANDA), WEll 37 – LIPURU (LIBRAL) (93km)

We headed off quite early on a corrugated track for about 20 km from Well 33. The landscape was flat and open. The corrugations were not as bad as what we were made to believe from those travelling south. We took them slowly – between 22-25km and it was generally a comfortable ride. As someone on the trip said we were travelling slower than through a school zone. It was suggested they should take out the bitumen around schools and put in corrugations – that would slow the traffic right down.

We decided not to go to Well 34 as it was another one in absolute ruin. From the turn off to Well 35 and Well 36 we travelled through sand dune country and deset oak forest. The scenery again was very interesting.

At Well 35 ruin

Oka 306 had a flat tyre. So a longish morning tea break as that was attended to.

It was somewhat confusing trying to work out the track from Well 35 to Well 36 that was through the so called Great Oak Forest. We were going round in circles, our GPs units were totally confused and the track out was not where we thought it should be. We will never forget the exit from this well – round and round in circles.

We had intened to see Bungabinni Well but somehow missed it. It was a lovely windy drive over the dunes to Well 36.

After lunch we set out for Well 37.

Very disappointing as the literature referred to it as an intact well. Well that it definitely was not.

The graves of the three murdered stockmen are not far from the well.

As we recapped we all felt that a lay day was needed soon. We thought we would wait until we got to a place with water.