15. Ducks in the Desert?

Yes, there really were 2 ducks sitting in the water in the middle of this clay pan!

We headed down the K1 track to Poeppels Corner. Most of the tracks were originally surveyed by the oil companies while searching for oil in the desert in the 1960's.

16. Poeppels Corner

Harvey at Poeppels Corner, the intersection of Qld, SA and NT.

From Poeppels corner the convoy turned right on to the French Line, then left to Knolls Track, then right on to the WAA line where we camped the night.

The day proved how great it is to play "follow the leader", no worries about which track to take, and Tony didn't get us lost once!! Or not that we knew about anyway!

17. The Lone Gum Tree

This Lone Gum Tree is the only Eucalypt in the entire desert - it is a very healthy looking coolabah, with a very healthy looking magpie nesting in it!

Knolls Track took us past the Approdina Attora Knolls,  unusual gypsum outbreaks.

18. Spinifex

Did you ever see Spinifex looking as healthy as this??

19. Rig Road

The Rig Road was once a "Clay Top" but is deteriorating. Clay was trucked in by the oil companies to improve the sand tracks and allow access for drilling rigs when searching for oil in the desert.

20. Dinner in the Desert

A typical "night out" in the desert. We certainly didn't slum it! The combined cooks provided great camp oven desserts, damper, tea cake, and even a bread and butter pud one night. All washed down with beer, Chateau Cardboard, or Port!

21. First Camel.

Believe me! That IS a camel going our way up the top of the dune! Eventually he got off the road and took off into the scrub. We saw about 10 camels, a few dingoes, and a few kangaroos, but generally wild life (including birds and reptiles) was very sparse in the desert.

22. Up and Over!

An audience for Mike's "Disco" as it soars up a tricky dune!

We drove down the Rig Road, past Macumba Oil well (capped, like all desert wells), and out through the end of the "real" desert, before re-inflating tyres at Mokari Airstrip, thence on past the steaming hot waters of Purnie Bore to another cool bush camp beneath the stars.  

            More please!        

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