Marianna Waterhole to Lake Machattie

Up before sunrise again, and this time we are on the road at 7:30. The Cordillo Road is freshly graded most of the way (we know because we meet the graders) but the last section toward the border is a bit rough. It improves considerably once we are back in Queensland. Once we reach the Developmental Road into Birdsville, there is a procession of traffic, most of which overtakes us, as we are not pushing our luck without a spare. For both these reasons, although we are now travelling a segment of the route in the book (albeit in the opposite direction from the northbound route) we don’t stop at any of the marker points.

Waterhole, off the Cordillo Road

Once in Birdsville, we head straight for a tyre repair place, who replace the inner tube very promptly. Birdsville is absolutely teeming with racegoers – 4WDs, campers, tents, camper trailers everywhere, and all their owners patronising every attraction, both permanent and temporary. As the fuel queue is surprisingly short, we refuel at the same time, then head for the Wirrarri Information Centre to deliver 2 boxes of books, then to the Birdsville Bakery to deliver another box and have lunch (excellent pies). Back to the roadhouse for a bit of shopping (including WD40 and gaffer tape because the back doors of the truck aren’t closing firmly and it fills up with dust). Fuel queues now very long, so we feel smug as we drive away.
We figure that by now there will be even more traffic on the Birdsville Developmental Road and we will be heading into a continuous dust cloud, so we take the Bedourie road north instead, which has less incoming traffic. The Burke and Wills route joins this road after about 80km, so at last we are ‘on track’.

Once we turn off on toward Lake Machattie on the Flood Bypass Road, there are no more vehicles, and we can relax. When we reach Dave’s “sand dune and spinifex” point, we stop. There has been a very strong west-south-westerly blowing all day, so we take shelter off the road behind the sand dune. Cattle in the distance come over in the hope that we are bringing feed, and we eventually have to shoo them off so that we can cook and eat a meal in peace. I try a bit of clarinet practice but they seem to like this, and Peter has to resort to waving and shouting. A cooler night, but not cold: Queensland is jeansland – nice to be out of cords and two jumpers and in jeans and a t-shirt instead today.

Dave's sanddune. We camped off the road behind it.