Over the border to Northern Territories

Wed 25 Mar (Happy Birthday Sis)……..to say Coober Pedy was an unusual place would be an understatement Very strange!We say cheerio to Colleen, diesel up and hit the road, not sorry o leave behind the tribe of Aboriginal people who mooch about and generally make a nuisance of themselves. We have to drive through the opal fields which are huge, we only scratched the surface yesterday! There are giant molehills for mile after mile, in fact for 50K. After the desolate looking mullock heaps the countryside begins to change. First it’s the usual scub which gives way to a greener outlook. Mostly it’s flat but occasional hills and ranges in the distance. Peter finds it fascinating but the Navigator does not agree. Our first stop to stretch our legs and have coffee is at a road house called Cadneys Homestead. A basic truck and fuel stop essential in this part of the world. Further up the road we stop at another roadhouse Marla for a sandwich and to take a photo of the longest road train you have ever seen! We consider staying the night here but decide to push on over the border into the Northern Territory. Just over the border we stop at Kulgera having travelled 420K. A long drive. This is another roadhouse and the facillities are getting more basic the further we travel north, but are adequate. It is baking hot and we have taken to wearing our hats with mossie net attachments to keep the flies off, out of our mouth, nose and ears and they even get behind your glasses! The aircon on the van works quite well. We will have to top up the tan later on, as because of the heat and the flies it is impossible to sit outside. Once again the gremlins have struck, at Coober Pedy they boasted wifi internet but it was out of order, and here at Kulgera they have a coin in the slot computer but it is out of order!