Even though we are only nine days into the journey, one of the benefits is the opportunity to relax and reflect on the things that are more important than the humdrum of busy city life. Out here you are free from attachments, to conform to the surrounding ethos. In the busyness of life our thoughts swing toward the past or toward the future and not live in the present. Our choices tend to be on the tyranny of memory or by the imagined hope of a better future.
Out here I realise that I cannot change the past, the future does not exist, so I should interact creatively with the present. The present is all I have. The present is to be more fully alive and active as we advance in life. This trip has already made this clearer to me.
As we are leaving this morning (Friday 30th April), wagons roll, not this little boy, the sound we dread….click, click. Dead battery. Months before we left, Coleman, who has his own Auto Mechanical /electrical workshop, suggested I should replace the batteries before I head out on the half lap as they were 6 years old. There are so many things to purchase when setting up a van, this was one of them that slipped thru the net. Should have listened Coleman. Declan gave us a jump start as we headed off to Streaky Bay or Ceduna a larger town to purchase batteries, yes the car has two of them.
Free Camp Elliston
Arrived in Ceduna 28 deg, on the coast, pull into a workshop, do you have two batteries for this car? yep left & a right. Great! Okay to turn the engine off? Replaced them straight away $190ea. Great value this far from big centres.
Ceduna
This guy was a character, while installing the batteries he overheard the ladies (Sarah & Trish) Yap! Yap! Yap! He said these Sheilas (girls in Oz) talk about anything, they can talk under wet cement, Blue this and grey that. I asked the girls and they laughed, as they were talking about the colour of their towels.
Asked him about fishing and he said best fishing in SA. Caught 100 squid the other night, $15 kg, he makes a cut from the guy who on-sells them. A nice little earner on the side.
Continue on and come into Penong, (meaning rock hole) small community, 250 pop, has a lovely feel to it, standard Football oval the only green grass anywhere, local primary school, pub, service station and caravan park. Decide to use the park, powered, $30, great we’re in, short walk to the pub.
Windmills in Penong
Water is supplied by windmills from the Anjutabie Basin. Some grain is grown, but rain is marginal, grazing stock is more prevalent.
Like most countries, local community towns, have a rythm, and heartbeat that is magnetic. After setting up late afternoon we decide to walk to the pub or watering hole as they call it in OZ. We walk through the 3rd fairway of an 18 hole golf course that stretches 1000klm. The first two holes are in Ceduna, the 3rd in Penong is 80klm further away, finally the 18th hole is in Kalgoorlie WA. Friends Sue & Alan , who are setting off on another adventure from Queensland across the top to Broome and back, have played this course, a 260mtr par 4, how did you go Alan? Didn’t realise I was on a golf course until someone shouted four, they must have been the only players for the day.
Great Fairway, not disimilar to Augusta or St Andrews
Now to the pub for a drink, 5.00pm warm day, all the locals, tradies, farmers etc. catching up. The characters you meet in outback communities is infectious. Dress code standards are on the low side, but surprises too. It is also a busy town for refuel.
Only bit of greenery you will see in the outback on sporting fields
This is only a Triple, many Quadruple bogies have passed us.
I was waiting for this moment, the length of the Road Trains (road trucks) in SA, WA, QLD & NT are incredible. Straight opposite a triple bogie was re-fueling, took him 20mins. He has two double tanks on each side, by the cab, no big deal you might say, but he was filling all four up at once, with a pumps on both sides of the truck.
Do the maths on these 4 pumps 
I havea video of one of the many quadruple trucks but cannot download on this blog. Will wait until I see a parked rig. They have 82 tyres, and conditions are strict as to which roads they can use, if they break the rules fines can be up to $1000 per tyre. In the van we travel around 95-100 k per hr. 60MPH. When one of these things overtake they create a bow wave like a ship and you feel it moving you as they approach, interesting experience. In the mines I believe they may have 5 trailers.
Local pub clock, they have a way with words that gets to the heart of the matter.
Love the road sign distances, at this point we are 1600 klm from Melbourne. I grew up in England and the furthest point from the sea is 140klm, these distances are mind boggling.
Tomorrow the Nullabor & start of Australian Bight…..
