A LONG DRIVE THROUGH THE OUTBACK (Savannah Way 10)

The next leg of our trip was from Adels Grove to Pungalina Station. (see map). We left early and drove all day in the small 4 wheel drive coach stopping every two hours for a leg stretch or a picnic snack.

There were miles of nothing.

Sometimes we saw some interesting wild life. These Sarus Cranes were doing a courtship dance.

We stopped in this little town of Gregory Downs for a wee break. This was one of the few buildings in the main street.

 For morning tea we pulled off the road near a pretty river crossing. The Gregory river.

After many more miles we stopped at Doomadgee aboriginal community to pick up supplies for our next stay at a camp site. After a while we stopped at Hell's Gate Roadhouse for lunch. It was a lonely roadhouse with two women running it.

 It wasn't long before we reached the border of the Northern Territory and Queensland.

 It was hard to photograph the kangaroos through the bus window. We stopped at Borroloola, another small settlement but with a big supermarket and mobile phone connection. The first for a few days.

 The driver stopped near some Turkey Bush for our next leg stretch. It was growing everywhere.

Late edit because I was asked how the bush got its name: It is thought that the bush Turkey is so named because the Plains Turkey would seek refuge amongst its foliage when pursued by hunters.
 Finally we arrived at the Pungalina turn off but it was another two hours drive into the camp site. The road was very rough and bumpy. Sometimes we were grinding through thick sand and other times bouncing over big rocky outcrops. It was a fun experience.

The Pungalina Satation was a cattle station of over 300,000 hectares. However, it wasn't a viable business and it was bought by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. A group of people who want to bring failed properties back to the original, natural state. They try to eradicate all feral animals such as pigs, water buffalo and cattle.

Our tour company support and donate to AWC so they were allowed to build a campsite exclusively for their tourists.

Fianally we arrived in a lovely piece of paradise in the middle of nowhere with a babbling brook running along the edge of the camp. There was a camp kitchen and a trailer of supplies. The driver and his wife cooked for us. The next day's activities would include a helicopter ride.