Again adopting the early bird approach, we packed early and hauled out of Camooweal at first light on the trip to Barkly Homestead, an overnight stop approximately two thirds of the way between the QLD/NT border and the Stuart Highway.
We crossed the nearby Georgina River (well its dry bed at least...nothing is flowing up here)
and headed further out west along the Barkly Highway where, about 20 kms later, there it was, graffiti included. Our first state border in over four months. And, again for the first time in months, our clocks and watches were back on SA time.
Our 260 kms jaunt for today took us across the southern section of the enormous Barkly Tableland which stretches over hundreds of kilometres from the Carpentaria Highway in the north to well south of the Barkly Highway on which we were travelling.
And, for much of it, the scenery changes little. It's amazing how grateful one becomes for a bend in the road or a slight rise in this kind of country.
As we got closer to Barkly H/S we did notice a change. The seemingly endless, flat grasslands gave way to more wooded, red earth country
and some of the biggest termite mounds we had ever seen (and we've seen thousands of them!)
And then, here we are.....Barkly Homestead....not a town but a self contained rest stop on the Barkly Highway where fuel, accommodation, a bar, café and restaurant are all available.
As we pulled into the entrance driveway we could not help but be taken by the 'slow down' sign attached to the large white tyre.
And then, here we are.....Barkly Homestead....not a town but a self contained rest stop on the Barkly Highway where fuel, accommodation, a bar, café and restaurant are all available.
As we pulled into the entrance driveway we could not help but be taken by the 'slow down' sign attached to the large white tyre.
Pretty straight forward we thought. It remains one of our pet peeves in caravan parks when idiots totally ignore posted speed limits or common sense and feel that they have to prove just how quickly they can get in and get onto their site.
After booking in we drove past the pool.
one of the staff houses,
and the camping area
and onto our chosen site. And because of our early arrival we had the pick of the shade available.
But as I continually prattle on about, this business of caravanning is a business of compromise. We weren't the only creatures in this part of the world seeking respite from the heat......the price of our comfort was bird crap...great splatterings of it all over the kayak and the cruiser. And this stuff does corrode. My morning departure chores as we left Barkly Homestead included some serious guano removal. And I have to say, given how hard this stuff is to clean off, some boffin should be able to develop a commercial use for it! I'm not at all sure what it is that sulphur crested cockatoos, galahs and corellas eat, but the end result is awesome in both volume and nuisance value! (and for those of you who have been feeling deprived, that's the pun for today)
Not all the sites at Barkly Homestead are as welcoming as that which we chose. The outer reaches of the park are significantly less shaded and inviting. Not for us thank you. We would much rather be on the road at the crack of dawn than to arrive late and have to bunk down for the night in the Aussie equivalent of the Gobi desert.
The Barkly Homestead bar and restaurant are housed in a pretty imposing building
and we did imbibe briefly later in the afternoon in the somewhat disappointingly 'standard' bar. It was not the décor which encouraged brevity at the bar, but the prices. We did not venture into the purchase of anything solid at Barkly, but I can tell you all that comes in a fluid form does so at a price.
This is the justification for $9.00 cans of Jack Daniels and coke and diesel at $2.05 per litre.
Needless to say, we were judicious in our intake of booze and fuel at Barkly Homestead. But despite the prices, this is indeed a highway oasis and we enjoyed our overnight stay,
as did Max, who went on patrol at every opportunity, and, as usual, came back each time with nothing to show for all his hunting bravado. Australia's wildlife is eternally safe when The Black Panther is on the job.
Our day at Barkly closed with a modest display in the west which did turn from an initial golden glow, complete with an obliging evening flight of birds,
to the wonderful dying red hue which always seems to look so much more 'iconic outback' when forming a backdrop for silhouetted bush.
But this was not the only fiery end to our day at Barkly. As I was trotting off camera in hand, to chase the sunset, I saw one of the Homestead staff hurtle past on his quad bike. The reason was quickly apparent....a brief but spectacular fire in the waste oil pit which is located disturbingly close to the main camp.
But our man had things under control in no time at all and serenity fell over Barkly Homestead once again. Which suited us....another early start and the next leg of our trip awaited us. The Stuart Highway and the beginning of our thrust south beckoned.
After booking in we drove past the pool.
one of the staff houses,
and the camping area
and onto our chosen site. And because of our early arrival we had the pick of the shade available.
But as I continually prattle on about, this business of caravanning is a business of compromise. We weren't the only creatures in this part of the world seeking respite from the heat......the price of our comfort was bird crap...great splatterings of it all over the kayak and the cruiser. And this stuff does corrode. My morning departure chores as we left Barkly Homestead included some serious guano removal. And I have to say, given how hard this stuff is to clean off, some boffin should be able to develop a commercial use for it! I'm not at all sure what it is that sulphur crested cockatoos, galahs and corellas eat, but the end result is awesome in both volume and nuisance value! (and for those of you who have been feeling deprived, that's the pun for today)
Not all the sites at Barkly Homestead are as welcoming as that which we chose. The outer reaches of the park are significantly less shaded and inviting. Not for us thank you. We would much rather be on the road at the crack of dawn than to arrive late and have to bunk down for the night in the Aussie equivalent of the Gobi desert.
The Barkly Homestead bar and restaurant are housed in a pretty imposing building
and we did imbibe briefly later in the afternoon in the somewhat disappointingly 'standard' bar. It was not the décor which encouraged brevity at the bar, but the prices. We did not venture into the purchase of anything solid at Barkly, but I can tell you all that comes in a fluid form does so at a price.
This is the justification for $9.00 cans of Jack Daniels and coke and diesel at $2.05 per litre.
Needless to say, we were judicious in our intake of booze and fuel at Barkly Homestead. But despite the prices, this is indeed a highway oasis and we enjoyed our overnight stay,
as did Max, who went on patrol at every opportunity, and, as usual, came back each time with nothing to show for all his hunting bravado. Australia's wildlife is eternally safe when The Black Panther is on the job.
Our day at Barkly closed with a modest display in the west which did turn from an initial golden glow, complete with an obliging evening flight of birds,
to the wonderful dying red hue which always seems to look so much more 'iconic outback' when forming a backdrop for silhouetted bush.
But this was not the only fiery end to our day at Barkly. As I was trotting off camera in hand, to chase the sunset, I saw one of the Homestead staff hurtle past on his quad bike. The reason was quickly apparent....a brief but spectacular fire in the waste oil pit which is located disturbingly close to the main camp.
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