ANOTHER UPDATE (23 FEBRUARY 2020)

A very brief update to let you know that we have now arrived back in SA after dodging not flood nor fire, but this time a severe dust storm. As has become the norm over the past years, our trip south went from Plan 'A' to Plan 'C'.

It all began in Moree, when, as is our habit, we rang ahead to Bourke to discover that the park at which we had planned to stay for a couple of days was closed. The young couple who run it had very wisely taken the opportunity during the low season (and out there it is very low at this time of the year) to have a well earned break. The phone message told us that the park would not be re-opening until 3 March. 

Disappointed as we were (we had been looking forward to catching up with the most enterprising Stephanie and Daniel) we were very pleased to see that they were taking steps to prevent 'park burn out'.

"So, Lizzie, which way now?"

With heads craned  over the charts and the distance calculating app charged, we decided to make our way across to the Castlereagh Highway and down to Coonamble, a town through which we had passed after our marvellous stay at nearby Gulargambone some few years ago. Plan 'B' was activated.

From here we had then chosen to make our way down through Warren and Nyngen and thence to Cobar and west across the Barrier Highway. That was until we saw the weather forecast for the days in question.

The prospect of venturing out into that part of the world during the severe dust storms which were predicted for that entire area was one which went immediately into the 'too hard basket'. 

So to Plan 'C', which found us heading south to West Wyalong and from there down to the Sturt Highway and back to another of our favourite camps on the River Murray at Robinvale, (where in fact we did sit out the dust which hit us late on our second day there).

With the Sturt Highway now replacing the Barrier for the westward push, we took a breather in Renmark for another couple of days by the Murray before the last leg to Yorke Peninsula.

We are currently set up at Koolywurtie (a farming area about 15 kms north of Minlaton...for those who have some idea of how things work in this part of the world), on the farm occupied by of one of Liz's best friends and her partner. Here, for the next seven days we are tasked with caring for 'the menagerie' whilst Anne and Andy take a break.

And I mean menagerie!  Three dogs, two cats, five birds, goldfish, four chooks, a goose, a pig, and two ponies. We are going to be busy!

I had hoped to have the time to post a number of delayed blogs (in the new format), but have found to my annoyance that the Internet in this part of the world is most unhelpful when it comes to up-loading photographs, and whilst I have reduced these in considerable numbers, they are still to be part and parcel of my future offerings.

So, folks, I shall indeed be beavering away with text until we reach a more commz friendly patch, hopefully at Port Hughes next week, when if all goes to plan I shall be able to launch a deluge of missives.......time will tell......fingers crossed!