Leg 9 – Gunbarrel Highway to Warrakurna

18 July, 2016

We stayed behind a high wire fence at the Warburton Roadhouse having dinner with three backpackers who had an accident earlier that day. Their car was wrecked and Bill offered them a lift to Yulara so they could catch flights.

So after a yarn around the fire and a noisy night in and around the camp, we set off the next day minus one of our party. Our next piece of civilisation would be the Giles Weather Station.

These next two days on the Gunbarrel were just about the best of the trip. Have I said that before? 

 
We re-joined the Gunbarrel a short distance along the Great Central Road and it wasn’t long before we found another Beadell marker near the Old Gunbarrel Highway turnoff.

Past the Mippultjarra Junction where we had lunch, the road became rougher but the scenery compensated. We found a sign showing Million Dollar Corner so stopped for a photo. Brad drove to the top of a dune and near here a camel decided to do the same.

Past the Twines Track was very scenic with red dirt, mauve heath flowers, young and mature desert oaks, low sage coloured bushes in white flower. It was lovely.

The camp this night was one of the best on the trip. There was plenty of wood for a great fire, the full moon was rising and the company was good.

20 July, 2016

When I rose, the sun was rising at one end of the road while the full moon was setting at the other.

I walked around the camp to snap some shots of the early sun on the spinifex and dunes.

The blue Rawlinson Ranges stood on the horizon when we set off and after two hours and 54 kilometres, we reached a point where we made a turn and drove beside them. We parked under some oaks and scrambled over the rocks to a vantage point on a nearby hill which gave a good view across the spinifex plain and distant sand dunes. The road followed the ranges all the way to Giles Weather Station and Warrakurna where we filled up with fuel before driving to a late camp off the Mulga Park Road.