If you can’t stand the heat.

We spent two nights at Zebra mining campground, but took absolutely no pictures. It was a great spot, quiet (well, the owners had a generator running all the time, as it was off grid) and clean-ish. We’d found a great spot under some trees and just slumped. We also had some of their homemade mango ice cream and homemade scones, with jam and cream. It is absolutely blistering here, and gets quite unbearable by late afternoon. So sitting around listening to podcasts in the hammock was the best way to spend our time. I must say doing nothing is pretty fun.

After we felt we’d fully recuperated, we decided to make our way down Duncan Road. Several people had told us that it was a lovely track that runs down the back of Purnululu NP (otherwise known as the Bungle Bungles) ending at Halls Creek. Best of all, there is very little traffic and a couple of free camp spots by the road. Perfect!

We packed up and headed off in good spirits. The track wasn’t that bad, but we saw a few more cars than the “two cars a day” promised to us. About 30km after we left the camp, we saw a car parked on the other side of the road and one of them was hitching. The driver and the two passengers were Aboriginal, and my underlying prejudice accrued from traveling through so many towns where the problems facing indigenous Australians were all to plain to see finally kicked in. As we approached I remembered reading that in isolated areas you can be flagged down and then asked for money/fuel. I slowed down, wound the window down, and said, “Sorry mate, we’re got no room” and drove off. I could see they didn’t have a puncture, but this didn’t stop my white guilt consuming me for at least 20 minutes. I didn’t behave that way when that dumb fuck American needed help, or the fat lady in the plunge pool.

After an hour of driving we reached Negri creek, and decided it was a great place to stop for the night. 

That'll do pig, that'll do.

We parked up right next to the creek, and spent some time watching the small freshies on the other side of the creek.

What a lovely looking fella

I was feeling brave, well it was fucking hot and I needed a way to cool down, so regardless of the crocs I went for a swim… who da badman?

I ain't afraid of no croc

I did get a little nervous when it submerged shortly after.

Swim time's over

Obviously it was fine and nothing happened, but we only swim in the shallows for the rest of the day. It was a perfect day, although Becky did moan quite a bit about the 38-degree heat. The wildlife was amazing, we even got to see a few of our Jabiru stork friends again. We could only get photos from distance, as every time we tried to get close they'd fly off. Perhaps it wasn't my aggressive driving that scared them off the first time we saw them.

If you squint you can make out the stork

As close as we could get

Later that evening, after only one-two cars passing over the creek, a car stopped on the bridge. It was a little too far for us to make out the occupants, but we stared intently through our binoculars. We thought maybe it was the aboriginals we’d passed earlier, come to lecture us on the wrongs of racial stereotyping. The car sat there with the engine running, door open and what sounded like the horse racing blaring out of the stereo. We were bush camping, so we were the only people camping there. It might also be worth mentioning that we weren’t that far from Wolfe creek crater, setting for an Australian horror film about a serial killer that murders and tortures backpackers and travellers. For the first time Becky was pleased that I had a machete. After about 20 minutes the car drove off. It was probably just some bloke stopping for a quick dip in the creek after work. I still kept my machete close, just in case. After that we had a little fire and cooked some lovely sausages as the sunset.

Nothing scary about being on your own, miles from help

After dark we sat listening and watching the goings on in the creek. We’d use our torches to look at the turtles and fish swimming and get the eye-shine of the different animals, including multiple freshies hunting in the creek. One of them got a little pissed at my attention and gave off an odd bark. I’m quite good at annoying animals. The stars filled the sky and we’d see the occasion plane heading northwest and wonder if they’d been served their dinner yet. It was brilliant and we had one of the best nights of the trip… I still slept with the machete, you know, just in case.