Push it to the limit

After a great night sleep, where I didn’t have to use my machete on man nor beast, we started with a simple breakfast. As I mentioned last time, we were bush camping, so that means no facilities. While Becky dreads the idea of doing what bears do, as long as we’re isolated I don’t mind. Take a spade, and then dig a big hole and shit in it… Simple! I prefer it to cubicles, where at any moment I could find myself listening to some old fella, grunting and wheezing because he’s missed his last few portions of prunes, or worse, he’s had too many. Sure, the unfettered smell of your own excrement isn’t something I’d want to bottle, but it’s better than the smell of the decaying fecal matter passed by hundreds of other campers that oozes from pit toilets. Yep, I enjoy bush camping. Plus we got to use our camp shower, which I’d recently had to fix, so when we left Negri creek, I was clean and empty.

 

Nothing better than a shit 'n a shower

We had no real fixed destination that day. Our main aim was to reach Wolfe Creek crater, but the route we should take was a little unclear. The map we had suggested a small road leading off Duncan road would be the quickest, but that would depend on how much fuel we had. Otherwise we’d have to go through Halls Creek first.

The first part of the journey was an enjoyable ramble through some spectacular countryside, crossing the NT/WA border and taking some photos of the slightly underwhelming signage. We also lost one and half hours, as we went into WA time.

Obligatory border pic

Becky hasn't really got the hang of pole dancing yet

The road took us past the back of the Bungle Bungles and everything was ticking over nicely. After several hours, we passed what we now know to be the turn off we wanted. It wasn’t well sign posted and looked like a track to a farm (we later discovered that it was a private access road, so we shouldn't have taken it anyway). We had plenty of fuel and it would have taken well over an hour off the journey. So, we were now locked into the long route through Halls Creek! We stopped briefly at Sawpit gorge, another bush camping spot near the end of Duncan road, but this was a little more busy and craping in the woods has less appeal when others are around you. It was still a nice place, and Becky took a picture.

Saw pit flash 

We stopped briefly to take a photo of a ruined Holden, then continued on.

Just needs a lick of paint and a bit of TLC

We finally pulled into Wolfe Creek campsite after driving for well over six hours on unsealed and bumpy roads. I hadn’t been drinking enough water, so I had a stinking headache. From the campsite, the crater just looked like a few hills. I was very unimpressed by it all. To top it all off, the corrugated, rough roads had cracked a few eggs in our fridge and, in the fragile state I was in, it felt like the world was collapsing. We walked up to the craters edge to watch the sunset, and all was forgiven. It was actually a spectacular sight, and looked beautiful under the setting sun.

A nice place for a killing

It wasn’t a scary place either, since there were quite a few other campers there. Still, we got the necessary shot of Becky by the sign.

 

Serial killer fodder

After dark the stars really came out, and we got a full, outback starry night. While I have gotten use to seeing the night sky in its full glory (I have seen the Milky Way almost every night for the past month and multiple shooting stars), this was something special due to the flat, expansive horizon. It made the stressful, long journey almost worth it… but I was too tired to set up the tripod to try and capture it.

The next day, after breakfast, we headed up to the rim once more to get a few more shots of the crater.  Luckily, it wasn't a very long walk, so Becky was happy.

So far we've walked 1.3km, and don't forget we have the return

Becky took a few good shots with her iphone panorama setting,

She's a big 'un

And another one that borders the crater and surrounding area.

One crater, two ecosystems

Then, as quickly as we arrived, we left for Purnululu NP. We decided that after such a long day of driving the day before, we’d just do the 160km to Halls Creek to refuel, and the 100km to a private campground at the start of Purnululu NP, saving the 50km of rough unsealed driving for the next day. A few kilometers from the crater, we came across a car stopped on the other side of the road, and the occupants had tossed out their swag. As we passed, two ladies sitting on the back seemed to motion at me. I stopped 20 metres down the track, opened the door and asked if they were all right. One of the women gestured and said something, but I couldn’t make it out. They turned their backs and started doing stuff. I was about to reverse to find out if they needed help, when Becky reminded me of the Aboriginals two days ago, and said if I reverse now, I’m totally a racist and probably a bit sexist too, as I only help women and effeminate Americans. So that's the reason I left two women to die in the middle of the outback, but least I'm not racist.

The drive to private campground at the start of track to Purnululu NP was easy, and the campsite seemed nice. After being bush for several days, the grassy sites were a welcome relief to the dust. And the self-contained shower/toilets seemed like the height of luxury. I don’t know whether it was the self-contained toilets or the burger we had in Halls Creek, but something caused me to go through all the elemental states (solid, liquid and gas). Becky often jokes about how I seem to have a stomach that will only open when it feels the toilet facilities are optimal for me. It will seemingly close up for a few days, and once the right boxes are ticked, service resumes with a bang. It can, of course, backfire; it took a rectal laxative to undo a week in Vanuatu.

That night, during a skype chat home, Torsten asked Becky why we didn’t just buy a seat for the prison toilets in NT. It was at this point we realised that we already have one, for our portable bush shitter, that comes with clear plastic bags to inspect the finished result… How fucking handy it would have been to connect the dots in NT!