Tahara - Carpenter Rocks

So today is the day I set of to meet mum in Alice Springs. The journey there will be aprox. 2000 km, varying from coastal climate to harsh central Australian desert. As I have been reading a bit about what is needed I hope to have a fairly good idea of what to expect, but then again, I have never been in a desert far from civilisation. Waking up I just laid in bed for a little longer to enjoy a mattress and heard Red go to do tractor work. After being able to get myself out of bed and eating some breakfast I started packing up my things. Doesn't take me long, as I don't have that much on me and most of my camping gear was already in the car. Electronics take up about half of my backpack, something people a few decades ago didn't really have to worry about. As lunch was getting closer whilst I was packing I cooked some lunch for Red, Jossie and me and had a last meal with them (for now). Then it was goodbye to Red as he had to get back to tractor work and shortly after bye to Jossie and the dogs.

Then I hit the road and drove the familiar route to Digby and then Dartmoor. The Lower Glenelg National Park starts somewhere around Dartmoor and I could have taken the route to Mt. Gambier and then to Carpenter Rocks, were I was planning to camp for the night. I got lost somewhere in the National Park, the only real important thing I can say is “Emus! Emus everywhere!” After driving through a sand pit (thank AWD) a wallaby hopped across my path and a few seconds later an Emu ran the other way, about ten metres in front of the car. Australia. Met a few people travelling around in real 4WD, a few with boats to go fishing on the Glenelg river. After passing through a lot of sand holes I reached Donovans and carried on to Port MacDonnell, where I hoped to get a map of Australia.

Ended up buying a can of backed beans for dinner instead, and they didn't have any maps in the town. Taking a few wrong turns and driving kilometres the wrong way (did get a few good pictures for it, thought) I reached Blackfellows Cave (yes, a town is called like that) and carried on to Carpenter Rocks where they have a camp site just under the light house. I thought it would be free, but due to it being in a national park there is a fee of 14$ for camping. Got that done over the internet and then went down to the beach to see if I could get some cheap dinner. Red has lent me one of his telescope fishing roods and a small pack of all the essentials to fish, so I might get a few free meals here and there. Fishing doesn't require a permit in SA, which is good for me. Didn't catch a thing, as it was also my first time fishing on my own, but I'll learn. Still have lots of coast to drive along. Came back to the car and set up my camping gear to sleep and wanted to cock my baked beans on a gas stove before I realised I hadn't any matches. THE most essential thing camping and I don't have it. Well, back to the shops tomorrow.

Got a picture of the lighthouse with my DSLR and then sat in the car to write this blog. Of to bed now to test the bivi tent in earnest.

Travel distance: 203km