The day started well with an easy pack up as Philip had done a lot of it the day before. It seemed to take me a long time inside but that is usual. I like to double check everything is stored securely and knowing that we had a rough road to contend with made me even more cautious. Nonetheless we were on the road by 8 am. There was a bit of confusion on our end as to where we would say our goodbyes to our friends. I thought we were going to meet at the dump point but while we were waiting there for them we saw them driving down the road. Ah well. I hate goodbyes.
Somehow the road that we all despised on the drive into Adels Grove didn't seem nearly as bad on the way out. Admittedly the grader had been working on the road over the weekend so that seemed to make a difference. We plodded along the gravel road and were counting down the kilometres until we would reach the bitumen. We were on the last small section of bitumen before once again hitting the gravel when we heard a very large explosion. We both knew what that sound was. A flat tyre.
At first we thought it was under the caravan but closer inspection saw that it was the passenger side rear tyre on the Toyota. The caravan would have been so much easier, particular with our levelling system where you just hit a button or two and the van lifts off the ground! It's not so easy with the vehicle but it did give Philip an opportunity of testing the jack that I had bought for him.
Now anyone who has changed a Toyota tyre knows just how damn difficult it really is. Those tyres are heavy with a capital H and to get to the spare tyre is not an easy task when you have a caravan behind you. However, Philip (and I) and have changed the tyres on these vehicles more times that we could count so the order of things becomes second nature. We were thankful that a number of vehicles stopped to ask if they could help. That is the way of the west. It took me back to when Philip helped an elderly gentleman change a tyre in Cairns. Everyone just drove past him.
It took around an hour to change the tyre but after a quick shower (thank goodness for the rear external shower) and change of clothes, we were back on the road. We were just 7km short of the bitumen road. The tyre had a great gash in the centre and we seem to think it was a bolt that we have driven over. Sharp rocks tend to go through the wall of the tyre. It didn't matter though because the tyre was irrepairable and would have to be replaced. By this time our friends had messaged us from Gregory that there was somebody there who does repairs so that is where we were headed.
We sought out the tyre man, that is not difficult in Gregory with a population of around 20 people! He was able to help us out with a second hand tyre that he fitted to our rim for $150. Cheap. We were very grateful because if he didn't have a tyre it would have meant back tracking to Burketown. Finally, we were able to point the vehicle towards Hells Gate. By the time we were back on the road it was nearing noon. We had snacked on some leftovers while we were waiting for the tyre so we decided to hold off on lunch until we reached Tirranna Roadhouse. We arrived here around 1pm and ordered toasties for lunch. They were so good. While we were waiting for the toasties I scavenged through a box of Avon products that were all $2. Every woman loves a bargain and I was able to pick up so great products.
The next leg of our journey took us past Doomadgee (Aboriginal Reserve). We had been following the Nicholson River and it had been dammed at Doomadgee to give them a water supply. It was a lovely waterhole fringed with ghost gums and pandanus. Water Lillies floated happily on top of the water. I kicked myself that I didn't get a decent photo but there was really no where to pull over.
We had been told that the road to Hells Gate Roadhouse was very good and they were not wrong. There is only about 20k that wasn't bitumen and it was a very well maintained gravel road. It's hard to explain Hells Gate Roadhouse. It is like an oasis in the desert. Even the Hells Gate "billboard" signs along the road leading to the roadhouse are quirky where they have used overturned vehicles as their billboard. They seem to have a plentiful supply of water as the caravan sites are all lushly grassed. There is power here, albeit coming from a generator (or two) that we can hear in the background and as I mentioned the water is plentiful.
We decided that after the day we had we would go and treat ourselves to a cold drink at the roadhouse. Having a long shower and washing and blowdrying my hair was bliss. I haven't done that since we left Cairns! We wandered over around 6pm after the heat had left the day and settled into the open bar/restaurant area to watch the sunset. What a glorious way to end the day.
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