Tuesday

We wake up this morning to a very windy day. While it's gusty the gusts are constant and because there is no grass we are in the middle of a pretty big dust storm. We cook toast inside the van and pack up as quickly as we can. I can't believe I am going to put on the he same clothes again (3 days in a row now).

Martin drives carefully towards Innaminka hitting bitumen again as we leave the turn off to the Dig Tree but as we near the border we are back to gravel. It' said really obvious indication that we are now in South Australia.

Just before Innaminka there is a turn off to Burke's grave. Even though it's blowing a gale we walk up to the gravesite stopping along the way are information boards - this is a really nice memorial.

Arriving in town - well a Trading Post and a Pub we refuel. The wind has not stopped at all so we decide that we are not going to stay here but head to Cameron Corner. Martin suggests having lunch at the pub first (meals start at 11.30) as our watches show 11am. He then realises we are now in SA so it's only 10.30 so we decide to grab a pie instead and keep moving.

On the advice of the lady at the Trading Post we take the Old Strzelecki Track. It's quite a good track and the trip doesn't take too long. We turn off the track and head east to Cameron Corner where the track becomes more like a roller coaster, complete with "wheeees" from Martin as we go over each rise. The lady at the Trading Post had warned us about corrugations filled with bull dust on this stretch and we came across several red flags in the road showing where the holes were.

We arrived at Cameron Corner and went back into QLD about 2.30pm. It's very windy here too so we've set up for the night just by popping the roof. There are toilets and showers and we can buy dinner tonight at the pub.

We set up and I head for the shower. It' said communal shower and toilet area with no locks on the toilet door. A shower curtain separates the toilet and handbasin from the urinals and another shower curtain separates the showers. Once you walk into the shower room there are two showers at one end and two chairs at the other in the dressing area (the dressing area is communal as well). I very quickly undress and jump in the shower. As I Finnish my very quick shower I hear that someone else has come into the dressing area. I take a peak and am very grateful that it's anther woman - so was she.

Back to the van it was Martin's turn for a shower but another couple had just gone in. By the time Martin had his shower there was only a trickle of water left - he was not happy.

All clean we went up to the roadhouse for dinner the winds had really picked up by now so we were pleases we did not have to cook outside tonight. We had a drink at the bar and started talking to a young guy who had been here for 11 days. He had been planning to go to Birdsville races but broke something on his car not far from here. He'd ordered the parts needed from Broken Hill but when they arrived were the wrong ones. Now he has to wait another week for new parts. He's been trying to keep busy helping around the place but he's itching to move on. He has a roof top tent so these winds are not much fun for him.

We had a really nice chicken schnitzel meal and then back to the bar for more drinks. The owners, Fenn and Cheryl were lovely and when we told Fenn we were from Cameron Park he laughed saying that they get mail meant for Cameron Park all the time. Another guy overheard us and said he was from Edgeworth.

Fenn was determined to get me a drink because I had been saying no all night. He offered a cocktail that Cheryl drinks so I finally relented and had a Cool Tool. It turned out to be orange juice, Tequila and Southern Comfort - not too bad and it was on have house, thanks Fenn.