Day 43. Breakfast at the Birdsville Bakery and then down the famous Birdsville Track towards Innaminka crossing the border into South Australia. Turned off onto the rough dirt track to Walkers Crossing for over 100km across the unusual Sturts Stony Desert full of smooth small red gibber stones to the Cooper Creek crossing. Then through the Moomba gas fields and got lost in a maze of gas roads. Finally after getting directions from very helpful truck drivers and o...

Day 42. Up very early as today we must travel 700km south to Birdsville (mostly bitumen) following the Queensland border through the dry season of the Diamantina channel country. First stop the little town of Boulia famous for its Min Min Lights, more often described as a hovering luminescent ball of wizardry. As we passed through in daylight we regrettably missed the Min Min nightime lights but we did see numerous mirages on the horizon of lakes on the road and ...

Day 41. A mine tour of Mt Isa was the highlight of today lead by a real miner Shayne. Miners earn about $88k to $120k and there are many risks. We dressed up in yellow suits, gum boots, hard hats and with a miner's light we descended the Hard Times Mine shaft in a lift cage. Operated mining drills and excavators powered by compressed air. Saw how they set a round of explosives at the mine face. Coffee in the underground crib room. Great experience! Dinner at a l...

Day 40. Pushed through south to Mt Isa on the Leichardt River, about 400km today. Lots of dust to Gregory Downs from road trains into Century Mine near Lawn Hill Station. Checked into a hotel for a little comfort and dinner of lamb rack at the very impressive Irish Club. Drove up to the mines and town lookout, lots of huge chimneys billowing smoke from the silver, lead, zinc and copper mines. A thriving, bustling city of 22,000 people. Glencore (Swiss) has taken ...

Days 38 & 39. Only 140km today on rough tracks through cattle stations to the oasis of Adels Grove and the Lawn Hill National Park for 2 nights camping. A very rough track with lots of bulldust into Kingfisher with a dry crossing of the mighty Nicholson River. Near Lawn Hill Station we were surprised that the track actually followed into the river downstream and then emerged up the bank! A bit scary! Finally reached Adel Grove for a very shady campsite with m...