Day 17 & 18:

Yesterday we left Sandstone and just drove and drove thru rather boring flat landscape. Scaggly bushes occasionally and not much else. The land has a brownish ore type colour about it and is very inhospitable to plants or animals I would say. In 360kms we probably only saw 3 carcasses on the road which means the animals are not even coming to the grasses that dot the roadsides normally. We stopped at Mt Magnet for a morning cuppa before turning north towards Megatharra. Lunch was a burger at Cue, hmmm enough said. BUT Cue had the most amazing fullsize sculpture of a camel train on the outskirts of town, so very fabulous. andthe old buildings were being restored which we equally lovely, one day maybe a decent town again. So on we went with the only excitement to see a hill although most were not kindly introduced by Mother Nature but greedy conglomerates searching for gold. The colours quite amazing with what they are bringing out of the huge holes in the ground but still not great to see. We arrived eventually in Meeka and the caravan park is next door to the 24/7 high flow diesel road train fill up. Town consists of not much as normal, a couple of pubs, a centrelink office, a supermarket - hmmm and an art store - not open Sunday and Monday, what days are we here, of course. You could nearly guarantee he arranges these things. And the ad says they have artworks, weird stuff and rusty stuff, could have been good, maybe. Rusty stuff is what we see a lot of out here in the desert with sculptures in the strangest of places but always well done. If only I could have bought home a full size camel for the front garden - oh so needs one.

Anyway, not too many people in the park except we got talking to a gent (about 40) just next to us who we ended up asking to share dinner with us as he was very interesting and he was in a car with a sleep cab on top, we had a slow cook happening so he was thrilled for a homecooked meal. He was prospecting and showed us the gold he has discovered and we talked of the hows and whys and wherefores of it all. Comes from Coffs but is over here on a prospecting trip to see how he goes for six months. Only in the park for a night to shower and see the Lands Council today to find where he can go without getting shot. Seriously, the mine leases are very clearly guarded by the owners not the big guns but the general very unwashed public ones. He only does it all with a metal detector but he knew his geology and quite educated. Goes down mine shafts on his own with no one knowing where he is etc….ewww not for me.

Anyway, today we walked the town and had a coffee at a coffee van and we bumped into him again so chatted for another hour. Stopped to get some fuel and who should pull up beside us but this guy again. We decided to go out to Mt Yagahong (40 kms rugged dirt road from town), the local rock - as the visitor info lady told us, beautiful and who should drive into there on his way to Sandstone but the same guy. Didn't get to talk as it wasn't the kind of area he would look for gold and we were half way up a hill at the time. Wow, some gorgeous rock formations and I may have snavelled a few to cart home to maybe resin if he doesn't throw them out at some time. We ended up having lunch there and Wally did a great version of Pot Stickers from our homemade wontons. They were looking fairly bruised and battered after 4000kms in the freezer but were so good. Then back to town for a tour of local attractions as in a lookout over a big pit in the ground and a place called Peace Park. Great free camping spot out amongst the boulders, superb except for the graffiti done by idiots. Breathe: out with anger, in with love.

Back to our very noisy campsite. I slept with earplugs last night. The roads are just full of huge road trains moving back and forth between mines. Quite often with an escort guy telling you to leave the road as a huge truck is coming thru and we just both don't fit on a normal roadway, so we politely move off and wait for a while for it to pass on by. The temp is quite pleasant at the moment with a lovely breeze blowing thru although it just stirs the dust up hugely.

So on we will go tomorrow - with love to all. xxx