Black Crow/Emu Parade

Last seen heading down Black Crow Parade!

We arrived at Yowah in the early afternoon and did a quick lap of the town, trying to guess which house would be "ours" for the next month.

These guys were roaming the streets and caused much amusement!

Eulo Refuel

The petrol bowsers are on the footpath, behind Elmer!

When we last visited Yowah, fuel at the Artesian Waters caravan park kiosk was only available to park guests.

As we were staying elsewhere this trip, we made sure both tanks were topped up before heading into Yowah.

Nick was just about eaten alive by sandflies while standing at the pump.  We certainly weren't expecting them so far from the coast - and definitely didn't realise then how big a problem such a small insect could be!

I suffered many bites to my feet (soon after arriving in Yowah), which then blistered rather impressively and took over two weeks to fully heal.  Although I had packed my boots as protection against burrs etc when wandering about, I could only wear thongs due to the blisters. 

(As a child my father had made tyre/rope thongs for my brother and I, so the contrast between those and my glam sequined pair was a bit of a giggle). My feet had finally recovered by our last week but I was bitten again - just once - and that one blister again thwarted any boot-wearing! 

Sadly, Nissa suffered similar blistered bites when she joined us on 4 January. She skinned her toes also (when she fell off a bike), so not even thongs were not an option for her.

Cunnamulla Christmas

Vaughan waited outside - catching moths & grasshoppers

We arrived in Cunnamulla around 10am and stopped for a few pre-Christmas missions.  The Post Office was busy, so I queued with the locals and enjoyed listening to them banter about how much better they could run the country!

(The post office is located on the former Cobb & Co stockyard site.  The building was constructed in 1890 and seemingly the exterior has remained relatively untouched since then).

We had purchased most of our provisions before leaving home, so didn't need much more - just fresh bread, Christmas ham and a couple of overlooked grocery items.  (The lamb loin chops weren't a necessity but were at least $10 p/kg cheaper than home, so we succumbed to temptation and got them too)!

Vaughan had been busy collecting grasshoppers as we strolled about town.  A council worker spotted his collection and called us over to offer another specimen, one she had discovered while working in the gardens.

Vaughan was well-pleased with this new addition and had fun showing off his captives to some of the local (older) boys, who were probably more interested in Keegan (Erin's rainbow lorikeet).  The boys chased after us as we were heading back to the car though - to gift Vaughan two more grasshoppers!

Witch-tailed?!

Poser!

One of the highlights of our July trip was watching the sun rise as we headed into Bourke, so we elected for another early departure from Byrock this trip.  The different time of year placed the sun further to the rear of us but the effect was just as lovely.

We were lucky to spot four wedge-tailed eagles just out of Bourke - even better, they stayed still for some zoomed shots!  (These guys generally see the camera and fly off)!  Vaughan often calls them "witch-tailed", which causes understandable amusement!

We re-fueled at Bourke but headed another 150km on to the NSW/Qld border at Barrigun, for breakfast - where Vaughan was happily entertained organising tumbleweed races!

On the road again - finally!

Breakfast at Jerry's Plains (two hours from home)

We enjoyed Yowah so much in July that we decided to spend a month there over Christmas. Our departure date was originally set at 18 December but was delayed a day when all the packing became too much!

Although we received word (about a fortnight prior to leaving) that a powered shack was available for our use, we still took tents and camping equipment (as well as supplies for a month, including the all-important Pepsi Max, Christmas gifts, fossicking equipment and other paraphernalia).

At that stage we intended to use the shack as a base and do some short camping trips from there - and use the tents as overflow accommodation at Yowah if necessary.

"He spiked my hand!"

There had been much rain in the lead-up to our departure and we did wonder if the various reported flooding would impact en route.

As it was, we saw lots of water along the way (an interesting contrast to our July trip) and many "water over road" signs but the road remained clear.

We stayed overnight in Byrock again (700km from home) - back in "the Tinny".  Vaughan caught this bearded dragon within minutes of our arrival (ably assisted by Erin) and was very chuffed with his catch, as you can see!

We dub thee ... Elmer Fudd!

A riveting task?!

Our new truck was dubbed "Elmer Fudd" soon after becoming ours.  We felt he deserved some signage, although the end result was far more flash than our initial thoughts.

We can highly recommend Abstract Signs of Redhead.  The lovely Simon brought our vision to reality (and even made my "artwork" look good)!

http://www.abstractsigns.com.au/about-us.asp

Wound out

Attaching the winch cable to the winding mechanism!

Nick worked hard throughout November and December to prepare the Landcruiser for our first trip away.

First-off, he swapped our super-bright globes into the headlights just in case night-time driving was necessary.

His next mission was to connect the second battery and wire the electrics so our new Engels could plug into dedicated sockets when traveling in the rear section of the car.  (We purchased a bargain cargo barrier from eBay to ensure nothing in the back could cause injury to passengers in the event of an accident).

After downloading the manual for our winch, Nick discovered the cable was not attached (?!) so quickly fixed that oversight.  Of course, we then needed to test his good work - so winched the Landcruiser across the reserve at the back of our house, which proved entertaining for us (and bemused neighbours)!