Road trip Australia

<< Read Day 3 of this road trip adventure

As the alarm sounded at 5:30 am, I knew that I would not be leaving bang on daybreak. Though I could hear other campers slowly pulling out of the site, I hit snooze and thought to myself, what is the harm in ten more minutes? Ten minutes quickly turned into half an hour and I finally felt ready to rise. Realising that I was now well behind schedule, I quickly changed and downed a bowl of cereal before setting out on the road. This was to be the longest day of driving. With little of apparent note between Mataranka and the intended stopping point near the Queensland border, this was the drive that many had warned me against. With nightmare tales of kidnaps and murders, with a distinct lack of petrol stops and little to keep the concentration levels up, I approached the day with due caution. However, it was not long before I ran in to my first trouble of the day. With the roads reasonably quiet, I toddled along nicely before reaching Larrimah. Having sworn blind that I would refuel at every possible opportunity, I checked the gauge and I was well over half full. It wasn’t worth it. So I made an executive decision, I would carry on. Yet, as I left Larrimah, I noticed a sign that stated that there were no more fuel stops until Daly Waters. I checked my gauge again and decided I had enough. I would risk it. Now, I am pretty certain you have already guessed the end to this tale of woe. With the road a lot longer than anticipated, and having not been aware that most of the journey was uphill, the red light soon reared its head. With the next sign reading 70km to Daly Waters I knew that we wouldn’t make it, but rather than give up the ghost, I decided to hedge my bets, slow the speed and just pray.

With a distinct lack of signs noting how far I had got in my quest, my heart sunk to new lows as the camper van started slowing. My vain faith dissipated and I knew I would have to rely on the kindness of a stranger to help me get through my troubles. With the emergency lights flashing as I ground to an eventual stop, I thanked my lucky stars when within five minutes I saw not only a 1km sign for Daly Waters, but also a car pulling up to assist.

With a more than generous offer of help, my distinct failure post warning had been far too easily resolved as Peter, who had found himself in a similar predicament a few years earlier, returned with much needed fuel and I was back on the road and able to fill my tank and the oh so close Daly Waters. While I may have found my solution without fuss or fight, an important lesson had been learnt in the prior panic. With my nerves calmed by a wealth of chocolate, I decided that it was time to get the stereo blasting once again. With my trip a celebration of Australian diversity, I had made sure to pack a wealth of Australian artists into my CD folder and now seemed like the perfect opportunity to celebrate a few of my favourites. Starting with a teenage favourite, Natalie Imbruglia, the journey would take in Savage Garden, Paris Wells and of course, Kylie Minogue.

Yet it was with Natalie’s debut hit ‘Torn’ blaring that an unexpected feature of the increasingly arid treeline caught my eye. In the midst of nothingness came yet another reality check as an old burnt out car had just been left amongst the trees. Stopping to explore my discovery, the warnings of my friends rang out in my head and a sense of uneasy excitement filled me.

Not wanting to spend too long – just in case – I re-entered the car and decided it was time to work on the rules of Northern Territory road etiquette. Having found that the traffic could be broken into three subcategories – local, truckies and travellers – it became noticeable that truckies rarely waved and that locals were hit and miss. However, when it came to travellers, the rule of thumb was that those in the same size vehicle or smaller would be friendly, those in larger, on the whole would ignore you. They say size doesn’t matter, but for those in Winnebagos in clearly does.

Having passed through Dunmarra without a need for petrol – so maybe I didn’t learn my lesson – I make it smoothly to Elliot and nearly miss the petrol station for lack of signage. With a quick U-Turn the issue is resolved and my tank filled and bladder emptied and I am once again on my way.

As the landscape slowly changes and trees grow increasingly sparse, it is clear that the Barkly Highway, and in turn Queensland, are not far off. While nothing of note springs to attention before Three Ways, the drive is far from painful with wonder of nature proving more than a little captivating. However, the excitement is palpable as Three Ways comes and goes and the left turn onto the Barkly Highway marks the countdown to the first border crossing of the cross country trek.

With a notable decline in traffic (not that there was lots previously), the drive on the Barkly Highway is relatively quiet. However, as Barkly Homestead comes into sight, several parked up lorries and a rather plush café/hotel a marked change from the stopping points earlier in the day. Now, far from being someone who deems themselves a toilet connoisseur, I have to equally note that Barkly Homestead boasts the best toilet of the trip. Now, this may not be a reason to visit Barkly Homestead – but I am just putting it out there. With a good distance left to go between Barkly Homestead at optimal campsite at Soudan, the remainder of the journey turns into another battle to beat sunset. Yet, with a marked increase in traffic post Barkly Homestead, I find myself overtaking 3 military tanks on the back of a road train to gain ground – now if there was an experience I had pre-empted on the road trip – this is one that had never entered my head but even saying it now strikes a slight chord of childish excitement within me.

With a fierce competitor taking long strides ahead of me in the race, I contemplate calling it a night early and parking up on the side of the highway. But, with a sensational sunset driving me forward, I finally reach Soudan and collect a minimal amount of fire wood and establish a somewhat disappointing fire. With the fire barely lasting the time taken to eat my bowl of soup, I admit defeat and skip star gazing for an early night.

Read Day 5 of this road trip adventure >>