Submitted: Wednesday, Sep 24, 2008 at 09:42

Woke up at 6:30 am after a night of howling wind and just enough rain to wet the canvas. Had a leisurely breakfast of cereal in the camp kitchen and filled the flask before packing up camp. We got away a bit later than planned, around 9:30 am. Today we are heading for Carnegie Station where we will begin the Gunbarrel proper. Tracy and Shai both had a driving lesson today, with Tracy panicking as soon as the car went above 20 kms / hour. Shai had a great time and was smiling from ear to ear about being able to drive the car, although she seems to have some trouble driving in a straight line, tending to weave all over the road. Jackson also got his chance, sitting on my lap and steering as he is as yet unable to reach the pedals. I think he now realizes how different driving for real is compared to his computer games.



A few stops along the way to film and for morning tea and lunch. By the GPS our estimated arrival was going to be around 3:00 pm, and all was going very well until I heard a banging noise. We pulled over to find the front left tyre was flat. Oh well, these things have to be expected out here, so out with the gear from changing and repairing, and an hour or so later we were on our way again with a plug in the front tyre.



We arrived at Carnegie Station just before 4:00 pm, to be greated by a couple of mad French guys who were working here. Decided to refuel in the morning and set up camp while the kids went off to play with the station managers kids. We spoke with a guy from Queensland who had only just come off the Gunbarrel and he told us that it was the worst goat track that he had ever driven on, with an average speed of about 11 kms / hour. This of course made Tracy panic even more about the trip and wondering whether we should do it at all. From here however, there really isn’t too much choice as the Gunbarrel is the only way out of here without backtracking.

The guy from Qld had invited us down to his camp to watch a DVD. The kids at first declined, but eventually they did come down and watched a movie while we had a few drinks and a chat for a couple of hours. Showers tonight were supplied from an old wood boiler, which was a novelty for the kids, although they did complain about the lack of water pressure.

Off to bed at about 10:00 pm. Tonight we just had a slap up dinner of instant noodles. We definitely need to have some real food tomorrow. We should also be able to have a camp fire tomorrow night also as we will be bush camping. From the description of the track, it looks as though it may take us an extra day to cross, rather than the 3 we had planned.

Tags: 4WD, Attractions/Things to Do, Camping, Places/Destinations, Travel Journal, Travelling with Kids, Family
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