Almost 14 km today and I made the most of it.

It’s a couple of nights away from civilisation, ie, car access, on this stretch.

Last night six guys from Newcastle stumbled into the designated campsite. I’d met one, Drew, the guy driving the support vehicle, you guessed it, a white Toyota Landcruiser, who had driven to Simpsons Gap and then walked in to meet his mates from the other direction then walked back. Maybe a more pleasurable way to walk in being fully supported, only your lunch and day’s water to carry, but the organisation required seemed somewhat overwhelming.

It was the boys first day and they hadn’t worked out if they were having fun yet.

Cheers rang out when I produced a lost antenna for their 2 way radio, they were that kind of organised.

“If I find anything else I’ll just send it to Drew, c/- Newcastle.”

Highlight of the day: Bond Gap, a shear-sided crack in the range with a deep pool with some 120 mm long fish in evidence, the colour of that 900 million year old sedimentary rock vivid.

Blisters?

Too horrible to contemplate, they’ve grown, but my left foot is not too bad, the right hobbling by the latter part of the day.

Mulga Camp had everything that I desire: two watertanks, full, water okay, two picnic tables and a long drop dunny a little distance off. The mulgas have had a fire through recently although the introduced thigh high buffel grass, green and flowering profusely makes it all look verdant pasture, so much so that the track can sometimes be a little, make that a lot, hard to follow.

The sun is down, but not dark, I’m tucked in bed, might not yet see that full moon.

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