23/6/2009

Wake 30m after sunrise. Embers of fire still warm. Beautiful Day. To river to try to wash shorts (v. dirty after 4 days @ festival) & get more water. Make fire, hang shorts over to dry, B'fast. See more 'roos (3).

- Walk back 2k to turn off, use 'Lakefield Nat. Park' sign folded in half to now just say 'Lakefield'. Lift within 10m. Viet Vet who stays for the whole dry on the beach at Bathurst Head w. his wife camping. Dog got taken by a croc 4m from where he was sleeping. Advised against going up there because almost NO traffic + bad mozzies. Decided against going up then. Kind of regretting decision now. Got dropped at Lakefield Ranger station. Deserted. Extremely hot now c. 1:00pm. Went to find rumoured short track from station down to campsite near crossing. Fun w. compass, maps and trudging around abandoned station in baking dry heat and dust. Found track, went back to retrieve pack, rested, drank water, set off. Approx. 2k walk along airstrip then down lovely red earth track through scrub, passed at one point by a woman & child on a quad bike. Shy smiles as they pass. Happy, relaxed, healthy looking Murri's.

Arrive camp site. On top of bluff overlooking crossing itself. Camp site is a bit 'Happy Families' but will do for the night. Go down to river - LOTS of croc signs everywhere. Nice. Long low falls over ford, wetlands, kind of pretty. Go back, set up tent, mooch around, snooze, read. SFA firewood - so collect what I can. Attempt to use 'Emergency Stove' I bought to boil 1l water for drinking -took 5 tablets. Lame. Night falls 6:30pm. Make real fire, quickly boil billy 4 water tomorrow, make dinner, Jamaican chicken - average. Fire dies down, look at stars. Beautiful. But too close to people - voices, families through the tent walls. 9:00pm sleep. Wake up in night, walk around a little, stars are amazing. Smoke for a while. Back to sleep.
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