24/6/09

Wake up sunrise, up and about, camp stirring around me. Time to get out. West - make towards Hann Crossing. Make coffee on Little Emergency Stove (hereafter to be known as LES) by placing coffee mug directly on stove. 1 tablet, then discover the joy of feeding tiny little stalks, twigs, grass and leaves in - a fire in micro format. Great fun! And can be kept going way after tablet has gone. Indeed indefinitely with constant tending. Cool.

Leave camp around 9:00am and hike back up trail to ranger station. Initially seems deserted, then a ranger appears - super quick chat as he is off somewhere. West of Bizant, which I had been told is stunning, is aboriginal land so - nogo. :( Coast via west road is very arid - not very scenic - recommends Hann River crossing O.K Let's check it out - further north. Maybe for 1 night if not great. So go down to road, sit in shade of only tree just up from west road turnoff and make sign 'Hann X-ing'. C 45 mins later get a lift.

Big Family. Parents and 4 kids with DVD viewers in back etc... From Adelaide - he's applying for the ranger's job. If he gets it kids learn by 'school of the air', mum becomes teacher, friend and mother to whole tribe. Jezus! We travel north and checkout 'White Lilly Lagoon' and then 'Pink Lily Lagoon'. Interesting and kind of picturesque but not stunning. Then we somehow miss Breeza plains Outstation and end up at Hann Crossing. At first seems extremely arid, flat, drab and shadeless. See some kind of large bird and stop and take photos. Drive around a little looking for Pay Station & stumble across river itself and suddenly it's lovely. Stop have a quick chat with fisherman about crocs and risk etc... serious croc country now - but banks of river are mostly small cliffs 30cm-2m high - thus deemed 'safe'. Mostly. Gulp. But there are officially sanctioned campsites strung along the river bank on both sides along a track heading away from the crossing so I drop the pack, say g'bye to fisherman and family who all leave - and head off to find a campsite.

The further along the river the lovelier they get. Inland is bizarre landscape of low grasses, spotted with the occasional straggly sapling and the inevitable HUGE termite mounds. Awesome walk. Settle on Campsite 14. Go back to retrieve pack, it's about 3:00pm and hot but plenty of cloud so not too bad for trudging. Eat something, water up, don pack and trudge c 2k to camp 14. Walk is long and hard but lovely. But when I arrive I am suddenly anxious and not sure why. I'm pretty isolated now, despite a few groups of people 2 k or so further back up the river. What is it? No idea. Set up tent and organise camp - not a lot of firewood again. Start to feel better, crash out and chill then at dusk go a for a walk further down river to explore and look for firewood. Little to be found close by but dusk is beautiful. Get back 2 camp, set fire and watch birds as dark settles in. As soon as dark, night becomes scary with the threat of crocs. Story guy told about croc coming up and taking his dog + story of guy taken whilst in sleeping bag loom large. Also torch now starting to get low on batteries. Not bad yet, but need to conserve - only use when necessary. Start fire, small - to conserve wood and boil billy full of water. A little to make dinner with, the rest to cool for drinking water tomorrow. Eat dinner. Thank original owners and spirits, watch fire die down and retire. 8:30pm. Terrifying splosh sounds from the river. Stay at back of tent with knife in hand and all manner of horrible croc attach scenarios washing thru my head. Eventually sleep.

- new moon -
continue to next page

return to Dan's homepage