We were on the road today at 8:30 am and our first stop was not far - Caltex to refuel. Second stop was 11 km north of TC at the Telegraph Station. Although they are all similar, this one was different from the other two telegraph stations we have seen (Alice Springs and Barrow Creek). There were a few more buildings than at Barrow Creek and lots more signage which was useful to get the full story. All these buildings have been beautifully maintained. We couldn’t get into the two main buildings, the key is held at the TC Info Centre, so a bit late for that. We had to be happy with a peek through the windows.
A further 200m up the highway we turned left onto a dirt road to visit The Pebbles, supposedly a miniature Devils Marbles. Well the dirt road was extremely corrugated so we kept the speed down to 30 km/h max. 6 km later, we did actually find a smaller version of the Marbles. Whilst Wendy made the coffee, Greg went for a wander and got a few shots. To the traditional owners it is a ‘secret women’s business area’ whereby male members of the tribe have to ask permission to walk through the area, or make a detour entirely. We didn’t linger very long.
The Three Ways was not much further up the road, we could have easily continued straight ahead to Darwin, but turned right as planned onto the Barkly Highway. We were not expecting to be on this road again so soon. Funny how things turn out. It is a very good road though. We stopped again at a rest area about 80 km West of Barkly Homestead for lunch.
Eventually arrived at Barkly Homestead and Roadhouse at 1:30 pm; we were in no particular hurry. We chose a powered site again as there were plenty available. We didn’t really expect to be back here for an overnighter so soon either. We considered using a free camp not far from Barkly but that would have meant that we would miss a great meal at the Homestead; on a Saturday night. You certainly can’t mistake being at the Barkly, the sound of the guinea fowl, diesel generators and galahs is a gentle reminder. We made sure we steered clear of the big shade trees this time because, as we found out last time, they are the favourite roosting spots for all the birds. They made a real mess on van and truck last time. The place is absolutely packed with travelers of all descriptions and it didn’t take long before all the powered sites were occupied. This country is definitely ‘on the move’. Despite the fact that we had a stiff head/side wind most of the day, it had very little impact on our fuel consumption.
Dinner tonight was excellent, as usual; and substantial. Tomorrow, with a bit of luck and the grace of God, we’ll be back in QLD. I don’t think we’ve ever been this excited about crossing the border.
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