“The best laid plans of mice and men can still go wrong”

Thursday night we stayed at St George. Arrived about 3pm after an easy drive from Ipswich. The motel I had booked was cheap and that is about all I can say in its favour. It was undoubtedly the smallest motel room that we had stayed in in Australia. It was more like an Asian budget room. The bathroom for want of a better word was minute. You could sit on the toilet whilst washing your hands in the handbasin and simultaneously washing your feet in the shower.

Sunset at the Balonne River, St George

Getting a meal proved a bit of an issue. We headed of to an Asian restaurant which was supposed to be open, but no, there was a closed sign on the door, then we went to a hotel which was incredibly noisy and was only serving parmis. So off we went for a third attempt which proved successful. Not a great meal but it was at least fuel for the body.

St George looks and feels like a town in decline. Lots of closed businesses and empty buildings and not the friendliest town I have been in. 

We got an early start this morning (Friday) as we had 488 kilometres to Thargomindah. On the road by seven after calling into the local bakery for pies and sausage rolls to consume down the track.

The big road trains operate here

Up to St George the road had been good. Wide and fairly level with little damage done by the huge 53 metre road trains that operate in the area. This morning the road got narrower until there was at some points only a single sealed lane. Damage to the road by road trains was evident also as we bounced up and down.

Slim Dusty’s the Cunnamulla Fella

We had a stop over at Cunnamulla. In contrast to St George this seemed to be a thriving town. Lots of people about, shops doing business and a large number of caravans. Of course Cunnamulla is a bit of a hub for caravans and motorhomes that are exploring the outback. Once we had finished our pies we hit the road to do the last 200 kilometres to Thargomindah.  

Lake Bendegorry on the way to Thargomindah

It was a good drive as we started to see desert country features. Red soil, stunted trees and shrubs just rolling on before the eye. Saw lots of emus, even saw some baby emus at a water hole. Just before Thargomindah the road zig zagged between dry salt pans. The desert was getting closer.

Bulloo River at Thargomindah

Arrived at the motel I had booked. It isn’t luxury but it is comfortable and cool with the air conditioner going. It is very hot outside and Thargomindah appears deserted hardly a person to be seen and only one dog wandering the street.

High Noon at Thargomindah

It had been a good day but then F%^&K it all turned to shit. The weather report had shown Innamincka being hit by a storm and getting 10 to 20 millimetres of rain. I phoned the Innamincka Hotel and was told we could probably get to Innamincka from Thargamindah but the track south was likely to be closed for about 4 days! 

I’m going to phone the Innamincka Hotel tomorrow morning before we leave here for an update but we have few options. We need to get into SA before the border situation changes again. So we might have to sit at the Innamincka Pub until the track reopens. That is if we can get to Innamincka as it is 19 kilometres of dirt road from the SA/QLD border. Added to which the tyres on our ute are not off road tyres and will not have the grip for a muddy track.

Bloody hell!