The Stuart Highway to Mataranka

It's not just that we are pushing on further and faster to beat the Wet, the distances between places are much greater. Long straight roads seem to go forever and the price of diesel has gone up exponentially. 195.5 we paid this afternoon, having filled already this morning at 187.9. Those kilometres swallow it up and of course we are travelling faster, which makes a big difference also.

We met many of the solar-powered cars in the race from Darwin to Adelaide. Some were tootling along quite nicely, while others were struggling a bit and yet others were already being towed on trailers! It was all very interesting.

One of the earlier ones, going well

Also doing nicely

Struggling a bit, this one. Rather Heath Robinson-looking!

Going very well although a long way behind the rest

As we drove, the sky got darker and darker and yet it didn't seem like cloud. Then we got the smell and realised that it was, as we had begun to suspect, smoke. It's bad enough when you are driving through already burnt out stuff, but when you get to where it's burning just a few metres in from the road, everything has headlights on and you don't know whether you are getting further into it or passing it, you get a little edgy. Knowing that we are carrying gas and containers of fuel makes it feel like a potential bomb. There were several places like this but we got through and hope that it all came to nothing. Everything is tinder-dry.

We are now at Mataranka, which Robert, Derek and Karen will remember from 26 years ago. It is a beautiful thermal pool in what feels and looks like an oasis with palm trees hanging with flying foxes all around. When we came all those years ago there was a long hollow log submerged in the pool, which loads of kids were swimming through, to the considerable consternation of mums in particular. The log is no longer there. Those kids had such a great time swimming through it but the idea that one might get stuck inside it was a tad worrying. Of course they didn't but it was a relief to see them emerge from the other end.

As we sit with a drink at the end of the afternoon we have been joined by a small kangaroo, which has had a good feed of a bag of kangaroo pellets that have been in the van for a while. Very friendly.

This one will never carry a joey!

You dropped some on the ground