Thursday 4 July 2013

We want to be grey nomads

We always thought grey nomads were those oldies who left the southern states to head north for the winter in their caravans...taking their knitting with them and going to bed when the sun set after a nice cup of tea.

Well... we had our eyes opened tonight.
But let's start at the beginning...
We left the mining town of Mt Isa after our first night on an unpowered site and headed west. We have this camper trailer putting up and down, in a successful routine after only five days on the road.. More straight roads surrounded by flat arid land. Almost six hundred kilometers of one straight
Leaving Mt Isa
road.
The road is long
There were more road trains, less dead kangaroos but on the odd occasion that there was road kill, it was usually accompanied by a huge eagle or a feral cat feeding on the remains.
Welcome to the Northern Territory
Just before lunch we crossed into the Northern Territory and the weather turned warm almost instantly. Last night at Mt Isa it was so cold, I slept in my dressing gown. Tonight we went out for dinner in sleeveless T-shirts!

Tonight's stop is at Barkley Homestead which is about 500 kilometres west of Mt Isa on the way to Darwin. The weather is magic and tonight the sky was inky black and alight with millions of bright stars. There are no towns or cities anywhere near us and the sky is amazing.
Now to the entertainment. This roadhouse is like an oasis in the middle of the desert. We sat outside the trailer and watched the sun set before we headed off for dinner. After an excellent meal of fresh barramundi, the entertainment began. One of the original band members of Billy Thorpe's Aztecs tours the country and sings the old sixties rock and roll songs to an appreciative crowd.

 Unexpected entertainment in the middle of the wilderness!

We watched the grey nomaders dance and have a great night, and then listened to the stories of where they were from and where they were heading. This group had flown in  today in nine light planes and were touring the country that way! Now that would be fun!
Tomorrow we head off for the next leg of the trip toward Darwin... in our trusty ute and towing the camper trailer the home away from home we are really enjoying.
Watching the sun set

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