Big Red Run - Day 10 and 11 - Eulo to Trangie and then home via TheDish at Parkes

After being delayed and back tracking to Eulo, we pulled out the map again and decided the easiest and simplest way home was on the blacktop, east to Cunamulla and then south to Bourke, before pushing on to a free camp at Warren.

Being a long day of  just over 600 kilometres, we hit the road early and found it an easy days run on wide straight highways.

We tried a self portrait...  whilst the boys made cubby houses in the back!

We stopped for lunch at a great future camp north of Bourke at Mays Bend.  This former caravan park on a bend in the Darling River was a beautiful spot for a rest and a leg stretch. We marked it as a great spot to consider coming back to.  The access track could be a little difficult after some rain, but we found the camping area wide and grassy with plenty of shady camp sites.

Mays Bend - Bourke

And so we continued south, through Narromine and on the Warren Weir, where we were confronted with a locked gate, barring our acesss to a promising camp.  Despite our wearieness we returned to the main highway and pulled into Trangie Caravan Park a short time later.

Big Red Run - Day 9 - Quilpie to Currawinya to Eulo - Or the day we nearly lost it all!

As our plans altered so drastically the day before, we thought we would try to head south on roads less travelled, with the aim of camping at Currawinya National Park near Hungerford. We got away just after 9am, after stocking up on a few supplies at Quilpe.

It was the last time we don't check a weather forecast when we have the opportunity to. And as it turned out, after an unfortunate series of events, we were lucky to have a camper to sleep in by the days end... 

We set off confidently enough from Quilpie, and made good time to Eulo, where we stopped for lunch at some mound springs.

The mound springs wern't exactly what we expected, and the chap at the Eulo Visitors Centre didn't seem eager to explain more (but he did kindly point out where we could find out about the Eulo Queen with a vague wave of his hand towards a collection of newspaper clippings on the wall).  Enough time spent here we thought, so we headed south towards Currawinya NP, north of Hungerford.

Our lack of observation of the changing weather began to haunt us as we turned off the black top.  The road ahead was red, and a sign ominously said "Boggy When Wet"... A short time later the wipers came on as a few spots hit the windscreen.  The Meteorologist of the family went a litte quiet as she confessed that she hadn't checked the weather for a couple off days...  Ah, what could possibly go wrong!

Big Red Run - Day 8 - Birdsville to Maree...er no make that Quilpie

We rose early to capture the sunrise on Big Red to overcast and foreboding skies.  And after a leisurely pack up, we headed back into Birdsville to fuel up and make tracks south to Maree.

The sun starts to make its appearance felt through an overcast sky.

Sunrise lights up our camp - at Big Red

We headed out of town on the Birdsville Track - and almost immediately got stuck in clouds of dust, behind a convoy of caravans doing about 50 kilometres an hour.  It became apparent in the next minute or two that the caravans weren't likely to pull over and let the trail of 4WDs behind them past in a hurry, so we pulled over to the side of the road to re-think our options.

Big Red Run - Day 7 - Big Red, The Simpson Desert and John Williamson

Day seven of our adventure dawned with much excitement in our camp.  This was the day that a dedicated group of ultra marathon runners would depart Birdsville for the run across the Simpson Desert, raising money for Type 1 Diabetes.  It was also the day that John Williamson would support the runners with a concert on the crest of Big Red... and it was our first day in the desert!

The first order of business was to watch the start of the race.  This was the first time that an event of this magnitude had ever been considered - and I was amazed that there were some 54 starters for the Big Red Run.  I must admit to having tears in my eyes watching this group of people depart for a 42 kilometre run to Big Red, all the while raising money for a cause very dear to our hearts.  In a moment of weakness, I promised the Little Fisherman (himself a type 1 diabetic) that if he wanted to run in this race when he was 16, then I would do it with him!  And please, if you want to donate to this worthy cause - please donate here:  http://www.bigredrun.com.au/ or http://www.jdrf.org.au/

The Big Red Run is about to commence

The Born To Run Foundation

After the runners departed, we enjoyed a much more leisurely breakfast at the Birdsville Bakery, before packing up camp and heading west ourselves.  This was where the fun really began!

Big Red Run - Day 6 - Innamincka to Birdsville via Walkers Crossing

Being our first time in this part of the world, we wen't too sure what to expect when travelling in the remoter areas.  The usual route from Innamincka to Birdsville is north, via Cordillo Downs on the Strezlecki Track, but we had caught up with some seasoned travellers at Innamincka who urged us to follow them along the Walkers Crossing Track.

Walkers Crossing is named for Sydney James Walker, who was part of the Santos Field Service who constructed the crossing of the Cooper Creek.  He died on 7th November 1986, just as the crossing was completed, and a plaque on the site is erected to his memory.