A good chunk of yesterday was spent trying to get the car sorted. We picked up extra fuel and tried to fix the broken electrical parts of the car - the 3way splitter for the cigarette lighter. That, remarkably managed to consume several long hours of going back and forth between shops. On our third and final visit to AutoPro we were finally ready to start making grounds. The sun was out and the road sealed but the route we were on was snaking away through the Flinders range mountains. The scenery was spectacular with the mounting appearing as grey looming shadows on the horizon. The more we drove the bigger the shadow until finally they fell into view. We decided that this would be a good place to stop for some lunch and a driver change. Rob also realised we would need to replan our stop for the night, again. Seems like all our planned stops may have been slightly optimistic. On we went to make the campsite for the butt, but it wasn't long before we were distracted again, stopping to see an open coal mine. The vast ravine left in the landscape was breath taking. Signs dotted around with information about the mining and what was still left in the mine to be extracted.
The road fell away from the sealed roads we'd become accustomed to and turned into a rough gravel and rock road - the outback has arrived. The scenery turned from the view of Flinders range and open coal mine into the flat, arid and empty desert which everyone associates with the outback. There was still plenty to see, old river beds leading up to the side of the road with commonly placed signs about flooding as we were apparently driving on a floodway.
We arrived at out campsite for the evening not only on time but early. The campsite was called Farina, a place I'd recommend to anyone travelling out this way. You drive in down a dirty track before you come across two stones either side if of the road welcoming you to the town. The town is no longer used, the last resident left some years ago and the town left to fall into ruin. As you pass the welcoming signs your greeted by a surreal view of the houses and buildings that once were the town. We didn't stop to have a look on the evening but did managed to fins the remains of the Exchange Hotel as we passed - British and Scottish spirit at its best. We set up our camp in the fantastic evening sunshine, prepared the fire and began cooking. We were both swarmed by the flies which, unlike UK flies, do not leave you alone when you brush them away. Best of all, the campsite had a shower. The water was heated by a fire under a barrel and then fed into a shack next to it. We were both very grateful for a shower!
As we watched the sun set and the stars come out in the cloudless sky we relaxed with a beer in hand and fire crackling. The evening found us our first large ish animal with a spider roughly 1-2 inches across. Pondering weather it was poisonous or not we watch as it made our box of beer its home for a while after trying to investigate.
Morning came far too quickly in my eyes. We set about packing up and having some breakfast as the campsite empties around us, we were off again. Rob taking the car out into the desert roads after a quick stop to lol at and read about Farina. A quick stop in Marree for some fuel and tea for Rob before setting off along the 4WD only track to William Creek. Rob is either trying to hit animals in our way or avoid them, I'm not quite sure which yet...
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