Distance travelled: 372 kms
Cumulative distance: 12,548 kms
Had breakfast at the Heartbreak Hotel. Not very inspiring. Got on the road at 8.30am and headed south on the Tablelands Highway. It is all single track road ie one car/truck wide. There was no traffic ahead of us except a caravan which very kindly pulled over to let us pass. The weather is great now; fine and sunny but cool. There are no fuel stops until we get to Barkly Homestead so we will need our spare 5 litres to make it. I tried to go a bit slower to conserve fuel but it made sod all difference. The scenery varied from low scrub to vast open grass plains to the horizon. 
We stopped about half way and boiled the billy at the side of the road. 
I used my gas stove and it worked a treat. We have only used it twice before and both times to make a cup of tea. 
As we were partaking of our tea three road trains roared past. They were empty but had been used to ship cattle as they had that distinct odour. The mustering season has started so there will be plenty of "full" road trains on the roads will all sorts of nasties spraying out from them. We got to Barkly Homestead roadhouse around 3.30pm and pitched our tents in their camping ground. We decided this was the best option as they only had expensive motel rooms available. The homestead is actually a roadhouse on the Barkly Highway that runs east to Townsville. Whilst we were setting up "camp" our two biker friends from Cape Crawford turned up. They said the roads from Cape Crawford east to Burketown were flooded and they couldn't get through so they had to come the way we had. We had dinner with them and told more lies about our bike riding adventures. They are heading south tomorrow and hope to make Brisbane by friday. We discovered there are four girls and a couple of boys from Northern Ireland working at the roadhouse. They are doing the Backpacker thing like all the others we have met. There is plenty of work in the wilds of Australia but I'm not sure how they find out about it.
We stopped about half way and boiled the billy at the side of the road. 
I used my gas stove and it worked a treat. We have only used it twice before and both times to make a cup of tea. 
As we were partaking of our tea three road trains roared past. They were empty but had been used to ship cattle as they had that distinct odour. The mustering season has started so there will be plenty of "full" road trains on the roads will all sorts of nasties spraying out from them. We got to Barkly Homestead roadhouse around 3.30pm and pitched our tents in their camping ground. We decided this was the best option as they only had expensive motel rooms available. The homestead is actually a roadhouse on the Barkly Highway that runs east to Townsville. Whilst we were setting up "camp" our two biker friends from Cape Crawford turned up. They said the roads from Cape Crawford east to Burketown were flooded and they couldn't get through so they had to come the way we had. We had dinner with them and told more lies about our bike riding adventures. They are heading south tomorrow and hope to make Brisbane by friday. We discovered there are four girls and a couple of boys from Northern Ireland working at the roadhouse. They are doing the Backpacker thing like all the others we have met. There is plenty of work in the wilds of Australia but I'm not sure how they find out about it. 
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