June 11th: Rancher’s Gate on West Side of the Road to Mount Isa – 83 km
Day 241
Our spot by the rancher’s gate proved to be perfect. Flat, smooth, and we both slept well. I woke at around 3 am and the moon was bright enough to cast a shadow. I was up early, getting my journal typing done before Cher woke up. After a high-powered breakfast, we were ready for our trip to the big city.
As usual, the terrain was flat and smooth with a few small rises. With very little traffic, we found a stick bug sunning himself on the highway and we stopped to rescue him. I tried to prod it but it didn’t want to move. The thing was more like a branch and despite loving the outdoors we are still very much city people, in short I was scared of it. So it took a few minutes before I had the courage to pick the thing up and move it. It proved to be docile and allowed me to put in a tree without biting stinging or pinching.
When the wind whips across the open fields, it is amplified by the passing road trains. When they pass towing 3 or more trailers the wind hits you in the chest, and you stop. When it comes from behind it sends you off is a jolt like being pushed on a swing by a professional wrestler. If the road train passing you happens to hold cattle you are sprayed with a shower of urine and liquid excrement. If you’re lucky it’s dry and just a few hard pieces pelt you.
At the end of the day when we had enough of the wind, we entered the hills. We’ve never been so happy to have some ascents with the corresponding rest on the opposite side. As a bonus the road cut through the tops of the hills, and dove into troughs where we were sheltered from the wind. Our last several kilometers were downhill and we coasted into town.
Mount Isa is the largest town we’ve been in since we left Darwin almost a month ago. For us it’s the second to last major way station before we reach Townsville and we’re starting to feel that our first major destination which seemed quite far is now within reach.