I’m writing this from Griffith, NSW. I flew here via Cobar, in ‘stealth mode’ – that is, without the spot tracker. The batteries packed it in and the replacement ones I had were the right size, but apparently the device only takes lithium batteries. The ones I had were plain old alkaline ones. Sorry about that!
I really enjoyed the flying today. I’ve enjoyed it every day, but today especially. When I flew this leg in the other direction, I was flying in company with my husband, so it brought back some good memories. It seems like a lifetime ago now. I'm looking forward to seeing him!
About half way between Cobar and Griffith, everything starts to change. It’s no longer remote, it’s no longer the outback. The airport was busy, there were planes going everywhere – Royal Flying Doctor, crop dusters, twins, - all ‘working’ aircraft. I decided to have a bit of a tootle around as I waited for the circuit to die down a bit – because I can ; ) After about 20 minutes, I’d managed to climb up to 4000 feet without even trying and was reminded of how cold it was up there. I still hadn’t regained feeling in my toes, so I decided to come down and slot in between a couple of crop dusters. I also needed to get to the shops to get some lithium batteries for the spot before they closed.
As the taxi drove into town, there were more reminders of the ‘change’: McDonald’s, BigW, Target, Woolworths, Coles, KFC etc . Got the batteries, checked into the motel and it was dinner time. Having had one of my few remaining muesli bars for lunch, I was starving. Despite all the hallmarks of civilisation, the serves here are definitely ‘country size’. The wagyu rump steak I ordered was half my weight. No wonder the Leagues Club is packed on a Monday night. I almost finished it too! Better have a lie down now...
Almost forgot – here is the link to the audio file and write up from the ABC interview with Karyn Wilson on Sweers Island. It was done several days before the Morning Glory finally came.
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| With the drought in recent years, Bourke council had a clean up of the river bed while the water was low. They made these sculptures with the junk they collected. These are at the motel in Bourke. |
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| Lining up for departure at Bourke |
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| A bit of help from nature to climb out of Bourke. It did hit 10 knots up. |
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| Refuelling from the jerry can at Cobar. I'm not tall, strong or game enough to try to lift the full jerry can. The decanting in the special approved container worked a treat, even if it took a while longer. |
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| A reminder of how slow I'm going. I did manage to pass this truck (white dot on the right side near the middle) but it took a while. |
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| Life is wonderful. |
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