Mutawintji Part 2

part 2 of the previous post


we went to sleep that night expecting our long hike around the park the following morning, but were instead awakened to the sound of someone pounding at our door at 7am telling us to get up and get ready to go because the rain was moving in early. my roommates and I were packed and dressed within 15 minutes, but quickly discovered the Aussie insistence on a leisurely breakfast and tea, even during moments of crisis. 2.5 hours later we were finally loaded on the bus and ready to go, and although it had not really rained at our camp yet, ominous looking clouds lay ahead.

although we didn't actually pass through much heavy rain, we did pass over areas that had experienced a fair amount, and the dirt roads there had become slimy and slick. this caused our bus to slip and slide a little, but every so often there would be a small patch of asphalt surrounding a little bridge, or a section of dirt road containing more gravel in the clay, allowing us to gain more traction. at one point though, the bus (with a trailer full of stuff attached) decided it had had enough of the clay, and we were stuck. we first tried getting out of the bus to alleviate the weight bearing on the tires, but it was no use. we were going to have to push. all of the following photos were taken by another girl on the trip, Michelle, with her iPhone. props to her for having it handy.

the road ahead of us. if you look really carefully past the larger sign ahead and to the left you might can see the asphalt we had to push to.

all smiles...

...kind of

our awesome bus driver, Doug.

my poor shoes

sweet, sweet pavement

the road behind us after

 after we made it to the asphalt, we realized there was about another 8-10 km of dirt road ahead of us past the bridge. the satellite phone was utilized to call someone with 4 wheel drive to come pull our trailer, and with hopeful hearts we all got back onto the bus. we made it to the permanent asphalt without having to push anymore, but it wouldn't have happened without our very skilled bus driver. on several occasions we were hydroplaning through mud, not water, so much that the side of our bus was facing forward as we continued to travel in that direction. at one point we off-roaded to take advantage of the traction the grass offers, but to get there we had to slide down the steep grade of the road's shoulder, what felt like a 45 degree angle, and we were all sure the bus would flip. we made it back safely though, and when we got to permanent pavement Peter got out and kissed the ground.

I fell asleep (shocking) until we made it to our accommodations in Broken Hill, the Palace Hotel, a couple of hours later. tired, cold, and muddy, all we wanted was a hot shower but alas, their gas heat was broken and we would have to wait to shower until the electric back up could turn on. finally we showered, and I fell asleep around 5:30PM...........only to be woken up 4 hours later by the fire alarm...which then went off again 15 minutes after we were back inside. it was like the worst possible never-ending day. did I mention it was a Monday?