So our day starts off as any other – Early morning rise all saddled up and ready to go, across creeks, wild fields and the corral – quiet, cool, with only the clip clopping of the horses’ hooves and Roger’s rattling on and on with Sam, the cowboy.

Sam and Laura – Cowboy and Cowgirl

We’re on our way to our next destination so a quick breakfast and oops, a flat. No worries, been there done that. Just as we are setting off to Emma gorge and the Bungle Bungle – SCREECH – a sudden change of plans. As I stand peacefully across from the workshop where the tyre is being repaired, I witness a large sun umbrella being picked up by the wind and flown onto our car cracking the windscreen. Surreal, everything happening in slow motion. Pause, a long pause.

Let’s start over….
A quick breakfast and oops, a flat. No worries, been there done that. As the flat is being repaired we enjoy a quiet peaceful lunch at the steakhouse restaurant in ElQ as our chauffeur waits to drive us to Emma gorge while our car, with the broken windscreen, is taken to Thrifty 120 km away, to be repaired courtesy ElQ.

No worries – lunch is on the way

Emma gorge, like all other gorges is filled with rocks or rather boulders and ends with an amazing waterfall and pool – this one lined with ferns and water so clear and cold it’s unbelievable.

Should I or shouldn’t I?

People of Australia
Harry and Kay
“We are retired and have been travelling Aussie for 4 years now. I don’t know how I ever worked 8 hours a day. Of course from time to time we take a holiday from our travels and spend some time in our home on Cairns, but this is pretty much our life.”

Harry and Kay

We enjoy our peaceful surroundings and await the return of our car which finally arrives at 5.15pm. In spite of the pending sunset and darkness, we decide to move ahead with our plan to get as close to the Bungle Bungle as possible. Two hours of driving along the Great Northern Highway passing at least 10 road trains and very few other vehicles, we arrive at a campsite – well a gas station posing as a campsite and just in time, too, as well as the guy says ” I was just about to close. Set up and see me in the morning”. And in two twos, tents are set and we crash.

We’ll get a closer look at our surroundings in the morning.