Last night did turn out to be cool but not unpleasantly so. It made for a comfortable night under the doona. It had been a very quiet night with no road noise to wake us; most sensible people wouldn’t drive these roads at night with the risk of hitting cattle or wildlife way too high. The couple first to set up at the Calvert River campsite yesterday afternoon were also first to leave this morning. They had fixed the hatch that had fallen off on the drive west yesterday, and were headed to King Ash Bay, which lies between Borroloola and the coast. It’s a popular destination for people keen on fishing.
We were second to arrive and second to depart, leaving the third couple behind. They too were headed to King Ash Bay, which is a relatively short drive in these parts. The road west was heavily corrugated and finding the right speed took a bit of working out. Some sections had us doing no more than 40 kph, while the less corrugated sections had us comfortably cruising at 85 – 90 kph. The conditions were also very dusty and approaching vehicles could be spotted some distance away, trailing their plume of red dust behind them.
We passed four cars heading eastwards and they were all courteous, slowing down and pulling to their side of the road as we approached. Stone damage was avoided on all occasions – but with two stone chips already during this trip it is less of a concern anyway, as we will get a replacement windscreen when the Prado returns to Melbourne.
We soon spotted the caravan and towing vehicle of the first couple to leave the Calvert River crossing camp site parked by the side of the road, and slowed to see if they needed assistance. We thought they may be stopping to check on the repairs made to the hatch that had fallen off. The simple message we got from them when we approached was that they were letting down their tyres to see if that might help soften the jarring from the corrugations. We were still running our tyres at highway pressures, and Chris said that if the corrugations persisted for a few more kilometres he would do similar.
The topic of Lorella Springs had come in and out of conversations between ourselves and fellow travellers over the last few days. Most people travelling west on the Savannah Way had mentioned they planned to stop there, as did the driver of an Outback Spirit tour bus, along with another bus from a rival company. It was starting to sound as though Lorella Springs might be more popular (and possibly even more crowded) than we had first expected. Wendy started reading out recent reviews for Seven Emu Station, which is a working cattle station that welcomes visitors to camp on the property. We stayed at Seven Emu Station in 2011 and fell in love with the place then.
It was decided we would head into Seven Emu Station to see if they could fit us in for a couple of nights. It was only 22 kilometres from the turnoff to the station office, along a track that was better maintained than the Savannah Way. People visit Seven Emu Station for a number of reasons. The Robinson river is one of the larger rivers in the region and it passes through the property. As a result there are approximately 40 kilometres of river frontage to explore before you arrive at the coast. Fishing in the river (for barramundi) is very popular – although where ever there are big barra, there are big crocs. Birdlife along the river is prolific, and many campers come to spot the different birds that live in this untouched environment. The scenery is stunning and unspoilt, with barely the sighting of another person for days.
Along the way we passed two vehicles with local lads from the station – possibly heading to Borroloola, the nearest town. The first vehicle was in reasonable condition, with only a few dents on practically all panels we could see. A broad smile and a wave came from the driver as we passed. The second vehicle was being driven by a young lad barely old enough to have a licence (it may have been a case of older siblings allowing the younger brother to drive to the Savannah Way turnoff). We could barely see the driver over the steering wheel, but he was much more easily seen when the vehicle passed, as it lacked a driver’s side door.
After crossing the Robinson River and coming to a stop beside the station ‘office’, Marissa stepped outside and greeted us warmly. We explained that we were hoping to camp for 3 nights on the property and, after consulting her booking sheet, she confirmed we could stay at either the open area adjoining Camp 1 or at Camp 5. We explained that we had stayed here back in 2011 and Frank (Marissa’s father and the owner of the station) had asked us to complete the registration forms because he found no use for reading and writing, being a stockman. Frank was apparently out with a tour group. Chris asked about Frank’s son (and Marissa’s brother), Clarry – who had featured in a series of programs broadcast on the ABC called ‘Outback Ringers’ – and how he was coping with his new-found celebrity status. Marissa laughed it off, but mentioned that it had brought a few more people in to visit the property.
We completed and signed the registration and disclaimer forms that exempt Seven Emu Station from any liability for injury and/or death caused by crocodiles, wild pigs, wild bulls or similar. We climbed aboard the Prado to find our preferred campsite for the next few days. A wrong turn was quickly remedied, and we passed through the stock yards following a track that was running parallel to the Robinson River. Many of the camp sites are now fenced off, as the wild bulls used to wander through occasionally, spooking a few people. We passed through the gate into the fenced off area and inspected site 1 and its surrounds. This had been the site we stopped in back in 2011. Site 2 was occupied by a large contingency of campers and site 3 had a campervan setting up. We passed through the gate at the end of the fenced off area and continued on to site 5 which has a shade shelter, a long drop toilet and a stunning view of the river bend from a high vantage point.
We have set up camp for the next couple of days. The temperature is in the high 20s, however we are expecting a cooler evening. The solar panel has been deployed and everything is fully charged so we have no power concerns. Chris will attend to a fire later, as we have a BBQ planned for dinner tonight.
