Before we got to Birdsville, Rick saw some scary lights on the dash light up and the temp. started to soar. Holy Crap, I thought the worst. We had done a belt and that belt had forced a couple of other belts to come off their pulleys. Fortunately they werent damaged and Rick carried a replacement belt for the one that died. But it was hard going to actually get access to the job. Here we have Tony under the bus, Rick, Craig & Gene (our two sweeps/mechanics) and Des. All working hard to get us back on the road. Once again they had to contend with heat, dust, flies and the constant dust coming off passing vehicles. The bitumen had just started, which was a very good thing. Thank God for the safari sweeps. They did a fantastic job, not just for us, but almost everyone on the safari as vehicles succumbed to the horrid conditions. More on that later.
Arrived at Birdsville and immediately got breath tested!!!!!! Campers everywhere. Its hot, dry, and dusty. We went straight into town, filled up, bought some ice to keep the fridge cold and then went to our camp. We had a small dusty area roped off. We were promised 2 toilets, a shower and water for our use. The toilet was a public loo outside the camp, no shower and the tap was also a public use one. It was stinking hot and we werent that happy. A supposedly "courtesy bus", which we thought was just for us safari people, consisted of a public bus, which cost a gold coin donation. But didnt start till 10.45. A smaller bus started early in the morning but cost $5 per trip in and out. Those without showers actually had to ride the bus into town, pay $5 for a shower and then ride the bus back. Sometimes costing them $15 a day. Birdsville is normally a town of 40 people. It swells to 10,000 people when the races are on. The races are held on Fri & Sat and from Sunday onwards, there is a mass exodus. We thought we had phone & internet service, but some idiot jammed the system over the weekend and there was virtually no service unless you got up in the middle of the night. Naturally he left town by Tuesday and we were once again on air. We had just about set up camp on the Thursday, when Ron & Jean, members of our Southern Explorers Chapter back home pulled up. We had a quick chat, hoped to catch up later once we were settled. Thought we might bump into each other at the Races but that would prove impossible. So we got together after the races for a lovely long bbq lunch. It was really great to see them. They had been in Birdsville a week, simply to watch the town swell from its population of 40 to 10,000. Campers camped anywhere and everywhere. Portable loos and water taps and rubbish skips sprung up along the roadsides.
Arrived at Birdsville and immediately got breath tested!!!!!! Campers everywhere. Its hot, dry, and dusty. We went straight into town, filled up, bought some ice to keep the fridge cold and then went to our camp. We had a small dusty area roped off. We were promised 2 toilets, a shower and water for our use. The toilet was a public loo outside the camp, no shower and the tap was also a public use one. It was stinking hot and we werent that happy. A supposedly "courtesy bus", which we thought was just for us safari people, consisted of a public bus, which cost a gold coin donation. But didnt start till 10.45. A smaller bus started early in the morning but cost $5 per trip in and out. Those without showers actually had to ride the bus into town, pay $5 for a shower and then ride the bus back. Sometimes costing them $15 a day. Birdsville is normally a town of 40 people. It swells to 10,000 people when the races are on. The races are held on Fri & Sat and from Sunday onwards, there is a mass exodus. We thought we had phone & internet service, but some idiot jammed the system over the weekend and there was virtually no service unless you got up in the middle of the night. Naturally he left town by Tuesday and we were once again on air. We had just about set up camp on the Thursday, when Ron & Jean, members of our Southern Explorers Chapter back home pulled up. We had a quick chat, hoped to catch up later once we were settled. Thought we might bump into each other at the Races but that would prove impossible. So we got together after the races for a lovely long bbq lunch. It was really great to see them. They had been in Birdsville a week, simply to watch the town swell from its population of 40 to 10,000. Campers camped anywhere and everywhere. Portable loos and water taps and rubbish skips sprung up along the roadsides.
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