Innaminka to Dig Tree - 70kms

Dig Tree Carving

Now that sounds like a nice pleasant 70kms.   But it took us hours.    Sometimes we were down to 30kmh as the roads were so rugged.    The 14kms into our camp spot at Dig Tree on the Nappa Merri Station was the worst we had come across.    We were shaken every inch of the way.    Camped up by a river, which looked very dirty, but some were tempted to swim or kayak in it.    We had a catered dinner here, the young station hands cooked us a bbq, and catered for us with meats, salads and dessert and coffee.   They were a terrific bunch of people.   One of the young station hands being coerced into talking to us about his life and his reasons for leaving the "big smoke".    This was a fund raiser for the Flying Doctors Service.    Dig Tree is famous for the Burke & Wills Expedition.    Its a very sad and graphic tale.     We had a small campfire, port was drunk and no one was looking forward to the trip out to the "highway" again.     On our way out of the camp spot we heard that one of our safari members, who owns a fifth wheeler, had lost the wheel, the drum and everything off his axle.   We were all asked to keep an eye out for them.    We found where it had parted from his vehicle but nothing more.    Found out much later that one of the station hands had found it a few days later in the bush.   Poor Peter had to limp back into "civilisation" and get some repairs.   He was going to join us again but decided to head home and take his fifth wheeler company to task.