Day 8 - Arkaroola

Another lay day for us today. This time it wasn't because it was wet and we didn't want to pack up damp swags and tents, but because we'd found a cool location and it was nice to take it easy for a day. We could have some big days ahead of us.

While we didn't think that we got much of a sleep in, it was close to 7:00 before we got up. Coco pops, hot chocolates and omelettes for the kids, then the morning routine.  Clo and Jack went for a walk with Warren, Brad and Kye, while Charlie unwillingly hung around as I finished up.

Then we did some firewood hunting, rock hunting and he played in the water while I built a little rocky platform around him so he wasn't kneeling in the mud.

Warren, Brad and Kat spent some time reading books, while I spent time perusing maps. Warren must have thought I was worrying as he remarked on it. I just like looking at maps and knowing the area around me.

The kids played in the water, we skipped stones and we chilled out some more before the evening meal routine.

Our plan for tomorrow is now Brad leaving early to see if our road out is open, fuel and supplies at Leigh Creek before heading North West towards the Western side of the desert, hopefully getting a good site at Cowards Springs. Following this we head to Mount Dare before the desert crossing.

Our shopping list for Leigh Creek includes a headlight globe, fuel, water, sausages, eggs and some cold packs so I can run the Engel as a freezer and use the cold packs to keep things cool in the soft eskies.

I had to run the car for a bit today to get the voltage up on the auxiliary battery. In the future the auxiliary battery will be mounted in the engine bay, we'll find somewhere to pack the solar panels and leave behind a few things we didn't use.

It feels warmer tonight, hopefully this is an indication of some warmer nights and hotter days, though not too hot. It will be interesting to see what the desert will bring.