Day 244 | bush camp 70km from Sandfire: and I'm really enjoying it out here
101 km | Heading west total: 10,876 km
Leaving Broome the first sign past the turnoff to Port Hedland says: Sandfire 286 kilometres.
That’s the first habitation on the road, the first water.
There’s the humungous and almost trackless Great Sandy Desert on the left and the Indian Ocean 10, or 15, kilometres to the right.
Ok, there are 3 cattle stations along the way but they are well off the road down sandy, corrugated roads.
You are on your own out here.
This road is about as far as the unwatered section on the Tanami from the NT/WA border to Bililuna (286km) but clearly that was more difficult: the Tanami was unsealed and mostly pretty soft. Still, it’s 3 nights out on both occasions.
Yesterday I stopped a bit early at the Goldwire rest area so I could cadge a few litres off an unsuspecting 4WDer. In the end I got 18 litres extra to replace the 26 I had started with. Maybe the salty nature of the local drop makes you drink more.
This road makes you feel that despite Broome’s attractions it is unbelievably isolated.
Fly in you are ok: drive and after a day on the road you are still nowhere.