Day 12 started with loading up bikes and hitching the trailer in the Meekatharra caravan park before heading back out on the highway to finish the 8km we didn’t get done on day 9 when the car stopped just out of town. We raced the road trains in to town and met our support team – Annie and Tony – at the coffee van for a small cap before hitting the road to Wiluna. A relatively uneventful day with about a third of the 120km being bitumen – though we did spot a goanna hurrying across the dirt road. Our prayers to the graders paid off and we had some of the smoothest dirt roads ever seen which allowed 30+km/hr cruising at times with the wind actually behind us for the first time yet!! Spotting a blue [P] sign was our clue for the nights roadside campsite and lamb chops (with mint jelly of course) and veges was whipped up by Annie soon after.
Leaving Wiluna Start of the Gunbarrel
With just 70km left to go to Wiluna, day 13 saw a relaxed start at our hilltop camp watching the sunrise before getting underway on the gravel. A friendly chat with a road train driver who directed us to the other side of the road to avoid “a ton of dust in our lungs” as he went past, then we got to wave and yell “thanks” to the two grader drivers who were smoothing our path. Soon enough we rolled in to Wiluna to find the caravan park is no longer and there was another 15km to go to Gunbarrel Laager Travellers Rest. While in Wiluna, we had a chat to a few locals and grabbed a cold yoghurt and ginger beer from the store – what a combo! The last 15k’s didn’t take long and camp was setup for the night before a hot shower and some chilli beef and corn bread for dinner.
