Day 83: Sun 17 Jul - Jack & Lils Rest Area (Wills Development Road) to Julia Creek
Towed 150 km
10 Deg to 28 Deg, It was a much milder night and the type of day we have not seen enough off this trip - sunny, warm and no wind - beautiful weather. Greg and I went out for our walk at 06:30am, and with no other option, we walked along the main road for a couple of kms before turning around and coming back the same way. We didn't have to worry about traffic, as there was not one vehicle and the road is so straight and long that we would have seen anything coming from the distance anyway. We returned for breakfast and drove away from Jack and Lils rest area at 8:00am stopping briefly near the Cloncurry River crossing across the road from the Sedan Dip Sports and Recreation Club which was established in 1948. The location is significant to locals and cattle drovers who have dipped gulf cattle for tick at this site on their move south towards Julia Creek and beyond. The actual cattle dip is no longer functional and the location is now used for the iconic Sedan Dip Races, Campdraft, Rodeo and Gymkhana every August. We continued driving towards Julia Creek along the Wills Development Road stopping again for mornos by the roadside at 09:45. The road through vast open and flat plains was not the best, but one of the most enjoyable drives this trip. The roadside looked very green and there was an incredible amount of very healthy looking cattle grazing. We even saw one small flock of sheep, a couple of emus, brolgas and bustards as we neared Julia Creek. Unfortunately, there were a lot of dead kangaroos on the road - some were very big reds. It was a good drive along some very narrow and bumpy road and very little oncoming traffic - none for the first 80km. Although there was plenty of room to move off the road onto the shoulders, it was very rocky and rutted in places from recent rains. Unfortunately we now have two large stone chips in the windscreen. We arrived in Julia Creek at about 10:45, refueling on the way into town ( a bargain at $2.49 /lt after paying $2.77 last week). Our stay at Julia Creek is the 96hr RV Stop - 1.5km on the eastern side of town on the waters edge of Julia Creek. We must be self contained (grey water tank, toilets and showers etc) which we are, and following registration on arrival we secured a prime parking spot next to the waters edge. By the evening there were a lot of motorhomes and RVs set up at the camp, and they must generate a lot of business for this small country town. We are staying here for two nights, and town is only a short distance away, so we are remaining hooked up. After settling in, we all rode our bikes into town for a quick reccy and to buy a few supplies, then we returned for lunch and quiet time to catch up on some personal admin. Greg and I went for another ride around town at about 3:00pm, then returned to a make few calls before we all walked back into town to the Julia Creek Pub for dinner. We all had nice meals; my grilled lemon pepper Barra and vegetables was very nice - much better than expected in a remote country town. After a nice meal and a couple of thirst quenching ales, we all walked back to the free camp to our vans, ending another lovely day on tour.
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