The time we went camping without a plan - Part 2

and so it continues.......

This post is dedicated to Lenny the Lizard. You'll understand why soon enough.

This isn't actually Lenny - image credit here

You may remember from Part 1 of our adventure I had a crap nights sleep and froze my bits off. Let's take up where we left off. Is that the right saying? Meh.

We were up, defrosted, fed and packed and ready to hit the road early.

Off we headed towards Paynes Find.

So much to see. Trucks, mines and wildlife everywhere!

We were admiring some HUGE trucks at a nearby mine site when out on the road runs a big Bungarra lizard. No time to slam on the brakes so we hoped he made it safely under the car without hitting a wheel.

I was hopeful until I looked in my side mirror.

Feck.

Poor Lenny.

May he rest in peace.

We pulled up at the Paynes Find roadhouse to find it all shut down. 

Picture one of those movies where there's a petrol station in the middle of no where ran by one old crazed looking guy with a glass eye, no teeth and wooden leg. Yeah that. Except there was no old crazed looking guy with a glass eye, no teeth and a wooden leg here. Thankfully the diesel is 24/7 self served with the use of a Star Card. Thank you Star Card!

We decided to check out the Paynes Find Gold Battery. Think battery as in "bash bash, beat you up" and not battery as in "let there be light". We took a tour of the Battery and museum.

A Gold Battery is where they smash up the rock to get the gold out! If you want to check out a video of how it works featuring Malcolm Douglas click here. It was interesting to see it being done.

From Paynes Find we headed towards Mount Magnet  and stopped just north of the town at The Granites for a picnic lunch and did a bit of snake hunting through all the rocks.

TMI alert!!

The best news! I successfully peed in the bush without splashing my hiking boots. I know! Amaze balls! Someone pass me the Bush Peeing Trophy. Yes a cheeky photo was snapped by Mr Hausfrau but I thought it best not to put you guys through that!

We took off towards Cue but decided to drive through -  it was Meekatharra or bust!

First stop was The Royal Mail Hotel 

for a beer.....

or two.....

We then found a crap caravan park and set up camp. Luckily we got there when we did as they shut the shop about 10 minutes later and there was no "after hours" button. As the 3 Belgian backpacker girls found out not long after. They snuck in anyway and set up tent next to us.

Incidentally it seems that Belgian backpackers do not travel with Belgian chocolate.

Mr Hausfrau laughed at me and said "So all Germans travel with German beer then?"

Um, HELLO!!!???? What's this then?

A "spare" carton of German beer in the back of the ute

That night we got smarter and set up the 2 swags hoping for a better sleep.

Yeah. 3 talking Belgian backpackers, the wafting smell of sewerage coming from a nearby drain and a big truck stop 50m up the road with trucks coming and going all night. Great!

Feck! 

Who needs sleep anyway. At least I wasn't cold.

To be continued........

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