"For long that is the road, She still leads in an inhabited place." Massa Makan Diabaté

We are back on the road where the rainforest quickly gives way to more sparse trees grow on the ochre Earth between yellowed grass, reminding us of the colours and the appearance of some regions in the South of the Australia we have traversed six years ago. On kilometre the ground is covered termite soil forms, sizes and various colours ; d’impressionnantes constructions de terre et de salive de termites cuites au soleil – les constructions, pas les termites 😛 – qui sont un bel exemple de climatisation naturelle.

On the road again... vers Lakeland

Termitières sur la Savannah Way

Nous faisons un plein de diesel à Lakeland pour pouvoir rouler jusqu’à Mareeba, prochaine grande ville sur notre itinéraire où nous faisons nos premières grandes courses depuis un mois. Le coffre plein nous longeons la région des Tablelands et le lac Mitchell jusqu’à la ville de Ravenshoe où la Kennedy Highway oblique vers l’Ouest et l’aire d’Archer Creek où nous passons la nuit, retour à la vie nomade ! 😀

Dans la matinée du mardi 30 June we leave the Kennedy Highway and rain behind us when we turn on the Savannah Way. Clouds are always present, giving the sky a gray-dyed indigo and tree leaves green-blue soft, they also protect us from the sun still hot despite the fact that the month of June, July, August are the coolest in the area (17-27° ° 20-32 against the rest of the year), but its rays are sometimes shine the surrounding countryside with a beautiful golden yellow.

TS à Cumberland

Savannah Way

The road is being developed, Dotted we spend a paved double lane to a simple plant in the ground aisle. When we meet a car, chacun ralentit – pour éviter les projections de gravier – et se décale pour que les roues gauches se trouvent sur la piste, mais si c’est un camion ou pire encore un road-train – gros poids lourds tractant trois, parfois quatre remorques et pouvant faire bien cinquante mètres de long – on se pousse complètement leur laissant sans hésitation aucune la jouissance de cette petite bande de goudron ! 🙂

Nous traversons la première ville du Golfe de Savannah : Mont Surprise, centre minier – topaze, quartz, grenat, aigue-marine, etc.. – sur l’ancienne ligne ferroviaire reliant Cairns à Forsayth. further west, nous nous arrêtons à Georgetown pour un tour à son centre d’informations, his Op Shop friendly - thrift store - and cheapest gas station - always shop around the city before making a full, prices vary ! At the time the area was called “Poor Man’s Goldfield” - the gold fields of the poor - for the gold nuggets could be found in the ground without the need for expensive equipment. We picnic twenty kilometers after the town, next to the Cumberland Chimney, vestige of a mine site beside a water hole - billabong - and in the fields of termite I prefer to take pictures rather than the traditional fireplace that has little interest.

Billabong in Cumberland

Landscape of the Savannah Way

We are only a few more kilometers to spend the late afternoon and at night near the Gilbert River, completely dry in this season. Alors qu'une presque pleine lune if Huffington, a star draws attention, at least ten times brighter than its neighbors we wonder whether this is not a planet we observe…

The first day of July, après un petit-déjeuner avec le soleil levant nous roulons jusqu’à la bourgade de Croydon, croisant kangourous et émeus – que nous n’avions pas vu depuis the 25 December 2008 – sur la route. La ville a cent ans de plus que moi, établie en 1886 après que Walter et Dick Aldridge aient découvert de l’or alors qu’ils creusaient le sol pour installer des poteaux de barrières autour de l’élevage de vaches de Croydon Downs. Nous faisons un tour à son lac dont le panneau promet la baignade mais une fois devant, un autre écriteau nous en dissuade : peut-être que la note est moins salée avec les crocodiles d’eau fraîche – freshy pour les intimes – mais nous n’irons pas vérifier ! 😮

Lac de Croydon

Swimming in Croydon lake ?

Hundred and forty eight kilometers away, in the town of Normanton, this is another template that we encounter : the replica of Krys, estuarine crocodile the largest ever captured : eight sixty-three meters to about two tons, charming ! We picnic with her before continuing our journey to the south : we leave the Savannah Way to embark on the Matilda Highway. The landscape is changing, trees are scarce to become only small shrubs extending to the horizon. We give a brief stop at the Roadhouse Burke and Wills - who led the first expedition through South Australia to north 1860 - for diesel and enjoy an ice cream and then roll a few more kilometers before stopping in the bush for the night. The program still a beautiful sunset, our mysterious planet with its neighbor and a huge moon that turns night into twilight.

VS Krys à Normanton

Sunset in Gilbert River

The next morning, Small flies - bushflies - annoying yesterday are already at attention and make us flee the scene until Cloncurry where we can leisurely lunch in a park at the stroke of ten o'clock. Hundred twenty-two kilometers after we enjoy the services of the information center of Mount Isa : we want to check that the road we have chosen to get to Alice Springs is practicable. Instead the main paved road that is on around five hundred kilometers of land from the Plenty Highway that we drive to the red center of Australia. There is another track : the Sandover Highway seems longer and that the kind of employee’Outback at Isa confirms be harder. After enjoying free Wi-Fi and shelves filled with books in free trade, we head to Urandangi, last village before the Queensland border - the Northern Territory. Once on the track, the landscape seems to be immense and empty around us, extending flatly on kilometers around. decorated covers the various messages that punctuate the road safely lead us to the pub where Urandangi when we order our two beers we see go behind the bar, the most natural, gray kangaroo. In response to our smiles, the madam told us that this is one of many that she has here and asks us if we have already held a baby kangaroo. Do not ? Well it's done now : elle nous met dans les bras un jeune mâle qui commence a vouloir sauter plutôt que d’être câliné et une femelle de deux semaines qui aimerait peut-être bien trouver une poche à sa taille dans votre chemise. Nous ne lui avons pas demandé mais nous supposons que ce sont là des orphelins… vu le nombre de cadavres que nous croisons sur la route. 🙁

Premier capot sur la route d'Urandangi

Bébé kangourou

Elle nous indique les douches solaires gratuites ainsi que les coins sympathiques où nous pouvons passer la nuit et après un brin de conversation avec elle et l’un des aborigènes locaux nous allons nous installer au Rocky Hole Camp pour encore une fois observer un sublime coucher de soleil. The colors are amazing tonight : clear deep blue sky is veiled in purple while the horizon glows bright orange.

Ah you I was, Site could not be more representative of central Australia ; a pub (with canned beers) packed full with indigenous tape, including one who delivers me with its food even in the beard, malice clan on the other side of the border, I feel like home (cf Amstel Pub hahaha).