Day 122 - Drive through Western Australia Outback

Early morning start to leave Exmouth for the Western Australia Outback. But of course, Stuart had to say goodbye to the Whale shark before choosing a delicious piece from the excellent Exmouth bakery. With coffee & sugar in our blood, it is time to hit the road towards Mt Augustus. As it is a bit of a drive there, we pulled over at Bullara Station to fill up on coffee & scones. Stuart thought this was a great idea and a lovely spot in the Outback.

On the way to Mt Augustus there was otherwise not much to see: red sand all over the place, wildflowers and then here and there some strange objects, providing some distraction from driving, stretching the legs...

Just before you reach the loop-road around Mt Augustus there is Emu Lookout for some views on the monolith. Well, Stuart decided the view from the side of the street with some wildflowers was a lot nicer...

After securing us a spot to camp at the Mt Augustus Tourist Park, we decided it is too early to put up the tent. So we went on the loop-drive around Mt Augustus and stopped along the way for two short walks: the Ooramboo Trail is a short walk along an escarpment to see some aboriginal artwork as well as lots of wildflowers growing in this wind-protected area. The second trail was the Petroglyph Trail to see some Wajarri symbols in almost cave like structures.

On the way back we looked for the spot where the summit trail for the next morning will start before heading back to the Mt Augustus Tourist Park in daylight to prepare some dinner to have enough energy for this summit walk for the next day. For the next day we could order food in the restaurant at the campground, but for tonight, we had to prepare our own meal. Stuart decided we did a good job on this one before going back in the car to be protected from the strong winds. Well, a rooftop-tent has some advantages but in strong winds it is definitely not a restful night...