Free Camping

Saturday, 12th June

It took a while to actually leave Wycliffe Well this morning, mainly due to extended conversation with the couples either side of us! Cool and windy start to the day. We didn’t stop at the Devil’s Marbles as we had spent some time there last year. We did stop at Tennant Creek for half an hour to catch up on emails and download the blog, as well as refuel.

We arrived at Banka Banka shortly after noon and as we were the first to arrive, were given a nice grassy and sunny site. We knew there was no power at Banka Banka and were set to spend the night using our batteries and gas. We were even rather excited about using our stove top kettle (on its third trip) for the first time. This is well everything went downhill!!! Next door neighbours arrived, parked about 8 feet away and promptly set a large generation going. After more than two hours of listening to this horrible noise right next to our caravan, Les tried to find the owners and ask if they could turn it off. Owners had disappeared (probably couldn’t stand the noise!), so it was off to reception to see what could be done. Generators are allowed – nothing on their website about that little detail. We could move but would run the risk of someone else next to us having a generator as well. When Les did manage to catch up with the neighbour, he flatly refused to turn it off – so we packed up and left. The sign on the exit said that refunds would not be given, so I imagine we weren’t the first to leave. If that is what “free” camping is like, and the “lovely people one meets,” thank goodness for caravan parks, is all I can say. The large number of free roaming dogs didn’t help, either.

Sixty kilometres further north we came to the Renner Springs Roadhouse, complete with powered sites, water and flies. An extremely friendly caretaker not only put us on site, but he also connected the power and water to the caravan. Although the weather is much warmer today – a very pleasant 24 degrees – we decided not to have a dip in the pool. There are four resident geese on the dam and Cat flatly refused to leave the caravan.