Day 4
Wednesday 29 August 2012
Day 4 Quilpie - Thylungra - Windorah 248 km
A short day's driving today (relatively), as we timed it to make
the Windorah Yabby races tonight, another annual event timed with the Birdsville races.
Even with the clear skies, the evening air temperature only got down
to about 11°C, but those who caught the star dust would have felt it a bit cooler due to the radiation heat loss.
Up at around 6.00am, and off at 7.30am as usual. Anyone in the camp
not yet awake, sure was by now. A camper had a megaphone with a siren
and he made quite an event of our departure. It is rumoured that the
camp manager was glad to see the last of us.
We headed for the local bakery for breakfast and then it was on the
road to Windorah.
The road was sealed all the way, but mostly single lane, development
road style.
There was a lot of traffic going west as expected, but surprisingly
a large number were going east. Presumably they were not fond of crowds
!
We also met four juggernaut cattle road trains coming east, so
took to the dirt while they thundered past on the tar.
Ron's bike stopped again. The same problem after things got hot,
so another attempt to fix it will occur tonight.
Stopped for a refuel at Thylungra, then onward to our destination,
Windorah. By now the temperature was 28°C, and a stiff northerly
wind, kept thumping us from the front side as we traveled north west
and westward. A very tiring drive, so we stayed in formation, much
like geese do. It helped, at least psychologically.
A short stop 21km from destination for refreshment and onward again.
We were stopped just outside Windorah by a Police road block, and
the obligatory breath of fresh air proved we were legal - corporate
legalised harassment !
We arrived at Windorah around 1.30pm and after a bit of a rest set
up camp at towns edge.
All the fuel bowsers where facing the road, so Betty the bus had to
back in line to receive her portion of the magic oil.
For the first time we erected the marquee. With many hands it was
a piece of cake.
After a good long siesta, we checked our bikes. Brad found he had
several broken spokes on the rear wheel so it had to be replaced.
However it was found the spare wheel was from a different model and
would not fit, and repair or replacement of the spokes was not possible.
As Brad had already ridden an in determinant number of km's with the
broken spokes, he decided he would tempt fate and continue ridding
with about a dozen broken spokes - sooner him than me !
Ron's bike was worked on again, and hopefully it will keep going
tomorrow.
Nelly's front fork seals leaked all the oil out of the front suspension,
but the bike still seems to drive ok.
Other than these few problems
all the other bikes are going very well, and no problems with any
of the support vehicles.
It was then of to the pub for a feed and then waiting around for
the Yabby Races.
The meals were take away style, and at $15.00 seemed expensive, but
worth it, as they did the job.
We were in a huddle near the pub ( a requirement
for good access for the liquid refreshments) when we spotted Ron G
standing at the top of the grandstand across the street, and he took
a photo of us all.
The races started at 7.00pm, and about five or six hundred people
milled around until the races started, then it was a mad crush to
see the action.
Amazingly each yabby was auctioned off and prices ranged from $250
to a very respectable $650 each. The alcohol had certainly lifted spirits, and brought out the bravado of a few
participants.
Another few did their best to stuff the proceedings by winning a
bid and then not coughing up, only to hold up the proceedings until
that yabby was re auctioned and paid for.
Then the race began. Starting from a circular retainer, and having
to crawl the three meters to the finishing line, the yabbies seemed
anything but organised. It was a nail biting affair as yabbies are
not the fastest creatures God ever made ! And not the brightest either.
Several times a confident punter was excited as his yabbie was way
out front heading confidently toward the finishing line, only to turn
180 degrees literally 1 cm from home ! Oh the joys of gambling.
As the over exuberant crowd blocked Moira's view just as the first
race began, some officials very kindly put her wheelchair right at the front on the crowd line for the second
race, and so she got a first hand view of yabbies and the race.
The annual event is for the development of the town and the RFDS.
We have found that fundraising on the way is almost an impossibility
as each town has its own fundraising event happening and we would
only be treading on their toes, and these places need all the support
they can muster.
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