Sunday 18 June

We were on our way again today, after our stay in Windorah. Our first stop was at the JC Hotel Ruins, about 80 ks from Windorah, where John Costello secured land for the Collins family from Melbourne after 1865. The Hotel was built soon after. Like a lot of buildings of this era it was of pise construction ( mud brick and rendered with mud). In 1956 a local property owner bought the pub to close it down! His stockmen were being lead astray and wasting their money here. The roof was pulled off and the pise melted away in the weather.

After the first 100 ks of bitumen, the gravel road began and Rick decided it was time to let the tyres down which made for a more comfortable ride. I had to keep checking my rear view mirror for dust behind us, meaning a vehicle, as the wind was blowing from my side and he couldn't see anything.

There wasn't much of an animal count today , just 2 live emus, plenty of live cattle, and some wild pig and wallaby carcasses. Road kill has certainly lessened.

Deon's Lookout was a little diversion, to view the vast expanses from a height. It is a shame the panorama photo wouldn't upload here. Twenty kilometres of lovely smooth bitumen followed until we arrived at Betoota, the ghost town with only one old pub standing on the gibber plain. It closed in 1997. In the 1880's there were three pubs here, as well as a police station, a store and a post office.

We looked at the Environmental Reserve by a peaceful billabong on the way, which I thought was a lovely place for the night, but once Rick saw the tumble down ruins of the pub, he couldn't wait to mooch, so we stayed there instead.

Because of the wind, we had to cook inside for the first occasion this  trip, so it was bacon and eggs with potato cakes made from left over mash for tea.