PORT AUGUSTA – BROKEN HILL
SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA-NEW SOUTH WALES
Saturday, October 23 rd / 50.1 miles / 80,7 km
We leave the Stuart Highway which had taken us from Glendambo to Port Augusta. The stage starts with the crossing of the town, early in the morning. The Flinders Ranges, the plateau which rises 400 meters is reached in the late morning. Tonight we will sleep in a deserted campsite in Orroroo.
The atmosphere has been a bit tense for two days. Everybody being tired, small problems as well as little annoyances are exaggerated. Hervé has had a headache for three days, we must find a doctor. Everything settled down eventually.
Sunday, October 24 th / 50.7 miles / 81,5 km
Serge will be running all day long on a track. We go through farms and plains.Serge thoroughly enjoys the quietness of the countryside, a nice break from the hubbub of the road trains. But he begins to feel the accumulation of the kilometers. Physical tiredness is really there.
Monday, October 25 th / 51 miles / 82 km
This morning, Serge follows the Barrier Highway which will take us to Broken Hill.It’s an unpleasant road with no hard shoulder. Serge has to run on the road all the time and continuously watch out for the road trains.We find shelter in an old sheepfold.
Tuesday, October 26th / 51,6 miles / 83 km
He hasn’t had any break and yet he runs at top speed. Uninhabited buildings are placed at our disposal and even if there is no electricity, it is a godsend.
Wednesday, October 27th / 50.4 miles / 81Km
We cross the frontier between Southern Australia and New South Wales. He has decided to run non-stop and walk the last two kilometers. He seems to have got a second wind. As we did in Port Augusta, we order pizzas, our little treat when are in a town.
PORT AUGUSTA
The “Stuart Highway” takes you to Port Augusta via Lake Hart. A wide and monotonous road with nothing to look at but a few shrubs and bushes. You will see lots of sheep. Watch out because they won’t move, it’s their territory.
Port Augusta is nine hours ahead Paris time.
Flinders Ranges :
Flinders Ranges are a mountain chain in the state of South Australia; extending northward for about 500 Km (about 310 mi ). They are among the oldest ant most rugged mountains in Australia. They contain some of the world’s best preserved fossils from Precambrian time which ended 570 million years ago. More than 30 species of acacia grow here. Over 60 species of lizards and 18 species of snakes have been identified in the region.
Flinders Ranges National Park covers about 78,500 hectares(about 193,975 acres) in the northern Flinders.
All through the day, the shades change depending on the luminosity. The tones vary from red to ochre and the gradations of green are infinite.