The trip from William Creek to Mungeranie was just another scoot day. We drove the 200 or so kilometres to Maree in good time, stopping only to have a look over Lake Eyre South where it kisses the track momentarily. Stunning as it always is, with the salt surface mimicking water, we cruised on.
Maree is a must stop, if only for fuel, before typically taking on either the Birdsville Track to the north or the Strzelecki Track to the north east. Our previous experiences in Maree had been mixed. They had swayed between slightly bad and really rotten. Today however would be so very different.
Initially a bit standoffish, the lady serving us in the service station delivered arguably some of the best bacon and egg sandwiches any of us had ever eaten. None left but a single crumb on the plate. Maree had redeemed itself at the hands of one lovely lady who knew how to win us over.
Our progress to Mungeranie was predictable, if not exciting. Gravel road of varying surface, with ever changing countryside to admire. Flat top hills were common, as were lakes devoid of water. Interestingly though, some did have water this year. A rare event indeed.
We rolled in to the Mungeranie Hotel latish afternoon. Greeted warmly, we were told by the volunteer barman to camp anywhere and camping was free. We set up near the wetlands (read, smelly almost stagnant water hole) before heading to the bar to have a lovely aged Coke and a truly, awfully aged wine.
Our time at the bar was entertaining and educational. We learned that COVID could be sorted if we went to a herd mentality model, wipe out a couple of million and then have no unemployment. We had to agree the numbers added up.
Soon enough we headed off to bed as the thunder clouds gathered and let us know we were at the mercy of the ancestor yet again. G did not sleep this night. As it started to rain, she had fully awake nightmares of us being stranded again, but this time in Mungeranie, beside a smelly, almost stagnant waterhole with not a 38-degree thermal spring in sight.
