Still getting used to having people/traffic around. People intrude on the peaceful outdoors.

Got to Erldunda no problems but disappointed at how suburban it seems after the Great Central Road roadhouses. Erldunda is all polished perspex and dust free.

Also unhappy with the signs saying ‘don’t drink the tapwater, buy bottled water instead’. As usual, I drank it without problems having done the usual checks; bore water – therefore unlikely to have biological/bacterial contamination, minimal mineral deposits on taps – therefore low mineral content, finally it didn’t taste too salty so safe to drink. My main rule is that if cattle can drink it so can humans.

Erldunda did have a reasonable shop though so loaded up with spaghetti/tuna/lollies/porridge/coffee.

Then a 70 km downwind blast to Kulgera Roadhouse, a much more relaxed, outback sort of place. As usual the bar staff were mostly friendly backpackers who had been working there for all of a week. The bar was very welcoming and is apparently the first pub south of Alice Springs that will serve aborigines albeit on the condition that any trouble at all and none will be served in future.

Kulgera has a well maintained swimming pool (most roadhouse pools out here have been switched off for the winter). Did the washing, had a swim, replaced the busted spoke and tried to true the rear wheel, had a beer and bar meal  and went to bed.