Full of fight and ready for the challenge!  Packed and a quick trip to the shop 3km round trip) for a few last supplies. Then a wait while Chris O’B who joined us in Borroloola to fit everything on his bike and off. Past the Bodhi Bus (a regional 4WD bus service providing transport to Arnhem Land from Borroloola to Darwin)  and on to the last 26km of bitumen for a week.

Bruce left us at Riley’s Corner where he took the (faster)  bitumen to Cape Crawford and the Stuart Highway at Daly River while the other four of us took the road less travelled up the 350 km of dirt to Roper Bar.

At least this road was rideable unlike much of the road from Hells Gate which was unrideable in the many parts. 60kms of jolting over hard, stoney but rideable road we pitched camp at Batten Creek in the Limmen National Park.

The country is getting noticeably drier as we head north.  However this stretch of road paralleled a nice spring fed creek in parts. Would be a lovely place to stop under the pandanus. Batten Creek for the night stop was nice enough but full of weed and, apparently,  freshwater crocodiles.

Chris O’B had a rough introduction to riding bush roads but did well.