Had a chat to the Dalhousie Springs national parks ranger (he and his offsider in Innamincka are responsible for NPs covering over 1% of mainland Australia’s land area, he was very pleased with himself for being on the verge of completing a 450 km fence to keep cattle out of the NP – the fence had been there before but the government reneged on their part of the maintenance program and left upkeep of the fence to the cattle stations – government own goal).

Then on to the old Dalhousie Spring station homestead ruin. The station was apparently so bleak in summer and in drought that the white station managers had been known to break down and cry.

After that it was just more rough, washed out roads over long hills towards Hamilton Station. The worst section was at the junction of the Hamilton and Stevenson Creeks at the Cherrikana Waterhole. Three or four kilometres of boggy soft sand in and out and around sandy creeks and lagoons.

Met Felke the German cyclist on his bamboo bike (round sections of giant bamboo joined with epoxy and carbon fibre) just east of the Stevenson Creek crossing. He carries up to 40 litres of water.

The fat tyres on Felke’s bike convinced me of the utility of fatties on sand. I was off and walking on long stretches whereas Felke’s tracks showed him to have been able to ride almost all the soft sand sections. Go fat.

Pulled up on dark just west of the old Pedirka railway siding. Again the ground was too stoney to drive in tent pegs so weighted the tent corners with panniers again.

Gawd there were some miserable crew stations and fettler’s camps on the old Ghan Railway!