Soon after getting going I was overtaken by a local grazier taking his daughters out for a driving lesson in the farm ute.

Nice chap. I asked if the dying trees around were the result of poisoning with Graslan herbicide – no, he said that the drought. And anyway, Graslan was too expensive except for fencelines and suchlike, besides he liked to keep the place wild.

Good on you mate!

A few kilometres further on I did come across some clearing and a bit of farming with sorghum and what looked like water melons (not feral pinemelons).

A last climb over a hill, a swoosh down the other side and there was the sign to slow to join the bitumen on the Gregory Highway. Yippee!

Over the last grid and SMACK, into the pothole on the other side. A bit of a bend in the rear wheel but nothing serious. A short time later the junction with the bitumen. Time for lunch (Black&Gold fruit cake) while watching the trucks thunder past on the back road to Townsville.

Then a quick 30kms on the bitumen towards Charters Towers before finding a campsite on a minor side road and to bed.