Mt Barnett Station - Manning Gorge

May 24. Day 22

Mt Barnett Station - Manning Gorge

0815/1730. 365 KM.

We went for a morning strole along the River View Trail. Sign said 90 minutes round trip, grade 4 (out of 5 max) to a viewing platform that gives you a vista of the falls from another perspective. Don't trust government departments and beurocrats! It was an easy walk along a well defined path that took us just 45 minutes return. And the view was totally underwhelming, as you cannot see the falls! You can just make out the rocks adjacent to the upper pools. But it was a pleasant walk in itself.

Packed up camp and headed off back down the track for the return to Drysdale. A little tedious with the slow pace, but all OK.
We took a slight deviation to the Mitchell Falls airstrip. Chris wanted to check it out as he had flown in there in 1978 as a young sprog 18 year old GA pilot. Upgraded strip, but not that much had changed!
On arrival at Drysdale we hitched the Tardis back up, but before heading off for Mt Barnett Station lunch beckoned. Chris had an emu burger and my choice of local fare was a roo burger, washed down with a cider. Both burgers were very good, tender and tasty.

167 km to Mt Barnett and we expected to do it in a little over 2 hours. Not so. With about 20km to go we shredded the rear right tyre, good and proper. 45 minutes later all sorted and on our way. Not so. 1km to go to the Mt Barnett Roadhouse and the same wheel is near flat. Could not believe the irony of the situation. Put the compressor to work and pumped it up to 60 psi to see what might be happening. Faint hissing sound and a slow leak confirmed. We drove on to the campsite, the tyre held up and we set up camp in the dark. Just to add some insult to the injury, there was dust everywhere. It permeates the van and the car with talcum powder dark red dust everywhere. Macro cleanup will be the order of the day when returning to Perth.

On reflection we should probably have had a leisurely afternoon at Drysdale, stayed the night and had a relatively easy drive down to Mt Barnett the following day. Ah, hindsight, such a wonderful thing!

Dinner consisted of meatballs, compliments of Lorraine, with rice and veggies. And the day’s tribulations soothed with a beer and a red. Done and dusted and into bed by 8 o’clock.

Mt Barnett - Manning Gorge Campground

A quite acceptable camp. Basic showers and toilets.
No mobile reception.
$40-/night for two personsOkumaya devam et