Leaving Windjana Gorge quite early we headed east. The first port of call was the Mount Barnet Roadhouse to fill with diesel. For people living in settled districts fuel is never far away. Out here there can be three hundred kilometres between service stations. Our intended side trip meant we had to have twice that range plus prudent reserves.
At Mount Elizabeth Station we turned left. The road to Bachsten Gorge is a private one crossing a cattle lease or two. The road use fee is $100 per vehicle. Half goes to the station half to the owners of the camp at Bachsten Gorge, Rick and Anne Jane. Maintenance of the road is done by Rick. Driving it is not for the faint-hearted or ill prepared. Considerable sections are extremely rocky, early season river crossings can be quite deep, there are some very steep sections and there are bogs. I would recommend travelling in pairs of vehicles or having a winch. At about half way you descend the Magpie Jump-up, if you’ve skiied double diamond slopes the incline will not seem unfamiliar. The trip in is a bit over 150 km of sustained concentration, allow seven hours. There are some very nice campsites along the way, take a couple of days on the journey. Not everyone comes back …
We camped at Turkey Creek, the camp was investigated by a very hungry dingo as soon as we retired.
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bobmcgee 