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A pleasant ride to Woodforde Waterhole on Parnatty Station took me on a 60km return trip, the route back to camp likely being a bit shorter, about an hour's ride each way. In the days immediately before my arrivel at Pernatty the grader had been over all the station tracks making for easy riding. In fact, my 2wd ute would have handled the tracks I went on, though I' be worried about how the tires would handle the sharp stones encountered in places.

Woodforde Waterhole
Woodforde Waterhole, Pernatty Station

Well, I'm camped at Gum Woolshed, the shearing shed at Pernatty Station in the Northern Pastoral District of South Australia and discovered a flat tire on the ute. Obviously it's gone down overnight and I'm really glad it happened the way it did because it would have been a major task had it been on the highway.

Landrover wheel nut on Holden Rodeo. Fits!
Landcruiser wheel nut on Holden Rodeo. Fits!

For several years I've been busting to return to Elizabeth Creek to photograph the amazing salt encrustations left on twigs and rocks by the evaporating, supersaturated, salt water.

Pernatty overseer, Joel Vennables, dropped in to my camp at Mount Gunson Cattle Yards. It was great to have a chat with this energetic and enthusiastic young stockman as he toasted his sandwiches on my campfire.

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Well, it rained all day Friday, all Friday night and into Saturday with around 35mm recorded in an empty creamy rice can, left in the open. Most of this time the wind blew pretty well, too.

I have no fridge so have no fresh meat, camping in remote areas of the arid region of South Australia (SA). Fresh veggies make up much of my diet, while they last. Every couple of days I make a loaf of bread in the camp oven and it goes down well, fresh and hot, straight out of the oven, as well as toasted. Breakfast is usually two fried eggs followed by toast.

Well, I'm camped at Mount Gunson Cattle Yards on Pernatty Station in outback South Australia (SA). I suppose you could say it's a pretty ordinary sort of a place to be camping.

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Well, I'd been told rain was forecast for Friday, up to 40mm likely. That's a fair bit of rain out in the arid region if it falls in a short time, enough to makes the creeks run sufficiently to put some water in the waterholes and dams, though likely not enough to fill them.

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As I wandered around Gum Woolshed, the shearing shed of Pernatty Station in outback South Australia (SA), sadness nagged at me as I viewed a story of the end of an era for Pernatty Station and the French family.

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I found myself at a partly broken dam, a huge construction undertaking for a sheep and cattle station, though still with a pretty fair holding capacity despite the wall being breached to a level well below the spillway level.