DAY 28 15 JULY HELLS GATE ROADHOUSE TO (NEARLY)  MASTERTON’S CAVE

Mounted up, a picture of us all in front of the “Arrivals – domestic and international “ sign at the front of the roadhouse (the airstrip finishes across the road from the roadhouse).  

The bitumen ran out 100m past the roadhouse.  The gravel road was ok at first but then the corrugations and dust started.  Not too bad initially but by lunchtime we were as often off the bikes walking through bulldust or over corrugations as riding.  

A passing motorist stopped to chat. Turns out he does radio support for the Great Queensland Bike Ride when not working for minerals exploration teams.

10kms,of bitumen to the Qld / Northern Territory border was welcome.  The black stuff stopped literally at the border grid.

While taking photos “Martin” a smiling 57 year old aborigine from Doomadgee pulled up and let us take photos and wished us well.

Then it was another 20-odd kms past Wollogorang Station (a very big establishment now Chinese owned and building a resort on the nearby Coast) to a substantial range.  Bruce’s Garmin said it was only 9% but it seemed a lot steeper after a day fighting through dust and over corrugations. Bruce and Christine rode up, Brian and I walked.

Camped in a large gravel pit near the top and only a km or so from Masterton’s Cave.

Rosalee has done an excellent job teaching Brian cooking skills which he has,  with Christine ‘s recipees used to good effect at every bush campsite of this trip.  Thanks heaps Brian.

Racking my memory there may have been an explorer’s tale of the brave man fighting the savages from the cave. Modern interpretation might be that Masterton had profained a sacred site or the aborigines were trying to stop white incursions on their lands.

Anyway, lots of very large dingo paw print but only one very distant howl.