We leave Alice Springs and head south down the Old Andado Track, it also forms part of the Binns Track.

It was a track full of surprises. We passed over and by rugged ranges and hills, empty landscapes, sand dunes, clay pans, and dry wetlands and desert scrubland. It made for fun 4WDriving.

We past several cattle stations, the aboriginal community of Ltyentye Apurte and just 2 vehicles during the entire day. We didn’t average much more than 60kmh.

It’s a very quiet road, very rough in parts. The rain from 3 weeks ago still covered some sections of the track; we never thought we’d be splashing through mud.

We stop at the intersection of the main track that leads to Mac Clark Reserve. If this is a pit stop the truck is the only object on the land that provides privacy. Not a tree in sight and hardly a blade of grass. If there were cattle out there they be char grilled by now.

We stop and look at the Finke River, it was a perfect river of dry sand, it looks as though the water dried up yesterday. We pass through kilometres of Mayfield Swamp, it supports very large trees and must have only recently dried.

We make camp at Mt Dare. A haven for 4WDrivers heading across or having just crossed the Simpson Desert.

While typing in the torch light it sounds like rain on the awning but it’s insects colliding with the mosquito net.