Day 24 - Archer River to Morton Telegraph Station

Just a short trip up the road from Archer, a mere 150kms is the Morton Teletaph Station.  Decommissioned in 1987 as a telegraph station as the new microwave link was commissioned, it has a bit of history and sits next to the Wenlock River.  Today was also the day we started on the telegraph road which becomes the telegraph track a further 45 kms up the road.

We packed up and had left Archer by 9am, hoping the road wasn't as bad as it was getting there.  There were sections that made you shake a bit but nothing like the road to Archer.  In fact once we turned off the developemt road it smoothened out even more, becoming a very comfortable road indeed.  The only thing to keep you on your toes was the cars that overtook you like you were standing still, even on a dirt road, leaving you in a thick dust for some seconds, crazy drivers up here! The south bound traffic is still much greater than the north, so lots of dust to drive through again...

We got to Morton just after 10:30am and apart from one other party we were the only ones there. We had the pick of the camp sites, now know how the grey nomads feel!!

Getting here early also meant we could setup at a leisurely pace, opting to put up the annex even if we only here for a night as many hands might light work of it.

Dust update: yes it is true that it gets everywhere, this is just a few pictures of what's gathered on the trailer ... Also notice it is getting around the pop rivets and makes them super tight.  Had the first trailer casualty of a pop rivet popping off, which means gaffa taping up the gap to keep the dust out.  Also you may notice in the third picture below some extra tape on the aerial, it's as a result of the corrugations wobbling the aerial to the point the whipping around has come close to breaking the rubber coating.  Gaffa tape to the rescue again ... Is there anything it can't do?

The road north ....

Just before you come to Morton station you cross the Wenlock river.  Until 2001 you had to float your car on a barge across the river if the river was too high, or drive across it when it got around the 500cm hight.  The 44 gallon drum float is still in the grounds here.  The bridge has made this much easier of course.

The picture below is of the bridge: note the sign in the tree on the left hand side of the bridge.  Sorry it's small but I have zoomed into the sign in the second picture.  If you can't read it "we were here in a boat on 14th March 2003 signed Ando, Warewolf and Jacko. 14.6 metres". Just astonishing the amount of water comes down in the wet.  It was a big wet that year!

A quick Charlie glamour shot working hard carrying home the firewood for the evening!

In the evening we took the finishing rods and gingerly went down to the station's Barra hole.  I say gingerly because it's croc territory and you are right on the edge ... A 69 cm Barra was pulled out of there at 5am this morning by one lucky chap, so we know there is fish in there!

Unfortunately for us the fish didn't bite, they jumped but not on our lures.  Stu was successful in donating two lures to the Wenlock though but no fish.  Maybe a later trip down to the bridge will reap something.

They returned to a lovely chicken stir fry for dinner, afterwards starting the fire to cook some scones in the camp oven.