This spot is a commemorative sculpture to honour Stuart the pioneer who walked this path first for the invaders / European settlers.

The road Sth is a mix of bitumen and rough , about 50 50 . The most obvious difference from the Birdsville Track is here we are in a major kill zone for the national symbol of AU , the Roo. The Aussies have adopted this interesting strategy for culling Roo numbers. Called the road train. The Roos killed are mostly at night and dawn & dusk . Most sensible Aussies avoid travelling thru the night as damage to vehicle and life and limb is appalling if you hit a Roo. They can be very heavy and “death by Roo “ is not uncommon. Comes thru the windscreen. Roadtrains , those unstoppable monsters have guards designed to mitigate their risk to the asset. They travel day and night and take an appalling toll on the national icon every night. In another generation or two I predict they may regulate nocturnal road train movement . Call me a greenie why don’t you.

The day was again more of the same , ie a stiff southerly rendering forward momentum to a steady crawl. I stopped for a lunch break at the ruins of Farina. This has been taken onboard by a huge group of retirees who volunteer for various practical jobs in the restoration , preservation and development of Farina as a significant tourist attraction . Gives this bunch of retired folk an engaging purpose and pleasant way to spend winter months. I met the baker who will be running the historic underground bakery over the winter. They get lots of custom from the grey nomads migrating north to warmer climes.

The final run into Lyndhurst was on the last of the rough before seal further south. I arrived pretty spent as the headwinds seemed personally unkind today.

Had a coffee at the service station and then checked into a cheap cabin at the pub. Realised I’d lost the camera and just couldn’t imagine how , where. Was having a shower when I decided that I’d need to redress into smelly Lycra and retrace to a spot where I recalled my last photo was taken.Fortunately it was only 5 kms back , and with a tailwind and no gear to fare flew. I was amazed and very happy to discover my camera in its soft case right on the road. It had been there for over an hour and I was amazed to find it perfectly in order. Passing vehicles must have thought it a rock worth dodging.

With a big laundry collection and tired body I’m having a day off here to regroup . The old Lyndhurst Pub has some ice little cabins. The flys are less bothersome now , must be the cold.