0031 Doon Doon to Wolfe Creek Crater

25th June 2017
So THAT's what a blowout feels like !

China Wall at Hall's Creek

In the morning we continued south down the main road towards Hall's Creek, which we had driven before so no big surprises. Arriving in Hall's Creek we went on a 6 km detour to the "China Wall" - http://www.australiasnorthwest.com/Destinations/The_Kimberley/halls-creek/china-wall
Not overly impressed, but certainly is different. Next time I see a "China Wall" will be in 2019 on the P2P rally !!  A quick restock of supplies in the supermarket, and refuel for the long Tanami Road, and after a quick lunch beside the road, we were off.

A blowout

12 kms out of Hall's Creek we turned left onto the dirt Tanami, but it is almost like a freeway comepared to the Gibb River Road !  Not an hour down the road, barreling along at 80 kmh on a smooth bit of road, suddenly a "BANG" and the car keeled over, so I pulled to the LH side.  The left rear tyre was totally destroyed !   It took us a while to get the spare off, and the (new) hi-lift jack
in place and all working.  It didn't exactly go to plan, with the car moving forwards on the dirt the first time, and the next time sideways, but we eventually made it.  A bit stunned by the whole situation as it wasn;t a rough or corrugated section, and no where near as bad as many of the roads we have been on in the last 3 years, but something seems to have ripped the inside of the tyre, and then the outside of the tyre got cut by the rim as I pulled over.  all very quick, anyway.



Eventually changed, and head on for the last 50 ks into Wolfe Creek Crater, apparently the largest in the world ?   We finally arrived, driving up a bumpy road in to the reserve, just as the sun was

Sunset in central Austalia

setting, so we went straight into the camp area, watched the sun set, and set up.  A long and difficult afternoon, and quite a lot learned about hi-lift jacks, dirt roads, and punctures. Definitely a case for tyre pressure monitors, me thinks.   A beautiful star lit night in the desert of central Australia.

Rest of the pics are here :-  https://goo.gl/photos/1ZBYwFjh1egXtXFj9