We've now left the main north-south highway and are heading west. Temperatures are rising, the sun is strong, and the regular afternoon clouds tell us that the next season is building. The vegetation is always flowering and lush, the trees are changing and are dominated by the outlandish forms of the boab trees. All the rivers are wide and deep with water, and the cliffs and escarpments of the Kimberley are flooded with light at sunrise, the ochre-reds are mesmerising. Once again it is a case of a false expectation of what we will travel though - is this a desert?

On the road there is far less traffic but it is still the rule of look after the professionals and they will look after you. The double toot of a roadtrain always makes us wave and smile as they pass on the other side of the road. Other travellers stop and offer water or just to say hello. Invariably we will see them that night at camp or a couple of days later at the net town. More discussions about places to go, exchanges of contacts, before it is time to say goodbye.

We have made some really special friends in the Northern Territory, like members of the Victorian and NT Variety Club Bashes who we met on the road. The Bash is a car rally raising funds for children's charities. The cars and the drivers dress up and look great. And who better to spend time with than a group of really great people working for a good cause and having tremendous fun doing it?

Crossing the border into WA was the latest milestone in our journey. Despite no change in vegetation or landform, the timezone is now an hour and a half later than the east. We are now thinking of west coast beaches and reaching Perth, the state capital. We'll hop back on Argo tomorrow, pedal towards Pumululu and walk within the honey comb mounds of the Bungle Bungles.

But do we ride hard and fast to the next destination and have maximum rest, or do we ride during the morning, rest in the heat of the day, and complete the journey in the late afternoon? We'll let you know when we work it out.

Happy pedalling

Ross & Ann

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