[Sunrise]

[We are overtaken by Speedy Gonzales]

We need to leave early today, we've got a long drive. Despite the 7am alarm, our bad night (too squashed, needed the loo at 3am and had to get dressed and traipse across site), Iain failing to get up til 8am (I was up at 7am to see the sunrise), we don't leave until 10am. Then we drive the wrong way down the (one) road, until we realise neither of us looked at a map; each assumed the other had.

Before leaving we bought a permit to cross Aboriginal land ($2), and were told the bushfire wasn't in our way.

[Hmm. More burnt stuff]

The road is quieter, as it's really for 4x4s only; you certainly wouldn't put a coach down it. We can either head to Alice the way we came, or 250km down this track. Seems more exciting. We can do around 80kmph on the flatter bits, but some necessitate more caution. The van is easily toppled, being so high. There's a lot of burnt bush, stark and contrasting colours. Then there's a fire.

[But they told us the fire wasn't on this road]

[Getting closer...]

[We drive though a bush fire! How cool is that?]

[No hanging around for niceties like focusing]

[Phew. Out the other side.]

[Guess how much I'll be able to see through that dust cloud]

[Presenting... The Mereenie Loop Road]

Yes, we drove through a bushfire. The campsite was wrong. The sky grayed, the bushes smoked, then we were passing flames. Felt like the person in the 1980s car ad - Take My Breath Away, set in burning corn fields.

Scary stuff.

The turn-off we need, 100km along, is missing - this will add 70km to our trip. We're all bounced out already - aching from it. Fortunately, someone's relocated it, and tarmacced it - hurrah! A total drive of three hours, non-stop, takes us to Gosses Bluff, an out-of -the-way, hard to reach comet crater. We see wild emus, and drive on rocks. It's amazing - a 5km crater, with walls up to 200m. Incredible. We have lunch here then press on.

[Emus]

[The "road" to Gosse Bluff]

[The walls of Gosse Bluff]

[More...]

[And more...]

[These aren't clouds, it's smoke]

[Back on the corrugations]

[Freaky alien plants]

[Joy. Another dust cloud approaches.]

[Our dust cloud]

[The road]

Another hour and a half of bouncing sees us in Glen Helen, at the end of the track, and the start of tarmac to Alice. We give thanks for the end of track, we're knackered from bouncing and concentrating so hard on driving.

[People mysteriously disappear at Glen Helen]

[Better follow them]

[Found one!]

Glen Helen is a resort alongside a fabulous sheer rock cliff, and waterhole. We have an early dinner overlooking this, and walk to the beautiful gorge. It's full of dead fish, as there's a drought.

[Glen Helen Gorge]

[Book: Model's own]

We get back to the van to find the world's whingiest woman next door - apparently we parked in her space. She seems to need three of them, and we're supposed to guess where. Since all vans are parked in a row, and we were told to park anywhere it seems unfair. She whinges to anyone who will listen, and we try to reason and fail. We would've moved if she'd asked nicely.

We read and have an early night; lots of things to do tomorrow.