A late start to the day was made even later when Stu’s car only made it 20 minutes out of town before overheating. It was a real low point in the trip for everyone when Stu and Chrissy had to turn back to Birdsville for repairs to their vehicle, which took several days to be repaired as parts had to be sent from Adelaide. The day turned out to be another 4WDriving challenge with lots of mud and water due to a lot of local flooding and earlier road closures. Andrew’s strategic bogging of his vehicle and trailer for about 1.5 hrs, meant that getting to Innamincka that night was not possible. We set up camp on a nice grassed area beside a creek, one of the best spots during the trip. BBQ dinner and sitting around a warm campfire was fantastic. There was a threat of a storm, with lightning on the horizon, but luckily it didn’t come in our direction. Sleeping under the stars was good.
With numerous photo opportunities with the trucks and happy campers in front of the famous Pub, we left Birdsville with many a fond memory in our hearts to cross the recently flooded dirt tracks to Innamincka. Twenty minutes down the road saw Stu and Chrissy’s truck puff its last mechanical breath, which pulled up the convoy to a halt and along with it, the painful decision to fall behind back to Birdsville for much needed repairs. With tears, hugs and ‘see you soon’ the Foxes and Papas pressed on, sadly leaving behind 2 of its companions.
With Stu and Chrissy back in Birdsville and hearts torn out from missing our Foxtrot Papa family, we came to the realization (after creating the first billabong in the desert town from 3 days of tears!) of what being on this trip was all about. We got ourselves out there and lived just what the Foxtrot Papa crew taught us and gave us the opportunity to do. We spent the rest of our week with the most amazing people in the fellow travellers and locals, and created the best fun amongst ourselves! The hospitality and generosity we were blessed with was a gift most people only dream of. A special mention to the beautiful family of ‘The Blues Cafe’ – thank you, thank you for your amazing and simply delicious cuisine and company, your humble and homely outdoor fireside backyard of your eccentric and magical cafe and for your humanitarian spirits for the people and life itself. It was a blessed experience we will eternally be grateful for. You certainly helped in replacing our sadness with a memorable good time.
I’d like to finish this journal with ‘Thanks for the Memories Foxtrot Papa’. If it wasn’t for you putting yourself out there with your dreams and visions making this a world a better place for the ones who thought for a brief moment that they had lost it – we would live the rest of our lives missing something pretty special.