Day 9 - Cliff Camp 2 (Great Australian Bight) to Baxter Rest Stop - Wednesday 17th May 2017

Woke up this morning to the wonderful view of the Bight from our bed. What a magnificent spot. Breakfast comprised lots of fried tomatoes as we continued to try and reduce our vegetable load rather than see it go to waste. Mandarins and bananas were also mandatory fare for the remainder of the journey to the border. Once we reached Border Village and the quarantine station we had gotten rid of most of our fruit and vegetables and the remainder had been turned into potato salad and vegetable stir fry and stored in our fridge. Of the two officials carrying out the inspections I suspect we got the more unpleasant of the two. A middle aged gent of Chinese descent he was unwilling to answer my questions and demanded in quite a rude manner that we move the vehicle and also that he be allowed to inspect everywhere in the motor-home. Frankly I was of a mind to report him but in the end chose not to do so as the bureaucracy that employs these types are generally unsympathetic to complaints against their staff. Shortly after Border Village we stopped at Eucla to refuel and also to try and drive to the old Telegraph Station which in the end we gave up on as the unsealed road was too bumpy for our vehicle. A little further down the road we stopped at Madura Pass Lookout for a view back over the Roe Plains toward Eucla. Then it was on to Cocklebiddy and Caiguna with Sue once again at the wheel including part of the longest section of straight road in Australia (146.6 km). There were many, many kangaroo carcasses on this section and the odd wedge tailed eagle feasting on the road kill also. At one point we stopped to investigate a banging noise that had become louder over the previous day or two. Turns out a rubber strip on the roof of the motor-home had come adrift and was almost completely dislodged. We did the only thing we could and that was to tuck the end of the strip inside the motor-home and close the door on it. This way we reasoned it would last until we got top Perth and have it looked at. Our stop for the night was at the free camp at Baxter Rest Area. There were many vehicles already here and we found a slightly isolated spot near the back to settle in for the night which we did after tucking in to a tasty dinner that included many of the vegetable dishes Sue had prepared.