22-Jun-2009 -- Continued from 20S-124E
Our first stretch was only 8 odd km through thick scrub to a point where we could turn left and head for our second confluence 23 degrees south, 123 degrees east. When we reached a spot where we were just over 4 km from the confluence, J & S unhitched the Ultimate and off we went.
It was hard going. The thick scrub was almost engulfed in high, old growth spinifex. We twisted and turned through the scrub and over short but often sharp sand dunes ever beating our path south west to the confluence. It’s actually very exciting watching the metres tick off the GPS as the directional arrow faithfully points you in the right direction. At one point I spied a group of camels off to the left. A bull and 5 cows in fantastic condition.
We took ample video and photo’s as they stood sampling the air (our scent) and sounds. A lot of split second decisions re route and more than one nose dive over a dune, we finally pulled to a stop in a picturesque succulent covered flat and walked the last 30 metres back up a dune to our confluence.
Whoo hoo. John and Suzette did the "confluence shuffle" as I call it. That's where you stand together hugging the GPS unit and move slowly left and right, backwards and forwards like partners at an old time dance until the digits representing the decimal seconds on the GPS all turn down to zero.
Then there’s the mad rush to take photos and much jumping for joy as we stand on the spot. It’s a strange ritual for non-navigation heads but the feeling you get as all the numbers align is truly exciting. Weird but true.
The confluence was situated on the southern side of a medium sized dune surrounded by thick scrub. 30 metres to the south sits a small claypan that forms the swale between the two dunes. The bush and spinifex are so thick that you would be lost to another persons vision within only 10 metres or less.
Coordinator's Note: These lands are unassigned crown lands and as such there is no permission needed to access the area in which the confluence sits. The land is not subject to lease or native title or form part of any Aboriginal Land Trust (including Part III Reserved Lands).