So we turn south.

The dunes we have to cross are steep on the eastern side and we need to cross two for every one kilometre south we go.

With most almost impossible to cross in a straight south line we actually zig zag south, often heading up the dune on a north-west ‘ramp’

Always on the lookout for something unusual we find this small stumpy tree no more than one meter tall with spiky leaves.

The flower suggests it’s a Greveliad. ??

Camp in on a clay pan for two reasons.

It is easy to check under the vehicles and the evenings fire cannot escape.

Even back on Madigan's Line some dunes need a couple of runs to glide over.

After two days of battling dunes we arrive back at the Kuddaree Waterhole and Madigan's Camp 20.

It is a beautiful place, with hundreds of birds, so we elected to stay for a couple of days.

Although it has been a twice daily ritual with an air gun, here I have time to clean out the radiator and intercooler of all the spinifex seeds.

Our new designed radiator guard easily angles down to access everything.

I did do a very hastily fitted fine cloth mesh spinifex guard before I left home, but this needs some serious more refinement - something to add to my todo list.

Kuddaree Waterhole.

This morning we walked around the southern side where the sand dunes roll into the water.

The water extends for quite some distance and just so many birds

18 Black Swans this morning.

The waterhole has been used from a long time by the indigenous as this middens of mussel shells and a grinding stone reveal.

Tomorrow it’s into Birdsville.

Dune count from here west then north and return has been over 220 with a distance covered of 485 kms.

Fuel according to the vehicle was 20.81Lt/100kms but I will do a true reading once refuelled in Birdsville.

Actual figure after refuel was 20.39Lts/100 Kms for the 687Kms total trip of which 485 was tough off-road

From Birdsville we take lesser tracks towards the Diamantina Lakes National Park.

Camp 16&17: Kuddaree Waterhole

Cost:  Nil

Altitude:  49 metre

Last 7 days:  485  Kms.

Total:  3,838 Kms