Today's itinerary.

Much like Uluru, Mount Augustus is encircled by a road, albeit unsealed and not in too great a shape. It has a few turn-offs towards the mountain, each for its own tourist destination.

The road around the mountain.

I set my eyes on the Ooramboo Trail first. Nothing too spectacular: just scrub and rocks and quiet morning sun around, along with some Aboriginal wall drawings which I'm not really a huge fan of.

Aboriginal drawings.

Next stop is the Flintstone Rock, which looks a bit more scenic. Another dry creek bed takes me to the Rock itself; not sure if it is indeed made of flintstone, but on its underside it has some Aboriginal drawings, so that's a start.

Mount Augustus at dawn.

Rocks and puddles.

The Flintstone Rock, unintentionally unfocused.

I head back to the circular road that soon comes to an end. And so, coincidentally, ends my sightseeing list for the whole trip: this park was the last of the four in the Pilbara region that I wanted to visit. A long journey home awaits me now. I could do a hike up the mountain itself, of course, but I decide I'm not in that kind of mood now.

Last glimpse at the mountain.

The dirt road that takes me further south is a bit so-so, but as soon as I enter the Meekatharra Shire, it improves dramatically. I can do a full 110 on it, looking at the arid Gascoyne scenery rushing past my windows.

The local harsh environment.

Another bitumen-like plain.

Mount Gould.

Finally a sealed road begins, and shortly afterwards it leads me to Meekatharra itself—or simply Meeka, as locals call it affectionately. There is a lookout next to the town, but the view isn't too spectacular: a few mines, a few tractors, a few houses in the distance.

Busted tyres are not an uncommon sight on the road.

A mining dwelling just outside Meekatharra.

After Meeka I enter the Goldfields Highway, which contains my last bits of dirt driving for the journey; it's all sealed roads henceforth until Adelaide.

On my way to Wiluna.

More gibber country.

At the outskirts of Wiluna I'm stopped by police for a breath test: talk about random encounters. I help them out, and another hour of driving later I reach my destination: a rest stop away from the highway. No mobile coverage, but there's another camper nearby that compensates for the lack of civilization. The only drawback of this place is a fair bit of loose rock on the ground: going to give me a rough night's sleep, that's for sure.

Today's camp.

Distance

606.2 km

Fuel

$158.00

Food

$4.15