When Push comes to Shovel

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Tossed and turned in my sleeping bag in the early hours then woke up properly around 4.30am to realise why I was restless - we could hear what sounded like rain but was in fact a huge wind storm directly overhead - really strange. It felt and sounded like it was just about to pour it down with rain, like the storms in Malaysia - but no rain came! I unzipped our tent just as Elizabeth's tent cover whipped off her tent and flew into ours! Maaike came past looking for her clothes which she'd hung out her tent to dry which were now flying all over the campsite - mayhem! I had to keep one foot in the tent to stop it from blowing away while trying to fasten on the waterproof cover. Ian came over to help and said he too had been tossing and turning, sensing something wasn't quite right!

Chelley went off for a shower but I snuggles back down in the swag to try and sleep for another hour - actually felt cold for once. Bit of a mad rush to eat and pack up our things before the storm hit. What a day to try and have pancakes - the gas kept blowing out! It all went a little bit wrong from there - we drove into the wetlands and straight into the rain. Elizabeth was desperate for the toilet (she's honestly the funniest German lady I've ever met! She has enough questions to infuriate even the most patient tour guide! 'Can we wear flip flops? Where are the toilets? Ok Ok!') so we took a bit of a detour. We dressed up in our boots and wet jackets and stopped at a bird watching place by a river to try and spot some crocs but they'd hidden from the rain I think.

We were back in the bus and joking amongst ourselves on the way to Wyndham when the bus suddenly wasn't moving any further forward - it had got stuck in the mud in the middle of nowhere. We were laughing about having to push it out at first but then realised that we'd actually have to push for real when Ian told us to take our shoes and socks off! Good job I'd changed from my white shorts to combat trousers! Squelched into the mud - lovely feeling - and we all lined up in front of the bus. 'One two three push!' All that happened was a lot of wheel spinning and the creation of even bigger holes. So what next? Off to collect rocks to make a ramp for the bus to reverse. (Nb: still having fun at this point - even a couple of minutes to take a couple of pics...) Jane and Carol got straight into the mud under the truck - literally got stuck in! I was trying to stay mud free as we had just washed our clothes yesterday, but it was about the fifth rock collection when I realised that was like fighting a losing battle and gave in to the mud!

Eventually a stone ramp was made and 'One two three PUSH'! Then 'Everyone push from the side'! More wheel spinning and 'More rocks!' became the cry for the next couple of hours. Really heavy work as you had to go further away each time - was hoping I wasn't going to drop a big rock on my mud splattered toes. Was interesting to see which hygiene-conscious members of the group were very reluctant to get stuck in and muddy (not naming any names)! Must have been about three hours later and our initial enthusiasm was waning. No luck with our carefully made ramps - in fact they may have been our downfall. We all assumed we'd have to push a couple of times and we'd be out but the muddy water filled the holes as quickly as we put stones in. Stopped for a subdued lunch, passing around food in the bus (those with clean hands had to prepare the salad) - I had cut my thumb while pushing the bus from the front so Doctor Jane gave me a very impressive bandage and attractive white glove, making me resemble a Michael Jackson lookalike. Still had the energy to laugh as Chell dropped the wraps in the muddy water that everyone had washed their hands in, then proceded to drop yesterday's leftover noodles on the floor! As if the floor wasn't dirty enough!

Ian used a satellite phone to call for some help while we had a rest. I thought our rescue would be in the form of a big road train driven by a burly driver, but no chance - help came in the form of a Toyota driven by two white-haired Aussies with a Jack Russell in tow! They couldn't shift our 17 ton bus so they called for another truck. I was so tired (having not had a usual nap on the bus) I had a quick nap on the muddy ground lying on just my wet jacket until the second similar sized truck came! This time it broke its driveshaft trying to pull us! Sent for a THIRD truck which - you guessed it - got stuck in the mud so the original guys had to leave our bus and help them get out! Was just like a comedy routine!

Was starting to get dark - we'd been there since 10am - when Ian told us we were going to stay at nearby Parry Creek Farm overnight - which is ironically in the original itinerary but hasn't been used for a few seasons. Loaded our bags onto a couple of open ended trucks and got to the farm where the pool was looking VERY inviting... Chell and I got the only tent with broken poles so our bedroom was to be the green mesh dining hut, sharing with none other than Elizabeth. She was rumoured to be another snorer so I was looking forward to that! It was Beer O'Clock big time by then and quickly washed off the mud from our legs before getting in the pool - so nice after a crazy day. Played some cards after dinner and got thoroughly spooked by a big tree frogs sat looking up at me in the toilet! Plus there was a snake on the wall of the boys' loos! The bats were making a huge racket right above our huts and we could hear Ian snoring like a bear nearby after he'd been working flat out all day, but didn't stop me from sleeping. A tiring day, but what an adventure!

The photos sum the day up well I think! Have a look here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=12463&l=a5708&id=510918332

and here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=12465&l=07cbc&id=510918332

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