On my way

It was a Sunday when I arrived at the National Park. I decided to avoid Mildura, thinking the earlier I get to the Park, the better. I thought it was just a 2-hour drive from Euston, it just so happened it was more than that. I got to the turning  point where gravel meets asphalt. My mobile showed a waning vodafone signal so I took the opportunity to send a text message to Ashika and also gave my sisters a call. It was great hearing their voices. I knew the moment I took that turn, it would be solely Telstra signal all around that red of soil ahead of me. 

As I stirred the wheel, the richness of the red soil was right in front of me. Massive shrublands stood out, the sun was up and it was only me on the road. I felt so Alive. This was what I longed for, the abundance of space, the richness of red and the beauty of nature. There were so many times that I stopped to take photos. But like what Dad told me before, photography is best done when its dusk or dawn since you don't want the sun to overpower the construction of the image. 

I was smiling through.. but I had one dilemma. I didn't have accommodation organised that night. yeah, you read it right again. I didn't have a bed booked, so what's new. The target was to stay at Turlee Station, an hour away from Mungo. Their website attracted me with the diverse outback activities I could get my hands on. So the plan that day was to get to the park first, check it out and then head to Turlee. 

At some point I stopped along the highway and had a snack. I took advantage of the isolation and decided to change. Later on a cloud of dust showed up from the distance, the driver who looked like in his mid twenties, stopped and looked at me. "Are you alright?" I guess it was something typical to ask if there's a car pulled on the side. I said no and decided to ask if he knew anything about Turlee Station Stay. To my dismay he said they've closed and I had only one option... Mungo Lodge which I knew was expensive. He wished me luck and drove away. The dust cloud slowly fading as his truck disappeared in the horizon. 

I had my cowboy hat on, sweating a little bit and worried about accommodation. After a few kilometers I saw the Mungo Lodge sign and decided to stop by and check the prices.  The place looked posh, surrounded by cabins and an restaurant that seemed to be fine dining. Apparently, a small air strip was located beside the Lodge, where people with enough money would just fly in for the day and visit the Park and have lunch at the lodge. that's the life. The head chef was also the main guy looking after the place. He was just 23 years old. He offered the cheapest bed... $15 a night dorm-style. I was happy with that. awesome. :) and that included beddings and a heater. Although there was another option to stay inside the Park at the Shearers Quarters, that didn't offer beddings and was worth $65 a night. So I told the guy I'd come back and stay there. 

I drove off and headed for the Park's Information site, looking forward to the 2pm tour led by the ranger.