Dunetastic!

Written in pen and paper, date unknown.

Marco got up to watch the sun rise, 
I peeped and saw the colours of the sky, much like the sunset so I went back to sleep - I know he wanted an early start, so sleep was imperative. 

Marco delicately woke me up, after a week he's recognised I'm a grump in the morning, he also had a cup of tea ready for me, what a legend! So it was up, up and away.

We got to Madura about 8ish, got bread, fuel, fuses and an early morning ice-cream, as you do. 

After Madure, I drove down the highway before swapping with Marco for the 4wd. Just off the highway in the bush, the car started to slide out of control, one way, then the next, the front, then the back, my side of the car coming off it's wheels at one stage; I was bracing myself for it to roll. My heart was in my throat. Marco impressively managed to regain control and straighten us out, we are so lucky that no trees were around for us to crash in to, maybe drive a little slower now eh?

12 psi for the tyres now, 
we drove down towards the beach to meet Red Rocks Point. We kept following our own tyre marks to find the way. After using a rusted bus in a field for reference, we circled around the field, then doubled back over our tracks, twice. Still not finding the way we headed back in to the bushes. 

On a high dune we got out to look for a track by foot. Marco found it and we reversed to get on it, crunch! The back left wheel guard had cracked off so it was repair time again. Out Marco got in the blazing sun, I mistakenly thought it would be a quick fix, wrong!

I couldn't let the poor boy crisp up so I suncreamed his neck and arms, then his majesty requested shade, so, I, the doting travel mate, obliged and used the sleeping bag to create shade. Once it was screwed back in we used the magic tape to tape it back on and get back on track.

We reached the dunes, dune after massive dune with white sand. We lost the tracks completely and drove around and around and around and around, dune, dune, dune. It was getting frustrating and seemingly no way forward; the last thing we wanted was to go back.

So we went round more and more, revving aggressively up steep dunes and easing gently down the other side, no rolling thank you! 

Enough was enough. We got out the car and walked to find the track, even with my thumping headache.

More going around and around, on feet, sand, sand, sand... do we admit defeat and go back? I think it's time to... WAIT. Marco found the way. YES! Time to get off these cursed dunes! 

On the track we went, Marco telling his baby girl she'll get treated in Adelaide, no sooner had that been said than a tyre had blown. We're on sand, in the middle of god knows where, not as easy as it sounds to change a tyre on sand. The one saving grace was that it was on the shady side. Time to use the trusty spare on the back.

Problem No.1, we are on sand so how will we use the jack? Tools in the car are limited, best options in a large atlas and a hardback book about Australia written in Italian. 

Problem No 2, too much sand. We jacked up the car, unscrewed the wheel and hand paddled away as much sand as we could.

Problem No. 3, the wheel won't release. With a little gentle persuasion the wheel came off, i.e. wiggling and pulling. 

Once the wheel came off problem No.4 happened, the jack collapsed and got stuck under the weight of the car...

We are screwed...