THURSDAY 2 JUNE     PUNGALINA

I faxed the order of goods required, to Curreys. Had previously had some email discussion with A, and refined the list somewhat. It was becoming quite urgent, because A would soon have his first tour group here, and things needed to be functioning properly. I emphasized on the order that it must reach Mt Isa in time for the truck that would be packed on 13 June.

The order included a dozen dinner and bread and butter plates, soup and dessert bowls – essentially a 12 piece dinner set; wine and water glasses; wooden salad bowls, salt and pepper grinders, and other such basic items. The order totalled $773.59.

John took photos of the fittings on our small portable gas bottle, which I had been using outside the van to do most of our cooking. He also photoed the fittings on the large gas bottles at house and camp. He wanted to see if any of those were compatible and if he could somehow fill our camp bottle from a larger one, if he could find or order an appropriate fitting. Otherwise, the only way to get our  gas bottles filled would be to send them back to Mt Isa on a supply truck, then wait two or four weeks till the next truck brought back the filled bottles. Then we would have to try to find someone in Mt Isa to collect and fill the bottles for us. It would also be a rather expensive exercise. John concluded that he would probably be able to fill the small bottle from one of the big ones.

O eventually arrived back in his plane. With L, who seemed very nice and clearly besotted with O. Apparently, the plane into Doomadgee had been very late, so plans had to be amended, and O flew them for that night to Hells Gate – not far from Doomadgee. He was able to “drive” the plane virtually right to their door!

In the absence of company at the house, the dings had spent most of their time at our camp.