TUESDAY 7 JUNE     PUNGALINA

O flew friend out, to meet the plane in Doomadgee.

I phoned the hardware store in Tennant Creek, to order four wire toasting racks to be put on this week’s mail plane. It was going to be better to make toast on these, given the inability of the generator to power things with elements. I had been using my couple of such racks from the van, but the camp needed its own.

I faxed this week’s mail plane order to the supermarket in Tennant Creek. Only five things on the list this week! Grapefruit, margarine, nuts, some biscuits and a jar of mustard.

Sent through an order to K Mart in Mt Isa for equipment for the camp – things I could get cheaper from them than from Curreys. Included were a saucepan set, a couple of large stockpots, 2 frying pans, several stainless steel bowls, plastic food storers, measuring cups and spoons, large serving spoons, a broom, and shower curtain rings. Bit of an assortment.

Hopefully, everything would come together – literally – on the truck due on 17th.

John was cleaning up an area of the camp, near the kitchen tent and the camp fire area,  where cut limb timber from the big tree that fell in the last Wet, had been put in a pile to be used in the campfire. Grass and weeds had grown up through it and it was rather scruffy looking. John had to generally tidy it up.

He had just finished after a good few hours’ work, and was  raking the cleared ground around the heap, when a big snake came slithering out of the heaped wood. John was so surprised to see it that he just waved the rake in the direction of the reptile, which was not very far away, and said “shoo”! Snake actually did retreat a little, which gave John time to collect his wits and use the nearby shovel to behead a rather nasty king brown snake. Very venomous they are. We did not want that hanging around, thinking the camp precinct was its territory.

I had been asked to provide an evening meal for the four campers at the Bluff Water Hole, so it was back to camp to work on that, and to get the dining tent set up.

I put on the usual nibbles for them to have with drinks before the meal. This was roast beef with vegies and Yorkshire Pudding muffins, and gravy. Dessert was pannacottas with berry sauce – tinned raspberries and strawberries are good for this.

I charged them $160. O got back in time to eat with them too. I think they enjoyed the occasion.