Chapter 10 – Battling on to Bourke
Billywaslisteningto“kindergartenoftheair”whileRobyn
prepared lunch and Pete mended a puncture. This program was
Billy’sfavouriteandsoPetedecidedthat11amwas a good time
to make a regular lunch stop. On the weekends, Billy always had
agrumblebecausekindergartenwasn’ton
“Mightbeinforabitofbadweatherinadayortwo– according
totheradio”Petecommented
“Ohwellwe’lljusthavetostayinthetentuntilitpasses”
remarkedRobyn“It’sprettyfinerightnowanyway”
They ate their lunch and continued following the Bogan north. It
waseightdayssincethey’dleftNynganTheycampedthatnight
in the tent beside a billabong about forty kilometres SE of the
point where the stock route crosses a vehicle track near Tarcoon.
Next day, the morning dawned still, but heavily overcast.
“Reckonbythisarvowe’llbegettingwetfeet”Peteassertedas
they packed up.
Lunch was eaten at the abandoned railway siding at Tarcoon, and
they filled their water bottles from an old rain-water tank there.
Five kilometres further on, there was a building standing beside
some long abandoned tennis courts overrun with scrub and
patches of prickly pear.
“Thislooks hopefullet’sexplore”Petesuggested
They pushed their bikes through some thick sand and leaned
them against the side of the building.
All the doors seemed to be firmly bolted from the inside, and the
windows were stuck fast
Robyn looked thoughtfully at the tank stand, then at a small
opening that showed just below the roof and above the tank.
Suddenly, making up her mind, she climbed onto the tank-stand,
and after testing the strength of the small tank, she heaved
herself on top of this, and peered through the opening which was
now at chest height.
