Coming from Byron Bay I wanted to head to Broken Hill but since I didn't have any maps yet, I just had the idea I would drive to Grafton and turn right and that's what I did. I camped the night just past Glen Innes and woke up to something like 6-8 degrees which was quite a change to the hot and muggy weather we'd been getting in Brisbane and in Pottsville.

I stopped at Moree to fill the jerry cans and stock up on supplies. 40 litres of emergency water should keep me out of trouble for a while if I get stuck somewhere remote.

Then on to Bourke.

There is some dispute about where exactly the Australian outback begins. I've heard it said that once you are west of Bourke, you are truly in the outback. This seems pretty reasonable to me. Although, if you were in Far North Queensland, you may not have to go as far west before being in the outback. Once you get past Bourke, you really do get the feeling you're in the outback. There's not much there.

Travelling west from Bourke, I took the roads less travelled. There's nothing quite like driving on a good dirt road where there's great scenery and no other vehicles for hundreds of kilometres at a time. Driving on bulldust roads is a little like riding fresh powder snow. It's quiet and soft and your kind of floating as you drive along. It is very easy, though, to get out of shape when trying to avoid hitting a kangaroo.

Next stop, Broken Hill