Millstream

We made it into Millstream's Miliyanha camp after dark and in the rain. There were already some sizeable puddles on the way in and plenty of floodways to cross, suggesting that if the predicted rain did indeed fall, there was a good chance we'd have some challenges getting out.

The rain abated long enough for us to pop up the camper and set up the awning without us getting soaked. The kids and I met our one and only fellow camper seeking refuge in the camp kitchen with beer and chocolate for dinner. All other campers had scarpered ahead of the rain.

The rain overnight wasn't too dramatic. We stayed dry inside the camper and had a great morning playing with the buckets of water we collected running off the awning. By mid-morning the rain had largely cleared up and our only neighbour had driven out. We took advantage of our solitude and ample water and all stripped off for tip-to-toe bucket showers. We then moved on to haircuts and clothes washing. It didn't take long for the kids to find the puddles and mud again but for a brief moment we were all fresh and clean.

In the afternoon we explored the nearby Millstream Homestead which is open as an interactive museum with easy to digest information about the property and the settler families that called it home. It also had games for the kids and proved a great place to hang out when the next deluge hit.

That evening we met the ranger and a new family rolled in. We figured if people were still coming in, the rain can't have been that bad. The ranger reported that the roads were still open but that another 80ml were forecast for that night and the next day. He thought it was unlikely that the Fortescue River, which we crossed coming in would flood but that he'd clear the campground if it came to the roads in being closed.

The next morning, after a night of steady rain, the ranger reported that the Fortescue was indeed flooding and that the crossing was already at 0.7 meters. The Touareg maximum water clearance is 0.5 meters, so that ruled out our escape. Our companions also chose to stay, not willing to risk flooding their caravan.

By mid morning the rain had passed so we ventured out on the very soggy creek path out to the cliff lookout. It was a fun and adventurous walk, squelching through the mud. We were joined by our fellow stranded camping family, Lil, Zak, three year old Finn and a one year old Oskar. From the lookout we got good visual confirmation of the flooded Fortescue River which was a raging brown torrent. Promisingly, we went to bed under a starry sky.

We woke to fog which quickly burned off to reveal a blue sky and strong sun. The river level was reportedly dropping though roads would remain closed. Unable to drive, we opted to walk (Hugh rode) the 4.5km road out to Deep Reach, a picnic and swimming spot on the Fortescue River. It was a big open and pretty stretch of muddied water lined with Millstream palms and eucalyptus. I couldn't be enticed to swim but Hugh and Matthias wouldn't be held back.

We were rewarded on our return to camp with an offer from the ranger of hot showers over at the ranger station. This was our first non-bucket shower since the cold bush showers we had at Cheela Plains Station. We hardly knew ourselves.

After two nights of being "trapped" and four nights in total at Miliyanha, we were given the nod from the ranger that it was safe to leave. Though controversially the council still hadn't opened the road and being a Friday, wouldn't be likely to open until after the weekend when they would send someone out to inspect. Not wanting to hold us up any longer, the ranger pointed us in the direction of the pipeline road where we made our exit. We could hardly believe it when we found the river crossing that had been holding us back was little more than a puddle and the short stretch of dirt road was all solid.

As a final farewell to Millstream national park we unhitched the trailer to drive the corrugated road into Python Pool. This northern part of the park was a huge expanse of treeless, rock strewn hills, quite unique from the river-fed greener area we’d camped in. We were lucky to see the waterfall running at Python Pool.