The final rest stop was William Creek. Where the heat and flies were terrible. Seriously, I needed a bug net on my head to keep them out of my nose, eyes, and ears. Luckily, it would be the only day it was needed. So once we got dropped and settled, the whole bunch of us headed to the pub. It was the only place to have a cold beer and sit in some AC.

Most went in the back room to relax, but myself and three other ladies stayed at the bar. Which I’m so grateful for because the bartender, Rosie (in the baseball cap), was fantastic. She had lived most of her life in Adelaide, then moved up to Coober Pedy, and then had come down to live in William Creek. She was full of anecdotes and jokes and just felt like a really lively and witty woman.

I have to say, it had been a rough heat day, and was the signal of things to come. A few women had already taken salt tabs and had been feeling faint. I had had one bout of dizziness, but I suspected it as more from lack of sleep and still adjusting to the time change then the heat.

That evening was another night in swags, and after a delicious dinner, and watching the sun go down, we all turned it. The heat, walking, and early mornings had us all tucked into our ‘beds’ by 9:30pm.