We had an entertaining night, lying in bed listening to the feral outback cats. Initially they were meowing, but soon a full on screeching fight started and I lay in bed playing out the scenario in my head. 
It went like this…

Big Tom had been agile enough to jump into the 44 gallon drum that the council provides as a bin, extract the remnants of everyone’s dinners and there he sat, cowering under our neighbour’s van trying to devour them. 

Other cats (Skinny and Mangy) and their posse of groupies circled Big Tom, moving in with an attempted snatch by a very sharp clawed paw. Every sudden move resulted in a piercing screeching noise from Big Tom. 

And so the night wore on, Big Tom getting bigger and the undernourished Skinny, Mangy and their posse getting more frustrated. 

Eventually, (to the relief of us all) the man whose van they were under went outside with a torch and caused some serious heart palpitations in the whole lot of them. I think it coincided with Big Tom polishing off the last of his grub because all was quiet for the rest of the night. I drifted off to sleep. 

The next morning we were (again) in no hurry which was fortunate because we met some amazing fellow campers and got chatting, passing the morning away. Eventually we left, hitting the road well after morning tea time.  

We were amazed how the scenery changed dramatically as we drove towards Mount Isa. It went from a flat barren landscape to one of rocky, rich coloured mountainous terrain. The colours we saw in the rock really exemplified the Australian outback, with russet reds and burnt oranges. 

We stopped for our packed lunch at a Burke and Wills memorial which marked their passing through the area in 1861. Dotted throughout the Australian outback are numerous memorials, roadhouses and dedications to these two explorers, signifying their widespread contribution to Australia’s history. 

As it was our wedding anniversary today, Caleb insisted that he take the photo and we hold hands. This was rather unusual as he is normally “grossed out” by our hand holding. 
Ray declared that we would go out to dinner to celebrate the day and Caleb kept asking him if he was indeed serious. We hadn’t been out for a meal since Aaron’s farewell meal in Perth, 4 months ago. We were so excited. 

Instead of buying each other a gift, we decided to splurge and book 3 nights in Mount Isa at the caravan park, wait for it… with our very own ensuite bathroom and toilet. We were SUPER excited. 

This means that you back your caravan up to a building and inside it is a toilet and shower for your exclusive use. No one else can use it and it is lockable so you don’t have to keep lugging your shower stuff to and fro. 

We pulled into the caravan park, Ray went to pay and I took a phone call from home. By the time I was finished (59 minutes later) I found the van and the boys had absolutely everything set up. Score!

We chose Chinese as the food for dinner, found a restaurant and enjoyed a very expensive, but absolutely delicious meal. One of the best fried ice creams I’ve ever had. It was so unusual for us to be out for dinner and we really appreciated everything about it. We have a new attitude towards the everyday things so often taken for granted. Eating out, soap and fresh water, washing machines, soft toilet paper and the list could go on. For the next 3 days though, I get to use the same toilet, without queueing, and I’m going to love every minute of it.