We had a delayed departure this morning as our ute had a flat battery having been left all night with the keys in the ignition. After phoning about 7 people in Arthur River the shop keeper yelled to the firies who just happened to be in the shop if one of them had jumper leads. We were rescued by the National Parks fireman who drove over to jump start the vehicle. Amazing that in a town so small no-one has jumper leads.
Eventually we headed out with Greg and Mike to their micro fossil site near Balfour. We drove through the Temma fire area which was still smoking in parts. The road was still closed but we had been given permission to travel on the road prior to our visit. It was amazing to see the burnt areas.
At our final site we found fossil leaves but also some interesting living plants - two species of Drosera and a trigger plant and Greg pointed out two interesting heath plants.
We drove back to the house for lunch and then I did data entry with Joy for the afternoon session while others continued with the habitat surveys.
This evening's talk was by Seb which included a little about the work he is doing now but lots about the work he has done in Switzerland with some stunning scenery shots.
Mel provided dinner again - wallaby curry and other Indian style dishes.
Out into a farm paddock after dinner where Gini had set up for a devil banquet. It was raining heavily and getting darker which meant that we would not see anything through the windows of the bus. Luckily there was a nearby hay shed so the site was moved and we were able to park in the shed with lots of shelter.
It was amazing that a dozen people can be so quiet! The silence was magic. Unfortunately the devils did not appear by 10pm so we made the decision to return home to bed.
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