The animal missing from the sign is the ...? These warnings cover thousands of kilometres of the road across the country.

After overnighting in the swag, besides the highway on the Eyre Peninsular, I had a wet swag due to overnight rain.

Forgetting that it was Sunday I found myself at the last town before Ceduna and the fuel tank needle was approaching "E" - With no one up I decided to try for Ceduna, 85km away. The handbook said there were around eight litre when the warning light came on.

As the light came on shortly after taking off I figured at 10km to the litre that I'd been averaging, I had a fighting chance to make the eighty k's - WRONG - with 35km to go the car spluttered and it took 90 minutes for the RAA to ride to the rescue. The eight litres is more like four-five!

After a delay due to a shortage of fuel it was great to see the state border. Not so great were the ill prepared people who ignore the warnings and have all sorts of prohibited items. They hold up dozens of others and are an absolute pain.

Wet swag and sleeping bag! No fuel station open! Only five litres when light comes on! Eftpos trouble when refuelling at Ceduna!

I should have known that today was not going to be memorable for the right reasons!

Parked at Mundrabilla. A spot the car was to occupy for 65 hours.

After clearing the quarantine station I headed on, past Eucla, planning to refuel at Mundrabilla. Thirty kilometres onto the flat, after going down the Eucla Pass, the dreaded red lights illuminating the STOP light came on.

On lifting the bonnet I discovered the hydraulic pump belt broken. Still in the engine bay but no longer around the pulleys. At least it wasn't a broken high pressure pipe or return line. After thirty minutes of contemplation and deep thinking I decided to head on to Mundrabilla. Here I hoped to find some belts or a joiner to enable me to continue.

On arriving at Mundrabilla I was disappointed to find nothing at all in the service or emergency repair department. It sells fuel, food, drinks, motel rooms and camp sites for the night. Mechanical? No chance at all.

No mobile phone coverge, a coin phone that was related to a slot machine and swallowed coins at an alarming rate did nothing to lift my spirits.

Telephoned my wife with belt details and asked her to call the RAC. Several hours later one of the roadhouse staff came out to me with the phone. It was the RAC telling me that their roadside service man from Eucla was away and they had no idea when he would be back. Would I like them to arrange for a truck to come out from Norseman and take me in to a mechanic.

Bravely (or was it foolishly) I said I'd wait for the replacement belt and would fit it myself. Now all rested on Stuart Pekin locating a belt and getting it out to me.

At the worst I might still be there when Bob Senn came through. He was carrying the CX spares in his car. I had tools, oil and 48 litres of LHM. I settled down to sleep in the car as it was still raining.