Driving Goyder Highway on the wrong side of the Surveyor General’s line.

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Ochre cloud

Overhead

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DURING DUST STORMS

TURN ON LIGHTS

REDUCE SPEED

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Dusty drizzle

Decelerate

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A cold front and associated trough. That means rain is imminent, probably tomorrow, on the first day of my tour.

My pre-booked campsite at Mamanga has already been cancelled by NPWS; pre-empting flooding, mitigating risks. The forecast is for “4-15mm”; so it’s not a deluge but enough to put a dampener on things. I’ll be on a wet pitch; a green top. Patience, son. Keep your eye on the ball. Play it under your nose.

The first ball of a five match Test Series sets the tone for the 25 days of cricket that will follow. Steve Harmison knows about that. I am excited to hold a ticket to see the first ball on the first day of the first test in this year’s Ashes series, in Perth.

So, as I prepare for my personal test of endurance, navigation and Temu-bushman skills, I contemplate how tomorrow, the first day, will set the tone of my 50 day trek across this nation?