This dragon kept Peter occupied for more than a half hour, still, besieged by flies.

Eventually it left the burrow.

It was still there when we arrived.

Solitary, the females burrow about 15-35cm down then horizontally for one or more brood cells. Add wax and nectar, a single egg in each cell. Then seal the burrow.

Usually much more dense than these burrows.

As newly born females emerge from the burrows they are set upon by the waiting males. The males killed in the competitive frenzy. The females make new burrows or occupy old ones.

We ponder the significance.

But of course have no definitive answers.

We camp at Paltju Tank.

The only fuel stop between Laverton and Coober Pedy.

$3.65/litre. We need a little more than 100 litres.

We could probably have reached Coober Pedy with our two tanks. But we wouldn't know until we got there, or not.

We also fill up with water.

A bird in the hand ....

The grasses as well as the bushes and trees.

A short walk.

The circles are visible in satellite pics.

The dune is as far as we venture.

The local Aboriginals refer to themselves as "Spinifex People".

Perhaps we are reading too much into the stones. But nice to let our imaginations run free.

We have had much fun trying to distinguish between desert oaks (the leaves point down and the young plants are different to the adults) and black oaks (a sort of general name for several casuarinas with leaves pointing up).