The C.A.G.E. team breakfasts early, the vehicles loaded and standing by the track while Coote warms up the Golden Quest, he asks Lasseter to wait while he tests the take off. Mickey emphatically declines Blakeley's offer of a ride in the plane, smart fellow.

Coote's takeoff is a near disaster, the plane rises slowly and the bottom right wing snags a tree branch, the lucky pilot gets away with it but breaks out in a cold sweat and circles for some time recovering his wits and finally makes an equally precarious landing, the plane stops nose down over the creek with engine racing and leaking fuel. Coote and Lasseter consider themselves lucky fellows, with both aboard the aircraft would surely have crashed. Blakeley considers the airstip a death trap.

Coote refuses to fly the plane until the problems with the carburetor are repaired and Taylor gets to work immediately, Blakely fumes at the delay, convinced the plane and it's pilot are a millstone around the expedition's neck, it is mid morning before the expedition gets underway. The plane is tied down, covered and left by the airstip. They travel but a mile when a large natural landing ground is discovered, Taylor sighs.

The expedition makes good time through excellent country with little sand matting or clearing of mulga needed but the radiators of the vehicles become clogged with grass seeds and flowers causing frequent overheating, especially of the Thornycroft, clearing the radiators will be a tiresome chore for Mickey at the nights camp which is a couple of miles east of the Warren River.

Ernest Bailey finally signs the application papers to register the Golden Quest and encloses a letter of excuse to Civil Aviation regarding the cock-up with the purchase of the plane...it's not our fault, the usual plea.

A leisurely breakfast and Terry carefully buries an eight gallon drum of petrol for the future and to lighten the load on the transport. They set off mid morning searching for the natural landing ground used by the McKay Expedition in May, it should be on a bearing of 28° north of west and two miles out, the purpose of the diversion is to find Paterson's camera, dropped from the ANEC aircraft during take off.

The landing ground is easily found and eight empty petrol drums scrounged for future water transport and the search begins in earnest for the camera, the eagle eyed Colson soon finds the camera in a clump of spinifex and has his photo taken on the one remaining frame, a certain Melbourne Argus photographer will be delighted and vindicated.

After the usual struggle with sandhills the vehicle rolls onto the plain with Mount Olga at the far end, it is a fantastic sight and Terry and Williams  arrive at the S.W. corner just on dark. Camp is set and a frugal meal enjoyed, it turns out to be the coldest wildest night either of the men have experienced in Central Australia.

LASSETERIA