Another easy start to the day at Illbilla, Blakeley does the rounds of the signal fires again and frets and fumes over the plane and a certain pilot. The droning from a nearby nest of golden hornets startles him into thinking the plane has arrived. Too early.

Coote is lifted into the Golden Quest II and Hall takes off rapidly for Illbilla, it's a good day for flying and Coote is confident enough to take the controls, in two and a half hours they are over Coote's crash site on Taylor's Creek  and soon after circling the Ehrenberg Ranges looking for the camp. Fuel is very low when Coote spots the truck tarpaulin just as Blakeley starts his smoke fires.

Blakeley is not enthused about the return of Coote with a plane especially the moth eaten crate they have turned up in. He gives Coote the sharp edge of his tongue regarding the impracticalities of  planes in this country. Hall checks the fuel tank, there's less than a gallon left. The pilots confer and decide the plane doesn't have the range for exploration in this country, it means returning to Adelaide for long range fuel tanks and other modifications. That suits Blakeley very nicely although he wonders about someone checking the range of the thing before sending it to Central Australia.

Taylor, Lasseter and Johns return from hunting and Coote takes immediate exception to the young Germans presence at Illbilla, suspecting his bona fides as a dingo trapper, asks Blakeley to send him on his way, Johns agrees to do so next morning, he has no intention of going far.

Coote and Hall do not enjoy the kangaroo steaks for tea, tinned dog instead. 

Civil Aviation write to C.A.G.E. suspending the certificate of airworthiness for VH-UMR. Please return your copy .

LASSETERIA