The week however wasn’t all about palaeontology. I also joined the geologists on a few of their water and rock collecting trips. They sampled water from the local creeks, took rocks from the surrounding area, and attempted to collect data from the monitoring devices they had left in various water bores the previous year. These monitors tracked water levels and pressure and temperature.

It was the last activity that took the most time – the monitoring devices were frustratingly difficult to retrieve. These devices were basically suspended into the bores with a length of rope and then taped into place. To retrieve them involved a lot of fishing about.

Unfortunately, their survival rate was low. If they hadn’t detached from the rope, chances were that the bore they were in had been trampled by a herd of cattle. Even if you retrieved the monitor, you might not be able to extract the data from it.

In the end, only one device out of five came up with the goods. I guess it’s pot luck out in the Outback.