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Monday, October 20 - Day 2

We got up in the morning in total darkness at 4am and headed out to 58km short of Katherine. There we set up the array and waited for the sun which never arrived. A grand total of .08Ah was put into our 26Ah batteries. We now had 2.08Ah to start the day.

After deliberation, we trailered to the control point in Katherine where we were welcomed with open arms. Apparently reports overnight varied between - we'd given up, gone back to Darwin, gone bush or went camping - no-one seems to read the sungroper-announce list, or /.

During and after our half hour control stop we tried to charge until 10:29 we trailered until 11 looking for the sun. At 11:12, Doug started driving, with a total charge of 4.08Ah. We started driving and drove for 80km on sunlight alone - no battery charge was used.

It should be noted that nothing was wrong with Sungroper, just that the weather gods had decided to share a serious cloud-base with us - including later rain.

We put Sungroper into the trailer at Mataranka and headed for the hills. We drove all the way to Dunmarra control point where we arrived at 16:20 and achieved a charge until sunset of another 6Ah, total charge is now 10Ah.

Following a spectacular Dunmarra sunset, the Sungroper Internet Cafe became the social hub of the Dunmarra Roadhouse Caravan Park as solar teams from around the world checked their email and surfed the web.

Trailering Sungroper from the Katherine control point.
Dennis gives the Paradise team a helping hand at Katherine.
Trevor Pluck was our observer from Darwin to Dunmarra
The Mataranka pub beckons to Dennis
A crowded Dunmarra control point as eight solar teams charge their arrays.
Checking the quality of the solar juice
Setting up for the Sungroper Internet Cafe at the Dunmarra control point
Soaking up the sun.
Even the little array on top is happy this evening
Trailering Sungroper to secure the battery pack for the night
The Sungroper Internet Cafe is open for business.
Sunset at Dunmarra
A cosmopolitan crowd sampling the delights of the world's most unusual internet cafe.
By the light, by the light of the flickering screens
Last surfs in the dark at Dunmarra