Episode 4 on the Canning Stock Route is where the “world’s longest track” really starts playing games with your expectations. I roll into Martu country and straight away the landscape changes—red dunes, rocky ridges, spinifex plains, hidden waterholes—and it’s anything but “barren” like the old explorers reckoned. We get properly sidetracked (as usual): checking out bush medicine for Sienna’s eyelid irritation, swapping info with other travellers, and pushing on to Durba Hills where the late arrival actually pays off with an unreal sunset. From there it’s the usual CSR reality check: brutal corrugations, things rattling loose, and constant little repairs. I dump fuel to stop jerries smashing around, Chris checks the Troopy airbox and we talk dust getting past seals (I’m not a fan of that), then we’re fixing antennas, doors, ladders—one problem solved and another pops up. We drop into Durba Springs, talk about respecting country and not chasing every side track, then commit to a big afternoon run toward Well 18 and Lake Disappointment. By the time we pull up at Well 18 it’s late, we’re knackered, and fatigue is catching up hard. That’s the takeaway: you can’t beat the Canning—if you try, it’ll just beat you—so you play it day by day, manage the wear and tear, and take the wins where you can (like a proper wash and a feed, even if the pork’s still frozen in the middle).