Saturday, December 13, 2008

13th December 2008 - Cairns, Qld

Apologies for our absence..... In the course of our travels over the past two months we have found ourselves back amongst the tropical palms of Cairns. We are well and truely in the 'build up' to the wet season. The time of year that is most humid and hot and includes glorious days and many afternoons of grey, angry skies that usually don't deliver much. The true wet will not officially start till next month, it is then that we may wish we had something more to protect us from the rain than our camper trailer. Ha! Oh well we will cross that bridge when we come to it.
 
The kids are excited about the lead up to Christmas, and I have dazzled them with my nine dollar christmas tree and two dollar lights from 'Clarks Craaazzy Bargains'. We have decorated it to resemble something of the chrissy trees of old, and they seem happy enough. We have attempted to see 'Santa' a couple of times, but both children get to the front of the line and eye him off suspiciously. I guess that polyester beard just doesn't cut it with todays generation!
 
A visit recently from Grandma kept the kids out of our hair, and Max and I were able to escape for a couple of nights on the town with some new friends. Jake and Ella's week of opening and closing Grandma's airconditioned cabin door, looking in cupboards, opening the little fridge and watching her TV, reminded me that living in a house to these kids now really would be a novelty.


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Thursday, November 13, 2008

13th November - UPDATE

Hey all, just a note to let you know that our photos have just been updated and there are a few pictures to keep you entertained and up to date with our goings on. More soon....

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Tuesday, October 28, 2008

28th October - Broome, WA

I forget.....that like adults, children have things they love to shop for. Today it was made clear that the DVD section in Target country holds the same appeal as christmas morning. After a scary movie scene last night and a few tears, the desperate father made promises of a visit to the shops today for more suitable movies. Hence with a bag full of 'Iggle Piggle', 'Bottle Top Bill and his best friend Corky' and of course 'New Macdonald's Farm' (of course it can't be classed as old anymore) we set off back to camp. When I really think about it I'm not quite sure why I thought two playschool DVD's and a handful of others would stimulate hungry minds forever. Oh well...my mistake.
 
Today we are absorbing the fine environment of Broome and in between discovering 12,000 year old dinosaur footprints and learning about the pearling history, we enjoyed a drive along the pristine beach of Cable beach. With the tide moving 10 metres in less than 6 hours, this place is really something unique. We are blessed again by very few people and have been able to enjoy Broome at its relaxed and laid back best.
 
With lunch yesterday at the local Roebuck Bay Hotel and again a swim in the cool waters, what more could you need..?


Friday, October 24, 2008

24th October - Fitzroy Crossing WA

We are back in civilisation after an eventful few weeks travelling the beautiful Kimberley region. We have had an action packed time including nearly being burnt by bushfire in Bell Gorge (King Leopold range off the Gibb River Rd), almost tripping over a freshwater crocodile in the darkness of Tunnel Creek (a 1km creek carved tunnel under a limestone range), had a driving light rattled to death on the corrugations of the Mitchell plateau, been overwhelmed by the stench of a drowned cow in the King Edward River, and finally stood isolated, like the last people on earth, overlooking the magnificent and dramatic Mitchell Falls. (Both kids came the 6.6km into the falls…just awesome!)

 

The animals we have been coming across have supplied us with so many laughs including the small Northern Quoll that climbed onto our kitchen and into our (empty) pots and pans looking for goodies at Mitchell Falls. The comical Frilled Neck lizards that run on two legs across the Mitchell Plateau, and of course the freshwater croc that we took by surprise as we walked by torchlight through the water filled Tunnel Creek. This is adventure…..

 

This morning I had a tiny yellow honey eater bird eating a baked bean out of my fingers….????

Bizarre….It must be a Fitzroy Crossing thing.

 

Anyway tomorrow we head to Broome where we will be quite an embarrassment with our dusty, dirty, filthy car and trailer. Oh well…. all in the name of fun!



12th October - Bungle Bungles – Purnululu National Park WA

 

"You picked a fine time to leave me loose wheel………" Kenny Roger's crooning words from the song 'Lucille' run through my head, albeit slightly varied lyrics due to our circumstances.

 

After a fleeting visit to the mostly undiscovered Bungle Bungle range, 300 km south of Kununurra, we had left the park and headed north to the Gibb River Rd and the famous El Questro station. Having set up camp and unstuck the shorts from the sweaty seat covers, we relaxed, pulled out a beer and began discussing the day's events.

 

Minutes into this, Max (looking over the car) exclaimed that we had lost our spare tyre from its cable mount under the car! Given that it was a brand new unused Mickey Thompson tyre and new rim, it is quite an expensive bit of equipment to just lose.

 

Thanks to the patience of my parents who were happy to take another day out of their time dependant travel schedule and look after the grandkids, the next day we were able to head back to the very rough Bungle Bungle track in search of our 'loose wheel.'

 

It was always going to be a gamble…$200 in fuel alone to drive there and back, despite whether we found the tyre or not. We left at 6.30am. The road back included 50km on the dusty Gibb River Rd, 200km on the bitumen and then 56km into the Bungle Bungles on a rough, un-maintained track that requires careful negotiation and slow going. It takes nearly two hours to travel the 56km.

 

Anyway moral of the story is we did not find the spare wheel. A replacement wheel and tyre ended up costing us $598 from the dude at Bridgestone in Kununurra at ten minutes to 5pm. Nice going!

 

Our arrival in Kununurra was delayed slightly by stopping to help a Sydney couple on their honeymoon. The young couple, glowing with newly wed enthusiasm, were on a road trip from Broome to Freemantle in a Britz camper. They had blown one tyre, and soon realised their second had a very fast leak. As we have two air compressors, we spent the last 100km stopping every 15-20km to inflate their fast leaking tyre, so they too could make it into Kununurra for replacements. Aaahhh…. eventful day.

 

All was good that night as we pulled into El Questro at 7pm, in time to kiss the kids good night. We were relieved to get out of the car and did not want to let that new spare tyre too far out of our sight.



10th October - Lake Argyle, WA

 

After being 'granted' permission to enter the great state of Western Australia, minus our fruits and vegetables, we were told to check for resourceful cane toads attempting to abscond across the border. Toad free, we turned south through the jagged rose coloured cliffs of the Ord range towards Lake Argyle.

 

Ten years ago, I flew over this magnificent Lake as part of a flight from Kununurra, and it was something else to see it from the air. As we drove in through the ridges and valleys it was clear how this area was capable of holding water 18 times the size of Sydney harbour.

 

Once we'd set up camp and done our historic duty in visiting the re-located Durack Homestead (moved from the valley when the dam was built). We stood looking over the mighty stretch of water and were nothing but impressed. It was a vivid blue reflecting the cloudless Kimberley sky, and out of its depths rose jagged hilltops of stone. 

 

The Ord River dam was an impressive piece of engineering with no concrete, just clay and rock holding back the waters. The size and stillness of the lake in contrast to the coloured rocks was just amazing. It was definitely worth the detour in to see this mighty, yet under utilised lake.



Monday, October 13, 2008

9th October – Road from Katherine NT to Kununurra WA

Who ever thought that tearing up old magazines and letting the little pieces fly out the window could be so much fun? It seems that our children have found a new way to amuse themselves as the kilometres tick by. Unbeknown to us the affair has been going on for quite sometime, hence nearly half of 4WD ACTION has disappeared across the barren land before it we noticed. The unfortunate hazards of leaving windows open.

 

Illegal littering aside, the road across to Kununurra is a beautiful mixture of coloured escarpments and rolling grasslands, all edged by the mighty Victoria River. Crocodiles sun themselves on the sandy banks and dodgy little roadhouses pop up every few hundred kilometres, offering up their services to heat damaged travellers.

 

We of course are enjoying the reasonably cooler conditions of the inland after a hot and humid week on the coast at Darwin. Our path will now lead us across the border into Western Australia, where we will have to hand over our fruits and vegetables before being allowed to pass.

 

Tonight we will camp on the shores of Lake Argyle, the giant lake formed by the damming of the Ord River. Nearby is the Lake Argyle Diamond Mine, and further on the spectacular Bungle Bungles NP, which will give us plenty to do for a few days. Maybe I won't need those magazines after all!

 



Sunday, October 5, 2008

5th October - Darwin, NT

Well I think the Wet season may have begun! The last two days we have had tropical downpours around 3 or 4 o'clock, after the standard hot, humid day. The rain is not really a big deal, it is just funny seeing it turn on like clock work now we have hit October. Have not seen rain for so long that Ella has been crying when the downpour begins. It only seems to last half and hour or so, and is still a balmy 33 degrees so don't worry.
 
Took ourselves off to a crocodile park yesterday (grandma and pa in tow), to get ourselves up close and personal with a few salties. Our encounters in the wild have been limited to a few sightings on the East Alligator river and the sight of a shiny eyeball or two while spotlighting. I was lucky enough to feed one of the prehistoric beasts with a chicken leg, which certainly made my day. Jake and Ella held a baby saltie which made a good snap for the photo album.
 
Well it looks like the rain is easing and we will be able to safely take ourselves off to the Mindil Market after all. Jake and Pa are still swimming.....hope they didn't get hit by lightening!


Thursday, October 2, 2008

29th October - Jim Jim Falls, Kakadu N.P

I have to admit that I have a thing for funny place names and Jim Jim Falls has for a long time held a fascination for me. JIM JIM....who the hell was Jim and how did he get such a breathtaking waterfall named after him? I admit that the waterfall was not actually flowing (as it doesn't in the dry season) but at 180m high the straight gorge walls made you feel like you were in a hole you couldn't get out of even if you tried. The walls went straight up, allowing Jim Jim Falls to be known as the tallest single drop waterfall at least in the southern hemisphere. The sight was amazing.
 
We made the trek down a well graded gravel road to the camp area from which we traversed a slow, rocky 4WD track dotted with patches of bulldust and sand. Leaving our cruiser behind, we began the real challenge. The 2km return trek into the base of the falls over rocks and boulders, through a gorge carved out mercilessly by the wet season waters. A shallow emerald lagoon lines the base of the gorge, housing fish and any crocodiles that managed to find their way into the gorge during wet season floods. The signs here are clear "ACTUNG" ...Do Not Swim. 
 
We were warned that the hike into Jim Jim Falls was not suitable for small children, but buggered if we were coming this far and not giving it a go. Ella was strapped to Max's back via a backpack and Jake just had to use his little three year old legs. It was a picturesque climb, made that much easier by the decision to wait till late arvo, so the humidity and sunlight were at their minimum. Jake did a wonderful job and only towards the end as the boulders got too large did he need to be carried on my back.
 
It was a challenge scrambling our way through the last hundred metres of huge boulders, but as we crested the final obstacles we were greeted with the most welcome sight known to man (or woman). A huge, cool, emerald plunge pool that was so deep, rimmed by the towering walls of the falls. Just an amazing sight. To top it all off, this part is crocodile free as it is a scramble for anything to get up there, let alone a crocodile.
 
Well we swam, we wallowed and we gazed up in wonder as we floated the cool waters. It is amazing to find water this deep so late in the dry season, but it made us realise how deep this pool must be as the water cascades off the clifftop, pounding into the rocks below during the wet. Such a great experience. We reluctantly called an end to our swim, packed up our gear and began the trek out. As the sun faded we found our way out of the gorge  and managed to capture some pretty pics as the sun disappeared behind the range. Such a classic Northern Territory sunset.
 
The following day we began the journey again into the lesser known Twin Falls, 20km from camp. The 4WD in required a deepish water crossing of the Jim Jim river, but nothing compared to the crossings we have been through up the Cape. The kids have been obsessed with the recent arrival of grandma and pa, and so we have benefitted from their constant desire to be holding one of their hands. No complaints here! The walk in to Twin Falls was easy compared to Jim Jim and included a leisurely boat cruise up the gorge that reminded me that I really hate groups of tourists. It was a pictureque place with white sandy beaches lining the base of the falls and deep green pools similar to Jim Jim, yet here you couldn't swim and the easier access made it popular with 4WD tours.
 
After leaving behind Jim Jim, we made for the northern boundary of Kakadu and finally pointed our 4WDs towards Darwin. Kakadu National Park was a grand mixture of aboriginal rock art, stunning wetlands, a buzz of neverending wildlife and a tribute to aboriginal culture. It really was something special.


Wednesday, September 24, 2008

22nd September – Elsey National Park, Mataranka, NT

 

Have felt the smooth weirdness today of the wheels on bitumen. The first bitumen we have seen since visiting it briefly in Cooktown and before that leaving it way back on the east coast just north of Cape Tribulation.

 

Gee….we have covered some rough roads not least of all the long arid stretches of the Gulf and its spectacular bulldust corridors. (Parts of the road that suddenly become sand as the hard surface breaks down.) The car has worked hard across this top end, but is still ploughing on. Although our GPS, video camera, tailgate and car seats have all become innocent victims of the never ending dust.

 

The day after we left Lorella Springs Station we made a bush camp by the Roper River just shy of Roper Bar. It was a dry isolated road but as the track followed the river it offered some rare chances for shade along its banks. Crocodiles are prevelant in the eastern sections of the Roper River but our camp, although right near the bank, was a good three metres above the water line. We set up camp and afterwards collapsed into our chairs in the shade of the trees.

 

At dusk the toads came out of the wood work. Dirty great Cane Toads, of every size and shape came hopping up from the banks of the river, with their care free, care less attitude. There was a bit of carnage that night as we did our bit for the aussie environment. Whacking them here and there, sending them back to where they came from where we could. It was all in the national interest of course.

 

After heading to bed that night, we were soon reminded of just how close we actually were to the river. Although high above the bank, we could hear crocodiles moving around, swimming and doing whatever it is that they do at night. The sound was disconcerting, especially as we were surrounded by reeds that rustled every time even the tiniest cane toad stumbled through it.

 

Huge, Giant Fruit Bats, dropped their bits and pieces down upon us from the trees throughout the night, and their wings thumped as they flew from the branches.

 

It was a long night as we pondered the likelihood of a croc climbing the bank. We looked down upon our children at ground level, from high up on our camper's double bed and thought 'I guess it's pretty unlikely'. As you guessed there wasn't much sleeping done that night.

 

We packed up the next day and set out for a different camp. We failed to find a good roadside camp past Roper Bar, so we pushed through to Mataranka where we are due to meet my parents on Wednesday anyway.

 

This morning we saw a goanna swimming in the Roper River. I didn't even know they liked to swim.

 

The croc free swimming of the western end of the Roper River led us to Elsey National Park, just outside Mataranka, where we are camped a few hundred metres from the water. It is a very quiet and pleasant campsite, easy to spend a few days. We will sit and wait for the imminent arrival of grandma and pa and make use of the great swimming…. goannas and all!



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20th September – Lorella Springs Station, NT

 

 I don't think you ever quite get used to the sight of a giant, green tree frog in the toilet, but over the last few weeks it has sure become a common sight. Sometimes, if you're really lucky you get one under the rim and one swimming in the bottom, both clinging on for dear life to the porcelain when you flush. Of course I don't want to see them flushed, but over time I have learnt two things. One, they certainly don't want to be turfed out into the 40 degree day and two, they are perfectly adapted to suction themselves to the walls of toilet bowls. Strange things animals will do out here to survive.

 

After leaving Karumba we passed through the pretty much nothingness town of Normanton where you can have a beer at the pub at 8am but can't buy takeaway anything till 12pm. So much for a big resupply! We left town with only half the goods we really needed and headed into the isolation of the Gulf towards Lawnhill National Park.

 

Lawnhill is a National Park renowned for its gorgeous waterholes and gorge as well as the 'Riversleigh' section that houses millions of year old fossils. We visited both, and to be honest were a little disappointed after hearing so much about the place. But it was lovely to have croc free swimming and we got to cruise the waters of Lawnhill Gorge with our inflatable dinghy. Swimming with the fish under the shade of palms was beautiful.

 

After leaving Lawnhill we went north again taking the back roads up to Barraloola. We crossed over the border into the Northern Territory after nearly three months exploring Queensland. The township of Booraloola was a disgrace to say the least but like all outback towns you take what you can get and move on. In our case it was some frozen bread, milk and a bin to dump our oil in from a scheduled oil change. Here they didn't sell takeaway beer till  2.30pm, so again we left town without valuable supplies, but this time we had no backups.

 

As we drove north we crossed into the newly formed Limmen National Park that houses a huge stretch of natural springs. Many of these springs also feed billabongs on the 960,000 acre cattle station, Lorella Springs. After hearing a good word about this place from another couple, we took the 30km deviation off the main track to visit it. Well…we thought we had landed in heaven.

 

It is a working cattle station but has a beautiful camp with green grass and huge eucalyptus trees and best of all, croc free swimming in a thermal pool. The place is run by a funny little bush character named Daryl (that Max managed to do an under counter deal with for two 36 can blocks of XXXX GOLD) and was occupied by only three other groups of campers. Fred…the talkative, yarn spinner from 4WD Action magazine, out there to do a magazine story. Rick…the bizarre metrosexual that drove out there in a Suzuki Swift only to fish from his sea kayak in croc infested waters, rifle across his knees. The most placid, girlie spoken man that I had met in a long time, but he did dangerous stuff neither of us would dream of. The last mob were a couple that had driven up from Alexander in Victoria on a THREE week holiday….Go figure??? Anyway god knows what they thought of us but it was a wonderful few days of good company, good conversation and a great environment.

 



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Friday, September 12, 2008

September 12th 2008 - Karumba, Qld

"Ey Karumba" .... that's all we could pretty much say as we pulled into the little known seaside town of Karumba, 70km out of Normanton, on the Gulf of Carpentaria. We were greeted with bright blue waters and blinding white beaches, a tiny fishing village, supported by a thriving fish and prawning industry. The large port on the Norman River serves not only as a fishing port but as an export hub for live cattle. (I guess all those millions of Brahma cattle we've been seeing have got to go somewhere.)
 
The Gulf is a beautiful sight and it is here in these relatively shallow protected waters that the fishing is said to be the absolute best in Australia. We are surrounded by not only fishing enthusists, but people obsessed by fishing. At the crack of dawn they are out in tinnies, charters and whatever vehicle they can find, and at the turn of the tide they return with bags and bucket loads of fish. There is a fish cleaning area near camp and by midday fishermen and woman are cutting and cleaning, filleting their catches ready for the pan. To be honest I don't know what they do with all they catch. It seems to be far too much for anyone person to eat day after day.
 
Getting over to the Gulf from Cooktown was an adventure. There were many a moment when we asked ourselves how we managed to find such isolated places, but it paid off as we got to see some wonderful cattle stations. As there are no direct roads to the gulf from the Cape most people go down the coast to Mareeba and across the Savannah Way through Georgetown etc. However we decided to shoot south across country from Laura (on the Cape York Road) to meet up with the Burke Developmental Road that crosses the base of the Cape York Peninsula from east to west. A slower more isolated path, but full of birdlife and rich cattle grazing country. We managed to dodge a few steers and not add to the excessivly high wallaby road toll.
 
The days here are gorgeous, and we are blessed with spectacular sunsets that put on a show over the water. When we get tired of this place we will head south west towards Normanton and more of the Gulf country. It's a sight to behold.
 
I guess all my loitering around the fish cleaning area finally paid off as it looks like we are having fish tonight! (Told you they couldn't eat them all themselves....hee, hee)


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Saturday, September 6, 2008

September 6th 2008 - Cooktown, Qld

Back where the hills are undulating and the tracks are maintained. We are tonight in the relative comfort of a motel in Cooktown..... we hit the big smoke! After a few weeks in the desert like conditions of the Cape we have come to rinse the dust and grubbiness off one set of clothes at least. We have things to do and see, so we took the opportunity skip the camper setup for at least one night.
 
Cooktown is another town that has jumped out and surprised us with its natural beauty and unpretentious attitude. We spent time at Weipa on the far north, western side of Cape York and really loved it. It is a lovely sheltered spot and for a mining town we were extremely surprised. Thanks to a few new friends and some senstaional weather, we now call Weipa one of our favorite places.
 
The kids are going along great, and seem to revel in the whole new place, new friends experience. We will spend a few days here before backtracking slightly and heading west towards Normanton and the Gulf.


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Sunday, August 31, 2008

Sunday August 31st - Top of Cape York

"We made it!" We have officially made it to the northern most tip of Australia.
 
We are camped at a place called Loyalty Beach, only 30km or so from the top of Cape York, a west facing beach with a beauitful outlook and plenty of water to wash off the red dust. The trek to the top was completed yesterday when we clambered over a rocky range, down to a little outcrop on the water that is the geographical tip. A small sign marked the official spot, stating the longtitude and latitude and reassuring us that we were in fact at the northern most point.
 
It was a great feeling, and after a gruelling second day on the Old Telegraph Track, it was a pleasure to see what we had come all this way for. The 4WDing was fantastic and non-stop. Our day was filled with river crossings and steep eroded banks, as well as washouts and incredible holes, both in and out of the water. We did two recoveries, one after our rear diff got hung up on a massive bank exiting a river, and the second from deep sand on the track to the Jardine River.
 
The car and trailer managed magnificently and some of the angles they were on was amazing. Big name crossings like Gunshot and Nolan's Brook were conquered with no worries, as well as the dodgey old log bridge crossing at Cypress Creek (that a car had put a wheel thru a week prior). The kids loved the whole episode and Ella spent a lot of her time sleeping on the roughest parts...bizarre!
 
All up, the trek up the Cape via the Old Telegraph Track was everything we had been hoping for and more. We will now hang about enjoying the gorgeous environment and perhaps move further south to another beach on the western side of the Cape tomorrow.
 
Three Tawny Frogmouths (owls) have been roosting in the tree next to our camp for the last two days, disappearing at night and appearing again in the morning. They're not as interested by our presence as we are by theirs. This morning the kids have been playing with a large but dead mud crab. I guess at the end of the day the world is a playground right?
 
 


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Thursday 28th August - Cape York (Elliot Falls)

 

It's funny how when you are in the warmth it feels like the whole world is too. It is hard to imagine the 4 to 12 degrees that Melbourne is in, as we enjoy another balmy 32 degree day.

 

Reception is an elusive stranger out here so I attempt to write the goings on bit by bit. I will post these pieces when we once again hit the bright lights….or at least a telecommunications tower.

 

We are now well and truly on track to the 'Tip'. We are on Cape York at a place called Elliot Falls, a well known place to wet your toes on the trek to the top. Gorgeous waterfalls (Twin Falls, Indian Head and Fruit Bat Falls included) that allow a rare opportunity for Croc-free swimming this far north. We are only a hundred km's from the tip and up here the peninsula is less than 80km across.

 

It is dry and arid, quite different to how we both pictured it. The trip east to the coast at Chilli Beach was a voyage through the more familiar rainforest as we travelled through the Iron Range. However that is apparently the only true rainforest on the Cape.

 

Chilli Beach was blowy and a bit stinky but also quite interesting as you realise how far up the east coast you are. The tide came in and out and bought with it the inevitable rubbish that blows up the east coast of Australia. We can only blame ourselves for that one! The place however was quite beautiful with stark white silica beaches, meeting the frenzied growth of the rainforest.

 

On our way back to the development road from Chilli Beach, we took the lesser known Frenchman's Track, which turned out to be a fantastic decision. The track was great fun, with heaps of washouts and holes to negotiate, not to mention that it ran along the top of the Iron Range before dropping down into the Pascoe River. The Pascoe River crossing, according to our reference books, is a notorious crossing on this track and can be not only deep but extremely hazardous. Being quite late in the season the water level was acceptable, just coming up to the sills on our cruiser, but the approach and departures from the river were more than challenging even without a camper trailer. With an extremely steep descent from the southern side and a long rocky climb over boulders out of the river, it would definitely be the toughest thing we had been through as yet.

 

The Frenchman's Track is not recommended for trailers and right in front of us was the reason why. However with a good walking of the river and a discussion about our best line, we decided the car was capable of pulling the trailer out the other side. The convenient positioning of a couple of cruisers with winches (having smoko) on the other side, certainly cemented our feeling that it was now or never. We made it through. The rest of the track was just as interesting and challenging as we drove through to meet with the development road and continued heading north to Bramwell Junction and the start of the OTL (Old Telegraph Line).

 



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Wednesday, August 13, 2008

July 12th - Palm Cove

Still here at Palm Cove in case anyone was wondering where we had escaped to. We wish we could be bringing you more dramatic news but our stay around Cairns has been delayed until this friday at least as we wait for Ella's compression bandages to arrive (which will control any scarring of her burn). It has been a bit of a challenge for us as we are always keen to keep moving. However the first priority is getting Ella sorted.
 
Living in a caravan park has been an adventure into the wierd and wonderful. The wonderful being the friendly smiles, the elusive bronzed body, the nods, and the sharing of pegs at the clothesline. The weird being the strange pot smoking, white wine drinking neighbour that refuses eye contact, or the bizarre family of 'Christian Soldiers' with seven kids all decked out 'cult like' as father overlooks camp on his cushioned deck chair, his wife pursuing her wifely duties. Ha! All in the name of diversity I say.
 
It's actually quite entertaining watching the comings and goings. Sometimes you're up, sometimes your down. But overall it is all a bit of fun and of course there are worse places to be in the world. I just laugh to think of what they make of our kids waking at 6.30am and announcing to the world that they have wet their pants.


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Tuesday, August 5, 2008

August 5th - Palm Cove, QLD

Looks like we will be calling Palm Cove home for another ten days or so after visiting the Cairns Hospital today. We had organised to do a video conference with doctors at the Brisbane Children's hospital at 12.45pm. So after a bit of peering and prodding, and gazing through computer screens, it was decided that Ella would have dressings re-applied for three days and then measured up on friday for a compression bandage that will manage any scarring. The wound is nearly healed and although it is still pink and rather delicate, they think it will be Ok in 10 days to manage just with an elastic compression sock.
 
As Cape York is not full of hospitals, as everyone knows, we all decided that we are better to wait the ten days and get the compression bandage fitted before we head up the Cape, as opposed to waiting another couple of months till we hit Darwin. Ella doesn't care either way. As long as she can wear her yellow boots and have a chocolate bicky every now and then, she's happy.
 
So with all the ins and outs the moral of the story is that we will wait in this seaside paradise until our work is done!


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Monday, August 4, 2008

July 4th - Palm Cove, Qld

Well certainly alot has happened over the past week and I feel like we have looked on, walked on, or splashed in the waters of most of the beaches this upper east coast has to offer. Some better known than others, but most with pretty much the same things on show, crystal torquoise waters and long, curved beaches. Some with palms and some without. We have been lucky enough to find some lesser known places like St Helens beach (north of Mackay) and Bramston Beach (south of Cairns), where we have pretty much been able to camp on the foreshore overlooking the water. As well as others like Mission Beach and Airlie Beach which have had their own individual vibe to enjoy.
 
We loved Mission Beach and would definately return in the future. It is a very cruisey little town with plenty of hippies and wide open spaces to allow relaxation to come easily.
 
We are now in the gorgeous little town of Palm Cove, just north of Cairns. We have been here before so we knew what to expect and although it is a little busier, it is still as enjoyable as always. Have secured a little corner of the Palm Cove campsite for five days, a beauitful position opposite the beach, with huge palms and fig trees. All secured for the grand price of $17 a night.....ahhh the serenity.
 
Anyway we will now get Ella's arm checked out at the Cairns hospital and change the CV's in the Landcruiser before heading up the Cape.
 
Alex and Scott are holidaying up here till wednesday, up from Melbourne, so it's nice to have some time with familiar faces. Beautiful weather, the beach, few bevvies and some old mates ......what more could you want?


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Tuesday, July 29, 2008

July 29th - Mt Etna Caves, QLD

We are sitting here as the sun goes down, with strange bush turkeys hovering at our feet. Quite disconcerting when you see their beady little eyes, hungry for morsels. We have run into them before, but not quite as friendly or pushy as they are here at the Capricorn Caves (previously the Mt Etna Caves), 24km north of Rockhampton.
 
Arrived here about 3pm after stopping in Rockhampton to visit our friendly Foodworks.
 
Our previous camp just out of 1770 (the town) and Agnus Waters, was in the Eurimbula NP, called middle Creek. It is an obscure fishing location that we hoped no-one bothered to drive out to, and we were pretty much right. We weaved our way through tiny, and i mean tiny, sand/dirt tracks that took us for 19km, out to the mouth of the very tidal Middle Creek. But gee when we got there was it worth it! Even now we are amazed that we managed to find such an isolated campsite, only 30km or so from the very touristy Agnus Waters/1770.
 
Our camp was up high on a headland looking out over the ocean and Middle Creek, 300 degrees of water. Just gorgerous! Anyway I will be sure to post some photos soon so you can all photoshop yoursleves in.....


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Friday, July 25, 2008

July 25th - Fraser Island

Well the rain has finally stopped, after dumping more than 120mm on us in less than 48hrs. It rained non-stop for two whole days and only ceased late last night. The gale force winds continued to gust into the early hours threatening to tear our place apart, before leaving us in an eery silence this morning. The kids, who normally wake with the birds at the first hint of daylight, slept in till 7.45am. Allowing a rare sleep in for us too.....bizarre.
 
We have seen two dingoes while we have been on the Island. The first sorry looking specimen, we saw wandering aimlessly on the beach the first day we arrived. The second Max and Jake met, as they made a mad dash in the downpour to the nearby bushes (not all of us can have an ensuite). It was scrounging around near the tent, in the pouring rain, looking again very sad and sorry for itself. After the initial shock of being disturbed it dashed off, only to stand around for a few minutes just in case we decided to send a few morsels its way, before disappearing.
 
As the rain and wind bombarded us, we spent the first day hiding from the elements inside the tent. But as the conditions continued into the second day we decided to brave it and attempt a few of the inland tracks. It was an absolute crack! The tracks that had been dry two days earlier were running like rivers. It was great to see. So our boring afternoon turned into some of the best 4WDing we have done so far.....Great stuff. We sank in the sloppy sand and hit some deep wheel ruts that were carved out even deeper by the fast running water. Crept thru giant rainforests with pools of water over the track, and attempted to take photos with only a parka to keep me and the camera dry. Not so succesful.
 
We had avoided the beach because of the hazardous conditions, and the howling on shore wind which was causing the sea to come up as far as the dunes. However the inland tracks were full of their own hazards and we had fun negotiating them as the rain continued to hammer down. Eventually we ended up on the coast at Happy Valley, one of the islands so called resorts, where we had a quick bite before deciding to brave the beaches back to our campsite. We were still nearly three hours from low tide but because of the winds there was high seas no matter what time you left.
 
So we gritted our teeth and with the rain still coming down, made a dash for camp, negotiating the waves and washouts as we went. Other vehicles stuck by the same weather were also nervously looking at the surf as they drove along the beach trying to reach camp. Ha! All up quite an eventful day and we really got to see nature at its wild and wooliest....


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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

July 22nd - Fraser Island

With cruiser and camper primped and preened, food stocked to the roof and two travel worthy children, we waved goodbye to Noosa and headed for the sands of Fraser Island. It was strange being back on the road but straight away we gave a collective sigh of relief and felt that freedom creep back into our bones. Ella and Jake were excited and enthusiastic to be back in the 'big black car' and be towing our house again.
 
Made our way via Rainbow Beach to Inskip Point, which was beautiful and crawling with 4wd's and families swimming and fishing. Here we boarded the barge to scoot us the 500m across to Fraser Island. The distance from the mainland to the island is shortest from Inskip Point and we had heard that most good beaches and 4WDing was accessed from this end. 
 
As the barge bumped rather awkwardly into the beach on Fraser, we loaded up and after letting our tyre pressures down, took to the beach. Awesome stuff! The beaches are beautiful and although we were a couple of hours off low tide it was still easy enough to negotiate our way north and through some beach streams. The day was grey, but with the raging seas and white sands, it was exhilarating. It was a strange feeling hooning along the beach thinking at any time the fun police were going to come along and tell us to get off the beach. Cool fun.
 
There is bush camping along certain sections of the eastern beach (which we had already paid a permit for) so we chose a secluded looking spot and tried to find a suitable camp. Our first attempt found us mounting a soft white sund dune that would give any dune from the Simpson desert a run for its money, but the cruiser managed it fine and we found gorgeous grass and sand covered camps, nestled just off the beach behind the first dune. GORGEOUS! We nearly managed to get the trailer and cruiser bogged on our first attempt to position ourselves, but success prevailed.
 
Setting ourselves on a secluded grassy knoll looking back towards the beach we revelled in our perfect campsite...ahhhhhhh
 
Our second day still saw grey skies but we decided to do some inland 4WDing to see the three giant lakes and beautiful rainforests. It really is a place of contrasts. We drove 15km or so up the beach, past people fishing which again made me wish I knew something about fishing...sigh... and turned off onto an inland track.
Much to our disgust the inland lakes were inhabited by those wacky foreign tourists who think throwing around giant flourescent beach balls and floating five to a blowup boat is something we all enjoy to see and hear. NOT! So we hightailed it away from the hire cars and backpackers and made for the serenity and isolation of the eastern beach.
 
Back to the beach we enjoyed the afternoon, although not much sun.
 
Last night the grey, threatening skies delivered on their promise and opened up. We knew it was coming so it was no great surprise to wake at midnight to hear the rains coming down. The rain has continued non stop through this morning and we are holed up in our camper. A change of camp, as planned today, doesn't seem like such a great idea in this weather. So we will sit it out till we can get back onto the beach.............maybe the next blog will be about the great cup of tea we just had!


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Thursday, July 17, 2008

July 17th 2008 - Noosa

Hi all,
 
...... Onwards and upwards!!!! You should all be happy to know that after a visit to the hospital in Brisbane again today the doctor has given us the go ahead to move on. They are more than happy with Ella's progress and are confident she will heal up in a few weeks. We have been decked out with a supply of dressings and will do the dressing changes ourselves every seven days till we hit Cairns, where we will do a final video conference with the doctors. Ahhh modern technology.....
 
After a few average days we are now revitalised and have used the down time to pull everything out of our roof rack pack, fix a puncture in our boat, put new shocker mounts on the trailer, service the cruiser, wash some blankets and sheets (that had been visited by bush mice at our last camp) and rebuild one of our air compressors. Busy, busy but all good. On top of this we were able to catch up with many family members, share in a birthday (Bridgette's 25th) and drive in Brisbane peak hour traffic with our camper trailer...TWICE. See even on boring days life is an adventure.
 
We will spend the weekend finalising things and will head north to Fraser Island on monday. From there we will cruise up the coast to Cairns where we will video conference with the Children's hospital before getting the go ahead to escape up the Cape. MMMmmmmm isloation.....and leeches...yay


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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

July 15th - Noosa Qld

Good News.....returned to the Children's hospital yesterday for a review of Ella's arm and there is a great improvement. The doctor is confident it will heal on its own and has cancelled the surgery for wednesday, so we are greatly relieved. There is no need for a skin graft and we will just continue with the current dressing, changing it every four days or so. Tough as old boots is little Ella and is just her normal self.
 
We will now stay at Perigian Beach at Noosa for a while till we find out when we can move on. We will continue to drive to Brissy for dressing changes as needed.
All up we are using the opportunity to do some repairs and maintenance on the car and trailer and some cleaning of our gear and bedding.
 


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Thursday, July 10, 2008

JULY 10 - Gold Coast

Just a quick update to explain that we are on the Gold coast and around Brisbane as Ella has burnt her arm and is getting treatment at the Childrens hospital. We were camped out at Carnarvon National Park in the Salvator Rosa section, having a lovely time and had been there for two or three days. Early arvo Ella managed to fall backwards off a small camp chair onto the ashes of a small fire that had been alight that morning. It was a about 4pm but the coals underneath were obviously still hot enough to do a bit of damage. Anyway we managed to get water onto it and dress it properly, then drive the two and a half hours out to a rural hospital. Since then we have been to Tawoomba Hospital and then onto the burns unit at the Brisbane Children's Hospital, so the best people are looking after her. She has been great and doesn't seem bothered by it at all, has been a real trooper. She will however need a skin graft to help it all heal, which looks like happening this week.
 
In the meantime, we are all fine and Ella is having a wonderful time playing with her cousins (who live up here) and visiting the beach. Anyway all's well that ends well so we will see what happens over the next week or so.


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Monday, June 30, 2008

30th June 2008 - Simpson Desert to Charleville

Pulled in to Charleville Qld this morning about 11.30am, and gazed wide-eyed at the big city. Not quite a big city but to us it felt somewhat bigger than what we were used to. We have decided to bed down here for a couple of days to do a complete re-stock of our food supplies (at a real supermarket) and get some admin and washing done. First stop was a dodgey pub for that LONG awaited counter meal, which actually was quite good. Ahhhh, so with full stomachs we continued the buy up.....bananas.....ooohhhh...salad.....what is this strange world?
 
On our travels to Charleville we had headed north from Birdsville (after the Simpson) towards Bedourie than cut a diagonal path north towards the rarely talked about Diamantina National Park. The thought of staying on the main roads east was a bit of a drag, so we literally travelled thru the middle of nowhere to get to what ended up being a magnificent place. With great pleasure we stumbled off the desolate plains to be greeted by Gumhole waterhole, a beautiful, shady little place. We quickly made ourselves at home and wasted no time in cruising the cool waters in our boat and building a campfire....the stars....the stars.!
 
After spending time at both Gumhole and another little campsite at nearby Hunters Gorge we reluctantly left Diamantina, to again be greeted by the isolation as we made our way back to meet the road heading east to Windorah.
 
Had a night at Windorah where I had Lee Kernaghan songs playing over and over again in my head...... before heading to a great campsite on a lake just out of Quilpie. Anyway to cut a long story short. Beautiful campsite, great wildlife and even the strange group of travellers that insisted on camping on top of us on the last night, couldn't destroy our spirits. YAY for lakes in the middle of nowhere!!!!!


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Saturday, June 28, 2008

SIMPSON DESERT

The Simpson desert was an absolute hoot!! We did it all....forded rivers, slid through mud pans, and sank in bulldust. Such a crack up really. Headed East out of Birdsville on a sunny morning covering the 37 odd km out to the BIG RED sand dune and the start of the desert. The track out to Big Red was as challenging as we had seen and we kept saying to ourselves "yeah, some desert". The water at some crossings cascaded over our windscreen as we ploughed through, the mud trying to suck us in if we deviated too far to the sides of the track. It was quite an introduction to this new adventure.
 
When we eventually arrived at the foot of Big Red we let our tyre pressures down and mumbled to ourselves something about a track that goes around???? Yes of course that's a good plan we said, after all why risk it with a trailer and two little kids? So we very proudly took the more cutious route to the north that we thought took us around the worst of Big Red. NOT SO. In our slightly confused yet dedicated way (there was no way Max was not going up even if it did look rather steep)...this is the easy route right? We gritted our teeth and let the Cruiser do its work. If you haven't guessed we now think the world of our car!!!!
 
The cruiser didn't miss a beat and ploughed up that sand dune with no worries what so ever. It was literally a breathtaking moment as we hit that crest. The car pointed us to the sky for those final seconds where we were suspended before the momentum finally pushed us over and the sight ahead of us was incredible. As we paused on the dune top, ahead of us lay a sheet of water (from the recent floods) and just one single track megerly making its way over a sandune off in the distance. It was incredible! For a split second your mind goes 'Oh my god'.....before you realize you can probably go around.
 
Anyway as we know now, we in fact launched ourselves over the main BIG RED dune, not the bypass route. The main track is in fact the easier route and people deviate to take the Bigger Route. Mmmmmm anyway neither of us can say we regret it. In fact I'm glad we can say we climbed it. Pity we can't say the same from the other direction HA!
We drove on through the desert negotiating water and sand like it was as natural as spinifex. Such a strange contrast in one of the harshest deserts in Australia. Great fun though.
 
We noticed the trailer, but all up the cruiser handled things wonderfully and after each dune we breathed a collective sigh of relief. It was great fun. The desert finally had its way with us when we were stopped by a relatively small dune, angled and highly corrugated. We tried multiple times but couldn't get traction to take us over. Max with his dogged determintion didn't want to give in but eventually we had to admit defeat and set up camp. The camp that night was one of the best we've had so far. Gorgeous skies, vivid colours and just alive with animal life.
 
Next morning we backtracked to Big Red, closely followed by a couple of Fords. Our attempt at crossing Big REd via the so called easier route was not as successful, with both the F150 and ourselves needing a little tug from a friend (F250) to get us up over the crest. Ahhhh all in a days work................


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Innamincka - Birdsville/Simpson Desert

Sorry we have been completely out of touch for so long, but as you all know, this is a BIG country with very little reception. We have had a wonderful time and i will do my best to fill you in with what has happened.
 
We left Innamincka and headed south down the Stezlecki Track, which was scarred with many massive wheel ruts and slippery sections after the rain. Spent a great night at the Montcollina Bore that is a hot artesian spring, which allowed us to indulge in hot water pursuits.....washing dishes, clothes, bodies etc...Had dingoes hanging around at night. Finally arrived in Lyndhurst at the end of the track, where we desperately needed to refill our water tanks (one still not in operation) repairs would have to wait till we reached a bigger town. 
 
We gladly left Lyndhurst after having to pay 10 bucks for 20 litres of water...cough, cough.....and made our way up towards Marree and the start of the Birdsville Track. Stopping to make camp at the beautiful Farina where we stayed for a good two days just chilling out. Gorgeous old ruins allowed me to get some nice pictures and all of us to relax under the massive sky. GORGEOUS
 
Topped up our fuel and water tanks at Marree, after Max was able to make some repairs.
 
Birdsville Track was rutted and rough after no doubt suffering the same rain we had run into a week ago. We stopped to camp at the Mirra Mitta Bore almost exactly half way up the track, after taking a punt that there would be a few trees (or bushes) to shelter us from the gibber stones and the wind. The site was great, with again a hot artesian bore spewing out near boiling water that trickled down alongside our camp, supplying us with hot water. We fended off a few curious travellers the next morning and stayed on in our little desert paradise for another night or two.
 
Pulling up stumps we pushed on into Birdsville.....mmmmmm which day? What day is it again? Can't remember. Camped two nights on the lovely Diamintina River just outside of town and got ourselves stocked up again with supplies and water. Birdsville has a town water supply care of their hot bore (1700m) that also supplies their power so we were revelling in the taps with fresh water, long showers and grassy green oval (bizarre I know).
 
The second day.....as we gritted our teeth against little voices whining mummy...daddy, we decided we could take no more and took ourselves off to have a beer and an orange juice at the Birdsville Hotel. If only for an hour.


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18th June 2008 INNAMINCKA TO BIRDSVILLE

 

 

Man, what a trip so far. We have had just about every condition you would normally expect from a Wilsons Prom or Cape Otway. First we had record rainfall in Broken Hill, 58mm in 12 hours which was the largest single rainfall since records started in 1912. Then we had flooding around Innamincka and the Coongie Lakes so severe that about half a dozen vehicles were ordered (via rangers in helicopters) to stay put rather than attempt the three metre high waters that had surrounded, isolated and closed all roads in and out of Innamincka except the road south to the Strezleki Track. And finally 87mm fell in two days around the Birdsville, Simpson area.

It all started days earlier as we finally made our break from Broken Hill and headed north up the Tibooburra Rd, travelling past Milparinka and turning west, along a sodden track, towards Cameron Corner. We busted a mount on a trailer shocker that in turn ruptured a fitting on our water tanks.  Thankfully that was discovered before we lost all our water. (Two Tanks…yay!)   After minor repairs we were back on track, fighting the mud and flood ways in an area that usually sees nothing but bulldust and corrugations.

We arrived at Cameron Corner, had the obligatory beer at the store and recounted our plans to avoid the masses and see some good sights. The locals assured us that Innamincka and surrounds was worth a visit, so we decided against turning south when we hit the Strezleki Track, and thought we'd head north to spend a week or so visiting Innamincka, the Dig Tree and a stack of other 4WD sites before heading north towards Birdsville.

Out of Cameron Corner the track was atrocious…….mud so thick and deep our cruiser earnt its keep for the next year. After many close encounters we managed to avoid getting bogged long enough for us to struggle out at Merty Merty (love that name) onto the Strezleki Track. Max and his muddy Otway experience really did pay off. (MaxTION MAN!!!)

We arrived at Innamincka with big plans. Only to be thwarted, like the crew of sorry looking travellers we found camped, stranded at the Innamincka General Store. The roads had  already been closed for days (one guy had been there seven days), and showed little sign of opening soon. The river that usually provides such gorgeous camping, had burst its banks leaving people little option but to seek dry ground on the gibber rocks adjacent to the ranger station, general store and pub right in the centre of town.

It is here that we began our three day vigil waiting patiently for the roads to dry out and re-open. As the stories began to filter in about the rescue attempts at the Coongie Lakes and how people were still stuck up there, we began to realise our drive had been a waste of time. Staying longer would require a week at least for the roads we wanted to be open, and unfortunately there is only so much gibber plain a person can take. We packed up and bailed out, heading south the way we had come in search of open roads and eventually fresh water.



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Sunday, June 8, 2008

Broken Hiill to Broken Hill - 8th June 2008

Aaahhh....the rain goes on. We arrived in Broken Hill on Friday to find out that they had had 58mm of rain in the early hours (the highest rainfall on record!!!!). We curiously looked  at all the water lying on the roadside and hoped there was not more to come. The Silverton camp ground served as our home for two nights, where we were able to dry out our camper and check out a few of the sites. Got some photos of Max in front of the fake replica MAD MAX machine  at the Silverton Hotel.... (I hope he looks mad enough!) Saturday we educated ourselves in the mining processes of the Hill and viewed a huge collection of historic photos at a local exhibition. Really Interesting.
 
Last night Ella gave us a tolerance lesson after waking at 11pm, vomiting all over herself due to a water drinking attempt gone wrong. Aaaahh...quick dash to the dodgy shower block and at least Ella's pajamas were clean. I can not speak for anything else. Her hair had to stay unwashed due to the late (cold) hour and of course her blankey (code pet name) who received the full brunt of the assault could not be duplicated by a poor imitation. She would not hear of it! So Max and I had to tolerate not only a small baby with a spewy aroma but a slightly creepy, damp blanket that was cuddled and held close......ewwwwww.
 
So now we are holed up at Broken Hill due to road closures that prevent us from heading north to Camerons Corner. We packed up keenly this morning only to be stopped abruptly by the news that nearly all roads around Broken Hill are closed. We are determined to head north and get in close to the dog fence, so we will wait the rain out and see if they open tomorrow. Wish us luck......xx


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Thursday, June 5, 2008

Mildura to Broken Hill - June 5th 2008

Reluctantly left the isolation of the very quiet riverside camps (due to the time of year I'm sure) to venture into the big smoke today....Mildura. To grab a few supplies and fuel before heading into the desert. City driving is considerably more stressful than the open road but we managed to score ourselves a couple of pies, a milkshake (for Jake) and some food stores to keep us and the car going for a few hundred more K's. Had already decided to call tonight a shower and wash stop, so all of us feel alot better after a long HOT shower and a set of clean clothes care of the Wentworth Caravan Park.
 
Looking forward to heading into more desert country tomorrow, as we go north towards Broken Hill. Will spend some time exploring the history and what not and plan to keep going north and follow the dog fence to Camerons Corner and some Burke and Wills country.......ahhhhh such a sad story. Anyway better luck for us..till next time, X


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Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Day 3 - Tuesday 3rd June 2008

Day 3
 
Can't belive I am only just getting an opportunity to write an update. We are again tonight on the banks of the mighty Murray River just outside of Swan Hill and the sun is just going down. Campfire going, beds set up and time now just to enjoy the peace and tranquility.....ahhhhh. We camped at Echuca for a couple of nights and today Jake and Ella became instant Steam boat captains as they guided the old paddlesteamer "Pride of the Murray" through the masses of docked house boats to cruise up and down the river for an hour or so. Good stuff!
 
The cruiser and the camper are holding up great. Max and I are learning very quickly new shortcuts and tricks of the trade. Anyway no fish yet, so must go and catch our selves a Cod. Luv to all x


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