The road will get rough so tighten your travel mug lid

 Once the shops opened & we restocked with some food then set up camp at the show grounds where we could leave the van so we could go out to Elquestro on the Gibb River Rd. Not being able to find the button that transforms the cruiser into a camper Josh & I went about transferring our camping gear the old fashion way manuallyJ . Setting off mid morning the next day the first part of the Gibb is being tarred, then we hit dirt just before Emma Gorge turn off, it is part of Elquestro where there is camping so we stopped at the entrance for lunch sausage sangas beside the road, 16km into the camp ground where we booked in for 2 nights the pricing for the tent site (dirt) & passes for the gorge walks was $360:00 when we got up & started to crawl away to call 000 the nice lady behind the counter said she could do a family deal, that’s fine just don’t let that big bloke give me mouth to mouth. So he helped us up & propped us up to the counter then she proceeded to reduce the price down to $120:00 for 2 nights I am sure there was a hidden camera somewhere so they can watch people’s faces over a few beers that night. As we got to our site the cruiser felt a bit strange in the rear yep we’ve got our first puncture (this trip) so while camp was being set up I did a repair to the tyre.

Elquestro Gorge

 The next morning we walked Elquestro Gorge in the cool it was sensational a real tropical atmosphere, the water in the gorge was cold but that didn’t stop the kids swimming. The next walk was Moonshine Gorge it was in full sun & the walk was on river rocks so 1km into the walk we turned back to swim at the water hole. That afternoon we drove to Pigeon lookout then to Saddle back lookout for sunset, there were fires burning around the hills & a lot of dust in the air so there are some amazing pictures of the sun setting. Back to camp for a feed & get ready for the next day. 

Elquestro Gorge

Emma Gorge Falls

 Packing up the next morning we stopped at the thermal pools for a swim then back tracked to Emma Gorge. The walk in was great the boulders were starting to get bigger to climb over but once at the end of the gorge you can swim under the water fall so I hit the water & it was icy a very quick swim around the rocks to a thermal pool was in order, I might add everyone else walked to the thermal pool over the rocks, with some convincing Josh & I swam out to the falls, the water was so cold under the falls it was like someone sticking pins in your skin so back to the rock pool where we sat for half a hour to warm up. Walking out we passed quite a few people coming in so we did the right thing & let them know about the thermal pool & swimming around the rocks was the only way to them J. By the time we got back to the car it was lunch so a bite to eat & were off again, as we came to the Pentecost River a few vehicles were stopped so a quick chat & photos we crossed the river it was flowing fast but only about a foot deep, climbing up from there the views back were great so we stopped at the lookout for photos then continued on. About 20km down the road the cruiser had a moment & waged its tail... hmm that didn’t feel right so we pulled up Kylie yelled out the left rear is flat... BINGO the right rear is flat as well both rear tyres at the same time how lucky is that. I managed to repair the right rear & put the spare on the left but the tyres are buggered so we decided to turn around & head back to Kununurra to sort out tyres. Late afternoon we drove towards Wyndham to find a camp spot but the ground was rock, not real friendly to tent pegs so we ate at the lookout then drove back to the van from which was still 100km away.

Emma Gorge

moonshine Gorge

 The next day after a good nights sleep I went & bought 4 new tyres & kept the 2 tyres that were ok for spares. We decided to leave the cruiser set up as a camper & tow the van to Derby via the Bungle Bungles & come into the Gibb from the other end.

Pentecost River

It’s getting hot so grab an iced coffee

 

 Getting into Darwin early so we can get a site at the show grounds but the last site was taken the night before so a few phone calls and we’re off to a van park 10ks from the city get a number & wait till 11am when they start calling numbers for the vacant sites this should be fun, after sitting for nearly an hour “BINGO” that’s our number & we’re off to set up camp. We spent 4 days sightseeing Darwin the museum was a high light as they had a display from cyclone Tracey & a lot of info of what happen around that time. We had dinner at Stokes Wharf one night where we ran into Max & Rhonda who we met at Atherton they had already been back to Perth & returned to Darwin to meet family for dinner that night on the wharf. We also went to the night markets which was a blow out there was about 500 people there that night, Josh & Clare brought whips & Mick  taught them how to crack them properly.

Wangi Falls

  An early start & we’re off to Lichfield NP where we will spend a few days, when we arrived at  Wangi Falls camp ground we got the 2^nd last site (now that’s planning) a quick service of the car & we’re off for a swim at the falls. The water was refreshing, Josh & I found a hot spring that filled a hole in the rock the hole was about 8 feet deep then we found some rocks to jump off & swam over to the water falls were we could sit under them. After an hour of coaxing the girls they swam over to the hot springs, Clare & Kirsty swam under the water fall but Kylie would only swim close to them, after nearly 3 hours of swimming we needed a feed & then we would come back later. The next day we went sightseeing to the lost city & to Florence Falls were we went swimming again lots of back packers there so we didn’t hang around long, more swimming back at Wangi Falls to finish off the last day in Lichfield NP.

Hot pool next to falls

 The next day we stopped at Bridge creek free camp beside the road, washing day again & Josh & I did some repairs to the cruiser. The following day I washed the van with creek water & Josh went & found some bamboo so he could build an A frame shelter to sleep in that night but while he was cutting bamboo he disturbed 3 fresh water crocs so Mum wouldn’t let him go & get the last bit he needed ( that’s the excuse he used )he improvised, completed it and spent his first cold night in a shelter he had built himself.

Josh sleeping in his shelter

Termite mound in Lichfied NP

The Lost City

  Back in Katherine more shopping & I picked up parts for the cruiser and then we visited the thermal springs before heading out to a free camp for the night. Not much later 4 other vans stopped for the night so a fire was lit & there were lots of yarns told till late into the night. The next morning we went back to Katherine so I could do the repairs to the cruiser & Kylie work as well the kids did some school work before going for a swim in the thermal springs, we then headed back out of town to a free camp further down the track than the night before. The drive through the ranges to the Victoria River road house were just spectacular we love the way the country side changes over the next hill or round the next corner. Around this area there are lots of 4wd tracks that are extreme so it looks like a place to revisit later down the track, the next stop is Big Horse NP on the Victoria Rive,r as we pulled in Ned & Gae were there so it was time for a catch up yarn around another fire that night. After 2 days there & no fish to be caught time to head to the WA boarder ( yep heading into another state already) as we got to the dirt road turn off @ Zebra Rock camp a traveller stopped us to say that the camp had closed, we found out later that it closed 1hr before we got there, so we set up camp on the side of the road to cook up all vegies before crossing the border the next day. Later that afternoon 4 vans pulled in near us as I went out to greet them they had put there vans in a circle like they were wagon trains so I politely let them no Indians would be attacking that night so they would be safe.... oops nomads with NO sense of humour back in the van for me J . Pulling up at the boarder quarantine the inspector checked the fridges for illegal’s trying to sneak across the border, I thought he would have noticed we had Qld number plates not Victorian, a pretty uneventful border crossing so not long till we reached Kununurra where we notice it was very quite in town & once again nothing open... oops Sunday again & we forgot to put our clocks back an hour & half J .

Boab at sunset Big Horse creek

Make a hot coffee it’s still cold

  Leaving Alice & the temp is still in the minus, heading north back to the marbles for the night hoping for warmer weather. We met a family there who were on a 3 month trek up through the centre then down the west coast. The next morning we stopped at Tennant Creek  then we went through to Newcastle Waters, a free camp on the side of the road “oh no”  looks pretty full & it’s late in the day. After talking to a few people we squeezed in between a van & a fence where Kylie parked perfectly in front of about a dozen people they all watched closely especially the fellow that didn’t park his car straight. He was concerned about the front of his car so I reassured him he wouldn’t notice any damage because it was the same colour as the vanJ after a bit of gloating & a cuppa everyone dispersed. We met Ned & Gae, and Allan & Donna that night around there fire. The next morning we all headed off to camp at Daly Waters pub where they put on a live show each night it was one of those places if it could hang from the roof it was up there. The next morning we went to Mataranka & stayed at Elsey NP, there we visited the thermal springs & walked up the river to some waterfalls & swam in the river when we got back only freshies in here I think.

  We moved onto Katherine for more fuel & food & then went to Edith falls for the night ( so we thought ) the camp ground was full, once you get up north booking & early arrival is essential but that doesn’t concern us too much, back tracking 15k’s we pulled in a side track & set up near a creek for the night, as dark set in as usual back packers arrived so we weren’t alone.  Next morning we were off early heading for Kakadu NP, when we got to the information centre where they advised us to leave the van there for the day & do some exploring before going to camp that night. We then drove to Gumlom falls 40km of corrugations there were lots of spares beside the road, the lower water hole was very cold so we walked up to the top of the falls to several rock pools where we spent time swimming before walking back down for lunch. After picking up the van we drove to a camp for the night, this was the first of two very hot nights which was a lot better than the freezing cold. The following night was a nicer camp & we also had showers there, we explored around the area then ready to move on the next day. Stopping a Jabiru for lunch but it was Sunday so there wasn’t anything open (where did that week go?).

waiting for lunch

 So we are off to Merls campground which is at Cahill’s crossing on the boarder of Kakadu & Arnhem Land, the boarder is the East Alligator River. After setting up camp we headed down to the crossing before sunset as the tide was coming in this is when the crocs are most active we sat up on a deck that overlooks the crossing & watched people fishing off the crossing,( this could get interesting there’s live bait )water was flowing over the road & to the right there was a 3mtr croc sunning itself (probably watching those guys fishing) not much action that night so back to the van for dinner. The next day was a washing day so  Josh & I repacked the wheel bearings in the van & serviced the generator then after lunch we went on a few walks, on the rain forest walk there was a croc sleeping on the river bank (you won't get any deposits back from that bank) where we could stand just above him for a closer look I realised that the camera was back in the car so I ran back to get it ( yes I ran)but he was in the water eating a fish when I got back, so after a while we left him alone we then headed down to the boat ramp for high tide. When we got there, there were 5 locals on the other side of the river fishing after a while they caught a small shark, we learnt 2 new things here sharks & crocs swim together & this was the 1^st time we saw sharks jump out of the water chasing fish, when the locals left they dug up out of the sand 2 more sharks & a sting ray, they had gutted the sharks on the sand & left it there. At dusk we saw a large croc coming up the river with the tide, he swam past us & stopped about 50 meters from the crossing, swam around for a while then slowly swam back towards the other side coming out of the water onto the sand right where the locals had left the guts from the sharks & then he ate what was left, he was quite a big croc, by this stage it was dark so back to camp. Leaving the next morning for Darwin we had one more night on the side of the road at a free camp then the job of getting into a van park in Darwin.



Josh testing the water & Mum



just cruising



eating the scraps



sleeping giant

    An early start so make your coffee strong

  After a hot shower catch up on washing & a good night sleep, the sun doesn’t show it’s face till 7:30 am most mornings so it’s been hard to adjust to late starts. Time to change the cruiser from a tourer/tow vehicle into a 4wd/camper so Josh & I striped the back & draw system bare then removed everything from the roof racks WOW how does all that fit in the cruiser. Then we packed 5 days worth of food, fuel, cloths, water& some tools, this took us around 4 hours. We booked the van into another park around the corner as they had a storage area.

 Well here comes that early start get 3 kids up when it’s still dark & only 5 deg, first challenge for the day then I hooked up the van while they crawled into the car, drove to the storage area booked the van in & then parked it jumped back into the car to drive off & from the back seat we hear are we there yet *#*#!.... No soon J we better get a drive through coffee.

!st night set up



 Driving west through the West McDonnell ranges we came to a water hole that was a swim area that no one was in still too cold  let’s move on. Our first gorge was serpentine gorge the walk to the gorge was easy then Josh lead us up a path to a lookout which was 500 metres straight up ( look out means LOOK OUT )well this will get us ready for Ayres Rock. We had lunch there then drove to a NP for the night. The Northern Territory Nation Parks are great each site has a bbq fire pit & a gas bbq with 2 gas burners & a central drop toilet. We set up the tent boiled the billy & got ready for our 1^st night in the tent. Then the dingos started coming around just on dark they were very inquisitive we saw them looking in car windows & tents for food. The next morning the temp was 3 deg at 8am a very quick pack up & move on so the heater got working. Today we would drive the Marini loop to Kings Canyon, the road was around 180km of dirt road this should be fun I dropped the tyre pressures to 30psi.  The corrugations & wash outs were quite big but we managed to drive at a comfortable speed & got to Kings Canyon by lunch time.



Heart break hill

Canyon rim walk

  After lunch we found the Canyon & walked the creek walk up the centre of the canyon, looking up at the top of the canyon where we would walk the next day was going to be challenging so we enjoyed our walk up the canyon. The next morning was a bit warmer but windy so we geared up for the start of the climb, heart break hill L  with a 6 km rim walk this will be interesting all I can say is it was fantastic the rock formations, the views were nothing what we expected. The walk took around 4 hours with the odd break & lunch but really worth the effort. A break at the bottom & were off to our next destination Curtin Springs about 100 km from Uluru. It was a big day out 4 hour walk then a 300km drive then reset up the tent fortunally the people we set up next to weren’t going anywhere the following day so they looked after our tent for us. Josh got a fire going that night so we cooked diner then off to bed.



Foot of the rock

 Up before the sun again & on the road it was -2 that morning the butane burner would only run for a few minutes as the gas froze so I rotated them from the burner to the water on the stove, a well deserved coffee that morning. 50 km out of Uluru was our first glimpse of Ayres Rock (the Aussie name) the kids were in awe of the size of the rock. 15 km from the rock the kids were really blown away by its size. Parking at the base of the rock I think they were a bit intimidated as we were about to climb up the face. If you have ever seen the rock you know what I mean it’s bigger than Ben Herr. It took us 2 hours to climb to the top of Ayres Rock where customary photos were taken, Back in 1988 when Kylie & I climbed there was a book to sign at the top not anymore no one really wants us up there, tuff I say it was also a lot steeper than we could remember. The wind was very strong so in places you really had to hang on; the chain at the start has been extended. If you are going to have this climb on your bucket list then make sure you spend the right money & buy quality walking boots we saw so many people in joggers slipping on the rock surface you can’t take chances up there. From there we went to the cultural centre to be cultural J

across the top

 Then we drove out to the Olgas had lunch & went on one walk, back to Uluru for fuel as I forgot to fill up that morning so we got back on the smell of an oily rag( it was close only 5 litres left in the tank)back out to the rock to watch the sunset & eat tea before heading back to camp for the night. Back at camp & straight to bed an exhausting day I put a butane cartridge in the bottom of my sleeping bag so it might be warmer the next morning. Later that night the girls woke me up something is try to get Josh, what’s up boy? There is something outside my swag, dilemma do I fight my way out of the sleeping bag & tent to find that whatever is there has gone or do I go back to sleep & clean up the mess in the morning? With the girls still screaming I better get up yep nothing there back to bed. Packing up the next morning the camp we were at had hot showers for $3 ea, I guess when the air temp is in the minuses & water hasn’t frozen that is classed as hot water J There was 1 more night in the tent & we would be back in the van can’t wait. Our last stop for this trip was beside the road there we caught up with a couple we met at Babinda several months earlier. A big fire that night by 9pm the temp was 0 deg, the next morning the water was frozen in the kettle @ 7:30 it was -5 deg not a good start to the day let’s get moving back to Alice. Back in the van park a real hot showers a heater & proper bed now this is livin. We cover 1400km that week & walked 20 hard km & had a great time with lots of memories.



At the top

The Olgers from the top Ayres Rock

Put out that camp fire grab your travel mug & billy where back on the road make a coffee first

  After nearly 8 weeks in Isa cramming my feet back into work boots my work cloths seem to had shrunk travelling in the van & losing the tan on my feet it’s time to get moving again. We all had a great time in Isa met a lot of nice people Kirsty & Joshua worked long late hours at their jobs, Clare kept busy she found a dog ( Mick) 2 vans up from us & walked him several times a day he was a lot like Lou in his personality so he fitted in well, I am sure he’ll miss his walks & sun baking during the day while Clare was doing her school work. The land cruiser got some of those repairs that didn’t get done before we left we finally have air conditioning as were about to head into cooler weather so that will be fun. 

 The 1^st night after leaving Isa we met up with my parents at Camooweal beside a billabong were we stayed for 2 nights. Yep I can smell the border from here it’s finally coming we’re out of Qld tomorrow, it’s been 3 months since we left Brisbane 1 more sleep.

  THERE IT IS yelling from the back seat it’s the NT border yep their pretty excited as well a new adventure across that line in the sand. We stopped at the border & took the monitory photos under the sign looked back & waved. Another few hours of driving smoko & a lunch break we stopped at a camp that is now only an old bore on the edge of one of the local communities. The cruiser developed a vibration so a bush repair to the rear uni joint should get us into Tennant Creek the next day. That night Josh lit his customary fire where people came from the vans around us for a few drinks, nibbles & stories were spun about their travels, they all retired for the night around 7:30 we finally had some tea by the fire. Around 8pm that night a cruiser pulled up by the fire a couple of young fellas got out (1 was my age he was really young) from Tennant Creek they were on their way to work on the community behind us they saw our fire so they stopped for a chat for 2 hours, they brought their own fire wood & beer J  it’s amazing that people just stop for a chat, we have learnt so much from listening to others life experiences & how they live life in the bush.

  Stopping at 3 ways the next morning & saying goodbye to Mum & Dad they were heading north & we off to Alice. We got the cruiser to Tennant & bought a couple of uni joints then decided that we would keep driving & I would do the repairs that night. But just outside town the vibration got worse so back into Tennant were a local tyre company let me use their back paddock & work shop to replace the uni joints. Seems strange working in Tennant again I worked here 24 years ago so that makes me umm 30 J

  That night we camped at the Marbles around 100km south of Tennant Creek the kids spent most of the afternoon climbing all over the rocks, then we all watch the sunset on top of the marbles. Josh set up his swag under the awning for the night it was going to get quite cold over night it got below 10 deg & windy. While we were cooking tea there were dingos running around all the camps, there were probably 30 vans set up for the night. Later that night Josh had a dingo scratching at his swag (I guess the dingo wasn’t that hungry) he heard them howling all night while we sleep all night without hearing anything. The next morning a dingo strolled down the middle of the camps stopped at the sights that were cooking breakfast & sat down in the sun & waited for scraps when he didn’t get fed he then strolled onto the next camp this was his morning routine & was very relax with everyone coming up to take photos of him. After breakfast we left for Alice Springs.

  Get ready for the next post as the next week gets very adventuress so keep the camp fire blazing & the billy hot.   

   It’s been a while between coffees so go and boil the billy and I’ll wait till your back with your coffee.

Sunset camp between Normanton & Cloncurry

Well we left Atherton & headed south west but first we needed to climb out of Atherton & into another head wind. Winding our way across the ridges of the mountains to Ravenshoe the wind gusts where so strong that at one stage we thought we would be blown off the side of one of those ridges as there were steep declines both sides of the road.  Just before Ravenshoe there was a wind farm so we stopped to check it out, there was 20 wind generators & yes they are noisy, it was even windier behind those big fans & freezing cold so a few photos & back in the car.

When we left Atherton I didn’t top up the water tanks because we would be climbing most of the day this was a mistake as when we stopped for lunch we discovered the tanks were nearly empty. We had 20 litres on the roof of the car so that helped but some of the towns we went through we couldn’t get water which created some concern for a while.

trying to catch tea

We stopped at Georgetown where we got water & fuel & then found a free stay 30ks up the road which was on a billabong a beautiful spot off the road & quite. Josh had his first night in a swag which mum wasn’t too happy about but he survived the night, so did mum J 

1st night in swag

We left there & headed off to Normanton for lunch that day where the kids went off for a walk without us & they found a crocodile in the main street, they got too close to the croc & it got a hold of Clare. Josh & Kirsty jumped on the beast so they could rescue Clare from the jaws of that fierce beast, she was so lucky that she has a caring brother & sister. Then we had lunch (crocJ) & headed towards another free camp for the night.

A stop over at Cloncurry for mother’s day, in a half attempt at a van park, there we had a roast lamb in the Webber for tea that night. Fuelling up the next day we were off to Mt Isa, the drive to Isa from Cloncurry is just fantastic the difference in the terrain & the colours in the rock are great. As we were getting closer to Isa there is a mountain range in front of us which the road winds its way through the range a spectacular drive. Arriving in Isa we booked into a van park & that afternoon I went around town looking for work. By the Wednesday I had found a job on the tools for 6 weeks, (doesn’t look like we are going to get out of Queensland just yet) Kirsty found work 2 days later & Josh got his first job a week later. So we are here till the first week of July where we will then head off to Alice Springs & we could possibly get into another state.

Not sure if they are trying to hold the jaws open or push them closed

Actual size of croc

Paronella Park



Main Castle

Back tracking from Babinda to Innisfail we stocked up on food & fuel again ( these kids eat all the time) then headed south to Paronella Park which is a property that Jose Paronella developed in the 1930s. After acquiring the property with the main feature a water fall that flows under the old Bruce highway he moved dirt, gravel & sand from the lower part of the property then built all the buildings (castles) over several years by hand. He was a real entrepreneur for his time; it was all about making money so he could go back to Spain & bring back his wife to be. Check out the web for more details it is really worth a visit. From there we drove to Milla Milla falls (which means lots of water) were Josh & Clare went for a swim, I swam there 2 years ago so I knew how cold the water was so I let them experience it this timeJ , Josh swam out under the falls where the cold water takes your breath away , it’s a beautiful spot. The 50km drive up to there was a very steep incline at one point the cruiser was back to first gear ( I knew we fed  the kids too much) the poor thing worked hard that day we stopped in Atherton for lunch & a quick look around then drove 12 km down the road to a free stay, as it is a long weekend we planned to stay there if it wasn’t too busy & do a few day trips. Not a lot to report as it is a lay week some short trips, site seeing & a trip down to Cairns (leaving the van behind). We spent Wednesday out on Green Island snorkling & relaxing on the beach ( we need it ).

The Bolders

Water Fall from picnic area



Milla Milla Falls

We have had to make an important decision as to not go to the Cape as the roads are still closed & it could be a few weeks before we can get through this would put a big dent into the time we have to going right the way round this wasn’t an easy decision as most of you know this was at the top of our bucket list for a number of years. So expect an invite to do a trip to the Cape in the coming years. So on Friday we will be heading across the Savannah way to Normanton then down to Cloncurry, Phone & internet service are scarce out there so keep the kettle boiled & cup at hand.

The trip so far

The trip so far, so grab a coffee, a comfy seat, blanket if you need it & enjoy.

Charleville

A two day stay at Charleville in a caravan park, we visited the weather station for a tour & watched the weather balloon inflate & be released. We then went & watched the computer track the balloon where the data was being collected & processed so that the weather can then be released to the public. This is a must as the information that is collected is unbelievable. We then travelled to Quilpie & checked out other camping areas that our van possibly shouldn’t have gone on those dirt tracks. J

                              Quilpie             

We spent 5 days at Quilpie on the side of a causeway, the water was flowing fast over the causeway & the fish were jumping up & over into the deeper water. Josh caught around 20 small fish in his hat, that kept him busy for awhile. We climbed Table Top & Baldy Rock which the views were great, swam at the local pool & met a lot of locals who were very friendly & welcoming. We then drove to Windorah & crossed Coopers Creek.

                                                                                                                   Windorah

On our way to Windorah there was water over the road in several places & around 200 metres of channel country, a low level bridge was covered with 12 inches of water. Coopers Creek was flowing quite quickly so the kids got photos on the tyres near the bridge. We stayed in the caravan park in town, cranked up the a/c as the temp was about 40 deg. Then we set the cruiser up for the trip to Birdsville the next day the van was left in the van park.

Birdsville

We drove out of Windorah at sun rise for the 400km trip to Birdsville lots of wild life along the road, after 120ks we hit dirt road, Kylie was driving so I hung out the window & took a photo of the dust behind us. We turned off to head towards Haddon’s Corner, the road was being graded. The next thing we got a rock through the tread of the LH rear tyre yep not much luck with tyres, so we did a tyre swap & decided to head towards Birdsville since that tyre was buggered ( J 3- K 1)J We stopped for a break at Deon’s lookout, by now it was over 40deg & the flies were unbelievable. After a 7 hour trip we made it to Birdsville, set up the tent at the caravan park (ouch $$) then cooled down at the pub in the a/c. The next morning we drove out to Big & Little Red sand dunes.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Little Red

An hour’s drive out to the dunes we crossed several small dunes because there was a detour due to water that had cut off the track to the main dunes. Well, there is Little Red as we looked up the sand dune nearing the top was a lip & then a quick turn right, shall we walk up first? Nope I gunned the cruiser H2 got to the lip & bogged down to the diffs the excitement in the car was pleasant J I grabbed reverse & drove back down cool as cucumbers, got a bit more of a run up not as far back as Birdsville but close, hit the bottom of the dune in L3 full noise (Batman would have liked our smoke screen) hit the lip grabbed L2 &&& we’re on top of Little Red no sweat. After some photos & a look around we were the 1^st there that morning. Hey let’s check out Big Red!!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Big Red 

We came to a T intersection in the track, left to go across the Simpson Desert, right to Big Red, let’s go right. Looking up at the dune there are 3 tracks, the left looks like it goes vertical, right not as steep but longer, third is definitely chicken run, so the run up begins,  L3 noise & smoke (the noise was from the engine, not passengers screaming I think) a quiet voice from the passenger seat says you are going to the right??J

So we hit the right track (opposed to the wrong track) up & around the top this time there was laughter as we came over the top there was someone camped there, oops, good morning & we kept going. The kids were off up & down sand dunes, the views were spectacular there is so much water & bird life out there it is incredible. We watched some others try the left track but it was too boggy. We made our way back to Birdsville for lunch with the flies, checked out the Diamantina river as it was in flood the river rose while we were there about a metre. We had tea that night at the pub & left at dawn the next morning for Windorah.

Windorah

We met John & Janet at the van park who were from Longreach (we would meet up with them again). We saw a purple land cruiser that a German couple where driving around Australia filming a documentary on our country.  We also went out to Windorah sand dunes for sunset the kids rolled down the dunes  red sand & sweaty kids mix really well. The Sunday the kids ended up at the Windorah Family Fun Day this was an all day event, they teamed up with one of the local larrikins Dicko. The kids had a ball playing the team events, at the end of each event points were awarded & totalled at the end of the day. Because they were the tourists their teams name was the IRA country humour so the points were added up after some lengthy discussions & maybe a few beers & the IRA came in as the winners I think they had to many beers so they were awarded with trophies & were invited back next year (stay tuned for that). We finished up that night after 8pm we had planned on leaving earlier that day so we stayed another night. You have to be flexible with your schedule things change all the time.

Jundah

Dicko had invited us to the cattle station he was working on, on the Monday, so the kids could help with the cattle. We arrived at the station where the yards were full of cattle looks like he knew he was getting helpJ Josh & I got in the yards & moved the cattle through the race HA HA where’s Josh? A cow put him up the fence he was ok but he kept his eye on what they were doing after that. I was in a small yard before lunch & some of the cattle were a bit toey next thing I know a cow is looking me up & down her head is down I’m running for the fence I don’t think my feet touched the railings but I was on top pretty quick then I hear kylie laughing outside the yards she said that was close you nearly had a horn in your butt, I said I’m 40 something & not about to let that happen J. After lunch we got the calves in the race dehorned, crouched, branded & tagged, this was a great experience for all of us, the kids love talking about that day.  We had put about 200 cattle & 43 calves through the race. Thanks to Dicko & Leanne for a great day, we finished at 3:30pm & drove to Longreach that was a big day we drove into a head wind all the way I had to get off the road for a road train & nearly got bogged, the car & van were covered in mud they looked good.

Longreach

We stayed on the Thompson River 5ks out of Longreach for 7 days I worked for 2 ½ painting at a cafe in the centre of town. Josh got 2 yellow belly fish off some other campers then they showed him how to fillet them he & Kylie battered & cooked them that night for tea. We caught up with John & Janet where we went to their house for tea one night we all had a great time Janet spoilt the kids which they accepted quite well it was strange being in a house with so much room thanks for your hopitaity it was a night to remember. There were a lot of people we met at the river it was usually an hour walk to the toilets it was only a 100 metres away as you had to stop & have a chat to everyone there & back. The day before we left Longreach we met Ken & Deidre from the central coast in NSW we hit it off straight away & we spent the next week travelling with them both. We are now heading to Winton.

Winton

We headed off to Winton after we fuelled up & topped up the water tanks we sort of had a side/tail wind the plains winds are deceiving as you can’t see where it is coming from so going was tuff around an hour into the trip we stopped at a rest area for lunch as we pulled in behind a van which ended up being Ken & Deidre a quick catch up & lunch. When we got to Winton we made our way to long water hole camp ground where we found Wayne & Wendy already set up & Ken & Deidre set up close by. There were some great yarns the next few nights at that camp. This was the start of our travelling adventure with Ken & Deidre. The next day we visited Age of Dinosaurs which was a great day it is amazing that Australia has so many dinosaur fossils. We had a look around Winton then it was time to move onto Hughenden.

Hughenden

Hughenden was a one night stop over the Finders River was so clear we all ended up playing in the river for a few hours. The next morning Ken & Deidre headed off to Porcupine Gorge where we would meet up later that day. The walk down to the bottom of the Gorge was 1km straight down lots of stairs, when we got down to the water it was crystal clear it is amazing after seeing Brisbane Rivers how good a clear river looks. We swam for a couple of hours some sun burn started to show up, then the walk back up the Gorge started. The Gorge is in a NP so there weren’t any other walks unless it was back down the Gorge so the vote was to move on the next day. Back into Hughenden then to a free stay 90 k out of Charters Towers which was between the highway & a railway line. We washed clothes & had a fire between the vans not a lot of noise but more than we are used to.

Charters Towers

At Charters we stayed in a van park stocked up on food & fuel the kids swam in the pool & there was a jumping balloon there so that kept them busy for a while. From there we went to Townsville & found a free stay on the beach called Saunders Beach back in humidity we haven’t missed that. On the Tuesday our travelling buddies decided to move on, even though we had only been travelling together for a week we had experienced so much together, at least we know we will see them again soon.

Babinda

We left Saunders Beach & headed north 4 days in one place we had itchy feet. We stopped for a break at a NP & decided to go on a bush walk to a water fall about a km into the walk we hear Josh um hey I’ve cut my finger looking around there was blood everywhere yep that’s a cut alright so back to the van he picked up a fig & cut it in half while he was walking & quite a bit of his finger, a cleanup & off to Ingham hospital where 4 hours & 4 stitches later we’re off to find somewhere to camp the night. Kennedy Store was the choice it’s a free camp if you buy something from the store ;)? The store is between a rail line & highway (just between) & on a rail crossing, the first train was exciting & oops a quick shower after, there was only one other train that night & he didn’t sound his horn at the crossing. Off the next morning & rain has set in, a stop a Tully very wet as usual then to Josephine falls for a walk no swim as Josh was a little sore, so onto Babinda to camp at a free stay, this was for only 1 night there was a party. An important lesson when free camping, stay 50ks from a town or if it doesn’t feel right don’t stay, we weren’t in any danger but discernment is vital. So the next morning we went up to Babinda Boulders set up camp & went down to the swimming area the water was unbelievably cold so it was a quick swim & wash off. The night there was much quieter. Bush walks the next day & another swim, we left the next day a one nighter back down at Babinda so Kylie could work then we were off to our next location so stay turned, go & wash up your coffee cup so it is ready for the next postJ