Work Experience Boy

It's that time again! Leonie and Peter (AKA: Lucky Pete, Never Tell-a-Lie Pete, Trust-Me Pete, Work Experience Boy) are heading off on another adventure. This time it's via Adelaide, Alice Springs, Tanami Desert, Wolfe Creek, Bungle Bungles, Kalumburu, Mitchell Falls, Kununurra, Katherine, Kakadu, Arnhem Land, Far North Queensland and then back to Newcastle. We will probably be on the road for about six months this time. Everything is prepared except for the very reliable Toyota Hilux. Make a note girl: 'NEVER BUY ANOTHER TOYOTA HILUX'. This new Hilux model appears to be as under-designed as the other Toyotas making the news. So its farewell to fabulous staff at Newcastle Private Hospital. Everything is packed, the Engel fridge is running cool and we are itching to go. Just as soon as Toyota repair another fault, this time ... read more

Let's head North. Day 12.Left Adelaide after visiting BCF and picking up my new rod and reel courtesy of the Staff of the Rehab Ward at Newcastle Private Hospital. It was nice to leave the rainy, windy cold weather behind and head north through Port Awful (Port Augusta). Bush camp south of Coober Pedy after a day of head-winds. Bush-camp again this time near a bore off the Stuart Highway close to the Woomera Prohibited Area. The new OziExplorer software and Hema maps are helping to find these great isolated camp spots. Passed through Stuarts Well to take a photo. Then called into Rainbow Valley for a look see, worth the 24km of corrugated and dusty road (see photo). Into Alice Springs to have the mighty Toyota serviced, 60,000km = $363. Leonie ran into an old ... read more

Wednesday 8th July: Wow a Bucket Billabong Barra - 57cm long. Not too bad for starters. Managed a legal barra each day at this billabong. Visit from the National Park Ranger again. He didn’t have time for a cuppa but stayed for 1.5 hours??? Back to Darwin for the mail and some food. Stayed at PK & Kim’s shed. Purchased a Next G phone and external antenna to improve our contact with the working souls in society-(that’s you guys). Headed east to Hardies Lagoon-Wow, no one else there. Fished our little arms off without much luck. It seems like the resident crock (5 metres long) has eaten all the barra. Friday 18th July: Lets move on to 2 Mile Hole. Some very friendly crocks cruising around this billabong. Caught a couple of Barra but had a ... read more

Saturday 26th April: Westward towards Exmouth, we just got off the dirt road before the rain started. Into the hospital to get the cook fixed up. Then fill up the food and fuel and head around to the west side of the cape to Ningaloo Reef. Wow, what a place. Turquoise water and coral reef right at your door. Picked a nice camp area (Neds Camp). Set-up camp and started fishing. Two nice sized Trevally before sunset. Next day put the boat in tried to find some more fish, but looks like they had all gone away. Tried again the next day and ended up with one or two nice sized Spangled Emperor each day. Leonie caught the most, of course. Even got the biggest one at 63cm long. Caught lots of sharks and saw even ... read more

@ Wiluna Sunday 23rd March 2008: 90 overnight. Hard to beat yesterdays boating with the dolphins in the Great Australian Bight, but we tried. Drove into Streaky Bay and found some reasonable town water (as our supply was getting low), a Laundromat and the annual market day. Monday: Northwest via Perlubie Beach, Haslam and then a nightmare corrugated dirt road into Acraman Creek (12km). Beautiful area if you don’t mind seaweed. Tuesday: Gordon gave us a mud map showing a less corrugated road back to the Flinders Highway. However it rained overnight and the short-cut took us over a salt-pan, WOW! nearly got bogged. On to Ceduna to top-up groceries and fuel ($1.58/l) as we were about to start the Nullarbor crossing. No fruit, vegies or honey to be taken into W.A. Squid jigs were on ... read more