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Published: November 8th 2009
DAY 365
This is the second time we have had to type this document, the first one was finished this morning all 4100 words saved then word crashed and it was lost.
Again I was up at silly o’clock this morning, we had a big day in front of us driving, we stayed the night in this wonderful free camp site at St Lawrence Rodeo Ring, we had been advised and true to words, it was excellent.
This morning at about 6.15am I asked Caroline if she wanted her tea now or leave it a little while, I really did want to get a good start on the day, as I wanted to get back as far as we could tonight so our run back to the Sunshine coast on Sunday would be a fairly short one.
People who know Caroline, know she is not a morning person and has to be managed correctly, the mention of breakfast usually hits the mark, so when I asked her if she wanted her cup of tea now and she grunted I followed it up with “As soon as we get to Rockhampton we can get some breakfast.
A moment later she put in an appearance, and we start to pack the little bit up that we took out last night, then I went and got a shower $3 and as it is a buck for 3 minutes I had nine minutes of hot water it was fab. With me showered and coiffed and Caroline ready to rock we hit the road at 7.26 dead on.
The reason we wanted to get back to the Sunshine Coast by Sunday was a simple one, we have a cooker that gave up the ghost at Giralia Station in May, after been worked to death, the Eva Kool fridge is playing up again and will not keep anything cool let alone frozen, plus a few other bits and pieces that need attention.
Our friend Jarrod who owns the excellent Camping Country is in on the weekend and out for all of next week so this is the only window we have to get it sorted, so priorities are in order despite a few places that we would like to see on the way down, we will have to leave them for another time. We are excited to get back
to the Sunshine Coast as this is where our story began.
Today is day 365, wow one year away from home traveling this gargantuous country and enjoying every minute, but I will get back to that in a minute. We head off in the direction of Rockhampton and much to her ladyships pleasure we are pulling into Maccy D’s for breakfast at 9.15 am she is over joyed, Caroline was worried that she would waste away in such a short space of time, so we had our faces wrapped around a Bacon and Egg whatsit and everything was alright with the world again (even with Caroline eating egg!).
Back on the road, it was a fairly quiet day, we don’t seem to have such an accumulation of traffic as you get in the UK, we just see the odd wide load travelling North to Mackay I suppose.
Our journey was quite uneventful, stopping at around 1.00pm for a brew and a bite to eat at Miriam Vale rest area, Camps 5 reference 112 QLD. I checked in the fridge and a 2 litre bottle of squash, which had been laying down, the top had come off and
all 2 litres of lemon cordial was now lying in the bottom on the fridge, wonderful. We cleaned it up, and now everything smells lemony.
We set sail again with Caroline at the handlebars, she hasn’t had such a position of importance for quite a while and thoroughly enjoyed towing the Wendy House again.
We selected a camp site that we felt was a good choice, it was in the town of Tiaro and was called the Tiaro Memorial Park, Camps 5 reference 139, it seemed perfect with pay showers on the edge of a really quaint town.
I had spied a fruit and veg stand about 1k back so we agreed that we would drive back and pick up a water melon, I had envisaged that we would get a melon back to our site and sit around in the sun scoffing gorgeous water melon and getting it all down our T-shirts, the only way to devour water melon. However when we pulled in the bloke said nine bucks, nine bucks for a Water Melon no way, absolutely not.
We drove back in disgust, me may have semi tourist tattooed on our foreheads but we
Been a long time
Since we have seen any of thisdon’t have stupid idiot tattooed there as well.
When we got back to the site it was great we just could not find a suitable spot where we were not encroaching on someone else, so we drove on.
Our diesel was running very low we had already used the main tank and I already pumped the sub tank over and that was nearly gone as well, we arrived at Gunalda rest area and drove in for a look around, by now we are only about 35 K’s from Gympie.
The site looked good and only one other weary traveler had pulled up so we picked our spot out of the way and set about setting up our gear. The only thing we had eaten all day was our breakfast roll, so we were quite hungry, I said to Caroline that we could have an early ish meal but it was already five thirty. Still it was soon on the go, chicken with chilies, onions and condensed chicken soup on a bed of rice, dead easy and very filling.
There was a rumpus at the picnic table some Rainbow Lorikeets were fighting over something and they looked
Wide Load
UHF Radio is excellent, everyone knows what is going on. stunning, Maggie the Magpie happened along looking for a treat so I took a piece of bread and soon we had loads of birds entertaining us.
By 8.30 we were shattered, I just had to go to bed, we had covered 598k’s today and achieved what we had set out to do but it came at a price of being absolutely knackered.
We climbed in to bed, Caroline got her Nintendo out for Sudoku and played for ten minutes then couldn’t keep her eyes open, as usual the minute my head hit the pillow I was away.
So this is usually the end of the days blog and we just sign of, say night bloggers until tomorrow KJ XXxx, but its not going to be like that today.
This is the bit now when Caroline and myself are going to give you a run down of the last 365 days and what it has meant to us.
Mine is called 365 days, A Period of Reflection and Caroline’s is called A Whistle Stop Tour, though the whistle hasn’t stopped metaphorically we are still going.
What next? You may cry, well the blog will not
end, not yet anyway, heavens we have just about mastered it so we are getting quite good at it, so I suppose tomorrow could be called day 365 + 1, or just plain old 366.
We have honestly loved your messages, they have kept us going, but everyone has been encouraging, so thank you.
The blog stats have been truly amazing, here is a little run down to date.
Number of Blog’s published: 413
Number of words: 531,054 give or take a couple.
Published Photos: 4483
Total number of hits to the blog site: 36,410
Biggest blog month: October with 6080 hits.
Biggest blog read: Little India with 561 Hits in total
Smallest Blog read: Charity Request with 43 Hits
Then we come on to our camping statistics, Caroline and myself kept an excel spreadsheet with all the different sites that we have stayed at.
Our descriptions where like this:
What we call free camping in either a free site or a site of nominal fee, like a National Park or may be a station.
Branded is a Big 4, a Discovery Park, or a Top Tourist Park etc.
Unbranded is a small caravan site that does not have a chain or discount company attached to it or something like that.
Our favourite is (DB) Domestic Bliss, a house sit, a hotel or motel, friends house, or a rented house or apartment.
Free camping 64 days
Unbranded 96 days
Branded 106 days
Domestic bliss 100 days
We have stayed in 134 different places.
We accept that the adventure didn’t start in Australia straight away, we left the UK and flew to Singapore and had 4 days there then flew to Brisbane and had a week and a half there and so on, it just wasn’t straight in to the camping thing.
Though I have to say that purchasing the Patrol and then the camper trailer was quite a tough thing for us, doing it in a strange country was not as easy as it seemed though finding an excellent Nissan Dealer and excellent camping store certainly helped. We received very good advice and it paid off.
Where do we go from here? Well our very, very dear friends Robert and Helen Sheridan have invited us back to Woodstock for Christmas, we were honoured to be asked and usually we only ever get invited back anywhere to apologise for the first time we were there.
We are heading to Wagga Wagga in New South Wales and plan to be there for the 20th November so we can help with the harvest, don’t tell the dogs but today I picked up a bag of pigs ears for them, so Wally, Jack, Kimba, Tiny, Trixie and Toby, we are going to set you guys a task.
Last time we saw them we had pigs ears, well Caroline has and wears her hair long to hide them. We want to see if they recognize us before we start dishing out the pigs ears for which I am sure they will remember us.
If it is OK I think we will be on the farm for December and January then I think we will go and meet with Darryl and Sarah aka The Wallaby Wanderers over in Tasmania, then who knows, we may go to WA, to seek some work but that seems so far away.
So onwards to my drivel:
365 days a Period of Reflection.
We have been so lucky to have been able to do this, never in my wildest dreams had I ever seen myself ever taking a year out to travel, especially at this age, but we have and Wow!!
The idea to some of you travelling around a country as huge as this may not appeal, but there is just so much room with such a small population of only about 22 Million peeps.
I have seriously fallen in love with outback Australia, there is something I find indescribable about it, it’s a harsh place lets not forget that and the heat could do an egg on the bonnet of your car quite quickly, despite the freezing nights in the winter months, but it’s the stillness that I love and the night sky’s they are amazing.
A night if I manage to stay awake for more than 5 minutes and we look up through the mosquito nets into the heavens it takes your breath away.
The trip has been about the amazing people we have met on this journey, it doesn’t matter if we met you at the start, in the middle or at the end of the trip each one of you have made a huge impact on our lives and this trip and we honestly thank you for that.
Some people have just given us good advice, some encouragement, some people have let us in to their homes and given us a bed for the night (or two!) and a shower and some people have just been great company.
Possibly this is the worst kind of trip for me, we have had to say goodbye to so many people but we know we will see them all again, I don’t know how but we will.
The other day, Blog day 362 4/11/2009 when our wheel bearing collapsed, this fella Darryl with whom I had only the briefest of words had completely cleaned up the bearing shaft on the trailer whilst we were picking up a new one and we hadn’t even mentioned it to him we thought that was just amazing.
We have been lucky to see the very best of people, and we mean the very best.
Finally, the wildlife has been amazing, and we have been lucky to encounter more than a fair share, we have seen plenty of my favourite Wombats in Tasmania, along with Eastern Spotted Quolls and those cute but noisy Tasmanian Devils, so many Snakes, Possums, Koalas, which still remind me of sleepy old men, Kangaroo’s and Wallabies, Bilby’s, Emu’s and the solitary Cassowary, let alone skinks, goanna’s and Water Dragons, we thought it was all spiders and snakes but its nothing of the sort, though if you want that you don’t have to look too hard.
If you want to come to Australia and do all the Touristy things then that’s fine, there is plenty to do and see, but you don’t have to go too far to get off the beaten track and see the real Australia, its well worth a go.
We went and drove two and a half thousand Kilometres to go and see Australia’s last true wilderness, Cape York, also Australia’s most Northerly point, over some of the roughest dirt tracks we have come across, was it worth it? You bet it was.
I have to say that if you ever had thoughts about coming to this country, do it, get yourself a 12 month visa and wet your whistle and give it a go you won’t be disappointed.
The Australian way is naturally hospitable, and honest we have enjoyed everything about this adventure. It hasn’t always been easy, moving nearly every day does become a little wearing but it can also be so rewarding.
One of the most memorable things we found when we first met Helen Sheridan, we stood on her front porch, feeling very uncomfortable as we had never met them before, Caroline had worked with their Daughter Susan in the UK and when Susan found out we were coming to Australia she said to Caroline ”You must go and stay with Mum and Dad they would love to meet you.
I pondered this, why would they love to meet us? They don’t even know us, but Helen instantly made us very welcome and when we walked in, her words were, “Your bed is made up, we are having lamb for dinner,” that was it, nothing like er how long do you intend to stay? I was knocked over by this Australian way.
Equally our friends Sue and Cliff in Perth kindly invited us to stay at their beautiful home, we asked them how long it was OK for us to stay, and if they said 2 weeks then we would stay say ten days as there is nothing like outstaying your welcome, when I asked them how long it was OK to stay they said six months We stayed a week, but would love to have stayed more but the travel clock was ticking, besides if Caroline got too comfortable with that bed and the nice linen then we may now only just be leaving Perth.
We are so in awe of Australian Hospitality, this has made our trip.
The thing I think is hard to get your head around is the size of the place, take Perth In Western Australia which on a clock face is at the 9.00 position, Darwin which is at the 12 O’clock position is over4,000, yes 4,000 Kilometres, when I asked a fella in a 4x4 shop at the start of the trip in Maroochydore how long it would take to get to Darwin, he said it would take you about 3 weeks, I nearly laughed my head off but not anymore I know he wasn’t joking.
So rounding up, Nissan Patrol is the vehicle for the job, or Toyotas Landcruiser, the off road sections can be rough as guts but are great fun and well worth a try, they lead to such beautiful places that take your breath away, places that we could not get to if we had a conventional vehicle or camper.
The camper trailer has been awesome, Bushboy Campers do make a great camper trailer that will love everything you can throw at it, and you get great nights sleep or is that down to such exciting days?
Power Traveller who supplied us with our solar rechargeable power packs for the lap top have gone out of their way to help us, based in Hampshire our home county in the UK they have been brilliant, check them out at www.powertraveller.com .
And finally Caroline, she has been amazing, from those early nervous steps at Apsley falls to camping in the outback at places like Sailor Creek with not a sole for possibly hundreds of Kilometres, she has shone throughout this trip. Caroline was built for a trip like this, the strange thing is just didn’t know it, but had always been up for the challenge anyway.
Caroline never shied away from the hard yakka, that was required, some days you had to dig deeper than other, but that was the fun of it.
So I am not going to mention peoples names, as if we forgot one by accident then we would offend someone, but all the people who we have met on the way and have given us something may be even only a small part, then thank you we appreciate every little bit. You all have made this trip what it has been and we are privileged to have been able to have the experience.
All we can ask is you keep reading the blog and we will keep writing it, Kangaroojack did ask for a couple of days off for a break but we have got too much to do and we want to carry on for a bit longer, its is 8.54 UK Time or 6.50pm Queensland time, Caroline is folding our freshly washed clothes and I need to stop waffling and go and have a shower.
Bless you all Andy
Whistle Stop Tour
I am not sure that Andy really left me anything to say he does get rather sentimental! Truth is, I have not actually read as yet what he has written, I did not want it to cloud my thoughts.
Anyway, Wow, was that it? I feel as if I have just done a whistle stop tour of Australia, don’t get me wrong, but we have seen so much, sometimes in such little time, it all takes your breath away, but suddenly I feel that here we are we completed what we set out to achieve.
The best bit, there is a whole lot more to see and do out there than we have done, and we would love to do it all again, that is to say do some of the best bits again and take in and do the bits that we have not seen or done this time round.
We have been lucky enough to be able to do this trip, of course our life in Australia for now goes on, we need to eventually find some work and give the living here thing a go, but my only regret would be how hard it is emotionally to leave behind our friends and family while we have this adventure and figure things out.
I miss everyone in my life in England very much, we had a really good lifestyle, the only thing that was missing was this little adventure of ours. I don’t underestimate how hard it has been on Mum and Dad or our friends it hurts both ways.
I can think right now that if we only had a 12 month visitor visa then in a few days time we would be on an aeroplane and heading back to England to see everyone, but of course we never made it that simple.
There are days on this journey that you feel lost, there is no comfort zone, everything that was familiar is not anymore, except I guess my comfort zone has become the inside of our metal box (the Nissan Patrol) that we sit in most days, and our canvas box that we sleep under most nights and maybe even half a meter around the perimeter of our camp set up because I am close to what has been home for a year.
Some days I think I would love to get on that plane and fly home, even if it was just for a hug, Skype is great but there is not substitute for a real hug from Mum and Dad or your close friends, that may sound crazy, but something as simple as that are the things that you miss. Ok we can hug each other, but there is only so many times in one day you want to hug the same person, we have been living in each others pockets constantly for 365 days!
I miss my nights out with the girls, the mid week cinema and pizza nights just to chat and put the world right again. I miss the Friday nights that we got together and just let our hair down, laugh or cry on each others shoulders, depends who had the rough week, or who had something to celebrate.
Turns out that the things I hate most are the ants and leeches, the ants just get everywhere and as hard as you try they still find a way into your food supplies. Leeches well, they are just horrible, there is something not nice about them latching onto you and sucking your blood out!
I am not as scared of snakes as I thought I would be, even going so far as to holding pythons in Darwin. Crocodiles another pet hate, still are, but I have been relatively comfortable in their territory, you just have to remember to respect them, and there is no second chance with a crocodile. I did have the impression that crocodiles were everywhere and if you weren’t careful you would trip over them, but they are not everywhere, just be aware, regard the warning signs.
Nowadays if I see a spider, in or on the tent, I just ignore it (may not if it is a Redback) again they are not everywhere just be aware of the ones that are venomous and treat them with respect.
We seem to have acquired quite a following with the blog, originally I tried to set it up for private viewing just for family and friends, but there was a little technical difficulty so I decided to make it public and I am very glad that we did, as it has opened the doors to help us meet new people and make new friends.
Andy has looked after me exceptionally well, especially helping me to overcome those early fears, he was quick to whip out the first aid kit when I had my bad fall in Tasmania, others would have you believe that he tripped me and I had a job to convince them at the hospital that it was an accident, they were not sure if to call the police or not, but I guess they have a job to do.
I am pleased that so many people have enjoyed reading about our adventures, even though we said that some days are really quite dull, I am also amazed that on the dull days we even find a lot to write about.
I am also pleased that others have used our blog for information to aid their own trips. We have tried to be accurate with the things that we say and sometimes we express an opinion that maybe not everyone agrees with, but we cannot all think or feel the same otherwise the world would be pretty boring.
For now I am going to finish, there is a swimming pool that has my name on it, it is 7.30 pm and the water is warm (I hope).
Thank you for being with us on our journey and we hope you continue to stay with us.
Caroline, the other half of KangarooJack.
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Rob
non-member comment
Keep up the good work
Just a short message to let you know that I really like your blogs. Stay save and keep up the good work!