On the road with Chubbs........Brisbane to Alice Springs

---

15th November 2008 - NAT, DEBS AND CHUBBS ON THE ROAD......
We got to the campervan shop at around 11.30 and were shown our new best friend for the next 40 days. He was a 'chubby van' so we named him 'Chubbs'. Not so original I know but we thought it suited him. Basically a van.....two seats in the front, a table and 2 sofas in the back that convert to a bed, a kitchen when you lift the back up. By kitchen I mean a sink, an ice box (or eskie as the Aussies call them), and a gas burner. It had all the cuttlery and plates and stuff we needed though and I was chuffed with him!!! The guy who showed him to us was amazed at the deal we had got....$922.50 (around 420 pounds) each for 40 days and 40 nights. We parted with our cash and were ready for the road!!!

As we set off I could not help but sing 'Don't know where we're goin.......aint no way of knowin'.....we drivin' on the road to nowhere!!!' Max and Paddy eat your heart out!!!

Nat did the first bit of driving as she is even worse than me at map reading and that takes some doing! It took an hour for us to get our of Brisbane but eventually we found the motorway and made some ground. Nat drove well.....no stalling or hiccups and we seemed to be heading in the right direction. We made our first stop in Toowoomba to stock up on food, ice (for our modern day fridge) and fuel. We did our shopping at woolworths (food store out here) and bought as much own brand stuff as we could find with the odd yoghurt and fruit treat in there too. Travellers Budgets!!

When we set off again it was my turn to drive and after my scooter incident I can't say I was full of confidence!! Chubbs didn't let me down though and I didn't stall or have any hiccups either. I love driving the van and Nat and I kept looking at one another and laughing...felt so weird but so cool and we wondered when the novelty would wear off.

We arrived at Dalby (our destination) just before 6pm and booked onto a caravan site for the night. Neither of us could be bothered with the gas hob so we went for the easy option of museli. As we were eating an old guy that saw us drive in came over with a bottle of Champagne to 'Welcome us to Australia" Really nice gesture and after checking the seal (can't be too careful - we all know what happened in Wolf Creek!!) we put it in the ice box for another day. I then persuaded Nat to come to the pub down the road to watch the Rugby League World Cup Semi-Final. The game was good and the people so friendly. We weren't left alone for more than 2 mins before the next person came over to chat to us or try and buy us drinks. We were also warned of the dangers of the road, having spare cans of fuel and how if we didn't hit a kangaroo we would be lucky. We were even told that if we hit a mother carrying a baby (Joey) we had to hit the Joey with a spade or else it would die. I was not looking forward to driving the next day!!!

We rolled back to Chubbs at around 12pm. As we were sat in the van we heard a big thud on the side and both got pretty freaked not daring to look out the window. It was followed a few seconds later by an animal whine....bloody big animal. I hoped it hadn't dented the van!! We eventually got some sleep as we had a big day of driving to do tomorrow!!

Driven - 260km

16th November 2008 - KANGAROO WATCH....THE MOOD WAS TENSE!!!
The campervan sure did heat up quickly on a morning and I was glad for my morning shower. After brekkie we set off on the road again stopping for our daily stop of fuel and ice. Today I drove the first part. After the warnings last night and seeing lots of dead kangaroos littering the road I was on 'Kangaroo Watch' and the mood was tense for a while. Eventually it became the norm and it was more a case of 'Spot the Kangaroo' than anything else. Everytime you pass another camper they wave too so that was also a highlight of my drive.

We eventually stopped in Roma for lunch at the side of the road and swapped drivers for the afternoon drive. We arrived in Augathella at around 5pm and booked onto a campsite again. We braved the gas cooker tonight and stocked up on soup and bread....how self sufficient are we?!! As we ate we saw three kangaroos bounce past towards the road......lets hope they knew the green cross code!!!

It was a quiet night in the van with not much around. You could literally hear a feather drop. It wasn't too hot luckily though and we both slept pretty well!!

Driven - 538km

17th November 2008 - ROAD KILL, CATTLE & SLEEPING IN A PETROL STATION!!
Morning routine went as usual with a shower and breakfast. We were on the road by 9.30 and I drove the first part again. The driving was pretty similar to yesterday...the roads were long with not much but desert and a few trees around. At one point I don't think I passed another car for 100km. Thankfully we can plug our music players into the speakers and they kept us entertained...especially some of my song choices!!!

Loads of dead kangaroos on the road today being scavanged by big black birds. I avoided them all again...although I did partake in a spot of road kill when I ran over what looked like a squirrel/weasal type animal but with scales like a lizard!! I felt it crunch under the tyres but I couldn't do anything.....it chose to walk under the wheel...if it had stayed put in the middle of the road I would have avoided it!! Oh well....it's in dead place now!!!

I drove through a few towns and got some fuel and ice as usual. We didn't go by a fuel station without filling up after hearing all the horror stories.....we did not want to be stranded literally in the middle of nowhere!! The further I drove the less green it became. It was definitely felt like the Outback now!
At one stage there were loads of cattle on the road and I almost had to stop the van. Literally hunderds of cows all loitering in the road. Also saw some tumble weed flying through the air...so cool!!!

We swapped driverd between Bacledine and Longreach choosing to have lunch at the same time. Too many flies around by far and they always come when you have your hands full so you can't swat them. I must have looked a right idiot to passing drivers with my arms flying about and doing a little hop type dance. They still didn't go away!! I longed for a blue light and to hear them sizzle!!

Nats afternoon drive was much of a muchness and we reached our destination of Winton at around 5pm. We tried to find a campsite but the road that led to it was not made for Chubbs. It was serious 'Bear Grills' land..........complete desert! We even passed 'Mistake Creek' on the way which should have been a sign but us being us didn't pick up on the vibe!! Eventually we turned around and parked up in a petrol station with toilets and showers......at least it was free!!!

Bad night though....it was so damn hot I thought we were going to sweat to death!!! I could hear the vultures swooping around the van outside waiting for our bodies!! I had to climb into the front seat and have the window down for a few hours but that didn't help much and I was at the mercy of the mosquitos!! At around 2.30am I climbed back into the back and managed to get the odd half hour between gasping for air and fluid!! Not a good night at the petrol station!!!

Driven - 661km

18th November 2008 - THE DRIVE TO MOUNT ISA
The petrol station showers were pretty good and after breakfast, fueling and grabbing some ice for our eskie we set off on the road again at around 9am. We swapped drivers more often today as we were both shattered from our night of near death and the driving was pretty much the same.

We stopped a few times for a rest or to re-fuel. Everyone seems so friendly and wants to speak to you. I have found myself starting my greetings with 'G'Day' now as well with a bit of an Aussie twang....love it!!!

We arrived in Mount Isa at around 3pm. We decided to treat ourselves to an electric pitch so we could re-charge everything and cook some toast with our newly purchased toaster. There was a pool too so we had a dip and then cooked our tea on the gas stove whilst chatting to other campers. We have been lucky so far...some people have had blow outs, robberies and all sorts. We were keeping our fingers crossed for more of the same luck!

So far I am enjoying the campervan experience and seeing a lot of Australia. The novelty hasn't worn off yet either!! The only downside is sleeping in Chubbs at night....the heat is unbarable!!! Luckily it was a tiny bit cooler than the previous night but still not good and I could still hear the vultures outside!!!

Driven - 482km

19th November 2008 - WOULD WE HAVE ENOUGH FUEL TO GET TO TENNANT CREEK?!!!
I felt loads better when I woke today after a decent bit of sleep and after an ice and supermarket stop we were soon off on the road. Nat drove first to Camooweal. The roads were pretty much the same, watching out for Kangaroos and waving at every car you pass. We also passed a sign to say that we were officially entering the Northern Territory!! The distances between towns was getting bigger though and we literally had to stop at every station to fill up and swap drivers.

At a place called Barkley Homestead we only had 1/4 of a tank of fuel and only $35 dollars between us. There would be an ATM though right? Yes but it was out of order!!! As luck would have it the fuel was way expensive too because it was the only fuel station for miles. We filled up using every penny we had and prayed that it lasted the distance to the next town and that the next town would have an ATM. (When I say town I mean small garage at the side of the road with a bench and toilets outside if we were lucky!) We also had a spare 10 litres of fuel in our can so I wasn't too worried but Nat was pretty on edge about it and it was pretty tense at times.

After a couple of hundred km fuel gauge watching and speedo watching so that the engine didn't gobble up the little we had, we made it to 'Three Ways.' Woo Hoo!!!!! They also had an ATM....even better!! We were lucky as well because once we had used the ATM, there was no money left in...we really would have been up shit creek without a paddle if that ATM had been empty too!! I am sure we are being looked after by some higher being!

We made it to Tennant Creek later that day and both headed straight to the bar for a drink. It had been a long day!! We sat around a guys van from Israel to stop the flies getting in ours for a while until the temperature cooled off a little and then headed to the custom made sauna that is Chubbs for some sleep. I took an ice cold bottle with me for coolness and hoped I had found the key to sleeping success!!!

Driven - 679km

20th November 2008 - TENNANT CREEK TO ALICE SPRINGS

We woke up early after another sweaty night!! We planned on using the internet for an hour before we set off and had been told the library opened at 9am. We were misled as it opened at 10 and so we killed an hour getting fuel and ice to make sure we were ready. When 10am came the internet still didn't open....turns out Alice Springs is half hour behind!!! Who said there weren't 24.5 hours in a day?!!!

Following the internet we eventually set off on the road. I drove first and we passed the 'Devils Marbles' on the way. They were basically loads of huge round rocks on top of one another. Too heavy to play kerplunk with but we stopped to have a look and for a few photos. Nats flipflops broke too (3rd pair now) but I came to the rescue and tied them to her feet with bobbles. She still walked like a stalk and I so wish I had it on video!!!

Back in the van we set off only stopping at Wycliffe Well to change drivers. Nat then drove to Barrow Creek and we risked not filling up due to the high fuel prices. The risk didn't pay because the next place was even more expensive!!! Won't do that again!!

We changed drivers again at Ti Tree and stopped a short distance after at Aileron to see 'The Big Man'. Basically a big man made of metal on the top of a hill. We walked up to have a better look and also passed some kangaroos along the way...alive ones!!! On our way back we saw that they were making a 'Big Woman' and a 'Big Child' too to go on the hill with the 'Big Man'. They only had the shell complete but still looked cool. The Big Woman's butt cheeks were massive!!!

From there we headed to Alice Springs and arrived at around 6pm. We had finally reached our first destination and it felt good!!! We were over half way through our outback journey now and had done it it good time. We enjoyed a feast of tuna pasta and then relaxed in the TV room to watch an Aussie comedian 'Adam Hills'.

The night air was cooler too and the van was barable to sleep in. I must have had a pretty big net because I caught the best ZZZZZ's that I had in a while!!!

Driven - 541km

---

Photos

The open road......
It was pretty much like this for most of the drive!!!

Kangaroo Watch....The Mood Was Tense!!!
I didn't see a dead one in those 5km but loads before and after!!!

Bear Grills Land!!!
Complete desert and not a road made for Chubbs........just after we saw 'Mistake Creek' too!!!

Pure Blonde!!! The beer is too!!!
Much needed drink after our fuel watching!!!!

On top of a Marble....
Only the start of the rock pictures.....you will see!!!

The big man again....need I say more!!!
Soon to be joined by his family!!!