Hello-finally

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Hey everybody,

We finally found a computer that we can upload images with…..but don’t try to use the internet at caravan parks, internet cafes or public libraries because they won’t let you. What you need to do is find a family like the Gridleys, use their CDMA internet connection to their laptop and then send. Simple really. Now we have two scenarios:
1. Stalk the Gridleys across the country so that we can do a third page of this blog or, 2. We haven’t come up with scenario 2 yet but it’s only July. Luckily the Gridley's have been fnatastic to travel with and the kids have really enjoyed having someone to hang out with at the next caravan park. Oh....Colin's beer also is not bad either.

So far, so good. We set off about a week late because Lucy was really sick. A week late but at least we started. South Australia was really cold. At Burra we thought we just had condensation inside the camper’s canvas until I tried to wipe it off only to find the condensation was frozen to the roof. We couldn’t go up through the Oodnadatta track because it was closed from the rain and then heard all these horror stories of people being stranded for 3 to 6 days until the road dried. Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Rangers is apparently breathtaking but we couldn’t see it because of the….yep….rain.

It wasn’t until we hit the NT that the weather got better. The ‘Rock’ and Kata Tjuta were fantastic and, as Molly said: really, really, really big. We stayed at Yulara for 4 nights then headed for Alice Springs where the weather got even better. We took a short cut called the Mereenie Loop from Kings Canyon to Glen Helen Resort and almost lost most of our fillings by the end of the 260km. Still, you start slow and by the end you’re travelling at about 70kph and using every bit of the dirt road to find the flattest section. Never seen so much dust and after you finish and chat to others in the caravan parks and rest stops about what roads you’ve done, you get a lot of 4WD credibility after you mention this road. At Alice, we went to Palm Valley for the day and these roads were even worse but the views of the Valley were worth the 2 ½ hours of 4WDing. It will be a real shame to wash off the dirt. Must get hold of those spray on dirt cans for the Alice when we get back to Melbourne. Today we are at Mataranka, where the sun is warm, the sleeping bags are away and the afternoon was spent relaxing with the Gridleys by the pool. We’ve been travelling with them for a couple of weeks now and it looks like we’ll stay together until Darwin where they’ll head east and we’ll head west. We’ll send more from Darwin,

Love Ange, Geoff, Lloyd, Molly and Lucy.

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Photos

Wilpena Pound
Rainy but good

Comments

[Karl]

Great Stuff!
Hi Ange, Geoff, Lloyd, Molly and Lucy! Very much enjoyed the photos and text from SA - NT... you all look to be having a great time. We're all inspired back here in cold, dark Armidale to travel north some time! Happy Travels! Karl, Isy, Cole, Emma and Theo.

[Alex R-H]

Hi LLoyd, schools not the same without you.Jarrod has already finished the 6th Harry Potter book and Thomas has joined the choir.Mum's got a new car. Miss you. Alex.

[Jyoti, Tessa, Bree and Sabrine]

Hi mrs A we miss you!!!!!
Hello Mrs. A we are missing you more every second. We are all so happy to see you having such a great time. Bye for now and we will write to you and your family again. ( We are missing you more than when we started to write this letter.) Love Jyoti, Tessa, Bree and Sabrine.