Heardaboutaustralia2: Caleb types back

Heardaboutaustralia2:

CALEB TYPES BACK!!! $4.95c

Issue 1/10 Volume 1/?, 30/6/06

“I don’t put a lot of info in because Mum and Dad do that 4 me”

OK now, where r we? After 10 days we have travelled from JJ – Adelaide – Wilpena – Coober Pedy – Yulara (Uluru) (Underlined is the best place yet). That’s what I call speed travel. Yesterday (29/6/06) from Coober Pedy 2 Yulara we had a 21 eagle day! We have beaten the new course record! I have so far bought 4 cans of Pepsi max & diet coke 4 99c each! That’s the only price I will buy them at :-)

Now 4 some more of CALEBZ DEFINITIONS:

The bug: A catchy disease that is mainly caught after going on a mining tour or seeing a big opal, amethyst etc.

The worst case of ‘the bug’ has been spotted in a Melburnian mainly known as Evelyn Heard. She claims that if you leave her at a pile of rocks that has been mined up, she will have noodled (scavenged as I call it) through the lot of it b4 she stopped! And even then she would keep going! Caleb has a little bit of the bug but that is the least to expect after seeing Ev!

Flamingo: The fabled eater of Azaria Chamberlain, as seen in the book of ‘Sam’s guide to Australian History’. These pink and/or white birds have no teeth but they are to be avoided at all costs.

I spy: The game that allows someone to outsmart someone by saying long, long sentences. It also allows the person who is ‘spying’ to swear without getting into TOO much trouble… lol e.g. BLR: b----y long road. This technique is used at your own risk, consequences include losing of turn, grounding (literal or not), smack for younger ones, disqualification from game, docking of money (to the delight of the parents) etc.

Sam the bunkmate: The bunkmate from hell… He has an irritating rhythm of snoring, his legs take up the WHOLE bed (literally!), muttering in his sleep, feet digs into back of knees, hogs the doona and many, many, many more… To stop these horrors from happening, you can:

• Stuff tissue up nostrils and/or mouth
• Shove into wall
• Give him your own version of ‘the rack’
• Take pillow (doesn’t do much but it makes u more comfortable J)
• Dig YOUR feet into the back of HIS knees
• ‘mutter’ to your parents about him
• Hog the doona yourself

If you have any more ideas for me and for the good of the country, please comment and leave your name, address, postcode and your credit card number with its pin code

Thankyou for your cooperation.

“Ayers Rock Campground” swimming pool, in WINTER: The only pool of water that doesn’t freeze in negative temperatures. This pool of death operates between 8am and 8pm, and attracts kids from all around the campsite to bathe in its glow. After-effects include: raw, red bodies (also may have been bitten by flies), back of hand numbed like it has been spread with cream that u get b4 an operation, freezing of body parts, more numbness, more freezing of body parts etc.

Water people like Caleb Heard will feel all these symptoms since he has formed a ‘resistance’ to colder water that sadly doesn’t work in these temperatures - thrown away like a rag doll, without the person noticing. Caleb eventually spent the rest of the day in the sun, thawing out his hands and feet.

More definitions and reports in the next issue of: Heardaboutaustralia2: CALEB TYPES BACK

Gone missing...

...one upper lip growth, where it has sat comfortably for over 23 years. Wife not happy, and frantically calling for its return.

Beware the advice of casual acquaintances

We did INTEND to take it slowly today, stopping for a casual visit to The Breakaways – a ten kilometre off-road experience (probably just to say that we’ve been there, and it was part of the set for Priscilla…) Ev’s addiction to noodling had her looking in a barren creek bed in a place where one couldn’t see a single opal mine for dust! Thought we’d lost her for about ten minutes.

Tried taking it slowly through to Marla – speeds of about 90-95 km/h. One cannot escape the desert, no matter what speed one takes it at. Whether at 130+ (at which some cars went past us!) or 80, it is unrelenting, but ever changing. Rachel commented that she expected to see nothing but sand (a la Lawrence of Arabia), but the harshness of the landscape was as daunting as the changes were intriguing. Set up a Wedge-tailed eagle count on the journey. Two four-eagle days the last two, but today was a bonanza – we saw 21 of them: sitting, eating, flying. Magnificent birds to watch. (How I wish I was reporting my golf scores at a major championship!) At one point I saw four sitting together, two clearly younger and smaller. In comparison we saw only a handful of Kestrels. In addition to the normal litter of kangaroo carcasses, we also encountered dead cattle. Ev managed to spy a dingo chewing on the carcass of one.

The marks of human presence on the landscape give pause for thought – garbage littering the side of the road; roadkill; a bitumen scar dividing the nation in two, and the occasional building and phone tower. Is this indicative of our contribution to the planet’s well-being?

Made a brief stop at the border, where we met Happy Harry the Encouraging Tour Guide who could barely crack a smile and gleefully informed us that the camp sites at Uluru and Kings Canyon were booked out until September. There was a quiet tension in the air as we made our way into Kulgera and on to Erldunda, where Ev made some frantic phone calls. She was able to book us into Yulara TONIGHT – it was 4 pm and there remained another 260 km to go. Asked the guy at the fuel stop about animals on road, and he commented that he never drove anywhere at night. Hmmm. The next two hours of daylight were absorbed at something close to the speed of light, determining to limit the amount of night-time travel before getting into Uluru. We arrived at 7 pm and set up camp for five days, determining that we were going to have a lazy day tomorrow. Gained an extra day on the journey, lost a few non-grey hairs!

Later note: the camp site was full the night we arrived then there were dozens of unoccupied sites in the days to follow...

In search of...

Travelling to Uluru from Coober Pedy was an unusual experience. I promised Caleb at the next big town – Marla – I would stop at an Angus and Robertson bookstore and buy him the next book in the series he is reading. Thought Gary was grinning at the nice view. Pulled into the Marla Roadhouse for fuel then pulled out again. “Er….I thought we were going in to Marla?” I asked Gary. Gary roared with laughter at the thought of any bookstore in Marla. Marla is a fuelstop, three houses and two dogs. Why is it marked as a big town on the map? Well apparently this IS a big town compared to some.

The Miner's Curse ... and blessing

I have a new admiration for the patience and futility of mining. Early miners digging by hand were able to progress at the rate of only three feet a day. It took three months to dig a main hole in search of the mother lode – in this case opal. But opal only develops in veins where there is a shift in the rock structure. Metre upon metre of digging continues in the hope of striking such a vein. The pace of digging has increased through the years, but the success rate is not great. Some make big money, others a basic amount, enough to sustain hope. One wonders what keeps them going. Dave (our tour guide through a working mine) spoke of one rich strike in 28 years. he says miners die of AIDS (Acquired Income Deficiency Syndrome) or SARS (Serious absence of Romantic something). So what sustains them out in this dusty, barren and unwelcoming place, where temperatures soar into the 50s during hot summer days, and plummet to around zero in the winter nights?

It was as I pondered this question that I recognised the connections with my own spiritual journey – the miner’s quest is not unlike the spiritual quest, the yearning, the searching, the hoping, and the working for an encounter with God. Just as an opal miner may miss a vein by a matter of inches, how often do I pass by without noticing God’s proximity? There are the occasional deep and enriching encounters amidst the staking of claims, and the searching, fossicking and digging. It is those intimate moments with God which one seeks as a consequence of the search. The discovery worth every moment of effort, and yet also (as Jeremiah once lamented) something that traps one in the continuing journey.

Stop Press: Coober Pedy - Ev loves the wilderness

We had heard some really negative press about Coober Pedy but I absolutely loved it. I had flash backs to my childhood where we used to visit relatives at Diamond Hill outside of Bendigo. We used to dig around the old mineshafts finding the most glorious array of old jars, crystals, yes even bits of gold. Hours would go by without me noticing.

Coober Pedy is just so different to any other town. Not a blade of grass to be seen and the taste of dirt in your mouth does not sound like the sort of town to appeal to me but it did. The richness of the walls of the underground mines, caves and homes was soothing in a bizarre sort of way. The silence underground and just the raw textures were an artist’s dream. Not to mention the thrill of the chase with the reward being opals of every colour imaginable. The clarity of colours seen through the more sought-after stones was entrancing. It’s easy to see how some people come for a visit and end up staying a lifetime.

Photos

We've got a few photos to share of the journey thus far, but no way of uploading them as yet... Not many internet access points on a wallaby!

Encounter with the outback

It strikes me that we are somewhat manic in the way we attack holidays. Though we have changed location, the inner-city spirit still percolates within – seeking to press every moment out of every day. The driving while at Rawnsley Park; the long walks – each day finding us lurching into camp as the sun set. Up again at the crack of dawn this morning (maybe just before it!) and pushing ourselves all the way to Coober Pedy, arriving at 6.30 pm, eyes scanning the horizon as the sun lowered itself in the sky and then set. The long long twilight – as we watched the sun drop from the sky as the clock neared 5:20, and not experiencing complete darkness until just after 6 pm. It was truly brilliant to watch the changing sky – the blue of the early night sky at the eastern horizon while the western horizon glowed brilliant red; the new moon carving its way into the ever-encroaching darkness. And all experienced at 110 km/h!

The vast expanse of nothingness which marked our day made me think that we really have not conquered this land in any real sense. It still holds its power over us, as we retreat to city centres with lush fertile grounds and easy access (for the most part) to fresh water. Our forebears found the going rugged through the early decades, particularly emerging from their penchant for simply relocating British farming methods to the harsh Australian landscape. The Hills family (Flinders Ranges Homestead) were required to run 120000 sheep on their land – clearly beyond what was sustainable, simply because the government required it (utilising patterns known ‘back home’). And so we live today on the most arable land in the country, covering much of it with concrete and bitumen, or housing, all the while giving up on the vast expanses. We have not come to grips with the arid land which we call home. Populations of these Stuart Highway towns rarely exceed 100. Homesteads are dotted across the landscape, most larger than suburbs in the cities. We zoom through, failing to come to grips with this land and its needs.

And so we too, holidaying at breakneck speed. Snacking on the beauty of the Flinders Ranges, but not fully drinking it in. Stopping for a snapshot or two, but not to listen to its voices. Some places resonated a deep history, but gives its secrets only to the patient. This is a lesson we must learn, having relocated from the city, but certainly still living by its spirit.

Here we sit in Coober Pedy, less than a week after leaving home. I can still readily recall the sounds of the tram turning the corner from Victoria Street into Errol Street. I can hear the horses cantering past at the end of a long day of activity for tourists in the city, Ben barking as they approach. These sounds are embedded within me. The sounds – or silences – of the outback close me in, leaving me with a sense of deafness hard to explain. The night skies reveal stars the cities obscure, and they have begun to find contact with the darker and distant places within me. What light will be revealed within when I pause long enough – slow down enough – to truly see and appreciate?

The off-road experience

Lazy morning (everyone slow to surface – wonder why?!). Headed off north to Blinman at 11 am. Dirt roads all the way, though recently graded, and speeds reasonable. First stop the Cazenaux Tree, subject of a famous photograph. Tried to emulate. Look forward to display in Louvre in due course. Carcass of emu lying nearby – clearly died waiting for royalty cheques.

From there to Blinman, where Ev bought a lantern for her citronella. The three flies and one bug we have seen in the near-zero temperatures have her rattled. Still, I’m sure that the three litres of citronella will keep them away. It has that effect on me! Blinman has preserved many aspects of life that we knew from years gone by – old red telephone booth still equipped with ancient phone (including A and B buttons). The town managed to support two service stations – BP and Caltex, although the latter was the only one to have a bowser!

Took the ‘scenic route’ from Blinman to Parachilna. Made the choice because it was 7 kilometres shorter than other road. Mental note: ‘scenic route’ means speeds no more than 20 km/h and road approved for use as GMH testing ground. Consequently arrived in Parachilna half an hour after the Leigh Creek coal train had gone through. (This coal train is over 2.8 km in length). They serve all sorts of native food at the Para pub: emu burgers, kangaroo steaks. Any sort of road kill will make its way onto the plate. Settled for two bowls of hot chips - locals looking at us strangely.

As we returned via the Brachina Gorge and Bunyeroo Gorge roads, where we were fortunate to stumble upon two wedge-tailed eagles dining on something that didn’t make it onto the plates at the Para Pub! Brachina Gorge reveals the different rock strata which make up the Flinders Ranges. Bunyeroo Gorge was too far to walk, but the drive through was littered with beautiful scenery. Moment for pause at the bottom of the gorge when confronted with road covered in water. Didn’t fancy turning around, and confidence wasn’t lifted when we saw a small vehicle at the other end do a U-turn and head back. Walked through to find some solid ground, then motored slowly through. We made it!

Love the creative artistry on this road sign! AND the temperature dropped to -3C that night!!!

Road testing the hiking shoes

Yesterday was the first test run in hiking shoes – a visit to Wilpena Pound. (Rawnsley Park is about 20 km from the Pound.) First stop at Arkaroo Rock Painting Site – a thirty minute walk from the car park to the base of Wilpena Pound, at times steep, but certainly rough under foot. Sam rose to the challenge brilliantly, making his way through to Arkaroo Rock, where ancient aboriginal rock paintings have survived, telling the stories of the Adnyamathanha tribe. One hour walk, shoes doing well!

From Arkaroo Rock into Wilpena Pound, where we took the shortest of the available walks into the Wangarra lookout. We didn’t tell the kids how far it was (over 4 kilometres and more than two hours return!) Managed to scab a ride from the pound shuttle for about a kilometre, which rejuvenated the kids nicely. The road through to the Hills Homestead was reasonably flat and sure underfoot. Amazing that this ancient building would be constructed in such a remote place! From the Homestead up to the Wangarra Lookout was a steep climb, covering 900 metres of steep and rocky pathway. Sam powered his way up the hill to the lookout – I was proud of him. Caleb also kept a steady pace, overtaking Sam and I as we rested about 50 metres from the top. The view was not as spectacular as one might have imagined. It seems the best views of the pound are from the outside, where the rocky faces are quite imposing. The flat expanse of the inside of the pound highlights the remarkable rock formations which establish its perimeter. This walk took us just over two hours, covering 7.8 km. The three kids carried themselves remarkably well.

From the pound we headed north to Huck’s lookout, offering a view back into Wilpena Pound. The road north was unmade, and littered with kangaroos offering increasing hazard as the day wore on. The kids were thankful that they did not even need to leave the car to enjoy the view!

One last stop on the way back to camp was at Sacred Canyon. At the end of quite a remote road, the Canyon also holds ancient aboriginal art work. One can sense the remoteness of the canyon, protected from weather and hidden away. The rock formations were intriguing. The road in left the car covered in red dust. We have been displaying a Socceroos flag on the car periodically since their accession to the last 16 at the World Cup, noting how unique it was. However, when we emerged from Sacred Canyon, what should we find but a car parked next to us with exactly the same flag!

Dinner was sausages barbecued over an open fire. Once again the sky was clear (as it had been all day) and the panoply of stars overhead offering wonderful theatre. The kids all slept well, having covered three hikes of about 13 km! Not a bad road test.

the Novice Camper continues...

I thought it ironic that the name of the van next to us was "Roma". It was lost (deliberately I think) on Gary who commented that "Were roma round Australia!" I must admit from about three hours out of Adelaide the light wsa different from anything I had seen before. The clarity was incredible and each colour heightened to the extreme. The closer we got to the Flinders Ranges the more it was like stepping into a Leonard Long painting Coming into this camp site I realised that perhaps Adelaide wasn't the wilderness after all. Surroundeed by the incredible hills and set in a bit of scrub but too tired to care really - just want a good nght's sleep.

The Stepford camping families continue to do their waving - it's like having a new nanna on every corner. I continue what Gary calls my Queen ave in return. I reminded Gary of my theory of beeing swapped at birth as way of explanation of me havinng no obvious camping skills whatsoever. Queen Elizabeth was pregnant while in Edinburgh but decided another male heir was needed - hencee the elaborate switch - Andrew for Ev! Mother, father and family were subsequently shipped to Australia at no charge for an extended holiday. This perfectly explains my love ofcrystal, diamonds, and all the finer things of life. After three nights in the van I even look like her - my eyes havee sunk even further back in my head and I look eighty years old!

Alas, another restless night. Gary said I wasn't to wake him unless there was a fire. At about 2 am I awoke with the strong smell of smoke nearby. Was just about to wake him when I realised that the smoke was coming from my hair, courtesy of our 'let's eat around the camp fire' dinner.! None of us could see a thing we were eating it was so dark, but supposedly this added to the charm - wh knows what crawled or flew onto our plates to be chewed and swallowed. Rachel did emjoy the blanket of stars on our kilometre-round trip to the toilet. At zero degrees I will protect my electric blanket like a fourth child.

At about 3 am some sort of animal started head-butting the canvas. Got up nervously to take a peek and after putting glasses on felt a tightening at the sides of my head. "This is it," I thought, "a stroke from the stress of camping. My sight was blurry and the tightness continued until I realised I had put on Sam's glasses. Forgot wild animal and crawled back relieved into bed. Early in the morning the owners of the camping site said that the dingoes and foxes were particularly aggressive during the night trying to get into tents. Did a quick head count of the kids and the electric blanket - all present and accounted for.

Sam not at all worried about the wild dingoes and foxes encircling our camp site. This could be explained by him coming to us a few months ago to tell us that hee knew what happened to baby Azaria. He told us that she was eaten by a flamingo! Now I remember him going pale at the Adelaide Zoo when he asked what was the pink bird on the skinny legs next to him. He stayed very close to me for the rest of the visit there!

Leaving Civilisation

Like the experienced cravaners we have become,we sprang out of bed knowing that we had a long trip today, and a quick eat and pack up was necessary. The alarm rang at 7 am. Life finally overtook the van at about 7.30 am. By the time breakfast was done it was 8.30. We pulled out of the caravan park at 9.30. Driving across Adelaide was a little less straightforward than expected. By the time we stopped for petrol and supplies we ha breezed through 40 kn in two hours!! The rest of the day flowed reasonably well, with brief stops at Burra for lunch, Mount Bryan to admire the railway station without a line, and Peterborough (though we missed seeing the Indian Pacific by two days!)

We made our way through to Rawnsley Park Homestead where we were able to set up the van once again in the shadows of a magnificent sunset. The night was crisp, but the air and sky clear. The kids were rapt to have a camp fire, covering all of us with smoke (something that would come back to our nostrils during the night’s sleep!) The night sky was filled with stars, visible to the horizon.

Ev's First Night Diary

11.30 pm Finally the last of noises from very excited kids all being bedded down in same small area.

Midnight – awoke to a loud crashing sound and a distressed Rachel screaming in pain and fright. Caleb had rolled over and fallen out of his bed on to Rachel’s legs. Took a few minutes to restore the sound of crashing waves only again. (Neither Caleb or Rachel remembered this the next morning)

1 am Woke Gary gently to see if he thought the lonely looking man in the next caravan could be one of the missing Beaumont children. Gary not amused. Well – it is the same beach and one’s mind wanders when one is trying to sleep on a hard bed in the cold.

2 am Got up to visit the bathroom. Must get a smaller torch – receiving signals back from ships at sea!

3 am High tide with waves crashing in metres from the van. Couldn’t help but think of our van looking like that car in the Melbourne Aquarium filled with water and tropical fish. Thought about which child I would have to try and rescue first.

3.30 am Looked above my head to see a huge hand illuminated by the light through the canvas looming inches from my head. Breathed a sign of relief to see said hand was attached to Gary. Woke him again to explain why I screamed – Gary still not a happy camper.

4 am Gave up trying to sleep and resorted to chemical assistance

6 am Sam woke me up to go to the toilet.

7 am Breakfast set of the smoke alarm three times – ripped it out of the socket in disgust

7.05 Got soaked turning on the tap as the water spluttered through pipes. Children ran away laughing to protect their lives.

7.15 am New burning smell - not toast related. Found melted bristles of new broom attached to the blow heater.

Gary insists Adelaide is NOT the wilderness. Yeah right!

I have officially failed camping 101 – am heading into the Myer sale this morning for an electric blanket for my side of the bed! Children to remain unaware!

The Sausage Assassin Strikes!

Why is it that driving off in the dark while the rest of the world is asleep has me whispering to the kids “Be quiet children, tonight we are escaping from Austria…”? The only sound we could here was the distant waves breaking on the beach. We leave this beautiful setting in search of...

There’s only one way to punctuate a long day’s journey, and that’s with food. Hot chocolates at Skipton; the bakery at Stawell – which wasn’t a good enough venue to dine at. Ev chose a picturesque location above Stawell for breakfast: cereal, sandwiches and choice of weather. It was the invitation to a lookout which prompted her to turn the car off the main road. Aside from nearly getting bogged in a detour, and facing a road climb akin to the Madderhorn, we enjoyed our breakfast in a fresh four-degrees, with a lazy wind cutting through three layers of clothes. I’m sure it was a ruse to get us to eat more quickly! Ev is convinced ‘the wilderness’ is not for her.

Lunch break was taken at Bordertown, preference for the simplicity of barbecued sausages. On this occasion the barbecue responsibility fell to Ev, who relished the role as the sausage assassin. I have never seen so many stab wounds on a single sausage! And when she rolled them over, each time they were freshly assailed with the knife. By the time we ate them they were pleading for mercy! Maybe she is cut out for the wilderness after all!

First night’s set up was at sundown – wonderfully picturesque, and more than appropriate for covering our fumbling ineptitude with van and awnings. Feels like we not only have enough stuff to explore Australia - we have enough to lay siege to it for months! The kids loved exploring all the park amenities – games room, pool and bouncing castle amongst other things. And then… sleep. Well, when all the excitement finally dissipated for the younger ones.

It was a beautifully balmy 8 degrees in Adelaide during the night... only Ev booked us into a site facing the beach. We awoke to fog horns, limited visibility and icicles hanging from the pointy parts of our faces!!

The time has come

The van is packed. We have managed to WinZip our lives into a sardine can on wheels, which will feed, sleep and keep us through 15000 km and three and a bit months. Early tomorrow morning we will turn the car out of the driveway and head towards the South Australian border. Ev has been suggesting that she will write some new words to the old Beach Boys classic 'Kokomo' as a reminder of why we should have gone to Italy. The good news tonight is the political pressure being brought to bear on the oil companies over fuel pricing. If it drives down the petrol prices for the next three months, we'll be grateful! Meanwhile Ev is putting last minute clean-up touches in the kitchen: windexing the toaster and the kettle. (Ev thinks there are two sorts of people in this world - those who windex their kettles and toasters and those who don't) Nothing like a last-minute spit and polish to clear the cobwebs and set us up for the journey!

Caleb has been spending the afternoon sorting out music - deciding which songs he will burn to CDs to listen to in the car. Having grown up with this sort of technology he doesn't appreciate that we needed to play "Spotto" when travelling, as cars didn't even have radios when my family travelled to Adelaide in the 60s!

Sam says that he is so missing the cat. I am looking forward to going to Adelaide, and going in the pool. There are so many things I am looking forward to - sleeping in the van, staying up late and eating popcorn and chocolate. After the 14 weeks we might be able to do another trip around Italy and get another term off! That's all.

And now Rachel:
I am so excited that I can't eat, and probably won't be able to sleep (but who cares about that part!) I had fun packing all the food in the van with Mum. Today Cale and I loaded up songs on my mp3 player, so I will have plenty to listen to in the car. More from Adelaide....

Ev: Rachel has been worth her weight in gold setting up the van - a great discovery to learn was that she is not spacially challenged like me and was far more capable of rearranging things to fit in amazing spaces. She certainly doesn't get that from me. Anything past the stacking tins on top of each other ie Dickins (where I worked part-time as a 15-yo) is beyond me. So I sat and watched with amazement. Caleb helped Gary with the physical stuff and Sam just got under everyone's feet trying to be helpful. We are very grateful that over long distances they read or listen to music - makes the whole thing rather pleasant - you sort of forget they are there!!!!! They were very excited to have had a long spa each - the last for a very long time - and off to bed in their clothes for tomorrow! Great adventure! We will keep writing - what else does one do with all that spare time - even if we have to send a heap at once when we are in a position to log on again. There is a fine line between being relaxed and being bored witless.

Gary: The kids have all clamoured off to bed (somewhat reluctantly). We have tried everything legal to calm them down... but they are bouncing off the walls. Hopefully that means they will sleep in the car (fat chance!) So... here we are.... and there we gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Caleb's first thoughts!

wow...
I can't believe we are already just hours away from leaving on our 14 week trip. The hardest thing has been the minute or two when we left family and friends and cat. I don't start crying, i don't find it sad, BUT what i find sad (in crying way) is other people (like Rachel and Mum) crying, that's what makes me cry, but only 4 seconds. OK! Now that all the bad stuff has gotten out of the way, now lets get onto da good stuff:

FISHING:
noun
Definition: A fun way to record your journey around Aus. And a great hobby, also provides goals, like CATCHING A BIG BARRA :-)
Fishing will be my major part of life during this trip, one thing is that i NEVER would've thought that we would go fishin' at the first stop!!!

NO SKOOL:
unheard of
Definition: A rare saying that mostly gets used in fantasy kids books and in kids imagination... until now... A WHOLE TERM OF IT *jumps around in joy* Wat a kid wouldn't give 4 a WHOLE term off!!! Especially 2 miss out on Aim tests, assignments, Yr.7 boring stuff etc.

Overall I think this will b a great trip (not including Mum raving about how much we miss the cat etc. tho my arm is not missin' the cat, u should c the scratches! lol). I am most looking forward 2 fishing (no surprise). Also catching a big barra!

C'yall soon :-D

Cale

Setting up

The van returned from its visit to the doctor this afternoon (where it had gone for its check-up and shots) , and began its first serious preparations and trials. Caleb and Gary set to putting up the annexe, which they managed with only a few detours on the way. Thank goodness the first effort wasn't in the caravan park on the beach with gale force winds! It was much more secure in the front yard under blue skies and in mild weather. Ev and Rachel spent hours organising the interior, a job done so well that we know where to sit, how to sleep, and where we can get a snack at any hour of the day or night for the next six months. Having said that, Ev would prefer to stay in the driveway and cut out the travel. We can see the same things on DVD! Still, it won't be the same as sitting in 30 degree weather on a beach in Darwin, will it?

Only two more sleeps to go, when we hit the road in a serious way... What are we doing?! Ev keeps telling the kids that it is easy to get back home by plane!

We have lift-off!

We've flown the coop! Granted, we're travelling in something a little more grounded than this, but it certainly feels like we are up in the air.

We have only moved an hour down the road, but it seems like we have crossed the Rubicon. And it took less than an hour to realise that we had left something important at home (Cale's mobile phone), and brought something which is needed at home (work keys!) D'oh! Express Post will get a work-out!

Said goodbye to cat and dog... sad moment. And to family... even sadder moment - although the family can email and phone which the animals can't do! Leaving Melbourne behind, crossing the Westgate Bridge, with the car stacked to the ceiling with stuff meant for the van. The kids were crammed in tighter than sardines - at least I think so, as we couldn't see them behind the barrier. We have never had a quieter journey down the Geelong Road. I was even breath-tested and the car was registration checked as we came into Torquay - wonder how many times that will happen on the journey?!?!

And so the story begins...

The last day before transition

We woke up at home this morning for the last time in 14 weeks. This trip now stares us in the face. We are busy doing the second-last bit of compacting our lifestyles to fit into our mobile mansion. All the handover has happened for church (I think), and almost all for home. And I finally had to deal with all those emailing lists to which I had been unwittingly subscribed, but I had treated as spam. The inbox has been very lonely the past few days. It's amazing how many 'advertising' emails I have come to receive. On top of six mailing lists there was another twelve or so 'unwelcomed' subscriptions. It has a cleansing feeling!

Tonight after church we decamp to Jan Juc, where the van is stored. Over the next couple of days we will have it serviced, packed, and readied for the journey, and the last administrative pieces of the puzzle from a work and home perspective will be taken care of. And then... there is a daunting sense of what lies ahead. How will we cope with caravanning it? The mind races with a million questions, and a million anticipations. So much to look forward to, so much to wonder about.

Rachel's first thoughts

Excitement
I can’t wait until we’re off. I cannot believe we are actually doing this. I am really looking forward to it.

Cat
I can’t believe we are actually going to leave our cute little kitten behind! I am really really going to miss her.

Stuck!
You’ve seen a picture of our campervan. Okay, I admit it’s not too bad. But, just imagine, being stuck in there with, TWO BROTHERS!
I am definitely going to go mad in there.

School
Let’s start up a chant. “I’m going to miss school-ool. I’m going to miss school-ool. YEAH!” I’m also going to tap into this website now and again, so if you want to read more of my writing, just check back in here!

WAKE UP!
I am going to hate being woken up early every morning. Did I mention my bed is on the kitchen table?! Boys always wake up, and go straight to the breakfast table!

Those are the negatives and positives! Bye for now!!

The excitement builds

Last day of school today, and Samuel was surprised by his classmates with a wonderful farewell. Being the last day of term it was casual clothes. Sam was late because the car was getting towbar attached (minor issue, I know, but we felt it better and more practical than the kids holding on to the van out the back window!) When we arrived there was real excitement in the classroom, and Sam was taken for a small walk while the last preparations were completed. Sam has been telling everyone at school that he is "going on long service leave", which the staff have found to be quite a hoot! His classmates gave him some wonderful cards filled with beautiful messages. His integration aide, Lisa, made some cakes for everyone in the classroom, and a great time was had by all. Paula, his teacher, set up Sam's long service leave party!

Meanwhile, the first caravan park booking has been made. Ev came back into the room still suffering culture shock. "Caravan park people are soooo friendly." Living in the inner city, we are more used to people barely giving you the time of day. Nonetheless, Ev chose a beautiful site right on the beach, despite warnings that it is the middle of June, and that there may well be offshore winds. Nothing like acclimatising ourselves early. I suppose it will be good preparation for those desert evenings in the early stages of the trip, where temperatures hover around zero in the night...

Only two more sleeps before we decamp from home and work environments and head down the coast for last preparations. Caleb's comment today takes the cake, knowing that this will be the last school day until October: "The ultimate long weekend!"

Counting down

This time next week we will be out of the state and on our epic journey. Finally got the car sorted... sort of... not quite what we were hoping for, but wheels none-the-less. My artistic partner makes the following comments about the decor...
It's the sort of car a nineteen year old Italian male would love to hoon up and down Lygon Street in late on a Saturday night. Lots of shiny metallic stuff inside - very hard on the eyes. At least the previous model we tried out (next one up) was subdued by leather inside. Not so this little charmer - a couple of fluffy dice hanging from the revision mirror should complete the picture!

And then there's the last-minute trip back into Kathmandu...
...had a last dash in to Kathmandu today and the man said "Haven't you left yet?" I replied "Er...have I been in that much?"

Watching the temperatures in mid-South Australia... and preparing ourselves for some cold nights. But north of Alice Springs will be nice and warm, just as Melbourne plumbs the depths of winter.

So, we slowly count down, and begin ticking off. The list of "to do"s gets shorter every day.

Ain't Technology Wonderful?

We had a wonderful digital camera for our trip - served us well for quite a few years - until recently. A slip of the hand saw said camera falling to the floor (in its protective case) for a seemingly innocuous landing. Said camera still works wonderfully, but for one thing - the small LCD screen at the rear produces no image. Which would be fine except that there is no other viewfinder. Of course, this happens in good enough time to ensure that any repair will be completed long after we have left said repair shop in our wake, which sent us around the shops looking for an alternative. Fortunately the end-of-year sales have come at the right time, so we have been able to pick up a fine Fuji 5MP model with 10x optical zoom. It does everything except order pizza! We are now able to provide some image coverage of our trip with new camera, knowing that we have caught the desired image before downloading to the computer hours after the possibility of a resnap has passed.

Aren't hiccoughs wonderful.

Just one thing needed...

Eleven days to go and we are only missing one major item – A CAR!!!! We thought we had nothing better to do than swap the current lease on the Commodore for another one. Not so! GMH are not releasing their new models until July with Ford following suit. Not a lot of time to test drive other vehicles for trip. Gary DOESN’T believe it’s God telling us to sell the van and have our vacation in Italy!

Lease people kindly sent a Mitsubishi VRX for us to try. The kids and Gary love it. Have I mentioned previously that I don’t handle change very well?! Gary has had his best sermon illustrations over this flaw in my character. I HATE the car. The boot’s smaller, the glove box is smaller, and anything smaller for fourteen weeks is too small! The dash board of a 747 is kinder on the eyes at night – this thing lights up like Luna Park – in iridescent blue no less. Yes – someone did suggest perhaps it could be turned a lighter colour so if there is anyone out there in cyber space with a Mitsubishi VRX – please respond with how? OK – I had to concede it runs much more smoothly and it will be more economical so finally I agreed. Well, again it was 4-1 – against me. (Mental note – check if Gary is bribing children for votes).

Gary rang through to order vehicle and was assured it would arrive the first week in July. HELLO – eleven days and counting. It gets better – guess what? None in stock, OK I admit I’m female and don’t know a lot about cars except where the petrol goes but why give us something to try that isn’t available either? They have the “next model down”. “Does it have wheels I ask?” Car salesmen are not blessed with humour.

Did I mention its eleven sleeps to go AND WE DON’T HAVE A CAR??

Ever patient husband is dealing with the car company today – said company will be relieved it’s not the wife from hell again.

Just to add interest to the car saga our tow bar won’t transfer over. Gary DOESN’T believe the tow bar not fitting is God telling us to sell the van and go to Italy. Poor disillusioned soul.
All this and I haven’t even started the “Are we there yet”s.

Prepared for ANY emergency

We attended a friend’s party last Saturday night – during the evening many people offered best wishes for our upcoming trip. We had a most interesting conversation with a friend who is a GP. Her daughter had gone on a school trip to Robinson River in the Northern Territory last year as part of an exchange program. Our friend’s main concern was what to pack in a first aid kit for her daughter to take. My ears pricked up quite proud of the fact that I had put in considerable thought into our first aid kit for the journey. Gary had commented early in the week that short of an emergency appendectomy in the desert that I had everything else covered!

Our friend went on to say that she phoned a friend of hers who is a GP in Katherine, NT. This was the advice:- “There are three things you need to worry about:-
Sunburn – so always wear sunscreen and a hat
Dehydration –drink loads of water and carry a water bottle with you at all times
Slow down when driving – road trauma is too frequent because of high speeds on the longer stretches

I felt rather warm under Gary’s glare and felt relieved that he was the only other person in the room that knew about the seventy-three emergency medicines packed!

What price can one put on one’s peace of mind? Gary still not impressed! Caleb – when conversation recounted – hysterical with laughter.
Just wait till they need as much as a Band-Aid!

Extracting yourself

Long Service Leave is a wonderful idea - take yourself away from work and life for an extended period and relax and be recharged. Great! Fantastic! Except for one small thing - the actual process of extracting oneself from life's routines is about as simple as getting a straight answer out of a politician. When you're not around for three months to pay bills - actually, receive them in the first place (I'm going to miss seeing those little windowed-envelopes), nor any of the predictable and unpredictable happenstances of life, one has to be prepared. Unfortunately, this has to be done in parallel with the ordinary aspects of life which must be continued. So for an extended period you find yourself living two lives - one which unfolds in the moment, and one in anticipation of the time away. I reckon if you have to live with that stress for as long as we are, you NEED long service leave. It's times like this that I wish I had remained in teaching - then there is a whole bureaucracy to make one's absence possible.

Lists

Gary commented a couple of weeks ago that perhaps it was time to start writing lists. He almost wore the leather-bound, colour-partitioned book I have been filling out for the past six months plus - not to mention all the rough notes I have been taking down for over twelve months!!! Plus walking for hours on end researching the best prices, brands etc for every camping thing imaginable for at least ten months. After taking a few very deep breaths he still copped a mouthful!!!!!!! He insists he was talking about his own stuff!

Ev's pre-trip paranoia

I should have realised after the first Caravan and Outdoors Home Show we attended that we were heading into uncharted territory. I don’t just mean the physical places we are travelling to. This is a whole new species of people. People I have never laid eyes on were talking to me like I was their long-lost cousin from the hills. Elli-May Clampett and co had nothing on these folk. They were sooooooooo friendly and free with their advice it was scary! Everyone had a ‘we do it better than that story’ and we had to listen to all of them. I don’t recall wearing any outward sign that said ‘I’m helpless in the camping field’ but Gary suggested shuddering and shrinking away from certain objects was a dead giveaway.

Did I mention we were at this show because Gary thought we were doing this trip in a tent???!!! He was talking tents – I was talking divorce courts. I will always be grateful to a social worker at the Royal Children’s Hospital that I work with describing tents in the outback as ‘snake magnets’. Said brave husband has only one phobia – snakes! I waited for the appropriate moment, dropped the catch phrase into conversation and hey presto... we were looking at caravans.

Next problem? Caravans were way too expensive so the compromise is this Jayco Swan camper trailer thingo – frequently referred to by me as the ‘tin thing’.

We did actually have a one night try in our camper-trailer in March for this mammoth trip around Australia. Unfortunately we had driven three hours to Port Fairy. It was a 4–1 vote against me for wanting to try it out in our driveway which I thought was most sensible so that I could sneak back into warmth or air-conditioning - whatever was necessary!

By 5am there were real tears. Clue: tears did not belong to Gary or the children. By 7am I was begging Gary to sell the van and go to Italy with the proceeds. Far warmer in June, great friends in Italy with first class accommodation and light on in the dirt and flies category.

If Caleb turned over at his end of the trailer our end felt like an 8.4 on the Richter Scale. We didn't have the right bedding and it turned cold over night. We forgot basics like outdoor chairs so we were stuck inside at the caravan park - five in the tin thing underfoot was unbearable. When it came to wash up after dinner there were no tea-towels – what dorks forget tea-towels? Do you know how many times one needs to go to the toilet during the night when one knows it's a mile away????? Many many times. I didn't have to run or powerwalk the next day - I had covered my kilometres during the night.

I couldn't get used to the fact that the canvass roof was only a foot and a half above our faces when we slept (er...tried to sleep). You know the sort of van where the beds slide out the end and they are surrounded by canvass? I'm sure it's what a coffin feels like - not that I've slept in one lately. Cremation is now on the agenda. I suspect coffins don't actually leak condensation on it's occupants faces at 4 in the morning. Nor would the occupants care I hear you say. Good point although I will not be taking any chance now in case I am buried alive! Cremation and a nice red rose bush on top.

Rachel's highlight was running outside to watch the van pee! The sink has to go somewhere and she thought this a great joke. Nine year old humour and not very ladylike I'm afraid.

One solitary night and I didn't cope too well on the Heard Richter Scale. Gary thinks we are going to survive in that thing for fourteen weeks! For twenty-three years we had a perfectly good marriage – why ruin a good thing? Gary mentioned we were going to keep a blog site – this will only happen if we don't kill each other before the posts are written.

Crocodiles, snakes, spiders and scorpions have starring roles in my nightmares.
I now have a shopping list a mile long and several hundred dollars later it may all be a tad more comfortable. My motto after this 24 hours from hell experience is “A COMFORTABLE CAMPER IS A HAPPY CAMPER” A close friend is proud of my progress – I can walk in to a Ray’s Outdoor City now without hyperventilating... for the first five minutes anyway.