So, we’re now more than half way through our road trip…time to reflect on the good, the bad and the ugly.
THE GOOD & THE TRULY AMAZING
The places we’ve seen – breathtaking and unforgettable. The Pilbara is still sitting at Number 1…just. The Gibble Ribble Rd is coming in at a close second
The people we’ve met; young and old
The sense of community and trust amongst fellow travellers
The generosity of family and friends along the way
Watching the kids navigate so many new, disparate, interesting and challenging experiences. We’re really proud of how they’ve accepted the completely unstructured and unfamiliar world of a long term road trip
The weather – we’ve definitely been following the sun. It’s 33 degrees in Darwin at the moment and only 12 in Melbourne…I know where I’d rather be hanging out
The colours of the ever changing landscape – spectacular
No traffic – no traffic jams and no daily commutes to school or work
No work! What more can I say!
The sunsets and night skies – amazing
The dogs – it’s been great having their company
The amount of dog friendly places to stay – and it’s only getting better
Appreciating the remoteness and vastness of this country (& the empty spaces)
Being off grid regularly – especially in an election year!
No fights between the grown ups! Apparently the biggest cause of bickering between mums and dads is reversing the caravan into camp sites and during the hitching up process! Luckily I’m a wiz at reversing our van so no need to argue!!
We haven’t run out of money (but the budget is definitely getting tighter!)
Swimming – endless opportunities to swim…in beaches, in rivers, in waterfalls, in pools – all year round!
Our incredible ability to fit all our shit into the van when it’s folded down – it’s like a game of tetris. Everything has to fit together perfectly for it to work
Free stuff (camping and attractions) – good on’ya Australia for allowing us travellers to see so much of this amazing country for free
Our ARB fridge – couldn’t have survived with it
Fold up everything…chairs, tables, caravans!
The ROK coffee machine – no electricity needed to make REAL lattes. Stops Michael being a cranky wonky donkey!
A great camera – thanks dad
The Nullarbor – unexpectedly interesting
The giant scale of things – mountain ranges, road trains, ore trains, stars, distances between towns...you get the picture (stuff you don't see in the city)
Simon Phillips – amazing singer / songwriter we discovered at El Questro
The ever reliable workhorse, Bilbo the Prado and his trusty companion Gandalf the Goldstream – thank you for your endurance
Mozzie coils
Keen's sandals - best travel shoes in the world
Seeing animals in the wild
Board games and card games - I forgot how much fun can be had with Uno, Monopoly, pick up sticks, Bingo, Battleship and Guess Who!
Time to read
THE BAD
Playing teacher – we’ve met loads of teachers along the way travelling with their kids and even they struggle with the same challenges as us so at least we feel ‘normal’!
DECV – the Distance Education School. Well…it’s just shit!
The extortionary cost of fuel and food in remote towns
Noisy roadside stops
No personal space – 5 people & 2 dogs living in a space that’s 2.1m wide and 7m long. Thank God for the awning / annex…and for beaches, farms and caravan parks we’ve used as our backyard all year!
Restrictions of travelling with the hounds eg they can’t visit National Parks (just requires more planning)
The kids usual bickering – but this would have happened at home too!
An unexpected root canal!
Dirt, bugs and God knows what else on your bed sheets
Pillows – not sure how we’ve ended up with 14 pillows but they’re a pain in the arse to pack! (I’ll be culling some before we leave the NT!)
Forgetting to unlock the hitch before trying to separate the car and trailer. At least we know the hitch works…even a crow bar wouldn’t budge it!
Knowing it will be a long time before we can visit the NW of WA again
Cranky grey nomads who don’t like kids or dogs…don’t travel then you silly old bastards!
Most of WA hibernates after midday every Saturday (until 9am Monday morning)…What the??? This is 2016 not the 1970’s!!
Lack of connectivity
Stocking up on fruit and veg only to hand it all over at the quarantine point an hour later! Doh!
Unreliable quality of water – hooray for water filters
Not being able to share this incredible journey with friends who’d have loved to come but couldn’t
Bodhi rolling around in the grass - we look like monkeys picking out all the grass seeds from his coat and skin
Power issues – glad we persevered with a fix; the 300w Kick Ass solar panels we added to our 120W panel and the 2000W inverter have been invaluable
Poor access to healthcare in country areas
The mess the kids leave in the back seat after every drive
& THE DOWNRIGHT UGLY
Port Hedland
Bogans in the Northern Territory
Giant crocs in the NT and their seriously scary snapping jaws
Giant feral pigs in the NT
Questionable hygiene without regular showers. Especially sweating up a storm during set up/pack up in 35 degree heat with only baby wipes to ‘refresh’ with!
Emptying the porta potti! (You’re our hero Michael)
The overflowing Dump Easy at Denham – who’s job is it to deal with that anyway??!!?
The longest, funniest fart in human history – thanks Martin!
The unrelenting advance of disgusting cane toads across the Top End
Bloated, decaying road kill
51 degrees under the awning in Mildura
CB talk…I still can't understand the special brand of “Shtrayan” the country people and truckies speak! Luckily Michael’s a good interpreter!
Backpackers shitting in roadside stops and not burying it
Evidence of the terrible treatment of Aborigines
SEE HOW WE LIVE & TRAVEL! ...it's simple albeit a little space challenged
Photos from left to right
inside our 'clean' van...it doesn't always look like this!
the other end of the 'clean' van
our 'el fresco' living area!
packing up the van for travelling
the other end of the van filled with 'stuff'
the final piece of the tetris puzzle at the door
the back seat of the car on a typical day
the car showing evidence of our off-road fun. This trip is not for those who fuss over their car...it will all get cleaned up when we get home (hopefully!)
on the road - we somehow fit everything into the car and van
michael's ROK powerless coffee machine
the espresso maker part in action!