On the road again... time to get everything ready!

I can hardly believe how quickly time has been flying by since we have returned home from our big adventure.  Two years ago we were kicking around the Red Centre, marvelling at Uluru in all its glory.  Life has moved on, the kids continue to grow like weeds, and things have settled back down to a new normal.

Or have they...

Over the past few months I have been finding myself increasingly torn between hitting the road again, or staying put.  Even devoting energies into a new blog (https://rockfarming.com/) hasn't been enough to convince me that home is where it will be at for ever.  Indeed the feet are growing itchy again.  Just as well that a new adventure is on the horizon.

The  Simpson Desert

It is an iconic trip that isn't to be taken lightly.  When I think back to our first foray into 4WD touring, it seemed a remote, distant possibility.  Now with a little bit of experience under our belts, we  think we are ready to give it a go.

This will also be our first extended trip without our trusty Aussie Swag camper trailer (Matilda).  Whilst camper trailers are not banned in the Simpson Desert (yet), all my research suggests they are a silly idea.  We decided that towing through the desert will entail too greater risk of stretching our chassis, or worst still, friendships. 

The site supervisor tests the extra height 

Whilst our camping configuration will be very different, there are no real changes for Rocky other than a 60 litre water tank installed under the tray. This took a friend and I the best part of a short school day to get fitted.  I opted for a simple caravan tank and standard fittings, with a gravity feed on the tap.  It works a treat!

A creek, a pan, a fortune might be found.

With a rare weekend free, we accepted an invitation with geologist friends to try and find our fortune at a public fossicking area somewhere near Tumbarumba, west of the Snowy Mountains.  We were lured not only by the promise of rubies and sapphires, but also a picturesque camp beside a pleasant creek.

And what a wonderful weekend we had - with plenty of reward for our efforts.

We were all keen to get out under canvas again.  The boys were eager to sleep in their swags, and soon found a spot that wasn't too lumpy.  The little supervisor (aka Dylis) was thrilled that our camp was in State Forest - so she could come along for the fun too.

Lightning Ridge - after we re-create a bet at Walgett

From Inverell we meandered west, pausing at the historic town of Bingara.  Whilst the famous cafe at the Roxy theatre has closed, we were very interested in the food garden being created on the town common.  This vision of a productive common providing enough food to feed the community is only in its infancy, but we were inspired by the people of Bingara.  Whilst our own plans are much more modest, we learnt a lot wandering around the young groves, and will be sure to visit again to check on future progress.

We enjoyed a night at Glacial Rocks - all taking turns under the little water fall.  It was really peaceful to be camping with just ourselves.  The river provided a melodious backdrop to our evening camp, and we could easily have spent more time in the picturesque place.    Before we left, we all placed a small stone in our pockets - in preparation for our next stop.

There is no place like home

54 904km and 377 days after our departure, we returned home after our wonderful crazy adventure.  

On our journey we met many wonderful, inspiring and fascinating people. We were extremely fortunate to gain snippets into other worlds, from a mighty cattle station in the Territory, to remote Aboriginal communities. We saw nature at its best. We saw mankind’s insatiable appetite for resources literally moving mountains. We laughed and cried with other travellers. We laughed and cried with each other.

Home at last... including a very happy pooch :)

We swam with sea-lions, dolphins and freshwater crocodiles. We snorkelled in natural aquariums teeming with exotic sea life, plunged into deep rock pools carved by crystal clear waters, wallowed in pristine lakes and stole kisses under remote cascading water-falls.

And our journey changes, reflections after a year on the road.

Faced with the prospect of heavy rain (severe thunderstorms),  access routes being cut by rising river crossings and several days waiting for things to dry out again, we held a family discussion.  We had been looking forward to heading down to Main Range National Park, but it looked as if the Park would bear the brunt of the oncoming storms.  At times like this, the resident meteorologist (aka Weather Witch) cast the deciding vote.

We took the easy option, packed up in the sun with everything dry and returned to Mama and Pa's.

All packed up

It was a time to pause for a moment as this decision would mark a turning point in our adventure to date.  

The Majestic Bunya Mountains

With Rocky sporting a new rear window, a dashing silver duco (amazing what a wash will do) and four refreshed passengers, we embarked for a few days in the Bunya Mountains, a couple of hours east of the Sunshine Coast.  It was great to be back on the road again, and we wound our way past the Glasshouse Mountains on our way to the Bunyas.  The road became steeper and signs started warning that the road ahead was unsuitable for buses, trucks and caravans - just our kind of adventure.

The hills became steeper and steeper - but thankfully we had plenty in reserve as Rocky sailed up them in second gear.  We soon had risen over 1000 metres above sea level, and paused to take in the view at Fisher's Lookout.

Bunya Mountains - On top of the world

Bunya Mountains - even Rocky made it!

Recoup, Repair and Recharge on the Sunshine Coast

We rolled off the ferry from Fraser Island with sand in every possible place - and if we thought we were bad - the car was worse.  Our garbage bag rear window was more than up for sedate trips around the island, but the highway revealed a monotonous drone - reminiscent of our days owning a soft top Jeep Wrangler.  We needed a place to stop, unpack and wash everything - and decided to return a surprise on Mama and Pa who lived just down the road.

Thankfully they were home - and graciously allowed us in.  For the next few days we appreciated luxuries such as hot running water, inside bathrooms, comfortable couches, and a library of new books to read.  Mama and Pa thoroughly spoilt us allowing us to catch up on a few other odd jobs.

How good is a couch and a new book!

The first to do was to give Rocky and Matilda a thorough wash.  They had received the special underbody wash at Rainbow Beach - which was a good start, but it was by no means sufficient.  After the wash, the Little Helpers were each armed with a can of WD-40 and sent underneath Rocky and Matilda with instructions to sqirt anything that looked like it might need it.  Two empty cans later, it seemed we were starting to get ontop of the exterior.

Fraser Island - Part 2 - The Stunning Inland

We had enjoyed our time at the beautiful camp site at Dundaburra, but it was time to venture inland and explore some more of Fraser Island.  With low water being not long after breakfast, we packed up in the morning and made our way back south on 75 Mile Beach.

One of the most stunning creeks on the east coast is Eli Creek.  Pure fresh water flows in large volumes along this sandy creek bed into the Coral Sea.  Popular with tourists we were the first car of the morning to pull up near the creek - and for a good 20 minutes had this magic piece of paradise to ourselves.

Eli Creek - delightful

We walked up the boardwark a couple of hundred meters, and entered the water.  Being the first of the morning, the creek was pristine, and jungle perch scooted out of our way as we floated down towards the mouth.  

Fraser Island - Part One - The Rugged East Coast

Fraser Island, or K'gari as it was known long before time began by the Butchulla people, is a magnificent sandy island that is nearly all world heritage listed National Park.  There are almost no sealed roads on the island, meaning the only way to get around it is by boat, or four wheel drive.  Half of the adventure is in getting here - with soft sand on the beach landing the first hurdle.  Rocky pulled us through the soft sand to the firmer stuff closer to the waters edge, and before we knew it, we were on the ferry heading on our way across to K'gari.

On the Manta Ray ferry

The easiest 'road' to drive on the island is the eastern beach.  Whilst you can drive it at high tide, the soft sand makes it heavy going.  We elected to wait until a couple of hours before low water, meaning we would easily clear Hook Point and then be able to drive up to our camp at Dundaburra, about three quarters of the way up the eastern beach towards Indian Head.  Our spirits were high as we rounded the point and started making our way north.  The sand was hard, and we cruised up comfortably at around 60km/hr, well under the signposted 80km/hr.  This is a gazetted road, and normal road rules apply, despite the challenges of surf, fishermen, creeks, washouts and swales in the sand.

The famous 75 mile beach - all hooked up and looking forward to our next few days

Due to the tides, we arrived in camp reasonably late and set up quickly.  The beautiful shaded camp-site was fenced, meaning we wouldn't have to worry about Dingos around camp.  Goannas were another story, meaning we still had to follow our usual food and rubbish pack away routine.

Hervey Bay and a night at Inskip Point

After our adventure at Kroombit Tops National Park, we were looking forward to returning to the coast.  Sea breezes by the sand was what it was all about, however we found out that there was plenty to see on our way to Hervey Bay.

After morning tea at Mount Perry we continued on towards the coast on this road less travelled.

Not far our of Mount Perry we turned off on the unimaginatively named Tunnel Road.  We soon found ourselves on the old railway embankments heading towards the Boolboonda Tunnel - the longest unsupported man made tunnel in the southern hemisphere.  I was nervous that we wouldn't fit through the tunnel, being a rather broad car, with plenty on the roof.  I was worried that if we couldn't fit, I might not be able to turn around with the trailer on.  I needn't have worried - a huge F250 ute with a tinny on top had just come through - meaning we would have plenty of room

And we did.

Boolboonda Tunnel Entrance

As we drove through the tunnel, we paused to look at the Bent Wing Bats that make this place their home.  The hand hewn rock was full of crevices and nooks of all shapes and sizes - perfect place to make your home - except for all the tourists driving through!

Agnes Waters, Deepwater National Park and Cania Gorge

We thoroughly enjoyed our four nights at Agnes Waters.  It was supposed to be a quiet rest time savouring the cool of the coast.  After the weekend passed, we had the campsite in Deepwater National Park to ourselves and things were becoming really peaceful.  

Of course the beach was glorious, but we decided to spend a couple of mornings in town visiting the library and getting our tyre repaired.  

In-between catching up on school at the library, we manged to try out a few new moves down at the beach.  We have lugged these boards since home, but they hadn't been used for a long time.  After taking about a hundred photos on the GoPro camera, I settled on these couple as the best shots of a couple of glorious days in the sun and the surf.

 

Surfs up!

Our dash to the coast...

We left Carnarvon Gorge with a couple of options open to us.  The first entailed heading west to the mountains above the gorge, around 300km, or the alternative was to head towards the coast.  The votes were cast, and with the temperatures due to soar into the 40s in the central districts, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.  The coast it was.

We diverted past Lake Nuga Nuga.  We had considered camping here, so were curious to see what was here.  This is the largest natural lake in Queensland yet the lake was full of dead timber which puzzled us.  That said, it was a haven of birdlife and it would have been stunning at sunset or sunrise.  Unfortunately we were enjoying our morning tea and the temperature was well above 30 degrees, so we retreated to the comfort of Rocky's airconditioning and continued up the Arcadia Valley.

Lake Nuga Nuga

Lake Nuga Nuga and Mount Warrinilla

We continued driving east and seriously considered camping near the Krombit Tops National Park.  Unfortunately the tracks in the park are not trailer friendly (very steep and windy), so we continued east through towns such as Banana and Biloela.

Carnarvon Gorge - Or There and Back Again

We arrived late in the afternoon at Carnarvon Gorge, and checked in to the nearby private Takarakka Campground.  We found ourselves nestled in a beautiful bush campground with local wallabies, bettongs and kangaroos to keep us amused.  That said, a particular small furry animal captured Jo's heart - a delightful platypus who lived in the creek near the camp kitchen.  Each evening and morning he came out and foraged up and down the creek, enthralling the handful of campers who were willing to wander down and stand still for a few moments.

A typical photo of a shy platypus

The following morning we had planned on doing the big trek into Carnarvon Gorge, but everyone was a bit weary, so we decided to book in an extra night and walk a couple of the shorter tracks that are nearby.  We figured we would save ourselves for the big hike the next day.  

Unexpected Treasure - Blackdown Tableland

We departed Sapphire bright and early with the hope we would find somewhere cooler to stay the next night.  We thought that Fairbairn Dam near Emerald would be the perfect place to cool off and spend a night or two.

After a quick shop at Emerald, we made our way to the dam.  We found the camping area - and decided to have a bit of morning tea before we checked in.  As we sat sweltering in the shade, we realised that this was not the place we were looking for.  The water was well down, meaning any swimming or fishing would be without shade, and the caravan park was exactly that, a regular caravan park, set well back from the waters edge.  It was decision time.  

Rocky at Fairbairn Dam

A family conference was held and based on all the information we had at hand, the unanimous call was to head somewhere cooler - and that meant the coast (or so we thought).  We wrapped up our morning tea smartly, and jumped back in the car ready for another 350 kilometres on the road.

Longreach - the heart of the Outback

We pulled into Longreach Tourist Park rather exhausted after the previous two days of travelling.  Not only had we driven nearly 900km, but we had also visited all of the main attractions on the Dinosaur Trail from Hughenden to Richmond and Winton.  So why had we driven like madmen?  It was all to do with another part of Australia's history, but this time much more modern than our hundred million year old dinosaur friends.  We were moving forward into the 19th century at a gallop.

Friends had recommended to us a ride on a Cobb & Co Coach - and we had found out that the last run of the season was on Friday - hence our haste to get here.  We had booked on the last coach of the season - and considered ourselves extremely fortunate to gain a seat.  The coaches are run by Kinnon and Co, a family run business that diversified into tourism after a drought in around 2006 nearly sent them to the wall.  Richard Kinnon has expanded the business into so much more than a Coach Ride.  Part history lesson, part adrenaline ride, we signed up for the full deal.

The Cobb and Co coaching empire at its peak had a network of runs across the eastern part of Australia, from Normanton in the gulf to Victoria.  With some 60 000 horses travelling some 45 000km per week, it was an incredible network, that was started by a young man (he was 19) who came to the Goldfields to make his fortune and realised that digging for gold was a pretty hit and miss way to achieve it.  He did recognise however that there was a desperate need for transportation.  His business model is now called franchising, and it made young Mr Cobb extremely rich, however he lost all his money gambling on river boats in the United States - and the business slowly folded in the early 20th century due in no small part to another enterprise that started just down the road - as we shall come to later.

The boys check out our fine steeds for the morning's ride.

Australia's own amazing Dinosaur Trail

We left Charters Towers behind us and started heading west.  We knew we were heading the right direction as the roads were straight, and the soil dry and dusty.  We were planning to spend the next week or so touring Australia's very own Dinosaur Trail, encompassing the towns of Hughenden, Richmond and Winton.  Little did we know we would be journeying back in time to different landscapes, from ancient sea beds, to rainforests and muddy shorelines, and we would be meeting some of the creatures that ruled these environments.

We had been denied our Australian Arms lunch with Mash Potato (Kangaroo and Emu) at the Prairie Hotel Parachilna as it was closed when we passed through the Flinders Ranges, so we couldn't pass the Prairie Hotel Prairie without passing in.  We had a good poke around the old memorabilia in the pub, and the publican (not a backpacker!) on hearing we were off on the Dinosaur Trail, showed the boys some fossils and coprolite (dinosaur poo) from his own collection.  We enjoyed our paddle pops in the 42 degree heat, and continued on.

Prairie Hotel - Prairie!

Long straight to Hughenden

Townsville and Charters Towers

From Airlie Beach we backtracked north on the Bruce Highway to Townsville.  We had given ourselves all day to travel the 280km journey - so it gave us time to explore some of the sights on the way.

Our first stop was Bowen.  We had never pulled into Bowen on previous trips north and south, so we decided to head to Flagstaff Hill and check out the signposted Interpretive Centre.  The Interpretive Centre consisted of a couple of information billboards in a café.  It might have been a stretch to call it an Interpretive Centre, but the view from the top was very pleasing.

Towards Gloucester Island from Flagstaff Hill

Bowen - from Flagstaff Hill

Airlie Beach and the magical Whitsunday Islands

After arriving late the previous day, we were up early and keen to check out Airlie Beach.  Once a sleepy town you passed through on your way to the Whitsunday Islands, it has grown into a destination in its own right.

We enjoyed a relaxing morning around camp, catching up on school work. After lunch we headed into town to check out the Main Street and the Lagoon.  The Main Street is full of the usual tourist shops, aimed squarely at the backpacker market.  There is also a good selection of pubs claiming to be the number one party place in town.  In a way nothing much has changed here since my first visit here back in 1999 - except this time we fit into a very different demographic!  

Main St, Backpacker Central

The most significant change, the Lagoon has turned the waterfront area from a quiet grassy park and uninviting beach into a delightful safe swimming area.  Unlike the Cairns Lagoon, this one has deep water (2.0 metres at its deepest).  Just like Cairns, this one is often surrounded by young people worshiping the sun.

Enjoying the Lagoon!

On the road again, Undarra and Mount Surprise

With Rocky passing its first test, the Kuranda Range, with flying colours, I felt confident in hooking up Matilda and resuming our great adventure.  It took us a little time to reorganise ourselves so that everything was back in its proper place, but it was all part of a process to ensure we had everything we needed.

We bade farewell to Mama, Pa and Chris and Shelly and headed into Atherton to refill the fridges and pantry.  The IGA had one of the best selections of fresh food we had ever seen - and the large carpark meant even we could get an undercover park, keeping everything nice and cool. 

Store ship!

Full of food, fuel and water, it was time to head west.  With every passing kilometre the landscape became browner and dryer as we moved from rich dairy farms to open savannah woodland.   We pulled off the road to check out Millstream Falls, reputedly the widest single span falls in Australia.  During World War II, nearly 100 000 troops were camped in the vicinity, and some of the evidence of their traning camps could also be seen in the surrounding countryside.

Still in Cairns, but the end is in sight.

With Rocky laid up at the dealers awaiting a full diagnosis, we got stuck into rediscovering Cairns.  Cairns is a tropical city that relies heavily on the tourist dollar.  That also means that for people like us, there is plenty to see and do.  

We were also extremely fortunate to be holed up in my brother's house - so we were also rediscovering the joys of living in a house. The simple things like running hot water, a full kitchen and comfortable couches were certainly appreciated.  That said we also were doing chores like sweeping the floors and cleaning the bathrooms that we hadn't done for a long time...  there are two sides to every coin.

The boy's continued their routine of cooking dinner for us on Saturday night - necessitating a visit to the famous Rusty's Markets for the fresh food supplies.  The boys did a pretty good job, not just with the shopping, but also the cooking too!

Rusty's Markets