On the road to Silverton

After living on the road for twelve months back in 2014, some people would think our travelling would be done.  Others, perhaps wiser, would know that it has barely begun.  For the past few months we have been planning a trip to the Simpson Desert, and on Saturday 6th August 2016, we set off.  Looking back on that 2014 trip, it is easy to see how much these beautiful boys have grown.

This was to be a trip without our camper trailer 'Matilda'.  We were not sure how going with just swags (and an emergency tent) would go.  We figured we would be alright, unless it rained... and in a few short weeks we would test the limits of our wet weather capability.  We were also travelling with friends Kylie, Jim and their boy, The Little Fossicker.

Our first night was on the banks of the Murray River at Euston.  Jo had made special onesy outfits for the cold nights - and the kids loved them.  There was no complaints from any of the swag dwellers, so we pressed on.

We traced the Murrumbidgee River from home, and later followed the Murray stopping at Wentworth to see the confluence of the Murray and Darling Rivers.  We would be crossing the Darling River again in a few weeks some 1,970 kilometres by river north at Bourke.

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.

A humbling walk through time at Cape Leveque

North of Broome lies the Dampier Peninsula.  Stretching for 200km, the peninsula houses a collection of Aboriginal communities.  Whilst the roads at the northern end of the peninsula are sealed, a rough sandy corrugated track links the northern communities with Broome.  At the northern tip of the peninsula is Cape Leveque, where red sandstone meets white sands and crystal blue waters. We had heard it was worth checking out, so we let down our tyres and headed north.

There are many options for places to stay on the Dampier Peninsula.  We chose Kooljaman, right on Cape Leveque itself. Owned by the local Bardi/Jawa people, it is a great place to unwind for a few days. At least that is what we planned - but like all good plans it soon changed and we found ourselves completely occupied.

Cape Leveque on sunset

We chose a powered site at Kooljaman - simply beacuse it was in a shady area.  Unpowered sites had magnificent but exposed views.  It is interesting but caravans are actively discouraged here, not because of the condition of the access road - although that deters the majority, but for their electricity consumption.  The communities up here are all on generator power, and electricity is a valuable luxury.  With a battery charger being our only electrical device on load, we were well under the four amp limit on the circut breaker.