An ominous start - I should have been a mechanic!

Whilst the family was enjoying a couple of weeks on the Sunshine Coast with their grandparents, I had been doing a couple of odd jobs at home.  My main job was to deliver Rocky and Matilda to the family, ready in all respects for a new camping adventure.  Sadly things started to go off the rails not long after departure.

I had decided to get on the road as soon as I woke up.  Thankfully I checked my clock, and decided that 12.30am was too early, so I rolled over and next thing I knew it was 4.15am.  Fifteen minutes later I was on the road, but it soon became apparent that all was not well.  The car was lacking power - more so than I expected.  Could it have been the new tyres being a slightly bigger size?  So many thoughts were running through my mind, but when I was unable to hold sixth gear going downhill, I knew I had to stop and  investigate. 

The camper's right hub was hot, really really hot.  But it was still full of grease, and Yass was not far away.  I decided to push on to Yass, and utilise a quiet street and a street light for further investigation.  As I pulled up, I was just a little nervous.  It was the Saturday morning of the long weekend, and if I didn't have the parts to fix it, I could be in for a long wait.

It turned out the brake shoes were binding (could it have been that hard stomp on the brakes for the kangaroo earlier?).  The bearings were fine - the grease hadn't cooked off entirely, so I repacked the bearings, re-adjusted the brakes and crossed my fingers.  I might have grumbled a little about the mechanic who supposedly checked the brakes and bearings when fitting the new tyres a couple of months ago...

If I knew what was coming, I should have turned around and gone home.  

Investigation by streetlight and head torch

Getting the camper ready to travel again....

In little more than a blink of an eye, school holidays are again upon us.  Whilst I cannot believe how quickly three terms have gone by since we returned home after 12 months on the road, these holidays see us hit the road again with our faithful travelling companions, Rocky and Matilda.   With a couple of weeks to go until we get back on the road, it was a good idea to pull everything out and check it thoroughly.

We have only camped once since we have been back.  We have largely neglected the camping gear for the past nine months.  For the most part it was pushed to the back of the shed and 'stored'.  Unfortunately other items have been dispersed or requisitioned for other projects.  Reassembling all the various bits and pieces has taken me longer than I thought.

It is a funny feeling pulling out the goods and chattels that we dragged around the country last year. Each item invokes a particular memory, such as the BBQ that made not only delicious roasts, but also baked scones with a roast meat flavour! Or finding the plastic drink cup that was used as an emergency dust cover on Matilda after the wheel bearings failed on the Tanami.

The ferocious dog watches on as I start reassembling the camping gear

Mainly it is amazing how a fresh pair of eyes makes everything look tired.  Our camp chairs, held together with bits of wire and fabricated bolts and which we promised to replace once we got home, still faithfully answer the call.  Likewise our bench seats with stylish gaffa tape highlights over bottom pinching splits, should have been put out with the rubbish.  But due to a shift in priorities, we haven't got around to replacing them.  

Where to next?

It is amazing how quickly life has returned to normal since our amazing adventure in 2014.  It has been wonderful to reconnect with friends and contribute again to our great little community.  Our lives have become full of the cycle or work, school, sport, cubs, and trying to implement some of the ideas we learnt in 2014 on our patch of dirt.  

And as happy as we are to be home, our big lap last year has left a mark on our souls.  

Could it be that we still have itchy feet?  There are still so many parts of this country that we want to explore in greater depth?  Or could it be that it is just so cold here in winter!

Either way, the other night we pulled the maps out from under Rocky's seat, and started dreaming again.

Mount Kosciuszko with kids - back on the road again

Little more than two months after coming home, unpacking everything and getting back into the swing of life - our feet started getting itchy again.  Now don't get me wrong, it is great being home, and we are right back into the swing of school, work and renovations (yes - we find plenty of ways to keep busy).  But we had one major challenge we wanted to complete. 

On our 12 month journey around Australia, we saw many Australian icons, swam under some fabulous waterfalls, and climbed some picturesque mountains.  There was one mountain that we didn't conquer on our trip, and it was nagging us.

It was time to head to the High Country and the Australian mainland's highest peak - Mount Kosciuszko.  (Australia's highest peak is actually Mawson Peak, part of active volcano Big Ben on Heard Island way south west of the continent)

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.