Here we go again – what are we thinking!

Having recently crossed the Nullarbor to deliver a car and caravan to Melbourne for Pippa and Tara, we find ourselves, once again, with the prospect of another crossing, this time with the north Queensland city of Townsville in view. It’s a long way!

Why would we do such a thing? Because Tara is taking a position as a dancer for Dance North who are based in Townsville and so Pippa and Tara have settled there for a time and, oh yes, Pippa is due to give birth sometime soon. We would like to be there for that.

The Long Stretch

Even having lived in Australia, and mostly in Western Australia, for more than forty years, it still amazes me to realise that just to get to the border of South Australia from here takes three days of driving. And that’s just the start of the journey.

This part of the crossing is fairly well covered in my earlier tales “Adelaide and Crossing The Nullabor” and “Alice and the Red Centre”

… and so we begin.

After two days of flat land driving, the view from the Madura lookout, not far from Eucla, always makes me think of the plains in Africa.

Eucla is the last place in WA when driving east. Still three thousand kilometres to go until we reach the Sunshine Coast of Queensland and a visit to Zoe.

We hadn’t really expected to get frost but the evidence is on our windscreen. Brrrr.

Part of the fantastic artwork on the wheat silos at Kimba in South Australia.

The New South Wales Outback

We are now around half way across with Port August behind us and the road ahead leading across the NSW outback towards Broken Hill. At the South Australia, New South Wales border is the once thriving border town of Cockburn. Alas, it has seen better days. We stayed in the by-donation camping area.

Pretty bleak, but good for an over-nighter.

Things are getting really bleak when the hotel closes. No nice pub meal for us here.

Houses and other buildings have been abandoned.

It all looks a bit brighter over breakfast.

This cafe in Gilgandra has a motoring theme.

Here we are back in Queensland.

Jacqui enjoys the morning sun.

The Pacific Ocean on Queenslands Sunshine Coast is rarely quiet.

The Sunshine Coast

After eight days driving and four thousand kilometres we have arrived on the Sunshine Coast and we’ll get to have a good catchup with Zoe and family.

Time with Zoe and the children in their cosy house. (Mahli – now 12, Zoe and Jacqui – Bodhi is bouncing around somewhere)

Zoe’s new geodesic dome squats at the bottom of their block amid the bananas

Inside the Dome is a very impressive space that Zoe is using for workshops. Bodhi, to the left, is practicing his aerial silks.

Onward to Townsville

Having spent nearly a week catching up with Zoe (and Pete, Robin and Scott) we have another three day drive to get to Townsville. Another drive we have taken on numerous occasions.

Next to a free camp on the edge of Benaraby in Queensland stands a Noah’s Arc

Amazing the pics an iPhone can take these days. Point it at the sky at night and it does it’s thing.

A typical pub menu in the Marborough Hotel in Queensland.

We take a rest day on Armstrong beach on our way north

Typical north Queensland beach – sun and palm trees.

No surf here, though, and the tide goes a long way out.

Townsville

After a pleasant day near Mackay visiting friend Eni we at last arrive in Townsville for the main event. Pippa and Tara had rented a house which turned out to be in an area prone to midgies and so going out at any time resulted in nasty itchy bites. So they moved to another house which they decided to actually buy in place of their Melbourne apartment. We are greeted by Tara and a very pregnant Pippa due sometime in the next two weeks.

Pippa and Tara outside their soon-to-be-theirs house.

We watch the turtles in the creek that runs through the Botanic Gardens

Mother and Daughter

Magnetic Island lies off the coast of Townsville

One of the Sculptures at Kissing Point in Townsville

A last chance for the two of them to have a swim before there are three of them.

Pippa has been offered a three day house sit on Magnetic Island so we all go over to this magical place.

A beautiful Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis) on Magnetic Island

The three ladies at the Horse Shoe Bay Sunday market on Magnetc Island

A perfect horseshoe bay – ideal for the boaties.

There are yachts and then there are YACHTS. This one’s a corker.

I wonder who thought up “Donning Instructions”

Townsville from the water. It’s as good as it looks.

It’s all happening

No sooner have we returned from our few days on Magnetic Island than it becomes apparent that someone is trying to get into this world. The house is prepared, the Midwife is on call and soon Pippa’s adventure will begin. She is having a home birth which means that we are lucky enough to be among her supports.

It is not an easy birth, but then they rarely are.

Our A-Van tucked in the garden.

Satori Jade Samaya arrives in this realm – here she is just a few minutes old and already looking at Mum

Mother and Daughter – both exhausted.

Satori is lucky enough to have two mums.

Grandmother and grand daughter get to know each other.

Time for the “Back Again” bit.

A week after the arrival of Satori, it is time for us to depart and wend our way back home. However there has been a change of plan.

Whilst our little A-Frame Avan has done us well, we feel that it’s just a bit small for the comfort of our ageing bodies. We have done a bit of research looking for a slightly bigger caravan that our car will still pull. Having zeroed in on another style of Avan, we find that there is an almost new one – with all the goodies – for sale in Forest Glen on the Sunshine Coast. So we make our way back south for a look. They are happy to trade in our A-Frame and so the deal is done. We move up in the world … Ha Ha. And we get an unexpected chance catch up with Zoe et al.

And here it is … yet another travelling chariot for us to enjoy.

Beautiful Gravillia in our RV Park.

We start our journey home with a couple of nights in Hazeldean on the shores of the Somerset Dam. We need time to sort the new van out and get ready for the long haul home.

The Somerset Dam provides drinking water for Brisbane and is a popular place for fishing and boating.

Having simply parked the two caravans door to door to empty the A-Frame the time has come to sort it all out.

There is a lovely looking log cabin for rent, right on the shore.

After a storm in the night the day of departure dawns clear.

On the Road, On the Road, On the Road Again.

Only another four thousand kilometres to go so we’d better get started. We are hoping the journey back will be uneventful. May the nights not be COLD! There follow a few random snapshots of our trip.

The Old Grocers shop in Uralla, replete with pressed tin ceiling, is now a thriving cafe.

If you are thinking about lunch in a remote rural area and the Spring Ridge Hotel has lines of workers Utes outside, it might just be a good sign that this is the place to stop and eat.

Street art is so good these days … this in Peterborough SA.

We pause in Ceduna, South Australia for a couple of nights to catch our breath before the final push. Only eighteen hundred kilometres to go!

Back home again. Time to get to Lake Seppings to find out how this year’s batch of Straw Necked Ibis are doing.

What a journey! Two months and twelve thousand kilometres. It was quite some experience, especially the birth of Satori Jade Samaya who is now five weeks old and giving Pippa and Tara a few sleepless nights. Oh the joys of parenthood!

Where there were two, there are now three.

What was that you said? Off to Japan this month?

Enjoy!

Alan