The Udder Life: FNQ here we come

I have been a dreadful poster. Really. I get it. We are actually looking into revamping our website and with it, our blogsite too. But it tends to be "one of those jobs" and I never seem to get around to doing it.

However, in an effort to keep myself "live" on the internet and to update friends and family as to our leisure activites for the next month, I will try to post regularly on here about our trip to Cairns and Port Douglas. In the caravan. With the 4 kids. Travelling over 4,000kms.

Since our last BIG trip (to WA 3 years ago), we have upgraded our caravan. In fact, we only picked it up 2 weeks ago, so this is our first trip at all away in it. We are a bit spoilt for space in it; something we were drastically lacking in the old van.

Hooked up and ready to go

We set off on Saturday 19th and actually made pretty good time getting out of the gates (7.30am). This day, we were headed for Naranderra, NSW, so we had to stick to a pretty tight travel plan in order to make sure we got to camp site before dark. We really only stopped for a break at Kangaroo Flat and again for lunchbefore reaching Naranderra at a nice time in the arvo. We met up with Mark's parents, Judy and Alan, who have been up here for a few days at a tractor rally.

Distance travelled: 586kms

Feeding ducks in Kangaroo Flat

hello NSW!

Set up at Naranderra

Day 2 saw us headed for Coonamble, another lengthy day in the car. After having a rest stop in Forbes, we drove onto Parkes where we had a look at the Parkes Radio Telescope. We used this as our lunch stop (sangas in the van) as well, meaning that we could drive straight onto Coonamble. Both Tom and Biddy had been to the telescope before (on our trip to Dubbo in Sept '09) but neither could really remember much. After all, Tom was only 4yo and Biddy not quite 2yo).

At Forbes

Tom and Biddy talking into one of the "dishes" that were opposite each other but about 50m apart, but you could hear the other person at the other dish clear as a bell.

The "Dish". Bloody brilliant!

On arrival in Coonamble, we caught the tail end of a huge 3 day campdrafting event. We had been passing horse floats and trucks for a while heading into Coonamble, but there we still plenty there at the end. The loud speakers were announcing the last event when we were setting up, and then it was a free for all as the trucks pulled out of town. These guys are SERIOUS about this sport. There were 8, 9, 10 or more horses in these trucks and they were also pulling trailers and were loaded up with hay and feed. Big money I would suggest. Pity we didn't get to see any of it though.

Bella at the skate park

The caravan park was right next to a skate park, so the kids took their scooters and H took his bike down there. This was the first time they had ever been to a skate park and it didn't take them long before they were zooming down the ramps. I was just waiting for a big off, but it never came. Phew.

Set up and cooking tea in Coonamble

Distance travelled: 590 kms (1176kms total).

Day 3 saw us heading for St George in Queensland. This was a short trip by current standards and we factored in some time to spend in Lightning Ridge. It was a pretty shitty day for me as my Aunty Bev had suddenly passed away on Monday previous and the funeral was being held today. I tortured myself over what to do; stay with Mark and the kids and go away, or do I send Mark and the kids off, go to the funeral and then try to catch up somewhere.... I was just torn. In the end, I made the decision to go with my kids and Mark. I know that Aunty Bev would not have wanted me to delay and miss out on time with my own family. Nevertheless, I cried buckets (I still am, even now) and had a pretty awful day, with my thoughts constantly on everyone at the funeral. I did write a letter that my Uncle Bret read out and from reports back, he did a great job and the letter was well received.

Since beginning our trip, I had been sporting a terrible headache which was increasingly getting worse. This was in conjunction with a roaring sore throat that I was trying to sure with strepsils, but probably really needed antibiotics, because that little dangly thing (the "uvula" so I found out when I consulted Dr. Google), was so enlarged it was lying on my tongue and causing me to gag all the time. Nice right? So I was a bit of an emotional and physical mess. I did try to get into the spirit of things by taking a dip in the thermal pool at Lightning Ridge with the others, but the 41.5 degree temp of the pool just made my headache all the more worse. Ugh. Needless to say, as Mark didn't want to a tourist trip down a mine with the kids by himself, we didn't end up staying too long in the Ridge.

entrance to Lightning Ridge

Kids in the thermal pool

Mark and I in the thermal pool

Hello Queensland!

In the pool at St George caravan park

Charging station for i-things

On the way into St George, we found ourselves in cotton country. There was some being harvested and there was bits of cotton on the side of the road that had been blown off the trucks. We stopped to pick some up to show the kids what raw cotton looked like before being made into clothes and the like.

Distance travelled: 411kms (1587kms total)

Ok, the biggest day in the car so far. Today we headed for Emerald. We stopped in Roma a couple of hours up the road for things we'd either forgotten or just needed to get. Too early for lunch here, we headed to Injure for lunch (sangas again in the van). We were making great time, so we thought we would get off the highway and go to Canarvon Gorge. This gave us the opportunity to do a little bit of off roading (not difficult by any stretch of the imagination), but did get the van filthy.

car pic

Water crossing!! Well, it would be if there was any water.

When we got to the entrance to the gorge, the walks were going to be too far to to in the time we had with the little feet that we had (Bella and H's). We also really weren't prepared (water or food), so we had a look around the info centre area (info centre not opened though) and headed back out along another track that popped us back on the main road about 50kms north of where we were.

Water traversing in Carnarvon Gorge

many kangaroos here

See! Off roading!

Along this alternative track, we saw heaps of cattle (Brahman and Droughtmasters??) and also a number of different crops. One in particular had Mark and I stumped. There seemed to be acres of it planted in reasonable rows, but it looked unmanaged and quite straggly. In some areas, the cattle were in with it. I braved the long grass and suspected king browns to get an up close photo of the tree and to also pick a developing seed pod, much to the angst of Mark bellowing at me form the seat of the Prado that he was not coming in to get me if I got bitten by a snake (wimp). If anyone can help us out not he identification and what was going on with the industry up here, we'd be much obliged.

Beware, stock on road.

The plantation in question

Close up of leaves and seed pods

so much dust

Virgin Rock

The little sojourn meant that we were later getting into Emerald than we wanted, but the caravan park we were at was 17km south of Emerald, so we hit it a smidgen earlier anyway.

Distance travelled: 660.9kms (2247.9kms total)

With this post, I am up to date! Today, we left Emerald and headed for Townsville. Another big day. Quite a bit more boring than yesterday despite being around the same in kms. This road reminded me of the Nullarbor Plain as there was nothing much to break up the journey.

Tom making new (avian!) friends at Emerald

Yep, it's a long road.

On one of our early fuel ups, we noticed another family travelling. At the next stop - lunch, int he van again - we saw them again. But he time we got to Charters Towers and went to Maccas for a drink/coffee and a run around for the kids, and we saw them again, I struck up a conversation. Turns out they are a cattle family that own property not far from Emerald. They are travelling to Townsville for a family event. Funny thing was, the lady knew people from Cressy and got very excited when I told her we were from Colac!

The trip form Charters Towers to Townsville was uneventful and we arrived at about 5.30pm and it was about 31 degrees and very sticky. A dip in the pool for all of us was required. Delightful. H worn some goggles for the first time and LOVED them! Knew he would.