Back from the Bush

We left Longreach at midday on Wednesday and got home about 5pm in chilly Melbourne on Friday night. A fantastic two weeks away and travelled a lot of kilometres. Thought that I would give a brief summation of it all and some of the issues it has raised for me.

Drove from Melbourne to Berri on the Friday and visited Mr and Mrs Des Lexik. They looked after us terribly well and thought that next holiday we could spend the two weeks with them. There is a lot to see around that area and will have to return. Nice breakfast too..... Had a gander at the slight creases he put on the Landcruiser - whoops - was not going to mention those..... All this free with Exploroz membership card!

Drove from there up towards Hawker and managed to stop for a lunch with Willem. Treat was ice-cream with prickly pear juice - a winner with the kids. The a tour of the locale and stopped at the art show and voted "splat" number one painting. Terrific to take it all in knowing it was free with Exploroz membership!

Drove on up to Maree - took a flight out to "Lake Eyre and the Maree Man." Cost us $330 for 2 adults and 3 kids but the Lake Eyre we saw was just a white blob in the distance and could not see any water. Was a good experience all the same. Birdsville track was great - stayed at Kalamurina station and enjoyed our time there but could have spent longer looking around. Nice camp site on the water but turning around got a little stuck in the sand and had to let the tyres down - bogged is too strong a word.

At Birdsville - they were ready and waiting. Ruth and Ian greeted us with big passionate kisses and hugs - thought it was a local custom but I now think it was the flies and the heat. Exploroz card works very well there - fantastic meal we had on the first night and lots of laughter and socialising. Mrs Al's Little Desert pictures were a favourite! Stayed three days in Birdsville and managed to avoid getting flyblown despite there being 300 flies per person. Pesty and the lovely 'Mrs not at all Pesty' were there and had fun touring around with them. Managed to catch lots of yabbies with Ruth's left over road kill that the German tourists couldn't eat. Ruth also supplies yummy dips for our gigantic bowl of yabbies. Also in Birdsville bumped into a family with the mum called Debbie who was at the Dimboola caravan park the same time as us on the Little Desert weekend - she remembered us as the "internet mob." They were travelling for nine months. Jen helped the daughter with her Japanese stuff.

Drove up to Boulia and managed to get to get to see Cuttaburra Crossing thanks to Paul the local Birdsville Policeman who made some calls and allowed us to go through there despite the road being closed. As it was closed we stopped for a while and enjoyed the thousands of Pelicans and birds with little babies in tow just near the road - very special.

Bob Y suggested we go to Boulia and enjoyed the Min min centre and the storey about the lights. Went to Diamantina Lakes and had a fish but no luck. It was around 40C and there were 1 million flies making it hard to eat. At sunset the flies went to bed and there were a million bugs to take there place. Even the night was damn hot but we had to sleep under the sheets as all night long bugs crashed into our bodies and faces driving me even crazier.

Bob Y put us onto some fantastic places and it was sensational camping - few bugs and campfire and water views. Went fossicking for opal and found some beaut bits so off to Bunnings tomorrow for Araldite to make a ring - clear nail polish, araldite and cheap ring to glue the opal to - will look sensational. Bob also told us to go to Lark Quarry and Old Cork - Lark Quarry was sensational and dinner on the footpath at Winton from the Tatts pub was great. Waltzing Matilda Centre was also great.

Then onto the Stockmans hall of fame at Longreach - you could spend a couple of days there if you had the time; and tour of the Qantas 747 - was fantastic. Listened to country music half the way home. Pulled up to toilet the kids and a business man on the Hume pulled up in his new shiny BMW and I was pouring diesel into this filthy Landcruiser with a camper on the back. Me with about ten days growth and hair every which way and country music blaring out from the radio - I wish I could have read his mind. lol lol.

Free coffee and cake with Karen on the way home to top it off and a bit of a gander at her Kanga - wish we had one of our own - didn't even have to get out my exploroz card.

Thanks to all the people that have made our holiday such a terrific event. This Exploroz thing is such a marvellous thing - it was sensational meeting all these friendly people who put themselves out so much for people like us who they don't really know. It just about brings a tear to my eye to remember everyones kindness and friendship and the pleasure it has brought us - thanks to all.

This post could go on for so much longer - we did so many things. Note of warning - Birdsville info centre does not take your exploroz discount card!

My questions - camping is so much easier with a campertrailer - we borrowed one for this trip - an O'Brien's deluxe family camper and it was great. Having the kids sleep in the camper cramped my style a little so I am not thinking that they might be better in a tent and us in a smaller camper - Jen wants a Tvan. Also my Engel fridge worked fine but it had trouble keeping things frozen and I was wondering if the voltage might drop in the run across and to the back of the car and it might work better with heavier duty wire. Also my Opposite Lock wheel carrier has developed a bit of a lean and I am thinking of turfing it and getting a Kaymar rear step bumper and wheel carrier. Everything else worked fine though.

So there you go - my brief summation - lucky you weren't in the car with me ey?

Andrew