Are we mad???

Why do they think it's any more dangerous than the places you've been ? It might be a longer more remote trip, but dangerous ?
Obviously there's nothing that I can tell you about sudden childhood illnesses etc. But you will be well prepared, and those things can happen anywhere but probably won't.
I suspect that they are thinking of things that you can't adequately prepare for with kids. Ear infections, etc. But you'll be carrying the appropriate medicines , and in an emergency the RFDS can advise any necessary course of action.
As you know, plenty of young kids survive in remote locations, and in the end it's up to you to make the decisions.
Personally I'd suggest that you go for it.

Nah!

Do it with the kids! They'll benefit from it, even though they may be out of school. If they keep a daily scrapbook it will be something the whole family looks back on for a very long period of time.

It is a challenging trip - you just need to do your planning, and be prepared for such a long desert crossing. There is a huge amount of information around that will help you do this.

George_M

Hi Laura,
my advice would be to do it.!! You only get one crack at this life. You also have to remember, that not all maybe, .. but most of the people on this forum's parents, came from a slightly different era in many different ways. My parents (when they were alive) were stuck in some ways of theirs also, and wouldn't budge! The Canning is a trip I would love to include in our itineray one day.If I was in your shoes , I'd do it....

Tell them they have two years to get their own 4wd kitted out and come with you, safety in numbers :-))

Laura,

Go for it. The kids will learn more on the trip than sitting in a class room.
I have taken Eliza, my daughter, across the Simpson Desert 6 time and the Kimberleys once all before she turned 12.

With the right preparation and planning the CSR, although a very demanding track would be no worse than any other track that you have done.
Having said that the planning starts now. Gather as much information as possible, set the vehicle up and don't rush the trip.

You never know I might see you on the CSR in 2009.

Wayne

Laura,

You're not looney at all!! Kasey, Amy and Jonty will thrive on the experience of travelling with you and you'll have the great pleasure of sharing all these things with them. Missing a few months of school won't hurt, and you'll be able to turn your travels into mini "lessons" with geography, map reading, spelling and arithmetic games. As well, they'll learn about the birds, animals etc that they see along the way.

I reckon go for it and enjoy!! One day, your kids, like mine have, will thank you for taking them travelling.

Viv

yeah do it, i took my two daughters across the simpson, west to east, then birdsville, betoota, arrabury, nappie merrie, noccundra, great pub,then innaminka,bore track,cut across merty merty, arkaroola, through the flinders, and back to adelaide, 4 weeks away, they are now 12 and 13, and they still talk about that trip.

Hi Laura,

Ask the grandparents to look after the kids for the time you will be away but indicate that you have no definite return date planned. See what happens then!

Seriously, take the anklebiters with you, they will love it and will surprise you with what they have remembered years after the event.

I took my 3 camping (tenting) for 6 weeks in the Pilbara when the youngest was almost 3. The other 2 were 4 and 6.
The eldest who is now 40 can still remember how many cattlegrids we drove over(751). This started when they got bored and started counting white posts. Daddy rapidly directed them to counting cattle grids, reckoning that there would be fewer of them to count. Ha Ha

Take them with you and enjoy watching them react to the many experiences you share out there.
If you talk to the school, they should give you an indication of what the kids will be missing while you are away so you can follow those things up as games, etc as you travel.

Enjoy the planning and revel in the unique experience of teaching the kids all about life in the "Great Outdoors"

Regards

Disco

As everyone else says do it.

Year after year my kids start the school year with a new classroom teacher and year after year those same class room teachers keep saying to me, "Your kids have been to more places in this country than I have and I'm x number of years older than they are!"
The kids get a big thrill telling the class all about the places they have been and the people they have met.
They suddenly learn that Australia is more than the end of the street or their suburb they live in and they can associate with those Australians suffering drought, flood or cyclone etc as they have quite often seen those places and met those people.

I will never regret the small amount of classroom time they have missed as they learned a hell of a lot more about the real Australia by being there.

"we call her the walking chemist"

sounds much more dangerous to me than the CSR

Have a good trip.

Cheers
Reiner

Sure do it. But speaking from our experience of carting 4 kids around the countryside, that sort of trip will wear the parents out - just keeping an eye on them. But you only live once. We're at the other end now - kids are in their 20's and look after our place when we go bush.

You'll be taking an extra risk by being in a relatively isolated area, so I'd be doing it at peak season. 2 year old is as low as I'd go - definitely wouldn't take a baby out there.

So, do the other people going with you know that you'll be bringing kids?? :-))

Go for it! As long as you prepare thoroughly and have the sat phone your kids are probably safer than in the suburbs. As a primary teacher I can assure you that the kids will learn so much from the journey. Encourage practical stuff like reading signs, distances, maps, brochures etc. They can measure cooking ingredients and so on. Do mental Maths in the car. Play card games and keep a journal. Obviously this should be at ability level. Start giving them experiences in the outdoors now so they understand how not to touch snakes etc. I hope it all goes well. Also if kids have to repeat grades or delay starting school the sky doesn't fall in. Cheers, Chris.

We did it solo in 2004. Kids were 10 & 7. Fantastic trip. 4WD was a fully loaded GU Patrol 3.0TD. Great family time.

No you are not mad, do it and you won't regret it.
BUT, it all comes down to careful planning and vehicle preparation, include uhf radio for channel 40 as in a lot of cases you don't know what is coming your way. periodic calls notifying other track users which direction you are heading and how many vehicles. Nothing worse when under full throttle up over the numerous sand dunes and some clown coming up the other side who didn't have a radio, nearly causing headon.
One thing that we did was to go to the doctors a week before we did the CSR and had a general check up and asked the Dr for some antibiotics in case of infections particularly from bites etc. Which he wrote a scrip and we took along a course of antibiotics including some anti histamines. None of which we didn't use until a couple of trips later out in the wilderness my wife got some unusual insect bite and swelling started, lump in groin took anti histamine which we still had in first aid kit within 12 hours all was well.
Also take an "off road first aid kit" they are quite adequate and hire a Sat phone if you already don't have one.
Enjoy your trip on the CSR and the "Quality" time with the family.
You will enjoy it.
The Nugget

It has all been said. So I'll just repeat it one more time in case you were in any doubt.

TAKE THE KIDS AND HAVE A GOOD LONG LOOK AT THE CSR. You lucky man!

When we were coming back from Cape York a loser in Mackay called me an irresponsible father for exposing my kids to that terrible risk. "What if they had been attacked by a crocodile?"

We went to Fraser when my now 14yr old son was 5 months old "What if the dingoes got him?"

If you rule your life by what ifs you will never get out of bed. Or will you never go to bed? It is the most dangerous place on earth. It is, more people die in bed than anywhere else.

As for the school thing. All my kids have missed heaps of school to go on bush trips. Cape York was my youngest daughters first year at school. She missed the whole of the second term. She is now attending an academically selective school, she is in year 8 and near the top of all her classes. Her experience meeting different people and visiting different places while on extended trips has done nothing but build her self confidence and determination. She was school captain in her last year of primary school and lead a delegation of primary school captains at a morning tea with the Governor General. She was chosen by the various school principals because of her confidence and ability to communicate.

No teacher like experience, no school like the world!

Duncs

Took 6 kids, 3 families, 3 vehicles down the Canning 2 years ago. One still in nappies. Had a great trip. The kids all found things to do from playing boule with wild melons to putting on performances at night for the parents. There was lots of fort building in the sanddunes. I would suggest a sidetrip to Ruddall River to find a bit of water to swim in. This is one thing they missed. If it is necessray, a good way to deal with dirty nappies is to take one of those plastic sealable drums used by canoeists and only open it some miles downwind of the others you are travelling with. Have a great trip.