Straddie

Finally we are starting to ease in to our new life. With 3 nights on North Stradbroke Island and the place absolutely deserted we were able to relax a little and discover some of this this amazing Island.
We were also able to get on with some of those things that we planning to do. Start to really work on the distance education with the girls, complete some lessons and get up to date. And of course unstructured learning with  bike riding, bush walking and just talking about stuff on the way.

Mum and Dad also pushed their boundaries, letting the girls start exploring places on their own, out of sight of their slightly apprehensive parents. Of course our 6 and 8 year old girls have no problem with the apron strings being loosened, they don't even see a difference. 2 weeks ago the were never out of sight or immediate supervision, now its ok to go to places they know on their own, or together - even if its out of sight and hearing.

One of the biggest things we hope the kids will learn is to have the confidence in themselves to do their thing. Lisa and I were lucky to grow up in the 70's and 80's where helicopter parenting was unknown, where kids ranged freely, only returning home for food at the end of the day. Of course with Dingos and Crocs etc there will be limitations, especially given the patchy attention span of young kids.

Pack up and getting on the road is now going better than expected, we were booked on the 10am Ferry of the Island  and we were ahead of schedule and made the 9am Ferry. A short highway drive to the Sunshine Coast and seeing those places Lisa and I visited on holidays with our families 25 - 30 years ago. Noosa is pretty funny now, populated by women with unnatural appearances - especially the 'trout pout'!

One thing has changed, the wreck of the Cherry Venture on Cooloola Beach has disappeared. Also the beach from Double Island Point to RainbowBeach is impassable due to erosion - so the plan is for an early start, drive straight to Inskip Point and hit Fraser Island on low tide. We are aiming for about 4 nights and a good test for a more extended trip in to remote and sometimes challenging environment.
Off the grid for a while - sounds great!

Visiting

So when you want to circumnavigate the country it is likely that your route may pass the doors of some old friends and relatives. Given that you don't often pass that way is the done thing to arrange a visit and say hi on the way through.

It feels like the early stages of this trip involve a few processes of getting underway. Firstly there are the "learnings" (aka the stuff ups, where you realise you can't do that again or you will never make it). There are a few early 'learnings' we have discovered about our camper trailer, especially the how to get the pitch of the tent and the drape of the canvas just right - or be faced with major leaks! Unfortunately we "learned" that unless you get the centre ridge pole perfectly upright - the left side sags a little and the rainwater can pool on the canvas and seep through and trickle access the bed platform resulting in a mattress that is one giant wet spot. Thankfully a good warm dry day today to dry it out.
The other major learning is that when you have chosen a life outdoors, you have to accept the life outdoors - including the constant downpours that have hit us every day. Thankfully technology ( weather zone app) has helped a little with deciding when roc pack up and go, and when to just hang out. The timing of departure from Woody Head near Iluka, was perfect - no sooner had the trailer been fully packed and hitched, we were driving out the exit road when the heavens opened and the plan was readjusted to  forget the owning walk - just drive! Similarly on arrival in Burleigh, the moment the camper was fully set up, it pissed down, creating puddles under the kitchen etc. But we were set up, sorted and ready for it.

The other early process is the visits. There is the family (Lisa's parents in Port Stephens, and Uncle Ray and Auntie Jean in Woolgoolga. Then there are the old friends like Brad and Tara in Coffs Harbour. So despite being a school night, much yummy food and drink is consumed and memories dragged out out to compare and laugh at.

 In Lennox Head we caught up with Louise in a delightful cafe. Despite our North Coast Location, nobody ate or drank anything with Kale in it!

Now we in Queensland there is much fewer people to see so the focus with flick to ourselves and how we function as a travelling family, both together and individually. A little less rain  and bit more swell should also help. If only I can find somewhere with the Swans game showing Live!!

Finding our new life

When we chose to take our life on the road, there was an acceptance that sometimes it would not be quite how you imagined it,  and that we would just deal with it. We had just deal with it on first night in the camper, rolling in to Treachery Camp and the rain hosing down and just getting heavier. I will admit there was a request for a cabin from the back of the car, unfortunately none available so flick the switch to just get on with it mode.
In Gore Tex Shells we set out to set up, whilst kids tapped at iPads in warm dry comfort from the back of the 4WD. Thankfully the camper was soon taking shape of the home we will spend the rest of the year in. The rain eased, the stars came out and we started to come to grips with 'this is our life".
Waking up to clear skies and a relaxed start, I got some clean waves with my new found Dolphin friends.
A day in the sun and surf at Seal Rocks felt very different to our usual day at the beach - there was no pressure to get home and do something or be somewhere. This is what we were doing for the day, and it was a good day.

Driving North to Port Macquarie for a few extras to add to the kit (Auto electrical fuses and a broom and dustpan - both very important and overlooked in the rush to get away from Sydney).

So the bloke operating the ferry across the Hastings River  said "yeah, she a bit rough on that track", we love understatement.!
A few ruts, corrugations, puddles, big puddles, really big puddles......
I think the girls really started paying attention when the muddy water came half way up the windscreen on one particularly deep water crossing.
Made it through without missing a beat.
Point Plomer is one of my favourite spots, but the backtrack is not what it used to be!

Away.....

What an epic week, but somehow we actually got away.
We have made it to Lisa's parents house in Port Stephens for dinner after working flat out for days on end to get the house ready, not to mention the car and trailer.

You know its full on when you are working too hard to eat, or stop or whatever. My hands feel totally worked after a week on the tools fixing the house, trailer and carrying a gazillion boxes in to storage
Thursday was epic working from dawn till late, although I did sneak an early surf in. Then Friday we were on to it from 6 am, finally getting on the road at 3.30pm - just in time for the afternoon traffic.

The house is clean (we hope) and empty, the tenant moves in Saturday. The storage unit is stacked to the brim, somewhat precariously, but it fits!. The Toyota is also loaded to the gunwales - but it fits and will get sorted on the way. The trailer is similarly stacked - but you wouldn't know it.

The bike rack even worked better than expected, bikes sit well and don't get in the way. The trailer tows beautifully - doesn't block side vision at all.

The drive up was a struggle with the traffic out of Sydney, but a great run on the freeway - and the rig just cruised comfortably the whole way.

At this stage we are just exhausted, will take a short breather to decompress before we camp at Treachery on Saturday night. Surf wasn't great this morning - but good to rinse off accumulated tension in the build up to departure.

Phew, just buggered - but we are away!

The Objective

The plan is fairly straightforward. Head North, keep the ocean on our right, keep going for 6 months until we return to where we started......anticlockwise!
Of course, its a big country and the problem is, the more you look at it, the more you want to see and do. Six months won't be nearly enough. We will post detailed itineraries and maps as we go but the broad outline is:
15 May - Leave Sydney then about a week on NSW North Coast. Port Stephens, Treachery, Pt Plomer, Coffs Harbour, Angourie. The kids are insisting on visiting a 'world' on the Gold Coast. Then back to the bush and beach  with Stradbroke Island, Noosa, Rainbow Beach and some time on Fraser Island.
Through June we will head back to Carnarvon Gorge, then up to Airlie Beach, keep going to Townsville, Tully and Mission Beach. Quick re-supply and Toyota Service in Cairns then Daintree, Bloomfield Track, Cedar Bay, Cooktown and the Laura Aboriginal Dance Festival. Then back across the Gulf country down to Mt Isa. Then Lawn Hill, Limmen National Park, Elsey NP, Mataranka.
From Katherine there is a thought to head back East to Gove but depends on how we go for time. If we get to East Arnhem in early July then we may try and come across the top to West Arnhem and Kakadu - or not!
Mid July will be Kakadu and the Top End. In late July we may take a holiday from our holiday and duck over to Bali for a week or two.
August is all about the Kimberley, need a few weeks to do the Bungles and Gibb River Rd Gorges properly, hopefully with enough time to explore the side trips too. Broome by Late Augusts and then down to the Karajini, Ningaloo, Red Bluff. September will be Pilbara, Shark Bay and mid west Coast.
That doesnt leave us much time to get back home with just October and early November to make our way from Perth via the South West the Albany, Esperance and the the Great Australian Bight. Don't ask too many questions about what happens then because there is still too much to see and not enough time.
The plan is to  we make it back to Sydney by 3rd week of November - but who knows, its a big country!