Lullaby

I've always loved the sound of the sea. As a child the gentle crashing of waves on the beach accompanied me when I went to bed at night and years later I hope the lapping of waves in the bay where we lived during Nic's first year remains in his distant memory. 

That love comes with a deep respect however. I have no desire to venture into its depths, battle it's waves or test it's power. 

They say there are mountain people and sea people. Environs where we are most at ease and our souls can rest. Today I sit with the smell of salt air, sea breeze on my face and the sounds and feel at home. 

Lincoln National Park

Grant

There's something both magical and surreal about visiting childhood places; people and places appear as though visited yesterday, memories re-emerge, changes challenge perception.

This week we spent a few days in Stephs childhood community, camping by the creek where he and his brother Mark fished, camped and bogged motorbikes. We passed the primary school, where friends lived, the old hall where he built model planes, Stephs family home, the vines and neighbours.

When Steph wanted to visit an old friend of his father's I knew he must be special, and he was.

Grant was an absolute delight; bright and sprightly despite being around 80, with a wealth of general knowledge and loads of common sense acquired through a life reading and adventuring. He greeted us in bare feet and white overalls, his long term uniform and over a wonderful cold glass of Nippys (OJ) recounted his time off the coast of the Kimberleys as he circumnavigated Australia in his huge aluminium hulled catamaran built in his Monash farm based engineering sheds and sailed to sea down the Murray River. 

Steph recounted childhood visits to Grants farm and the array of continually improved go-carts ready for trial. Grant showed us his bespoke self-built semi-powered long wheel base bicycle he rides each day to do the businesses mail run, amounting to 100km a week. And of course Grant just loved the quadcopter that was put up!

We parted with warm genuine hugs, and returned the following morning to fill our empty tanks with precious Riverland rainwater so generously offered and gratefully received.

Reflections on our first week

We have been planning this trip for a long time so we are well prepared in terms of equipment and have done a number of camping trips to test things out, but until you actually leave the suburban house for good and get on the road you really don't know. Our first week has thrown up some challenges in the form of wind, rain and mud. Our first camp at the Weddin National Park was a beautiful spot and we setup camp, lit a fire. Not long after a huge howling wind blew in and raged for the whole night, neither of us got an ounce of sleep and we had to get up a couple of times to check the trailer was still intact. 

Lake Mungo has a reputation of being dry, let's face it 50,000 years ago it was a huge lake with now extinct animals and humans whose burial remains and footprints in the mud have reminded us just how long humans have been on this continent. Our first day was fantastic, the camping grounds are excellent and the visor centre has a hot shower:) We spent time alone on the edge of the old lake and gazed into the time machine that is Lake Mungo.

Then the rain started, slow gradual rain which turned urned the campsite into a quagmire, we were planning to stay until the camper dried out but but were told the road would be closed in an our so we packed up everything in a mad rush and headed out. it's times like this that you appreciate the investment in a good 4wd and off road tyres as we made it out without and incident. Wet and bedraggled we cleaned the car and camper in Mildura in the rain with a high pressure hose, took over an hour.

I am still settling into the head space of living closer to the elements, recreational camping is one thing but 5 months on the road exposed to all the nature can throw at you is quite another. 

It's been a fantastic day today, warm sunny day fishing on the banks of the Katarapko creek and sitting around a warm fire with time to look up at the stars.

Paying our respects

The Walls of China, Lake Mungo

It's appropriate perhaps, as we head off on our journey, that the first major stopover is Mungo National Park where the oldest known skeletal remains in Australia and oldest cremated remains in the world (both dated around 42,000 yrs ago) were found. A chance to connect to our ancient history and clear the metropolis from our souls.

Its ironic perhaps that they have been found as a result of European mismanagement of the fragile land; erosion caused by land clearing uncovering the past.

With rain clouds looming we drove the 70km Mungo loop track and the following day packed up a sodden camp and slid our way through the mud to Mildura, the last campers out before the road closed and even heavier rain fell on this desert landscape.

Are we mad!

We're a week out and just a tad stressed. One shouldn't underestimate just how stressful a major trip like this is. Job handovers and task completions, house packing and cleaning (no tenants yet), insurance, servicing, last minute purchases (all online and some may not arrive in time), and farewells are taking their toll.

I keep reminding myself that we're on the brink of something wonderful and life changing. It's been over a year since we made the decision, and pretty much 12 months of preparation (and saving!). Steph's upcoming 50th was the trigger. 'What do you want to do to celebrate?' I asked, and the response was an easy one.

I think there's also some urgency around going while we are fit and healthy. 2013 was a year of health scares and loss; a pretty shitty year all in all. Amid it all we lost my sister to cancer and during one of the treasured days I was able to spend with her, she said 'I always wanted to go to the Kimberleys but now I never will.' So I'll be taking her memory with me.

Over the next 5 months I hope we can immerse ourselves in the country, to slow right down, to listen, to see. The route you see on the itinerary page is only a rough guide. We've reminded our selves that the minute we feel rushed we'll stop; we're open to where this journey will take us and hope that some of you will join us along the way.

[CC FlickR image by Barbara Agnew]

You can't have too many ......

... pieces of technology!

In true geek fashion we have twice as much technology as personal effects. A 2nd pelican case has just arrived on the doorstep, this one for all the recording gear (the quadcopter has one all to itself).

For clothing we have a single bed sized drawer with the challenge being that we will encounter both heat AND central Australian winter cold, so we'll see how we go. Thanks to a soft Rhino luggage sack we can carry a bit more soft gear like doona and warm clothing up on top especially when not in use.

And then there's the shoes. Bulky things shoes!