Stanley Chasm

 This is the finish point after the walk so we drive out to check it out, its only half an bour away by car. We first came here by bus, kids were five seven and nine. A lot has changed. Then we could almost drive up to the Chasm, now there is a cafe, information booth plus a toll gate, it costs $12 per adult to walk the 1.5km walk to see it.

We didnt but had hit chocolate in the cafe as it felt like 10 degrees.

We did a couple of caches on the way back, Warren went up a bit of a rise and unfortunately slipped on rocks, his jacket and he was covered in burrs.

Devils Marbles

 Great spot for a stop, an easy hour drive down from Tennant Creek are the marbles. Similar to Aryes Rock, they seem to appear out of nowhere.

 We did an earth cache here, gathering information as we walked around. Years ago it was just fenced off now there are rest spots and toilets but placed so as not to detract from the rocks. Fascinating place.

Its cold!

 Colder than I was expecting, the van is toasty but very chilling outside. First day was 2 to 17 degrees. Warren needed to go to Bunnings, I went tk the coffee shop then we visited Kmart for jackets.

Warren decided that he was okay but I bought a lined jacket, I was a bit "suck it up" then Warren reminded ne that we will be in the cold for at least a month. I shopped in the mens area as they are usually cheaper. Last one and on sale so happy to pay $29.

Today we put up the annex and then went walking for coffee, wished I had bought glives as well. 

Found the Water Tank Cafe, what a find. Food and coffee was good, we shared a muffin. We sat at a table then realised that, we had a similar kitchen suite when we were first married.

Al8ce Springs

 Yay, finally here although we are here on time. We drove in around 3.30 but of course we gained an extra 30 minutes. Across the road frim the caravan park was a beanie festival. It was the last day yesterday so we thought we should go for a look. Cost of entry was a gold coin, we had some as we exchange some notes for coins for washing machines.

I didnt buy any as the cheapest I saw was $50 but it was interesting. 

Tennant Creek

 We had not stayed here before opting to stay at three ways either going south or North but the reviews were shocking so we went around the corner abd down 25ks.

Quite a big town and a big caravan park $38 fir tge night, we had to get petrol here as the next place was too far, can be a catch for the unsuspecting.

There were sons dead trees in the park so they painted them.

Ant hills in the paddocks  on one side  

Mt Isa to Tennant Creek

 Packing up is a bit of an art but I think we have it pretty well nailed down. Its funny but I do the outside stuff while Warren does inside.

I asked him what the time was when I was still in bed, 7.05 was the answer, suppose I had better get up as it would be a long day, 643ks.

I pulled our bed lights down as I got out of bed, made our ablutions, Warren made breakfast. We sat and ate. We had a visitor.

After breakfast we started packing up, Warren took down the antenna while I washed up and secured the kitchen. He made the bed, it has to be done in a certain way so it travels okay, the Tv goes under the bedding. Next I fold the chairs and table, chairs under tge bed and table at the end. I undo all the studs around the camper and unhook the power, meanwhile Warren is sweeping and vaccing the floor, then its up with the back, tuck all the sides in and click roof/floor on top. Time to back up the car, he can do it with the reversing camera, hook up, my jib then is to make sure all lights are working, pick up tge blocks and off. We drove out the gate at 8.10.

 

Day nine Mt Isa

 As we are so far west, its still dark at 7am. Its a R@R day today, we were thinking of going out to the lake and walking some of the bike trail plus picking up some caches. Decided to the second adventure lab instead. Its inly 25 degrees here but feels hotter could be the walk around town. 

First stop was the rodeo grounds, then up to the lookout, back to the Hard hat mine. This is a replica mine for tourists to go down, we did it six years but did have coffee there, it was morning tea so coffee was on. Clock tower and Flying doctors, we also grabbed a bonus. 

By then it felt hot so bought a paper and retired back to the camper. Roast chicken rolls for lunch.

Day eight

 Was a bit of a whirlwind. We had come through Blackall, thats where the saying "Beyond the Black stump" came from. Anything further west of Blackall is beyond the black stump. It was our plan to stay there but we continued on to Barcaldine another 107 ks, making it a 608 day, our plan was roughly 500ks a day.

Barcaldine is the home to the tree of knowledge and the shearers strike.

Longreach another 110ks, home of Qantas and the Stockmans hall of fame. We visited both these a few years ago.  Winton, dinasour country. 282ks. Fuel fill and a quick lunch.

It was another 300 to Cloncurry, that was a turn to the left and the road got a bit busier. We had driven through McKinley, home to the Walkabout pub that featured in Crocodile Dundee fame. Quick fill in Cloncurry and arrive in Mt Isa at 4.55pm. We had booked ahead and said we would be there soon after 5 so we did good.

Fuel Barcaldine $103, price was $2.31, fuel and lunch Winton $79 fuel Cloncurry $84 accom in Mt Isa for three nights $177, we booked and paid ahead.

Mt Isa

 Nice big town/city. Having had trouble with places booked out, Warren rang ahead and booked in for three nights where we stayed before and did the touristy things. 

This time it will be for a rest, catch up on washing shopping and some caching.

Realised that the sites were $59 a night! Ours is so small that we couldn't put our awning up if we wanted, the car has to be parked sideways 8n front of the van. Not happy Jan!

After lunch we went into town, first cache was up a bushy hill past a homeless persons shelter, we didnt do it, opting to do an adventure lab instead which was finding sculptures around town. At the last one we saw a Coffee Club nearby, coffee would be good. Walked in and they told us they were closed, at 2pm! A local saw us walk out and told us about another coffee place jyst around the corner. What the? Sign on the door saud closed at 1.30pm.

Found our way to shopping centre, bought a few groceries, bit pricy but thats expected here. Saw a donut and coffee place outside, I went to order while Warren packed and paid. It was open but their coffee machine was finished for the day, it was 2.45pm.

Maybe the locals dont have afternoon snacks.

E

The Saga of the Camper

 Driv8ng merrily up the road on our way to Blackall, I felt a bump, the same time as Warren said "Thats not good". He pulled the side of the road and stopped, just enough room to be off the bitumen. No flat tyres, then he looked underneath and saw the springs hanging down, four large straps of steel.

Get out the phone to ring Racq, at 28kms, mobile service was patchy but we got through and then John (Racq) rang us to say he would be out soon. 

I got out chairs and we sat on the roadside and watched the traffic go by. A couple stopped to help out which was nice. I felt a bit useless and said to Warren that I should get my crochetout but then he would arrive. Ha, I would, by then Warren had moved the car up about 60 metres so the truck could come in. Walking back to the chairs with my crocheting, yep, there came the truck.

We had to help get it on board by pushing on the side that had no springs anymore. Once we got back to town Cunnamulla, we rang the caravan park to see if they had a cabin available. As luck would have it, they had had a cancellation that morning, we booked for three nights until we knew what was happening. John said two or three days.

Warren helped get the van off then cambered inside to get the food out of the freezer. Drove down to the park and I went to pay as Warren had left his wallet and tablet in the camper. While explaining who I was and ghat Warren had spoken to them, a call came in that the other lady answered. It was the woman who had cancelled the cabin saying that she still wanted it. Lucky fir us, not so for her. Apparently she had booked it months before and the cp had rung her that morning to see if she still wanted the booking, she said no then discovered that her alternate plan had failed so she did need it. Shd had a tent on board so she used that.  

Poor little camper trailer looked so small and forlorn up on the back of the tow truck. It was listing on the left, that was of course the side where the springs had broken.

The cabin was tiny with a seperate bedroom, two tvs and a microwave, we bought a couple of microwave meals to heat up. I thought the xabin at $145 a night was a bit dear but beggars cant be choosers.

John saud he would ring once he kbew anything. No call in the morning, we stayed within the town so we didnt miss it. 

He rang at 2.30 to say it would be ready to colkect after 7am the next morning. Two longer days, missing a trip to Opaltown and we are back on track jyst $1100 out of pocket but sh......happens.

Day seven

 We collected the van at 8.15 made good time so we continued to Barcaldine, couldnt get into a caravan park but we stayed at tge showgrounds here before so thats where we ended up at 3.15pm.

It really is the Grey Nomads migration north. Both caravan parks at tambo were full when wecame past at lunch time. Home of the Tambo Teddies.

Saw lots of emus today out in the paddocks even a pair of brolgas. No live kangaroos but a couple dead on the roadside.

Day six.

 The mechanic said he would ring once he knew what was happening with the springs as they would need to be sourced in Brisbane and sent out by courier, about a 1000kms.

Had a great night sleep breakfast and planned our day, we knew we couldnt go to far because of the mobile coverage. There are bushlands here with a walk around it pointing out the different species of trees and bushes.  We grabbed a few more caches around town then lunch down town, chatted to several people.

A Citron car club is going through here heading to Cape Yorke, not sure that I would want to be going that far in a fifty plus year old tiny car.

At 2.30pm, mechanic, John, rang and said we could pick the van out in the morning, any time after 7am.  Wow.

We told the caravan park that we wouldnt need the third night in the cabin, if they use it then they will refund our money.

Money spent today $145 for cabin.

Luckily we were going to stay a couple of nights in some places, now we will be continuing on.

Day five

 Things were going so well, we packed up and left Cunnamulla. We had two caches to replace for a friend, one 26ks up the road we were travelling and one further up.

Dropped off the first one, two kms up the road, the spring on the camper broke, I felt it move but Warren was watching in the mirror and saw it drop on the left side.

RACQ to the rescue, they bought the van back, we booked into a cabin for three nights, hopefully it will be fixed by then. Warren got the food out of the freezer.

More caching tomorrow.

Money spent today $145 for a cabin.

Day four.

 Still in Cunnamulla. Our plan today was to walk the town. We watched many vans leave and after a second coffee we set off, first stop was the Billabong pub, a kilometre away, easy answers to get, then back into town. The adventure lab took us around pubs in the towns, we came across the centre where we delivered the quilts and blankets yesterday.

The second adventure lab we needed the car as it went over ten kilometres and some on the highway although the traffic is slower and fewer here. We went to the Robbery tree, apparently some guy was a bit naughty back in the 1880s, he hid up a tree, many people were out looking for him then a sheep dog sat under the tree barking, when the cop investigated, he saw the robber. He must have been guilty of more  as he was the last man hung in Australia. The tree is still there looking rather sad, its jyst a trunk with a few dead branches to one side.

Walked about nine kms

Caravan park, $40, top up of fuel $25. Total $65, thats better.  Off to Blackall tomorrow

ay three Cunnamulla

 The morning saw us packing up the camper and moving it two rows over where there was piwer, also alongside of the toilets, for a change I had less to walk.

Once that was done it was off 9n a country road (dirt) to find ten letter boxes, lunch a rest then we travelled outside to collect some puzzles caches, most had been jigsaws which Sheridan had worked on and given details. Quite a bit of water on the sides of the road, very unusually sight out here. We saw several emus and had one kangaroo hop alongside us for awhile, hoping he wasnt going to dive zcross the road in front of us but no he knew where there was a big hole in the fence and dived in there and out in the paddock. It was like a doggy door for roos, the fence was netting, not easy to break through.

Fuel $129 & caravan park $40 total $169, 

Day two

 Moonie to Cunnamulla first day costs $19 maccas, $25 caravan park, $16 hamburgers

Total $60.

Fuelled up at roadhouse before leaving, $2.19 a litre.

Looking for toilets in St George, this was what we found.

A shared lunch and an open fire at our backs

 

They had toilets as well.

Pressed on to Cunnamulla, followed the gps to the caravan park, dirt road and several ruts, after 8kns we finally arrive but they had no powered sites and suggested we try the obe in town, along a bitumen road, only 4 kms.

Same in town, no powered sites but they had had some issues and half the park was out, we could stay and move to a powered site in the morning when people leave. 

Very cold over night 8 degrees, luckily I had put in an extra blanket just in case.

$80 fuel, $24 lunch, $30 caravan park total $134, whoops over budget.

Day one

 A later start with the car full

Had lunch at Moore and then we continued on to Dalby, Maccas our usual stops when we go that way. Argh, yellow lines where we normally park, how dare they change things. We know that we lost a hubcap there years ago when Warren git a bit close to the kerb. Parked in a side street and walked, then Maccas had changed, no longer gad a Mccafe.

We ordered an iced flappe and raisin toast, ten minutes later about thirty school kids entered, thank goodness fir the automatic ordered terminals. They were in maroon uniforms, then another lot came in dressed in red and black uniforms. Maccas must do a roaring trade in after school snacks.

Got to Moonie at five jyst on dusk, although we had dinner on board, we opted to gave a hamburger from the roadhoyse, yum complete with beetroot.

Lots of trucks go through but it quietens down by midnight 

Hot Choc v Coffee

 For years I gave had trouble sleeping at times, our son told me that if he had coffee after mid afternoon, he couldn't sleep until midnight or 2am.

I dropped coffee at night and that helped.

My not sleeping had been getting worse and I bought natural sleeping tablets. After a week of those I seemed to be sleeping better and when I should. Then it took a turn fir the worse with me being awake for three ir four hours after going to bed. I did get a lit if reading in.

I was tired and often would need a sleep in the afternoons, no problems then going to sleep. A hot chocolate was my nightly drink then I changed it to a jarrah hot chocolate rather than drinking chocolate.

Around midnight, I would often make a hot drink, one night I had read two books and the clock read 4.50am before sleeping.

The next morning in a dopey haze, I wondered if the chocolate had caffeine as an ingredient, it wasnt listed but I didn't want to take a chance, no more hot chocolate for me.

This was three weeks ago and I have been sleeping much better and waking up feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed.

I drink plain hot water now for a hot drink. One black weak coffee for breakfast and one for morning tea, then just water.

Ready set and almost going.

 Time to get the camper trailer out and get it ready. Always a hassle as we tend to dump stuff on top of it and of course, everything has to come off.

With little room in the garage, the kayaks live on top  with the motor bike, scooter and mg bike parked af the end. Its no quick job to get it out and set up.

Everything was in place and we had a few things that needed to go in, I bought a plastic collaspable sink with a drain. Warren wanted to check brakes and wheel bearings. One side wheel bearing is worn so it was booked in last Friday for a service and we had to go through it all again. 

Pushing it into the garage was so easy, we are assuming that is the new brakes.

Starting to think of clothes, we will be spending a couple of weeks in tge southern states and if is currently very cold there, today was 8 degrees. Going to have to get out my trusty jacket that I lived in, in the latter part of our time in China. It does not get cold enough here to wear it, but seems like it should get some more use.