DYSART AND NOW AT HOME AGAIN!

How time flies! I promised to get back to the blog with another update 'in a few days'...I guess 10 days is hardly that!! Oops! Sorry about that. :)

After a couple of lovely relaxing days in Longreach and booking my flight home from Rockhampton for Saturday 6th June, we headed for Emerald, passing through several very quaint, clean, tidy and friendly small towns including Ilfracombe, Brixton, Barcaldine, Jericho and Alpha. I even bought a fabulous Cow Hide stockman's hat along the way for a lot less than I had seen it in Longreach! We stopped for lunch in Barcaldine - another very friendly and clean town.

Lots of pretty farmland countryside along the way too.

The fabulous Queensland Bottle Tree (Brachychiton Rupestris)

We arrived mid afternoon in Emerald with the plan to find somewhere to stay, but after Annie made a call to her son, Matt in Dysart, we were convinced to continue on up to stay with them instead! So, after doing a bit of food and wine shopping to bring with us, we headed to Dysart! here we spent several very relaxing and enjoyable days with Matt and Sy and the lovable Botaz!

This was a beautiful bird I spotted next morning outside the kitchen window, enjoying some nectar for breakfast! It is a Blue-faced Honeyeater.

On our last evening in Dysart, Matt and Sy took us out to dinner - a very enjoyable evening! Thank you very much, Matt and Sy. :)

Matt and Sy

Not bad after travelling around 6000+kms across Australia!!

Next day Annie and I prepared to leave for Rockhampton - after a yummy lunch with Matt and Sy and Botaz! Arrived just before dark at the Southside Holiday Village where we had already booked a little cabin. Lovely accommodation and park with great amenities and services. Next day, Annie took me for a bit of a drive around Rockhampton. Unfortunately it was very foggy so we didn't get to the lookout. Instead, Annie took me to the FABULOUS Rockhampton Botanic Gardens and Zoo. This was just the most incredible place with trees that were more than 100 years old! I could easily have spent many hours there, but I had a plane to catch so I enjoyed what I had time for.

An amazing Banyan Fig planted in 1895!!

When I arrived at the airport in Rockhampton, I was told at the check-in desk that my flight was delayed by 1 1/2 hours!!!! So I spent time shopping, reading and getting a bite to eat whilst I waited! The flight left right on time and arrived in Sydney a good half hour ahead of time, so all good! I was met by Andrew and a very excited Bekky.

This roadtrip with Annie has been a fantastic experience - one I hope to do again with my darling Andrew in a few years, when he can give up working for a little while! I know he will love it as much as I did! :)

Thanks for following our adventure - Annie and I hope you have enjoyed it! If you would like to see lots more photos, I have a Picasa album and the first 5 albums are dedicated to our trip! Be warned - there are nearly 400 photos in the main Across Oz Roadtrip album! Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/gardenlady55
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/gardenlady55/AcrossOzRoadtrip2009#

CATCHING UP ON THE LAST WEEK!

Leaving Alice Springs

OK, back on the Internet at last and with enough time and energy to catch up on the last week since we left Alice Springs! As it was an overcast day on the morning we were leaving, we decided to give the visit to Standley Chasm a miss. Spent a couple of hours at the auto electrician so he could replace the 12V plug he put in on the Friday with the RIGHT size this time! All good now so we headed off to camp at the nearby Arltunga Historical Site and Campground, just over an hours drive away. Unfortunately, it was ALL closed and the house for sale! However, the toilets were open!!!

So rather than go back to Alice Springs, we decided to head on to Gemtree down the road, taking a 'short cut' along a 60km stretch of road called the Cattlewater Pass, which wound through The Harts Ranges...

This is how it started out - narrow, flat and reasonably easy to negotiate along with about 3-4 farm gates to open and close. Then things got interesting and daylight was running out... this photo is a bit blurry due to the car being thrown around!!

It was a very interesting and challenging adventure! Annie could rarely get above 10kmh for most of it, especially as it became darker and the track more difficult to see! We finally arrived at The Plenty Highway in the pitch dark a bit after 7.00pm... nearly 3 hours later!! Laughing in a slightly hysterical manner at having made it through this 60km 'short cut', we headed for The Gemtree Caravan Park just 30kms down the highway. By the time we arrived, the campground had closed for the night, but we drove in to look for somewhere to set up the tent. We were met by the friendly owner who showed us a nice spot and told us to just get settled and pop up to the office in the morning! Here are a few pics -

Annie enjoying the camp-fire

The magic sunsets at Gemtree

Our sheltered campsite at Gemtree

We had 3 great nights here at Gemtree and even went fossicking for garnets one morning! Lots of fun and we DID find several pretty red gemstones to take home. I even found one large 7mm beauty, so it was a very successful excursion! Met many lovely and interesting people in Gemtree and I would love to return here one day.

GEMTREE TO BOULIA ALONG THE PLENTY HIGHWAY

This stretch of highway is said to be the most challenging part of The Outback Way... and it was! But nothing Annie and Gert the Landcruiser couldn't handle! We were in very safe hands. :) Lots of corrugations and bulldust and here's the proof!

Had lunch on the NSW/Qld. border and from there on the road was a dream! The roadside scenery was mostly very flat but changed constantly. And many HUGE termite ant hills, including this monster!!

Arrived in the small town of Boulia just before dark and set up our tent on a nice green lawn in the local caravan park set on The Burke River. Headed off to the roadhouse for a bite to eat before retiring to our cosy tent! Next day I took a long walk down the dry river bed to photograph the many bird varieties that live on and around the water.

BOULIA TO WINTON TO LONGREACH!

Amazing countryside!

Left for Longreach Saturday morning on good roads most of the way. Saw lots of birds - emus, wedgetail eagles, little hawks, brolgas, budgies, weiros etc! Oh, and lots of big healthy cattle - Droughmaster, Brahman, Santa Gertrudis and everything else in between! Stopped for lunch in Winton, which was a lovely friendly little country town, famous for the Waltzing Matilda Museum! I drove us to Longreach where we arrived just after dark so we booked into a nice little cabin for a couple of nights, across the road from The Qantas Longreach Museum where the beautifully restored 1959 Boeing 707 is on display along with the Boeing 747 used to transfer the victims, rescuers and investigators following the Bali bombings. We are also just down the road from The Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame and Outback Museum - both museums were very interesting and full of fascinating information. Definitely well worth seeing - excellent displays. Am going back to the Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame to buy a great hat I saw today!!

Tomorrow we head to Emerald overnight and then on to Dysart to stay a few days with Annie's son Matt and his girlfriend, Syrita. More in a few days! :)

LEAVING ALICE SPRINGS

We've had a lovely relaxing 3 days here in Alice Springs - well, mostly! Bit of washing, having the car serviced and re-arranging the way the car is packed. :) Met some lovely people here in the Wintersun Caravan Park and made a visit to the nearby Desert Park today, which was truly wonderful and inspirational. Quite amazing just what lives and grows in the desert.

With our energy recharged and ready for the beginning of the final leg, we will set off tomorrow for Gemtree, visiting the Standley Chasm first. With a bit of luck, all the flooding in Northern NSW and Southern Queensland will have subsided by the time we reach that far! The B&B that Annie is minding in Mount Warning, has been totally cut off for a number of days!!

Stay tuned for our third week on the road. :)

One of the many roads coming into NT with fabulous countryside. Mostly, we have found the roads to be good and able to keep up a good safe speed.

Approaching the Northern Territory (above & below) - long roads and amazing views!

Visiting Docker River Aboriginal Community we came across this funny roadside sign... so Annie thought she'd better look for people!!

Our camp site at The Eco Resort at Karijini. This was a lovely spot with a fabulous restaurant, bar and beautiful surroundings

Where several (4) gorges meet in Karijini NP at The Oxer Lookout - very impressive and amazing rock formations

Annie standing by the Wiluna sign

The long dusty road!

Annie testing the water at Hammersley Gorge - what a beautiful spot!

Anne-Marie at Kalamina Gorge - this was at the other end of the gorge.

Kalamina Gorge (above & below) in Karanjini National Park near Tom Price, WA

PHOTOS at last!

At last a few photos! I have decided to just pop them all in one post with descriptions rather than trying to post them into each separate post... I might be here all night! :)

The photos are uploaded in small size but if you click on them you will see the full sized image. Enjoy! I plan to upload most/many of the photos to my Online Picasa Album, so here is a link to that site for anyone interested - http://picasaweb.google.com/annemarie55/AcrossOzAdventure I will add to this album continuously and when I return home.

We have seen so many, many wonderful and also very funny sights/signs - will locate the photos on Annie's external hard drive soon and upload a few of them!

Our visit to see The Olgas/Kata Tjuta, Ayers Rock/Uluru, Mount Conner http://www.redcentrerock.info/crags/mt_conner.htm Kings Canyon and the amazing Gosse Bluff crater (created by a comet over 142 million years ago with a million times more power than the atomic bomb!) were absolutely fantastic and very powerful places to be. We also went to a lovely gorge called Redbank Gorge and decided to bush-camp there overnight as the campsite was in such a lovely spot with the mountains all around and incredibly peaceful. We decided to leave off the fly cover over the tent so we could lie and stargaze from our beds! What a wonderful experience and to be in such beautiful surroundings.

Annie and I are currently enjoying 2-3 days here in Alice Springs, treating ourselves to a nice little cabin with all the mod cons and a chance to do some washing! Spent a bit of time shopping in town today and tomorrow we plan to visit the Desert Park. Met some nice people here in the caravan park and joined them for their 'Happy Hour' this evening.

That's all for now... back to uploading more photos! :)

Anne-Marie sitting at Kings Canyon, NT and below another photo of Kings Canyon... AWESOME!

Annie and me with Bob (left, from Narracourt, SA) and Dave (from Back of Beyond Tours) at Warakurna Roadhouse on our day of departure. Very interesting chaps! :)

STILL HERE!

Sorry for the absence! Have been in the middle of the bush mostly and now in range at last here in Alice Springs. Have had a great time so far - will write more tomorrow. Been washing, servicing car and other stuff today already! :)

ALMOST IN THE MIDDLE OF OZ!

We have now reached Warakurna Roadhouse near the Rawlinson Ranges, just a few hundred k's from Yulara and Uluru! (Ayers Rock) We have set up our tent and seeing as we have free wi-fi we thought we'd take advantage of that... and it's after 5pm NT time so drinks in hand too!!! So far it has been a great roadtrip with lots of interesting sights and experiences. The road is no worse than anything in The Pilbara or the backroads through Wombeyan Caves! We have seen a helluva lot more camels than cars over the last 500+ kms! In fact, we could count on our hands how many vehicles we've passed and still have fingers left! We camped overnight at Tjukayirla Roadhouse last night and had a lovely night there. This campsite is amazing - SO clean fantastic camp kitchen with power and very friendly management. The campsite is behind simple gates and a fence to keep out the camels and uninvited guests!!! We were the only campers until we were joined at our HUGE camp fire by 3 lovely European travellers, so it turned into a very interesting and cosy night.

Here at the Warakurna roadhouse it is once again, very nice, very friendly and very peaceful... and FREE Wi-fi!! We've just been invited to join a mob of other campers here around a big central camp fire. Sounds good to us!!

Until next time - nite, nite and keep following us! Having a few image upload issuses, so photos later.

P.S. Whilst here at Warakurna, we also visited the nearby Giles Weather Station for a guided hour long tour - for free! Very interesting and fascinating to watch a weather balloon being sent up along with all the other manual recording done at this original weather station which dates back to 1956.

ON THE ROAD...

Well, here we are in sunny down-town Meekatharra! Am sitting writing this in our 'luxury' accommodation here at the hotel! ;) It was a freebie owed to Annie so a free room/feed is good!!We left Tom Price Tuesday morning and headed for a quick look at Mount Nameless with its awesome views and very cute critters... this is a very large Bungarra (Monitor), maybe a Perentie or a Goulds Monitor...

...and a tiny Rock Wallaby, happily posed for us as well!
We then continued on to Hammersely Gorge and Kalamina Gorge - both fantastic and very powerful places to be.

After seeing the beautiful gorges we headed to The Karijini Eco Resort and set up our camp... photos to follow! This was such a beautiful spot - fantastic setting. We had a drink at the bar before having dinner at the Eco Restaurant - superb food in amazing surroundings. Set off about 10am for a look at Oxer lookout where all the major gorges converge and the beautiful memorial for SES volunteer worker, Jim Regan who lost his life tragically in 2004, in an effort to save an injured tourist in the gorge. Both Annie's daughters are SES volunteers and were involved in the same rescue and were lucky to survive! BE CAREFUL!!! These places are stunning but they can also also dangerous.

We then set off for Newman to do a few things in town, had a minor hiccup there with loose battery cable, ably attended to by our on-board mechanic, Annie!! This left us a bit late in continuing on to Meekatharra (me driving!) so we arrived about 7.40pm at the hotel! Bit of a challenge driving in the dark with cows and other critters on the road, not to mention the HUGE roadtrains! Had a quick clean up in our room, then headed for the front bar where 2 fabulous pub meals awaited us. Good stuff! Back in our room it wasn't long before there was a bit of alcohol fuelled 'activity' outside and the gates to the hotel carpark were shut and locked!!

As it is now after 10am we must away! Will add many photos, I promise. We are now heading for Malcolm Dam, a free camp outside Leonora and next stop after that will be Laverton, which will probably abe the next update.

Until then - take care! :)

ARRIVED IN TOM PRICE!

Just a quick post to say 'I am here!'! Arrived late yesterday afternoon in Paraburdoo - glorious 29C, stunning countryside up here and the most incredible colours. The white trunks and brilliant green crowns of the big gum trees against the red landscape is breathtaking - to me, anyway! I was met by my dear friend, Annie and we sat and waited in the sun for the luggage trolley to arrive. I decided to ring Andrew to let him know I'd arrived... NO VODAFONE reception up here!! I should have known! Never mind - Annie has a Next G phone, thank God! I will be able to text and call when I need to. After grabbing my bag off the trolley, we headed off for Tom Price, about 70 kms away, driving through more beautiful countryside. It feels amazing and wonderful to be here and the excitement of what lies ahead, is building!

We had a lovely 'Mother's Day BBQ' last night with Annie's daughter, Kath, husband-to-be Jason and Annie's delightful grandson, Callum along with Annie's son Mark and a few other good friends. Good food, good wine and definitely, GREAT company and setting! Thanks Kath and Jason. :)

The two mums - Annie & I at Kath & Jason's BBQ!

Annie, Kath & Callum at the Mother's Day BBQ @ Jason & Kaths.

That's all for this post - I must get on as we have a lot to sort out today before heading off tomorrow! Indulging in a massage swap later today with Jaj, Annie's other daughter! Looking forward to that very much!

My gorgeous Masseuse, Jaj (Jennifer) - great massage!

Over and out!! :)

LEAVING BOWRAL... OVER & OUT!

OK! This is my last post before I head off to the other side of this beautiful, diverse and amazing country of ours! I think I have everything sorted and packed... I hope! Too bad if I haven't - I'll just have to beg, steal or borrow whatever is forgotten!! :)

I just know Annie and I will have a fantastic trip and create many wonderful memories along the way. I also know that it will all be over before we know it so I plan to take in everything around me that I can and learn something new every day! I don't want to miss a thing!

Take care, look after each other and please keep in touch by email, mobile, text message, facebook or whatever means you have!! I promise to keep in touch as best I can and as often as possible.

Ciao, adios, hasta la vista, farvel, auf wiedersehen... and goodbye - for now!!
xx

THE START OF OUR ROAD TRIP - WEST TO EAST!

All our plans are coming together now! We will be leaving on Tuesday 12th May for Hamersley Gorge, then on to Oxer Lookout and the Karijini Eco Retreat (camp-site) that night.

The next day we will visit Circular Pool and walk down to Fern Pool/Fortescue Falls before heading down to Meekatharra for the night, where we’ll stay at the pub as they owe Annie a free night!! Next day we continue on to Laverton to overnight and catch up with friends of Annie's before commencing the big trek to Yulara and Alice Springs! Yay!

This link tells you a bit more about the area we will visit around Karijini National Park along with some great images. I plan to get lots of my own!!

http://www.australiasnorthwest.com/en/Destinations/The_Pilbara/Pages/Karijini_National_Park.aspx


Bye for now...

PACKING!

I sent Annie an email a few days ago, checking with her what I should or should NOT bring with me and if there was anything else she could think of that I needed to bring with me. She answered it beautifully...

'Cant think of anything else you need to bring - just your smile, an open mind to absorb the experience and a large jar of resilience to turn the thousands of kilometres into an adventure!'

Isn't that fabulous!?

So, today I started to sort through what I wanted to bring and what needed to stay or be thrown out! I was ruthless! I ended up throwing out a lot of old clothes hiding in the depths of the wardrobe and the same ruthless attention was heaped upon the bathroom cabinet! An awful lot of half used, unused and old bottles and jars of lotion, potions, creams, shampoos etc. were ditched... something I had been meaning to do for a long time! Great morning! And my duffel bag still weighs under half the allowed Qantas baggage allowance! Even with the last things added, it will struggle to reach 20 kilos. Am very impressed with that!

Last night I spoke with Annie on the phone and we went over last minute details before I leave on Saturday. We are well prepared power-wise - from solar-powered battery chargers to 240v battery chargers, solar-powered light, big torches, little torches, car-battery operated compressor with a light, extension lead, power-board AND a little inverter that I will bring into which we can plug in a number of chargers and even Annie's laptop! I think we have it all covered when it comes to power!!! :)

That's all for this post - I may get another one in before my departure for Perth, but if not - the next one will be from the roadside somewhere!

Ciao for now!

KARIJINI - FIRST STOP!

Exciting news! Annie has just told me that our first camping stop will be at the magnificent Karijini National Park (The Hamersley Ranges), not far from Tom Price. Fantastic! The gorges there are absolutely stunning - the whole landscape is something to behold, so I am really looking forward to this first stop and taking loads of photos! By camping here as our first stop, not only do I get a look at this beautiful National Park but it also allows us to check out all our gear and make sure we haven't forgotten anything!!

This is a very good link with fantastic photos of this incredible area: http://www.stewartmacdonald.com.au/blog/2008/05/karijini-national-park/


This is my last weekend at home with Andrew and Bekky, so as excited as I am about this trip, I will be a bit sad about leaving my 2 darlings behind in the cold Bowral weather! I will miss you both heaps. xx

LAPTOP ISSUES...

Just to make life a bit more 'interesting' my laptop crashed last night - partition problem or a dying hard drive, we think! So I am now accessing all my stuff thrugh Andrew's laptop until we get my monster sorted... or sent to the scrap heap to be replaced!! Lucky that I am not taking the laptop with me on the trip!

There is now just under 2 weeks until I leave for Perth > Paraburdoo - really starting to become excited about this adventure through the Red Centre with Annie. However, I am not so sure Andrew is as excited about being left on his own to mind house, bill paying, shopping, garden and dog as well as working long hours! I know he will cope just fine - as he always does when I am away! Maybe he will have sold our house by the time I return! That would be WONDERFUL!!! :)

After arriving in Tom Price, I'll have a day or two to look around the area then help Annie pack the car before we leave. Yay! :)

More later...

THE BEGINNING OF A GREAT ADVENTURE!

I recently re-connected with an old school friend in WA and we have become firm friends once again!

Annie and I

A few months ago, Annie mentioned she had a house-sitting/B&B job over here in beautiful Mount Warning near Murwillumbah in northern NSW. The job was a 6 month stint from around mid June. Annie was planning to drive in her trusty Landcruiser all the way over here on her own, from Tom Price in the WA Pilbara, so I suggested to her that maybe I should join her on the trek for some company! Annie thought that sounded like a great idea and the plan was hatched to trek across Oz and have a fun time doing it!

Below is a map from the site 'The Outback Way' showing part of the route we plan to follow, more or less. This is the website home page: http://www.outbackway.org.au/index.php


What started out as a long and somewhat boring drive across the Nullarbor, developed into a 2-3 week drive across The Red Centre of Oz... and has now become a major adventure trek following "The Outback Way" route over about 3-4 weeks! Australia's own version of 'Thelma & Louise"!! Although we do not plan on murdering anyone nor driving over any canyons!! We are going to visit the magnificent Kings Canyon in the NT but promise we'll be careful! :) I am flying from Sydney to Perth on May 9th 2009, staying overnight in Perth with another wonderful friend, Anna, and the next day - Mother's Day - I will fly to Paraburdoo where I will be collected by Annie. I am looking forward to seeing a little of Tom Price & surrounds and meeting some of Annie's great friends and family up there, before we set off on our adventure eastwards some days later. I hope to keep this blog updated at least weekly to keep everyone up to date with our movements and adventures! Not least my darling husband Andrew, who is staying behind to look after the house, garden and our dog! He is such a treasure! Love you, darling! xx

That's all for now! Will add more as I think of it! Bye for now. :)

P.S. Oh, and by the way - there is little I can do to change the order of these posts!! That's just how blogs work, apparently! You just either have to scroll down to the bottom of the page and read from there UP! Or you can click on the blog archives on the right hand side of the page... probably simpler! :)

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