I always wanted to drive the Nullarbor. It seemed like something that only the most adventurous would do. Arid, isolated, distant. Well forget that. Ive done it now and I'm glad I don't have to drive back the same way. Its a great incentive to keep on going around.
It is interesting in parts: the mouth of the Great Australian Bite has some awesome views, the telegraph station and jetty at Eucla are fascinating and have thankfully been excavated from the sand dunes, and the view back down over the lower plains as you head back up west of Eucla is awesome. Maybe just some parts last way too long.
Easter Sunday we went to Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie/Boulder. Beautiful old buildings and shop fronts. You can catch a very brief glimpse of the wealth that was. Kalgoorlie especially now is surrounded by new housing estates with flash brick homes that all look the same but down the main street the feel is the same. This place must have been something.
The big 'Superpit' now rules the sky line and the tourist route. You have to have a look. It is something to behold. Once ownership of all of the mining leases was controlled, the ground was opened up to consume all of the underground mines. Its 4km long and at its deepest around 500m. That's some legacy for our children. I wonder if they will fill it in when they are done?
The WA mining museum was open and was really good. The kids loved seeing all of the gold in the vaults but also learning about the history of the area and Mulga Bills bicycle and the Police station that was a rail cart which moved from site to site as the mining or the tree cutters moved on.

First campfire and ...'technology'?

We camped at Lake Douglas recreation reserve around 10kms out of Kalgoorlie. It was a bush camp with the full moon and heaps of stars. We cooked over a fire, finally after a week which was great AND we got to experience first hand the dedication and determination of those 24 hour mines as they drove their big trucks and loaded their big trucks and emptied their big trucks 24 hours of the day and night about 2 kms from our peaceful bush camp.
The kids are all fired up now for the beach.

Sammy the sea lion

Wen we went for a walk we went to the tanker jetty  and there was a statue of sammy the sea lion and on the jetty we saw him swimming near the walkway. We  saw some fish that the people caught on the jetty.

from Sophie.

Crossing the Nullarbor

Sitting by a campfire trying to write this by firelight is a challenge to my Year 8 touch typing skills!The wonders of the 21st century...out here outside Kalgoorlie the gold miners of 125 years ago who wheeled themselves from the coast by wooden wheel barrow would have a hard time wrapping their heads around modern communication!

So....the last few days crossing the Nullarbor.........interesting! Well the first day was really interesting and the second day was just.............. painful if you ask me, or nullaboring if you ask the kids! We really did see some sights. Maybe the man skate boarding the Nullarbor (minus a helmet, IPOD in and being overtaking by semi trailers with 3 doggies attached) took the first prize but their were a few other sights that seeing was believing! The Japanese people going solo on their pushbikes who looked in need of resuscitation or a good push or the ergonimic bike and trailer could win second prize! Sadly we didn't get any photos of these feats of human bizarreness!

The Nullarbor itself, to the WA border was quite beautiful and very scenic driving along the edge of the bight. After Eucla it was just sheer hard slog!

Eucla was fascinating/ Its been dug out since I was here 20 years ago, not only do you see the chimneys but you can walk through the rooms. The jetty a walk down at the waters edge that bought in supplies was a good explore for sea urchin shells and banked up kelp. The old rubbish dump was good for a treasure explore! The next 600 km after that was not so exciting. We didn't even take a phoot of the longest straight road in Australia we were so pedal to the metal to get somewhere, anywhere!

We're away..................

 Only 4 days since we left Brisbane and already a world of experiences and memories created ...and revisited. The first day a very long one of driving the boring bits done many times before. Probably the highlight for me being the new way the kids have invented of playing eye spy. a few of the corkers they came up with were.....T T......travelling trailer,....A G V............. a good view; just to name a few of the challenges thrown at the parents!

13 hours sleep in Nyngan meant leaving slightly later than we'd planned! An 11am kick off wasn't ideal but we seem to have already slowed down to nomad pace! The emus viewed and wild goats counted passed the time till we got to Broken Hill when the memory lane monologue was started by yours truely (Craig and kids very polite and seemed not too bored!).

A call to old family friends means we have spent the last 2 days out at Ravendale sheep station and visiting Mutawinji (or Mootwinge if you're me) National Park, the first house I ever lived in, and in fact the first house mum and dad ever lived in together. A chance encounter with the ranger enabled me to take the kids and Craig to the old visitors centre and our old house where he put on an aboriginal movie of the dreamtime explanation for Mootwinge's importance to the local aboriginal people. The beauty of Mootwinge was glimpsed at and the green state of the country at the moment, thanks to our floods in Queensland meant its best side was shown. The kids find it hard to imagine me a child living in such isolation.

Ann, Bill and Ravendale  were GREAT. Touring the countryside scouting out sheep, cattle and playing in the rock garden will stick with the kids for a while I think. Lamb chop BBQ (a personal favourite) probably topped things off really though my city bred children struggled with eating while there were a few flies around! The red dirt, blue skies and creamy grasses looking lush with the grey green of the saltbush are colours I love and will always associate with childhood.

 Bill's tall tales that are probably more true than you think remind me that there is a whole aspect of Australian life that us coastal dwellers have little contact with. We're off across the top of South Australia tomorrow, looking forward to the adventure of this trip!

Who said romance was dead..........

With 3 sleeps to go till we leave on the big adventure Craig presented me with this little beauty this morning. Being told he'd got me a little present for the trip I got a tad excited. Should have known better than to build my hopes up too far. 15 years, 3 children and presents that are often a little out there........sic the kayak paddle when we didn't have a kayak till 2 years after being given the "present".........., I never know just what I'm going to get.

So imagine my great delight to be the proud recipient of the family trowel for those moments in the middle of no where when someone will just need to go! With the shovel safely in hand, we can now depart for the wilds of western Australia fully prepared!

The gift that keeps on giving. You know that I love you Kimmy!!Craigo xxxxx

Excitement is building....

Not out of Brisbane just yet but a quick trip to the park across the road to set up the trailer proved lots of fun and excitement for the kids and their friends in the build up to our first big trip! These last 3 weeks are disappearing fast before we leave, no doubt we'll get properly organised late the last afternoon!

We've managed to get the trailer up once, and squeeze it shut again. Surely that's enough practice until we hit the road! The tent, trailer and its workings have fascinated the kids (and adults). After tent camping all our lives this will seem very luxurious! Not quite taking all the comforts of home but....we will have the kitchen sink!