Yes they are Insects!!

Glad I fixed all the fly screens on the van before we got to the N.T.

These look like huge mozzies, but they don't bite, they just get all over you.

And Buzz!!!

There were so many buzzing and byumping against the window if we had the light on that they sounded like rain.

Needles to say we only stayed by this lake for one night!

The Old Beetroot Tin Fix

A cover off an old vent came off somewhere between Darwin and Adelaide.

Why is it you always remember to fix these kind of things after a heavy bit of rain?

Home Sweet Home

We have established a tent city here on the outskirts of Sydney.  Between scrounging off the hosts (does that make us parasites) and what we brought with us we're getting positively comfortable.



We will be picking and packing fruit for the next two months.  Getting excited about Martin (Meredith's brother) and Julie and the ferrets coming back from Argentina and starting to look forward and think about moving to Tamworth next year.

Apologies

A couple of apologies:

Postcards
We sent a bunch of about 30 postcards from a little place called Dululu, wesat of Gladstone.  So far of all the people we've caught up with, that we know of, none of the postcards sent from there have arrived.  This was two months ago.
So if you might have expected a postcard but haven't received one, we don't know where it is either.

Posts
Things are going to be a bit out of order from now on.  For a while there through the NT and SA we had very little coverage and very little charge and add car trouble etc and we just didn't get any posting done.  Over the next couple of weeks or couple of months we hope to catch up a bit.

Other Posts
A quick apology to the council for the bin Claire knocked over and the post she nearly rode into in Renmark.

Where Are We Now????

No prizes, as some local knowledge is essential to get this one.

Town Names

Visited a few nice places in the wheat belt of South Australia.

Elizabeth had her own suburb in Adelaide, but the trip was noisy enough.  We didn't go there.

Bloggers Anonymous

Does anybody have the web address for Bloggers Anonymous?

11:00 am in the  morning.
Still in the pyjamas
Oblivious to the world around.
Who's feeding the kids?
Elizabeth is playing with the stove.

It's time for an intervention!

Interesting road kill. What's for dinner?

Wildflowers and more wildflowers.

The Central Australian desert has had good rain and so we have seen beautiful wildflowers. We haven't really seen the desert as it normally is. 

Where are we now? Clue; we are not at the snow!

Where are we now Renata Finch? Renata has guessed everyone so far.

Whereever we are the kids feel a great achievement. Mum couldn't do it. She was too chicken!!

Travelling into Oenpelli where Meredith grew up.

                        Crossing the East Alligator River at low tide to get into Oenpelli. This is full of crocs. We saw at least 8. But they say for every one you see there are 6 more. Aaahh!!!

Above photos show Mt Injalak, the shop my dad built and ran when we lived there, the family looking out over Arnhem land, the crossing we went over about an hour earlier and the crocs that come to feed when the tide comes in.

Swimming in the North

Beautiful freshwater falls, springs and waterholes throughout the Top end but you have to only swim where there are no croc signs.

James' Birthday

We celebrated James' birthday with some friends we met on the road. We had a BBQ lunch in Darwin whilst our car was being repaired.

Jamesy boys birthday

James got a fishing rod for his birthday so we went fishing at Darwin but like all true fisherman we didn't catch anything. We were after the elusive Barra.

Canoeing Katherine Gorge

Totally Jumpalicious!!!

It may look like I was walking on water, but there was definitely a big splash.

When A Man Wears A Dress

We've been to a few places and to a few different churches.

I think, generally, you can say that when a man is wearing a dress there is something wrong.

Whether it's a football club review or a night club or a church, the man in the dress indicates that something has gone wrong somewhere.

At the football club fundraiser a man in a dress indicates that the level of humour is not going to rise above the juxtaposition of coconut bras and beer bellies.  Competence or ability may be lacking here.

At the night club a man in a dress quickly reveals that morals have been abandoned here.  Right thinking or clear understanding may be lacking here.

At church, a man in a dress may indicate both are lacking.

A Remote Control Aeroplane - Seriously

A remote control aeroplane.  HERE!

I still don't get it.

What Wakes You Up In The Morning ?

This is what wakes us up:

Saturday 21 August.  5:55am
The stupid alarm clock went off 20 minutes early.  Bbbbbbbbbrrrrrrringgggggg
Alright, the stupid bloke who set the alarm to get up to get the ferry to Hayman Island set the alarm wrong.

Sunday 22 August.  7amish
Slept in this morning.  Woken by kitchen noises, we're sleeping above the "staff diner"

Monday 23 August  6:30 am
The pump.  Our site that we paid nearly $50 per night for is right next to the pumping station which has a kick in it like a mule.
Every time a shower turns on somewhere in the camp, Thump-WHACK-Whack Whack.

Tuesday 24 August  5:30 am
Trains
Home Hill Comfort Stop is between the highway and the railway line.  Just happens to be the shunting station where one train pull soff to let the other past.  Huge long trains.  The loco pulls and the clunck - clunck - clunk travels all down the train a carriage at a time.

Wednesday 25 August  6 am
A concrete truck.  Saunders Beach. A lovely spot, right on the beach, a beautiful park, coconut palms.  We're allowed camp in the car park at the end of the street next to the park.  But two doors down someone is building their dream home, and where does the concrete truck turn around???

Thursday 26 August  2 am
The sprinkler.
That beautiful park I mentioned has sprinklers, pop up sprinklers.  So every two minutes, brrrrrrruppp.  A jet of water traces the length of the caravan.  Fortunately they only lasted an hour or so and we got back to sleep after that. 
Someone really ought to invent a sensor that turns the sprinklers off when it's already raining.

Saturday 28 August  6:30 am
Crows
Aaaaaah aaaaah aaaaaaaaaaaooooooooow.

Today.  Monday 30 August  6:45 pm

A REMOTE CONTROL MODEL AEROPLANE !!!
I wish I was kidding.
400 km from Townsville, 400 km from Mt Isa.  I don't know how many kilometres from the nearest airport.
5 caravans and 2 minivans huddled in the wind around a loo that doesn't flush beside the highway.

We went to bed wondering if the road trains would fly past in the morning.  No road trains

We thought it was too barren for birds. No birds.

Sometimes the grey nomads pack up early, noisily clunking and banging.  No nomads.

A REMOTE CONTROL AEROPLANE BUZZING OUR CARAVAN.

It's no wonder we go to bed early.


It's no wonder we're having a great time!

James out in the bush.

When we lived in Ariah Park James' treasures were bolts, nails etc On the road his treasures are berries, nuts, leaves, shells and anythings to do with nature. His seat is usually coverd in stuff he has collected.

Where are we now number 3?

Can anyone guess our whereabouts?
Since some of our viewers (Alicia) do not think a postcard is a very good incentive then our next prize will be a sapphire straight from the gemfields in Sapphire.

Whale Watching

Went to Hervey Bay and saw these amazing creatures. Blown away by their size. They're humpback whales by the way.

Need A New Tyre

I think I'll get this one replaced.

Claire noticed it flapping as we were backing into the site.  Maybe the bumpy road into this place did us a favour as we didn't get up enough speed to blow the tyre.

Everything was going fine until Damien made me start checking the wheel nuts all the time!

Big Bird

Older Than Millie

Finally came across a van older than Millie. 

We've seen them bigger, we've seen them older, but we've not yet seen one as big or as old as Millie actually on the road.

Claire took this photo.

Where Are We Now 2

Renata and David had a home turf advantage on the last one.  We were swimming in Brisbane in August.  What a crazy place.  (Although they say those crazy southerners)

A clue for everyone else, we are North of our last "Where are we now?"

Last night we stayed across the river from a major city and it was very beautiful to open the curtains and have such a lovely view.

I can hear the kids mucking around in the van, so I guess they are up now.

First one to guess where we are gets a(nother) postcard. Post your guesses in the comments below.

God Bless all,
Michael

Little Kingfisher

On the river bank just west of Gladstone

Aerial Dogfight

Saw a White Breasted Sea Eagle take on two crows.  We think the eagle was defending the nest.  What the crows wanted I'm not sure.  But it was an amazing sight.

Earlier in the day we saw a similar (or the same) eagle carrying a fish off in it's claws, and on the way to Murwillumbah we saw an eagle making off with a magpie in it's claws.

Here are the pics: