So today wasn't quite what I had planned.... I had an amazing sleep, but was up early to get started on my essay. Can't believe I came all the way to Birdsville to do schoolwork! I got started on it in good time, knocked out the main body, then Sandra and I spent an hour or so editing.
After lunch Sandra and Leon headed down to the racetrack while I kept working. Due to the huge number of people here (about 6000) the Internet is only working for a few hours in the early morning, there is just so much 'traffic' it stops! So I had to write two essays without any Internet. I had mum on the phone updating my resume for me, because I couldn't access it from my email. The idea was that I'd fax my essays home, but the phone lines were all down too! Apparently it's a frequent occurrence here... I raced down the street to the information center, but mum still couldn't get it, so I took photos of them, and sent them to Becca, who the typed them up again! What a crazy hullabaloo! And right down to the wire- got it in right on five.
I'd forgotten just how stressful these things can be! By the time I finished, I was exhausted, so I went and had a lay down on my swag. It was dark by the time I woke up. Now I've had tea, I'm going back to bed.
Friday, 31 August 2012
Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Boulia-Birdsville
Well I didn't get to see any min min lights, but it was a full moon. We did however get worked up by a random wind storm at three am, and have to tie everything down! Because we came in late last night, reception was closed, so we didn't know they have a wheelchair accessible bathroom here!
Leon didn't have to carry me up the stairs after all! Never mind. The manger was lovely, and found me a chair for the shower, which even has a shower rose (believe me, that's a big bonus when you have to sit down in the shower). The couple parked next to us came and said hi. They are from the Netherlands, and also heading to the races.
We packed up and hit the road heading south. We passed so many more Sarus birds- one group had about twenty or thirty birds in it! The other thing we saw a lot of was bearded dragons. They were just sitting beside the road, sunning themselves on the rocks. I saw one that was well over half a meter long!
You know how sometimes you remember something you had to do and you have missed a really important deadline? Well I haven't quite missed it, but I was close! I have to have a scholarship application in by 5pm tomorrow. That caused a bit of a panic attack, since it's worth $11,500 off my school fees if I get it! So I started some brain storming and worked out a plan.
When we got into Birdsville, we realized our original plan to camp by the river wasn't really going to be practical. So we decided to try our luck with the caravan park. We did what is known as 'playing the wheelchair card'. We have got a small spot within 50m of the toilet block. The disabled toilet is kept locked, but they have given me a key, so they have done really well. And the towns Internet cafe is right next to the toilet block too, so I can go write up my essay for my scholarship application first thing tomorrow.
I was talking to Des, a friend from Melbourne tonight, and he was telling me how Neville, a friend of ours is also up here. I hung up, thinking there was no way I'd see him. Five minutes later, he walked past! I called him over and we had a good chat. Nifty Nev is 64 now, and only just talking about retiring from race riding. An absolute legend!
Well I know it's still early, but I'm keen for steak and veggies for tea, then bed! So you'll have to wait until tomorrow for anything else.
Leon didn't have to carry me up the stairs after all! Never mind. The manger was lovely, and found me a chair for the shower, which even has a shower rose (believe me, that's a big bonus when you have to sit down in the shower). The couple parked next to us came and said hi. They are from the Netherlands, and also heading to the races.
We packed up and hit the road heading south. We passed so many more Sarus birds- one group had about twenty or thirty birds in it! The other thing we saw a lot of was bearded dragons. They were just sitting beside the road, sunning themselves on the rocks. I saw one that was well over half a meter long!
You know how sometimes you remember something you had to do and you have missed a really important deadline? Well I haven't quite missed it, but I was close! I have to have a scholarship application in by 5pm tomorrow. That caused a bit of a panic attack, since it's worth $11,500 off my school fees if I get it! So I started some brain storming and worked out a plan.
When we got into Birdsville, we realized our original plan to camp by the river wasn't really going to be practical. So we decided to try our luck with the caravan park. We did what is known as 'playing the wheelchair card'. We have got a small spot within 50m of the toilet block. The disabled toilet is kept locked, but they have given me a key, so they have done really well. And the towns Internet cafe is right next to the toilet block too, so I can go write up my essay for my scholarship application first thing tomorrow.
I was talking to Des, a friend from Melbourne tonight, and he was telling me how Neville, a friend of ours is also up here. I hung up, thinking there was no way I'd see him. Five minutes later, he walked past! I called him over and we had a good chat. Nifty Nev is 64 now, and only just talking about retiring from race riding. An absolute legend!
Well I know it's still early, but I'm keen for steak and veggies for tea, then bed! So you'll have to wait until tomorrow for anything else.
Alice springs-Boulia
After my lazy starts the last few days, this morning was a very early start. Not helped by the fact that when I set my alarm I forgot my phone was on Tasmanian time. I was already up and about when I realized, so I couldn't go back to bed. And I hadn't slept very well, so I could have really used that extra 30 minutes!
We managed to make it out of Alice pretty much on time, heading north, then east, along the plenty highway, also called the outback way. Apparently they are planning on sealing it all eventually, but for now, it's a sandy dirt road, with lots of dust and bumps. Every now and then, there's a cattle pad crossing the road which makes a big bang when you hit it. I slept for the first hour or so after my early start. It's a beautiful drive. I know I've said it more than once already, but I'm always amazed at how quickly and dramatically the land changes put here. One minutes you're surrounded by low trees, the next, grass plains! We saw lots of budgerigars and finches, which I don't normally even take notice of, but Leon and Sandra like birds, and know a bit about them. We also saw a couple of groups of Sarus (like brolgas) one group had 8 or 10 bird in it, which was quite impressive, and a father emu with a heap of babies which was pretty special! We also came across lots of peaceful pigeons, or docey doves as Sandra and Leon call them. They sit on the road playing chicken, much to Leon's frustration. We stopped for lunch at Jarvois station they have a small shop, toilets and showers and camping grounds. Wheelchair accessible, but not wheelchair friendly. We also stopped at Tobermorey Station on the Queensland border. We had planned to stay the night there, but made better time than anticipated, so we kept going. It was a gorgeous camp ground, but the toilet block was upstairs (I have found that quite a few places in QLD/NT) so not really a good place for those of us who can't walk.
We pushes on to Boulia, but had forgotten about the fact that we were heading east, where the sun sets earlier, so it was dark by the time we made it. Boulia is the home of the min min lights. The lights are part of aboriginal lore, and have been seen by many people over the years. Basically a kind of ghost light, that there is no rational explanation for. Don't think I'll be staying awake looking for them... We had a bit of trouble finding the caravan park, but a quick stop for directions sent us over the bridge. It's a great little camping ground beside the river. After tea, I called home to talk to mum and catch up on the news from home. I'm loving this trip, but I am looking forward to going home and seeing everyone. Although Sandra is so much like mum it's almost like home in some ways.
It's odd for me camping with Sandra and Leon, because they have a system, and I'm not part of it. I feel very lazy sitting round watching them do everything, though I did cut up the chicken for tea.... I guess I just help where I can!
Big day tomorrow, my swag is calling!
We managed to make it out of Alice pretty much on time, heading north, then east, along the plenty highway, also called the outback way. Apparently they are planning on sealing it all eventually, but for now, it's a sandy dirt road, with lots of dust and bumps. Every now and then, there's a cattle pad crossing the road which makes a big bang when you hit it. I slept for the first hour or so after my early start. It's a beautiful drive. I know I've said it more than once already, but I'm always amazed at how quickly and dramatically the land changes put here. One minutes you're surrounded by low trees, the next, grass plains! We saw lots of budgerigars and finches, which I don't normally even take notice of, but Leon and Sandra like birds, and know a bit about them. We also saw a couple of groups of Sarus (like brolgas) one group had 8 or 10 bird in it, which was quite impressive, and a father emu with a heap of babies which was pretty special! We also came across lots of peaceful pigeons, or docey doves as Sandra and Leon call them. They sit on the road playing chicken, much to Leon's frustration. We stopped for lunch at Jarvois station they have a small shop, toilets and showers and camping grounds. Wheelchair accessible, but not wheelchair friendly. We also stopped at Tobermorey Station on the Queensland border. We had planned to stay the night there, but made better time than anticipated, so we kept going. It was a gorgeous camp ground, but the toilet block was upstairs (I have found that quite a few places in QLD/NT) so not really a good place for those of us who can't walk.
We pushes on to Boulia, but had forgotten about the fact that we were heading east, where the sun sets earlier, so it was dark by the time we made it. Boulia is the home of the min min lights. The lights are part of aboriginal lore, and have been seen by many people over the years. Basically a kind of ghost light, that there is no rational explanation for. Don't think I'll be staying awake looking for them... We had a bit of trouble finding the caravan park, but a quick stop for directions sent us over the bridge. It's a great little camping ground beside the river. After tea, I called home to talk to mum and catch up on the news from home. I'm loving this trip, but I am looking forward to going home and seeing everyone. Although Sandra is so much like mum it's almost like home in some ways.
It's odd for me camping with Sandra and Leon, because they have a system, and I'm not part of it. I feel very lazy sitting round watching them do everything, though I did cut up the chicken for tea.... I guess I just help where I can!
Big day tomorrow, my swag is calling!
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Alice Springs (Tuesday)
Another slow day today. I had another big sleep in this morning- I think I was smart to get down a day early, I would have been pretty wiped out leaving tomorrow otherwise. This morning I achieved very little, I dyed my hair. Leon and Sandra were both home for lunch, then I spent a while trying to organise my stuff for the weekend. We don't have much room, so I need to pack separately again.
I had a really weird conversation at lunch with Leon, about toileting while we travel over the desert. I don't mind talking about that stuff, but usually I set the boundaries on the conversation. It was a necessary conversation, but I don't have that sort of relationship with him, so I struggled a bit.
Sandra and I then met up after she finished work to go buy a camping toilet. If I thought the conversation with Leon was embarrassing... I can tell you, trying out toilet in front of a complete stranger, when you can almost hear the wheels turning in their head "How does she even go to the toilet" is much worse!
I wanted to get myself a couple of spare tubes (in case I get a flat tyre) before I left, so I went into the bike shop I passed yesterday, Ultimate Ride. The guy in there couldn't help me, but he was lovely. I went down to the Avanti shop, where they did have some. For $13 each! Either my guys (Rapid Plus Avanti. Great shop! Corner of Cimitere and St Johns Streets) are even better to me than I realized, or things are way more inflated here than I thought!
I went to the supermarket to stock up for the trip with Sandra, and to get a copy of New Idea (turns out Alice Springs is a day behind the rest of Australia, hence my trouble to find it yesterday). One of my friends, and team mates from Melbourne, Cobi, is one of the paralympians featured in this weeks addition. Go buy a copy. Now. Ok, when you finish reading this then.
She looks absolutely amazing, and it reminded me just how proud I am of her, and all our girls (and guys) about to compete for Australia! But especially the Gliders! So your mission over the next two weeks- Watch our athletes as they take on the world! They have put in just as much effort as our Olympians- many of them much more! They deserve every bit as much praise, respect and admiration as their able bodied counter parts. Lets not let them feel forgotten!
You can send any of the athletes a hero message at
http://www.bigpondsport.com/Olympics/HeroMessage/tabid/725/Default.aspx#.UDyVH9XBH04
One of my readers commented on one of my posts last week (I only saw it today) and she put me onto a journalist and comedian, Stella Young. Stella was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (brittle bones for those of you how haven't been keeping up). I had a look at some of her stuff online, and actually spent a good part of this afternoon reading her blog. I found it very interesting. I didn't agree with everything she said, but there were lots of things she said I found to be very true to me. In particular
http://www.abc.net.au/rampup/articles/2012/03/27/3464847.htm
and
http://www.abc.net.au/rampup/articles/2012/07/02/3537035.htm
Like I said, there are things in both articles I disagree with, but on the whole, I found them very good!
Well, I had better go pack, since all I did today was empty everything into a big mess!
I had a really weird conversation at lunch with Leon, about toileting while we travel over the desert. I don't mind talking about that stuff, but usually I set the boundaries on the conversation. It was a necessary conversation, but I don't have that sort of relationship with him, so I struggled a bit.
Sandra and I then met up after she finished work to go buy a camping toilet. If I thought the conversation with Leon was embarrassing... I can tell you, trying out toilet in front of a complete stranger, when you can almost hear the wheels turning in their head "How does she even go to the toilet" is much worse!
I wanted to get myself a couple of spare tubes (in case I get a flat tyre) before I left, so I went into the bike shop I passed yesterday, Ultimate Ride. The guy in there couldn't help me, but he was lovely. I went down to the Avanti shop, where they did have some. For $13 each! Either my guys (Rapid Plus Avanti. Great shop! Corner of Cimitere and St Johns Streets) are even better to me than I realized, or things are way more inflated here than I thought!
I went to the supermarket to stock up for the trip with Sandra, and to get a copy of New Idea (turns out Alice Springs is a day behind the rest of Australia, hence my trouble to find it yesterday). One of my friends, and team mates from Melbourne, Cobi, is one of the paralympians featured in this weeks addition. Go buy a copy. Now. Ok, when you finish reading this then.
 |
| The gorgeous Miss Cobi Crispin! |
She looks absolutely amazing, and it reminded me just how proud I am of her, and all our girls (and guys) about to compete for Australia! But especially the Gliders! So your mission over the next two weeks- Watch our athletes as they take on the world! They have put in just as much effort as our Olympians- many of them much more! They deserve every bit as much praise, respect and admiration as their able bodied counter parts. Lets not let them feel forgotten!
You can send any of the athletes a hero message at
http://www.bigpondsport.com/Olympics/HeroMessage/tabid/725/Default.aspx#.UDyVH9XBH04
One of my readers commented on one of my posts last week (I only saw it today) and she put me onto a journalist and comedian, Stella Young. Stella was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (brittle bones for those of you how haven't been keeping up). I had a look at some of her stuff online, and actually spent a good part of this afternoon reading her blog. I found it very interesting. I didn't agree with everything she said, but there were lots of things she said I found to be very true to me. In particular
http://www.abc.net.au/rampup/articles/2012/03/27/3464847.htm
and
http://www.abc.net.au/rampup/articles/2012/07/02/3537035.htm
Like I said, there are things in both articles I disagree with, but on the whole, I found them very good!
Well, I had better go pack, since all I did today was empty everything into a big mess!
Monday, 27 August 2012
Alice Springs (Monday)
After yesterday, today was a bit of a rest day. I had a bit of a sleep in, then did some washing and tried to organise myself, and my car. Tried being the operative word. After lunch I headed into town, and had a bit of a wander around. It was mostly as I remembered, though the Alice Plaza has been finished. I had a bit of a look around a couple of the shops, spending a bit of time in Don Thomas Stockmans Outfitters. Great shop! Amazing range of Boots! Could easily have taken home about 8 pairs of their boots, if only they were giving them away! If you're in Alice, go visit them. And they sold me a really nice belt.
After my shopping, and posting Aleisha house key I accidentally took with me back to her, I headed back to the house. We went for a walk around the block (it is a big block) which was nice and quiet, and right on sunset. I cooked up a salmon risotto (yes, I can cook other things) and an apricot pudding. It has been rather a lazy day. Q&A is quite interesting, this has taken a long time to write. Bed time, my feet are fat. The holes in them are looking better, the left one is getting very small. Time to go put those feet up!
Sunday, 26 August 2012
Mataranka-Alice Springs
So you know how I said I was going to bed... I may have got distracted...
We went over to the boxing tent, where they had a huge line up. Some woman called Holly was trying to get a fight, but when she eventually got told she could pick a woman to fight, she wouldn't pick one- she wanted to fight a bloke! So he wouldn't let her fight. Idiot. As it turned out, they put her in with some guy later, who had already been smashed in his fist three rounds. I don't think he swung a single punch. I don't know if he was exhausted, or if he just didn't want to hit a woman. Either way, she looked pretty stupid. There were a couple of mates who wanted to fight each other-the slightly bigger one knocked the other guy clean out before the first round. Took him a minute to come round. I guess that debates been settled... And some little Italian backpacker got matched up against a guy that was a bit bigger than him-he just didn't have the weight to match him. He couldn't walk straight, but they had to drag him out to clam him down, he was so fired up. So lots going on. There was about nine fights all up, and it didn't finish until about 1am.
After the boxing tent, I was ready for bed, so I went to go find the bathroom before I went to bed. It took me over an hour to find a toilet block that was open. Obviously I haven't had much sleep the last few days, so I was exhausted, pushing around in the dark, in sandy ground, and pushing round in circles. Needless to say I was highly unimpressed! I even went for a drive down into town, and the public toilets were locked, and into the caravan park, same thing. Eventually I got help to push the almost half a kilometre in the sandy grass to the only toilet block that wasn't locked.
When I got back to camp Al (one of the many people I met while staying at Jonno's last week, a notoriously cranky man) came and helped me set up camp. We had a rather interesting chat about how lucky we both are. It was surprisingly deep and honest.
I slept so well! I did stir when someone was playing the guitar in camp, but they sang ok, so I didn't mind. I was woken up this morning to a bit of a raucous... One of the girls had a can of hair spray, and had painted one of the horses, and Al's head, Pink! He responded by throwing her pillows up the tree... By the time I left, she was standing on the truck, trying to rope them out of the tree!
Luke, Larry, Robin and I left camp to go find breakfast. There was a big wait, so we went down to Mataranka Bitter Springs for an early morning dip instead.
After our swim, we all parted ways. I had yoghurt and juice in the esky, so I skipped the bacon and eggs and hit the road.
I was feeling very tired still this morning, so I didn't get very far before I had to pull over for a power nap at Daley Waters. It really is amazing how much it helps. I only stopped for about fifteen minutes, but I felt amazing afterwards! I continued onto Threeways for a late lunch and fuel stop-182.9c/L! It's amazing driving over such distances, watching the changes in the landscape... I made a realisation today. How aeroplanes take off. I had my hand out the car, and noticed when I tipped my hand slightly up or down, it was thrown accordingly. It has always amazed me how such a huge piece of machinery could fly, but when I had my hand out the window, feeling what effect the wind on my hand, it suddenly made perfect sense! But that's just me...
It was interesting going through different towns, that I had been through before, and sorting out my memories. Turns out those shops I thought were in Alice Springs, were in Tennant Creek. We had stopped at the cultural centre there. And the small 'town' of Ti Tree, I also remembered stopping there. I think it may have been an art gallery... I had no idea where it was, until I drove through it again. I also had a quick stop to have a look at the Devils Marbles, which are still as beautiful as they were in 2006. When we were there last time, I had been panning to go up on the rocks after sunset, and spin fire. I went to bed, having forgotten about it, when Mum came to remind me. I was tired, so I said I'd do next time. I can't spin fire anymore. Or climb the marbles. Moral of the story. Do it today! Don't put it off! We can't know if we will have a tomorrow.
The sun set about an hour out from Alice Springs, and it was actually really good to keep me awake, since I had to really concentrate, so as not to hit anything that may jump out in front of me! I didn't see much road kill below Tennant Creek, but I had seen about twenty dead cows before that!
I was very happy to get to Alice Springs!
It was great to see Sandra and Leon, have a good meal (after my meat pie at lunch) and to sit down and watch Miss Marple! That's me for today!
Distance travelled: 1070km
Time driving: 9.5hours
Total distance: 9350km
We went over to the boxing tent, where they had a huge line up. Some woman called Holly was trying to get a fight, but when she eventually got told she could pick a woman to fight, she wouldn't pick one- she wanted to fight a bloke! So he wouldn't let her fight. Idiot. As it turned out, they put her in with some guy later, who had already been smashed in his fist three rounds. I don't think he swung a single punch. I don't know if he was exhausted, or if he just didn't want to hit a woman. Either way, she looked pretty stupid. There were a couple of mates who wanted to fight each other-the slightly bigger one knocked the other guy clean out before the first round. Took him a minute to come round. I guess that debates been settled... And some little Italian backpacker got matched up against a guy that was a bit bigger than him-he just didn't have the weight to match him. He couldn't walk straight, but they had to drag him out to clam him down, he was so fired up. So lots going on. There was about nine fights all up, and it didn't finish until about 1am.
After the boxing tent, I was ready for bed, so I went to go find the bathroom before I went to bed. It took me over an hour to find a toilet block that was open. Obviously I haven't had much sleep the last few days, so I was exhausted, pushing around in the dark, in sandy ground, and pushing round in circles. Needless to say I was highly unimpressed! I even went for a drive down into town, and the public toilets were locked, and into the caravan park, same thing. Eventually I got help to push the almost half a kilometre in the sandy grass to the only toilet block that wasn't locked.
When I got back to camp Al (one of the many people I met while staying at Jonno's last week, a notoriously cranky man) came and helped me set up camp. We had a rather interesting chat about how lucky we both are. It was surprisingly deep and honest.
I slept so well! I did stir when someone was playing the guitar in camp, but they sang ok, so I didn't mind. I was woken up this morning to a bit of a raucous... One of the girls had a can of hair spray, and had painted one of the horses, and Al's head, Pink! He responded by throwing her pillows up the tree... By the time I left, she was standing on the truck, trying to rope them out of the tree!
Luke, Larry, Robin and I left camp to go find breakfast. There was a big wait, so we went down to Mataranka Bitter Springs for an early morning dip instead.
 |
| Larrimah 'Pink Panther' Pub |
I was feeling very tired still this morning, so I didn't get very far before I had to pull over for a power nap at Daley Waters. It really is amazing how much it helps. I only stopped for about fifteen minutes, but I felt amazing afterwards! I continued onto Threeways for a late lunch and fuel stop-182.9c/L! It's amazing driving over such distances, watching the changes in the landscape... I made a realisation today. How aeroplanes take off. I had my hand out the car, and noticed when I tipped my hand slightly up or down, it was thrown accordingly. It has always amazed me how such a huge piece of machinery could fly, but when I had my hand out the window, feeling what effect the wind on my hand, it suddenly made perfect sense! But that's just me...
 |
| Daly Waters |
 |
| Devils Marbles |
The sun set about an hour out from Alice Springs, and it was actually really good to keep me awake, since I had to really concentrate, so as not to hit anything that may jump out in front of me! I didn't see much road kill below Tennant Creek, but I had seen about twenty dead cows before that!
I was very happy to get to Alice Springs!
It was great to see Sandra and Leon, have a good meal (after my meat pie at lunch) and to sit down and watch Miss Marple! That's me for today!
 |
| Devils Marbles |
Distance travelled: 1070km
Time driving: 9.5hours
Total distance: 9350km
Katherine -Mataranka
And I thought I slept badly Thursday! It was still 28 degrees when I went to bed at ten. That wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't for the mosquito's, forcing me under the blankets! After an hour of not sleeping, I striped my bed back to sheets only. A couple of German backpackers were getting in late, and after a bit of confusion over what it was I wanted exactly, I got hold of some bug spray. So after that i slept great. Until I woke up cold at 5. I was way too tired to care- threw my doona over top of my swag!
After my somewhat pathetic attempt at sleeping, I had a good start, with my neighbour Trish and her dog Rosie stopping in to see if I needed an help. She then recruited Toby, our German waiter from last night, to come roll my swag up for me. She even went and tracked down a chair so I could have a shower. after my lovely cold shower (that is not sarcastic, cold was good!) I went and had a chat with Trish and one of the other ladies, Jannette, both of whom are from south of Sydney and also travelling by themselves. We had a good chat, then I headed off to Katherine Gorge.
I had had a look into cruises last night, but everything looked like it was booked out, so I went out planning on going for a push. I quickly realised that wasn't going to be an option, and that my options were boat, or helicopter. As fun as the chopper would have been, I opted for the cruise. At $73pp its not something you can do with a large family, but this is one of the joys of travelling alone, I can afford it. I had a bit of a wait until my cruise, so I had some lunch at the information centre. It wasn't real cheep, but I was pleasantly surprised with how good the food was! I wasn't so impressed when I almost lost it... I moved a couple of meters to take a photo of what I think was a blue kookaburra, only to turn around to see 8 or 10 birds getting into my lunch! I saved it though. I also spent some time looking through the display on the history of the gorge. It was really interesting to read about how burning off at different times of the year will encourage growth in different types of plants. I also learnt that didgeridoos are made of trees hollowed out by termites!
I headed down to the boat ramp, with the temperature in the mid 30's. The boat was only very narrow, so I had a choice of the front row, which had a great view, but no shade. The cruise was great, but any of you wheelies considering doing it, you can't get past the first gorge. I had maybe a 45 minute wait with Beth and Pat, who were doing the cruise as part of a tour from Darwin to Broome. They were great company, and we found plenty to talk about. I think my cheeks and nose may have got a little burnt over the two hours... Everyone else who did the second gorge get to see a croc too!
By the time we got back to solid ground, it was time for me to head south to Madaranka again. It took me half an hour with the AC on flat out for my temperature to drop to normal! A quick fuel stop in Katherine, and I was back on the road.
I got into Mataranka just as the rodeo was starting. Luke and Larry both competed in the steer wrestling. Luke caught well, but broke the barrier. Larry caught the ground. The boys got a couple of decent catches in the team roping, but with a 5 second penalty for missing a hind leg. Luke caught in the calf roping. Haven't heard if either of then won any money though. Have had to put my slippers on tonight, for the first time in a week or more.
Pretty much ready for bed!
After my somewhat pathetic attempt at sleeping, I had a good start, with my neighbour Trish and her dog Rosie stopping in to see if I needed an help. She then recruited Toby, our German waiter from last night, to come roll my swag up for me. She even went and tracked down a chair so I could have a shower. after my lovely cold shower (that is not sarcastic, cold was good!) I went and had a chat with Trish and one of the other ladies, Jannette, both of whom are from south of Sydney and also travelling by themselves. We had a good chat, then I headed off to Katherine Gorge.
I had had a look into cruises last night, but everything looked like it was booked out, so I went out planning on going for a push. I quickly realised that wasn't going to be an option, and that my options were boat, or helicopter. As fun as the chopper would have been, I opted for the cruise. At $73pp its not something you can do with a large family, but this is one of the joys of travelling alone, I can afford it. I had a bit of a wait until my cruise, so I had some lunch at the information centre. It wasn't real cheep, but I was pleasantly surprised with how good the food was! I wasn't so impressed when I almost lost it... I moved a couple of meters to take a photo of what I think was a blue kookaburra, only to turn around to see 8 or 10 birds getting into my lunch! I saved it though. I also spent some time looking through the display on the history of the gorge. It was really interesting to read about how burning off at different times of the year will encourage growth in different types of plants. I also learnt that didgeridoos are made of trees hollowed out by termites!
I headed down to the boat ramp, with the temperature in the mid 30's. The boat was only very narrow, so I had a choice of the front row, which had a great view, but no shade. The cruise was great, but any of you wheelies considering doing it, you can't get past the first gorge. I had maybe a 45 minute wait with Beth and Pat, who were doing the cruise as part of a tour from Darwin to Broome. They were great company, and we found plenty to talk about. I think my cheeks and nose may have got a little burnt over the two hours... Everyone else who did the second gorge get to see a croc too!
By the time we got back to solid ground, it was time for me to head south to Madaranka again. It took me half an hour with the AC on flat out for my temperature to drop to normal! A quick fuel stop in Katherine, and I was back on the road.
I got into Mataranka just as the rodeo was starting. Luke and Larry both competed in the steer wrestling. Luke caught well, but broke the barrier. Larry caught the ground. The boys got a couple of decent catches in the team roping, but with a 5 second penalty for missing a hind leg. Luke caught in the calf roping. Haven't heard if either of then won any money though. Have had to put my slippers on tonight, for the first time in a week or more.
Pretty much ready for bed!
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| The photo I almost lost my lunch over |
Friday, 24 August 2012
Darwin- Katherine
Back on the road! This is the first time I've had to leave a place before I wanted to, so it's a bit sad. I would have loved to have got out to Kakadu, but I didn't really have time, so I decided to do Darwin properly instead. I left Aleisha and Dan's after lunch (Dan finished work early so I stayed to say goodbye to him. And I slept in.) after I said goodbye I filled up on fuel and breakfast foo and hit the road. As I left, I got a message from Robin, who I had forgotten was going to be in Katherine too.
The weather up here has been lovely, between 32-35 each day, today was particularly hot though, at 38. You know it's hot when I turn on the A/C instead of winding down the windows...
I had a good drive down to Katherine. I got stuck behind a very long and potentially explosive road train. It's a bit scary how much the back end can wave all over the road, when the front is driving in a straight line! The termites are huge again! You could fit three or four fully grow men inside one... I found myself drifting off into 'thoughts' again now that I'm back driving.
We haven't had a song of the day for a while, so here is one for you. Brad Paisley, 'That's Love'. Bit of a fun love song for you- it always makes me smile. As I got closer to Katherine, I came across Pine Creek, where we stopped for 'tea' on the way up. Looks a bit more interesting in daylight. There was a railway museum I wouldn't have minded taking a look at if I'd had a bit more time, but I pressed on. I found Robin without too much trouble. On a mango farm of course! I was welcome to stay there, but the bathroom situation there was a bit ambitious, even for me! I saw another really cool mailbox just down the road- a brolga!
We were going to Springvale Homestead for tea, and they had camping there, so I had a bit of a scout around before tea and decided to stay there. The Homestead was having one of their BBQ nights, so I had a half steak and some barra, both of which were delicious. And a range of great salads, with fruit salad for dessert! It's a very cool place to eat- outside with lights, BBQ cooked right in front of you. The staff here are great too! Not set up for wheelchairs, but still very helpful and accommodating. And the camp grounds are really nice, with spots around a billabong. After my visit to Crocodylus Park this week, and their croc warnings, I was a bit nervous about being so close to the water. But I figured they would go for the ducks nesting beside the water before me! I've since been told there are no salties here, only a fresh water croc, but he hasn't made an appearance for a while. I suppose that's a good thing... Bed time!
The weather up here has been lovely, between 32-35 each day, today was particularly hot though, at 38. You know it's hot when I turn on the A/C instead of winding down the windows...
I had a good drive down to Katherine. I got stuck behind a very long and potentially explosive road train. It's a bit scary how much the back end can wave all over the road, when the front is driving in a straight line! The termites are huge again! You could fit three or four fully grow men inside one... I found myself drifting off into 'thoughts' again now that I'm back driving.
We haven't had a song of the day for a while, so here is one for you. Brad Paisley, 'That's Love'. Bit of a fun love song for you- it always makes me smile. As I got closer to Katherine, I came across Pine Creek, where we stopped for 'tea' on the way up. Looks a bit more interesting in daylight. There was a railway museum I wouldn't have minded taking a look at if I'd had a bit more time, but I pressed on. I found Robin without too much trouble. On a mango farm of course! I was welcome to stay there, but the bathroom situation there was a bit ambitious, even for me! I saw another really cool mailbox just down the road- a brolga!
We were going to Springvale Homestead for tea, and they had camping there, so I had a bit of a scout around before tea and decided to stay there. The Homestead was having one of their BBQ nights, so I had a half steak and some barra, both of which were delicious. And a range of great salads, with fruit salad for dessert! It's a very cool place to eat- outside with lights, BBQ cooked right in front of you. The staff here are great too! Not set up for wheelchairs, but still very helpful and accommodating. And the camp grounds are really nice, with spots around a billabong. After my visit to Crocodylus Park this week, and their croc warnings, I was a bit nervous about being so close to the water. But I figured they would go for the ducks nesting beside the water before me! I've since been told there are no salties here, only a fresh water croc, but he hasn't made an appearance for a while. I suppose that's a good thing... Bed time!
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| Termite mound |
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| Brolga Mailbox |
Thursday, 23 August 2012
Dawin (Thursday 2)
Another busy day! I am feeling a bit sad about leaving tomorrow...
Today I had another busy day. I started off at the Fannie Bay Gaol, taking a wander through what is left of the old prison. It doesn't have the beauty of Port Arthur, and it doesn't look as harsh as PA, but I can't imagine it being any more plesent. It was operational between 1883-1978, so it wasn't quite as early as PA, but even so, it was still overcrowded. And most of the buildings were tin sheds which must have been pure hell in the weather up here! I did find it a bit amusing to read that when the Japanese bombed Darwin, they just released all the prisoners to fend for themselves. Don't know if that actually made things any better on not...
After the gaol, I took a drive up to East Point. I hadn't realized, but the Military Museum is up there too. I didn't go into the museum, but I did go for a push around the old ruins around the point. There was a massive round building in the middle of the clearing. Turns out it was for a gun!
There were lots of other smaller building about the place too, but I won't bore you with all the details of those. (Unless you're Josh, Stuart or Stuart, in which case you probably wouldn't find it boring.)
The views around the point were pretty awesome too. After The point, I headed into the Mindil Markets. I had been warned to head in early to get a park, and I'm glad I did. Even 20 minutes early there were dozens of cars there already. I had a bit of a wander around- there were heaps of food stalls, clothes, entertainment... I picked up a few treats for Mum and the girls. I'm warning you Dad- don't ever let Mum go to the markets here unless you have just won lotto! They had some pretty amazing stuff up here. I got a tattoo. Don't panic Mum, it's just henna. Great job Michelle!
There was an awesome little stall selling circus tricks, including fire staff, fire poi and those awesome fire fan things. I had a chat with one of the girls there and she told me her boyfriend was spinning fire, so I went and watched his show. Easily the best fire twirler I've ever seen! I got myself a new set of poi too. Not fire though, my balance isn't quite that good yet. After the show, I got myself a mango lassi and headed back to Aleisha's.
Today I had another busy day. I started off at the Fannie Bay Gaol, taking a wander through what is left of the old prison. It doesn't have the beauty of Port Arthur, and it doesn't look as harsh as PA, but I can't imagine it being any more plesent. It was operational between 1883-1978, so it wasn't quite as early as PA, but even so, it was still overcrowded. And most of the buildings were tin sheds which must have been pure hell in the weather up here! I did find it a bit amusing to read that when the Japanese bombed Darwin, they just released all the prisoners to fend for themselves. Don't know if that actually made things any better on not...
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| 'Pillbox'-where the big gun lived |
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| A bit of extra reading |
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| There is an ankle under there somewhere |
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| My new toys :) |
Wednesday, 22 August 2012
Darwin (Wednesday 2)
Well today was a bit more laid back than yesterday. I started reading Jodi Picoult's 'Handle With Care' again this morning. I read it a few years back, but its interesting to read it again with a few years life experience under my belt. The thing I'm taking away from it this time, is the effect on the family of Willow (a five year old girl with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, or brittle bones). How everyone is so focused on Willow, that no one even notices that her older sister has an eating disorder, and has moved onto self mutilation. While my accident hasn't had quite that drastic an effect on any of my siblings, I do know they have had a hard time.When I first had my accident, I was so worried about Mum- I couldn't imagine how hard it must be to have to watch your child got through what I was going through. I wasn't worried about me; I have known all along that I was strong enough to survive, even thrive in my situation, but for Mum to watch her child in that position and to be completely helpless to do anything. That would be unbearable.
Over the past few months though, I've been thinking of just home much it has impacted the rest of my family. Dad lost his wife for almost four months. My siblings lost their mother. Since then though, there are so many instances when I have overheard someone asking about me, but having no interest in any of the other kids. I find that hard- I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it is for them.I know when Becca got to grade 11, that was one of the factors in her deciding to change schools. She needed to go somewhere where she was simply Bec, not Katherine's sister. It wasn't that she didn't want me, it was that she needed to be known as her own person. And within a few months, I was invited to come speak to her sports class, and to do a wheelchair basketball session with them. It meant a lot to me, to be invited into that one piece of her life that wasn't already contaminated (for lack of a better word) by me, and my wheelchair. So Becca, in case I never told you (and I suspect I didn't), thank you, that meant a lot.
I often find it hard to know how to respond when people complement me on how well I am doing. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be where I am now without the support I have since my accident, but sometimes its a bit overwhelming. I mean if someone congratulates me on my basketball achievements, that's great, because I worked hard to get there. When someone watches me get in the car and tells me I'm doing great, I don't know what to say. For me, it's no harder these days for me to get in the car than it is for you. So I never know what to say....I'm not complaining- just mulling it over.
Anyway, after my big D&M this morning, I headed off to the cinema, to go see The Sapphires. I really enjoyed it. It was quite funny, but not overly ridiculous. I recommend it!
After the movie I headed into Darwin CBD to have a look a western wear store I had seen advertised yesterday. If you're ever in Darwin, you should go visit Delaney's in Knuckey street. It's a great little shop with lots of character. They even have a lovely big leather chair, with a stack of old cowboy books, and old saddles and horse gear decorating the place. They didn't have the boots I've been looking for, but they did have a name for me. Runaway. The irony is not wasted!
Heading to Casuarina, I went to meet Mandy to go swimming. We went to the Casuarina Swimming Centre. I was tired after one lap, but I kept at it for six, and it was a 50m pool... Mandy kindly brought along a floaty- I was feeling like a three year old. But better a live three year old than a drowned 23 year old!
After my swim, I headed back to the house and did some more reading and had tea. Now I'm going to try for an early night!
Over the past few months though, I've been thinking of just home much it has impacted the rest of my family. Dad lost his wife for almost four months. My siblings lost their mother. Since then though, there are so many instances when I have overheard someone asking about me, but having no interest in any of the other kids. I find that hard- I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it is for them.I know when Becca got to grade 11, that was one of the factors in her deciding to change schools. She needed to go somewhere where she was simply Bec, not Katherine's sister. It wasn't that she didn't want me, it was that she needed to be known as her own person. And within a few months, I was invited to come speak to her sports class, and to do a wheelchair basketball session with them. It meant a lot to me, to be invited into that one piece of her life that wasn't already contaminated (for lack of a better word) by me, and my wheelchair. So Becca, in case I never told you (and I suspect I didn't), thank you, that meant a lot.
I often find it hard to know how to respond when people complement me on how well I am doing. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be where I am now without the support I have since my accident, but sometimes its a bit overwhelming. I mean if someone congratulates me on my basketball achievements, that's great, because I worked hard to get there. When someone watches me get in the car and tells me I'm doing great, I don't know what to say. For me, it's no harder these days for me to get in the car than it is for you. So I never know what to say....I'm not complaining- just mulling it over.
Anyway, after my big D&M this morning, I headed off to the cinema, to go see The Sapphires. I really enjoyed it. It was quite funny, but not overly ridiculous. I recommend it!
After the movie I headed into Darwin CBD to have a look a western wear store I had seen advertised yesterday. If you're ever in Darwin, you should go visit Delaney's in Knuckey street. It's a great little shop with lots of character. They even have a lovely big leather chair, with a stack of old cowboy books, and old saddles and horse gear decorating the place. They didn't have the boots I've been looking for, but they did have a name for me. Runaway. The irony is not wasted!
Heading to Casuarina, I went to meet Mandy to go swimming. We went to the Casuarina Swimming Centre. I was tired after one lap, but I kept at it for six, and it was a 50m pool... Mandy kindly brought along a floaty- I was feeling like a three year old. But better a live three year old than a drowned 23 year old!
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| Check out those guns! |
Tuesday, 21 August 2012
Darwin (Tuesday 2)
What a great day! I was still a bit worn out, so I had another sleep in this morning. Felt much better afterwards! Just before lunch I headed into Crocodylus Park and zoo. I had such a great afternoon- I spent almost five hours there. I had just missed the 12 o'clock feeding tour, so I headed off by myself to have a look around the zoo. Within 5 of the entrance, I had come across three saltwater crocs, which I was very excited about after our somewhat anti climatic visit to the croc farm last week. And just round the corner from Bellairs Lagoon, was Attack Lagoon, filled with literally hundreds of young salties.
After that little teaser, I headed round to the zoo part of the park. I saw sea turtles and both green and rhinoceros iguanas. They also had a couple of water buffalo. One was close enough for me to reach through the fence and touch it, but I was being a good girl, so I left it alone. They reminded me of a hippo, with the skin they have- just with more hair, longer legs and a different head. I passed a few different types of wallabies and birds before I found the exciting stuff. The emu wasn't walking- that was definitely a strut! There were also two huge ostriches and some tiny monkeys. And tigers, lions and an ocelot. Apparently they are quite popular as pets in USA- I want one! After I finished with the zoo, I went back up to the kiosk and got myself a crocodile burger for lunch. It wasn't bad, it reminded me of the potato and fish cakes mum makes for Good Friday. I would like to try it again by itself.
By this time, the next croc feeding tour was about to start, so I went to find that. And I thought the first crocs I saw were big!! These were monstrous! You can really see the resemblance to the dinosaurs. Each of the breeding pools have one male and one female in them, and the males are all HUGE! Most are 4-5m long, but more than the length, it was the width and how solid they are! Almost a meter wide some of them! Our tour started with our guide hanging some meat over the water in the Bellairs Lagoon, and the crocs were jumping out of the water to get the meat. One jumped out of the water so far two thirds of the croc was out of the water! After that, we got to feed the crocs in the breeding pens. I got to feed one, which was really cool. I thought I would jump and mess it up, but I managed to keep my composure. Especially since I was basically fishing with a wooden still, and the guide had just warned us to keep our hands inside the fence, because the crocs can jump the almost 4m to the top of rails.
After we fed the big crocs, we went to see the young crocs that will later be turned into handbags and steaks. And at the end of the tour, our guide brought out two baby salt water crocs for us to hold. It was really cool to see one up close, they really are very beautiful creatures. You can see the similarities to normal lizards in their heads.
After the croc tour, I went and had a look through the museum- one of the most extensive crocodile museums in the world. There was so much in there about the history of crocodile, and about their anatomy and behaviours. There is a massive skin on the wall- Sweetheart, who killed I think 19 people before the people got him. There was other sweetheart displays throughout the museum, like his heart, and stomach contents, preserved in formaldehyde. There was also a few snakes on display outside the museum, which I always like. I met and had a bit of a chinwag with Marilyn and Keith from Perth while I was checking them out. We had a good chat about the zoo, Tassie, Darwin and Perth. One of the great things about this trip is all the different people I meet, and the stories they bring with them.
Once I had seen the museum, I wanted to go get photos, since a few of the animals weren't feeling very photogenic on my first trip round. I was going back past the croc breeding pens and overheard two of the keepers talking about having to get a pole out of the croc pen, which sounded interesting, so I stuck around to watch. The croc was submerged under the water, so the guy banged on the fence with a stick to get him out (so he didn't attack him when he got close to the water) and this massive croc flew at him! He had to back peddle out of the yard and shut the gate to get away. Then he had the croc in the gateway, but a few taps on the nose with a pole got him back to the edge of the water. Mind you, those taps were enough to break his stick. Twice. Kind of like hitting a bull- they have such a tough skin they hardly feel it! The next croc was much less cooperative though, and they gave up after about ten minutes, after the croc had grabbed hold of the pole and the fence. The have nerves of steel those guys, going into a en with a five meter croc that has just tried to grab them. But I guess its like any animal- you need to know what you're working with and respect what they are capable of doing. There are a lot of people who wouldn't go anywhere near the stallion I used to handle, yet I knew my boundaries and was perfectly comfortable within them.
After the show was over, I headed down to the big cats, where the lions struck a pose for me. Ok, they opened their eyes from their sleep, but at least they were looking.
I then proceeded to smash out the uphill push back to the croc pools- worked up a sweat in the 35 degree heat too! As I went back past the Banteng, she was at her feeding trough right next to the fence. This time I was feeling a bit more cheeky and stuck my fingers through the fence. And I got licked by an Asian cow! May sound silly, but it was pretty much the highlight of my day. That and feeding a crocodile that weighted almost a ton. And holding a baby. Like I said- it was a good day!
By this stage, I was exhausted, and it was almost closing time anyway, so I headed back to the house. Last night I spent a few hours on the couch, and slept with my feet on three pillows, resulting in visible ankles this morning, so I thought I'd try that again. I've had my feet up for most of the evening now.
I really wish I had more time up here. I would love to go spend a week or so in Kakadu and to pop across to Bali for a couple of weeks. Now, though, its time to trade the sofa for the bed!
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| The aptly named 'Attack Lagoon' |
By this time, the next croc feeding tour was about to start, so I went to find that. And I thought the first crocs I saw were big!! These were monstrous! You can really see the resemblance to the dinosaurs. Each of the breeding pools have one male and one female in them, and the males are all HUGE! Most are 4-5m long, but more than the length, it was the width and how solid they are! Almost a meter wide some of them! Our tour started with our guide hanging some meat over the water in the Bellairs Lagoon, and the crocs were jumping out of the water to get the meat. One jumped out of the water so far two thirds of the croc was out of the water! After that, we got to feed the crocs in the breeding pens. I got to feed one, which was really cool. I thought I would jump and mess it up, but I managed to keep my composure. Especially since I was basically fishing with a wooden still, and the guide had just warned us to keep our hands inside the fence, because the crocs can jump the almost 4m to the top of rails.
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| The croc I fed |
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| Salty and I |
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| They really are quite beautiful |
After the croc tour, I went and had a look through the museum- one of the most extensive crocodile museums in the world. There was so much in there about the history of crocodile, and about their anatomy and behaviours. There is a massive skin on the wall- Sweetheart, who killed I think 19 people before the people got him. There was other sweetheart displays throughout the museum, like his heart, and stomach contents, preserved in formaldehyde. There was also a few snakes on display outside the museum, which I always like. I met and had a bit of a chinwag with Marilyn and Keith from Perth while I was checking them out. We had a good chat about the zoo, Tassie, Darwin and Perth. One of the great things about this trip is all the different people I meet, and the stories they bring with them.
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| Sweetheart |
Once I had seen the museum, I wanted to go get photos, since a few of the animals weren't feeling very photogenic on my first trip round. I was going back past the croc breeding pens and overheard two of the keepers talking about having to get a pole out of the croc pen, which sounded interesting, so I stuck around to watch. The croc was submerged under the water, so the guy banged on the fence with a stick to get him out (so he didn't attack him when he got close to the water) and this massive croc flew at him! He had to back peddle out of the yard and shut the gate to get away. Then he had the croc in the gateway, but a few taps on the nose with a pole got him back to the edge of the water. Mind you, those taps were enough to break his stick. Twice. Kind of like hitting a bull- they have such a tough skin they hardly feel it! The next croc was much less cooperative though, and they gave up after about ten minutes, after the croc had grabbed hold of the pole and the fence. The have nerves of steel those guys, going into a en with a five meter croc that has just tried to grab them. But I guess its like any animal- you need to know what you're working with and respect what they are capable of doing. There are a lot of people who wouldn't go anywhere near the stallion I used to handle, yet I knew my boundaries and was perfectly comfortable within them.
After the show was over, I headed down to the big cats, where the lions struck a pose for me. Ok, they opened their eyes from their sleep, but at least they were looking.
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| Sleeping lions |
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| My Asian cow (Banteng) |
I really wish I had more time up here. I would love to go spend a week or so in Kakadu and to pop across to Bali for a couple of weeks. Now, though, its time to trade the sofa for the bed!
Monday, 20 August 2012
Darwin (Monday)
Apparently I was tired... 11 hours of sleep and a cold shower and I almost felt human again this morning! After my somewhat slow start to the day, I headed into Casuarina to meet Mandy, a friend from Tassie who is now working here as a nurse. We had a great lunch at Bar Zushi, one of those sushi places where small servings of sushi travel round the restaurant on, in this case, a model train, and you pick of whatever you want. I've never been to one before, so it was a new experience for me, but very good. I had some inside out California rolls, and some octopus balls. Very yummy, but the octopus was a bit chewy... We had a good california for a couple of hours, migrating to the coffee club after lunch, catching up on the news from home.
After lunch I headed back to Palmerston for my doctors appointment, to get my various wounds checked. The doctor there told me nothing new really. To keep dressing them daily, that as long as they keep healing, they are ok, but if they don't I will need a skin graft. I could have told me that without the 5 years at university... He did tell me while I'm up here in the humidity I need to change the dressing on my breast every few days too, which made sense. I was worried it was hyper granulating again, but it seems to be doing the right thing still. He pulled out some nice band aid things for me to use, but since they are almost $2 each, I think I'll stick to making my own band aids-they are expensive enough already!
After the doctors, I went to the supermarket to grab some things to make a salad to go with the lasagna we were having for tea. I also caved and brought the other Zac Brown Band CD I was looking at yesterday. And brought some cheese. I can't really get it while I'm on the road, it just doesn't keep well enough. So Alisha and I ate our way through most of that. Daniel, Alisha's partner was home from work when I got back, so I made a salad and he made a mess. For those of you who own a soda stream, there is a reason they say to put in the flavour after you fizz the water! (Sorry Dan for sharing this, but I guarantee you just made someone else feel better about themselves). My feet really don't like this weather- I haven't seen my ankles since Isa they have been so swollen, so I lay down on the couch for a while to try and get the swelling down while tea cooked.
I called Hayden this evening. He is so excited for mum and dad to get home- he is counting down the sleeps. Only five to go! We managed a whole ten minutes on the phone, which, anyone who has ever spoken to Hayden on the phone knows, is a long time for him. It was really nice to have a two way conversation. He's been fishing and caught a trout, which is better than I ever do!
After tea Alisha found a green tree frog outside and brought it in to show me. It was pretty cool. Her and Daniel have two dogs, Riley and Roxy. Roxy can balance things on her nose. Turns out this includes tree frogs. She is very well behaved. The frog was crawling all over her face and she still sat still. Riley, not so much. The frog has since been returned to the tree outside.
Well, I'm exhausted and not doing so well at my early night, so I'm going to go do something about that.
After lunch I headed back to Palmerston for my doctors appointment, to get my various wounds checked. The doctor there told me nothing new really. To keep dressing them daily, that as long as they keep healing, they are ok, but if they don't I will need a skin graft. I could have told me that without the 5 years at university... He did tell me while I'm up here in the humidity I need to change the dressing on my breast every few days too, which made sense. I was worried it was hyper granulating again, but it seems to be doing the right thing still. He pulled out some nice band aid things for me to use, but since they are almost $2 each, I think I'll stick to making my own band aids-they are expensive enough already!
After the doctors, I went to the supermarket to grab some things to make a salad to go with the lasagna we were having for tea. I also caved and brought the other Zac Brown Band CD I was looking at yesterday. And brought some cheese. I can't really get it while I'm on the road, it just doesn't keep well enough. So Alisha and I ate our way through most of that. Daniel, Alisha's partner was home from work when I got back, so I made a salad and he made a mess. For those of you who own a soda stream, there is a reason they say to put in the flavour after you fizz the water! (Sorry Dan for sharing this, but I guarantee you just made someone else feel better about themselves). My feet really don't like this weather- I haven't seen my ankles since Isa they have been so swollen, so I lay down on the couch for a while to try and get the swelling down while tea cooked.
I called Hayden this evening. He is so excited for mum and dad to get home- he is counting down the sleeps. Only five to go! We managed a whole ten minutes on the phone, which, anyone who has ever spoken to Hayden on the phone knows, is a long time for him. It was really nice to have a two way conversation. He's been fishing and caught a trout, which is better than I ever do!
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| Little green tree frog |
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| Roxy and Frogsie |
Sunday, 19 August 2012
Darwin (Sunday)
Had a bit of a change of plans today. Jonno had something personal come up, so we have all had to move on. The boys had a bit of a big night, so we packed up this morning when we they got back.
The boys went off fishing today (I wasn't allowed to go because I'm not a boy. Boat owners rules.) So I took advantage of my free time to go catch up with another friend, Mel. I was ready a bit early, so I headed in anyway, and caught up on some sleep in the car, and a few odd jobs. Mel plays for the QLD Commets, and is part of the Gliders team, so while we have played together, we haven't had much of a change to just chat in the past. So it was really nice to have lunch together and get to know each other a bit better. One thing I love about Mel, or Red as she's know to the basketball girls, is she always has awesome hair- today was no exception.
After our long lunch, I headed back to the car to fix my dress-the straps are falling off, and to have another nap. Since the boys weren't back from their trip, and I didn't know what I was doing. I also had a bit of a listen to my new CD's. I brought a Zac Brown Band cd, which I quite like. I haven't got any of their stuff, so it was a bit different to be. But different is ok.
Once I got onto the boys, I found out they were staying with Robin, a friend from Tassie whose son rodeos, so I set off to find him. I found the caravan park without any issues, and set off to find him. I left my car outside the boom gate, only to find the campsite was much bigger than I realized. It took me half an hour to push round it, only to get a text saying Robin was out at dinner- guess thats why I couldn't find him...
By nine I was exhausted and couldn't get onto the boys, and reception was closed so I couldn't get a camp. So I gave in and called Alisha, who had originally offered me a bed before I was even coming to Darwin. Don't know where the boys are, and to be honest, right now I'm too tired to really care. I'll track them down tomorrow.
I'm going to sleep now, will hopefully regain consciousness by lunchtime tomorrow...
The boys went off fishing today (I wasn't allowed to go because I'm not a boy. Boat owners rules.) So I took advantage of my free time to go catch up with another friend, Mel. I was ready a bit early, so I headed in anyway, and caught up on some sleep in the car, and a few odd jobs. Mel plays for the QLD Commets, and is part of the Gliders team, so while we have played together, we haven't had much of a change to just chat in the past. So it was really nice to have lunch together and get to know each other a bit better. One thing I love about Mel, or Red as she's know to the basketball girls, is she always has awesome hair- today was no exception.
After our long lunch, I headed back to the car to fix my dress-the straps are falling off, and to have another nap. Since the boys weren't back from their trip, and I didn't know what I was doing. I also had a bit of a listen to my new CD's. I brought a Zac Brown Band cd, which I quite like. I haven't got any of their stuff, so it was a bit different to be. But different is ok.
Once I got onto the boys, I found out they were staying with Robin, a friend from Tassie whose son rodeos, so I set off to find him. I found the caravan park without any issues, and set off to find him. I left my car outside the boom gate, only to find the campsite was much bigger than I realized. It took me half an hour to push round it, only to get a text saying Robin was out at dinner- guess thats why I couldn't find him...
By nine I was exhausted and couldn't get onto the boys, and reception was closed so I couldn't get a camp. So I gave in and called Alisha, who had originally offered me a bed before I was even coming to Darwin. Don't know where the boys are, and to be honest, right now I'm too tired to really care. I'll track them down tomorrow.
I'm going to sleep now, will hopefully regain consciousness by lunchtime tomorrow...
Saturday, 18 August 2012
Darwin (Saturday)
Urgh. I cannot keep going to bed so late! I only woke up this morning because my swag was turning into an oven in the sun...
I found out something very disturbing last night... Beth has been in Australia almost a month already, and no one has warned her about the Dropbears! I made sure I filled her in, it would be horrible for her to attacked just because our country has been to slack to educate her properly! See http://australianmuseum.net.au/Drop-Bear/ for more information.
Pancakes for breakfast again- took until about 11 for everyone to emerge!
After breakfast we all piled into the cars and headed south to Berry Springs. It was absolutely gorgeous, but a bit bigger and deeper than Mataranka, so we borrowed the emergency flotation device while I had a swim. In a moment of brilliance, we decided to tow me out in the middle of the water, and pull me back in on the rope, like a biscuit ride. Kid of worked... Except when I got going to fast and almost tipped out the front! The guys climbed one of the trees and jumped into the water. Although another guy later climbed right to the top to jump... We had a great swim, it was nice and warm. We almost had a problem when we went to get me out- it took three of them! There were a few fish in the water, and Luke tried to catch some, without any luck...
On the way back from the springs, we stopped to have a look at a crocodile farm. Since we were on the outside of the boundary fence, and basically bush bashing, I'm going to guess it wasn't really by the book. I was pretty worried on the way in, but that was nothing on how I was trying to turn around! There was a big noise and I got stuck for as bit before I got out. And of course, there was a big hill to climb before we got to the fence! It was to steep for the guys to push me up, so Brock carries me up, and held me (squished me against the fence) while we had a look.
After the crocodiles, we headed back to Jonno's, for egg and bacon sandwiches for lunch. Everyone one was pretty tired after last night, so we all hit the pool or took a nap.
The boys got one over me this afternoon. Jonno was taking advantage of the sun to work on his tan, to which I was completely oblivious. Larry sent me out to the clothes line for his towel and instead I found Jonno, in all his glory! (This is where he wants me to say how sexy he is, in the hope of some nice girl in Tassie wanting to get friendly with him.) That was a bit unexpected, but he was on his front, so I have survived without permanent damage. The others all had a great laugh at my expense. Good thing I have a good sense of humor...
Later in the afternoon we all packed up the swags and headed into the rodeo. Larry was up early in the program, in the steer wrestling. He was a little slow of the mark and chased his steer down the arena, where he got off a bit wide and couldn't get a hold on his steer.
The rest of the rodeo went pretty smoothly, apart from a few bull riders getting smashed up a bit.
The others are all pretty keen for a big night, but I'm wreaked, so I'll stick around to take Brock to the airport, then I'll go home I think...
I found out something very disturbing last night... Beth has been in Australia almost a month already, and no one has warned her about the Dropbears! I made sure I filled her in, it would be horrible for her to attacked just because our country has been to slack to educate her properly! See http://australianmuseum.net.au/Drop-Bear/ for more information.
Pancakes for breakfast again- took until about 11 for everyone to emerge!
After breakfast we all piled into the cars and headed south to Berry Springs. It was absolutely gorgeous, but a bit bigger and deeper than Mataranka, so we borrowed the emergency flotation device while I had a swim. In a moment of brilliance, we decided to tow me out in the middle of the water, and pull me back in on the rope, like a biscuit ride. Kid of worked... Except when I got going to fast and almost tipped out the front! The guys climbed one of the trees and jumped into the water. Although another guy later climbed right to the top to jump... We had a great swim, it was nice and warm. We almost had a problem when we went to get me out- it took three of them! There were a few fish in the water, and Luke tried to catch some, without any luck...
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| Fishing |
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| Spot the croc |
The boys got one over me this afternoon. Jonno was taking advantage of the sun to work on his tan, to which I was completely oblivious. Larry sent me out to the clothes line for his towel and instead I found Jonno, in all his glory! (This is where he wants me to say how sexy he is, in the hope of some nice girl in Tassie wanting to get friendly with him.) That was a bit unexpected, but he was on his front, so I have survived without permanent damage. The others all had a great laugh at my expense. Good thing I have a good sense of humor...
Later in the afternoon we all packed up the swags and headed into the rodeo. Larry was up early in the program, in the steer wrestling. He was a little slow of the mark and chased his steer down the arena, where he got off a bit wide and couldn't get a hold on his steer.
The rest of the rodeo went pretty smoothly, apart from a few bull riders getting smashed up a bit.
The others are all pretty keen for a big night, but I'm wreaked, so I'll stick around to take Brock to the airport, then I'll go home I think...
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| Berry Springs |
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| The hill to see the crocs-Brock carried me up it |
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| 4WDing in the golf... |
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| Berry Springs |
Friday, 17 August 2012
Darwin (Friday)
I tell you what, if I didn't have a date for the Birdsville Races, I would be staying here until it got too hot. I have been offered a job cooking if I want to stay- tempting!
Turns out my body can't handle the amounts of alcohol I've been drinking (not much, but a lot more than usual) with the amount of sleep I've been not getting, so I was up crook through the night, then awake cold for another hour or so. Woke up feeling like rubbish!
I'm also struggling to handle the amount of eggs and bacon these boys like to eat, so I made pancakes this morning, with yogurt and some raspberry sauce. We ran out of pancake mix, so we ended up with eggs and bacon too, but that's ok, at least I got my pancakes!
After breakfast the boys had a few jobs to do, so Beth and I headed into the shops to get supplies for lunch. Johnno even gave me an allowance. Bonus!
We had people I and out again all morning, running horses in the arena, or just stopping in for a chat. It's such a great atmosphere! I cooked tacos and burritos for lunch and we had a bit of a lazy afternoon. I wanted a Nanna nap, but didn't get one unfortunately.
We all headed out to the rodeo at about 4.30, for a 6pm start.
The rodeo was opened with a dance presentation by a local indigenous group, which i found really interesting. Everything was going well until the lights went out half way through the barrel race. Apparently there was a power outage throughout the whole suburb, so we had an unscheduled break...
Brock's bareback ride was first up. he rode time with a 67 point ride, so we'll see tomorrow if that's enough. The steer wrestling was up straight after, with Luke's run. Unfortunately his steer cut in front of him and he didn't eleven get off his horse. Brock also rode in the first round, and he did a little better, with a 6.6, but got a 10 second penalty for breaking the barrier.
After the rodeo, we headed round to the boxing tent. I've seen it before at Mt Isa both times I've been, but never gone in. Robin, a friend from the Tassie rodeos, who lives in Darwin now, was also at the rodeo, so we all headed in to have a look at the boxing. It was different to what I expected. It was quite friendly and funny. The last fight was the best. They matches their top man with and older guy and a drunken (and possibly high) young idiot. Turns out the young guy fights like an octopus- limbs going everywhere! It was pretty funny. And he had a sore leg an was hoping around on one foot...
So I'm exhausted now. Unless this band picks up, I think I'll go home to bed...
Turns out my body can't handle the amounts of alcohol I've been drinking (not much, but a lot more than usual) with the amount of sleep I've been not getting, so I was up crook through the night, then awake cold for another hour or so. Woke up feeling like rubbish!
I'm also struggling to handle the amount of eggs and bacon these boys like to eat, so I made pancakes this morning, with yogurt and some raspberry sauce. We ran out of pancake mix, so we ended up with eggs and bacon too, but that's ok, at least I got my pancakes!
After breakfast the boys had a few jobs to do, so Beth and I headed into the shops to get supplies for lunch. Johnno even gave me an allowance. Bonus!
We had people I and out again all morning, running horses in the arena, or just stopping in for a chat. It's such a great atmosphere! I cooked tacos and burritos for lunch and we had a bit of a lazy afternoon. I wanted a Nanna nap, but didn't get one unfortunately.
We all headed out to the rodeo at about 4.30, for a 6pm start.
The rodeo was opened with a dance presentation by a local indigenous group, which i found really interesting. Everything was going well until the lights went out half way through the barrel race. Apparently there was a power outage throughout the whole suburb, so we had an unscheduled break...
Brock's bareback ride was first up. he rode time with a 67 point ride, so we'll see tomorrow if that's enough. The steer wrestling was up straight after, with Luke's run. Unfortunately his steer cut in front of him and he didn't eleven get off his horse. Brock also rode in the first round, and he did a little better, with a 6.6, but got a 10 second penalty for breaking the barrier.
After the rodeo, we headed round to the boxing tent. I've seen it before at Mt Isa both times I've been, but never gone in. Robin, a friend from the Tassie rodeos, who lives in Darwin now, was also at the rodeo, so we all headed in to have a look at the boxing. It was different to what I expected. It was quite friendly and funny. The last fight was the best. They matches their top man with and older guy and a drunken (and possibly high) young idiot. Turns out the young guy fights like an octopus- limbs going everywhere! It was pretty funny. And he had a sore leg an was hoping around on one foot...
So I'm exhausted now. Unless this band picks up, I think I'll go home to bed...
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| Grand entry |
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| Boxing tent |
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| Boxing tent |
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| Indigenous dancing |
Wednesday, 15 August 2012
Darwin (Thursday)
So much for the boys big night, they were all back by 2! Even so, I'm glad I didn't go out, I was tired enough this morning a it was. Larry cooked us all bacon and egg sandwiches for breakfast- by the time I get home I doubt I'll ever want to see bacon and eggs again! I went to get the pancake sauce out of the car only to find the milk had explode through the esky! I got that out of the car and emptied it and gave it a rinse. I was washing it out properly with detergent and turned the hose on a bit far, resulting in my second shower in an hour! Whoops! Anyway, I got that all cleaned up, threw out everything in the esky except the cider, since that was sealed off in glass bottles. It was a pretty awful mess... I won't make that mistake again...
I got a bit of a scare last night... Got up to go to the bathroom and thought I had a rat after me! Turned out it was just a cane toad jumping out of the shadows. First one I've seen since I was working at Theodore.
After the farrier came to check the horses, we grabbed some lunch and headed down to the Darwin Waterfront. There were so many people there considering its the middle of winter. The boys had come up with a brilliant plan, to get a cute young backpacker to help out with the horses in exchange for food and accommodation, so between swimming and sunbathing, they were talking to people answering the ad they put up on gumtree. We found one with promise, so I went for a quick swim (there was no way I was leaving without a swim after taping up my feet!) and we went off to meet Beth. We took her back to Jonno's to see if she could ride. Beth's from England, and has always ridden, but only English, mostly track work, so western was a bit different for her, but she passed. I think it was the strangest job interview ever conducted! Basically she spent ten minutes on the horse, and the afternoon drinking beers with the boys! She did get the job. So our strange rowdy clan now includes a pom! Tomorrow we'll introduce her to her first rodeo.
We were all heading into the rodeo grounds at 7.30 for the boys to run some steers out before the rodeo, so I started dinner early. We hit a bit of a snag when the BBQ had no gas, but after a run to the shops, we were cooking with gas (sorry). Brock and I cooked up scotch fillet, chips, Greek salad and possibly the best mushroom sauce I've ever made.
After tea the boys headed into the grounds and Beth and I headed back to the backpackers to pick up her stuff, then we went to the grounds too. We were only there about ten minutes and someone got sick of the drunken idiots and turned all the lights off, so we headed home. To more beer, and Larry's guitar playing. And childhood memories.
That's it for today.
I got a bit of a scare last night... Got up to go to the bathroom and thought I had a rat after me! Turned out it was just a cane toad jumping out of the shadows. First one I've seen since I was working at Theodore.
After the farrier came to check the horses, we grabbed some lunch and headed down to the Darwin Waterfront. There were so many people there considering its the middle of winter. The boys had come up with a brilliant plan, to get a cute young backpacker to help out with the horses in exchange for food and accommodation, so between swimming and sunbathing, they were talking to people answering the ad they put up on gumtree. We found one with promise, so I went for a quick swim (there was no way I was leaving without a swim after taping up my feet!) and we went off to meet Beth. We took her back to Jonno's to see if she could ride. Beth's from England, and has always ridden, but only English, mostly track work, so western was a bit different for her, but she passed. I think it was the strangest job interview ever conducted! Basically she spent ten minutes on the horse, and the afternoon drinking beers with the boys! She did get the job. So our strange rowdy clan now includes a pom! Tomorrow we'll introduce her to her first rodeo.
We were all heading into the rodeo grounds at 7.30 for the boys to run some steers out before the rodeo, so I started dinner early. We hit a bit of a snag when the BBQ had no gas, but after a run to the shops, we were cooking with gas (sorry). Brock and I cooked up scotch fillet, chips, Greek salad and possibly the best mushroom sauce I've ever made.
After tea the boys headed into the grounds and Beth and I headed back to the backpackers to pick up her stuff, then we went to the grounds too. We were only there about ten minutes and someone got sick of the drunken idiots and turned all the lights off, so we headed home. To more beer, and Larry's guitar playing. And childhood memories.
That's it for today.
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| Beth and Bully |
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| Waterfront |
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| Dinner |
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| Darwin waterfront |
Darwin (Wednesday)
This is such a cruisey, laid back town! We started the morning off with luke running one of Jonno's horses a few times to see if it would make a calf roping horses. I filmed it, Brock did the steers and Luke rode, only to find out later in the day it was the wrong horse. Whoops!
The boys wanted to play golf today, so I made left them to their own devices. I took advantage of the day to myself to go catch up with some friends. When I was in primary school, I had a pen pal, Aleisha, who I met later through venturers (again, this world is way to small!) she is living up here now, so I went and caught up with her for a bit before she went to work. After I left her, I went for a drive up to Lees Point. It was really pretty, but the paths didn't go out to the water, so I couldn't see very far. I had a bit of a wait for my next 'appointment', so I went for a drive around for a bit, found the sports complex and the NT institute of sport. I hadn't had any lunch yet, so I went for a drive to the shopping complex for lunch and to get the stuff for tea.
I went and saw Tom and Blinky for a bit. It was great to catch up with them, and to meet the rest of the family Tom and I played for Tassie together in the Australian Paralympic Youth Games back in 2009, when he was 13. He has flown up through the basketball ranks and has already represented Australia a couple of times. Us Tassie kids gave him his big break ;)
I didn't have very long because I was picking up Larry, another one of the Tassie guys, from the airport. After about an hour I gave him a call, only to find he hadn't got the message to call me when he landed, so I said goodbye and went to collect him.
When we got back to Jonno's there were even more people than yesterday! It was getting on, so I got started on tea, my specialty, salmon risotto. I found a friend, Kiralee, whose dad was riding. She came and helped me cook. The boys were all very well behaved and very appreciative. I want sure how risotto would be received by a bunch of road house food junkies, but they all went back for seconds. I love cooking for people who appreciate my food. Even if Brock did think it smelt awful and looked disgusting! Granted, it's not the most beautiful meal... After tea, most of the guys headed into town. I was wreaked by 9, so I went to bed. I think they can manage without me...
The boys wanted to play golf today, so I made left them to their own devices. I took advantage of the day to myself to go catch up with some friends. When I was in primary school, I had a pen pal, Aleisha, who I met later through venturers (again, this world is way to small!) she is living up here now, so I went and caught up with her for a bit before she went to work. After I left her, I went for a drive up to Lees Point. It was really pretty, but the paths didn't go out to the water, so I couldn't see very far. I had a bit of a wait for my next 'appointment', so I went for a drive around for a bit, found the sports complex and the NT institute of sport. I hadn't had any lunch yet, so I went for a drive to the shopping complex for lunch and to get the stuff for tea.
I went and saw Tom and Blinky for a bit. It was great to catch up with them, and to meet the rest of the family Tom and I played for Tassie together in the Australian Paralympic Youth Games back in 2009, when he was 13. He has flown up through the basketball ranks and has already represented Australia a couple of times. Us Tassie kids gave him his big break ;)
I didn't have very long because I was picking up Larry, another one of the Tassie guys, from the airport. After about an hour I gave him a call, only to find he hadn't got the message to call me when he landed, so I said goodbye and went to collect him.
When we got back to Jonno's there were even more people than yesterday! It was getting on, so I got started on tea, my specialty, salmon risotto. I found a friend, Kiralee, whose dad was riding. She came and helped me cook. The boys were all very well behaved and very appreciative. I want sure how risotto would be received by a bunch of road house food junkies, but they all went back for seconds. I love cooking for people who appreciate my food. Even if Brock did think it smelt awful and looked disgusting! Granted, it's not the most beautiful meal... After tea, most of the guys headed into town. I was wreaked by 9, so I went to bed. I think they can manage without me...
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| Lees Point |
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| Lees Point |
Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Darwin (Tuesday)
Something very exciting happened today!!! For those of you who don't know, my family had Cindy, a Swiss exchange student, stay with us for ten months up until July. The last month she has been traveling northern Australia and she just happened to be in Darwin for the last day of her trip!! I knew she was up this way, and sent her a message in case- so glad I remembered last night! The boys (who eventually got up at almost midday) and I had headed to town to do a few jobs and I got a call from Cindy. So glad we hadn't had room for me in the ute! So I left them and went off to find the CBD.
I found Cindy and her sister Livia easily enough and we spent a couple of hours wandering the city and getting gifts for people. Also, I found sushi!!! So excited after a week of carnival and truck stop food!!!
The heat up here is crazy. It's like hot Tassie summer weather! It was still 32 degrees at 5 in the afternoon! I had to find a dress from the depths of my bag. And my feet are swelling something shocking up here. You can make shapes with them, there is so much fluid in them....
On a more positive note, my feet are coming along slowly, and I changed the dressing on my noob yesterday. Sorry Doc, not quite healed, but getting close. It's going to scar a bit more than I was hoping. Guess I won't forget that lesson in a hurry!
After my visit with Cindy, I headed back to camp, via Coles. The boys were doing a BBQ and I needed salad. I got back expecting the boys to be running a few steers and there were 20 people there! At least! Apparently this is where everyone comes to practise. They were here practising until after dark. I watched a bit then sat in the sun to read...
After they finished Brock cooked up the meat and I made a Greek salad which was received a lot better than I expected for a bunch of cowboys. Especially since it had goats cheese!
I'm going to share something with you. I am really struggling with the attitude towards the aboriginals up here. I was raised to have a more understanding nature, and I can see the reasons why things have happened the way they have. But I'm hearing a lot of stories that really disturb me, and suddenly I don't know what to think. A friend of mine said a few weeks ago this trip would be one of self discovery. I didn't really think much of it at the time, but I think he may be right. I wish I could talk to mum about this. I have really been missing her while she's away. Don't get me wrong, I am so happy they have finally done their trip, but I'm used to having her a phone call away- she's my rock. I could have a sensible discussion about it with her. Everyone up here know exactly what they think. And fair enough, they have always lived around the aboriginal people, they have their own experiences, whereas I don't. And I would like to form my own opinion. It's doing my head in!
In other news, I finished the fifty shades trilogy. Great books!
Hopefully catch up with a few friends over the next couple of days while the boys go fishing and golfing.
Now, bed time!
I found Cindy and her sister Livia easily enough and we spent a couple of hours wandering the city and getting gifts for people. Also, I found sushi!!! So excited after a week of carnival and truck stop food!!!
The heat up here is crazy. It's like hot Tassie summer weather! It was still 32 degrees at 5 in the afternoon! I had to find a dress from the depths of my bag. And my feet are swelling something shocking up here. You can make shapes with them, there is so much fluid in them....
On a more positive note, my feet are coming along slowly, and I changed the dressing on my noob yesterday. Sorry Doc, not quite healed, but getting close. It's going to scar a bit more than I was hoping. Guess I won't forget that lesson in a hurry!
After my visit with Cindy, I headed back to camp, via Coles. The boys were doing a BBQ and I needed salad. I got back expecting the boys to be running a few steers and there were 20 people there! At least! Apparently this is where everyone comes to practise. They were here practising until after dark. I watched a bit then sat in the sun to read...
After they finished Brock cooked up the meat and I made a Greek salad which was received a lot better than I expected for a bunch of cowboys. Especially since it had goats cheese!
I'm going to share something with you. I am really struggling with the attitude towards the aboriginals up here. I was raised to have a more understanding nature, and I can see the reasons why things have happened the way they have. But I'm hearing a lot of stories that really disturb me, and suddenly I don't know what to think. A friend of mine said a few weeks ago this trip would be one of self discovery. I didn't really think much of it at the time, but I think he may be right. I wish I could talk to mum about this. I have really been missing her while she's away. Don't get me wrong, I am so happy they have finally done their trip, but I'm used to having her a phone call away- she's my rock. I could have a sensible discussion about it with her. Everyone up here know exactly what they think. And fair enough, they have always lived around the aboriginal people, they have their own experiences, whereas I don't. And I would like to form my own opinion. It's doing my head in!
In other news, I finished the fifty shades trilogy. Great books!
Hopefully catch up with a few friends over the next couple of days while the boys go fishing and golfing.
Now, bed time!
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| Crocodile Cindy Dundee |
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| A few of our boots |
Monday, 13 August 2012
Barkley Homestead-Darwin
I'm glad I didn't wait around for the boys last night. I went to bed about 11. I went to find the toilet block and pushed all around the camp grounds in the dark, only to find they were locked. Oh yes, that would be the key we got when we checked in. So I just went back to the bar, since that was where the key was. Finally made it to bed and slept until almost 8. The boys (luke Brock and the saddle bronc riders) all stayed up drinking, with the backpackers who worked there, until they got in trouble for making to much noise. The girls went to hide in the bathroom, and one of them slipped and hurt her leg. We tried to wake her up this morning to take her to hospital but she wouldn't get up. Turned out she broke it in two places and had to get airlifted out for surgery!
Today was mostly driving once we got on the road. We filled up before we left the homestead- diesel was 192.9 a liter! We stopped a couple of times for food and bathroom breaks and to switch drivers. I have never eaten so much takeaway food in my life! A couple of time I've just not eaten because I couldn't stomach anything there was on offer.
About 4, we stopped off at Mataranka Thermal Springs for a swim. It was 28 degrees when we arrived. The water is about 32 degrees, really clear and flows along in a creek. I taped up my feet with waterproof covers and left my socks on to protect my feet. The boys had to tow me across the water, due to the whole lack-of-swimming-ability thing, and I spent half an hour hanging onto a log, while they had underwater swimming competitions and carried logs up and down the creek to keep themselves entertained. Boys!
After the springs we hit the road again. We have passed a lot of ground that's been burnt since Isa, and just north of Mataranka we passed a fire. Most of the drive north of the springs was smokey actually. We eventually made it to Jonno's, where we are staying, Bees Creek, just south of Darwin. He has an awesome setup, with the arena beside his 'house'- a gooseneck (large horse trailer) under a shed roof, with a bathroom, kitchenette and spa built into the shed. Pretty much perfect for a cowboy I reckon! Don't think it's something I could do, but I'll enjoy it while I'm here!
Sorry y'all, my swag is calling!
Distance travelled: 1150km
Time driving: 10 hours
Total distance: 7000km
Today was mostly driving once we got on the road. We filled up before we left the homestead- diesel was 192.9 a liter! We stopped a couple of times for food and bathroom breaks and to switch drivers. I have never eaten so much takeaway food in my life! A couple of time I've just not eaten because I couldn't stomach anything there was on offer.
About 4, we stopped off at Mataranka Thermal Springs for a swim. It was 28 degrees when we arrived. The water is about 32 degrees, really clear and flows along in a creek. I taped up my feet with waterproof covers and left my socks on to protect my feet. The boys had to tow me across the water, due to the whole lack-of-swimming-ability thing, and I spent half an hour hanging onto a log, while they had underwater swimming competitions and carried logs up and down the creek to keep themselves entertained. Boys!
After the springs we hit the road again. We have passed a lot of ground that's been burnt since Isa, and just north of Mataranka we passed a fire. Most of the drive north of the springs was smokey actually. We eventually made it to Jonno's, where we are staying, Bees Creek, just south of Darwin. He has an awesome setup, with the arena beside his 'house'- a gooseneck (large horse trailer) under a shed roof, with a bathroom, kitchenette and spa built into the shed. Pretty much perfect for a cowboy I reckon! Don't think it's something I could do, but I'll enjoy it while I'm here!
Sorry y'all, my swag is calling!
Distance travelled: 1150km
Time driving: 10 hours
Total distance: 7000km
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| Madaranka hot springs |
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| Mataranka Springs |
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| Swimming in the springs |
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