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We’re home.

For three months we have driven, trained, walked, sailed, ferried, bussed and swum our way throughout this amazing continent. We have explored deserts, mountains, rivers, oceans, rainforests, lakes, islands and the vast areas of scrubland known as the “Outback”. We have lived out of a car and two tents, cooking our meals over open fires, bbqs and our two little gas burners. We have driven 16 388km (with a further 1420km on The Ghan) and spent almost $3000 on diesel! With the exceptions of spending time with friends in Alice and Darwin, and enjoying a visit from Marilyn’s sister Dianne (also whilst in Darwin), we were together 24/7 without any other familiar faces. Amidst the stream of fellow travellers with the many conversations about places we’d been or were going to, we experienced an intimate journey of deepening the connections between us and, we hope, laying a firm foundation for the road ahead as our boys hurtle rapidly towards adulthood. It’s hard to believe that my precious young Nicholas is only months away from turning 16 and about to draw level with me in height!

There are virtually no teenagers travelling the outback roads. A few families with very young children and of course lots of “grey nomads” (whose ranks we will perhaps join in a few years); but no teenagers. We felt like we were conducting a social experiment with our own children. Just at the very age when many young people appear to become increasingly alienated from their parents, we stuck ours in a car with us and drove for three months! The German tourists were amazed that we were able to do what we were doing. The concept of long-service leave doesn’t exist in Europe, and the withdrawal of young people from school for such a period would be disallowed.

Our “experiment” – the results of which are impossible to measure – was to take our boys for three months and give them a huge array of experiences, lots of good food, copious amounts of sunshine, ample time to relax combined with plenty of walking, swimming and other physical activity. We had conversations about the sorts of people they wanted to be, and what was required to achieve that. And sometimes (when confronted by examples of poor human behaviour) we would also talk about what we don’t want them to be! We watched with pride as the boys interacted with fellow travellers, and enjoyed the later conversations (after the boys had gone to bed) when we would be told how thoughtful, communicative and mature they are. We already know that, but it’s still nice to hear it from others.

At the risk of sounding like a teacher writing a school report, let me tell you what I learned about my wonderful boys.

Nicholas’s quest is to “learn”. Everywhere we went he would spend inordinate amounts of time reading, observing and soaking up as much information as he could about the places we visited. Whilst Ryan would (in good humour) roll his eyes at the thought of another museum, Nicholas would be nigh on impossible to extract from the many that we visited. There was not a single moment on the trip that the boys became angry, but the closest Nicholas got (sulking in the back seat) was when we dared to leave “Reef HQ” (the aquarium in Townsville) 15 minutes before closing time! We developed ways of allowing Nick the time he wanted to read and learn and understand, whilst also catering for the needs of our other boys who don’t always posses his amazing levels of patience and curiosity! Nicholas’s natural desire to learn ensured that every experience was a rich and valuable one for him.

Ryan’s quest is to “do”. He was our activity leader, taking charge when we were setting up camp, finding the best places to swim, enjoying a kick of the footy or organising a game of cricket with the campground kids. Everything we did was a competition. Early in the trip there were games of table tennis. Later on we would look for pubs with pool tables. We played cards most nights. Ryan’s constant mission was to “beat Dad”. I can still match him in most of these pursuits; but only just. One night, on Magnetic Island, we debated whether to attend the “trivia night” being run at the resort. Ryan decided to organise a trivia night of our own – wonderfully inventive and humorous sets of questions that revisited the many experiences we had shared. I discovered that Ryan is not just good at “doing”, but that he also comes into his own when he is organising the activities of others. He leads from the front!

Jackson’s quest is to “imagine”. A voracious reader with a vocabulary years ahead of his age, each place we visited was a stage on which the stories from his reading and from his imagination could be brought to life in some way. When given the chance he would wander off – sometimes for hours at a time – playing an imaginary game in some distant corner of whatever location we were in. A highlight of his trip was Paronella Park – a remarkable series of castles, paths, tunnels and beautiful rainforest – built by a man who had a vision and imagination that few could rival. Jackson may well be one of those few! Being the youngest, it’s perhaps hardest for us to know how Jackson will process these many experiences in the years to come. He already wants to write a novel. Perhaps the places we have visited may provide the fertile settings for future works of creativity and imagination.

I have deliberately waited till the end to talk about Marilyn. I’m not a person who struggles with words, but in this instance I find myself struggling. I remember a good friend and colleague of mine, at his 50^th birthday celebration, describe his wife as his “home”. I was moved by those words at the time and have never forgotten them. Whilst we celebrate and grieve the “big moments” in life, most of our existence is comprised of the ordinary and the everyday. Learning to live those moments fully is my quest. As I did so – whether putting up tents, preparing and cleaning up after meals, driving from place to place, or organising and recording the little details of each day – I would notice the way Marilyn and I would work seamlessly together, each understanding the needs and strengths of the other. We challenged and stretched each other – Marilyn with her sense of adventure, and me with my relentless desire to experience everything. And together we would marvel as our boys embraced each experience with openness and enthusiasm. I have a deep sense of gratitude to be so fortunate to have Marilyn as my partner in this remarkable life journey. Perhaps though I’m only just beginning to really understand what my friend meant in his unique tribute to a loving wife.

And so, in every sense of the expression, I am very much at home.

 

Postscript:

Thank you to the many people who have followed this blog, left comments, encouraged us and taken an interest in the journey. We have been humbled by the number of people who have told us how much they have enjoyed following our travels!

Ryan's Journal: Days 80 - 85

Day 80

Distance travelled: 660km!!!

We packed up early because we knew we had a huge day of driving. It was pretty uneventful. We watched movies in the back while Mum and Dad shared the driving. For lunch we went to a bakery at St George. We all had pies and then shopped for dinner, before driving on to Lightning Ridge, an eight hour car trip.

We had a look around Lightning Ridge. It’s a black opal mining town so we looked through the many different opal shops, and bought Mum a necklace! At Lightning Ridge there is also a thermal pool, about 40 degrees! So Nick and I relaxed in there while Dad was cooking dinner.

We spent the rest of the night sitting in the camp kitchen watching Sydney beat Collingwood in the preliminary final!

 

Day 81

Distance travelled: 560km

Today was another driving day. We had planned to drive to Dubbo and stay there, but mum and dad decided it would be more fun to drive to the radio telescope (“The Dish”) in Parkes and stay there. We got to the telescope in the middle of the afternoon and spent a couple of hours there. We watched some 3D movies about space, looked around the information centre and, of course, looked at the telescope. It was massive!

Then we drove into the town, but mum and dad couldn’t find anywhere they wanted to stay. So we kept on driving. It was starting to get dark when we finally found a free campsite in a little town called Gooloogong. Us boys couldn’t be bothered putting up our tent, so we decided to sleep under the stars.

Day 82

Distance travelled: 300km

We packed up at Gooloogong and started driving towards Canberra. We stopped at the Cooma house in Yass. It’s a house where explorer Hamilton Hume lived after his days of exploring.

When we got to Canberra we set up camp at the showgrounds. We went to Parliament House and had a look around at the huge building.

 It was getting late so we went out for dinner and then went up to Telstra Tower which has a view looking out over Canberra.

                                                              

Day 83

Distance travelled: 60km

We woke early so we could get to Questacon, an interactive science centre. After having breakfast we left and did some shopping, before arriving at 10.  Questacon is huge! It had seven galleries full of information. My favourite was the “Excite” gallery, which had two unique air hockey tables, one against a robot and one a four player game. It also had a drop slide, that I spent most of my time on. One time I was taking Nick up there, but he chickened out when we were at the top! It also had a ‘360’. A swing that you had to try and swing around a full 360! I didn’t go on that...

When we finally got out, it was four. We had spent a whole six hours in there! We found a park (after some ‘great’ navigating by me) and had a BBQ by the lake.

 

Day 84

Distance travelled: 60km

 

The AIS, Australian Institute of Sport was our first stop today. First we were taken up to the ‘games’ room, which had interactive games, skiing, skateboarding and stuff like that. We went on a tour at ten, guided by an athlete that had trained there. It was massive! It also had everything. There was a gymnastics hall, that was huge, a 14 million dollar swimming & recovery facility, a big stadium, a place for just about every sport!

We moved on to a place called Cockington Green. It’s a place where people have made miniature dioramas of buildings, mainly from England also but from all over the world. It was amazing looking through the gardens that had all of its flowers, flowering. The buildings were in great detail, and some took as long as five years to build.

We moved on from the AIS to the Mint, where money is made! We watched thousands of $$$ being made by robots.

We only spent a little bit of time there, before heading out to the War Memorial. We looked through, and got lost in the massive memorial. There are many different dioramas and plenty of information to read. We spent the rest of the afternoon there, and watched the closing ceremony, where the man with the bagpipes plays.

We went back to camp where we ate dinner in the car because it was so cold!

 

Day 85

Distance travelled: 675km

Today we were heading home!!! Basically, we spent about nine hours in the car, making a dash from Canberra to home. We woke up at 5.30 and packed the car, and were gone by 6.30. We drove for a couple of hours and then got breakfast at a cafe at the Dog on the Tucker Box. Then we continued to drive for a couple of hours and we stopped again, eating fruit that we had picked up along the way. Then we drove for a few more hours, before dropping in at Yarra Glen to see my Uncle and Auntie Alex & Wendy.

It was a pretty boring drive but we were all excited to finally get home, and when we did, we celebrated with roast pork for dinner and pancakes, fruit and ice-cream for dessert with Oma, Opa and Auntie Di!

Questacon (Nicholas)

 

One of things we wanted to do in Canberra was go to Questacon. Questacon is an interactive science place. It has seven exhibits plus some other rooms where they did talks on various topics such as mummification and music. It was very well set out with children’s play areas, plenty of interactive ways to learn about science and some very entertaining things to do, such as air hockey against a robot, a drop slide and a tunnel that makes you lose your balance.

 

Being me I had to go through and read and do everything that I could possibly do. We spent 6 hours straight there. Ryan spent it going down the drop slide and complaining whereas Jackson and I spent it going through every nook and cranny of the massive building to learn as much as possible.

 

The various rooms all had different set-ups depending on what they were trying teaching you. The first exhibit was all about inventions and pulleys and non-motorised mechanics.  One of the exhibits was on natural disasters and how they’re caused plus they’re different aspects like the different movements of the earth in an earth quake.

 

This was a brilliant way to spend our first full day in Canberra because we learnt loads and had a great time.

Carnarvon National Park

One of the most picturesque places we’ve been to is Carnarvon National Park. This place is one of the best known and popular of Queensland’s gorges. It is in a place called the sand stone belt and is one of the prettiest gorges we’ve been to. The sheer rock walls of the gorge look like they’ve been cut because they are so sheer and smooth, the rock falls look like they’re made of concrete and have been put there deliberately because the sandstone falls in very square shapes.

We have stayed two nights at Carnarvon Gorge and we have found that that was enough to see lots of the gorge and several of the off shoots that are just as spectacular as the main gorge. The first off shoot that we went to is called Warrumbah Gorge and was narrow, cold and wet but also had a spectacular array of mosses and ferns. It was also lots of fun just trying to get as far as you could in the slippery conditions with a very cold creek running beneath you.

On our only full day we did a 15km walk up the main gorge to see the sights. We visited four places in the gorge which were, the Moss Garden, the Amphitheatre, the Art Gallery and Wards Canyon. The Moss Garden was fascinating because the water is soaked up by the sandstone and gradually goes down towards the water table. Before it gets there it hits a layer of slate which it can’t penetrate and is forced sideways out of the rock to sustain a spectacular array of mosses and ferns on the ever-damp rock the dripping water creates. The water is also in the rock for anything upwards of 500 years between when it is absorbed by the sand stone and when it is expelled above the slate level.

The second place we stopped is called the Amphitheatre and was originally a massive piece of sandstone that had faults in the rock all around it. The water gradually wore away to make a massive hole that was only accessible by a narrow crack in one of the walls. It had a nice echo and was nice and cold which was great relief to us because it was building up to be a hot day.

Thirdly, we visited the Art Gallery which, as the name suggests, is a place of ancient rock art done by the aborigines of the area. These art works were in a spot that was slightly higher than the canyon and was consequently hotter but the art work was excellent and very clear despite its exposed position.

The last place we went to is called Wards Canyon and had perfectly clear and freezing water. It was also nice and cold and had some plants that didn’t exist anywhere else in inland Queensland. We had lunch here and it was a well-needed rest break before the long walk back.

It was a long day and my legs were dead when we finally got back, we also got an ice cream before going off on our own to do whatever it was we wanted for the rest of the afternoon.

Ryan’s Journal: Days 76 – 79

Day 76

Distance travelled: 516km

We packed up at Cape Hillsborough and set out to try and get to Rockhampton. We drove through Mackay and got diesel before setting out on the long drive. We stopped at a coal wharf at Point Hay and saw a huge amount of coal waiting to be loaded onto ships and be transported to other countries. We got lunch in a tiny town called Marlborough and bought some pies from the store there. Our main stop was at Capricorn Caves. They are dry limestone caves not far from Rocky. We did a tour and went through the main caves. There were a few caves, the main one Cathedral cave, where they even hold weddings! It had high walls and has good acoustics, so our tour guide played Amazing Grace with the lights out and it was pitch black!

We took a long detour to Emu Park, where there is a monument for Captain Cook called the singing ship.

We got to Rocky and set up before getting some Pizza for dinner.

Day 77

Distance travelled: 338km

We left Rocky and went to Mount Hay, where we fossicked for thunder eggs, volcanic rocks that have trapped gasses in them that when cut, have a beautiful middle.

We continued to Blackwater where we ate lunch and went into a coal info centre. We looked around in there for a while, learning about the process of coal.

We stopped again, at Comet where we saw a tree that Leichardt, an explorer that travelled through the region engraved on.

Guess what, we stopped again! At Sapphire, a small gem town that mines sapphires. We went fossicking again. We loved it and got some small sapphires.

We got to Rubyvale in the end, where we set up and swam in the freezing pool there.

Day 78

Distance travelled: 331km

Although we loved Rubyvale, we had to leave. We drove to Emerald where we stocked up on supplies before heading out for Carnarvon Gorge.

We drove into the caravan park and set up, before heading out to one of the offshoots of the gorge, Wurrumburra Gorge. We walked on the track until it ended, but having been advised by the locals, kept going. The gorge was narrow, but cold and wet. We walked up on the slippery rocks and went further in. The rocks were coated with moss and the water was freezing. It was amazing. But it was getting late so we left and drove to the Rock Pool, and swam. It is a nice spot, a deep pool with a huge rock on the opposite side. We took advantage of it and jumped into the pool.

Day 79

Distance travelled: 9km

15km is a long way. And that was the distance we were walking into the gorge. Carnarvon Gorge has many walks, some as long as 86km. We went to the Moss Garden, a year-flowing waterfall and dripping limestone; the Amphitheatre, a huge hole in the limestone accessible only through a small crevice; the Art Gallery, ancient aboriginal art and Wards Canyon. The Moss Garden is a waterfall with moss covered rocks all around. The limestone drips with water escaping from the rock. The amphitheatre is huge, and with good acoustics, except for when Dad sings... It had a little island in the middle that was very green, mainly covered with moss and ferns. The Art Gallery had clear paintings of boomerangs, hands, fishing nets and the rainbow serpent.

We ate lunch at Wards Canyon, which was beautiful. It is the only place in inland QLD where King Ferns grow. We ate by the small river that flows through and the huge rocks that hung above.

After we walked back, about 7km in the heat of the day, we relaxed because we were all tired

Heading Inland

The “Singing Ship” at Edna Park – a small coastal town east of Rockhampton – is an unusual memorial to Captain James Cook. Built of concrete in the shape of a sailing boat, it incorporates large pipes into its structure that produce a mesmerising hollow sound in the sea breeze. Offshore are more of the hundreds of islands that are part of the Great Barrier Reef, this time the Keppel Group. We had a brief look around and then headed inland towards “Rocky”. It would be our last glimpse of the ocean that has accompanied most of our journey south from Cooktown. Fittingly, we had ocean views from our tents at our last campsite at Cape Hillsborough (near Mackay) before leaving the coast behind.

Our campsite on the Fitzroy river opposite the city of Rockhampton

Our journey inland from Rockhampton was along the Capricorn Highway, which roughly follows the Tropic of Capricorn. South of Mackay we had visited a massive coal port at Hay Point from which millions of tonnes of rich Queensland black coal are loaded onto ships and exported. The trains that deliver this coal to the port run alongside the Capricorn Highway from the many coal mines in this area. They are the longest trains we have ever seen. The boys started counting carriages and each was longer than 100, usually with five engines pulling the massive weight (three at the front and two in the middle)! We visited a coal centre at Blackwater (“coal capital of Queensland”) to develop a deeper sense of how significant the mining industry is to this area.

We were on a mining expedition of our own. First stop of the day was at a tourist park called Mt Hay. This is the home of “Thunder Eggs” – pieces of molten lava that, when cut open, reveal an array of coloured crystal within. The boys went fossicking for the “eggs” and were rewarded with some specimens to add to the rock and shell collections they have established over the course of the trip.

Scouring carefully for pieces of sapphire

Our destination for the day, passing through towns such as Emerald and Sapphire, was Rubyvale. In Sapphire the boys fossicked once again, this time producing small pieces of the semi-precious blue gems that are found in the area. Sapphire and Rubyvale were unique and interesting little towns to visit – dotted with small shacks and caravans on small plots. All the mining was done by hand. It seemed that whilst some people in their retirement travel to “the Gulf” each year to fish, another more eccentric group journey to Sapphire to try their luck at “the diggings”. Whilst they no doubt hope to uncover something large and valuable to fund their retirements, their expectations appear more modest. One man we shared a camp kitchen with had just started working on his plot and was hoping, at least, to uncover enough sapphire to produce earrings for his granddaughters.

From the Emerald region we begin our long drive through inland Queensland and New South Wales back to Victoria, appropriately along a series of highways that been dubbed the “Great Inland Way” (which runs from Cooktown to Sydney). Our first destination will be Carnarvon Gorge. We haven’t told the boys yet, but we have a 15 kilometre hike planned for tomorrow! From Carnarvon we will be very much on the homeward stretch, with some long driving days taking us to Lightening Ridge, Dubbo and then Canberra. The content of our thoughts and much of our conversation has increasingly focused on arriving home. For two years now it has seemed that life had been “on hold” as we have prepared for this trip and faced the challenges of Marilyn’s cancer diagnosis. Our return home is, for us, a new beginning; an opportunity to shape the paths that we will follow over the years ahead.

Silent Night (Marilyn)

For three days I made my home on a 50 foot yacht called ‘Silent Night’.  We had speculated about the origins of the name, but it turned out to be nothing more romantic than the name of the sponsor – a bedding manufacturer.  This yacht was the proto type for the winged keel, its original name had been Madame De Farge, but the keel has now been replaced and the whole thing refitted to go from being a fully equipped racing vessel to a pleasure boat for tourists.

The first thing we were told to do was take off our shoes.  During the safety talk the captain also said that although there was a shower on board there was not enough water to wash your hair.  The cruise was looking better and better as far as the children were concerned.  No shoes and no showers!­

We headed out of the bay with 13 people on board, my family of five, six German tourists and two crew.  The yacht was small and below deck was very cramped.  Peter and I had the ‘deluxe’ cabin...the word shoebox comes to mind; an interesting prospect for someone who is both claustrophobic and suffers from motion sickness.

We headed out to the Coral Sea on a sunny Friday afternoon.  We anchored at Hook Island and set ourselves up to go snorkelling.  Decked out in very unbecoming full length lycra ‘stinger suits’, goggles and snorkel we swam amongst tropical fish and coral reefs.  Watching the coral was quite mesmerising, time seemed to stand still as I floated along with the tide and stared in wonder at the many splendid fish.

Early the next day we pulled anchor and headed for Whitehaven Beach.  Whitehaven Beach is advertised as being the most beautiful beach in Australia, and perhaps the world, so we were keen to see it for ourselves.  The sand was a stunning white and the water a clear blue.  Unspoilt by resort development we walked along the water’s edge soaking up the beauty that surrounded us.

Later in the day we snorkelled again, this time one of the crew fed the fish with left over bread from our breakfast.  The fish were everywhere!  Tropical fish come in the full spectrum of colours and combinations of colours and they are not shy. It was like swimming in an aquarium.

Our ‘pocket maxi’ was a motorised sailing ship and on the second day the captain very delightedly set up the sails and turned off the motor.  Now we were at the mercy of the wind. The ability of the crew to set the sails to make full use of the available wind required more skill than I had realised.

During sailing time, to balance the boat, the passengers were instructed to sit on one side of the boat with legs dangling over the edge.  This was a terrific spot to view the surrounding islands and watch the rhythmic and continuous rise and fall of the ocean.  It was my favourite time on the boat. 

Sailing the Whitsundays was a spur of the moment decision made when we arrived at Airlie Beach. From the moment we boarded the vessel we knew the decision had been a good one.  Nicholas, Ryan and Jackson each had a turn at steering the boat when the sales were up. Seeing a whale and her calf playing in the waves on our way back to port on Sunday morning was an added bonus.  We shared an experience that we all loved; sailing was an unexpected treat, a memory that we will always treasure.