Streams in the Desert

I imagined the Northern Territory quite barren, but right through the centre is a large strip of underground limestone, and during the wet season the limestone is pourus, soaks up all the water, warms it, then releases into streams.  This has created magnificent springs of warm water dotted through the territory.   For the last week we have been staying at Mataranka Springs (home of the book 'We of the never never) - originally an overnight destination for us, but as always there is a story that has seen us stranded yet again in beauty and provision.

We planned to cross the border to NT early in the morning, with the kids in PJ's all strapped in to set off, but the car didn't start.  Thankfully it was only the battery - we hadn't switched the fridge to GAS and it drained our van battery, followed by the car battery.  Lesson learned!  We were quickly jump started by a kind stranger and in no time at all we were on our way.


It was going to be a big driving day, so for the first time since leaving home, John handed me the wheel of the car to share the driving.  Sam was a bit worried about this and asked 'mum, are you sure you have driven before'.    Photo below proves that yes I did drive, but not at the 130kph limit, I stuck to a steady 80.

We drive into Tennant Creek desperate for groceries.  After seeing the asking price of up to $9 for Tim Tams at the few and far between little grocery stores, we were eating the last rations of the cupboard with no treats.  The most we splurged on was a bottle of the cheapest wine we could find - $15, and we made it last. 

Driving through the town of Tennant Creek it was afternoon and the street was sprinkled with gorgeous little aboriginal children coming home from school.  They were just so dark and delicious I wanted to put one of them in the van and take them home with me.  Somehow I am sure that is not the done thing.   I had been warned that there was a rough side to the town, but the people in the supermarket were as friendly as they come. 

We decided to stay at a caravan park here the night because our battery was still flat in the van and needed to be plugged into a powered site for charging.  

We sat outside after the kids were tucked into bed to enjoy the amazing canopy of stars in the outback (you can see the deep swirl of the milky way so clearly).  We were serenaded by the sound of drunken fighting in the street and soon went inside.

It is also here that we discover our gas ignition switch on our caravan fridge, which had caused a minor problem earlier in the day had actually broken.  The means it need to be plugged into electricity. Now so glad for the flat battery on the car and van in the morning which had forced us into a powered site that night.  We would have been in a spot of bother if we were bush camping with no gas power for my fridge full of fresh groceries. 

There was no one in Tennant Creek to fix our fridge, the only repairer was in Darwin, so we decided to head quickly there.   Because we still needed electricity to run our fridge we stop at Mataranka Homestead for a powered site on the way.  .... plus hot showers, flushing toilets and running water -  luxury.

We find it hard to figure out what day it is, let alone what time of year - and the campers next door advise us that it is coming into the long weekend and Darwin is booked out.  So we need to stay "plugged" in at Mataranka or another 5 days before heading in.  

But as God's grace prevails once again we discover we have stayed at one of the hottest places for live music in Central NT, and they have two vacancies for a muso while we are there.  The money earnt pays for all the powered accomodation we need while we wait for our fridge to be fixed, and enough spare cash to relax and enjoy Darwin.   We have experienced a new meaning to 'springs in the desert' (Isaiah 43).


We spend our days swimming in the Thermal Pools and the boys get really confident in the water.  Amy also demanded to have her nappy off and do a wee in the toilet, which was a wonderful milestone for us to enjoy.  Meanwhile John and Sam watched the Star Wars saga (thank you Tegan for lending us the box set).  I also secretly enjoyed watching it, but don't tell my three brothers.


Still so much of NT to see, Katherine, Litchfield National Park, Kakadu, and of course a catch up with our new friends on the road in Darwin.

The price of unleaded petrol - WOW

Rifles, Roo's and more lost shoes

Lawn Hill is a stunning Oasis in the Dessert, a short walk through barren scrub reveals gorge walls opening into a blue lagoon with twin waterfalls and palm trees. 

We spend the day there, and while it is truly beautiful, the lagoon is steep drop into deep water and not really a safe place for toddlers to play.  John takes a kayack down the gorge, past the crocs (the fresh water variety).    At the other end of the gorge you could hire a tyre tube for a gold coin donaton to the royal flying doctors.  So John did that with the kids while I took a short paddle with Amy in the kayak.  Amy quickly fell asleep which tilted the kayak, and I began to freak out about crocodiles, so my trip was short lived. 

We camp nearby on the river at Gregory Downs – lots of fun to be had there, and a great spot for the kids.  Some shallow river areas, and other deeper spots with a rope swing.  I try a rope swing plunge into the water for the first time ever, being a little giddy of heights it was a brave feat.   Tony also set up a flying fox which the boys loved.  Josh insisted on flying from the greatest height possible.  Down the river there was a fast flowing current, and John decides to take his Kayaks over the rapids and was tipped over.  The Kayak was saved, but he returned to report he lost a shoe.  I really was happy about this, because although we have lost many shoes since leaving home, John had these shoes for about 10 years and they really were the ugliest flop flops ever made.  I had secretly hoped these shoes would disappear for years.  Now he can catch up with the times and get some cheap imitation crocs – the ugly shoes of tomorrow.

John and Tony go hunting and bring back a roo, which was marinated and slow roasted in the camp oven coals.   One of the best meals I have had, with gravy, campfire potatoes topped with bacon and cheese, and roasted corn.  Now I look at Kangaroos with a new perspective – road kill may just make a lovely dinner.  Thanks to Tony the camp fires were amazing, he would drag back what appeared to be entire trees tied to the back of his 4WD and carve them up with a chainsaw.  Wish I’d stocked up on more marshmallows, but I did get the chance to cook brownies and scones over coals which I had really been looking forward too.

Hanging out with our friends gave us the chance to enjoy so many opportunities and adventures which we are very grateful for.  John and I were even brave enough to shoot a 270 riffle.  I wonder whether we have much to offer these lovely people in exchange, feeling very urban and out of place in the outback, but loving the experience.

Leaving Gregory Downs we say farewell to our wonderful friends they are headed on brave roads we dare not travel.  In saying that we find out that there is a shortcut unsealed road that will cut 400kms off our journey, and having heard it just got ‘graded’ we brave the road.  It was a great trip, and we arrived at our next camp spot – a billabong in Camoweal – covered in red dust which had snuck it’s way into every open crack.

 

Tomorrow we cross the boarder to NT - a new frontiere.

(will have my hand on a camera soon, so should be lots more pics to come)

The perfect set up

Out here in the slow hum of Outback QLD time is finally loosing it’s hold.  Road houses, road trains, and road kill, linking tiny towns that seem like lands caught in time.   John is also having a break from music business stuff so we aren’t running to the next town to meet a gig deadline.   

 

We are crossing the Savannah way and In the past week we have enjoyed legendary coffee in Mareeba, fed the rock wallabies at granite gorge, taken a ride on a steam train at Ravenshoe, paddled in the thermal springs in Innot, driven across amazing sunscorched landsapes, and caught king salmon in the gulf of Carpentaria.

But the greatest joy of our last week has been meeting a wonderful family from Newcastle, who are travelling OZ….

After being charged like a wounded bull at the mechanic in Mossman to fix our van wheels, we headed inland.  By the time we arrived at our next destination late in the evening the wheels on the Caravan were overheating again, and the smell of burning rubber lingered around our tyre.  We were totally crushed, thinking maybe we had melted our electric brakes again – money was dwindling and there was not much left for another costly mechanics bill.  It was late on Saturday night, at a free campspot in the middle of nowhere, the only hope we had was to stay put until Monday and find our selves another mechanic.  In the mean time we prayed together. 

Of course as Gods faithfulness would have it, we woke up the next morning and there was another family camped nearby, Josh wanted to play with their little girl, so I took him over for an introduction.  We soon discovered that Tony, Deb were from Newcastle like us and travelling Australia with their two children.  Tony is a licensed mechanic and graciously spent the morning with John under the caravan helping fix our wheels, teaching John what to do as he went.  If this wasn’t enough of a miracle, they also go to Victory Church and have the same heart for God as we do.   They say they are headed in the same direction as us and we enjoy a great day together in Ravenshoe with the kids on the steam train.

The next morning we look out the window at 7am, and find their camper trailer GONE!  We heard nothing, and they were gone without a trace, and I thought to myself they were too good to be true, maybe they were angels.  But then we found they had left their mobile phone number on our caravan step, and angels don’t usually have mobiles.

We followed them onto Karumba, which is a small fishing town in the Gulf of Carpenteria.  Supposedly one of the best fishing spots in the country.  John told me there wouldn’t be much there, but we could watch the sunset over the ocean, and he wanted to ‘throw a line in’.   (John has no idea how to cast out a rod or bait a hook so that was going to be interesting).

I think people only come to Karumba to fish.  You can’t swim or stay on the beach because of the crocodiles, and almost everyone at the caravan park we stayed at has a boat to go out on the water with expectations of a big catch. 

Of course because God is great in all his ways, we arrive at the campsite in Karumba, and are designated a place right beside our new friends.   They are there with their boat, and Tony is the son of a Fisherman, so he takes John out and teaches him to fish.  They come back with delicious fresh salmon.   A big trip highlight for John. 

The kids were totally delighted to have friends to play with, and we enjoyed the company of great people.  As we get to know each other we find out that Deb and John went to uni together in Lismore.  Deb like me also does the accounts for her church.  Tony is like Bear grylls and has so many talents fit for an outback adventure.  Only God could position such a perfect set up. 

We are both headed for Gregory Downs before going in opposite directions, and we look forward to hanging out together there for a few more days.

Adventures in Cape Tribulation

Cape Tribulation is as far north along the coast line that a sealed road will take us.  The journey there crosses the Daintree river by ferry and then through a glorious drive in the Daintree rainforest.  

Crossing on the Ferry - 5 very excited Newsome's in the car

The Daintree is an untouched paradise.  The rainforest is more than twice as old as the Amazon, and learning about its intricacy gave me an incredible appreciation for Gods master plan for our eco system.  The tides and seasonal floods bring nutrients from the rainforest out into the sea to sustain an amazing chain of sea life to the reef and beyond.   Amazingly mangrove trees can survive in absolute salt water because they choose just one leaf to absorb all the salt too, this leaf turns yellow while the rest of the leaves stay green.  

The numerous butterflies in the Daintree are stunning, myriads of colours shapes and sizes.  Amy ran into a small grassy field and 100 small white butterflies suddenly appeared from the grass and fluttered around her.  It was a beautiful sight and captured Amy’s wonder.   We used our fishing net to chase and catch the butterflies which was lots of fun.

We choose sea kayaking as our adventurous way to experience cape trib.  We go on separate treks to work around the kids.  John has some experience kayaking, and takes the first trip out.  The guide takes you out in a small group for a relaxing 2 hour paddle through a bay of the coral sea, gliding around reefs, hunting out fish, birds and sea turtles and then riding the waves in as the sun sets.    The next morning it was my turn, and not being very experienced I was pretty nervous, but John reassured me I’d have a relaxing and uplifting journey where you literally feel your soul radiate within the core of your chest.  His description was so intriguing (my hubby is a poet) and now I am keen to experience the same! 

Johns Paddletrek in the Coral Sea

Of course we hadn’t realised the trek I had been booked into was actually different from Johns little paddle.  My trek left the quiet bay and went well out to sea around the headland where the swell and waves were enormous.  The wind today was more than normal and the guide admitted he wasn’t sure whether to go ahead, but decided to anyway.  It took everything I had, rowing hard head on into the waves and against the wind! I am not sure that I actually have any abdominal muscles after three pregnancies in a three year span.  I also felt dreadfully out of shape.  All that chasing around after toddlers doesn’t keep you as fit as you think.  Although I really wanted to make it, in the end I was humbly towed about 200m by the guide to catch up with the rest of the group.  We finally reached the shore around the headland, and I caught a magnificent wave in, only to be dumped just before reaching shore and lose my sunglasses and drink bottle to the sea, in exchange for a nose full of salt water.  It was an emotionally and physically exhausting experience, and although I don’t think I could do it again, the other side of the cape after the push through held a part of the Daintree that was so remote and only reachable by boat.  We wandered into in indescribably beautiful cavern in the rainforest, with the sun streaming through in breaks between the trees.  And there I found my soul radiate within my core, just as John had described.   All that was left was to summon up the courage to jump into the kayak again make the journey back around the headland.  The journey back to the calm bay was a little easier, although I did need towing again to get through the breakers, and enjoyed yet another tumble into the sea.

Of course John had been waiting with the kids in the quiet bay and had no idea what he had sent me out to, when he saw me Kayak back in all wet, he thought I must have decided to go for a nice swim.   For days I had an ache in my abs and blisters on my hands.  

Somehow I manage to bring back a coconut for Josh from around the heads

The rest of cape trib was spent doing small rainforest walks, a boat ride down the Daintree, croc spotting, bike riding, and beach time (oh and of course, wiped bottoms, washed clothes, cleaned the caravan, cooked meals, solved toddler disputes, and kept the kids busy with activities).

We would love to have stayed longer, but had to make our appointment for the caravan mechanic.

We made a lovely friend in the jungle camp we stayed at, and she wanted to pray for our vehicles as we left.  This proved to be just what we needed as we headed off on the long winding road through the Daintree.  I spotted a roadside stall for Daintree tea, and called out for John to stop so I can pick some up.  When I got out of the car we noticed smoke billowing out from under the caravan and the smell of burnt rubber.  The wheel had overheated and caused a small fire inside.   By  Gods grace the only RACQ in the remote area was only a few paces down the road.  He helped us out, changed the wheel bearings and set us off on our way.  But the fire inside the wheel had melted our electric brakes.  If we had driven any further the incident could have been disastrous.  Our appointment at the mechanic was only a day away.

In our experience the Daintree stands as the most beautiful thing in all creation.  Majestic green hills covered in rainforest and rivers that meet with the sea.  It is boarded with islands and coral reefs and and houses a perfectly running bio network, untouched and unaffected by man.   We felt a loss leaving all that beauty.

(Sorry there aren't more photo's to share of the Daintree - lost our camera, and just using our phone to take pics).

The Daintree is an untouched paradise.  The rainforest is more than twice as old as the Amazon, and learning about its intricacy gave me an incredible appreciation for Gods master plan for our eco system.  The tides and seasonal floods bring nutrients from the rainforest out into the sea to sustain an amazing chain of sea life to the reef and beyond.   Amazingly mangrove trees can survive in absolute salt water because they choose just one leaf to absorb all the salt too, this leaf turns yellow while the rest of the leaves stay green.  

Lollipops and Lazy Crocs

Stopping at Palm Cove for a week we had a number of day trips, the two highlights were the Zoo and Barron Falls.

I took Sam and Josh to Cairns Tropical Zoo while Amy and John had a Daddy daughter day.   The Zoo was full of Australian animals.  You could hand feed the Kangaroos.  Of course Joshua ate the kangaroo food and then played drums on the kangaroos back.  Trying to curb joshua’s fear about being eaten by a crocodile I took him for a walk through the croc sanctuary while they were lazing in the sun.  I pointed out how lazy the crocs were and this seemed to help, but later during the show crocs show when they wouldn’t jump out for their food, Joshua calls out in a loud voice to the zoo keeper – ‘they are just so lazy’  Later we enjoyed a private tour of the reptile sanctuary, because we were the only ones who turned up for the tour.  The boys thought this was fabulous and that they really were helping the zoo keeper feed the lizards.  They even got to hold a baby croc.   .

Kuranda is a gorgeous mountain village in the rainforest of Barron National Park just west of Cairns.  We took a walk to the Baron Falls which was the most amazing waterfall I have ever seen.   We had brought the kids a lollipop in the candy store in Kuranda (the kind of store where you can watch them make the lollies) - and Josh lost his lollipop over the waterfall lookout.  Then Amy fell splat on the ground and got a dirt beard all over her sticky face, sam was still working slowly at his lollipop three hours later.   The kids loved the rainforest.  Amy kept shouting out ‘tree tree’ or ‘rock’ or ‘bird bird’.   Sam wanted to lead the way on the bush walk and have everyone follow him.   Josh just wanted to run.  We were talking about what we might see in the rainforest, and they boys mentioned cassowaries and brush turkeys.  Amy suggested fairies (she is in love with fairies right now).  We did see the brush turkeys, then we walked passed two young teenage girls with long hair on the walk and Amy called out ‘fairies fairies’.  Didn’t see any Cassowarys through.

I snuck in a shopping trip while in Cairns region – who knows when we’ll see Myer again.  I had an excuse to shop because John had only packed one pair of shorts and spent a month in them already (not sure if I should have left him to pack his own bag). 

Also spent a day in Port Douglas which was a bit like a tropical version of Port Stephens.

At Palm Cove we had battery problems with the van again with Cairns just down the road it was a good spot to sort things out.  We discovered it hasn’t been the battery all this time, but a wiring problem in the van, and although we don’t have the skill to fix it, we find a way to work around it .  John also change a tyre on the van which kept loosing air – and at this point open up another can of worms.  First the Jack fails (later I searched online and found that model we brought had been recalled).  We worked out a way to get the tyre changed with the assistance of a helpful stranger.  After the wheel is changed it seems wobbly and we think to ourselves with our great mechanical wisdom ‘hmm I don’t think the wheel should wobble’.  Thankfully the kind stranger helping us advises we need to adjust the bearings, he takes of the wheel cap and works it all out for us.  He tells us we need to get the other one done too but without a working Jack it would be a bit problematic, so we contact a mechanic in Mossman.  They book us in for the following week.

Thinking things are now well sorted, we confidently head off to Cape Tribulation.

Beautiful People

Having travelled for over a month, it was time to put our feet up and stop for a while.   We looked up the camp book and chose a spot called ‘Palm Cove’ just north of Cairns – which turned out to be the most beautiful place on the Cairns coast.   It was a small resort village with a promenade of boutique stores, cafes, and exclusive restaurants.  Nestled in right beside all the big name resorts is a little council run caravan park on the beach.  It was a gift to the council from a deceased estate, bequeathed under the condition that it is kept as a camp ground.  Since that time Palm Cove has grown into an exclusive sanctuary.  The caravan park, basic and in need of maintenance, is no longer in keeping with the surrounds, and the council is arguing over its future.  In the mean time for just $18.50 a night we enjoyed pretending to be like the rich and famous in the most idyllic location on the coast.

 

Staying put for an extended period gave us a wonderful chance to get to know the culture and people that had set up Palm Cove Caravan Park.  Happy hour was at beer o'clock and the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly.  The caretaker calls you by name and waves out as he empties the bins and potters around.   We met so many lovely folks.

Roslyn from Newcastle is travelling Australia with her four year old boy as a single mum.  She has packed a bundle of toys and my boys enjoyed playing around her caravan.  I am just amazed at her courage, and I know there is a big story in her.  She plans to travel for the next three years and then return home to family and friends, if that’s where the journey takes her.

Bill and Viv are from Alstonville, retired and travel eight months of the year.  Bill is large and sports a blue tank shirt the entire time we are there and has a big head of wild grey curls – he helps John change the tyre on our caravan.  Viv is short, full figured, and always smiling.  She has a bird ‘lou lou’ that spends the day on her shoulder and sleeps in her hat at night.  The kids love to go up to visit and have a turn with the bird sitting on their shoulder.

Jane was a gift from God.  My hair had become quite long and not having packed conditioner due to short showers, I couldn’t comb the knots out.  I was either going to go down the dreadlocks route, or I needed it lopped off.  The boys hair was getting wild and long too.  I started to get anxious about where I’d get the chance and the money for a hair cut.  Then a picture popped into my head that at the next camp spot there would be a tent with the sign out the front saying ‘hair cuts’ - and that is exactly what I found outside Jane’s tent.   She is young and travelling OZ with her partner.  They have no long term plans and have no idea where they will end up - picking up work and waitressing along the way.    She gave me a great cut.  Josh looked so tiny in her chair with the black cloke around his neck, it’s the first time he has had his hair cut by anyone but his mummy.  After seeing her brothers do it, Amy wanted to have a hair cut too – so she sat up in the chair while Jane ran her fingers of her head.   Amy proudly hoped down, and received her lolly pop reward.

Rebecca is living her second life now that her children are older teenagers and doing their own thing.  She has sold her home and chosen a nomadic life, met a lovely islander who plays guitar.  They have a 7 month old baby and another on the way.  With no long term plans they are enjoying the simple life.   Having recovered from a serious car accident a few years ago, today Rebecca seems very happy and content.   Colourful flags of peace hang from her caravan awning.

Marlene is from Adelaide.  She lost her mother last year, which has reunited her with her sister who now lives in Sydney.  They have chosen Palm Cove to meet together and catch up on lost years. 

Camped beside us were a couple of surrogate grand parents for our kids.  They are from Gympie and had a glorious van with all the gadgets you could imagine.  It is a tribute to years of hard work they have spent in their nursery business.   Now they travel often through the year with their son looking after the business.   They watched our children for us one evening while John and I enjoyed wine and cheese at one of the resorts on the promenade.  They encouraged us for a few days, and then went on their way. 

Jack walked up to our Caravan to pick up his son, who has found his way over to us to play with the boys.  At first we think he must be the lad’s grandfather, but judged too soon.  He warms to John quickly and shares the sorrow of his recent separation which left him to care for their 2 year old son.  He leaves work under the personal stress and is unable to return.  They have no permanent address, but he has his freedom and is devoted to raising his son.  Soon they start talking about music and it turns out Jack is a songwriter with a few small demo’s which he plays to John.    John is able to share his knowledge and encourages him with his writing.  Jack leaves inspired – the next day was his 50^th birthday.

Meeting all these beautiful people makes for a very rich journey – and these are all from one week, in one camp ground.  We stopped again at Palm Cove Caravan Park on the way back from Cape Trib.  It was lovely to see familiar faces, waving and welcoming us.  We felt a sense of coming home, a feeling we haven’t experienced in a while.

For the kids

I am already forgetting where I was last week....memories of some towns are merging into others...'Bowen, where was that, what was there? I can't remember'.  Someone once told me the weakest ink is better than the strongest memories.  A big part of the vision for blogging was to give the kids a record of our adventure..... so this i what has been missed since the last installment..(before I completely loose my recall).  Sam, Joshua and Amy this is for you:


A few troubles with our caravan battery (again) had us stopped in Yeppoon overnight, but stopping right on the beach was glorious and gave us time to get reorganised while the kids played on the beach.  With everything in order we set off in the morning.  


Venturing just north of Mackay, we stumbled upon a fishing village in Seaforth.  The drive in from the highway gave us our first glimpse of rainforest mountain.  As you turned a bend on the winding road, the mountains met the sea and left us in awe.  The village had a corner store, a few blocks of humble pole style homes, and a council run camp ground on the beach. We could have stayed there for the long haul.  However duty called, and John was needed in Townsville in a few days.   Definatley mark that spot as one to return to one day, if it is still there.  The low tide went out about 500m and glissened in the sunshine with islands on the horizon.  There are lots of shells and coral on the beach from the recent cyclone - even coconut shells that have blown in from the islands.  This is where Sam has discovered a new love for collecting shells, totally fascinated he fills up his pockets, and is totally delighted when I produce a little pouch for him to keep his collections in.  He continually counts them in the car, and checks that they are still all there.

Sunset at Seaforth

The stretch from Mackay to Townsville had a suprising mix of arid fields, sugar cane, rocky mountains, the initial signs of rainforest, hemming the shoreline.    

We had a big driving day so treated the kids to hot chips for lunch at Airlie Beach.  The boys keep talking about this adventure because this is where the kookaburra swooped down and stole a chip straight out of Amys hand.   Poor little distressed Amy - and one very guileless bird.  Amy's big brothers are very protective of their little sister, and the Kookaburra may never live down it's notorious reputation. 

Airlie Beach

A short stop over at the small town of Bowen, I expected it to be a bit larger.  We have been skipping past the larger cities in favour of small villages and I have discovered I am feeling a little city deprived.  I need to get to Coles!  I just want to enjoy the familiar aisles and produce of the mega store.  I am really surprised about that!  Hopefully my need for a Coles fix will wear off the further we get, otherwise the trip across the Savanah will be a LONG drive, and you can forget the Nullabor.

 

Finally at the big city of Townsville we stop for a few days playing in the parks and visit the Reef Head Quarters Aquarium.   The Aquarium was a big memory for the kids, discovering sharks, and fish of all colours shapes and sizes, and a re-creation of the coral reef.  During the fish presentation question time, Sam asked confidiently why are there boy fish and girl fish - the presenter gave him a direct answer about the birds and the bees.  I guess that job is done for us.   The Aquarium also had a turtle hospital - Joshua thought that the turtles were there for eating too many lollies. 

Some days we wake up with the wonderful roar of the ocean and magnificient views, taking it slow with bacon eggs and coffee.  Other mornings we wake with the sound of a highway and the smell of one of the kids having wet the bed, we eat a bowl of cereal do a quick wash, and hit the road.

The diversity, challenges and joy of the adventure.