Sweet, Delicious Unemployment

We are all finished this stint of work and back to the usual state of unemployed. I have included a photo of my in my "stylish" (read: enormous) Rendezvous shirt - a men's XL is always stylish. Also note the gorgeous King G men's shorts, hmmm hmmm, lookin' good. We just dropped my uniform off, and it feels so good to be officially done work. Not to be too obvious, but the money is wonderful. Being broke for 9 months makes you appreciate some money in the bank.

Phil's also thrilled to be done work. Here is a picture of him with one of his patients (confidentiality/privacy laws be damned!) that he saw on his last day of work. I was so jealous I didn't get to see him - so cool.

We're heading down South in a few days, if all goes well with our tent (we're experiencing some problems with our tent fly - salt water and heat apparently weather nylon). We're both really excited to get back in the water for some diving and seeing a few gorges. With a bit of luck I will actually keep this blog properly updated.

Broome, Barn Hill and Cape Leveque

As usual, sorry for the delay, but this time it's because we haven't done too much. We have been in Broome for over a month. Phil popped into the only dental surgery in town before Heather left and they had an opening starting in early September. We popped down to Barn Hill for a few days, then up to the Cape, then settled back in Broome and started earning some tall dollars - Phil's notably taller than mine, but I finally have a job as well!

This picture Heather might recognize - it's our first campsite in Broome at Roebuck Bay and it was beautiful, right on the bluff overlooking the beach. In the mornings, this cool fog would roll in, but clear up quickly so the days were clear as can be.

Our trip down to Barn Hill was great. We'd heard some amazing things about it, but when we rolled up were wondering what all the fuss was about - it was a crowded, dusty caravan park with almost no facilities for the number of people. It all became clear when we took a walk on the beach - there are some amazing rock formations, out of the rock that glows red in the dusk light. It was gorgeous and we enjoyed a nice evening picnic of wine and "tapas" (camping-style tapas).

From Barn Hill, we rushed back up to Broome, stocked up on supplies, and headed up 200 km of extremely bumpy, corrugated roads to arrive at Cape Leveque. Again, it was stunning (though very expensive). The beach was incredible and on our last day we caught high tide before we left and had maybe the most amazing swim I have ever had - the water was warm, picture-perfect blue, crystal clear and very relaxing. It was a lovely trip.

I started my exciting job as a housekeeper in a local resort (making good use of the masters!) about 5 weeks ago and it's actually okay. It is probably the hardest job I have ever had, but it's whipped me into good shape and the money is great to have. Phil is working hard and everyone at the practice is great. We're stopping work October 6th, and heading out of town a few days after theat, heading down South at least to Perth. Neither of us can wait to get back on the open road.

Gibb River Road Tour!!

We had no idea what to expect when we started our Gibb River Road trip. Some people had said they drove everyday for a week, just trying to get off it. Other people said they knew people who did it in a day. A lot of people came up to us at camp saying "yeah, mate, it's rough. It's really rough. I broke a shockie/tire." So, needless to say, we were a little apprehensive before we started, but it turned out to be fine. The road was a corrugated dirt road with some river crossings, but better than the Savannah (that shook our spotlights right out of the front of our car).

I won't say that it was the most beautiful drive I have ever been on. The first bit had some beautiful escarpment (you can see us in front of a great chunk of it) but most of the actual Gibb River Road was just dirt and trees, nothing too spectacular.

The gorges and pools were all located about 8 - 12 km off the track, on some very dicey roads. Even at the hight of my being "gorged-out" they were all beautiful and all different. Some were huge, others were small. Some wide, others narrow. You could swim in some (the water was icy cold enough to drive Phil out, so Heather and I stayed warm, dry and on the bank) but not in others. They were great.

The hightlight of the road was, luckily, what we saw last: Tunnel Creek and Windjana gorge. Tunnel Creek was awesome - you walked along the floor of a creek surrounded by high cave walls. The water was chilly, but it seemed a lot warmer at the end of your trip than the start because by the end your feet were totally numb. It was a really nice trip because of the staligmites and staligtights and because it was something totally different from a gorge.

Windjana was spectacular. It was one of those places where you have to stop, jaw gaping, and just drink it in. The gorge is formed by a petrified coral reef, which is incredibly cool, but after a walk through a little tunnel, you end up with a great view of this amazing ... well, gorge. It is lined with freshwater crocs (we saw maybe 50 of them and you are warned to stay a measily 4m away from them) and you can hear the cockatoos screetching while they're flying all over the place. It is truly amazing.

Big Red came through most of the Gibb River Road almost unscathed. He had a slow leak in one of his rear tires on the second day, but a kind traveler plugged it for us in exchange for some beer and cookies. The only major problem came just as we hit the pavement - we got a serious flat. Poor Phil had to crawl around on the dusty ground getting the spare out, then had to drive the car up on some sandbags so we could get the jack underneath (why would they build a jack too tall to fit under where you need to put it?!) then change the tire as fellow travellers are barreling past at shocking speeds. We got it all changed, hopped in the car only to find that there was a hole in our exhaust pipe, so we essentially limped into Derby, all praying that it was just a hole in the exhaust pipe that was causing the noise. Anyway, all's well that ends well and it was just a crack in the pipe that we got fixed in Derby.

Kununurra

It was nice to finally arrive in Kununurra and get all stocked up. We took in a bunch of the local sites. We took goofy pictures of us as boab trees (as seen here) which are the best trees I have ever seen; they have so much personality.

We also got down to the Zebra Rock Gallery which included a "feed the catfish" feature (it was definetly the highlight for us). You got some pieces of bread and after chucking a few in, the catfish formed a big, writhing mat. It was so awesome that we all walked back to the car to get our cameras and I think I took about 6 pictures.

We went down to the Hoochery to try some of the local rum, reported to be the only rum produced in Western Australia. The guys working there were awesome - very chilled out and incredibly friendly. Phil sampled the rum, Heather and I tried the rum cake which is, hands down, the most delicious cake I have had in Australia thus far. Hmmm ... I could go for another piece right now!

The main attraction of Kununurra was that it had two companies that would fly you over the Bungle Bungle ranges. We all loaded up on a plane (with Heather getting to sit beside the pilot!) on July 9 (my dad's 60th birthday - Happy Birthday Dad!!!!) and got some wonderful views of Argyle lake, the diamond mine, the irrigated area where they farmed (a big draw, apparently, as you can take tours of just that area) and, most importantly, the Bungle Bungles. It was really cool. We took the 6:00 am flight and saw the light catching the ranges beautifully. It was shame that we couldn't drive down and had the chance to walk around the mounds, but it would have taken another 3 days.

Our campsite in Kununurra was right on the side of a national park and we got a great view of another little outcrop of rock. We all went tromping around there at sunset to see the setting sun turn the rock bright orange. Phil took our didgeridoo and we both played a bit. The resonance and echoes off the rock was really cool (Mom, since you weren't sure what a didgeridoo looks like, here is Phil playing our didge - it's about 5 ft long). What wasn't so cool was getting lost on the way home and having to walk through shoulder-high grass for 20 mins in the general direction of town.

Kakadu not "Kaka-don't"

Kakadu- what do you say? It's huge, so much bigger than you would assume. It's beautiful. It's walks are short and easy, with most sights very accessible. It's campgrounds have warm showers that feel like you're showering in the rain, for $5.40. It's rangers are nice. Kakadu was great, though perhaps not as "spectacular" as it's touted to be.

The first day we went up to Ubir, in the most Northern part of the park, and checked out some wicked aboriginal art and a great lookout. It was beautiful.

Over the next few days, we managed to see a sight or two a day (nothing compared to the 6-8 daily activities suggested by the Kakadu Itinerary Planner) and enjoyed all of it. We saw a saltwater croc (slowly) stalking a duck in one of the rivers. We met some great guys who were discussing their favorite aspects of "spondonicles" for hours and asked us if we'd seen any on the track as we passed them (to which Phil proudly proclaimed "not here, mate, but I used to make 'em!"). We saw the same two guys on the way to Jim Jim falls and were greeted by a loud cry of "Spondoes!". Speaking of which, we lucked out and got to go to Jim Jim falls which is accessibly by 4wd track only and was shut until just a few days before we arrived. We also took a very cool night cruise with the two rangers who ran our campground and got to learn all about file snakes (mom's favorites) and the "itchy bush tree", though we didn't get to see many reflective eyes of crocs.

I have to say the devastation of the forest was very evident. Phil and I weren't sure what the park would look like after the cyclones that went through a few months before, but there were broken and uprooted trees all over the place. The upside? Lots and lots of firewood for Phil.

Jumping Croc Fiesta

On the way to Kakadu from Leitchfield we took in an amazing, though very touristy, jumping croc boat trip. It was great! You get loaded up in a boat, taken just a little way down the river and the boat captain ties pieces of pig head to a big pole and starts slapping it against the surface of the water. In a few seconds, you see big crocs come swimming up and after about 5 mins one will slowly "jump" out of the water, up to about its waist (if they have such a thing) and snap at the piece of meat. They will repeat this trick about 3 times, with their final attempt earning them the meat prize. We got to witness about 6 crocs doing this trick, one ("Stumpy") was missing an arm.

To sweeten this already great natural show, these big birds come swooping down and try to steal the meat from the snapping jaws of the crocs (Phil got a perfectly timed shot of a bird grabbing a hunk of meat from the pole). It was really great.

Leitchfield National Park

We drove down to Leitchfield after we left Darwin and were all pleasantly surprised. Perhaps because Kakadu is so close, Leitchfield doesn't get a lot of press, but it was wonderful. We stayed at the Wangi Falls campground which boasted a gorgeous waterfall crashing down about 200 m away (replacing the night sounds from Darwin's traffic to rushing water, definetly an improvement). Heather and I did a nice little walk around to the top of falls through the forest which was lovely and cool (I have included a pic of Wangi).

We checked out Tolmer falls which were great. You could only see them from the top, but they had a very inviting pool at the bottom that looked perfect for swimming in, especially when you see it during the afternoon's heat. The highlight of Leitchfield was an afternoon spent lounging in a shady pool in the forest, complete with a nice little waterfall. It was filled with tiny little fish that we spent hours trying to catch (a local told us spit works best - don't ask).

Darwin - Heather Arrives!

We got to Darwin a few days before Heather arrived with a few days to get things sorted out (and stay in a hotel so Phil could catch some World Cup action). It was so wonderful seeing Heather again, and so strange meeting a friend anywhere but Calgary International Airport. We spent the next few days enjoying some of Darwin's best attractions and eating and drinking our way through the nice selection of pubs and restaurants that Darwin provides - finally a choice of restaurants, not just a town with one roadhouse! We each won a crab in the Fox and Fiddle's hermit crab races - Phil's crab, Ian, won 4th prize (a free pint of beer) and my crab, Rodriguez, won first prize, a shocking $30.00 tab!! We also headed down to the Casuarina Coastal Reserve and enjoyed a few hours on the beach collecting shells and sand dollars (and taking goofy pictures).

Despite the collosal rudeness of the women working the front desk of the caravan park, I enjoyed Darwin no end. It was lovely - enough of a big city to have nice shops, good restaurants and a bunch of pubs, but small enough that it never felt too busy or stressed out. It was one of those cities that maintained a perfect balance.

On the way to Darwin

Okay, I have decided to skip over most of the Alice Springs to Darwin portion of the trip because I have so much to catch up on as it is. That bit of the trip was great. We did our second bout on a dirt road when we drove the Savannah way from Boroloola up to Roper Bar and out to Mataranka. It was so great! We got to do some great creek crossings and enjoyed being jostled for the few days we were battling the corrugations.

When we got to Mataranka we chilled out for several days, reading books and catching up on our journals. Phil found a huge, fat tree frog that we named Leopold seen here - he was so great.

We also took in Katherine Gorge on the way up to Darwin and spent a horribly afternoon paddling up the river. The winds were blowing a gale and the stupid kayak we got had no steering ability so after 30 mins of paddling with the world's heaviest paddle, we could still see the boat ramp. Anyway, I perked up a bit after we spent 45 mins portaging our heavy plastic boat around two little sets of rapids (with no trail marked!) and got to the second gorge which was beautiful. We paddled around there for a few mins and turned back (manging the portage in 20 mins on the way back) and arrived home in record time, though the winds had died down so we got no boost from nature.

Up to Date

Okay, for some reason the blog is not uploading pictures anymore, so I will call it a day. Heather arrived a few days ago in Darwin and we're having a blast! Phil and I have eaten our way through Darwin and seen the inside of many pubs - definetly the blast of urban life that we needed to revive us!

I will try to update this much, much more often (at least for my sanity as I don't know how many 2 hr computer sessions I can handle!) and keep you all abreast of our trip.

love to all,
Andrea (and Phil)

Uluru and Kata Tjuta

We arrived in Alice Springs a day earlier than we had expected and picked Jude up the following day. After a day or two of poking around the town and seeing some local sights, we made our way over to Uluru (aka Ayer's Rock) and Kata Tjuta (aka The Olgas). I wasn't sure how great The Rock would be, especially after all the hype you see out here - hundreds of postcards and pictures of it everywhere - but it was phenomenal. It is huge, so much bigger than I would have imagined, and it has so many details you never see from far away. The color is amazing as well, it changes so drastically from bright orange to purple to brown throughout the day. I have included only this one pic of Phil and his cousin (Jude) and I, but you can all see my pics when I get home.

We did a walk around Kata Tjuta for an afternoon which was great as well. How can two rocky outcrops, in the middle of absolutely nowhere, look so different? It is crazy, the rock is completely different but equally cool.

Winton and Plenty Highway

Winton, like Longreach, had loads to offer. We saw the Waltzing Matilda Museum which gives more information, and renditions of the song, than you would ever want. It was aparently written in Winton, or maybe sung there originally (the info over-load seems to have overwritten what I learned there!).

We also went to see some awesome dino tracks and to a random museum that had pioneering info, as well as a big chunk on dinosaurs. Maybe the highlight of our sightseeing was "(probably) the World's biggest deckchair" in the open air deckchair cinema. As you can see, it's big. We even got to see a screening of some Popeye at the cinema one evening!

We had our first taste of 4wd-ing in Central Australia on the Plenty Highway which went from the tiny, friendly town of Boulia to Alice Springs. All in all it took 10.5 hrs (better than the 13 h estimates we were hearing) and we did it in one day and got bogged in a semi-dried mud pit once. It was great fun! We even got to see 'roos jumping alongside us at dawn.

Carnarvon Gorge, Emerald and Longreach

We journeyed onto Carnarvon Gorge where we took a 14km walk to see the Moss Gardens, Ward's Canyon and some great rock art. Although that seems to sum it up well, the walk was great and what we saw was really amazing.

We stopped in Emerald for the night and checked out its train station and, get this, the world's largest Van Gogh painting. It was really, really big (you can see Phil and Neil at the bottom of the picture) and has nothing at all to do with this town.

Longreach was one of those towns with so much to do. First stop was the Stockman's Hall of Fame which detailed the pioneering history of the Aussie outback. The best part was definetly the video of a man boxing a kangaroo!

We also took in the QANTAS Founders Museum where we got a tour of a Boeing 747. Now, I have been on a lot of planes heading from here to there and was kind of dubious about how good a plane tour could be, but it was really great. We got a detailed description of how things like the weather detectors worked and even got a quick tour of the cockpit! I learned, for instance, that a plane can run on a single engine and it keeps fuel in its wings.

We took a nice boat ride up the Thompson River one night and enjoyed whip tricks, fish, steak, a nice sunset and wine out of a can - how can you beat canned wine?

Into the Center...

After Fraser we headed to Noosa, which is a really trendy town with loads of gorgeous restaurants and nice shops. We stayed in this wicked apartment facing right on the river. The highlight was when this little boat playing rag-time music would journey past in the evening, cranking its tunes loud enough that we could enjoy it from our balcony. We also rented a boat for a few hours and Phil ferried us around to see the expensive houses and to enjoy a bit of fishing. I caught a fish!!

After Noosa we started our journey through to Alice Springs. Our first stop was Roma, a town with a a bakery called "Bake A-roma" and very delicious steak restaurant where the meat was on display for the choosing. We enjoyed both lunch and dinner there. We also spent a proportionally large amount of our time taking pictures of bottle trees which, as you can see, are very cool.

I think my favorite part of inland Queensland is that every town you go to has its own tourist attraction that, by and large, is fabulous. We spent a few hours poking around the Big Rig to learn about the oil and gas industry in Australia. Though it sounds boring, it was great! The best part was this hallway that let you "journey through time" back to the age of the dinosaurs to see how oil forms. The last stage was the oil getting drilled out - so it looks like you're in a cave and a drill bit bursts through the ceiling. It was great!

Sorry for the delay!!! Fraser Island

Sorry again for the two month delay, but here goes...

Phil's parents, Maria and Neil, arrived in Bundy in early May. From there we went to Fraser Island which was awesome. We were staying in the gorgeous Kingfisher resort and we all enjoyed the nice layout of the place and the food, (you could say it was to d-d-d-die for). The second day we all loaded up in the car and went out 4wd-ing. We got bogged in the sand almost straight off, but lowered the tire pressure and got out (with the help on an Aussie) no prob. The big problem came as we were leaving Lake McKenzie parking lot; when Phil turned the key - nothing, just some clicking sounds. We popped the hood and everything seemed fine, but maybe the constant bumping on the rough tracks had loosened something or killed the starter motor? The only way to get moving was to roll-start the car, it wouldn't even jump start! We had to scrap our plans of heading up to the wreck on the coast on the third day and we had to let Big Red idle on the 45 min crossing back to the mainland. Anyway, we got to Hervey Bay and had an auto electrician take a look... it turns out our new car had a "kill switch" which immobilizes the car so no one can steal it - a handy feature, especially when you know about it!

Snakes Alive, Black Adder!

This weekend was probably one of my favorites so far. We went down to a little town called Childers, about 60 km away from Bargara, on Sunday morning to check out Snakes Downunder. We both thought that it would be a snake house with a show (everyday at 10 am!) so we'd poke around a bit, take in the show, have another look at a few things and mosey home. How wrong we were! We drove up and all it had was (essentially) a little display pen for a show. We were both like "how kitchy is this?", but it was incredible! We showed up at 9:30 because we weren't sure how long it would take us to drive down and got to chat to Ian, the snake handler, and his wife. They were so nice and interesting - a great way to spend a half hour!

The show focused on about 10 snakes from Australia, including 5 of those world's most venemous snakes. Ian would take each one of of it's bag and show it to the audience (here he has a huge python that is about 15 kilos), talking about where the snake lives, what it eats (it's amazing how much a small snake can cram down!), how venemous it is, etc. It was so interesting! He also showed us what to do if we're ever bitten by a snake (which is very good for Phil and I to know, given that we're going into Central Australia). Apparently there has not been one fatality when the wrapping technique he showed us had been employed!

The show on its own was fabulous, but to make it even better, at the end of the show, you were invited to hold a carpet snake and a 2 year old saltwater croc! Neither Phil nor I had ever held a snake so big and it was amazing, you could feel its whole body contracting and moving around. The croc was super cool and it was great to be able to get so close and see its details.

Easter in Moore Park!

We took off camping in a place called Moore Park which is about 20 km away from Bundy. It was great! It gave us a chance to test out all of our new camping equipment and see what we don't need and what we don't have. We had so much fun. We set out tent up with almost no problems (I can't believe I don't have a picture of it!) and we cooked up some gorgeous food (no fire pits, though).

We went to Moore Park because one of the women Phil works with, Vanessa, was going out there with her family so we decided to go to the same place. I think one of the highlights of the weekend was the tour they took us on. Vanessa's husband is a farm manager and he took us on a full tour of the sugarcane, including an old sugar refinery stocked with loads of machinery. We got to see one of the huge machines in action. It was wicked and will give us way more appreciation of the vegetation we see every time we drive from Bargara to Bundy.

Another highlight was that one of our neighbors serenaded us with his didgeri-doo! It was so cool to be chilling out in the day time and hearing the cool "bwaa-waaa-waa" of his didg'.

I have to say Easter was made better by these chocolate treats you can get - not just chocolate bunnies, but bilbies, wombats and koalas. I got Phil a bilby and wombat which sadly melted before Easter, and re-cooled as flatted versions of their former selves, but they were so fun.

This is is also the big unveiling of "Big Red", our landcruiser. We got it in Bundy from the nicest family imaginable and, according to the mechanics who have looked at it, in great shape mechanically and without a trace of rust. Anyway, we're very happy with it, especially since Phil got the stereo revamped.

Travel Plans

Alright, I thought it was time to detail our travel plans so you all know what we're planning. In just a little over two short weeks Phil's parents (Maria and Neil) will be arriving for a visit! I can't wait to meet them, it is going to be very exciting. The four of us are going to travel around for the better part of a month, until the end of May.

From Bundy, we're going South to Fraser Island (where Phil and I went last Easter, but for a short time because Phil got tonsilitis). After Fraser we're going to Noosa which is this gorgeous, swanky town with lots of cool shops, nice restaurants and a bunch of cool things to do (rent boats, swim, dive, etc).

After that, we will essentially be driving from Brisbane into Alice Springs in central Australia. Along the way, we'll be checking out loads of little outback town. We'll visit the Stockman's museum in Longreach, the dinosaur tracks and the Waltzing Matilda museum in Winton (where you can also walk on the wing of a stationary airplane!), we'll go to Roma (home of the Big Rig) and a few other bits and pieces. We're planning on spending about 6 days in Alice Springs and Uluru (Ayer's Rock). Phil's cousin, Jude, who lives in Sydney is considering coming out to Alice as well, it would be great to see him again. It is going to be incredible!

That will take us until the end of May. The plan from there is very general. We are going to head North to Darwin where we will meet Heather if all goes to plan. We are going to check out Kakadu National Park and then head down Western Australia. We suspect Heather will travel for about a month, from Darwin to Broome. After that, Phil and I will travel on to Perth (and I will have to get to Sydney for my Dec. 18 flight back to Canada, so we'll see what we do between now and then).