Day : 9

Location : Mount Isa, Kalkadoon country

Kms travelled : 574

It was a dry but cool night, but we still found our washing soaked with the sprinklers turning on outside the notified time! We packed up while Roly occupied himself by a tap, coming back covered in water, dirt and a few small ticks. Fortunately only one had started to burrow a little and they were swiftly removed. So in a way it was a good thing he was soaked and needed a strip down! Hen flapped and chirped on the mat, needing regular checks to swipe ants away. Some lucky small red ants were seen walking away with a nice big chunk of eye gunk, hopefully Hen had rubbed it off and it wasn’t plucked by the ants straight from the source! When we got on the road a light drizzly rain was just settling in.

Again the birdlife amazed us on the trip along the flats back towards Normanton. Brogla, Jabiru and Magpie Geese all flocked around generous puddles on the flats. It was really something special to see this region in such boom.

We stopped for fuel and a cold caffeinated drink at the Burke and Wills Roadhouse. Roly found some toys – a balance bike with the seat miraculously just at the right height, a dump truck and a ride in car. Some local kids came and tried to entice him in a game of totem tennis but he just watched them awkwardly. A friendly dog came over with a stick to throw and Roly obliged a few times and Henry enjoyed a flap in the shade.

On the road again, Roly requested Big Red Car, on repeat, so we encouraged him to pop his headphones on. Mid song he takes them off and asks us earnestly if the Big Red Car runs on Petrol or Diesel. Classic.

In Cloncurry we stopped to stretch our legs and found a playground. And a water park! Right outside the public pool, which also has a water park, was a smaller version on a timer. Roly (and Kat and Henry) all enjoyed a short cooling spray before hopping in back in the car for the final leg of a long day – to Mount Isa.

The sky had come over cloudy, and we thought ourselves surely in for a storm, but a few showers along the road was about it. The scenery coming in to the mining hub of Mount Isa was in stark contrast to the lush landscape we’d driven through that morning. But it was beautiful in a different way, with red rocky outcrops towering either side. We set up camp in the Sunset Top Tourist Park. At arrival we were greeted at a distance by the masked owner. Having had Christmas in Townsville she’d been unluckily marked a casual contact of a covid case and was well, but running the park from relative isolation until testing centres reopened after the public holidays. She kindly told us to set up anywhere and come down in the morning to sort out the fee with another employee. So we set up, had a good play in the playground, kicked the soccer ball around and watched the resident chickens, ducks and geese strut through the park.

Armed with local knowledge from an old workmate of Kat’s who was training in the area, (actually, Katie, who we ran into last adventure at Hell’s Gate!) we decided on dinner in town. But were foiled by public holiday closures! Pizza Hut came to the rescue and we ate back in the camp kitchen, before a relatively easy bedtime given these kids had slept all day in the car!

Day : 7 & 8

Location : Georgetown, Kurtjar country & Karumba, Kuthant country.

Kms travelled : 314  & 377

It was a rough night in our tent, with two unsettled kids, but fortunately for the other campers the heavy rain would have drowned out the sound of wailing. We survived the wee hours by taking turns to pat tiny bottoms, then managed to score a sleep in to 6:45am, assisted by a later sunrise through clouds.

Both kiddies were great through a soggy pack up. Henry’s eye looked decidedly less gross and he happily watched events from his bouncy chair until he deemed it time for a nap, preferring to move to the baby carrier. Roly played with an assortment of his new toys, and rode his balance bike around the park, getting quite a bit of speed up and doing a great job lifting his feet. We toured the creek bed behind the campsite, but didn’t spot any water or animals.

We waved goodbye to the Canadian family of 7 camped on one side and the old lady at a permanent site on the other, grabbed our frozen drink bottles from the camp kitchen (luxury!) and carried on. Today we start the Savannah Way. This 3700km stretch of road actually links Cairns to Broome,

Just out of Atherton we drove past a wind farm. Impressive in size so close to the road, and actually quite lovely set amongst the hills. Apparently there’s been some controversy about them here (as everywhere), about the land cleared to place them. We didn’t really do our research on this any further.

We stopped for a comfort break at Innot. Didn’t venture to the hot springs, as they’re contained within the caravan park and look from the photos just a series of definitely man-made pools. Not super tempting, even if they do bost healing powers. The public toilets just happened to be next to a pretty excellent playground, with climbing frame and fire truck. Roly was way into it, getting quite creative in his imaginative play. Henry chuckled watching along as Sam got roped into the story.

We drove along a little further, and eventually grumbling tummies told us it was time for a roadside lunch stop. We pulled off to an open spot along the highway, where Roly found a pile of sand and promptly dived right in. He dug holes and filled his boots and had such a good time it almost made structured playgrounds redundant. We ate the fresh young coconut we’d picked up at the stall just out of big crystal creek, coffee and chicken noodles. A bit overcast, but with UV index 14 we tried to create some shade, especially for the smallest one.

We found a lot closed for the wet. Even the Undara lava tubes resort was shut, although they were apparently still running tours. I’m sure Roly would have found it interesting, but probably more so when he’s older. We passed the turn off to Tallaroo Hot Springs, unfortunately closed, but would have been a great spot by all accounts. Indigenous run and with a tour that gets raved about. Next time.

Wiki camps suggested there wasn’t much else by way of camp spots before Georgetown. Routh creek and a few statins all closed too. We passed a track up to a lookout just east, which may have been nice, albeit exposed, definitely worth a look if we’re traveling the area again in the future because the view over the grassy plains would probably be amazing. A few very  heavy but short downpours of rain along the road turned us off it a bit this time. The route was spectacular. Just approaching the start of the proper wet season, what rain had been had brought the place to life. Greenery sprouted from roadside puddles. Creeks began to carve through dry beds with the floodplains they fill at their height evident and very impressive.

We pulled into Georgetown’s Goldfields Caravan Park in a light drizzle. Set up camp while Roly rode his bike around and drenched himself further under an overflowing gutter, calling it a shower. Seeing two little kids, the caretakers offered us a cabin for the price of our powered tent site ($25, cash only), but we were happy enough in our usual digs. Walked a few minutes around town to get some milk (they only had long life) and look at the information signs (not much to mention outside the usual). A tidy little place, with it’s name impressively signed on the grass on entry but the usual array of closed or run down shops we’re finding typical for this time of year.

Camp chef Sam (and camp heavy lifter, camp setter upperer etc) cooked a pork and fennel sausage tomato pasta and we all took a hot shower to wash the dirt of the day off. It was hot and steamy in the neat and new amenities block, so outside felt almost cool when you stepped out. Roly was asleep fairly easily, but Henry played saddest-baby-in-the-world-TM, preferring to sleep only in someone’s arms for the first part of the night. Thinking perhaps his gritty eyes may have been upsetting him we offered Panadol only to have it spat back at us. When he did manage to get put down the tension was like diffusing a bomb before it exploded.

Fortunately everyone slept fairly well with the sound of rain on the tent roof. Pack up was much the same as set up. Roly occupying himself well. Henry wanting to be held. The drive towards Normanton was no less impressive than the other side of Georgetown. In fact, probably more green, and with a wide array of birdlife. Grazing cattle barely noticed us as one of only a few vehicles on the road (who else travels this far north this time of year?), and small wallabies hopped nearby.

We stopped in Normanton with the intention of getting a GP eye cast over Henry and perhaps some fresh antibiotic drops, but being the public holidays between Christmas and New Year even the shed/pharmacy was closed. We grabbed some bread from the little store (made in Ravenshoe, but somehow still soft and fresh) and had lunch in the park by a statue of Krys the Crocodile. According to the plaque (and now to Roly who knows it by heart), Krys was an 8.63m long, 2 tonne monster who lived in the Normanton river until he met his end at the hands of a (lady) crocodile hunter in 1957. One of the largest recorded salties in the world.

We continued on 45minutes to the coast at Karumba. A lot more going on than Normanton, even with a lot closed for the wet. Must be a packed fishing mecca in peak season. Checked in at the Karumba Point Sunset Caravan Park (chosen exclusively because of its proximity to the pub), chucked on a load of washing and jumped in the pool.  These kids are mad for water! Talked to a nice family holidaying from Atherton, the only other people in the park! Wildlife was abundant even inside the campground, with a wandering Brolga, a cheeky wallaby and an array of bugs and other birds. It was overcast, but no suggestion of rain per the owner.

We wandered the 400m to the Sunset Tavern for dinner. Right on the water it boasted fresh seafood. But with SA prawns, NZ oysters and no mudcrab (Kat could have cried) we settled on some local Barra (Roly included). There were a few local kids around, playing on scooters or getting a little too close to water’s edge for us (we’re in croc territory!). Roly shared his toy cars and it was nice to have him play with someone other than us!

Day : 6

Location : Atherton, Djirbalngan country

Kms travelled : 0

Merry Christmas!

We had somewhat romanticised the idea of a little camping Christmas, and what we actually experienced was a kind of chaos that told us a 1:1 parent:child ratio is about all we can handle, and reminded us of the practical aspects of a big family Christmas (like how lots of other people means more hands to play with kids and get stuff done). Still, we tried to create a bit of festivity about the day, so it wasn’t just the same old thing at camp.

We woke to a sunny but not-yet-too-hot day at the respectable hour of 6:30am. Roly opened both his and Henry’s stockings, and marvelled at two presents under our tiny tree that had not been there when he went to bed. Just as he’d requested, Santa had bought Roly a racing car. Lime green, with sick 80s rock music and the ability to pop a wheelie, this was a hit. Henry’s favourite was a toy banana with lots to chew and a jingly noise, found in his stocking. Henry also got the gift of conjunctivitis, probably from his brother, poor love.

To give the day some structure and tradition, we found the local Uniting Church was doing its service at 8am and went along. Due to general faff and an unfortunate pants incident, we made the second half only (Roly in a t-shirt and undies with all other clothes back at camp, refusing to wear Henry’s shorts, even though they did fit). It was a multicultural mix of parishioners, everyone friendly and taken with our blue eyed boys.

We grabbed a Macca’s coffee (I hope not a new Christmas tradition) and headed back to open the rest of the presents. We’d lugged along a bag of some gifts to make a bit of fanfare, but honestly Roly was a bit overwhelmed at volume, especially opening his and Henry’s presents. Then Roly tried out his new toys and Sam got started on lunch and inbetween Kat did a fairly un-Christmas-y but very much necessary load of washing. We video called both families back home, and could almost feel we were there.

Lunch was served in the camp kitchen, nicely decorated with fairy lights. A delicious lamb pot roast with veges and gravy. Prawns, of course, for Kat, who was delighted that Roly enjoyed a few too (although his peeling skills need some work). A glass of wine for the grown ups (gifted from Ellie and Pat for our wedding, we deemed this a suitable occasion for its opening) and a small ginger beer for Roly. Henry enjoyed his usual milk, although did some good lip smacking so might be starting to show some interest in real food.

Just as we finished the wash up we were reminded of our tropical location by a storm rolling through. Washing was hastily thrown in the drier and children into the tent. We read some of the new Christmas books and Roly, Henry and Kat had the traditional post lunch nap. Waking satisfied we took laps of the park, Roly continuing to show off his balance bike skills with a ‘big boy bike’ on request for his birthday. And we had a late afternoon dip in the pool (a ‘Christmas Swim’ – thanks Bluey). Unfortunately there weren’t any other ‘little kids’ around camp for Roly to play with, we had really hoped to find some friends!

Dinner was leftovers (another Christmas tradition), some sliced ham off the bone (we couldn’t find a whole one small enough to slice up ourselves) and a quarter of a supermarket pavlova we decorated with fruits from the roadside stall at Big Crystal Creek. And custard of course.

Children overstimulated and wild, we convinced them into the tent, read the Christmas books about a thousand more times, and abandoned our plans for an adults only gin and chocolate evening in favour of bed ourselves.

Day : 4 & 5

Location : Big Crystal Creek, Nyawaygi country & Atherton, Djirbalngan country

Kms travelled : 367 & 288

Roly woke everyone up at 5am (seriously, probably everyone in the caravan park) and could only be convinced to stay in the tent for another half hour, re-reading Fire Truck Santa, a holiday fave. Sam took the hit and got up, and he and Roly went for look at the boats in the marina. (Took a wrong turn and didn’t actually get there but that’s kind of irrelevant, achieved intended purpose of getting wild toddler out).

Back at camp Kat started the pack up. Putting Henry in his bouncy seat, she returned to find him in a swarm of bugs #midgiemagnet. So the baby remained in the tent a little longer. He wasn’t happy about it, so productivity was quite low. On return of the other two we had a light brekky of fruit salad (including a delicious tiny pineapple from the fruit market in Bundy), and decided on another dip at the lagoon before hitting the road again.

One bush wee later and we stopped for lunch in Ayr at the Plantation Nature Playground. Ripper spot! Roly splashed and climbed and yelled lots of “Look at me mum! Look at me dad!”. Hen practiced his rolling, still working on getting that pesky bottom arm out of the way to go back to front but getting close. In true Crawley style he prefers to attempt rolls on the highest possible surface. While Sam made toasted sandwiches for lunch, Roly chased ibis through the park and came back with green ants quite literally in his pants. Upon hearing you could eat them, he promptly put one whole in his gob, and told us it bit his tongue. After instruction to only nibble the green abdomen he told us it tasted like lemon (did he realise that himself or had he heard someone say it earlier?)

Sam’s (and by extention, Roly’s) childhood hero introduced them to the concept of eating green ants on his tv show. Found in the NT and far north Qld, they’re eaten as we describe above, and the aboriginal people used to pound and mix the ants and larvae into a drink to relieve colds, headaches and sore throats.

On the road again we admired how green and lush everything is, and Roly tried out his new headphones, saving the rest of us from the Wiggles Christmas album.

We made a very hot stop in Townsville for a head torch. Sam’s is almost certainly somewhere in this vehicle, but we can’t for the life of us find it. Churches Disposal as recommended by Taz, Sam wanting to visit the right store, anything other than BCF basically. Being an army town could only get one in tactical camo green. Serendipitously this was up the road from a seafood shop with a line that could only suggest decent wares – so we filled the last of the fridge space with prawns (for Kat, and Roly if she can convince him) for Christmas Day. Also enjoyed a little air con at Big W for some extra toddler size underpants – toilet training on big drives is tricky!

Just an hour north we made camp at our first bush camp of the trip, Big Crystal Creek in the Paluma Range National Park. Now this is what we’re more used to! Great shady sites for your standard $10 or $15 a night, luxury of flushing toilets and cold showers and a swimming hole 100m down the track. We didn’t even set up camp before heading for a dip. Walking across the campsite we encountered a cacophony of cicada song. They must have been concentrated in one area, because it was almost like walking through an arch of sound at one point along the path. It was so loud it was almost painful. The swim was glorious. Roly and Henry again showed they might be water babes afterall. Probably helped that the water was about 27 degrees. A few other families by the water and at the campsite, which was nice, as I’m sure at peak times it can fill up with your more bogan clientele.

It was bloody hot. But the mossies and march flies were out in force, so we all forced ourselves into long sleeves and pants. Roly made a friend in 4yo Evelyn at a neighbouring camp, and the two made sure our camps were safe from the roving bush turkeys. As the sun went down Sam took the enthusiastic little pair for a walk around hunting for possums with their torches. Hard to know if they spotted one, probably too noisy to encourage them out!

It was still 30 degrees when we climbed into the tent. Henry changed into short pajamas, but Roly could not be convinced, and was restless and upset for the first few hours even with our Ryobi battery operated fan blowing. (Incidentally, we only used it once on our last big trip, on a stinking hot day in Katherine NT). Eventually the relative cool of night arrived and we all slept a lot more comfortably. Fan on, of course.

We woke to cicada song, signalling it must be already above 20 degrees. Again we prioritised a swim after breakfast, driving 2km up from the campsite to the natural rock slides. With small children, we didn’t climb to the top where I’m sure they were more impressive, but where we did stop we had the pool to ourselves. Roly and Sam slid down some smaller slides and under a little waterfall, while Hen took his second breakfast toes dipped in the creek. A few floating but unreachable beer cans were evidence of usual bogan behaviour, sadly.

We waved goodbye to Evelyn and her family, hoping to meet other little friends along the road (and wouldn’t say no to some grown ups too, we’re probably going to get sick of each other at some point!). Continuing north we stopped at a roadside farm shop, where 4 tween kids followed their eccentric grandma on a buggy, stocking the place with pineapples, paw paws and honey. We filled a bag with fruits for the trip. And stopped to stretch our legs in Tully, climbing the big gumboot and having a little play in the shade.

It wasn’t much further to Atherton, turning off before meeting the metropolis (and covid cluster) of Cairns. We stopped in a hurry for an urgent toilet training bush wee, and all enthusiastically high fived it’s success (oh how life has changed).

We’d booked the NRMA caravan park owing to great reviews on WikiCamps. Lovely service on check in and a pretty setting amongst lots of mature trees. The creek running behind the campsite was currently dry, probably a blessing given how delicious these kids are to mosquitoes. A quick set up and we braved the town for a last minute pre-Christmas grocery shop. No camp fires at the caravan park unfortunately, so we had to amend our menu plans. The IGA sorted us out in civilised fashion with good mask and distancing compliance. Then a quick dash to Gallo’s Dairyland for some local cheese and chocolate before they shut for the holidays.

Back at camp we hit the pool, Roly leaping off the side without hesitation (and without the degree of consideration for water safety Kat would like). We did “one more, no more” about a million times, before drying off and joining a few other park patrons at the cabana for some live music and nibbles. Cracked open our newly acquired cheese stash for the occasion. Henry charmed the (very small) crowd by singing along loudly. We cooked up the fish we bought in Townsville as yummy tacos, then wrangled a tantruming toddler to bed, without much fanfare for Christmas Eve.

Day : 2 & 3

Location : Rockhampton, Darumbal country & Airlie Beach, Giya country

Kms travelled : 314 & 480

Well, Henry’s first night in a tent was a success. Roly struggled to get back into the swing of things, (too excited perhaps?) and spent the night with his legs draped across one of his parents or pulling Kat’s hair. So a less pleasant night for the grown ups. Still, we woke at the usual 5:30am, and surrounded by Grey Nomads and itinerant workers we actually weren’t the first to emerge. Roly hit the playground again and dipped his feet (actually up to his belly button, fully clothed) in the pool. Henry caught a few more minutes of sleep during pack up.

Our lack of time to prepare before departure meant we found a few little things needing fixing. The guys at Stubbs Engineering welded a little crack in the trailer roof racks, and we fixed a slow leak in a tyre. We also sorted out the power situation to the camping fridge so the beers are kept cold. Excellent service given we’re so close to Christmas and everyone’s busy!

A quick grocery run to stock up on fresh fruit and veg and it was already lunchtime, much to Sam’s dismay (there’s no getting on the road early with kids it seems!). We got some sausage rolls and Bundaberg Ginger Beers and took to the banks of the Burnett River. Roly had a play at the shady playground and chased the ibis (one of his favourite pastimes) while Henry enjoyed a flap on the grass (on a mat, but still nibbled by ants! #insectmagnet). The river and it’s bridges are actually quite beautiful, and well worth a stop if you’re looking to burn some kids energy like us!

We continued north. A quick fuel stop at Rosedale, where the shop still had video tapes for rent(!), then we found ourselves in a spot of traffic, just an hour or so behind a significant traffic accident near Bajool. What should have been a 3hr drive then took over 4hrs. We pulled just to the side as traffic slowly moved by for a change-and-feed, and Roly took a perch on the trailer to wave at passing trucks. He even got a beep or two! He told us how it filled the buckets (of the truck drivers) for him to wave, he’s really taken with that concept.

We crossed our fingers to make up a little time and pull into our next stop before sundown, because we booked into a caravan park with a water park, and we’d told Roly it was coming.

From the minute we said “water park”, Roly could not stop mentioning it. He was elated when we pulled into the Discovery Park Rockhampton ($40/night) and there it was waiting, right out front. He couldn’t wait to get in, so Kat ditched Sam with the set up and took both boys to play. Roly was a bit intimidated by the dumping bucket and windy water slide, but loved running through the sprinklers and splashing in the manufactured river bed. Even Henry had a great time, squealing with delight strapped to Kat in the baby carrier, watching the big kids and getting a little splash here and there.

Sam wandered down a little later with drinks and snacks, and got roped into sliding down the small water slide, fully clothed. We only wrangled a blue-lipped and shivering Roly back to camp when the water spray got turned off at sundown. Cooked a quick risotto for dinner while Henry got a bath in the camp baby room (Roly got let off given he’d been washed well enough earlier so took a few laps on his bike around the camp kitchen and made eyes at the girl two camps down).

We found our travel library, so with a very much later than usual bedtime and a few stories, three Crawleys were asleep – leaving Sam once again to the busy work packing up the camp for the night.

It was a much better night for all in the Oz Tent and we woke relatively refreshed to the sounds of magpies warbling, a baby chirping and a toddler chatting. First order of business after breakfast was the playground and jumping pillow. We skipped a morning sesh in the water park in favour of a relatively early departure (8am).

We detoured off the highway at Clairview. We’d hoped to make it there to camp the previous night but it was just that little bit too far. A shame really, because the campsites lining the crystal blue beachfront looked amazing. We made a cup of camp coffee and had a snack, then took to the water for a dip amongst the mangroves. Some nearby backpackers dissolved from their awkward (for us, not them) long embrace to tell us there was a turtle around not far from the shore. Roly and Kat waded out in search of it, but didn’t spot it. The water at its shallowest was almost unpleasantly warm, so we walked 50m or so out to where it got a bit deeper and a little cool. Of course by the time we got back to the sand we were hot again! Roly collected some shells for his collection and we continued on our way.

We pulled off the road not far after to stealthily cut a bit of sugar cane to try. Roly enjoyed it much more than we thought, and keeps asking for another piece everytime we drive past a field! This region hosts 95% of the 380,000 odd hectares of sugarcane grown in Australia, which in turn is made into over 4 million tonnes of raw sugar! The maths on how that translates into bottles of Bundy rum got a little too complex, but the process is pretty interesting (for those of us who have visited a distillery or two in our day, so not Roly or Hen). They process the raw sugar into molasses, add yeast, ferment, and distil before allowing to mature 2 years before bottling. To really lock in that burny punchy flavour.

We stopped in Mackay for some supplies. And were super impressed with the mask wearing in North Qld! Roly wanted a turn on the motorbike out front of Coles, excited to see one not covered in tape rendering it out of action due to coronavirus, and Kat caved and forked out the $2. It hadn’t long stopped when a bloke walking by chucked another $2 in, with his kiddie asleep in the shopping trolley and missing out. We invited another passing kid to hop on, and then his Dad paid for another $2 ride! So Roly got 3 rides thanks to kindly strangers!

We set up for the night at Airlie Beach. Kat remembers staying here and popping over to the Whitsundays with her Nan some years ago. Could even see our little hotel room from the lagoon. Kat and Sam both remember it being a gross backpacker town, but with the current state of the world it was quite different. Definitely quieter, both in noise and population. More older people and families and fewer rowdy youths. We set up camp quickly and headed to the Lagoon. Roly was a huge fan (as was Henry actually!). Cool enough water for a refreshing dip, hardly any people so plenty of space for a splash. Roly impressed his folks with dunking his head under water and taking little swims. Clearly swimming lessons back home we’re actually doing something! Kat and Sam agreed to bring the boys back when they’re older for a proper experience of the Great Barrier Reef.

We decided to allow ourselves the luxury of dinner out and Google told us The Deck just past the carpark was the place to go (of course our search terms now are ‘licenced’ and ‘kid friendly’). It did not disappoint. Kids menu with crayons and colouring in. Adult meals plated like a real restaurant. Stringent verification of check in and proof of vaccination. Great, attentive service. Would definitely recommend even to the traveller unencumbered by offspring.

We rolled sleeping children from their carseats into the tent and tidied up a few things before retiring ourselves, all tent flaps open to encourage any tiny breeze blowing our way.

Day : 1

Location : Bundaberg, Gureng Gureng Country

Kms travelled : 370

ScoMo Engadine Macca’s situations : 1

All four of us shattered from the past few weeks, we slept in until 6am (hey, that’s a sleep in when you’ve got kids). Sam put the finishing touches on the pool fence (Roly helping/hindering) while Kat grabbed together the loose odds and sods around the house (Henry helping/hindering). We packed stuff into every last space in the car and took one last dip in our much loved plunge pool. Of course we couldn’t leave without a trip to Bunnings, breakfast at our favourite local and getting some snacks from the corner store. We hope everyone remembers us when we return!

With the car loaded up reminiscent of The Beverly Hillbillies our first stop was the storage unit to offload some unnecessary items we’d forgotten previously. Our second stop was the obligatory road trip Macca’s lunch where Roly had a good time playing in the indoor playground, and Sam had a less good time cleaning Roly’s skidmarks off the slide.

We decided to put a few hours under our belt today, with Bundaberg the target. The boys travelled like champions. Henry was lulled to sleep by the dulcet tones of Roly singing Jingle Bells and Juicy Juicy Green Grass on repeat (oh how our travelling playlist has changed). Roly took interval breaks in his caroling to point out every piece of heavy machinery on route. We stopped only once for a change-and-feed by the side of the road, actually as demanded by the toilet training toddler.

We pulled into Bundaberg Park Village about 5:30pm, having called ahead for a late check in and getting some excellent customer service from the lady who was clearly busy in the office alone. Kat took Roly to check out the park playground (see our Instagram for a review) while while Sam hastily set up camp under Henry’s supervision. We raided the pantry box for a pasta and sauce dinner, padded out with frozen peas #gourmetcamping and took a bike tour of the park (well, Roly’s bike). Kat has fond memories of doing the same as a kid! In fact, with so many permanent residents there was quite a display of Christmas lights, much to Roly’s enjoyment. Henry took it all in, wide-eyed in the baby carrier frontways, munching on the edge like his brother before him.

Given our hasty, poorly organised packing earlier, we couldn’t find the enormous pile of books we bought (#grandsonofalibrarian) so Sam told a few stories of his days camping as a kid (mostly with the punchline “and I ate too much of that so now I don’t eat it anymore”) to put the littlest campers to sleep. Too tired to then consider repacking, Kat pottered around camp while Sam did a quick Bunnings dash for a few fix-it items. And we all climbed in to the tent for what we later realised was Henry’s first night camping! What a milestone!

So far we’re just enjoying the simple life on the road and the novelty of shared amenities (for Roly anyway).

So remember a few years back when I said the adventure wasn’t ending? Well, we’re back baby! And we’ve got another baby. So welcome to Roly’s Road Trip Part 2 ft. Henry : same thing, more stuff.

Remember too how last time we kicked the travel blog off with some preparation posts? Yeah, no time this time around. We’re already on the road. And it’s been a wild ride getting here (more on that to come). But, some things have changed, so let’s do some introductions.

The vehicle : 2002 Toyota Prado. A step down in luxurious comfort but a step up in remote location repair ability. 300,000 kms on the clock and a Stockman Pod trailer in tow. The other love of Sam’s life, bought for this trip but it’s already done six months hard labour renovating our house in Brisbane, carting gravel and visiting the tip 83 times. We crushed hard on one of these on the last trip. It was clearly meant to be because the bloke selling was ex-RAAF and Uncle Dennis just happened to be in the area (kind of) to cart it down after we bought it.

The crew : Sam – still intrepid, still the optimist, still the one with the practical skills to get this show on the road. Kat – still a worrier, still likes a plan and a list, reprising her previous role as milk factory. Roly – now nearly 3 years old, a force of nature, the comic relief, and master of tragedy. Henry – new player to the game, 5 months old as we begin this journey but we’ll be telling everyone 3 months by virtue of his early arrival and tiny-ness, anticipated to be taking over the roles of saddest-baby-in-the-world-TM and director of required stops.

The reason : we’re moving to Broome! If you’re an old subscriber to our shenanigans, you’ll remember how we were scoping out somewhere interesting to spend some time while the kidlets were little. Well, we loved Broome, and Kat called every year to express interest in a job and we finally pulled the trigger on a 2022 adventure! Timing nicely to finish Kat’s maternity leave after completing our family with tiny Henry, we decided to add to the adventure by driving ourselves across country (again). Of course this time its complicated not only by two children in the back, but by the coronavirus pandemic and border restrictions. In fact, our WA border pass was revoked the day we left our home, so as we write we don’t know what will happen next, a situation I think a lot of others have experienced! All we can do is head North-West and hope a contract with WA Health and a commitment to stay ‘rona free on the road grants us entry in due course.

Aren’t you renovating, you might say? Yes, yes we are. We’re leaving completion of our Brisbane home in the capable hands of Dave the Builder, with a trip from Grandpa and Grandma planned for a few weeks time to tie up loose ends and hopefully see the vision for our family home brought to life before we rent it out for another family to enjoy for a year.

But there aren’t any Super Hornets in Broome, you might also say? Yes, you are correct. By the good grace of the RAAF, 2022 will see Sam part time working remotely, part time stay at home dadding. (Ha! That autocorrected to ‘faffing’, make of it what you will).

So that’s us. And that’s where we’re at. Keep following for a tour of Aussie outback playgrounds, a little bit of humour and a whole lot of madness. And come visit us in Broome when we get there!

Day : 64 & 65

Location : Miles, Barrungam country, Bunya Mountains, Waka Waka country

Kms travelled : *shrugs*

Our trip is ending…

It was another chilly night, so we warmed up with the leftover damper and a coffee at the cafe before continuing on.

With a keen interest in the sculpture work seen around the camp at Morven, we set about finding a piece for ourselves. Kylie had suggested they were made by a fellow local to Chinchilla, but was unsure of the name and with this piece of information we picked up the trail. When passing Chinchilla we popped by the only gallery in town – closed, but with a contact number for the curator if interested during normal hours but unattended. We called and talked to Helen, who unfortunately couldn’t tell us who we were looking for. For a last effort, we stopped by a garden store. By showing a picture to the staff of what we were looking for, Sam was rewarded with the direct phone number of the bloke that makes them! We called, but he didn’t have any of what we liked and thus our search ended. We kept his details for future in case we were in Chinchilla again or bit the bullet to have something commissioned.

Then, with no particular destination for the day in mind, we stopped in Roma for a look and Miles for a free look at the Heritage Museum given it was close to closing time. A cute little mock village, it could be a nice spot to explore with a bit more time.

We stayed at Columboola Country, a bush camp not far out of town. With simple amenities and lots of space, this spot is also promoted as a Veterans retreat. The camp host of five years was himself an ex RAAF medic, creating a space for other vets to relax in peace and quiet. We even got a 25% discount on our stay thanks to Sam’s vocation.

With days blurring together, we nearly forgot this milestone!

We cooked a luxury meal of steak and veg on the fire, surrounded by the various doggos of other campers and the hosts, all looking at us with big eyes in the hopes of a scrap.

The next day we realised we were practically home. After lunch in the park at Dalby, we decided to slow things down with a route via the Bunya Mountains.

Among beautiful scenery at the Burton’s Well campground we toasted our last night on the road (kind of) with a mug of red wine and a easy one pot pasta.

…

With the car not quite up to anything too adventurous, we decided to wrap up our rotation early and use the extra time to take the little man to see his grandparents. With plans for a trip to the snow and the coast, rest assured the adventure isn’t ending. (it probably never will with these boys)

Day : 62 & 63

Location : Tambo, Dharawala country & Morven, Gungarri country

Kms travelled : don’t know, don’t really care

On the way out of town this morning we visited the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame. A very interesting exhibition with a big focus on the contribution on Aboriginal stockmen through the ages and an interactive display about the Royal Flying Doctor Service. We weren’t there long enough to see the stockman horse show, but it is apparently pretty impressive.

It was nice to then drive through green countryside, with the effects of the earlier cyclonic rains still visible. The flip side is the plague of flies that follows, and they were pretty thick at our next roadside change&feed.

(get me outta this net!)

As we came through Tambo, Kat was struck by how cute and well presented the town was, so we decided to stop for the night. We set up at the free camp by the river, a lovely bush setting, and wandered in to town for a look.

At the library we took advantage of the book exchange. We made a purchase at Tambo Teddies (Sam didn’t know what these were! Kat recalls their signature flat ‘bikkie bear’).

(one bear pls)

We had a look in the art gallery and bought some milk and bread at the grocery store. The hardware-come-all purpose store was closing down, so we had a stickybeak there too. Came away with a bread knife, a indoor / outdoor thermometer, some hose connectors and nearly a UHF radio (but decided against it because we were nearly home and didn’t have too many grey nomads to eavesdrop on).

We’d heard word of Chicken Races at the pub, so hung about in town until the big event. Run every night May to September by the new publican, patrons get to bid on the racing chooks and take home half the pot if their bird wins (the other half goes to the RFDS). The chooks are ever so faintly dyed colours (we’re assured of no animal cruelty) to tell them apart and chase a remote control car with worms dropping out the back around a loop track. We dropped $5 on Bluey (full blue) and $35 on Frankenhen (bottom half green). Unfortunately neither of our ladies came out on top (Frankenhen nabbed a close third), but it was good fun anyway. We may have been the loudest cheerers. Ben, the publican, made a great show of it and had endless poultry puns on hand.

Afterwards we stayed for a pub dinner and chatted to the owners (and cuddled their pet lambs) and to a lovely fancy couple who later left in a Porsche.

After another cold night in the tent we had a hot breakfast in town at Fanny Mae’s, where patrons are allowed a free shower with purchase (clearly onto the free camp market).

Continuing on, we passed through Kat’s old haunt of Augathella (it had not changed) and onto Morven where we again followed the signs to coffee. A lovely eclectic sculptors workshop, with coffee van in old slaughterhouse (so aptly named “kill for a cuppa”), we sat by the fire and sampled a selection of home made cookies. Enjoying the warmth, we decided to stay the night at their adjacent bush camp, seeing as we had nowhere to be in a hurry.

We set up as the only campers at Gidgie’s Bush Camp near the lovely grassy space and camp kitchen and got a fire going. Roly had a flap on the grass while we read our books, and we later took a walk around camp to admire the sculptures. They also run a business making waterproof bags called Gidgie Smith (very cool, but Kat wasn’t allowed to buy one because there was no space in the car apparently).

Kylie the owner came out for a chat around the fire in the evening, and we sussed out where we might find some of the art for our own garden. We cooked a damper, and a camp oven butter chicken, and enjoyed the view of the stars into the evening.

Quote of the day : “I’ve come to the conclusion that fancy country people only get cold on their chests” – Sam, on the high proportion of people in puffer vests in Longreach

Day : 59, 60, 61

Location : Cloncurry, Wunumara country, Winton, Guwa country, Longreach, Iningai country

Kms travelled : dunno, it’s anyone’s guess right now, maybe 500, 400, 180?

We woke to a beautiful pink sunrise, and after brekky found Katie and crew. Roly was passed around the circle of Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics for cuddles and charmed them with his blue eyes even though he was ready for a nap and wasn’t feeling smiley.

From there we drove. Highway. Listened to some podcasts. We stopped just north of Cloncurry at a roadside stop. Close to the road, but with no cars passing you might not know it with its little bush setting. There were a few caravans already set up (standard), but we nabbed a flat spot with a fire pit and cooked a kangaroo casserole in the camp oven.

Come morning Sam rang the good blokes at Knight’s House of Rover who know the disco well. With no quick fixes in mind from the experts we decided to push home, on tarmac only. We’d missed Lawn Hill / Boodjamulla NP, and now we’d miss Birdsville. We’ll just have to do a dedicated Western QLD trip in the future.

Not far from Hells Gate we stopped at Gregory River where we found a sweet little cafe and store (we can’t remember the name and its not Google-able, but opposite the pub near the bridge if you’re ever there!). Chatted to a few people free camped by the river for several weeks, and Sam gave the French kid working the pub done tips for an Aussie road trip (like carry spare fuel, good luck kid).

We continued on the highway. Stopping at Cloncurry for a pie at the bakery and eventually for the night at Winton. The Winton Hotel is one of many rural pubs offering camping. Their spot behind the building has the old train line running through it, so Jo the manager tells us they can’t charge to stay. Instead, they take $5 per person and donate it to a range of causes. They mix it up every $500 – the last lot going to Ringers Riding for a Cure, a bunch of dude’s riding Bedourie to Birdsville on horseback to raise money for cancer research.

As soon as we pulled up to our spot we heard a hiss of air from the back left tyre. With a chunk taken out of the side wall since the Kimberley, it had finally let go. First flat of the trip! Yet again adopting Gender Stereotypes, Sam changed it out for the spare on the roof while Kat put on some washing (Roly back in a cloth bum after a few days in ‘sposies with his first real bout of nappy rash). We took the disco up to Winton Automotive Repairs, where the bloke kindly used his $8000 fault reader (suprise suprise our $40 one couldn’t tell us what’s up) to check what was wrong – and confirmed an issue with the front right hand wheel speed sensor. Unfortunately with no relevant parts anywhere in town, there was no fixing to be done, but at least we now we knew it was a pretty minor thing. We popped in too to Tuff Tyres, but the flat was beyond repair. Down to one spare (and its under the car and a hassle to get at so fingers crossed!).

Back at the hotel we enjoyed a happy hour beer as the earth turned away from the part of the sky that the sun is in, and laughed at the irony that for parents of young children that hour is unlikely to be a happy one. We had dinner at the pub restaurant (because we just can’t resist!) where there was an epic vege bar to accompany our meals. Shared a table with a fairly fancy couple from Gloucester, more doting grandparents missing their grandies (yes we are bringing Roly to see his doting grandparents soon!)

It was a chilly night, with all three of us eventually tucked in together (the baby is a bed hog, we finally understand the ‘there were three in the bed and the little one said roll over’ song).

We woke the next day and the family next door let us know the back right tyre was flat! What bad luck! It appeared a slow leak so we pumped it up and dropped the car at Tuff Tyres for the bloke to have a look between jobs and sought brekky in town. Had a bit of a disappointing meal at the Musical Fence Cafe, and got a call about the tyre – turns out it was a cracked rim and the tyre was ok. While old mate tyre guy swapped the wheel for the one on the roof and put the good tyre on it (so we’ve still got one spare – winning!) we took a wander through town.

Kat had to get money out at the bank over the counter (no ATM, like the old days) to buy up big at the craft store (awesome knitted sweater for $25!) and we looked through the attached museum (an interesting mix of dinosaurs and shearers).

(all the bins in Winton are dino feet)

Next we toured the Waltzing Matilda Centre. Destroyed by fire in 2015, this museum dedicated to the song (lyrics by Banjo Patterson) reopened in 2018 and was an audio-visual spectacular. Fancy headsets linked to markers across the ceiling played yarns by Winton locals as you explored the exhibit. There’s also a great collection of antique motors, tools and household and medical equipment.

The car was ready by then (old mate had to get the keys from inside, unlock the spare on the roof, remove the faulty wheel, change the tyre over and put it all back on – any only charged us $25 for the hassle) so we packed up, and headed off.

With the baby asleep within minutes, we had to have an adults-only play on the musical fence on our way out of town. Check out Gotye’s tune Eyes Wide Open for a professional play of the bits and bobs. We didn’t visit the dinosaur tracks this time, Winton would be a great place to come back with older kiddies.

With no massive distances ahead of us now, we were soon in Longreach after only one roadside stop for a change&feed. Grabbed a few groceries and had some potato and leek soup at The Station Store where we met a local lady who recommended camping by the Barcoo River, just pay $3 at the visitor centre.

We decided to see the Qantas Founders Museum with our remaining afternoon hours. $55pp got us access to both it and the Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame, although didn’t include a look around the planes on display outside (a 747, 707 and a Connie). Another well done exhibition, we marvelled at the shenanigans of Fysh and McGinness, including having driven from Longreach to Darwin in a Model T Ford in 1919 (its a roundabout story to Qantas as we know it today, but a good one). Sam was a little disappointed there aren’t any adventures like that left for him to embark on.

We then made our way to the riverside camp and found every caravanner within a 50km radius had done the same. It was packed! Lots of space though, so we found our own spot and took the obligatory sundown lap with the grizzle baby. Lots of interesting folk about. We chatted to a bloke on the road with his pet cockatoo Laurie (travelling dogs we’ve seen, but never a bird!) and a few people with doggos (including a cold looking whippet in a wooly coat). Saw a few other mad people with babies (although none quite so mad as to be in a tent) and watched some stray chooks peck and scratch around the caravans.

Dinner was a plant mince spag bol with high fibre pasta (#loweruppermiddleclassguilt) and we snuggled in for another cold night.