ARE WE THERE YET?

I estimate that my two sisters, Colleen, Sharryn and I are somewhere between Esperance and Gracetown by the time this article goes to print and from the looks we have been getting from the locals across the country, the new truck camper certainly stands out. When the young bloke at the NSW/SA quarantine station collected our fruit and vegetable supply from us, he just had to climb the rear stairwell and step inside to check it out. Reckoned he had never seen one like it before, so I guess that was a positive. For those who have bought new caravans or campers before, there are of course lots of gadgets to check out and this ‘Aussie Base Station’ is the full inspector gadget for sure. We are gradually working our way through sorting these, but as for comfort, storage, layout and sleeping arrangements, we are styling!

Colleen and Sharryn have been great company and the way we all like to ‘flap our gums’, means there is absolutely no chance of falling asleep at the wheel. They are constantly quizzed by me as they check out the maps- how far to the next town? what is the name of that mountain range? does that next rest area have a fireplace? what is that station name? and so it goes on. I quote directly from one of Sharryn’s facebook comments-“Day 3- Cobar. Seen Warren, Nyngan, solar plant at Nevertire. Highlights-showering outside in open, sunset dinners, using colourful language with NO swear jar ( ! ), taking bets on local facts, reading maps and having geography lessons to find best camp spots, defrosting gourmet meals I prepared earlier… asking probing questions re life and love….Are we there yet?” From the attached photo, they are certainly making their presence felt on the landscape.

Since that post, we have also had a lovely outside fire on an isolated campsite between Wilcannia and Broken Hill, but just as we were planning the next evenings’ adventure, the wind started to increase. Considering the rig is over four metres high, strong winds are not your best friend. A quick check on the radio and were soon advised of a catastrophic fire warning with 90kmh+ wind gusts on the way. So as I write this article we have pulled into a caravan park at Orroroo, plugged into mains power, filled the water tanks, completed some life admin and soon off to the pub for a beer with the locals.

Planning forward, other highlights will now be the Nullarbor Plain cliffs overlooking the ocean and hopefully a few days in Esperance to wash away the dust, as both sisters have not been there before. See you back in the deep south soon enough before Viv and I begin our annual north west work trip, starting in Port Hedland late April.