28 July 2009

From Pauline

The next weekly post, only 14 days after the first one! Hmm. We are almost ready to go. The preparation has involved pruning the garden, several farewell soires, writing of instructions for house-minders, purchase of an EPIRB (we need it for the boat anyway), plus 2 way radios, with instructions in faux English, so that we can keep in touch through the clouds of red dust on the back roads, a fly proof instant tent for fly and moth free meals, (winter nights begin at 6pm and if you put up a light those critters come from everywhere and dive-bomb your tucker), purchase of a nice pair of binoculars for ME with my farewell voucher from work mates, a new cast iron camp pot because I left the last one out in the rain for 2 winters and it is 100% rust, and so on.

We spent a few hours with our unit tenant last weekend and noticed her son had a bad cough. Now we hear that he has swine flu....I have to go there tomorrow to plant a red cap gum tree in the back yard....remember to hold breath and keep it brief.

Must remember to take passports and soft gear bags (no room for suitacases in Rita) as we will side trip to NZ to hug the Boisverts. I have been told off for packing too many CDs, no names mentioned.

We have just learned that when we pass through Aboriginal communities we are not allowed to carry grog, so what was supposed to be a week or so of "having a good look round" is now going to be a DASH! Should do the 1700 kms to Alice in 2 or 3 days!

I've got my flute and so far can play a scale, not sure which one because my piano is so out of tune! John has his guitar and has been working laboriously on Hey Jude.

Our travelling partners are Barbara Manson, sailor, and Peter and Diane McDermott, sailors, whose fence blew down in a storm last week, so our departure is delayed till Friday 30th.

More later

Dilleys On The Road

14 July 2009

Our beloved campervan Rita, also known intimately by Huw and Brooke, Kathy and Mark, and Stuart and Julia, has been overhauled, re-hosed, polished, fitted with new 2nd spare wheel, and is so excited that she is suffering tachycardia at the thought of her impending trip. We fortunates have been allowed to go with her.

Rita is a Japanese imported Toyota Hiace campervan, automatic diesel with electric eat your heart out windows, purchased from our very special friend Rita F (hence the name) 3 years ago. It was only because she was so special that Pauline relinquished her Toyota corolla sedan of 10 years. Rita F did a wonderful job of fitting her out and making a really comfortable travelling home, albeit without shower and toilet, but where we go it doesn't matter.

To date Rita has taken us to the Pilbara several times (WA North West iron ore country) has taken us acros the legendary Yardie Creek 4 times, one of those times through sea water, through the goldfields of WA, across the Nullarbor Plain to Victoria and Tasmania (and back) and has helped us to push our fear boundaries further and further back into the bush.

Now its time for a bigger adventure..from Shoalwater to Kalgoorlie to Laverton, where we must register with the Police and obtain a permit to enter Aboriginal territory before we launch ourselves onto the Great Central Road, a major unsealed road more popularly known as Australia's Longest Shortcut, to Cairns, way up on the East coast of Queensland, via Alice Springs and Winton, where dinosaur remains have just been discovered.

Our travelling companions are Peter and Diane McDermott (our sailing partners of many years) in their Toyota Commuter campervan, and Barbara Manson, (a fellow sailor of West Australian Multihull Association days) in her Toyota Troopie. The plan is to reach Cairns, head south, hire a catamaran and sail the Whitsundays, continue south, exploring everything along the way, hop to NZ in October for Mark's birthday and squeeze the grandkids, and head home for November.

We obtain access to retirement fund on the 15th, I retire on July 17th, Peter retires on July 24th and we all leave on the 29th. But first the house and garden has to be made ready for a 3 month absence.