The day was early, 5:30 early on the 19th of December 2015 and there’s already a text on my iPhone from my father, saying looking forward to see you_____Dad, you knew the adventure was about to begin..
Day 1, The 80.5 kilometer trip to the Gold Coast by train to meet and hug the parents for the first time in months. The first stop was a stones thru Coolangatta to show the locals our body surfing skills, clear blue water & getting some sun rays, then lunch at Grilled to re-energize, then a quick 275km, 3 hours drive home to an known hiding away Ashby to feed the wallabies that are waiting patiently for their dinner & to do a few donuts on the lawn mower ssshhh don't tell mum & dad that really didn’t happen or it maybe it did, and then it was our turn eating everything that couldn’t fit into the RV, We felt like kings, bellies full and unable to walk. So 6pm it was bed time well for someone of us, others a few hours later, but it only felt like seconds of sleep till the hustle and bustle of the rest of the packing I looked at my phone and it was worst than yesterday 5am, so that calls for pizza for breakfast? Yes I had pizza for breakfast....
So now we’re on Day 2 of the trip to Adelaide and I’ve already taken the wheel of this 5 ton vehicle. Ever balanced books on top of your head and tried to walk? Now times that by 50 books and run, this girl can sway, the perfect partner for the rumba. Tho we made it to Macksville other 196km for lunch saw a horse swim not breast stroke or butterfly but freestyle the style of being free and cold from the heat and lots of jet skiers on the Nambucca River, then it was on again another 240km’s further to Bulahdelah, So now it’s up to, time for crackers, cold beers, red wine and a set fishing line to bring in the night of day 2...
4 bass cast out in a secret location 791.5 kilometres and other full belly night to start my memoirs of the trip from Brisbane to Adelaide. Brings us to now... Till tomorrow..
Day 3... The 2st1 December 2015, a quick jump to singleton a 147.5km trek to catch up with close school friend, first it was to the Johns park to cool down away from the 38 degree heat and to do a little shopping, waiting for the perfect time to crack open that Moet and cheers to a long friendship, then it happen a school photo of us in year 2 in 1989 was posted on Facebook then it all took turn to laughing, we became bug buster, selfies with napkins as crowns, drawing on the restaurants tables, dancing in the rain and being referees to 2 little kittens, 3 Cabernets Sauvignon, 2 Champagnes and Sauvignon later it was that time we knew hangover train will be coming to the station, what a great night of catching up a friendship created over 30 years.. If you are reading this my friend, let’s not wait seven years again to catch up and laugh together, tho maybe wait a month or 2 for the hangover to subside...
Day 4.. Rain, Rain and more Rain, thought the RV will need to become a boat soon, from singleton, Denman, Merrier, and Dunedoo we needed to stop for a pie yet rain, all the way to Dubbo 313km of rainfall... But that wasn’t the end after a few selfies at the information centre check to see if nothing has floated off the RV we cruise to a town called the park, where an interstellar radio dish was in action picking up sounds wave from across the galaxy the place closes at 4:15pm we got there at 4:10 it was a quick selfies in front of it, the radio dish was featured in the movie called “The Dish”. Then now we set off to Forbes another 153.2km...... No RAIN!!! Couldn’t believe it now we have found a camp site on Forbes Lake, eating nachos and calling it a day to a movie...
Day 5.. The roads seem like they went straight for miles, well they were you could see the mirage up the road and if you look backwards it would look the same a mirage and a straight road from where we came, 1 tree everyone 30kms and a corner every 100kms not a hill in sight and you can forget traffic that’s if you didn’t call the tumble weeds as traffic. Tho you need to be careful driving you come off second best if you hit anything saw some vehicles totalled. Forbes to Hay was another 348kms, it’s a small town of 3,200 people just of the Murrumbidgee River, and after a quick swim we set up camp for a couple of nights on Sandy Point. This is when Dad goes right son we are turning you into a fisherman we are going to catch a Murray cod for breakfast. So we got a Vega cheese yep I’m fishing with cheese, we found this little spot on the river I throw out 25 mins pasted... I yelled got something dad, wind in and a small cod is on the line 38cm gave it a kiss and set it free (Murray Cod must be between 55cm and 75cm to keep), then dad yells out now I do now too winds in a 40cm carp well that won’t do, he says, so we throw out again hay dad my line is bent trying to touch my toes, I got this cod to the shore its looks into my eyes I stare back, then his off snaps the hook and frees himself (I am saying a good 100cm dad caught the whole action on my Go Pro, well back to the camp I go to get another hook and to catch him again, but I pull up a 57cm Murray cod instead for breakfast. Can’t complain still landed on the BBQ...
First sleep-in I’ve had, Day 6... Dad already out fishing to catch his cod and yet another carp, so we moved our chairs to the river, swam all day and fished for longer and watched the boats and the skies rides go up and down the river, However the only thing we caught was a lobster, well I was as red as one little too much sun.. As we didn’t move at all. We head back to the camp site should be time for dinner, it was 9:30pm the sun was still out and the moon, it’s like the sun forgets to set down here they are some long day.. However I got to setup the camera up and took 240 photos of the night sky ready to do a star trail image.
It’s Christmas morning on Day 7, first was the Christmas breakfast, bacon, eggs and some more Murray Cod and then it was decided to pack up and move onto green rivers but first we had a Christmas lunch with the locals at the Hays RSL club, meet some new people both their son and daughter are graphic artist and designers which was awesome to see had fun discussing in graphics and artwork, I’m always keen to see and meet new artists. Then it was time to put the wheels in motion and we set off to a place call Edwards River a 152kms trip from Hay latitude -35.819791035 longitude 144.9572230144, on our way dad needed to up his Emu sightseeing, his is winning by a long shot of 2, total for dad first sight 6 Emus, mum coming close with 2 and I’m sitting on 4 and a live kangaroo. So we found a great little spot of the river’s edge to set up camp, and took mum down the river to the BBQ area for dinner. That was the last photo my iPhone took, as when we were about to go back I launched the canoe down the cliff ridding while I in it, it all planned out well till I fell out still holding my phone throw it back to shore but it didn’t want to leave me and went for a long swim... now no phone & here’s a guy that requires to recharge at least 3 times a day and is glued to his hands, oh well.. Let’s rough this camping a little more...
I hope everyone got spoilt on Christmas day and fell their bellies and day to a merry sound of laughter, also happy birthday to one of my good mates. So now were at out 1,905.2kms mark from Brisbane to Adelaide and round 700kms to go...
I hope everyone got spoilt on Christmas day and fell their bellies and day to a merry sound of laughter, also happy birthday to one of my good mates. so now were at out 1,905.2kms mark from Brisbane to Adelaide and round 700kms to go..
The fishing comp day, Day 8 on the Edwards river, it was a great full moon night looked like I was starring directly at floodlights all night then the rain and winds came, which was awesome tho dad thought I needed a moat around my castle of a tent as the king was sleeping so he dug one to capture the over flow of rain on from the RV, which decided to flood my tent (thanks dad). So then morning, dad launches the canoe and takes mum fishing for 2 hours while I lived in luxury and watch a movie “Pan” personal opinion it ruins my childhood Peter Pan but that’s another story for another day. But Dad comes back and says I’ve finally got one I’ve got a Murray Cod where I had to throw it back so we set off to find their hiding spot, we did tho we also found a red belly black snake’s as well, they were everywhere on the river I’ve counted 3 in the pass day and if you think you’re safe in the water well I saw them most swimming one even thought the canoe was the better a option, yet a flick of the fishing rod sent the snake a new direction otherwise to man were about to abandoned ship. Few more hours of fishing dads up to 4 Murray cod and another carp, Daryl Zero fish for the day but 1 yabby (that still went on a set line) so we set in for the night camp a good glass of red with my dad & a 800 gram porterhouse steak in my belly and no iPhone, I survived..
Day 9, 27th December 2015... We are back on the road a 358km trip to the Pink Salt Lakes, we crossed into our 3rd state of Australia, watched the paddle streamers go up the river at Echuca on the Victorian boarder and then headed closer to Adelaide on the highway B400 that looks like small back road and everywhere we your looked was wheat fields that stretched out for miles alongside there were no cars in sight and only a straight roads, we stopped off at this little place called “Walpeup” 3 house, 2 cars, 4 streets and a closed down dinner, it was the best stop I’ve been too it made me feel alive, I became a human again and the road trip seemed like it now shouldn’t ever end.... why’s this you may ask? I had my first hot shower in 8 days, 3 hours must have past from when I turned that hot tap on till I walked out, but I felt like doing a dance & I did, you got to appreciate the small thing.. Now we are at the pink salt lakes only 351kms from Adelaide, waiting for the sun to go down and soaking up the atmosphere of the open plains, and not another human in sight and in the background a rare natural phenomenon...
Day 10... We packed up ready to tackle the next 275kms to Seaford, Adelaide South Australia we throw a coin in the air will we stop for one more night and see the missing part of our family. We travelled 74ks to the boarder of South Australia for a quick selfies or 9 then it was as stop at wellington for a lunch time meal to see if we carry on or find a letter place along the way to camp. We made it all the way down to Seaford gave the younger Brother and his fiancé a hug cracked a bottle of wine and cheers the family a welcome.
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