• Lets Get Lost Together
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feb. 2021 – sep. 2025

Mt Isa or Bust....

Ett äventyr utan slut av Lets Get Lost Together Läs mer
  • Senast sedd 💤
    Idag

    New Home....

    31 maj 2021, Australien ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    So we moved from the caravan park today, still in Longreach, but took a caretaking gig at the outback watersports club on the Thomson River.....amazing views, no people, and fishing right from our van!!! So very grateful for the opportunity to live here!!!! I'm in love with our new camp already :-) The universe is definitely looking out for us....namaste xxx

    Ally and Shaun
    Xxx
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  • Hello Red Claw....

    26 maj 2021, Australien ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Finally we found some red claw....Shaun has been persisting in putting traps in for weeks...today bingo!!! So it's a garlic sauce surf and turf topper in steak for tea...yummy!

    Ally and Shaun

  • Look Who I Found...

    22 maj 2021, Australien ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    A trip to Blackall today to meet up with Izzy who is working at the Barcoo Pub....so proud of her confidence, independence and bravery...not many 18year olds will take on an outback pub....you go girl! Thank you for my beautiful Pandora charm for Mothers Day...can't wait to see you in Longreach!

    The Blackall slogan is "there's fuck all in Blackhall", and that would be correct lol....its home of Jackie Howe a shearer that holds the world record for the most sheep shorn in a day with hand shears. There is also a steam powered wool scour and an artesian spa and the black stump (a sculpture of the original) that coins the phrase "beyond the blackstump".

    We found another blue tree from the blue tree project just out of Barcaldine and a horse down the mainstreet of Blackall. I found a sign about dingo scalps, apparently you get paid by the council to bring in dingo scalps.

    Just added another sunset from Longreach because they just never get old!!!

    Ally and Shaun
    Xxx
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  • An Update from Longreach...

    19 maj 2021, Australien ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Whats been happening in our world? A quick visit back to Bundy to say gday to everyone, sorry if we missed you this trip, it was a whirlwind of bikes, BBQ, shopping and partying lol. But best of all we got the bikes on a trailer and brought them up to Longreach with us.....ahhhhh I am whole again!!!

    On the way back we found a blue painted tree, there is one in Longreach too...a bit or research and I discovered they are to raise awareness for men's mental health. Here's the link to the info https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.abc.net.au/art…

    The Black Dog ride is also headed up this way soon and we are hoping to ride a leg up to Hughenden with them. Another great way to raise awareness about depression and mental health.

    We also were asked to put our bikes in the local Longreach show in the car show...lol....my bike is really not that kind of bike, but we did it anyway....and wouldn't you know I even got three votes from the public!!! Major Booger is a star!!! Lots of horsey and sheep type of event at the show, and even got to see a jet pack show in a huge pool??? Only in the outback!!

    We had a visit from Shauns sister and had a night out at the Birdcage, a local pub....great to see a familiar face too...thanks for stopping in Leanne :-)....we would love to catch up with you if you are passing through Longreach.

    We have both been working a lot, but enjoying the lifestyle of van life, and I love love love working at the hall of fame, such an amazing place to be everyday! The first 6 weeks were definitely the hardest, and now we have settled into taking life day by day and embracing the adventure! Izzy is working in Blackall now and having her own adventure, I'm going to ride out there (about 2 hours) to catch up with her in the next couple of days......her love of adventure seems to have been passed on from me, her Aunty Pixie and even her Grandma....I'm so proud of her independence and willingness to give anything a go! If you are thinking about going on your own adventure...make it happen, you won't regret it!

    I wonder what the future holds? Who knows??? Eventually we will head north and explore more of QLD including the Cape, but there's plenty of time to do it, life is one big adventure!

    Ally and Shaun
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  • Update...Finally

    4 maj 2021, Australien ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    So it is definitely time for an update...life got crazy busy...but time to sit down and fill you all in! So we left Mt Isa a couple of weeks ago, sad to say goodbye to our Isa crew...we made some lifelong friendships, and that's what this trip is all about. We headed back to Longreach to catch up with Jayden, Bridie and Kallen who was up visiting from Bundy. After a couple of nights down by the river at the free camp we moved into town into a caravan park for real showers and power lol. There are so so many jobs out here, the locals are crying out for workers due to no back packers, coupled with a very busy tourist season and we had a choice of lots of jobs. I did one day as a postman....I'm guessing I was Longreachs worst postie ever! Now I'm working at the Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame as a tour guide and customer service....what an amazing job, what an amazing place! Longreach has so much to offer in a holiday. Beautiful friendly people, a great main street, the Qantas museum, lotsnofntours to choose from, amazing sunset and sunrises and a real country town vibe!

    Everyday I get to wear my Ariat boots, I have now added western wrangler jeans and a blingy belt....I'm definitely fitting in! Shaun is working with Jayden and loving the new challenges and being with his boys!

    We went to Barcaldine last week and saw Busby Marou play, and we went to a drag racing meet and the local football. We have been red claw fishing and mostly lots and lots of work! Eating money for the next adventure is awesome!

    Some exciting job prospects in the pipeline too. We are heading back to Bundy for the weekend and we are getting our bikes!!!! I cannot wait to get Major Booger out here!!!!!

    If you want to catch up when we are back home we will be heading to the pub on Saturday night...hope to see some of you then :-)

    Ally and Shaun xxx
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  • Mary Kathleen....

    4 april 2021, Australien ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    So Sundays adventure was a visit to Mary Kathleen uranium mine, halfway between Cloncurry and Mt Isa.....its a disused uranium mine and the indigenous people call it the poison pool. Amazing water colour, something to do with the quartz in the rock...here's more info if you are interested....
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Kathleen,_…
    We spent a couple of hours exploring the abandoned town, I would love to hear stories from people who actually lived there, life would have been hard!
    We went in a camel hunt as I promised my little friend Georgia a camel photo, and had been told there were camels out near here...but again no camels!!!! We did find a very interesting 4wd track that follows some old mines and ends at a waterfall call Fountain Springs....that's our next adventure...swags in the car and an overnighter at the waterfall....excited much!
    Ally and Shaun
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  • Now I Love the Outback!!!

    28 mars 2021, Australien ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    An amazing adventure day, car us going and we were off!!! We roadtripped with our neighbours and headed out to Lake Moondarra first, a man-made lake that holds all the water for Mt Isa, even found some peacocks for Donna! Onto the Junction again where we chilled out on the water....geez its good to be near water, there were even some little waves when a boat or two went past!

    But the most amazing part of the day was put trip out to an abandoned granite mine about 15mins out of Mt Isa....I've been bagging the outback, and missing the coast, but light bulb moment this afternoon....now I understand why everyone loves the outback.....it was amazing!!! Actually amazing is an understatement! The views over the plateu as the sun went down and the moon came up were worthy of any travel show! The silence, and the feeling of remoteness were overwhelming, we drove in by 4wd (only way to get there), I did all the driving, so was very proud of my 4wd skills (I only learnt to drive 4wd a few months ago). As the moon rose from behind the rocks it took my breath away, and I even stopped talking for a bit!!!

    Thank you Angela and Rick for taking us there and for sharing some photos as my phone went flat. The centre of Australia is mindblowing, and I for one can't wait to see more..stay tuned for more adventures in the near future.

    Ally and Shaun
    Xxx
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  • We Had A Win!!!

    25 mars 2021, Australien ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Off to the Irish Club after work today to check it out, very cool looking place, definitely my pick of pubs so far. Had a little go on the pokies, and bingo....a small win of $200 (that's a big win for me!) So we treated ourselves to Chinese at the Red Lantern in Mt Isa, a feast of honey prawns, hotpot, crab and corn soup and fried lice.....felt so normal for a change lol.....everyday does get easier :-)

    I chucked in a photo of Shaun who has stolen Gilmartin from me by bribing him with food every smoko....but it turns out Gilmartin who lives at the end of the park hasn't been home as there was a 6foot python in the tree down there. I'm sticking with Gilmartin the nonbinary chicken!!!

    Another photo in there of what the mine spews out 24/7!!! In Mt Isa you can't even drink the water because of the lead levels in the environment, you actually have to have lead testing done regularly!!!! Now tell me, why do we do this to our earth!!! :-(

    Ally and Shaun
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  • Gillmartin the Nonbinary Chicken....

    24 mars 2021, Australien ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    This is my mate Gilmartin who is a hen, but crows like a rooster and doesn't lay eggs!!! She has been following me around the park, and today she let me pat her!!! I also got to clean up her shit...maybe patting her was a reward for a job well done lol She is named after the owners of the park and turned up one day, and never left!

    Chicken joke of the day -
    "A librarian was very sad and alone in the library one day as there was no one around for her to help. These two chickens came through the door screeching "bouk bouk." The librarian quickly got up and gave them each 5 books.

    The two chickens left satisfied. Just a few minutes later the same two chickens come through the door with no books screeching "bouk bouk." The librarian once again jumped up and gave each chicken 15 books this time. The chickens leave satisfied once again. Then for the third time the chickens returned screeching "bouk bouk", but this time being suspicious the librarian gave each chicken only one book and explained that they could only borrow more books once that had returned the others.

    As the chickens left the librarian slowly followed behind to see where all the chickens and the books were going. The chickens came to a stop by a pond and started throwing the books into the water. Appalled the librarian ran forward to tell them to stop but she suddenly noticed there were some frogs in the pond grabbing the books and throwing them back croaking behind "red-it… red-it".

    🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
    Microphone drop....BOOM!
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  • Ahhhh Back to Nature at Last!!!

    21 mars 2021, Australien ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    We finally got out and about to explore, and literally 5kms from where we are staying we landed at "The Junction" which is part of the Moondarra Lake water system. A much needed day in nature surrounded by amazing birdlife, including some very friendly hawks. We hung out with some of the cool cats that work in the park and just relaxed....it was amazing!

    The waterway has fresh water crocodiles in it, but we didn't see any, only turtles that came up for a feed of bread. Freshies or not I was getting in! And with great acrobatic finesse I jumped on the rope swing and did a massive back flop into the water! It was hard to remember that we were in the middle of Australia while we sat there, we could have been anywhere coastal, it kinda reminded me of Kinkuna and I felt at home.

    We cooked on the fire and had some delicious salads made by mates from the park and watched the sun go down...amazing sunset!!! Today reminded us what this travelling caper is all about...I can't wait to do some more exploring as I have a Mt Isa bucket list that keeps getting longer. We have started the week on a positive, and every week gets just a little bit easier!

    A huge thank you for reading our stories, it keeps me feeling connected with home, and although they are not very exciting or very well written, I do love sharing our experience with you xxxx

    "Always take the scenic route" (thanks Toni for the shirt xxx)

    Ally and Shaun
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  • Whats Been Happening???

    18 mars 2021, Australien ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    We've been very quiet on here lately, taking our time to get settled in and find our new normal....and no car, so no real trips anywhere :-(.

    Lots of working and training to get up to speed with this caravan park gig, but we got this! We have met the most amazing people in the park, all from different walks of life and listening to their stories is an honour, grateful for the lessons on life!

    Shaun's been cooking up a storm on our days off, and has taken to being the cook in the mess hall too. We are enjoying the lifestyle of chilled afternoons with a few drinks and sing alongs.

    I've been drawing for everyone in the park and enjoying my down time chatting to campers who are travelling around just like us. We have new neighbours who have come from Bundaberg of all places, so making friends everyday. Met an amazing chick who was brought up in a community out of Katherine who is sharing her culture with me, so grateful to learn about indegenious culture.

    For all the hard times and there has been many this month, there are so many positives too....Shan posted a comment on a Facebook status that made me realise we have to be so grateful for the experiences we are having, we wanted to leave the 9-5 grind and we have!!! Thank you Shan for putting it into perspective :-) (see you in the Isa soon!)

    Shaun and Ally
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  • Out on the Town in the Isa

    8 mars 2021, Australien ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    A quietish few days, Friday I did a breakfast shift in the kitchen, which was much easier than I thought...winning! We finally got into town and bought a TV...winning! We also cooked at the van instead of having our weekend meals in the mess hall which felt a lot more normal. Shaun has been cooking up a storm in the air fryer and BBQ.

    Saturday we were invited out to the club with some coworkers who are born and bred Mt Isa, we had a great time hearing all about their hunting trips and eating kangaroo tail. They have invited us out for a camping trip when we all have the same time off...sounds like a plan. I love learning about Indigenous culture, and Mt Isa is a great place to learn. The Buff Club felt like ATW in Bundy, we are even members now!

    Sunday was a lazy day, I met a frog, and lots of cows who frequent the park. I tried to feed a cow, but it squared me up, so I took off. There is even a strange chicken named Gilmartin who crows like a rooster and follows me around when I'm cleaning rooms lol

    Shaun made himself a redclaw trap, and had out it in the river behind our van, lets see if we catch anything??? Apparently you can't eat anything from the river as it flows through town and has lead in it from the mines. We can't even drink the water here, why do we destroy our beautiful country????

    Hopefully the cruiser parts come this week and we are mobile again, I've got a huge list of places to go around Mt Isa and can't wait to tick them all off.

    Ally and Shaun
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  • Reality Check....

    4 mars 2021, Australien ⋅ ⛅ 37 °C

    So after setting up our camp in Mt Isa, we climbed the huge rock formation behind our camp and got to see how close the mine really is...the mine was built first, then the town! We went for drinks around the pool with some of our new coworkers and have enjoyed our meals in the mess hall, sure beats cooking everyday!

    We started work on Monday, and a huge shock to the system! Far out we worked our arses off....I'm housekeeping and Shaun is doing maintenance, and we didn't stop!!! Straight to bed after a shower and slept for 11hrs lol.....as the week has gone on we have got used to the heat and workload, I've actually got into a groove with housekeeping, although apparently I can't make a bed!! We have gone through all sorts of emotions this week, wanting to go home, doubting our choice of working away, and learning to be with each other 24hrs a day, a huge learning curve and character building (that's we are calling it lol). Tomorrow I'm doing a breakfast shift in the mess hall starting at 1am....that will be interesting lol....but I'm glad to be learning something new!

    We don't have a TV in the van and Shaun has taken a liking to watching home and away in the mess hall at dinner...apparently no talking is allowed!! A TV is on the list to buy asap lol

    We have the weekend off, but the car is still not going, so no major exploring this weekend....looking forward to getting the car on the road, the parts are on their way from Bundy, as nothing happens fast in Mt Isa, and that was the quickest way to get them. Although we think we might not stay long here, as we settle in, I think we might change our minds??? But no plan is a good plan at this stage...that's what it's all about.

    P.s. who thought I'd miss little kids? But I do, I haven't seen one in a week lol....maybe teaching isn't that bad!!!

    Ally and Shaun (whos gone to the pub :-) )
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  • There are no camels or desert!!

    27 februari 2021, Australien ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Travel day, heading to Mt Isa through Winton, Kyuna, McKinley and Cloncurry. Not a huge amount to see on the road for most of the way, lots of flat farming land, which is pretty green at the moment, great news for the farmers. I spotted a buffalo, but it could have been a big cow lol. McKinley is the home of the "Walkabout Creek Hotel" from Crocodile Dundee, that is the only thing there, lots of nothingness and then a pub! Heaps of movie memorabilia, and a bloke there told us where to find the waterhole from the crocodile scene, apparently it was shot at "Fountain Springs", we can day trip it there from Mt Isa, so it's on the list! Lots of road trains, they can get up to 53m long, we overtook a triple...I don't think I took a breath lol. They all seem to carry cattle, Shaun got sprayed with cow piss as one passed us going the other way, probably not best to sit behind one then!

    We stopped for fuel in Cloncurry and the fun began, the Cv on one side was split!! Yep the new one put in at Emerald!!! So after some advice we decided to push on to Mt Isa, we really didn't have a choice. I whispered "its all part of the adventure", not sure I had great timing with that one! Cloncurry to Mt Isa is 120km, we did it at 80km/hr....stopping to let the cv cool down at you guessed it "Fountain Springs", apparently there are camels here, didn't see any though. The road from Cloncurry is AMAZING, no desert, just lots of rocky outcrops and amazing green gullies at every turn, definitely the highlight of our trip so far! I wished I had my bike here, hopefully I will get to ride this road when we get the bikes with us. As we came around a bend we saw Mt Isa and its smoke stacks in the distance, so very strange to see the mine right in the middle of town and after such amazing bush scenery on the way.

    We limped into what will be our home for a while "Moondarra Caravan Park". We have work here and the cruiser yet again needs repairs! Our first impressions were positive, the people are very casual and welcoming, we have a great river front site and we are invited to a day drinking party at the pool tomorrow...so off to a great start!! More tomorrow when we have settled in and got organised....
    https://www.moondarraaccommodation.com.au
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  • These Boots are Made for Walking...

    26 februari 2021, Australien ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    A rest day in Longreach, glad to not have to get in the car today :-) We definitely made the most of the day, and of course there was some more cruiser maintenance to do, replacing a split coil! (It never ends!)
    Caught up with Jayden (Shauns son) and his girlfriend Bridie, who are living out here for his apprenticeship. We got to meet his boss and workmates, what a great bunch of guys. In your life you may only have one or two mentors, Jayden's boss is one of those people for him, we are so so proud of him!

    Now some of you might know how I was desperate for a pair of western boots for my outback adventure, cue Shaun leaving me in town with my credit card alone....the result was the coolest pair of Ariat Western stock man boots you ever did see! My journey is complete lol....I have my eye on a rough rider akubra hat too...hmmmm, but have to save money now!

    Jayden took us around town, we visited "The Station Store" and saw an old cobb and co carriage, and old skool theatre. They do tours and have a paddle steamer that does a dinner tour, definitely worth a visit. https://store.kinnonandco.com.au

    We had an amazing pie from the local bakery, served with amazing country hospitality, everyone is so friendly. If you stop in at Longreach try the "Merino Bakery"https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/Bakery/Me…

    We also visited the "Stockmans Hall of Fame" (which is closed until April) and the "Qantas Museum". Both are big ticket places to visit, so not really our cup of tea.

    Red claw fishing was up next, within 5mins of the pot being in we already had one, this was the first time I really noticed the amount of flies!!! I made the rookie mistake of wearing a skirt...probably not a great idea! I asked "is there crocs in here?" I think I might be saying this a lot! Shaun and Jayden left me in the car with the apparently dead red claw, nope it wasn't, and I might have let it escape...oops...there is one in the freezer that is coming with us though.

    Loved Longreach, but most of all, loved seeing Jayden and Bridie, tomorrow we set off for Mt Isa with a cruiser all good to go!
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  • Emerald...

    25 februari 2021, Australien ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Nope...no wonderful wizard of Oz...but still pretty cool!
    As we waited for the Cruiser to be fixed we explored Emerald on foot...and yep it was pretty hot to be walking! We stopped in at a local pub and had a drink...(it was before lunch, but its all part of the adventure lol)...the lovely bar maid filled us in on all things Emerald, love that local knowledge. I couldn't resist the art gallery which had an installation called "The Little Bird Project", people from all over the world have sent postcard sized artworks of birds, I added my own to the collection. Next onto the giant Van Gough Sunflower painting...yes, yes this is a thing, kind of odd...but we saw it. There was also some cool mosaics celebrating 100years in the region and a lizard made from recycled materials. If we had a car we would have gone fossicking, but not this time. We also visited an Irish pub for lunch which was so ugly at the front, but amazing inside, looks like a bit of a happening joint in Emerald, and would be great on a Friday or Saturday night.

    Yay...the cruiser is ready and off we go, next destination Longreach to catch up with Jayden and Bridie. It's a four hour drive from Emerald and the scenery changed quite a bit, from a range to flat open spaces. As we got closer to Longreach the sun was starting to set and there was a huge storm brewing, amazing to see over the flat outback plains. I have been waiting to see some live animals apart from cows, and we spotted kangaroos (live ones), emus and goats. We were very relieved to get into Longreach and set up..tomorrow is a day in Longreach...to be continued...
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  • Leaving Home...

    24 februari 2021, Australien ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C

    Sad to say good bye, its not goodbye, but see you later! Overwhelmed by friends well wishes and presents as we left, we are so grateful for our friends and family. Why? Why did we choose a lifestyle change, to set off in the trailer and travel around Australia? Answer....we had a quote on the fridge that was inspiring us to make a change, adventure was calling, and so we just did it!
    "You're never going to be 100% ready and its never going to be just the right time, but that's the point. It means that every moment is the right moment. If you want it, you just have to do it." (Via ka-tri)

    Departure didn't go smoothly, battery shit itself, brake lights weren't working and air brakes were locking up...some quick fixes and we were on the road.

    Our first destination is Longreach, but of course as these things go, we didn't make Longreach the first night. Shaun kept saying "it's all part of the adventure", I kept nodding, but not sure I agreed LOL. The cruiser starts missing under power, could be a coil? But on we go "its all part of the adventure". We hit Mirriamvale and the cruiser and trailer lurched sideways, yep it was a whoa moment! Turns out we blew a rear airbag...note the brand new heavyduty airbag, but an energy drink later and on we went...."its all part of the adventure!"

    We come into Blackwater and the front is making a hell of a noise...yikes...Shaun thinks the cv boots are rooted...but on we went "its all part of the adventure". After some discussion we decide to have the cruiser looked at in Emerald...turns out to be a good one....both cv joints have blown...something about torsion bars wound too high?? So Emerald is our first night stop while the cruiser gets new cv joints...no more on we went today..."its all part of the adventure"....hmmmm not sure it is....but on the positive side (and I am still feeling positive..just lol) we got a day to explore Emerald...to be continued...

    On a side note...poor old Annie airfryer took a tumble...but she's all good...yummy local pork ribs and roast taties.
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    Resans start
    24 februari 2021