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Heading north and outback

August 2018 - April 2024
No idea where we will end up, still unsure about heading to the coast or staying inland. That’s the beauty of not having to be anywhere at a specific time - we can chop and change our minds as we go. Looking forward to seeing more Aussie outback! Read more
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  • TravelerHeading north and outback
    Day 10

    The freedom rides & more artesian baths

    August 29, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Woke up in the free camp in Walgett this morning and Gadi read the information boards on his morning walk all about the freedom rides in 1965, where aboriginal activist (Charles Perkins) then a uni student lead a group of University of Sydney students on a bus campaign through several outback NSW towns to protest indigenous inequality.

    Based on the freedom riders in the United States in the early 60s, we learnt that in Walgett the bus stopped and Charles made an impassioned speech at the RSL, which at that time refused entry to indigenous people, not even allowing entry to returned soldiers. Endemic racism in Walgett was beamed into the homes of thousands watching the news, when the president of the RSL was caught on camera saying he would never let an aboriginal person into the club.

    The publicity gained raised consciousness of racial discrimination across NSW at the time.

    We left the camp ground late morning and headed east to our next stop, the outback railway town of Burren Junction. Population around 160, this tiny town no longer even has a shop, but it does boast a pub! And, more importantly, the town maintains a wonderfully warm artesian pool and camp ground, well utilized by passing travelers (mainly nomads).

    Arriving around lunchtime, we found a prime site along a dam irrigating the nearby fields (and giving us a lovely water view). Later in the afternoon (after lunch and a snooze) we changed into our bathers and breathed a sigh of relief as we eased ourselves into the hot, deep waters. We spent a lovely couple of hours soaking, floating and talking to other nomads. We learnt that a couple opposite us have a rainbow lorikeet they rescued as a baby that fell out of its nest and broke its wing, so we chatted all things ‘bird’ related.

    We stayed in the pool until the sun set low on the horizon creating a thin orange and flame red line along the horizon. As I made my way back to the caravan in near darkness, I took in the beautiful reds, oranges and yellows of the setting sun along the dam. Just as I reached the van I heard a ‘thump thump’ sound and was privileged to witness a dozen kangaroos silent (other than the sounds of their hooves thudding) as they hopped along the ridge above the dam, one after the other.

    Dinner of leftover lasagne tonight and it was time to turn in for the night.

    Today I am thankful for so much - finding a relaxing place to stay awhile, beautiful hot water to float in, great weather and lovely neighbours all around. To see the kangaroos hop by against the last bit of sunset was just the icing on the cake!    Read more

  • TravelerHeading north and outback
    Day 11

    A day of soaking and relaxing

    August 30, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We decided to stay out here in Burren Junction for a few days as we are really enjoying the artesian water and the camp site itself, with our water front site and the mostly friendly people surrounding us.

    What a lovely day it’s been. I went for a mid morning soak while Gadi spent time on some maintenance and talking to some of the other blokes about things like cars, solar, inverters and other boy toy paraphernalia!

    I came back to the caravan to chill out, eat lunch and even baked a chocolate cake in the Weber. Late afternoon we both headed back to the pool for another ‘swim’ and chat to our fellow campers.

    Eventually I dragged myself out of what felt like an oversized warm bath tub so that I could come back to the caravan to watch another magical sunset beyond the canal.

    I prepped dinner on the Weber and chatted with our neighbours while warming myself close by their splendid ‘Oz pig’ fire.

    Finally Gadi made his way back from the pool and we headed inside for dinner. Today went by in a flash and yet we didn’t do very much st all. Crazy really...

    My take home from today:

    May there be more busy days like today doing not very much at all but feeling so content being in the moment.    Read more

  • TravelerHeading north and outback
    Day 12

    Buffeting winds & card games

    August 31, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    We both woke before 6am today to hear and feel howling winds all around and I quickly headed outside to make sure my bathers hadn’t blown away.

    Later in the morning we played a few rounds of rummy tiles with our neighbours and then they taught us how to play Bush rummy with cards. We enjoyed a pleasant few hours playing games and chatting over a cup of tea and slices of my chocolate chia and hemp cake.

    Around lunchtime rain pelted against the sides of the caravan, with an ominous grey sky visible through the skylight. The winds moved the rain on and, as quickly as it began, the rain was gone and the sky turned blue once more.

    Late afternoon Gadi went to the hot pool and Cadbury and I took a chance on the lessening winds to go for a brisk walk around the dam behind the caravan, phone in hand to capture photos of the setting sun behind the fields of wheat.

    Finally went indoors as the last weak rays of sun tried vainly to paint a golden hue on the dam water. Time to prepare (luckily we have leftover fish curry) dinner - for Cadbury and for us.

    What I learnt about men today - you need to communicate exactly what you mean. For example, if you ask one to heat a container of leftovers (could be anything, but let’s use the example of fish curry) on the stove, how do you think they would go about it? I discovered they take you literally. What I found was a plastic takeaway box filled with curry simmering in boiling water when what I had meant was to empty the curry into the pot and stir it every now and then.

    Another thing I learnt today is - maybe, just maybe, their method has merit. After all, this method got the job done eventually and it meant less messy clean up!

    Good night, sleep tight xx    Read more

  • TravelerHeading north and outback
    1
    Day 13

    More of the same - how marvellous!

    September 1, 2018 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    Another day here in Burren Junction, not going anywhere, but enjoying the peace and quiet of this lovely outback location.

    Pancakes for brekkie today! You know it’s going to be a good day when you start out with pancakes with fresh fruit salad and maple syrup or lemon and sugar.

    A fresh breeze kept the morning just below 20 degrees. We lazily pottered around our campsite and eventually I made the effort to change into bathers, put on sunscreen, sunglasses and big floppy hat, and made my way to the artesian pool for a long, hot soak - and a bit of exercise swimming round and round.

    Time seems to run away in that pool, but eventually I dragged myself out, long after my fingers had turned all wrinkley, feeling hungry and ready for lunch.

    I made some muffins in the Weber and we spent a couple of hours sitting outside chatting and playing Bush rummy with our neighbours, Barb and Earl. We enjoyed some pink bubbly and banana coconut muffins for afternoon tea.

    Steak and veggies on the Weber for dinner, cooked just as the last smear of deep red sky sank below the horizon beyond the nearby dam.

    Another day well spent!    Read more

  • TravelerHeading north and outback
    Day 14

    Last day in Burren

    September 2, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Another lazy day today spent in our lovely artesian spa campsite at Burren Junction. I took Cadbury for a walk past the dam and out into the fields giving Gadi time to watch Insiders. Then I very nicely made him a father’s day breakfast of yoghurt, muesli and mixed berries and he spoke to both our kids on the phone before we had (what would be our last) swim in Burren Junction.

    We had a lovely soak and float in the hot mineral-rich water before heading back home, hungry for lunch so I whipped up salmon patties and a salad. Afterwards, relaxed from the warm water and sated after lunch, I ended up having a lengthy nanna nap (thanks to new neighbours with very loud voices waking me at 6.30am).

    We spent the rest of the afternoon playing Bush rummy with Barb and Earl and really enjoyed chatting with them snd sharing a lovely bottle of Shiraz.

    We watched our final glorious sunset over the dam and prepared a simple pasta with pesto for dinner.

    Time to unwind inside.

    Night night!    Read more

  • TravelerHeading north and outback
    Day 15

    Moving on to the Ridge

    September 3, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Packed up this morning and spent a while saying goodbye to our camp buddies Barb and Earl and their rainbow lorikeet, Elton.

    Left Burren Junction around midday and headed back through Walgett and on to Lightning Ridge, where we needed to refuel, swap both our gas bottles and do a major supermarket shop.

    We finally arrived at our new accommodation at Carinya Station, about 15km our of town. The station is owned by a young couple and their three small children. They allow people to camp on their 6,000 acre station in return for giving them a helping hand with whatever jobs need to be done. There is a daily board where you can select a suitable job (such as collecting eggs, walking the dogs and pups, feeding farm animals, planting trees and any projects on the go) and a communal fire each evening.

    We picked a camp spot (searching for enough sun for the solar panels and the right angle to try out our satellite dish (as there is no reception out here). Then we headed to the fire to mingle a bit before heading back to cook a pizza in the Weber and have an early night.

    Good night x    Read more

  • TravelerHeading north and outback
    Day 16

    Washing, work and exploring the Ridge

    September 4, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Finally got a huge load of washing done this morning - since our inverter broke a while back I haven’t done any for at least 10 days.

    Meanwhile Gadi helped out on the station planting trees and moving sand. We ate lunch and then made our way into town where we had a look at the John Murray art gallery and did a couple of the ‘car door’ tours - basically a self drive tour of interesting sights around and beyond town.

    On one we got to explore the vast opal fields where miners still live in shanty like humpies and old caravans, searching for the elusive gold of the area (known as black opal), found only in Lightning Ridge.

    We also got to see some of the Ridge’s quirky sights such as the bottle house (made almost entirely of glass bottles), the beer can house and the half built castle.

    Late afternoon we made our way back to our new home and Gadi tried, with limited success, to get his satellite dish working, and I prepped our dinner - eye fillet with baked potato and pumpkin and some garlic bread - to be cooked in the Weber of course.

    Another day done and dusted for us. We are now cosied uo in our little home on wheels and ready to unwind from what ended up quite a busy day.

    Night night x    Read more

  • TravelerHeading north and outback
    Day 17

    Farm work, car door tour & hot pool

    September 5, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We were a little slow getting moving this morning (we had to search for ‘lost’ items of Gadi’s...as usual)!

    We took all our linen and towels to wash in the woolshed washing machine and then Gadi went off to help some blokes build a huge bonfire and I helped sort out bottles and cans for recycling. I couldn’t believe the huge loads we sorted were just from people staying in the last two weeks!

    I hung up our washing and made a frittata in the Weber for lunch. After Gadi finally sorted out the satellite dish we headed off towards town to do another of the car door tours - this time the blue tour past the walk in mine to the cactus nursery.

    Then we made our way to the hot springs where we had to take it in turns to go in as they don’t allow dogs there. The water was scorching hot - 41 degrees! I lasted less than 10 minutes at that temperature but it was lovely to have a soak followed by a shower.

    Back at camp I took my chair and cider in hand and went to join in the communal fire. I chatted, ate nibblies, got to cuddle Pippa, the 9 week old baby belonging to the station owner and I enjoyed the warmth of the well stoked fire.

    Gadi and Cadbury joined me eventually, before we made our way in the dark back to our little home on wheels, parked somewhere in the woods, to eat leftover delicious chicken soup - an easy and light dinner.

    Time now to relax and chill indoors.

    Night night xx    Read more

  • TravelerHeading north and outback
    Day 18

    Last day in Lightning Ridge

    September 6, 2018 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    Today is our last day here. This is a town like no other and really needs to be experienced in person. It feels like you are in the Wild West, with mines in the Centre of town and all around, mounds of earth everywhere, rusted old Volkswagens and utes, old mining machinery and real outback characters.

    Ten years ago there were approx. 2,000 miners and today there are only 60 left. As everywhere, this is a town filled with politics and a pecking order and everyone you speak to gives you a different opinion about the issues that continue to plague this outback town. We hear that a new airport will be built that will see tourism increase making Lightning Ridge more accessible to more Aussie and overseas tourists.

    We spent most of today exploring more of Lightning Ridge including the last of the car door tours. We made our way through the opal fields and staked out mines and got out to see the historic open cut mine at Lunatic Hill Open Cut.

    Then we went to see the inside of Amigo’s Castle, as it was closing the other day when we drove by. We learnt all about the history of the castle from Anita, who is partner in the mine with the owner. She told us it was built by Italian man Vittorio Stefanato (nickname Amigo) who had a mine plot but who never got any opal in all his years of digging. Eventually in the 1980s he got bored of opal mining and decided to use the ironstone (found below the mine surface) first from his own mine and then from around town to build a castle. He constructed the castle painstakingly by hand, basing it on images of castles from his home town in Italy, standing on homemade scaffolding as he built the second storey of his never finished dream. The castle was never completed as he was taken to court by the Greenies who claimed he was using stones from the town illegally. The town folk supported him in his legal fight to eventually heritage list that castle to ensure it can never be destroyed.

    We had a quick bite to eat in town and went for a dip at the artesian pool before heading back to Carinya Station fo our last night to join our fellow campers around the fire. A sudden downpour meant we all brought our chairs to the woolshed and we enjoyed an hour of chatting - and I got to cuddle baby Pippa again.

    Time to get back to our little home to make our dinner of barbecued chicken fillets and roast sliced potatoes in the Weber (with a simple side salad) and settle down for the night.

    Hard to believe we’ve been on the road 2.5 weeks already. We are settling into the pace of the nomadic life and starting to lose track of the days now, as time is losing the meaning it has when you are home in your usual home/work routine.

    Here time revolves more around how many days you can get out of your water tanks and your toilet tank before they need refilling/emptying. Oh, and how long until you need bread and milk...and other important supplies (which today included a quick stop to the local bottle shop for some bubbly).

    Things we are definitely not missing back home:

    1. Melbourne peak hour traffic

    2. Routine of life

    3. Stress of every day life

    Good night, time to chill with a bit of TV...now that the satellite dish is working!    Read more

  • TravelerHeading north and outback
    Day 19

    Painted silos, thunder & lightning

    September 7, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Time to pack up this morning and clean the ever present red dust out of our caravan (at least for now) before stopping to say goodbye and thank you to owner Jacinda. We bought some of her lovely fresh farm eggs before leaving Lightning Ridge and heading north out of town.

    We crossed the border into Queensland at Hebel, which consisted of an old character-filled wooden pub with a 24 hour truck fuel pump out the front and a cafe across the road. After stopping to refuel we continued on to Dirranbandi where we stopped on a river bank to make a quick lunch of chicken and salad wraps and stretch our legs. We then made a pit stop at the bakery, butcher and the visitor Centre...yep, more maps!

    Finally, mid afternoon we arrived at our chosen destination for the night at the recreation reserve (with toilets and hot showers kindly provided by the town) in Thallon, directly opposite the stunning painted silos.

    We chilled out this afternoon, pottering around the caravan, Gadi was happy he managed to work out the satellite dish without too much fuss. We made burgers for dinner from the butcher i stopped at earlier (actually they weren’t the greatest...a bit too fatty) and then watched some TV before a huge thunder and lightning storm hit. With our windows wide open to catch any passing breeze, we got to see the electric light show and hear the rumble of the thunder not too far away.

    Another great day on the road today. Each day seems to meld into the one before as we are now in the rhythm of the nomadic life.

    From our little home on wheels somewhere in outback Queensland, we wish you good night xx    Read more

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