Wednesday 6 February 2013
Finally, we’re off! We left Mackay on Thursday 10 January 2013 and spent a night at a rest stop near Gladstone and then two nights at Eurimbula National Park. Those few days of camping were particularly instrumental in showing us how much more we needed to prepare. At the same time, we got a small taste of the way our lives would be for the rest of the year (or more).
At our rest stop the first night on the road
Body wash girl and bucket-head
Our campsite
The new fashion in camping hats for kids
The girls stuffing their faces while trying to say 'cheese' for the camera
Glenn loves photos
The beach
Speaks for itself really
Bustard Beach
The beach, again
More beach
Packed up and ready to head to Brisbane
After arriving in Brisbane on Sunday 13 January (and a brief stop at the Emergency Department of Redlands Hospital when Sienna split her head open), Glenn and I got to work. We wrote a to-do and a to-buy list (both of which grew longer before they grew shorter!) and made a start. The pace at which we achieved our tasks varied, due to interruptions from the girls, family/social gatherings as well as our own sense of a lack of urgency as we were already in ‘holiday mode’. The Australia Day weekend brought some particularly foul weather, courtesy of ex-tropical cyclone Oswald which, combined with my absence due to a three-day hen’s party (I’m one of the bridesmaids), lost us about four days. Glenn also spent time assisting his dad clear out his workshop and we got my brother over for half a day to help Glenn’s parents change over their computer to our iMac while his car was detailed by our brother-in-law! Because we received so much assistance in helping pack up our house and prepare for this trip, we wanted to give back as much as we could.
Sienna in all her gory glory
The major work on the camper included a new axle and wheel setup and reinforced drawbar, in order to strengthen it. We also changed the wheels so they matched the car, got a new stoneguard and bike cover made up and fitted a handle onto the kitchen to make it easier to pull out. The Cruiser had to go on a ‘diet’, as it was over the GVM by a few hundred kilos. Matching the trailer wheels to the car enabled us to remove the spare wheel and wheel carrier from the back of the car as we now only need to carry two spares (one on the front of the trailer, the other underneath the car) as opposed to three. The heavy rear bar came off and was replaced by a much lighter plastic one. We took out the drawers and fridge slide and swapped our 75L Trailblaza for a smaller ARB fridge, which weighs a lot less and is also much easier for me to get into! Glenn streamlined his tools and now we’re just under 5 tonne, but we don’t feel cramped and everything is fairly organised. The back of the car has been so minimalised we can even see right through to the rear window!
We had a slight hiccup in getting the trailer certified for its heavier load, due to some conflict in opinion in regards to brake strength ratings. A visit to Trackabout (the camper trailer’s manufacturer) resulted in half a day being wasted as the advice they received from the trailer part manufacturers varied from what Glenn was told when he was researching the requirements to upgrade the trailer. Consequently, we weren’t able to get the camper re-badged at a heavier loading by the manufacturer as they didn’t feel the brakes were strong enough. An independent engineer looked at it the next day and was satisfied that the reinforcements were sufficient for its weight. After two visits to Queensland Transport, it had a new VIN and badge as an independent trailer under the engineer’s name and was rated to a much higher weight than it was originally.
Friday 8 February
After officially setting off from Brisbane at 2pm on Wednesday, we’re a couple of days into a four night stay at Hastings Point. The weather hasn’t been brilliant, with a few showers punctuating the days (and nights), but it’s been mainly dry and warm today. The girls have been enjoying themselves for the most part, although Sienna’s carrying a sleep habit hangover from our Brisbane visit, where she was waking before 5am.
The first morning here she woke sometime between 4 and 4:30am and then went back to sleep until 5, but was very cranky and unpleasant when she did get up. I don’t think it was just a coincidence that the people in the caravan next to us packed up and left that day... And fortunately with daylight saving time, it was actually 6am NSW time that we were making all the racket.
This morning was much better, with Sienna waking at 5:30am QLD time, although we ignored her until 6. Unfortunately, we were woken about half an hour before that because Yasmin was cold and decided to crawl into our bed. Some words will need to be said to her about that before she goes to sleep tonight - she wriggles and kicks far too much!
Yesterday we spent some time with Glenn’s sister Jacinta, her husband Al and their baby daughter Ruby (9 months), who are staying in an apartment nearby. Glenn’s other sister Emma (who’s heavily pregnant - due in a month!), her husband Dean and their daughter Georgia (nearly 4) joined us in the afternoon, camping beside us in Dean’s parent’s bus. The girls have had a ball playing with their cousins in Brisbane and they’re having just as much fun with them down here.
Today, Glenn’s parents, Brian and Maree, arrived with their caravan, along with some other uncles and aunties of Glenn’s. Tomorrow morning, more family will be joining us as we are farewelling Glenn’s grandfather Bernie (Brian’s dad), who’s ashes will be scattered at the mouth of the Cudgera Creek.
Yasmin and Georgia went for a paddle in Grandad’s canoe after everyone was settled in. We tried putting Sienna in as well, but her screams and red face indicated that she wasn’t so keen on the idea. The girls then chilled out in various buses/caravans with the air con running for lunch before settling down for their afternoon naps.
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