Wide open spaces

It was a cold and windy start to the day as we packed up to leave Silverton. Although our camper is relatively easy to pack up, numb fingers and a strong wind definitely add to the challenge. Needless to say we were glad once it was hitched up and we were in the warmth of… Continue reading Carrieton, SA

Silverton greeted us with bracing winds and rain on our first night there, forcing Stu to peg the annex down with guy ropes to stop it blowing away. The morning brought better weather with sunny skies although it was still pretty cold. As we surveyed our campsite we decided it was quite a bizarre place… Continue reading Silverton, NSW

As we left Mungo National Park, the sky was looking very ominous with big dark clouds moving in on us. We all packed up quickly that morning as we didn’t want to get stuck on the dirt roads as they turned to mud. We weren’t driving long before the rain started, but luckily it was… Continue reading Buronga, NSW / Mildura, VIC

We stopped at Pooncarie on the way which was little more than a few buildings on the main road to stock up on petrol and groceries before heading to Mungo. As we approached the park boundary a quick stop for firewood was needed so we could enjoy a fire in the evening. The world heritage… Continue reading Mungo National Park, NSW

From Bourke we headed to the Paroo-Darling National Park after stopping at the Tilpa pub for a quick fix of hot chips and a beer on the way. The kids got to write on the walls of the pub which they loved. Not long after leaving the pub, we had our own Wizard of Oz… Continue reading Bindara Station, NSW

We stayed at a nice campsite just out of town in Bourke but after a long day of driving we all crashed pretty early that night. After having a few busy days we all enjoyed a lazy morning the next morning and didn’t get up to much. Oli was keen to try out the pick… Continue reading Bourke, NSW

Having read about three outback pubs that were hidden outside of Lightning Ridge in the opal mine fields, we were on a mission to find at least one of them. We made it to the area ok, and saw the signs to one, but then spent the next 10 minutes driving around the most bizarre… Continue reading On the road: Lightning Ridge to Bourke

The kids were excited to get to their first opal mining town – Oli’s top location for this trip has always been Coober Pedy where he wants to ‘buy lots of opals’ – so Lightning Ridge was a good start for him. On the way there we met up with our mates from West Pymble… Continue reading Lightning Ridge, NSW

As we drove north west out of Sydney, it still didn’t really feel like we were finally on our big adventure, but more like we were just heading on a little holiday to the Blue Mountains. Either way there was a massive sense of relief as the last month before we left was a real struggle,… Continue reading Gulgong, NSW

After more than a year of planning, research and preparation, on Saturday 8th April we left Sydney and the adventure finally began…