November 2, 2009
· Filed under The Big Lap
Spaniard emigrates to Australia in the 1930s, where he makes a fortune buying and selling cane farms. He then realises his dream by building a castle near a waterfall. Subsequently mother nature has ravaged it somewhat, with floods, cyclones and fires. It must be the only “castle ruin” in Australia. Billed as a “not to be missed” attraction, with promotional material suggesting that it is almost a religious shrine, it struck me as somewhat odd. I think mainly it seemed a clash of aesthetics. A mediterranean design in a tropical setting.
November 2, 2009
· Filed under The Big Lap
Dunk Island
Three nights here in yet another Queensland paradise. I was able to talk P into a day trip to Dunk Island, where his worst fears were realised. Vacuous beach-dwellers! Water Sports!
love that blue
Queensland Main Roads - variations on a theme
October 24, 2009
· Filed under The Big Lap, parenting, society
Grassy Hill
For some reason I hadn’t realised until now *why* Cooktown was called Cooktown. I mean, if I’d contemplated the issue, I probably could have figured it out. Cook……Town. How funny. I’m glad I don’t have an eponymous town.
It’s spectacular around here. We went to the top of Grassy Hill where Lieutenant Cook went to have a look around. Apparantly he was a bit concerned by the navigational conditions. It must have been a bit like Apollo 13 – no Houston, but unlimited oxygen and coconuts. The drive to get home seems to be very strong, as evidenced by these pioneers. It’s interesting – so much effort to go so far away, but *really* wanting to get home….. even at the risk of shortening your life.
However, we obviously weren’t inspired enough by this derring-do, as we decided *not* to go to Cape York. Initially I was very hopeful that we would do this, but I think we just didn’t have the energy levels required to get the kids up and down an extra 2000km of dirt. I’ve pencilled it in for P and the boys in about 10 years time. One of those “coming of age” masculine rituals, where the boys can do a lot of driving even though they don’t have licenses. (I have loads of ideas as to how P can replicate male initiation ceremonies for our boys in this bereft culture. Do you think this is a problem? I don’t have any daughters to plan a menarche ceremony for, so my enthusiasm manifests inappropriately.) I’m trying to avoid the binge-drinking, drugs and disrespect of women which seem to be the current ways in which boys try to tell the world that they’re “all grown up”.
“Good luck”, I hear you say.
PS. This was also the site of another of my excellent attempts to impart Australian history. “Captain Cook is remembered for discovering Australia. But of course, he didn’t discover it. Aboriginal people had been here for around 60 000 years, and other seafarers had also visited before he got here….. (desperate look to P – who obliges “Captain Cook claimed Australia for England”.. which gets a blank look from T and segues into a conversation between P & I as to the strange mores of the time that allowed him to consider doing this, and the sad truth that maybe not much has changed…..) so T is able to summarise “Captain Cook didn’t discover Australia.” I’m glad we’ve got that covered.
Musical Boat
October 24, 2009
· Filed under The Big Lap
So named by Lieutenant Cook, as this was where his troubles started. But really it’s “Paradise Found”.
Two nights camped tucked into the rainforest with the perfect beach 25m away. Boys collecting coconuts and building sandcastles.
I couldn’t quite figure out why we were leaving, but it’s like a compulsion – onward ever onward.
J on gate duty
October 12, 2009
· Filed under The Big Lap, Uncategorized
Millaa Millaa Falls
An overnight in Georgetown and then heading into Cairns. As I started to read about all the great places in this area, I started to have one of my panic attacks: “there’s too much! – we can’t see all this! – how do we choose what to do!?” and had to calm myself down with my mantra: “You can’t do everything.”
This is funny for two reasons. One, in actual fact we have pretty much taken our home lifestyle along on this trip. We spend a fair bit of time in cafes flipping through books and magazines, and a lot of time sourcing places to sit/swim by water…. interspersed with excursions. In Perth we have “Friday Family Funday” where we ”go on an adventure” - picnics, the zoo, gokarting, etc – so we just have a few more of those types of days.
The second reason is, that I discovered that all of these beautiful Queensland islands – which I had only known about in the context of package holidays that I could never afford – are actually accessible on day trips, and better - you can camp on them! The good people at Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service have set aside national park camping grounds on the islands! Though our camping set up may be difficult to relocate out of the car and into a backpack….
Anyway, my first island destination was Green Island, and I showed P the gorgeous picture and read out the fabulous description of our life on that island for the day. To which P responded: “that’s not my bag.” I’ve realised too late that I’ve married into that minority group, People Against Tropical Islands (PATI).
P claims membership of a larger group, People Against Tourists on Tropical Islands (PATTI). Fair enough…. but as it happens, we *are* tourists!! How to overcome this misfortune??
For those interested in logistics, we had two nights camped at Millaa Millaa in the Tablelands- our eyes are being suddently soothed by all this green – and we then went into Cairns proper, and were buffeted by the busyness, so headed back into the mountains – and are now camped at Kuranda.
Steam train journey from Ravenshoe to Tumoulin
October 12, 2009
· Filed under The Big Lap
Fossicking in front of the Sunset Tavern
Had to go here, as with the exception of Bing Bong (I kid you not…. this is some type of mining port) it seems to be the only town actually on the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Not sure how/why this huge stretch of coast has escaped the notice of developers, but so far so good.
When I read that Karumba was “part of Aussie fishing folklore among blokey types who keep company with barramundi and saltwater crocodiles”, P sort of winced (that’s not him in case you hadn’t guessed) but it turned out to be great. Sort of a tropical Lancelin.
October 9, 2009
· Filed under The Big Lap, Uncategorized
Putting the Nissan through it's paces at Lawn Hall NP.... T & I elected to walk down after the trip up
After leaving Hells Gate we detoured down to Lawn Hill National Park for lunch and a swim. This is good evidence of our (ridiculously) recalibrated sense of distance - that we would go out of our way by around 250km on dirt roads for a lunch stop. Adels Grove campground there was very nice - billed as an eco-tourist venture – meaning you can pay to stay in on-site tents.
Reading about Burketown en route, I discovered that we would be in town for the “morning glory”, a long tubular cloud formation that comes here for about six weeks a year, and is only found in Burketown and in the Gulf of Mexico. Apparantly glider pilots make pilgrimages here to surf the morning glory…. and there was a glider trailer parked at the front of the caravan park. The first guy we met in Burketown was a suitably enthusiastic type who was shooting a doco on the clouds for Discovery channel. He was able to pass on the hot tips from the locals as to how to know whether the clouds would be coming the next morning…. you’d get condensation on your beer, and the tables at the cafe would start bowing.
No morning glory for us the next morning, and P advised that he wasn’t “hanging around waiting for a cloud.” What a romantic.
Welcome to Qld
October 9, 2009
· Filed under The Big Lap
Camp Kitchen - Hells Gate
5.10.09
Exiting Darwin, we were on a mission to the East Coast – destination Townsville - to get a bit further south, out of the heat and potential rain.
Overnight in Katherine, morning tea & a swim at Mataranka (*not* recommended due to overwhelming stench of flying fox), lunch at Larrimah (Pink Panther Hotel) and evening at Daly Waters. Daly Waters Pub could write the book on how to run a successful business – as they are doing it in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. The pub has been decorated by the passing patrons (think undies, bras, thongs, notes and photos and foreign currency) We arrived at an empty campground, which gradually filled, then around 5.30pm the truckies and their rigs pulled up, then six Harleys (from where?) and then a variety of station hands until the whole bar was propped up by a row of men in wifebeaters. A good night was had by all, as evidenced by the same men the next morning – some having beer, others (nancy-types) orange juice, with very limited conversation (“we’re not going far today mate are we?”) One leg and an arm protruded motionless from a swag near us.
500m from the turnoff, I put in a bid for Cairns instead of Townsville (I set off for Cairns 20 years ago – shamelessly inviting a range of friends and relatives to come and say goodbye to me as I was going to live there….. I never made it that far and was back in Perth twelve months later) so we changed plan and headed off down the Carpentaria Highway. Lunch at Cape Crawford (Heartbreak Hotel) and then overnight at Borroloola (no themed hotel….. how backward!) where we bumped into our slide guitar friends again.
From Borroloola we joined the Savannah Way (more dirt roads and water crossings) and are currently camped at Hells Gate Roadhouse. P had decided that this was the one sticker he was going to buy….. but they haven’t got onto the merchandise here as much as you might expect.
Savannah Way
September 30, 2009
· Filed under The Big Lap, parenting
water confidence
Well, we booked into a house for a week, but I didn’t proceed down the airplane path. Great town. Lots of visits to the local markets and swimming pools. Lots of thinking by me as to how to manage the forthcoming journeys.
At this stage I’ve decided to forgo my dream of sitting in the front seat, ideally reading a book. I’m going to sit in the back until lunch, leading a variety of fun, interactive activities… for which I am purchasing some more resources. After lunch I will retire to the front and screen a movie for the backseat. If J is still restless, I will drive, and P can sit in the back leading fun, interactive activities.
September 27, 2009
· Filed under The Big Lap, environment, health, spirituality, voluntary simplicity
Palm Springs, Duncan Rd
Returned to Kununurra via the Duncan Road that runs along the other side of the Bungles. Caught up again with friends who live there (Yay friends! It’s so good to see familiar faces.)
Lunch at Timber Creek, and we finally met up with the ‘camel man’ we had been hearing about on and off since Karijini. He is travelling around Australia with two camels, towing a buggy made from an old car. A true incarnation of the simple life. It was a privilege to meet him.
Aged 62, originally from Germany, he has been touring Australia for seven years. He started on a bike, and then moved to camels for lifestyle reasons. He travels around 20km a day. 10km first thing in the morning, and then rests in the shade. Sets off again at 3pm for another 10km. His only expense is food, and decent walking shoes. He advised that he is on the pension, but generally saves about half of it. He said when he does spend more than half the pension, it’s on things that harm his health – eg smokes, junk food – so it’s best not to. He definitely has a clear philosophy on the value of the simple life for both him and the environment, and has set out to achieve this.
Part of me felt I couldn’t cope with that lifestyle… but the other, larger part, felt envy. Trying to unpick what it was he was doing that appealed to me, I came to the conclusion that he had done a pretty good job of creating a monastic life. The self-discipline, the daily rhythm, the lack of belongings, but mainly all that uninterrupted *time* for contemplation. (The joy of being alone!) Plus a real connection with nature, through being outdoors and care of the camels.
I never occurred to me when I was younger, but now I can really see the appeal of becoming a nun. I think it would be easier for me than being a parent. I would have issues with the hierarchy….. but this would just be another avenue through which I would interrogate my control issues.
T feeds Snowy an apple
home
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