Bruce Belchers croc tour by Toby

On one of our first days in the Daintree, mum wanted to show us why we should not swim or go too close to in any waterways by taking us on a croc tour. It was great

we saw heaps of crocs and snakes and kingfishers. We also saw a couple of baby crocs, easily spotted by our guide who had 20-20 vision (he saw it from miles away).

Mossman gorge by Toby

On the 2nd of June we left camp at Port Douglas to go for a walk at Mossman gorge. The gorge was all rainforest with the Mossman river running through (very cold). There were vines as thick as my arm hanging from the gigantic trees and were perfect for swinging on. Halfway down we had a refreshing swim under a small waterfall. 

Undara lava tubes by Toby

The Undara lava tubes were formed when the volcanoes, such as the Undara and kalkani craters, erupted. The top of lava flows cooled down and solidified forming a massive tube... and we got a tour though them!

Some parts of the roof had collapsed and had rainforest grow in its place.

Cobbold gorge by Toby

We went to cobbold gorge and had to take a small boat through it for it was so narrow, we also saw a freshwater croc.

We left home Saturday heading for Port Pirie, the normal stop for us on our way north. Before we left we took a shot to recreate a picture from four years ago.

The boys have grown a bit over this time!

When we left Pirie the next day we did the same...

We made good time during the day (after a tyre repair) and camped on the Cooper Creek. 

Susan even got the drive for a little while. 

The stopped at Mungerannie  Roadhouse for coffee  @ 9.30, not sure why as the owner was having a beer. Met a older fella driving a 93 year old Model T Ford down the track. 

Generally to track conditions where excellent with only a few areas with the rock we had heard about. But we discovered later on that there had been some rain a few days earlier closer to Birdsville.

Bore on the Birdsville track, very hot water.... 

Went into the pub for a beer. 

We headed north from Birdsville, spending one night on the road before camping at Mount Isa for the night. We topped up supplies and and then headed out to Lawn Hill 

We had 2 nights here, and spent the day either

canoeing or swimming in the gorge. The boys spotted lots of wildlife including a file snake, no picture though.

 while swimming in the river we spotted an enormous catfish

At the end of the gorge we tied up the canoes and 
had a swim by a waterfall  

Off again....Cape York, here we come

Keep an eye out here for updates. We are leaving on the weekend for an 8 week trip to Queensland, including Cape York. 

I'll leave some of the news to one of the boy's who can write some stories in lieu of being at school.

Will post some pics on the new 4wd and trailer in a day so.....

At Home for over a month now.....here is what I should have posted when we arrived home. 

Well we arrived home Wednesday afternoon (2nd oct). It was a weird feeling driving into Kapunda for the first time in over four months. We did likes the new stone wall and miniature mine chimney that welcomed us just outside town. When we pulled up and opened the back gate the boy’s ran around the yard calling out in excitement about seeing their  green lawn, chooks and especially Tiger, their cat.  After a quick bounce on the trampoline they all went to look at their rooms and them back outside for another look and run around the yard. I was expecting them to ask if they could all sleep in the same room together after doing this for so long. 

By the numbers

Kilometers traveled                                  18780

Days on the road                                        132

Fuel used                                                   2350L (highest $2.99/l at Kalumburu)

National parks visited                               14

set up/packed up camp                             60 - my guess was 30, that's a good thing

Campsites with waterviews                      9 – not enough

Flat tyres                                                   1 – on trailer (slow leak)

Powered campsites                                    5 – 16 nights (paid for 4 we did not need  in    Broome!!!

Shoes lost                                                4 pairs (Samuel 2, Lachlan 2)

Shoes found                                             1 pair of thongs for Samuel

Occy straps found on the road               2

Boardshorts found                                  1 pair

Sunglasses down the waterfall                1 – Susan at Mataranka

Shoes down the waterfall                        1 –(woodsy)– but saved by jumping in with clothes on

Fish caught and eaten                               0

Fish eaten, supplied by others                3

Well what a great experience we had. WA surprised us with it's fantastic scenery and changing landscapes with the rugged Kimberly area and Cockburn Ranges to the beautiful beaches of the damper peninsular and deep gorges of the Pilbara. Not to mention the Coral coast and shark bay area. I could go on. Anyway we did leave some places to go back to and some we will definitely want to see again. Most of all we made it home safely all together without injuries and no car trouble.....thanks SsangYong

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