Before We Began: Pre Trip Prep

Mount Isa

2 planning nights, 2 food prep days and a Facebook messenger thread longer than the queue for toilet paper in a Bondi supermarket …this trip was epic before it even began….

The group started with about 28 interested people at the beginning of February but with life stuff, car stuff and work stuff happening as it invariably does, the final group whittled down to \2408 adults, 6 kids, 4 cars, 2 trailers and a caravan.

We planned our itinerary one night in May where Sarah wowed Kaiti with her Excel expertise, Tash vowed not to share a camel with Madeline and Matt drank a VB or three. \240In early June we reconvened to discuss and finalise the food and menu, we decided to save dollars by prepping most dinners and a few lunches as well as pre purchasing most of our snacks and alcohol.

Later in June Sarah went ahead and bought a new (but pre loved) 4WD for the trip,(ok to be fair it’s not just for the trip she’s planning to keep it a wee bit longer) I bought some thermals, David bought some man tights and Matt bought some more VB.

A week before our trip Madeline and Matt hosted a food prep day, Madeline taking charge in the kitchen, the boys taking charge of the dishes and me taking charge of … well … breathing really ( I was recovering from some really bad choices I’d made the night before that may or may not have involved 7 tequila shots). \240Soup, roast lamb, fillet steak, spag bol, stew, marinated chicken wings, hamburgers, sausages and mashed potatoes were all prepped, vacuum sealed and frozen. \240We ended the night with pizzas for all … coz none of us had any energy to cook another thing…

Everyone (except the Hydons) got busy packing in that last week and were mostly done with two nights to spare. There was one more food prep session during which I’m guessing Matt had a sneaky VB). \240There was also a tyre and oil check or three, a fire wood run and some trailer and van hitching….and we were ready to go … except the Hydons… who spent the last week out galivanting at trivia, netball and parties around the Isa

Our adventure awaits but that’s another blog for another day.

Until then,

Cheers Tash

Blog 1

Day 1

Mount Isa to Barkley Homestead

The day started early for us! \240This is Me blaring on my phone at 5am was not at all welcome but we braved the dark and the cold to get started on the packing. \240We had at least made a list and my brilliant husband had washed as dried all my clothes so between the list and the pile of clothes it was relatively easy to pack while still mostly asleep. David did the tetris that is packing our boot and even with a huge suitcase, a wheelchair, a trolley and 372 board games we had lots of room to spare. \240840 and we were ready to leave Casa Hydon.

We grabbed some cash and a drive thru Macca’s breakfast and rolled up to the rendezvous spot … and in an unprecedented turn of events WE WERE FIRST!!!! \240The Dochertys rolled up next followed by Kaiti and Eli and the Warners brought up the rear arriving about ten past nine. \240After a quick conference it was wheels rolling - the Dochertys, Warners, Fagg-Campmans and the Hydons \240(known post hence as the HyDochWanMans) were off on a 10 day adventure.

It was an easy and uneventful 188km drive to Camooweal and as we arrived in Camooweal we saw the first effects of travelling out west in the holidays…. There was a queue of about 20 cars lined up for fuel. … first photo op of the trip … the Warner’s joined us in the queue while Sarah and Kaiti decided to hold out until Barkley Homestead.

Sarah started to use the mod cons of her 4WD by pulling out the nifty table from the back of the car and started on lunch … fresh rolls with corn beef and salad. David and I indulged in our traditional day one lunch of roadhouse food. \240We were all enjoying lunch in the sunshine when a kite swooped down and took a chunk of Patrick’s bread roll … well that was it, Ollie took refuge in the car and the rest of us finished our lunch while looking up.

With lunch done and packed away we were off, headed for the NT…. We agreed to stop at the boarder for a group shot under the NT sign…. Little did we know that it would prove to be a tad more complicated!

As we approached the boarder we noticed that one lane was closed and there were a lot of cars and vans parked in the parking area near the sign, we then noticed the police and realised we were going to participate in our first boarder control experience. I was so glad we had both downloaded our boarder passes and I knew the others had all done the same. \240I pulled up my pass and was checked through in less than a minute, but David’s email is not linked to his phone and that’s when the fun really began. \240With very poor internet reception the next 15 minutes were frustrating. \240(in hindsight it’s pretty funny but I wasn’t in a pretty funny kinda mood in the moment)… To get David’s pass I needed to get into his email from his Macbook, so we located the machine and hot-spotted to my phone … 1 bar on 3G didn’t cut it… nothing connected! \240Our only other choice was to drive back down the road to Camooweal to download and drive back… not ideal… I was about to concede when I saw Madeline on the side of the road with her phone in hand and arms up high, she found a sweet spot… I hot footed over and was instantly \240discouraged when there was still no connection. I was about to give up again when the truck parked behind me pulled off and my and Macbook came to life …. I was in, the joy was real! I ran over to our very patient policeman and handed him the Macbook with the all important pass… took him a while to realise he wasn’t working with a touch screen and he had to use the keyboard LOL meanwhile Matt and Madeline were still trying to find the sweet spot and Matt braved the heights and foot prints on his brand new rig in hope of getting connection…. Why were the Dochertys and Kaiti not joining in these antics I hear you ask … because they were smart enough to print out and produce hard copies of their passes … proving yet again that a functional paperless world is a myth!!

All checked in we were ready to roll. \240Given that David and I weren’t pulling a van or a trailer we were able to take advantage of the 130km speed limit. \240 It took a bit to get used to but once up to speed it was a smooth fast ride. \240We arrive at the homestead about 4pm and made a quick toilet stop before checking in and finding our motel room. \240Barkley homestead is a really impressive set up and the closest thing we’d seen to the road stops we’d happened upon in in the USA.

The others rolled in about 30 minutes later and we set ourselves up at a picnic table for a few adult cordials. \240Patrick decided to work on his fitness and do some sprints, he looked uber cool right up until he took a tumble.

All the boys then decided to have a game of touch and Patrick the super coach appeared, that man needs to coach back in Isa, he’s born for it. Add in the Jackson’s fresh air A little lad called Sam joined the game and he was a handy player with obvious skills, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw him line up for the Cowboys in about 10 years time.

We headed to dinner right on 5.30, Madeline invented beer boobs so she could bring her VB inside … Well you would have thought we’d committed murder when we joined David in the queue.The bloke behind us went off his nut, ‘the end of the line is back there don’t push in’ Madeline explained that we were joining Dave as we’d been waiting outside (social distancing and all) and he turned to Patrick and said ‘The women aren’t listening’ and started squawking all over again. \240Sarah wasn’t having a bar of the ‘women’ comment … she was in and the bloke was well and truly put back in his little sexist box. \240We ignored him until we got to the front of the queue. \240The service lady asked is we were a big party and suggested that we order together and split the payments … vindication is so very sweet. A few of us hung back and enjoyed a few sneaky beers at the ‘Barrelhouse’ barrel while we waited for our food. \240We ate back at our picnic spot andcalled it a night.

Everyone but David went to bed and David went back to the bar to what the Bombers play Melbourne, I wandered over to say hi/ look at the hats and finally found a super small leather cowboy hat that actually fit me … David filled the car ( taking advantage of the lack of a queue) and came back to the room with me to watch the last quarter … it wasn’t a happy ending. \240wandered

Tomorrow we’ll do a big day of driving to Alice Springs, but that’s another blog for a another day.

Until then,

Cheers Tash

Blog 2

Day 2

Barkley Homestead to Alice

Whoever convinced me to participate 6am start has got some very fine persuasive skills and when I say 6am start I mean wheels rolling 6am so for a second day in a row ‘This is Me’ rudely woke me from my slumber at 5 bloody am!

Early cold and dark I sucked it up and dragged myself out of bed. \240David might not be able to flex his muscles but he can certainly flex his packing skills, achieving the tetrus that is getting our stuff into our boot is an impressive feat at the best of times ..in the dark it’s just showing off.

We drove about 180 clicks up the road to three ways, enjoying the gentle sunrise as we headed west. \240With a just road sign and a roadhouse, there’s not much to see at three ways … one only goes there to go on to one of the three ways … Isa, Alice or Darwin. \240Big breakfasts all round, refuelling \240and a stubby holder purchase we started on the 5 hour drive to Alice.

Travelling 3kms an hour faster than the others, David and I look advantage, we had a 15 min kip on the side of the road while the others passed us, \240we caught up again, then stopped for a wee break, caught up again, \240stopped for a monument to Stuart and eventually met the others for lunch at Ti Tree. \240While at the last stop we met some people from Darwin who filled up in on the miner/covid situation. Of the 900 gold miners who were in contact with the person who brought covid from a Brisbane quarantine hotel 233 had spread across the country and the NT government announced a 2 day lockdown for Darwin and surrounds. \240

Lucky we were all considerably further south … except we weren’t. \240Marcus had just landed in Darwin. \240Kaiti got on the phone straight away and learnt that if Marcus stayed at the boarding gate and sat very still for 5 hours he’d be allowed to travel on to Alice… The rules and restrictions were changing rapidly so even though the advice was good at 1.30 we weren’t at all sure that he’d be allowed to board his flight at 4… time would tell.

We set out on the last leg of the day and we made it to the Welcome to Alice sign … we stopped for a photo (my off road driving skills were impressive If I say so myself) and unable to wait I took a Wizz behind the sign. Alice was surprisingly green and had a finish to the amenity that we don’t see in Isa. \240We reflected that Alice would be quite the culture shock for those travelling from cities and beaches but for us there was a level of familiarity. \240We found the Big 4 checked in and unpacked the car. \240Our cabin, a 2 bedroom en suite model was very very comfortable, and with the reverse cycle split system it was also very very warm.

All the other HyDochWarMans (the DochWarMans) were all camping so we headed to their group site to check out their tent city erection progress. \240They were going well but with Kaiti on a roll we grabbed Eli and Mayer and drove out to the airport to pick up Marcus.

As we drove in we discovered where all the grounded international planes were hiding… all right here in Alice…(we later found out there are over 400 here – apparently the dry weather and compacted ground is the ideal location for long term plane parking). \240The airport was empty … less than a handful of people were there and without masks David and I couldn’t go inside the terminal. \240After waiting for 20 mins with no activity or information, we checked the Qantas flight status website to find that Marcus’ plane was delayed by about 40 mins. \240With nothing to do and the temperature dropping by the minute we piled back into the car and went for a drive, we found a cool spot beside the runway where we saw a small bright dot way in the distance… The got themselves up on the back seat and through the sunroof for a rare and uninterrupted view of the plane coming into land. \240We whipped back around to the terminal and picked up a masked Marcus … who look a bit weary after a night out with the boys and a day of travelling.

Back at camp Madeline (our head chef) had dinner started, pumpkin soup was thawing and heating, I joined in and cooked a batch back at our place, with the pumpkin soup done we made a start on the cauliflower and leek soup … it was thawing but slowly and it was rather thick. \24030 minutes later there wasn’t much progress, our head chef went over the check on the boys on soup duty to discover they had thawed the mashed potato instead of the soup. …moral of the story always operate under the direction and watchful eye of the head chef. \240We located the soup and cooked it in cabin. \240It was delicious and definitely worth the wait. \240A postscript to the story is that it was Kaiti who pulled two bags of cauliflower and leek soup not just one but the story holds because the boys did not notice that they were cooking potatoes not soup… in a further postscript Patrick is still protesting \240and re-prosecuting the case …

It was also Origin game 2 night so all the boys and Georgia were piled in the cabin to watch NSW perform an absolute rugby league master class at the expense of Queensland. Matt was happy but the rest of the boys dragged their sad long faced back to camp for one last drink before bed.

Tomorrow’s plan is to check out Alice ( David and Tash) and the others planned to visit the Alice Springs Desert Park but \240that’s another blog for another day.

Until then,

Cheers Tash

Blog 3

Day 3

Alice Springs

We planned for a 7am breakfast and an 8.30 departure \240… reality was 9am breakfast and 11am departure … I didn’t mind, I quite like running on holiday time. \240David and I headed out to explore Alice and the other went off to the Alice Springs Desert Park.

David and I checked out the city centre, civic centre and a few of suburbs before stopping of the Hilton to enquire about the Asian fusion restaurant recommended to us. \240Hayley and Viv were super helpful and on their recommendation we booked all the adults into dinner for Tuesday night. \240The Hilton was well appointed but it was also very very dated. \240Built in the early 80s the whole complex screamed 1985.

We drove over to the railway station and were delighted to find the Ghan pulled in there. \240The waiting room was deserted bar one couple. \240There was a whole table laid out with grazing food like there had been some sort of event earlier in the morning and the lady explained it was for the passengers but we were free to have some ( we did just that) The lady then explained that Ghan was due to leave for Adelaide later in the day but due to the Darwin lockdown the train was terminated in Alice and the 150 passengers had to make arrangements to stay in Alice or travel on another way.

Back out to the train we stuck up a conversation with some of the staff. \240They were the Adelaide crew and were staying on the train while it travelled passengerless back to at least the SA boarder to await further instructions. \240We were joking about all the extra food they had on board and David offered to take some off their hands … next minute we were loaded up with pumpkin, zucchinis and cucumbers… not an outcome of the day’s adventures that we were expecting.

We took a drive around the eastern suburbs and role played what we thought the people living in those houses were like … to say we were very uncomplimentary \240is a polite version of events … but seriously who has AstroTurf and a birdbath!!!!!

We popped into a couple of shopping centres to check out the retail options and availed ourselves of a very swanky frying pan, some baking balls and a cooking thermometer. \240While purchasing a handbag we learnt of an NT phenomenon called the Berrimah line. \240Berrimah is an outer suburb of Darwin and people outside Darwin refer to the Berrimah line in the context of NT politics rarely considered the needs or wants of the people outside of the Berrimah line… what works for Darwin is applied to the rest of the state … It’s very similar to the plight of north Queenslanders under the rule of the South East corner.

After picking up some groceries we popped back to the cabin and while watching the news David discovered that the Alice Springs Beanie Festival was on just up the road at the cultural centre. \240It was great fun, there were so many beanies , each one had a story attached and no two beanies were the same. We chose 2 beanie each and picked up some yarn for Madeline and a t-shirt for David. \240We visited one last shopping centre where I picked up a gorgeous pair of white boots. \240Hardly a practical choice for Isa I know but I have a plan to keep clean by limiting them to strictly indoor use only.

So while were out and about in Alice the DochWarMans were at the desert park where they had a fabulous day … According to Eli everything was Soooo majestic. \240Ollie was starving for 3 hours and everyone at the bird show knew it… The world’s ugliest bird was thought to be called the Australian Bastard but upon closer investigation it was actually the Australian Bustard. \240The bird show was fabulous (but according to Patrick it was best I wasn’t there … I would have freaked out). \240They saw an emu… which Jackson tried to race .. the emu won. \240They also saw dingos and snakes in the nocturnal exhibit ( Marcus missed the snakes because he was sleeping with sound effects).

After a big day out we came together for dinner (where all the right food was thawed and cooked) and a few quite drinks before bed.

Tomorrow’s plan is an early start and a drive out west to check out some gorges and the NT landscape but that’s another blog for another day

Until then,

Cheers Tash

Blog 4

Day 4

Alice

So for a second day in a row the plan for an early breakfast and an early get away flew out the window just like plans for an overseas odyssey. \240To be fair Sarah and David were up and out early to visit the tourist information centre and bring back some bloody good coffee.

We got ourselves organised and drove out in convoy around 11am. David I jumped in the car with Kaiti \240and Marcus and the 6 kids spread themselves out across the other two cars. \240Our first stop \240was Simpsons Gap. \240It was stunning. \240We walked through the dried riverbed and saw beautiful colours from soft greens through to bright almost fluorescent orange.

All bets were on Mayer for getting his feet wet first but I took out that honour after getting completely tangled in the reeds. \240We saw a couple of black footed rock wallabies and the kids scrambled over some of the low rock formations. \240The adults got brave and climbed up a few meters for a great photo op (David couldn’t cover the terrain of the gap so we’re going to photoshop him into the photo abseiling down the sheer rockface.)

After Simpson’s gap we drove on to Ormiston Gorge, it was heavily patronaged so we pulled up in the camping area and took over the BBQ picnic area. \240Our head chef came through again … we had burgers, but not just any plain cheapo burgers, they were home made and Madeline elevated them by adding cheese onion and bacon as they cooked .. lunch was sublime!

The girls was very excited that the picnic area was close to the toilet block but the excitement dissipated when we discovered that they were out of service. \240I braved the bush and found a secluded spot to do my business but Kaiti decided to challenge the notices and used the facilities … they worked so Madeline and Sarah followed suit. The boys had a choice of at least 573 toilet spots so they were fine … although \240it did baffle me that with so much choice Lachlan and Mayer chose to go in full view of the whole camp.

After lunch we took a stroll to the gorge and we debuted David’s wheelchair for touring purposes for the first time. \240The gorge was very different to Simpsons gap but just as beautiful.. The only downside was the river wasn’t flowing so there were half a dozen dead and very stinky fish in the water so we didn’t hang around for too long. \240We spied a lookout about 100m above our heads and the DochWars decided to climb up while the HyMans stayed back and rested our weary legs.

All the climbers made it back safely within an hour and were so pleased they made the effort as the views were spectacular.

At was a little after 4pm and with a hot dinner date for the grown-ups booked in for 7 we decided to call it a day for the exploring and head back to Alice.

Our original plan was to order pizza for the kids for dinner but time wasn’t on our side so we did a drive by Mickey Dees and the kids were happy. \240We got back just before 6 so it was quick showers and our best camping clothes.

The kids all piled into our cabin and were issued with the RULES… Georgia was put in charge… you could see her grin from the moon. \240Dinner was at Hanuman a Thai Indian fusion restaurant recommended to us by David’s sister. \240It was a great recommendation, the food was delicious, lemongrass oysters, marinated mushrooms, softshell crab, spring rolls, goat curry, butter chicken, barramundi, lamb, chicken and Asian greens…. we ate like kings and shared a fabulous night together celebrating our friendship and good fortune in meeting one another.

We got back to the cabin to happily discover that there had been no major dramas and all kids were alive and in one piece..

Tomorrow we’re going to the movies while the other boys have a round of golf and the girls check out the shops but that’s another blog for another day.

Until then,

Cheers Tash

Blog 5

Day 5

Alice in lockdown

We woke a bit later and didn’t do a group breakfast. David did some life admin and I read my book over a hot Milo and porridge. \240We got going about 9.30 for 10am movie… We got into the cinema to see Into The Heights and thought we had the cinema to ourselves but a mother and daughter came in \240as the last previews were playing.

We were about halfway through the movie ( about 11.30am) when the screen paused, it didn’t kick start for a couple of minutes so I went out to find a staff member. I instantly bumped into a staff member who looked very flustered and concerned, she apologised for stopping the movie and explained that Alice was going into a 3 day lockdown at 1pm and that all movies had to stop so staff could clear the cinema and get home…

The news threw us and threw all our holiday plans out the window. \240The foyer was full, there was obviously a school holiday program group of kids sitting around with half full buckets of popcorn and a long queue of adults waiting to get refunded for the movies.

We decided to go to the supermarket as we needed a few things and had no idea what the next few days would bring. We stocked up on water, milk, sausages and some freezer food to tide us over and headed back to our camp.

The others were all there just as shell shocked as we were. \240The boys were halfway through their round of golf when they got the news, the girls had been in Coles and witnessed the explosion of people. \240They had the forethought to go to the $2 shop and stock up on craft for the kids.

We didn’t have a lot of information but we knew masks were mandatory, the lockdown was a precautionary measure, not a hotspot and that we couldn’t leave the city for 3 days. \240A number of people were packing up and obviously trying to get out of Alice by 1pm but we had too much to pack up and didn’t want to risk being turned around or worse … a $5000 per person fine. \240We hunkered down and stayed at our camp until we had more information. \240We all contacted Ayers Rock Resort to cancel our bookings because we knew that we wouldn’t get there tomorrow as planned.

With the jumping pillow, playground, BMX track and pool all shut down the kids got stuck into some craft and we all discussed the possibilities ahead of us and ultimately decided not to worry too much as we knew there would be much information and many changes over the next 24 – 48 hours.

We had a BBQ for dinner, (the potato salad was epic) and sat around talking into the night. \240We had a visit from the pack security guard about 10.15 reminding us of the quiet rules, we turned off the music and kept talking but apparently not quietly enough, another security guard came to our site and tried to tell us that there was a 2 person gathering limit –we challenged and won that argument but not satisfied (and clearly not busy and on a power trip) he decided to park he bike and stay outside our site until we broke up retired for the night.

Tomorrow we’ll reassess the situation and make new plans but that’s another blog for another day.

Until then,

Cheers Tash

Blog 6

Day 6

Alice … still in lockdown

Happy 21st Anniversary to us! \240It was the first year I didn’t have a card or gift for David at midnight (as is our custom) \240nor did I have one in the morning . \240A first for us and even not ideal, it’s yet another story in the rich tapestry of our life together. We did however have a lovely sleep in and with no real plans \240had a lovely lazy morning reading and staying warm inside until the sun got going.

We had some more information about our lockdown, the most alarming being that Queensland had declared Alice Springs as a hotspot and anyone returning to Qld from Alice would be required to enter a 14 day quarantine once back in the state. \240We rang the hotline and the information we got was a whole lot worse …The advice was that that the only way we’d be allowed into Qld was by air, and we’d have to fly to an assigned hotel in Brisbane or Cairns. \240The lady on the phone understood we had cars, trailers and a van but had no viable answers for us. My friend Zara back in Isa saw our posts on Facebook and offered to get some information from the Disaster Management Team charged with managing the COVID response in Isa regarding our situation.

David and all the girls went on an outing to the supermarket, a discount store and a charming newsagency.. \240I picked up some lovely anniversary cards and also a card game we don’t have that I thought David would really enjoy. we didn’t stay out long because wearing masks is so uncomfortable but we did get a lovely 30 min break in the park while we ate our KFC in the sunshine. \240Back at camp Sarah, Matt, David and I sat down to an epic 3 hour game of super scrabble… I usually hold my own even if I don’t win but matt caned us and schooled us on how to get three words and jam up the board in just one turn. Sarah made a late charge but couldn’t bridge the gap and with 2 Qs, 4Ts and an E I threw in my tiles for the first time in years.

Dinner was the rest of the BBQ and salad and most of us opted for an early night

We had no idea what Friday would bring other than day 2 of 3 in lockdown but that’s another blog for another day.

Until then,

Cheers Tash

Blog 7

Day 7

Alice … and the end of the lockdown

It’s lockdown day 2 and all the days are beginning to blur….

David and I visited the city war memorial (one hour of exercise and within 5kms of our accommodation and grabbed an early coffee for everyone.

When we got back, I joined Sarah and Kaiti and attempted to get some updated info on returning g to Qld. While Kaiti was on hold to the hotline I got through to the Isa police who told me there were no restrictions to come into Qld from their perspective. That seemed odd given the hotspot status Qld had issued for Alice Springs… as we were discussing it Sarah’s phone came to life with a message saying Alice was no longer a hotspot for Qld and that the lockdown was ending at 1pm… a day earlier than first announced.

It was obvious that others had received the message because all of a sudden a lot of the camp sites became a hive of activity, people were packing up, rolling up swags, dismantling tents and hitching vans … lots of people were keen to get out. \240We decided to stay, it would take more than a few hours to pack down and we would arrive anywhere we were trying to get to in the dark.

David \240and I flirted with the idea of making a dash to Uluru and stay two nights but we’d given up or accommodation and it was booked out so we decided to stay with the group. \240Our plan to stay at the casino on Sunday night gave way to getting home a day earlier for the HyWars and the DochMans would split their original long trip from Alice in two… it meant we’d all travel on Sunday and have one last night at Barkley Homestead together.

We settled into a game of Balderdash and were slightly alarmed and disturbed by Jack’s comprehensive answers and descriptions … many of which involved necrophilia and paedophilia.

After a late afternoon nap we joined the others for nachos for dinner… big thanks to Matt for all the chop chop and the super yummy guacamole. After dinner 6 of us played articulate, David and I took an early lead but Kaiti and Sarah got their groove on and pipped us at the post … it was surprising for two reasons ... 1 - Matt was playing and he had won just every board game we played and 2 - earlier in the game Sarah was unable to name the ABBA song about a famous battle. \240It was so much fun playing old familiar games with new people. \240We finished the game slightly after ten and not warning to endure the wroth of a super charged security guard we called it a night.

Tomorrow, the boys planned to play another round of golf and girls planned to take the kids shopping for souvenirs but that’s another blog for another day

Until then,

Cheers Tash

Blog 8

Day 8

Alice

After another lovely sleep in I wandered over to the camp just before 9 to grab the ingredients I needed to make zucchini slice using all the lovely zucchinis from the Ghan. \240By the time I prepped and cooked two large slices it was well after 11am and David was more than ready to get out of the cabin. \240The others had all just pulled into the Gillen Club for lunch so we drove straight there to join them. \240After seeing TV ads for this club for three years (thanks to Impaja we get ads for Alice, Katherine and Darwin ) I was pretty excited to see the club in person… but unfortunately it was a bit of a letdown, The Buffs is bigger and way more interesting (and I’m not a huge Buffs fan). Lunch was nice (but huge and I’m more than a bit over chips) and the need to still wear face masks was a drag. \240The general consensus was for an afternoon nap but Madeline and I were keen for a pedicure so I found a place in town that had availability later in the afternoon. \240Before retiring for naps and foot pampering we drove out to the southern Alice Springs sign for a group photo.

The pedi was lovely but I chose normal polish and not gel so I had to wait ages for my toes to dry, I relaxed back in my massage chair and almost fell asleep while my nails dried and Madeline took her big boys to stock up on some very cool, heavily discounted sneakers. \240Back at the cabin David was sound asleep and I fell into bed and was out like a light. \240I was woken by some distant knocking and it took me a minute to realise it was the kids coming over to deliver their tech and Dinner. \240Madeline and Matt followed shortly and got started on the stove …. If it wasn’t for the smoke alarm I may have never gotten up.

The kids ate and Madeline and Matt laid down the rules, they were so authoritative even I sat up straight to listen. \240All the adults then headed across the road to the Alice Springs Brewery, we hadn’t thought to book and with a private function taking up over half the venue the only available able was \240outside. \240We grabbed some beers ( I did a 4 beer flight) and tried to convince ourselves that we were warm. \240Madeline and I popped inside to order our food and I immediately noticed that the couch area was free so I grabbed it \240(not ideal but way warmer) at the same time Madeline managed to snag an 8 seat table … winning. \240After ordering our food and more drinks we settled into a conversation game … a simple game where a deep or light hearted question was read out and we all answers … ( are you an introvert or extrovert, are you more practical or creative, what is your secret habit or ritual, what bridges would you or have you burned, what kind act have you done without telling others….) It was a really fun game oh and dinner was delicious although some of the pizza topping were a bit sparse…

Kaiti, Marcus and Sarah were ready for bed but the rest of us wanted to check out the casino. ( well David not so much but he was keen to drive us and pop in for a few minutes – with a plan to come back for us later) as we walked in Matt remarked that it felt like the place where dreams go to die and he wasn’t wrong. As well as being tiny and devoid of any kind of character it was very uninspiring. \240I was keen to play roulette but with just the one table open and everyone in marks it wasn’t appealing. \240Having been in the elegant casinos of Monaco, the razzle dazzle of Vegas and even the melting pot of culture that is a cruise ship casino this one lacked everything. \240After one drink we were all more than ready to leave…

Tomorrow we start the long drive home but that’s another blog for another day

Until then,

Cheers Tash

Blog 9

Day 9

Alice Springs to Barkley Homestead

No lovely sleep in today! That pesky alarm did that annoying thing … it woke me up … 3 times!!!!! I was proud of myself for not hitting the snooze button for a fourth time and actually getting up to put the oven in … I was in charge of breakfast since the others all had to pack up their cooking facilities, utensils and the food … so breakfast was party pies and sausage rolls. \240I was sceptical about them being able to eat 40 of each but Madeline was right, the boys devoured most of them and left a couple of bites for the adults.

We were all packed up by 9 and drove around to the camp site where all three sites were packed and everyone was hitched up and ready to go. \240We made a quick stop at the servo for coffee and food (Madeline’s boys are always hungry) and we hit the road with our first rendezvous point being Ti Tree just 200Ks up the road. \240We rolled in just before 12 noon and had some morning tea. Madeline and Matt were a bit slower pulling the van so after they arrived we decided to go all the way through to Tennent Creek where we’d stop for lunch.

It was a long stretch but I slept most of the time when I wasn’t behind the wheel and David did the same. \240We stopped a couple of times to switch drivers and with the DochMans both driving just under the 130 speed limit we all arrived about the same time but the War(ner)s were quite a way behind. \240With nowhere obvious or nice to eat the HyDochMans decided to drive on to Three Ways which was only 25ks up the road. \240We pulled into the camping area behind the roadhouse and had fresh corned beef and salad sandwiches. \240The War(ner)s were still 60ks out of Tennant Creek so they were happy to meet us at Barkley Homestead.

We arrived in the last minutes of daylight and decided that our plan to cook dinner was way to ambitious and frankly too much effort so we all ordered a pub meal. \240Sarah was done and needed some Netflix downtime so she called it a night early as did Patrick and Marcus. \240Kaiti, Madeline, Matt David and I stayed up for a hearty game of Scattergies…. I can’t believe Matt beat me by 1 point and won the game … he’s giving me a run for my boardgame money …. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED MR WARNER CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!

The DochMans were planning to leave at 6 the next morning while the HyWars decided on a much more civilised leaving time of 10am …but that’s another blog for another day

Until then,

Cheers Tash

Blog 10

Day 10

Barkley Homestead to Isa

No pesky alarms just a lovely warm bed and very little to pack up I tumbled out of bed and poured myself a cup of ambition …. Whoops that’s Dolly not me …. I tumbled out of bed and hightailed it to the bathroom….With the car packed we met Matt and Madeline for breakfast, which was huge and lovely but the coffee was weird … I’d drunk most of it before I realised it was made on soy and not almond.

Rested, packed and full it was time to drive the last leg home. \240The war(ner) weren’t quite packed so we bid our goodbyes and left the homestead … felling very pleased with ourselves because we’d filled our car with fuel before breakfast and didn’t have to sit in the 20 car deep queue…

The drive was uneventful and we filled the time singing along to the Mamma Mia and Book of Mormon soundtracks before switching to Allen Jackson, Chris Stapleton and a wee little bit of Florida Georgia Line. \240By Camooweal we were on just a touch of half a tank of fuel and would have normally filled up for the last leg but the queue was ridiculous so we decided to risk it and gun for home … The fuel light came on just before we hit the airport so we knew we’d be fine.

And then all of a sudden …. after 10 days and an interrupted itinerary we were home.

It had been a great trip… \240not entirely what we expected with the lockdown and all and we are disappointed that we missed seeing Uluru but we had good company, good food, good rest and good fun… The HyDochWarMan NT Road Trip was a huge success …. I’m sure we will debrief and reminisce often (starting tonight as we’re all gathering at Sarah and Patrick’s for the Spag Bol we thawed out for Sunday night).

Thank you to the 12 people who travelled with the (slightly off the bell curve) Hydons we had a ball!

There won’t be be another blog for another day but thank you for reading this one…

Until the next big adventure…

Cheers Tash

Blog 11