Tosh & Techo's Tip Trip

TRIP RECORDS

2009-08-19T20:46:00.008+09:30

TRIP ROUTE MAP
We have published our route map, complete with distances and a list of our nightly campsites. The map is included as the first pic in our online Photo Album (follow the link on the right of the blog page).
These maps were prepared using the very good HEMA maps and OziExplorer (PC version), with GPS datalogging from a Garmin Oregon 400t handheld GPS.

GOOGLE EARTH VISUALISATIONS
Links to two Google Earth files are included with this blog entry:

one displays the photos from our web album at their location on the map, and
the second displays our detailed GPS track as a blue line on the map within Google Earth.

http://sites.google.com/site/thetiptrip/the-tip-trip---file-cabinet/TipTrip-PhotoAlbuminGoogleEarthformat.kml?attredirects=0

http://sites.google.com/site/thetiptrip/the-tip-trip---file-cabinet/TipTrip-CompleteTrackFileinGoogleEarthformat.kml?attredirects=0

You must have Google Earth installed on your PC in order for these links to open successfully. If you open one, then the other, you will be able to view our detailed GPS track and our photos together on the same map. You may need to zoom in a little to clearly see the blue line of our track route.

ROAD CONDITION PHOTOS

Note also that there are a number of photos in our album (mostly without captions) taken looking ahead out the windscreen. These photos might be useful to anyone considering or planning a similar trip and curious about the road conditions. When viewed in Google Earth, these photos will appear at the location where they were taken.

Tosh & Techo, over & out...

...thanks for visiting :-)

Day22 (Fri-14-Aug)- Packsaddle Roadhouse to Adelaide (Home Sweet Home)

2009-08-14T20:45:00.003+09:30

Up early this morning; a very cold pre-dawn start to our 700km trek home to Adelaide via Broken Hill.

Highlights from today (Fri-14-Aug):
- saw lots of kangaroos north of Broken Hill as dawn broke
- our last iced coffee for the trip, for breakfast at Broken Hill
- lunch at the Burra Bakery
- said farewell to the dirt and enjoyed bitumen south of Broken Hill
- arrived home safely, unpacked the top layer of our stuff, sat back and enjoyed a drink under the verandah, recounting the high points of our trip. We both agreed that it was a marvellous adventure and we couldn't believe our luck with the weather & the crowds (lack of)
- seeing our family and friends again
- looking forward to sleeping in our own beds again

Lowlights:
- had to dodge lots of kangaroos north of Broken Hill as dawn broke
- still can't work out where we "lost"30 litres of diesel from the Landcruiser's sub tank. Incredible to believe that someone could have milked it along the way without our noticing. This will probably remain an unsolved mystery.

Tosh & Techo, back home after a fabulous trip!

We plan soon to post some facts & figures from our trip, the full track details (for viewing in Google Earth), some more photos of the road conditions along the way and a couple of our most important tips for anyone considering or planning a trek to The Cape.

Day21 (Thu-13-Aug)- The Dig Tree to Packsaddle Roadhouse

2009-08-14T08:20:00.000+09:30

Good day; bad roads (again). A mix of rough stony tracks and soft sandy patches. We've had enough rough roads for this year! Visited Innamincka & the Oil Fields before heading south over the border into NSW to the Packsaddle Roadhouse, 175km north of Broken Hill.

Highlights from today (Thu-13-Aug):
- sunrise over the Cooper Creek
- Farmer's Union Iced Coffee at Innamincka
- self-guided tour of three Cooper Basin Oilfields near Tickalara, with expert commentary from Techo
- friendly welcome at Packsaddle roadhouse & good chat with Packsaddle Pete on the front verandah
- great showers at Packsaddle - they even have those shaggy bathmats!
- another still evening, but jumpers are on tonight!

Lowlights:
- Iced Coffee was frozen so we had to wait for it to thaw
- laptop mouse escaped - most likely in the oilfields, we think
- the sub tank fuel gauge works - but for the life of us, we can't work out where we "lost" 30 litres of diesel
- have dug our jeans out from the bottom of our bags ready for our return to South Australia tomorrow

Tomorrow we plan to get an early start, stock up on Iced Coffee and knock off the remaining 690km to home in Adelaide.

Tosh & Techo

Day20 (Wed-12-Aug)- Windorah to The Dig Tree

2009-08-13T13:31:00.002+09:30

Firstly... we've been out of NextG range for two days, so apologies for the delayed postings.

440km today. Doesn't sound like much, but almost half of that was on road conditions that rivalled the Cape's Bypass Rd. Instead of fierce corrugations, we tackled rough, hard rocky tracks through the gibber country of south-west Qld. We made our destination at The Dig Tree on The Cooper Creek around 2pm, and decided we'd camp there 'cause we'd had enough driving for today!

Highlights from today (Wed-12-Aug):
- arriving at camp early and being able to rest & recuperate on the banks of the Cooper Creek
- peaceful, still, uncrowded campsite right next to the Dig Tree; a spectacular sunset and another mild evening under a clear sky

Lowlights:
- rough, remote last 200km to Nappa Merrie from the north
- hitting (probably fatally) a beautiful, rare endangered bush bustard that was too slow to take off as we approached it at 80km/h
- noticed sub-tank fuel gauge is reading wrongly; a quick investigation failed to fix it; another job for when Tosh gets home

Tomorrow we plan to continue south, staying east of the Qld border, pass by a couple of Techo's oil fields around Tickalara before heading across the NSW border toward Tibooburra.

Tosh & Techo.

Day19 (Tue-11-Aug); Winton to Windorah

2009-08-13T13:30:00.000+09:30

Good day today. Visted the Lark Quarry Conservation Park thismorning and saw the marvellous building they've constructed there to cover and protect the dinosaur stampede footprints discovered there. Then it was a long, remote drive through changing scenery to Windorah.

Highlights from today (Tue-11-Aug):
- The marvellous building at Lark Quarry; housing a superb display of dinosaur footprints. A lot of money, thought & effort has gone into this park and it was great to see our taxes put to such good use
- bizarre ancient servo with blind, very old attendant at Windorah (had to tell him how much fuel we'd filled, what it cost and how much cash we'd handed over, so he could work out the change
- campsite fees just $5 at Windorah caravan park
- Mild evening; no jumpers required
- Red chicken curry & rice; yummy but too hot for Techo to finish

Lowlights:
- noisy overnight at Winton (cattle & trucks)
- the Windorah 'caravan park' looks much better at night in the dark then during the day; but the amenities are good

Tomorrow we'll head toward Burke & Wills' Dig Tree on the Cooper Creek near Innamincka.

Tosh & Techo.

Day18 (Mon-10-Aug)- Undara Lava Lodge to Winton

2009-08-10T18:51:00.001+09:30

Woke to a dewy morning at Undara, headed off on a looong drive through uninspiring countryside to arrive in Winton. We set up camp in one of the caravan parks and watched as the park filled with vehicles and people in preparation for the local Rodeo next weekend.

Highlights from today (Mon-10-Aug):
- Iced coffee with the very friendly roadhouse cockatoo at The Lynd Junction Oasis roadhouse
- great lookout over the deep Porcupine Gorge, carved deep into the plains by the Porcupine river, north of Hughenden
- seeing our first ever Muttaburrasaurus in Hughenden
- finding the "shuffle" function on the iPod, so we didn't have to make decisions on what to listen to

Lowlights:
- the uninspiring scenery
- the narrow, chopped-up, patched bitumen "track" between Hughenden & Winton
- Tosh conceding that shock absorbers will need to be replaced when we get home (they've gone very 'soupy')
- smelly Artesian water in Winton caravan park showers

Tomorrow we will visit the dinosaur footprints preserved at Lark Quarry, then either pop over to Longreach or continue south toward Windorah (we'll see how we feel in the morning...)

Tosh & Techo

Day17 (Sun-9-Aug)- Cairns to Undara

2009-08-10T18:50:00.001+09:30

After breakfast at the Stuarts, we drove into Cairns to check out the new 'lagoon' area on the foreshore, then headed south to Mission Beach (via a Kurrimine detour to see the Stuart's holiday spot) to drop in on Techo's parents in their home-away-from-home. Then we turned west and headed inland to the Undara Volcanic National Park.

Highlights from today (Sun-9-Aug):
- deluxe cooked breakfast at the Stuart's
- seeing the foreshore development at Cairns
- catching up with Mum & Dad and seeing their winter hiding spot at Mission Beach
- Bev's leftover-roast sandwiches with chutney & mustard
- listening to a Hamish & Andy podcast to pass the time on the road
- finding a peaceful & remote campsite, away from the crowds, in the back carpark at Undara Lodge (all regular campsites full!)

Lowlights:
- not finding the topless section of the Cairns foreshore
- pulling into the overly-commercialised Undara Lava Lodge
- a Kookaburra flew in & stole our salad as we were dishing up
- this evening we've had to dig out jumpers from the bottom of our bags

Tomorrow we'll head towards Winton/Longreach (haven't yet decided).

Tosh & Techo.

Day16 (Sat-8-Aug)- Cooktown to Cairns

2009-08-10T18:49:00.000+09:30

Travelled from Cooktown to Cairns via the Blookfield Track through the Daintree and finished at the Stuart's in Brinsmead Glen, Cairns for an afternoon of catch-up and a marvellous home-cooked roast!

Highlights from today (Sat-8-Aug):
- tropical rainforest experience on the Bloomfield Track
- easy, unrushed and enjoyable drive
- catching up with the Stuarts - great company; marvellous dinner, comfy beds & a hearty breakfast

Lowlights:
- return to two-wheel-drive country & traffic lights
- urban sprawl encroaching on the rainforest
- crowded shopping centre carparks

Tomorrow we plan to visit the Grey Nomad parents at Mission Beach, before heading inland toward Undara.

Tosh & Techo

Day15 (Fri-7-Aug)- Coen to Cooktown

2009-08-07T17:00:00.000+09:30

After a great night's sleep by the brook at Coen, we set off to Cooktown via Laura and the Battlecamp Rd. More corrugations, more traffic, but not as bad as yesterday. Arrived Cooktown with plenty of time to spare, found a wonderful campsite in the very shady Penninsula Caravan Park and are set for the night.

Highlights from today (Fri-7-Aug):
- listening to Hamish & Andy's "Unessential Listening" in the car passed the time superbly
- lunch at a great roadside spot, Isabella Falls, on the Battlecamp Rd approaching Cooktown
- Tosh's phone finally gets into Optus coverage area (first time since Alice Springs) and receives his week-old text messages
- makeshift repairs on the car are holding up real well

Lowlights:
- morning checks revealed another car problem. The bracket supporting the cruise control had fatigued & failed, leaving the unit 'swinging in the breeze'. A quick bracket renovation with coathanger wire, duct tape and a couple of cable-ties saw it securely back in place.
- contacted Tosh's sister in Cairns to arrange a catch-up, but they're presently too far down the coast

Plan to tackle the Bloomfield Track to Cairns tomorrow and stay with the McIntosh's friends, Bev, Tony & Georgia tomorrow night.

Tosh & Techo

Day14 (Thu-6-Aug)- Punsand Bay to Coen

2009-08-06T19:28:00.000+09:30

Today was our worst day yet...

Yesterday we achieved our goal of getting to The Tip, we celebrated and spent a relaxing afternoon at the remote, peaceful camp at Punsand Bay, then went to sleep happy.

Today we woke with a sense of loss and, with a touch of sadness, we packed the car and set off southward for home. It was an extraordinarily rough trip over hundreds of km of corrugated gravel & sand 'roads'. We arrived in Coen late this afternoon mentally exhausted from the jolting corrugations.

Highlights from today (Thu-6-Aug):
- Finding the WWII aircraft wreckage sites near Jackey Jackey airfield at Bamaga
- well-earned rest and hamburger at our Bramwell Junction lunchstop
- another beautiful campsite by the babbling brook at Coen

Lowlights:
- aforementioned empty feeling
- relentless, mind & bum-numbing corrugations all along the Bypass Rd & Telegraph Rd
- getting yanked off the road into a culvert at 80km/h (car & load survived, but a scary moment)

Tomorrow we'll head toward Cooktown where we'll probably spend the night.

Tosh & Techo.

Day13 (Wed-5-Aug)- TO THE TIP !!!

2009-08-05T15:40:00.001+09:30

We Made It !!!

This morning we took the rough shortcut track from Punsand Bay to The Tip and climbed over the rocks to officially set foot at the northernmost point of the Australian mainland.

Highlights from today (Wed-5-Aug):
- Standing on The Tip. Finally, after an arduous trek over 4,650km from Adelaide and after 700 litres of Aussie diesel, we reached The Tip of Cape York. The moment was worth celebrating and, thanks to Telstra's NextG network, we were both able to call home to share the moment.

Lowlight:
- the hollow feeling of "what's next" as we drove away from the Tip

Tosh & Techo, contemplating the trip back home to the cold south...

Note: the author has no affiliation with Telstra; rather is simply a happy customer of the far-reaching mobile network.

Day12 (Tue-4-Aug)- Cockatoo Creek (on the OTT) to Punsand Bay (near The Tip)

2009-08-05T07:35:00.000+09:30

Great adventure today, with some REAL 4WD action on the northern section of the Old Telegraph Track, crossing the Jardine ferry, visiting Bamaga en route to our campsite tonight at Punsand Bay, just 16km along the coast from The Tip.

Highlights from today (Tue-4-Aug):
- successfully completing the Old Telegraph Track with sense of humour intact!
- our beachfront cabent (cross between a cabin and a tent) at Punsand Bay Camping "Resort" - absolute paradise
- beatuful tortillas cooked on the verandah of our cabent
- refreshing swim in the Punsand Bay pool

Lowlights:
- minor car damage suffered at the entrance to the Canibal Creek crossing on the OTT
- lower alloy 'bib' underhanging the front & sides of the bullbar bent & partly dislodged after a particularly nasty nose-dive off a ledge
- sidestep on passenger side slightly bent on underside after hanging up on the tricky exit to the same crossing
- the radio antenna also got bent back somewhere along the track, but Techo reckons it looks better leaning backward anyway
- more and more terrible corrugations north of the Jardine
- listening to whinging Grey Nomad women waiting for the Jardine ferry (but we didn't let them interrupt our inner peace & relaxation)

Tomorrow morning we will take a leasurely drive and walk to the northernmost point of the Australian mainland, then do a bit of exploring around the northern region before retiring again to our Punsand Bay cabent.

Tosh & Techo, gazing out over the calm horizon of the Torres Strait

Day11 (Mon-3-Aug)- Weipa to Cockatoo Creek on the Old Telegraph Track

2009-08-05T07:33:00.001+09:30

Peaceful start to the day, morning showers and a bit of shopping in Weipa, then on the road toward Bramwell Junction and the start of the Old Telegrah Track...

Highlights from today (Mon-3-Aug):
- Bakery at Weipa was open, so we had to have a cream bun and custard tart
- Finally we made the Telegraph Track! Very little traffic and great fun traversing the rough terrain and creek crossings on the southern section
- another great bush campsite, on Cockatoo Creek, with a fresh babbling brook and no neighbours
- weather still fabulous

Lowlights:
- When in Woolworths, asked where the bakery section was and was pointed to the bread stacked up in the freezer
- Today we hit the worst corrugations so far. More than 50km of the Penn Dev Rd leading up Bramwell Junction
- Techo, still a bit on edge about crocs, sh_t his pants while standing in the Gunshot Creek when Tosh tossed a piece of debris to splash into the water right behind him

Tomorrow we plan to complete the OTT, cross the Jardine ferry and pick a spot to camp from the alternatives up near Bamaga. Time will tell if we set foot on The Tip tomorrow, else it'll be Wednesday.

Tosh and Techo

(Sun-2-Aug)- Coen to Weipa

2009-08-02T19:50:00.000+09:30

Easy drive today; roads were excellent with only a little corrugation.

Highlights from today (Sun-2-Aug):
- short morning walk upstream at Coen River to the Coen Cascades (our first serious excercise)
- shadey, "tropical-feel" campground at Weipa; great amenities; park popular but not crowded
- superb big orange sunset over the Gulf
- Sunday roast beef with 3-veg & gravy dinner from the Bodouri oven
- got to hose the Landcruiser down at the Weipa campground. Futile really, but it made us feel better
- short walk around Weipa town (it's not possible to do a long walk; it's a very small centre)

Lowlights:
- had to watch out for some of the local yokels driving very fast as wew approached town
- Weipa stores closed on Sunday (only the newsagent was open), but that's to be expected
- the grey nomads in the campsite near us have a ridiculous, bright white fluffed-up pet chicken roaming around their site!

Tomorrow morning we'll top up a few groceries at Woolworths, drop into Mitre10 for a few bits & pieces and then we'll head back to the Penninsula Dev Rd and up past Bramwell onto the Old Telegraph Track. How far we get for our camp tomorrow rermains to be seen.

Tosh & Techo

Day9 (Sat-1-Aug)- King Junction Station to Coen

2009-08-01T20:28:00.001+09:30

Great day today, made it onto the "Main Road" north.

Highlights from today (Sat-1-Aug):
- tossed in a line at the Palmer River
- joined the Penninsula Development Rd (the main road north) in good time
- hamburger and chat with family at the Hann River Roadhouse
- saw some freak snowfall across the top of the high range between Musgrave and Coen. Apparently it's unheard of and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The road wasn't too slippery and thankfully we didn't have car troubles 'cause we were still in our shorts!!! See the amazing photos on the blog.
- uncrowded campsite at Coen
- flies and mozzies still no problem
- refereshing shower in a bucket at the end of a VERY DUSTY day

Lowlights:
- no fish biting at the Palmer River campsite
- corrugations and bulldust holes
- more traffic on the main road than we've been used to from Karumba
- the bolognese sauce was a bit bland, but thank god for Sweet Chilli Sauce

Update re yesterday's mention of Techo's brilliant navigation coming to the rescue...
Today Techo came crashing back to earth. As we approached Musgrave, Techo was actively consulting his GPS and maps and declared "I don't think there's a bend in the road for the next 15km to Musgrave". To which Tosh laughingly pointed him to the windscreen where a series of bends were clearly visible just 100m ahead. Hmmmm.... the wonders of modern technology; sometimes the old ways are the best ways!!!

Tomorrow's plan is to travel 260km to Weipa for a quick lookaround. May stay, may not??

Tosh and Techo.

Day8 (Fri-31-Jul)- Karumba to the Palmer River crossing on the King Junction Station

2009-08-01T20:27:00.000+09:30

Tosh had packed almost everything the night before, so we got away before 7am. Seventy km later we turned left onto the Burke Development Rd and we were on The Cape proper (ie. beyond where most Grey Nomads fear to tread).

Highlights (Fri-31-Jul):
- good night's sleep, got away early
- road condition generally better then expected, but VERY dry and dusty. 80km/hr most of the way
- made better time to the Mitchell River crossing (nr Dunbar Station) than expected

Lowlights:
- the Mitchell River was far too wide & deep to cross (similar width to the Murray at Roonka, Blanchetown SA)
- the realisation that we probably could have known this if we'd have asked at Karumba
- the sinking feeling as we contemplated having to back-track hundreds of km back to the "main" road

Highlights (cont'd):
- Techo's brilliance in navigation with the laptop & OziExplorer to discover an alternate crossing point on the 250K topographic map, through the Gamboola Station (less than 200km detour)
- freak ("meant to be") meeting the Gamboola Station manager at the turnoff to his station, confirming his crossing was passable and we were okay to use it.
- the feeling of elation that we were "back on track", albeit with a slightly different route
- met the King Junction station owners for permission to camp on the Palmer River near their crossing
- found a magnificent, private campsite overlooking the peaceful river (Techo reckons we're too far upstream for crocs, but he's not so confident to have a swim)

Plan for tomorrow is to continue through the back tracks to the Main Cape road and turn left (north) to the Hann River Roadhouse for a hamburger. We'll get beyond there somewhere by tomorrow night.

Tosh & Techo

Day7 (Thu-30-Jul)- Rest day in Kurumba

2009-08-01T20:25:00.000+09:30

Day spent in and around Kurumba, doing a bit of washing, a bit of shopping, a bit of planning, and a lot of resting, before our assault on the 'real' Cape beyond.

Highlights (Thu-30-Jul):
- got some cryo-vac meat
- lovely warm showers in very tidy amenities
- comfortable beds (earplugs were successful)
- met an interesting couple that were sick of travelling with each other
- cleaned dirty jox & socks
- caught up on email/blog/photos
- another swim in the caravan park pool
- walked around the other main caravan park and admired the Grey Nomads' very clean, sparkly, expensive vehicles and vans
- Techo got one of those "galvanised iron watertank" coldy holders
- very peaceful evening sitting on the riverbank watching the boats
- felt rested and ready for the trek to The Tip

Lowlights:
- didn't get to see a high tide at Karumba; it just seemed to be low all day!
- hard to think of any lowlights from today!

Tosh & Techo

Day6 (Wed-29-Jul) - Burke & Wills Roadhouse to Karumba

2009-07-29T20:33:00.000+09:30

Short day today. Just 300km to Karumba, via Normanton.

First landmark; we've reached the Gulf of Carpentaria, the cusp of the Cape, after 6 days and 2,999km. We'll stay here in Karumba for two nights, for some rest & recuperation (and washing).

Highlights from today (Wed-29th-Jul):
- early morning cool rather than cold, at last
- relatively low km (300km today)
- Karumba campground NOT full; got a cabin with soft beds and rolled-up towels
- got to see the Gulf of Carpentaria from the Sunset Hotel at lunchtime
- had a swim in a croc-free pool at the campground
- still haven't come across a croc
- camping in NextG coverage, at last able to call home to loved ones

Lowlights:
- early morning visit by a very large brown bull grazing 3m from Techo's tent; not sure who got the biggest fright when I stuck my head out to see what was going on
- Normanton bakery low on stock when we visited (probably for the best)
- very disappointing lunch at the Sunset Hotel; the food is pretty average

Big day planned tomorrow; got to wash a few clothes then find something else to do all the rest of the day.

Tosh & Techo.

Day5 (Tue-28-Jul)- Urandangi to Burke & Wills Roadhouse

2009-07-29T18:35:00.001+09:30

We've entered the warm weather region, at last, after another cold morning at Urandangi.

Highlights from today (Tues-28th):
- Making it to Mt Isa with a sniff of fuel left
- Rough roads but easy day. Mix of corrugations & single-lane bitumen
- Another cullinary delight for dinner from the kitchen of Tosh
- Penne of sweet chilli tuna with a sundried tomato pesto
- Penne of navy beans, baked with a cheesy crimson tomato jus
- Another piece of fruitcake
- Sitting here in thongs & shorts after dark
- Hearing from other travellers that Karumba mightn't be as crowded as feared, so might be able to get a site
- Another warm shower

Lowlights:
- They don't sell Menz Crown Mints in Mt Isa! Had to make do with Allens Extra Strong
- Baked beans and pasta needs some spicing up (reminder for next time...)
- Head-on with two rare, protected, endangered native Corellas
- After the grassed campsite last night, the Burke & Wills is a MAJOR disappointment
- Loss of Country Music late in trip due to low battery in iPod & phone
- First encounter with mosquitos

Relatively short run to Karumba tomorrow to check accommodation availability.

Tosh & Techo.

Day 4 - The Gem Tree to Urandangi (Qld)

2009-07-28T11:52:00.001+09:30

Hi all,

Still heading North. Crossed NT/Qld border today and camped at a small outpost about 170km SW of Mt Isa.

Highlight from today (Mon):
- Hearty breakfast - leftover chilli con carne on toast
- feeling fresh after last night's shower
- hit the halfway mark to The Tip! (Tarlton Downs Communications Tower, about midway along Plenty Hwy)
- hit the dirt for the first time; bit rough in places but overall pretty good run
- free camping at Urandangi Pub, on their grassed camping area
- sharing camp with a couple who have just come from The Cape; got some great tips
- knowing we're one day from the start of The Cape
- finally got some reception on the sat phone !!!!

Lowlights:
- learned that Karumba is packed with people and we might have to change our plans and stay elsewhere nearby
- Tosh has lost his lip balm
- discovered the fruit cups were actually sorbet that needed to be frozen !!
- had to last all day in the car without Crown Mints (have since found the spares)
- looking forward to another night sleeping with a generator (two in fact)

Plan for tomorrow: head up to somewhere around Normanton (??) via Mt Isa.

Day 3 - Kulgera to The Gem Tree, via Alice

2009-07-28T11:49:00.001+09:30

Hi everyone. Still travellin' fine & having fun.

If this email is late, it's 'cause we've been out of NextG coverage areas for a couple of days...

Highlights today (Sunday):
- relatively easy day
- bit touristy checking out The Alice (tidier & more developed than I expected; Techo)
- Ploughmans' lunch at the Botanic Gdns; canned ham, cheese & pickled onions on fresh buttered bread
- finally getting some blog posts published
- finally entering warm daytime temperature country (still chilly nights)
- first shower and change of clothes (Techo); second for Tosh
- baking hot loaf of bread fresh from the oven at Erldunda
- magnificent mexican tortillas for dinner around the fire
- hooning along at 130km/h (woo-hoo!)
- another piece of Carol's fruitcake

Lowlights:
- mignidht to 7am howling winds at Kulgera camp
- having to pack gear away and reinforce tents during the night (lesson learnt)
- lost sleep
- Tosh loses 45min of the day; possible sitting-up powernap at the lunchstop(?)
- queueing up at the Woolies checkout in the Alice; Sunday is a very busy day in town

Day2- Glendambo to Kulgera

2009-07-26T13:24:00.003+09:30

Hi everybody!

Highlights:
- Escaping the sewerage smell at Glendambo
- Coober Pedy - dusty, dirty, hilly-er than I thought (Techo)
- Chatting with an SA travel group who had some Cape tips
- Remote campsite out a side track from Kulgera
- First campfire
- Carol's fruitcake, by the fire

Lowlights:
- Killing local fauna (head-on with bird)
- Bladder-burst just short of NT border (wet pants; Techo)
- $1.70 / litre diesel @ Kulgera
- Taking half an hour to unwrap Carol's fruitcake
- No satphone or NextG coverage at Kulgera (that's why this blog is late)

Plan to visit Alice and camp on Plenty Hwy tomorrow night.

Tosh & Techo

Day1- Adelaide to Glendambo

2009-07-26T13:17:00.002+09:30

Day1: got away at 09:15 (took a bit longer than expected to do our hair)

Highlights:
- Early morning farewell visit by two ducks (Techo)
- Actually leaving, after months of planning

- Kupsch bakery at Crystal Brook
- Camp at Glendambo

Lowlights:
- The Tosh family tarp flapped and frayed/tore between Adl & Pt Wakefield.
- Stomach pains after eating Kransky & BIG Vanilla Slice from Kupsch's (Tosh)
- The Pong at Glendambo camp (sewerage vents)

- Leaky tomato sauce bottle (Tosh overfilled it)
Still, cloudless but cold here.

Plan to hit the Territory tomorrow.

Planned Route Map

2009-07-23T16:55:00.005+09:30

Well...

Tomorrow is departure day (Fri-24-Jul, 2009). Leaving Adelaide en-route to Coober Pedy for first night.

In readiness, I have shifted the datums, sorted the waypoints, tracked our routes and sync'ed the GPS to create our Planned Trip Route Map!

Here it is...

Thanks for the send-off !

2009-07-19T21:58:00.005+09:30

Thanks to all who came to our ceremonial send-off bbq today.

Special thanks to Jo for all the onions! and for all the footballers who came to see us off.

Your well-wishes were much appreciated.

Make sure to follow our travels on this blog and check out our photo highlights on our web album (follow the link near the top right of the blog page).

There are a couple of pics already there from today. They might serve as good photos to remember us by.

See you soon...

Techo

Query from the Federal Dept of Defense !!

2009-07-19T19:44:00.007+09:30

Tosh was talking to one of his AirForce mates about our upcoming trip, and the tech & equipment we were planning to take with us.

Well... it seems his "mate" thought it would be fun to dob us in to the Federal Dept of Defense, who subsequently demanded we fill out this form, listing the tech equipment we're packing.

Apparently, this is to protect national security and confirm our bona-fides should we be intercepted by the Army or law enforcement agents and questioned about the level of technology in our possesion.

Here's a copy of the form we faxed through to the Head of Corps, Royal Australian Engineers (You might need to double-click them to be able to read them)

Welcome...

2009-06-11T16:30:00.002+09:30

Welcome to our travel blog!

Check back here for updates of travel tales & pics during our trek north.

Drive-off is planned for Fri-24-July. Check back here from then for all the goss...

You'll be able to check our best photos by following the link to our Web Album (see the link to our Picasa Web Album near the top right of this page.)

Cheers,

Grant & Paul