The Wandering Donkeys © Made With Serif WebPlus.  Friends of the Donkeys | Contact Us | Terms & Conditions | Advertise

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I want to say we had an amazing night full of fun and fireworks but it's been a dreadful night. Poor Billy was up pacing the house whining and jumping in and out of the bed. He was so scared of the fireworks. We eventually got him to settle by putting the bathroom light on because the door is right by our bed. I put the TV on to drown out the sound of the fireworks but nearly every channel was New Year parties and images of fireworks. I decided to put on Michael Jackson's Moonwalker since it was the only thing I had to hand so we could have some music and no fireworks on the screen. We had a helicopter flying low right over the cottage at 1 am which really didn't help. I felt like handing out of the door and telling everyone to shut the hell up! He eventually settled down, only I would put on a light and Michael Jackson for a dog. Phoebe decided to join in with the musical beds game too!! Then for the rest of the night Kya cried at the end of the bed until I put her outside this morning to go to the toilet. Then she cried at the door!! You could say the start to the New Year will be one I will never forget! Happy 2013 everyone!

We spent the afternoon filling out all the paperwork for our second year visas. To say there are a lot of pages would be a complete understatement! Monica had come in and dodged a slap across the face from Phoebe to come and lie across everything on the table. Luckily we had certified copies of our passports, payslip's from Doynes and letters detailing dates worked and all the information possible under the sun. Its amazing how difficult it is to even attempt to get a second year visa. It makes me wonder who made up all these rules and regulations on what postcode area is suitable, what kind of employment would qualify a traveller like myself to be able to work and pay into the tax system for another 12 months. Nevertheless we have filled out our paperwork and all we can do is wait. If we don’t fill it out, we’re leaving in March and if we don’t get granted this visa we’re leaving in March so we have nothing to lose. Robyn had given us a prepaid envelope and photocopied everything for our records before we headed down to the post office in Beaconsfield shopping centre to post the precious envelope and it’s contents. Now all we can do is wait!!

I HAVE MY SECOND YEAR VISA, however Nick is still waiting for his. We had an e-mail from the visa bureau shortly after I came back from my evening run. The feeling of relief is amazing. I will actually be able to sleep tonight knowing that we don’t have to worry about rushing around trying to see what little of Australia we can before our visa expires on the 3rd March. We went over to the main house to tell everyone the good news. I allowed myself to have a few sips of some strawberry cider to celebrate, or as it was referred to, Lolly water. It’s been a few years since I’ve had an alcoholic drink. We didn’t even have a drop of alcohol on our wedding day!

We have spent the past couple of days making the last few adjustments to the wagon. There is still a list longer than my arm of things we really want/need for it but we just don’t have the time or the money right now to sort it out. Nick has spent most of his time welding up a gas can cage so we can put our 9kg bottle on the back door next to the spare wheel. We went out today and got a 25 litre water tank and a bucket for 79 cents from Bunnings. From previous experience of living I would say a bucket is an important piece of equipment for washing clothes, dishes, yourself, collecting water etc etc. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent in the garden cutting all the hedges and cleaning all the dry leaves and debris that seems to have accumulated around the property. God bless the garden vacuum thing! We have sprayed the outside of our cottage and the main house with home defence to stop those nasty little critters coming inside. I saw a few spiders but nothing to worry about.

It reached 40 degrees today so I spent most of the day inside catching up on paperwork and writing. The cat has been lying on the kitchen floor trying to keep cool. Billy and Kya came over for a visit while everyone went out. They were a couple of seriously hot dogs! When everyone came home from work we were told here had been 4 fires in Pakenham which isn’t far from where we are. Bush fires really freak me out so I was getting really worried. Apparently the wind is blowing in the opposite direction to us and according to the CFA website the fires are contained. I text our friend Mark to see if he was ok. His house is on Pakenham road and that is where one of the fires was. He was ok but the fire was burning about 10 minutes away from his house. We were forwarded an e-mail from the people who had signed our paperwork for us with a few questions they needed answering. Maybe that’s why Nicks confirmation hasn’t come through yet. Panic has started to set in again. I am probably worrying for nothing but I can’t help it. All I want to do is stay here in Australia for a bit longer, is that too much to ask? The guy we met at the Berwick Markets called to say the battery we wanted had arrived! Just in time for the weekend, at least we have a little trip to look forward to.

Happy Anniversary Nick! We have been together for 9 years today and what better way to spend it than hitting the road for the first time in the Jackaroo. We spent the evening before packing everything into the car. Nick fitted the secondary battery in the car to run the fridge and the lights from. I didn’t end up going to bed last night until midnight which was pretty late for me and Nick came in at 1am after finishing off wiring everything. We were rudely woken up by Phoebe this morning. She came into the bed and walked all over us meowing and breathing her fishy cat breath over me. It was 5am and the last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed but I dragged myself up and let her out. We eventually surfaced at 7 am and finished off the rest of the packing. We left home by 9:45 am and filled up with fuel and coffee before starting our journey to the city. We took as book out from the library which has lots of different road trips in there. The one we want to try is called the Southern Loop which will take us North from Melbourne up to Hay, to Adelaide and back down the Great Ocean road to Melbourne again. We drove straight from Berwick to Melbourne city centre along the Monash Freeway (M1). It wasn’t long before we saw the familiar buildings surrounding the city. I hadn’t noticed all the art deco designs before. We drove through the city down St Kilda road trying our best not to hit anything or anyone in the hustle and bustle of the city centre. As we were driving through Nick turned to me and said “It smells like France here, you know, cigar smoke, coffee and bread” It made me laugh.

We took a right onto Queens Street and ended up driving right through the middle of the market, full of people. A quick stop and a map check was in order when we reached Essendon just to make sure we were heading in the right direction. It had been decided we were going to map read rather than use the satnav. Once we had made it out of the traffic we made our way towards the Organ Pipes National Park where we stopped for some lunch. I soon realised that the mini chopping board we had was going to get on my nerves when cutting up fruit and vegetables so we were going to make it our mission to find a bigger chopping board. We were back on the road by 1pm and driving along the M79 towards Bendigo. The land was now very flat and dry grass stretched for as far as the eye could see. We could both see why bush and grass fires spread so quickly. Our next stop was Maceton which a little town en route. I took a few pictures of the little township and a converted chapel. Malmsbury was next on our route, followed by Taradale another quaint little town which was great for a few photos of the viaducts which stood tall over the hills. A chopping board was found in Kmart when we stopped off in Kangaroo flat just before hitting Bendigo. We got some salad and bread rolls to go with our chickpea and sunflower seed burgers for dinner. Nick decided to use one of the BBQ areas in Huntly to cook our burgers. There was an old camper van with a huge battered radiator stuck on the front parked up next to us and a tent pitched on the other side. It was great to have a table and chairs to sit at this time rather than the Honda in New Zealand where we had to squeeze ourselves in the back of the car to eat our dinner. We attempted to heat up some water in the Billy can to wash dishes and make a coffee. The coffee was luke warm but the dishes were clean! After packing everything away we stopped in Elmore to use the toilets and carried on. The roads to Echuca were long and straight and dry grassland and farms were all we saw for most of the journey. We fuelled up on coffee at McDonalds and downloaded all the pictures off the camera when we eventually found somewhere to park up. It was now time to try and find somewhere to sleep for the night before it got dark but it was already 8:20pm and the light was fading. A quick Google search came up with a free campsite down by the Murray river so we used the satnav to find one of the joining roads and we followed the dirt track down. Two wallabies were stood at the entrance to greet us. It was now getting dark and we were weaving in and out of the trees. Luckily we were in a 4x4 because the ground was so uneven and littered with huge ruts and holes. After driving aimlessly amongst the trees and thick bush land we saw lights down by the river. It was a house boat sat on the glassy surface and surrounding the banks were other campers. We parked up right on the river bank and brushed our teeth and got ready for bed. Nick took some pictures of the house boat on the water. The lights in the Jackaroo are so bright. The LED strip was a great idea but it feels like were in a CT scanner! Tomorrow looks like another long day driving but we don’t mind. It feels good to be back on the road after all this time. After an uncomfortable 20 minutes trying to roll out camping mats and sleeping bags we eventually settled down for the night.

We left the windows open just a crack last night so it was quite cold in the Jackaroo. To top that off I had the 25 litre water drum full of water against my bum which was making it cold and the fridge! We were woken up at 7am by the light filtering through the blinds and the delightful squaking of cockatoos flying around in the trees above. When I get home I will never look at cockatoos in the pet shop the same again. They are some of the noisiest, clumsiest birds I have ever seen. Soon after we got up Nick discovered that the hose going to the gas cooker was leaking because there was no O ring. Without a coffee I had to deal with a grumpy husband chomping on his blue enamel bowl of cornflakes and soya milk overlooking the Murray river. The house boat was still where it was last night but there was no sign of anyone on board. We swilled the bowls out with some cold water, brushed our teeth and washed our faces and attempted to get dressed. I’m sure the guy camping next to us got a good view of me in my underwear, I feel sorry for him.

As we navigated our way through the trees it didn’t seem as scary as it did when we arrived the night before, however the track we drove down looked much worse than it did in the dark. Maybe it was better we didn’t see how deep the ruts actually were. There was no way we would have got to where we camped in a standard car. Our first stop was the town of Echuca which was further back from where we had camped. The town itself is very quaint, dated and full of old shops with wooden painted signs. I love these kind of little towns. We found lots of camping shops all in one area and very quickly found what we were looking for. Nick walking through the camping shops was like watching a kid in a sweet shop. There were so many gadgets and toys he could buy for the Jackaroo. The “Want” list for the 4x4 is endless. I found a vintage shop tucked away and thought I’d have a quick look and see what sort of vintage clothes, shoes and accessories I could find. I read a few price tags and walked out after about 5 minutes. $110 for a dress that is 70 years old and looks it! I can’t understand why people pay that amount of money for clothes that you can find in an op shop or on a car boot sale for a fraction of the price. You’re just paying big bucks to buy your Grandmas clothes.

We heard a horn down by the river and took a drive to see what was happening. Dotted along the river bank were really old wooden paddle steamers. The kind you would imagine chugging along down the Louisiana Bayou. We had to go down for a closer look. The green water was lapping against the shore and long finger like gum tree roots dipped in the shallow waters. We decided to have a walk down into the little town by the wharf. It was like walking back in time with all the old wooden carts and carriages. We took a look around a blacksmiths and a saw mill. There were a couple of very dirty dogs walking around the saw mill carrying pieces of wood in their mouths. The sign for free fudge tasting caught our eye and we were in there quicker than I would care to admit. I had a little sliver of the Malteaser flavour and Nick went for some lemon meringue. We decided that we should take a cruise on one of the paddle steamers wince it’s something we have never done before. It was $22 each for an hours cruise. We chose “The Canberra” and while Nick booked the tickets I sorted out a bag to take with us and packed up all the camera gear. We sat in the sun on the river bank on one of the benches waiting for the boat to arrive which didn’t take long. A huge crowd of people exited the boat while we waited patiently on the shore. After handing in our ticket stub to a plump blonde lady with well-manicured nails we perched ourselves right on the front of the boat so I could get some good shots of the river. The engine was in full view in the middle of the boat and the captain was at the wheel which was bigger than him. After a long eerie blast on the ships horn we were off across the murky water lined with gum trees filled with white cockatoos. The captain spoke through a little microphone suspended above his head as he was steering the boat. It took a quick trip up river so we could see the old wooden wharf that towered above the river. During WW2 part of the wharf was taken down to provide firewood?! There is another section that has recently been restored although it doesn’t look the same as the old structure. An old guy in his little wooden hull speedboat pootled past holding a fishing rod in the water. His little ratty dog was lent up over the side of the boat which was leaning precariously to one side. The paddles steamer turned round in an wider area of the river and went down past a long row of house boats moored on the edge of the river. Some were large and modern and between them sat old wooden shack like house boats. I’m surprised some of them were even floating. The odd speedboat full of topless lads sped past causing a wake but surprisingly the paddle boat didn’t really move. After dropping off several passengers to a nearby winery on the banks we headed back up river to moor up in the same place. During the journey the captain announced over the ships speakers that all the children on board could steer the paddle steamer and they needed to form a line on the right hand side of the boat. I was tempted to join the line, after all, technically I am someone’s child. Several very excited children came storming through the boat eagerly awaiting their turn to hold the wheel while Mum and Dad took a picture. It was quite sweet really. The large blonde lady was writing out certificates for each child and shouting in a very loud voice “How do you spell that?” And “Is it with a Y or a V?” The NSW water police cruised past in their flash speedboat and we pulled back into the mooring. We joined the stampede of happy tourists up the ramp and sat in the sun outside the Jackaroo to have some lunch. We had parked under some gum trees and a rather posh family consisting of a very pregnant Mum, Dad and 4 kids walked back to their rather shiny 4x4 only to find it had a bit of cockatoo poo on it from being under the gum trees. “Oh we can’t possibly get in the car with this mess all over it” Dad exclaimed, hands on hips staring at the few splatters. One of the girls piped up “There’s hardly anything there Dad, stop being such a princess” That made my day. Although the wharf was beautiful the toilets were horrendous. They were up a set of concrete stairs, tucked away from the world and rightly so, they were that gross I had no option but to “Hover”.

We left Echuca and followed the signs to Moama. There were lots of hand painted signs advertising freshly cooked yabbies. Our drive took us through lots of small towns, which were completely deserted apart from a few utes parked up outside the saloons. We drove through Mathoura to Deniliquin where we had to stop for our first fuel top up. I tried not to look at the price! I decided to take over from the driving since Nick was getting very tired. I must have chosen the worst roads to drive on from Deniliquin , through Booroorban and on to Hay. The roads were so long and straight but the wind coming across the flat grassy planes made it hard to stay in a straight line and couple that with the bumps and ruts in the road it made my driving look really bad. It reminded me of when you see an old film with someone driving a car and the background doesn’t match. We had now entered bush fire country which was made apparent by the black, burnt grassland we were driving past. The flat desert plains were so vast and there was nothing to see for miles and miles. We stopped several times to take pictures of the landscape to try and give people some idea of the scale of it. Nick slept for most of the journey. It was so hot and boring. A few road trains passed me and I tried to keep out of the way. We arrived in Hay and the first thing I needed to do was stop for a toilet break. We went into Safeway to try and get some bit for dinner but it was so expensive! We pulled over outside the public swimming pools and we had some dinner while deciding where we would sleep for the night. I went into the swimming pools to find a shower and washed my hair under the cold water. There were no doors on the showers so I hung a towel over so I could stand in my bra! Nick took over driving and we started making our way along the next long stretch of desert road. I thought I saw a really sick looking kangaroo on the way but it turned out to be a wild emu stood at the side of the road. That’s when you know you need glasses. After a few hours on the deserted road the sun was low in the sky and it was increasingly difficult to see the road ahead. We opted to pull over at a truck stop for the night. Nick made us both a coffee and we took a walk around the wetlands area around the back. A few startled grey kangaroos shot out from the long grass and into the bush. We set up the Jackaroo for the evening and as soon as I laid down on my sleeping bag I broke out in an instant sweat! Time to leave the windows open again.

We were woken by the sound of a truck on the main road which was a good thing because it was then I realised I was desperate for the toilet! We both jumped out and while I was relieving myself nearby, Nick was busy getting naked and ready for a strip wash in the morning sun. I followed suit. There is nothing better than being naked in the Australian outback having a wash out of a cold bucket of water. How did everyone else spend their Monday mornings? After our wash I put our dirty clothes in a bucket and used a little washing powder and our awesome tool on a stick to wash the dirt and sweat off the clothes from the past couple of days. We had seen this washing contraption on a camping programme and decided to make one. Its basically a tin can with a series of holes drilled around the edges and around the top with a stick attached to the end. Inside is a piece of rubber and the idea is to use it like a plunger in the water to create air bubbles and movement, a bit like a top loader washing machine. It worked a treat! I strung up the clothes on a make shift line from the top of the back door of the Jackaroo (which had a piece of metal there that could have been designed for that purpose!) Using our military grade paracord. I wouldn’t be without it. Nick went to work cooking us scrambled eggs and tomatoes on the gas stove and getting the coffee ready. We sat out in the morning sun and ate breakfast before packing everything back into the car. Since the washing wasn’t dry we decided that the best thing to do was to tie a couple of shoe laces to either one of the Jesus bars in the back of the Jackaroo and peg everything up. The clothes would dry in no time in this heat! We were back on the road shortly after Nick had done the vital checks on the car (water, oil, clutch fluid etc) and washed down all the windows with the water from the washing up. We didn’t want to waste a drop even if it meant crispy old food on the paint work. The road ahead was dusty and the next town we arrived in was Balranald, a small town with a tiny gas station selling discounted fuel. There were only two pumps there and the guy kindly filled up for us while Nick filled up our 25 litre water drum from a water tank next to the pumps. After pouring a watering can full of water over the petrol cap the guy walked back into the little shed and I went in to pay $50 for our fuel, the water was free. Since there was not much else to do in this little town we hit the road again, following the Sturt Highway towards Mildura. The roads were long, and dusty and either side of the road were red dirt fields dotted with the occasional gum tree. We stopped off at a huge lake called Lake Benanee to take some pictures. There was a huge pelican floating across the water. The reason for the stop was the signs warning us not to carry fruit into the next town to avoid the spread of fruit fly so we stopped to eat our one and only apple! Euston was the next little town we drove through and again there wasn’t much there apart from a little wooden court house which I had to take a picture of. Gol Gol and Buronga were next on our list of little towns we flew past. The roads were all the same, red dirt either side and incredibly dry grass. Lunchtime was spent in a truck stop under a tree away from the sun. Another burst on the hot highway saw us through to Mildura. We were now back over the Victorian border having crossed over the Murray River again. The town was much bigger than I thought it would be with lots of shops and supermarkets. Woolworths was top on our list of cheap places to food shop so we headed there. After a wonder round in the unfamiliar aisles we made our way to self-serve, I think the lady watching over the checkouts must have convinced herself we were stealing things as she was watching us like a hawk. I felt like asking her if she wanted to check our bags! After a quick re fill on coffee and another failed attempt to get any form of internet connection we were on our way again towards Mungo National Park. I text everyone just to let them know where we were going and notifying them of the lack of mobile signal where we were going. It was an hour’s drive through some really rough red dirt tracks. There was nothing to see but miles of dirt track, dry grassland and bush land and the odd occasional unlucky Kangaroo, dead on the side of the road. Some only bones and a tail. The wheels on the Jackaroo were kicking up a serious amount of dust but not as much as the road trains coming towards us. Once they went past you couldn’t see a thing for all the red dust. Heat was a major factor today and we had to make several stops for a drink and a wipe over with baby wipes to cool down. On the sandy parts of the road the Jackaroo was snaking and drifting from side to side. Nick turned to me and said it reminded him of playing Mario Cart on the Nintendo because you had no control over the cars in the sand. It didn’t help he was driving at 70kpm on sand. Weathered hand painted signs and cattle grids were the only thing we came across until we reached the Mungo National Park. No sooner had we driven through the boundary a family of a mother emu and 3 chicks darted across the track. We pulled up outside the visitor centre to pay our camp fees which were pretty reasonable, $7 for the car and $5 each to camp here the night. We watched a video giving a brief outline of the history behind Mungo Park. You can find details of the park by following this link www.visitmungo.com.au

After paying our fees we set up camp in one of the nearby campsites and cooked a chicken, lentil and sweet potato stew. There were lots of wild grey kangaroos lazing around in the sun. We saw a group of wild emus roaming through the undergrowth on a wild grassland walk which we cut short because flip flops and thorns do not mix. They are so painful when you get them stuck in your feet. We took a short drive after we had set up the beds to the Mungo lookout which overlooked the whole dried up salt lake. It was bedtime after that and we settled down in the back of the wagon. It was so hot in there we had to open the windows!

It was a hot sticky night but the temperature dropped quite a lot in the early hours. Enough for me to crawl back in my sleeping bag for the rest of the night. We were woken up by the sound of Nicks 7:30 alarm going off but do you think I could find his phone. I quickly put some clothes on and navigated to the drop toilets down the pathway past a huge male grey kangaroo. He had some serious biceps going on so I just tried to look away! While Nick was sorting out some breakfast we seemed to attract a group of Kangaroos who enjoyed a little munch on some cornflakes. They came up so close to the back of the car. We were worried about whether the big male grey Kangaroo would just turn up for some cornflakes so I asked Nick.

“What would you do if that big bastard was stood right behind you?”

“I’d be like, here, take the whole box”

There were a few scuffles over who was getting the most cornflakes, luckily Nick wasn’t involved. An emu was walking around the BBQ areas having a chomp on whatever charred remains there were in the dust.

We headed off to the visitors centre for a shower. The public showers were surprisingly well kept and very clean. There was even hot water! I would give this place 10/10 for facilities. After a nice shower, which would prove rather pointless as soon as we were back out in the Aussie sun again, we headed to the old sheep shearing shed which was built in 1869. It was a large structure made entirely out of wood, all twisted and distorted with age. Our drive along the red dirt tracks took us through the old salt lake bed where we saw emus and kangaroos running across the road. The remains of old pasts marking the stock yards were apparent in the thick bushy undergrowth. We stopped at the “Walls of China” to take some pictures of the formations and a few more pictures of the local kangaroos huddled under a small wooden bridge, taking refuge from the hot sun. The whole landscape is so open, baron and so dry. As we were taking pictures of the lunettes Nick spotted a lizard so he had to take some pictures of that too. We stopped for lunch at a place called Rosewood rest and I got attacked by the smallest ants with the most painful bites! However, I would highly recommend a trip to the Mungo National Park to anyone.

After leaving the park we headed back into Mildura to a shop where we could stock up on food and supplies at one of the local shops and paid over the odds for the bare essentials! Nick got an e-mail through on his phone to say he had been granted his second year visa!! We were so happy!! We were also glad to be back on proper roads again. As much as the red dirt is fun you don’t realise how much you’ve been shaken around until you are back on bitumen. Unbeknown to us we were about to cross into the South Australian boarder and ahead of us after a long drive through the dry plains we came to a border patrol check point which we had to stop at. We almost missed the stop sign as we were trying to read where to pull over. A rather angry Australian lady came out and asked us if we could read the stop sign. That tone was enough to set me off! She wanted to check what we were carrying in the back of the car ie fruits and vegetables that were prohibited and we couldn’t take over the border. That basically meant everything we had just bought an hour before in Mildura! Nick was fuming, but kept his cool and tried explaining that nobody had told us about border checks and there were no signs as we came out of Mildura and headed on the one main road towards the border check. So after emptying our entire fridge and half of our food drawer she handed us a leaflet and we drove off, leaving all our fresh fruit and vegetables on the table….not in the bin. She was probably going to take them home to eat them, the vegetables were nice and fresh. I understand the spread of fruit flies and other parasites can have a detrimental effect on crops in other states but I don’t think my squash crossing the border was going to cause irreversible damage to the citrus fruit plants. But the law is the law and we have had to learn the hard and expensive way. We managed to find a free campsite on Plush’s bend right down by the river where we cooked some Cajun sweet potato and chicken stew. A scruffy little white dog came over to see us, looking for some food. It sort of looked like a mangled little sheep with sorrowful squiffy eyes. We had a little chat with it (tiredness makes you do all sorts of strange things) and after realising we didn’t have any food it chowed down on something it found in the leaf litter and trotted off to the next camper looking for a treat. Being by the river meant we were under constant attack by sand flies as we lay down in the back of a stifling hot 4x4 to try and get some sleep.

I rolled out of the Jackaroo just as the sun was coming up and started to pack away all the bedding and sort out breakfast. We headed straight for McDonalds for a coffee and an Internet connection which was surprisingly strong and I managed to upload all my pictures of the trip so far on to Facebook. After our refuel of coffee we started our epic journey towards Adelaide. The land was now rolling hills covered in golden grasses with the odd silhouette of a tree. We stopped off for lunch in a tiny little town after looking at some pelicans on the river. Since we had no food from the day before we decided to be creative with lunch and use whatever we had leftover that wasn’t a prohibited item!

Our arrival in Port Adelaide was just after lunchtime and we headed straight down to the beach for a walk along the sand. There was an old fairground with a brightly coloured carousel, Ferris wheel and dodgems. It’s been nearly a year since we walked on a beach. The last time was up in Mudjimba in Queensland. We checked out the warning signs for snakes which is something I hadn’t really thought about but I suppose being by a beach and having a fairground full of food attracting rodents would in turn attract snakes. Beneath our feet the sand was really hot and we were eager to get down to the turquoise waters for a paddle. The water was warm, just like bath water, not what we were expecting, especially coming from Guernsey where the water is cold all year round! We took a stroll along the shore and took some pictures of the old wooden pier which extended into the waters. Coming up the beach we passed all the families with children playing games in the sand and I was reminded of all happy times on the beach at home, with our family all huddled together on our beach towels and mats, behind faded homemade material wind breaks. We stopped off at our usual haunt, McDonalds for a coffee. The toilets were locked for security?! A trip to Repco was in order too so we could get some mesh to cover the back windows with so we could keep them open overnight. After a quick stock up from Woolworth's we were back on the road towards Meningie where apparently there was a camp. Unfortunately our detour through the low lying salt marshes would prove a mistake. After following the road which seemed to go on forever we finally checked our map which showed we were heading towards an Aboriginal settlement, we turned round when we saw how long the road was. There was no shelter on the coastline from the wind which was pulling the Jackaroo in all directions. There was also nowhere to park to shelter overnight from the weather. After what seemed like forever on these dangerous blustery roads we finally found a truck stop which smelled so much and judging by the amount of toilet paper hanging of the bushes, fluttering in the wind, I would say every truckie that came past there used that as a toilet. There was plenty of “Evidence” to support that theory. Battling the smell, we managed to cook a curry followed by fruit salad and yogurt before leaving our stinky stop and carrying on down the winding coastal roads in the fading light. A small car park where a farmer obviously loaded cattle or sheep from the paddock into trucks would be our refuge for the night.  

Again I was up as the light was filtering through the blinds. The bush we had parked next to was alive with the low hum of bees! It had been so cold during the night I had wrapped myself up in my one and only cardigan I had taken on this trip. We were back on the road after a quick bowl of cornflakes and heading towards Policeman’s point which was a small town right on the coast. The Coorong National Park was our next stop so we could look at all the dry salt lakes. In the bright morning sun the salt could have been snow stretching out over the bowl of the lake. The texture was deceiving and I assumed, by looking at the dried salt it would have a powdery, soft consistency but upon closer inspection, with my foot, it was rock solid. The sunlight made the salt glitter and gave us an excellent opportunity for some photos. The loop road around the park was a bumpy dirt track but was nothing in comparison to the ones we had experienced in Western Australia. I managed to speak to my brother, Bo on Facebook for a short while and have roped myself into sending him some honey mars bars and orange M&Ms. I’m a good sister.

Just before lunch we pulled into Kingston where a giant sculpture of a rock lobster greeted us. We drove through the town centre down to the pier where we stopped for a coffee. After enquiring at the local fishmongers to whether or not the tap in the middle of the grass was suitable for drinking, we filled up all our tanks and decided to stay a little while longer and have lunch. Since we had access to water we decided to sit down amongst the locals and the people in caravans and wash our clothes using a bucket and a washing contraption. Nick put up our paracord between the car and a council sign so we could hang out our clean clothes to dry while I made some salad for lunch. A van pulled up shortly after we had sat down to eat and out came some travellers. How do I know they were travellers? Judging by the unkempt look and each one of them going over to the beach shower in a bikini to wash kind of gave it away. I know exactly how they were feeling. However, now we are in a 4x4 I don’t feel as cramped, dirty or as claustrophobic as I did when we were travelling in a car. A guy walked past us and asked us if the council had said anything yet, nodding his head towards our make shift washing line. I hung the part dry clothes up on the washing line in the Jackaroo while Nick packed everything away and we went off on a hunt for fuel which we found at a garage on the outskirts of Kingston. Then garage was also a café and as soon as I walked in to pay for the fuel I was hit in the face by the most incredible smell of hot chips, pies and other greasy naughtiness. The counters were laden with homemade cakes and pies of all shapes, colours and sizes wrapped in cling film with hand written labels. I had to get out of there before I gave in to my sweet tooth!

Our drive took us through a dense forestry area and we stopped in the next town at an information centre where a kind middle aged lady called Doris handed me a stack of leaflets about everything and anything. Our next stop was Mount Gambier. I took over driving to give Nick a break and as soon as we hit the outskirts of the town centre the cops pulled out behind us, luckily they didn’t stop us for anything! For some reason I was expecting Mount Gambier was going to be a Mountain. Just shows how much research I had done on the area. We drove up to the crater lakes which were a rich marine blue. After taking lots of pictures of the bright blue water we carried along our route which took us through an area of National Park which had been completely destroyed by a bush fire. Either side of the road stood the charred skeletons of pine and gum trees. Pile upon pile of grey and black ash stood at the bases of each tree. There was an eerie silence as I stood in the ash staring in disbelief and amazement at this once beautiful forest, now reduced to a baron, uninhabitable landscape. I almost felt a touch of guilt taking pictures.

Our search for somewhere to stay took us down a little track towards some sand dunes. Nick spotted a black snake making its way across the road. He told me he thought it was a wiggly stick at first! When we arrived at the bottom of an incredibly steep hill it was apparent that we had gate crashed the Bellarine 4x4 Clubs camp. Dune buggies were lined up on one side of the grassy car park and lots of kitted out 4x4s with tents and children on their bikes formed a line on the other side of the car park. Now was as good a time as any to start cooking some dinner while we had the chance. Tonight was weight watchers bacon, scrambled egg whites, tinned tomatoes and toast, we like to keep it healthy or should I rephrase that and say “I” like to keep “Us” healthy! After cooking dinner and washing up we decided that it would be a bit awkward to sleep here tonight amongst the 4x4 club and the buggy racers. Judging by some conversations I overheard the club were going to be there for the weekend. Nick had to take a run up at the huge hill we had come down to get to the car park. Our search for somewhere to sleep took us down several forest roads. I spotted a dead black snake on the side of the road. A water hole at the beginning of one of the forest roads provided a rest stop for a little kangaroo and a giant echidna. As soon as we pulled up the Kangaroo hid in the bushes keeping a watchful eye on me as I took some pictures of the echidna which was burrowing in a frenzy to try and get away from me. It was dark by the time we arrived in Portland and we were both very tired and very stressed out. Nick decided to carry on down the route we were supposed to be taking to the Great Ocean Road. We found a picnic area set back from the road which would be suitable for an overnight stay. While we were setting up the Jackaroo for the night we heard noises in the tree above which turned out to be a little koala. After a few pictures we left the poor, flash dazzled koala alone and went to bed.  

Nick woke me up at 5:00 am trying to kill mosquitos which had somehow got into the car and were attacking him. He thinks they had come through the vents. Since I desperately needed to go outside to the toilet I took it upon myself to get the bug spray from the back of the car. There is something really creepy about getting out of the safety of your vehicle in the pitch black with only a torch on your phone. After a short sharp blast of Cole's budget flying and crawling insect spray we covered our noses and mouths and tried to get some more sleep before the sun came up. It felt like I had only put my head down for a minute and I could see the golden rays poking their fingers through the cracks in the blind. I was first up. We knew we were back in Victoria because it was pouring with rain and freezing cold. It made a change from the stifling heat we have endured for the first part of the trip. Our koala friend from the night before was now clinging to a lower branch on another tree looking very wet and sorry for himself. I offered him the shelter of the Jackaroo but he ignored me. I ran out in the rain to the back of the car to sort out breakfast and in a flash we were back on the roads battling the high winds and spray from the trucks. It’s good to be back in VIC.

Our first stop was at a public toilet on the side of the road but it was so disgusting I couldn’t even face walking through the door. As you can imagine I have used thousands of public toilets during my travels and not many have been so bad I’ve just walked away. This one was on par with some of the toilets I saw in Sri Lanka. Port Fairy was out next stop. The first garage we went to didn’t have any unleaded fuel left but they did have a nice toilet on the campsite around the back. There was a historic town with lots of little shops, hand painted signs and intricate wood work. I never get tired of looking around these little towns. McDonalds was next on the list after a rough night to try and wake us up a bit for our long day on the road in the rain. There have been warnings of bush fires in East Victoria all over the news on the radio. It made me think of the national park we had driven past.

The drive along the Great Ocean road was spectacular and the colour of the water was something else. There were various stop points en route where we pulled over and took a short walk to the various viewing platforms to take pictures of the colossal rock formations rising high above the sea. We stopped off for some lunch at one of the little car parks overlooking the coastline before continuing along the winding route towards the Twelve Apostles which was a bustling tourist attraction, not what I had expected for some reason. It was very crowded and the viewing platform was packed full of tourists snapping away at the rock formations which stood in a line along the cliffs. The view from where we were was breath taking. We stopped off in Apollo Bay opposite a little fairground and Nick got some chips to satisfy his growling stomach. The roads had changed from wide main roads to small twisty narrow undulating roads. Every now and again we would get a glimpse of the coastline again before heading back into the tree canopy. A koala on a low hanging limb had stopped a queue of traffic. Families with their children had got out to take pictures of this native creature just happily munching on some gum leaves. We stopped off again in Lorne for an ice cream as we thought it would be a good idea since we were at the beach. Every ice cream parlour we stopped at didn’t take card? What century we’re we in? After searching for a cash point we couldn’t decide what ice cream to have so of course we settled for two each! Nick opted for rum and raisin and I went for a scoop of coconut and we both had some chocolate ice creams after that…..fatties!

From Lorne we followed the coast until we hit “The Alternative Route” to Geelong and we headed inland back to civilisation and reality. After driving through Geelong we headed through Melbourne City Centre and back into the craziness. The red dirt roads and miles of deserted highways were a distant memory now. We finally arrived home in Beaconsfield that evening and after emptying the car we enjoyed our first proper hot shower for a week and headed straight to bed….in a proper bed!

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY! Phoebe was very pleased to have us back although as she was stood in the doorway to the cottage when we arrived home I did explain to her that she doesn’t actually live with us…she has got a very nice home to go to. I don’t think she was listening. Today was a washing and sorting out day although we didn’t have much washing to do because I had done it while we were on the road. We are now looking at our next road trip. Queensland is now off the cards since the flooding is so bad up in that area. We are possibly looking at Tasmania or a trip up to Sydney but first we need to make some money to fund said trip! I went for my first 6 km run in a week which went surprisingly well, I felt so much better afterwards.

We started our day at 9:30am. The hedges that run along the side of one of the gardens needed shaping again. I know it would probably be a lot quicker using a hedge cutter but I prefer shears. I think it gives a cleaner edge and you have more control, especially if you are trying to shape something in a spherical shape. Nick started on laying the rest of the weed matting where we have been building the retaining wall. The ground is hard and full of stones and roots so trying to push the metal pins into the ground can be impossible sometimes. It’s a job that involves a lot of swearing and throwing bent pins. Nick removed a couple of the old rotten sleepers so we could start replacing them with the new ones. After lunch we drove to Bayswater to a place that specialises in LPG conversion. We are looking at getting a dual kit for the Jackaroo to try and save money and give us a longer range on the tank. The guy that came out to measure up the back of the Jackaroo was very impressed with Nicks handy work. He was especially interested in the drawers at the back. He mentioned he had seen a lot of home jobs done on 4x4’s but this was the best one he had ever seen. After measuring up we were informed that the Jacakroo would need a custom fuel tank made up and with the conversion to dual fuel we were looking at the $4000 which we were expecting. We still have a lot to think about. Over the period of a year it would pay for itself but we would never make the money back if and when we sell the car. At least we have some idea of cost and we know that a conversion would be possible. It won’t stop us shopping around for a better price. On the 27th it was my Dad’s birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! I managed to send a text, e-mail and a message on Facebook to the old boy in the morning. He’s 59 years young and like I keep telling him, he’s as young as the women he feels. It turned out to be another day sorting out possible routes for the next trip. The book we got out of the library has been very helpful. Its written by a man called Ian Read and it’s called Australian Road Trips. It was published back in 2002 so it’s a little bit out of date with prices for accommodation etc but for the actual road trips themselves its proved very useful and easy to follow. Nick has had to take the gas bottle rack off the back of the Jackaroo so he can treat it with some rust proof paint. Even the small amount of rain we had when we went over the Victorian border was enough to bring up the metal in a few little patches. He got a couple of plastic caps from Bunnings to protect the edges too.

After pruning the plants and shoots coming from the rose bushes, cutting back the old lavender bushes, clearing the garden beds, propping up the rose bushes and mowing we headed out to Pakenham to start ordering materials for a building project we will be helping out with. The timber took ages to locate since nowhere seemed to stock the size that we needed and trying to find the right materials in Bunnings was a disaster but by tea time I think we had managed to get everything we needed for the job. As soon as we arrived back home a storm blew over the cottage. Everything went really dark and the sky turned an inky black. It poured with rain, in between the bursts of heavy rain was hail and the wind started picking up. We managed to have some dinner before our electrics started playing up. During the storm and we lost all power but like usual we didn’t lose power to the bathroom? Nick took several trips to the shed trying to sort out the trip switch but nothing seemed to work. We opted for running an extension lead from the plug in the bathroom to the kitchen where we plugged in the fridge freezer, the toaster and a light so we could make something to eat. After using the toaster Nick plugged in the TV and we managed to watch a movie in the dark while the storm raged outside.

The past couple of days has been spent either working in the garden or on the pergola. We needed to clean out the chicken coop which is not the most pleasant job but it has to be done. Nick had to fix the door handle on the cottage door because we shut the door last night and we couldn’t get it open again. Luckily we have a side door which I don’t think has been opened for a very long time. Nick and I both tackled the goat shed too and cleaned that out and put down some new hay for the goats and the sheep. So far we have managed to concrete in the stirrups, paint all the pain beams and poles with an undercoat and started bolting up some of the frame. While Nick was working on the gutters, trying to move the down pipe so he could attach part of the frame to the wall I was in the front garden trimming the bushes and weeding and generally making myself useful.

It was a food shopping day today and I managed to get all the ingredients for a Sri Lankan Curry that I wanted to cook for the Anderson Clan. We opted for chicken and potato to please all the meat eaters. The rest of the day was spent finishing off the service on the Honda, spraying the entire property with weed killer using the backpack sprayer which is a back killer when it’s full! I re-sowed all the grass seed and levelled our front garden where the dogs had gone on a mass digging mission and I filled the holes in the dog garden, put down new grass seed and nailed mesh down to try and deter the dogs from digging in the same spot, however, something tells me they will find another spot to dig in. Later on in the evening we headed down to the Anderson household and I shared around my Sri Lankan curry. After dinner we got a tour around the Hampton Park CFA Fire station by Luke. I got to sit in the truck, simple things amuse small minds!!

On Valentines Day (February 14th) We had a thunder storm during the night which was still going this morning. The moment I stepped out of the door to go for my run it started pouring with rain. I prefer running in the rain because it keeps me much cooler when I’m running. However the lightening was right above me and I was really worried I was running through an electrical storm wearing headphones and carrying a metal IPod. I was probably worrying for nothing but it certainly made me pick up the pace this morning. I did however finally kill my IPod but I have had it for a few years. This morning I thought I would spread the love and I bought some red velvet cupcakes from the McCafe in Berwick and we drove down to the Anderson household. Nick bought some Cadbury’s egg n’ spoon chocolate eggs for everyone to share too.  Today was spent making some removable panels for the pergola and pressure cleaning the original pergola to see what state the old paint was in and where we would need to repair or put more undercoat to protect it. However, the paint was in excellent condition and we decided to leave it overnight to dry  before prepping it with an undercoat. Nick and I decided to get a take away from the Thai restaurant in Beaconsfield called Chili and Chive. It is so far the best Thai takeaway I have had so far.

We have been away for 500 days!! I cannot believe how quickly the time seems to be going. It was going to be another hot day today so I went for my run at 7:20am just before the sun started to get too high in the sky. Finally I decided to book a doctors appointment about the lump in my foot which is causing me so much discomfort. It feels like I have stood on a plug and the pain is so intense sometimes it’s hard to put any weight on my heel. I had the scan results from the ultra sound I had on my heel last year in June. Hopefully they would still be ok to use because I know the lump has doubled, if not tripled in size since the last time it was looked at. No sooner had I given my name at the reception desk Dr Stork came out to get me. She is a lovely doctor with long brown curly hair and bright eyes. She has such a soothing voice and is very thorough. I initially thought that this would be a simple case of just cutting the lump out but I was wrong. The cyst is growing on the tendon that supports the arch of my foot so it would be a specialist operation. After a few phone calls the doctor was no closer to finding someone who would perform an operation. The only places that would do it wanted $5000 - $10000 for private surgery costs which we simply can’t afford. The other option is steroid injections into the cyst or injecting my own blood into it to try and reduce the size. I was disappointed with the outcome of the appointment but I suppose things could be a lot worse.

Yesterday was going to be our first proper day off in weeks but I couldn’t lay in so I was out for my early morning run. After a shower we headed down to Hampton Park so we could go and have a look at all the Asian and Lebanese shops. I love these shops, I like looking at all the unfamiliar produce in jars and cans. The pungent smell of spices brings back memories of Egypt and Sri Lanka. I prefer to buy my spices from here because of the price. We got some bread, nuts, seeds and spices and made our way home via Fountain Gate shopping centre to start our curry cooking session while watching The Sound of Music, I could never get tired of watching that movie. It reminds me of being at home with my Mum and my brother on a rainy day in front of the fire eating homemade chips. I browned off some chicken drumsticks in a pan and made a pretty hot Dopiaza curry, Nick made some kebabs and we sat down to finish the end of the film and eat our curry feast.

We were given the task of transforming the old pool hut from shabby shack to shabby chic in preparation for some guests who would be arriving. The morning that we were supposed to commence the work I had another running accident while on my normal route. I think my knee gave way and I ended up falling along the dirt track. I just got up and carried on going until the shopping centre where I could assess the damage. Both knees were swollen, I had taken the skin off my elbow and all down my right side from my ribs to my hip. What a great start to the day. Our first pool hut clearing mission was to clear the inside which was overgrown with weeds, ivy and plants inside and out. While Nick knocked out the timber that divided the hut into two rooms I ripped out all the weeds and plants from inside that were growing through the blue stone cobbles. The pool hut is that sturdy that Nick was hanging his full body weight on his hammer attached to a nail in a rafter. It wasn’t long before we had cleared the inside and started to clear a few plants and shrubs from the outside. Its quite exciting uncovering something that has been buried under a thick blanket of plants and making use of the space which is actually a really nice area to work with. The hut overlooks the valley below. Once the hut had been cleared we were given a selection of sheets in all sizes and colours. The material we were using for the ceiling was the sides and roof of a gazebo so we couldn’t use a staple gun or nails to fix it to the ceiling. We decided to use a series of strings to support the ceiling and the sheets were pleated and stapled along the sides of the hut, lining the walls. We even managed to find some old white icicle lights to drape along the back wall and we made some curtains for either side of the hut. Once we had finished and put the garden furniture in there it was starting to look like a little bistro with a view over the valley. Next on our job list was cleaning the tennis court of leaves. We opted for the garden vacuum which worked a treat although it blows out all the dust over you which in turn sticks to sweaty skin, making you filthy in a matter of minutes. By the time we had finished all of our jobs it was dinner time and we opted for a relaxing evening indoors after our epic day working outside. There were some guests coming round tomorrow and they would be using the pool hut and the tennis court so we were pleased that we managed to get it all finished in time ready for everyone to use and enjoy. Hopefully we won’t be hearing any renditions of Whitney Houston’s “I will always love you” at 2:30am.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE! Its another Easter away from home, outside its pouring with rain, an indication that Summertime has come to an end here in Melbourne. The Easter eggs have already been consumed. We had walked past a Thorntons Banoffee Easter egg in Kmart several times so I decided I had to buy it for him after watching him gaze longingly at it. Needless to say it didn’t last long. The weather here has been varied from hot and sunny, windy, thunder storms and everything in between but that was to be expected. I have finally found a solution to my foot pain after all this time in the form of some rather expensive orthopaedic shoe inserts. I had my first pain free day since October 2011! I still have a slight bit of pain but nothing compared to what I have been putting up with for all this time. I can still feel the shape of the growth in my heel but because its got cushioning now it feels so much better. It was the long Easter weekend this weekend

Our first day back at Reece NDC was Monday 4th March which came around very quickly. I had all the uniforms all neatly folded ready for the morning, lunches were in the fridge and Nick fished out our boots from the shed which had a quick inspection for spiders. Since it was our first day back and we needed a brief induction again we didn’t start until 9am which meant the traffic was very heavy. I managed to get my morning run and shower out of the way before we headed into Dandenong. It was strange to park in the visitor’s car park. We were greeted by Nga and Gwen at reception. It was great to see them again, they know how to make people feel very welcome. After a coffee Nga took us for a walk around the warehouse to show us the changes that had taken place since we left. It was great to see everyone again, although it took a while to do a full circuit because we were stopping every few steps for a quick chat or a hug. Being back amongst the staff was like being back with one big family. I had missed everyone and it was a great feeling knowing I would be spending the next few months with these wonderful people until the next leg of our journey. Nga took us back to one of the meeting rooms where we updated some of our paperwork and signed a few forms. Our new pictures on our passes look much better than the old ones. This time we are looking slightly more tanned…..and happy! Nick pulled a stupid face with his thumbs up for his picture and that is actually the one that was used, minus the thumbs up, which has been cropped out of the picture. The entire day was spent discussing preparation for this year’s stock take and familiarizing ourselves with everything. I know I’m going to say this sentence a lot but it’s good to be back!

After the initial few days settling in it now seems like we never left. There are a couple of new faces but nothing has really changed. We are both back on the scissor lift again flitting between jobs. Some of the jobs were made more difficult with the heat, especially right up in the warehouse roof in the scissor lift changing the globes in the aisles. Luckily Reece management came to the rescue with some ice lollies for the staff. There even gave some to the guys building the new high density racking in the new extension. The first week back was tiring now we had to juggle a full time job and try and get our 15 hours a week done at home but we got back into the swing of things in no time. Brodie had very kindly let us borrow his bow so Nick spent an evening at home setting it up, doing some target practice then he disappeared for 20 minutes and came back with a rabbit. It was the same one we see every morning sat at the front of the drive and every morning and every time we see it we always say how nice it would be to see that one in the pot. We had seen a wallaby at the top of the drive too but that’s not on the menu! The cat was very interested in the catch too so we had to try and keep Phoebe back while Nick strung the rabbit up by its back legs from the porch and skinned and gutted it over a bucket. The knife we bought in New Zealand was the obvious tool for the job. I washed the carcass and we cut it up and stuck it in the freezer. I made a really nice rabbit stew with redcurrant jelly, thyme and lots of veggies which we sat and ate with a couple of nice wholemeal bread rolls. After posting a picture of the rabbit going through the skinning process on Facebook we had a mixed reaction from people. Most of us eat pre-packaged meat and consume it without a thought of where that meat has come from and how it was processed. A huge percentage of animals slaughtered have lived a miserable life in poor conditions, then they have been bundled into a truck, some don’t even survive the journey to the abattoir before they are processed. The rabbit had freedom and lived in the wild and was killed swiftly and humanely. Hunting a gathering is one of the most basic skills which will be lost through the generations. Rant over!

Recently we have had a few problems with the electricity going to the cottage. As a last resort to keep the fridge and freezer going when we have a power cut we have plugged the extension lead into the bathroom which seems to be running on a different circuit to the whole house. We are still unsure what the problem with the main board is although we have seen a lot of ants crawling over it and we found an ant’s nest inside a plug socket in the shed which could possibly be making the switches trip. There have been many stormy evenings spent running to and from the shed in a vain attempt to turn the power back on!

On the 9th March, as part of our voluntary 15 hours a week, we drove to Preston to clear an overgrown garden and remove a bird’s nest from a rental property. We spent the entire day out in the sun, completely forgetting to put on Sunscreen which resulted in some seriously burnt skin! After weeding, cutting back and trimming all the greenery and hedges and removing a bird’s nest bigger than a basketball from the roof space we left the happy owner, loaded up the trailer and drove home to dump all the garden rubbish. I had to smother my burnt skin in lots of after sun, a cold shower helped too. This weekend was a 3 day weekend because it was Labour Day on the Monday. We normally have a look around the Berwick Markets on a Sunday on the off chance we might find something for the Jackaroo. Labour Day was a perfect day to slaughter the lambs! A neighbour came round who used to work in an abattoir to show us how to do it. Nick and I rounded up Chops, the lamb born last year and Lammykins, the lamb born the year before. Lammykins was easy to catch and she was soon in a holding pen awaiting her fate. Looking at her in the pen unaware of what was about to happen made me feel a stab of guilt. Chops on the other hand was running around the paddock making us run in circles trying to catch him. None of us built a bond with him so once we had a hold of him he was the first to undergo the knife. After being dragged through a side gate to have his throat slit which was incredibly fast we took him into the shed where it was strung up, ready to be skinned and gutted. The whole process was very quick from start to finish, however his skin was hard to get off. Nick helped hang up carcass in the cool room that had been borrowed from a friend while we went to get Lammykins and went through the whole process again. It wasn’t long before both of them were hanging in the cool room and after disposing of the organs, skin and blood and washing down the shed floor with disinfectant we started our next job of the day. The chickens have mites so we had bought an incredibly strong smelling solution from the Internet and some powder for the chickens. In a large pump action spray bottle we mixed up the solution with water. The entire coop had to be cleared out before we could spray in there. Every piece of timber had to be treated, we had to pay special attention to the roosts and nesting boxes and the outside of the coop had to be sprayed too. After 5 minutes standing in the coop I was covered in tiny little mites, all over my legs, in my hair, on my arms and even in my pockets! The smell of the chemicals was so strong, even wearing a mask. It was then time to chase the chickens, capture them one by one, turn them upside down and powder them. It felt like I was seasoning them! Patrick the rooster was a bit more of a challenge. He was so big we resorted to squishing him against the fence with a piece of mesh and quickly covering him in the powder. He was not impressed! A warm shower was urgently needed after today’s events and our clothes went straight in the wash to try and get rid of the smell of death! Its like a massacre up here at the moment what with killing rabbits and sheep! Nick and I constructed a make shift table a week later so the lambs could be butchered at home. I had been out for an early run so I missed the first part but I watched for a few minutes while our neighbour gave step by step instructions on what to do. The hacksaw and Dewalt sabre saw came in handy! Trays of meat were being taken to the main house to be vacuum packed and put in the new chest freezer. We would have loved to stay to watch the whole process but we had a lunch date with some friends and then we headed straight into the city from Narre Warren Station to watch Jersey Boys. The tickets were a thank you gift for the work we did helping out on the pergola.

We were both really excited about seeing the show. After getting off the train we took a walk into China Town to my favourite place to get Chinese food. Its called The Shanghai Dumpling House and its just tucked away in a little alley, strictly cash only. It never changes in here. The walls and ceilings are stained and the place is crammed full of plastic chairs and tables. Lots of brightly coloured Chinese calendars and posters are stuck up on the wall behind the counter. A few hand written menus sit behind a faded laminate which are blue tacked to the wall. You are shown to your seat which is normally on the same table as other people and you are handed an extensive menu crammed full of cheap Chinese dishes. We went for some steamed mushroom and vegetable dumplings, steamed beef dumplings, spring onion pancakes and vegetable spring rolls. Nothing ever arrives at the same time so we tucked into the first dish that arrived which was the mushroom and vegetable dumplings. I love the atmosphere in this place, there are so many people from all different walks of life coming together, sitting together and eating together all in one place. After our meal we headed up to the Princess Theatre and waited to go through the doors. The building was decked out with beautiful old art deco stained glass windows and decorative doorways. Inside the Theatre was a high ceiling full of intricate plaster work surrounding a huge crystal chandelier suspended from the ceiling. I really wanted to take a picture but as soon as we got the camera out a stern looking usher told us to put it away, so out came the phone for a sneaky picture of the ceiling. A steady flow of people came in through the double doors. Without enough room for people to pass in the rows to get to their seats we were constantly standing up while strangers brushed passed. Its like an inevitable invasion of your personal space with people getting beyond too close for comfort with complete strangers. Being in close proximity to so many people gives you the chance to people watch. A very heavily pregnant woman struggled in vain to get to her seat which meant the whole aisle had to be emptied of people to try and get her through. No sooner had she arrived at her seat and everyone had started to sit down again they were all back up on their feet as she couldn’t sit down! There wasn’t enough room between her seat and the one in front for her huge belly! The actual show was amazing. There was an interval in the middle so everyone had to pile out again, squeezing past irritated families and creating a giant Mexican wave of people getting up so they could pass. They soon returned with arms full of expensive treats to nibble during the second half. Nick gave in and bought us a choc top each from a lady at the front of the theatre. It cost us $10! After the show everyone spilled out into the night. We followed the stampede into Parliament station to catch the train home. Unfortunately for us we were sat next to a crazy Asian guy. We have seen him before in McDonalds at Flinders Street. He bought a coffee for himself and his imaginary friend and then proceeded to have an argument with the said imaginary friend. After putting his feet on the people sat in front of him and doing some pull ups on the rails above he made a swift exit into the night a couple of stops before ours.

We discovered Aldi now stocks Gluten free cereal, bread mixes and other goodies so we have stocked up on those before they fly off the shelves. I also took it upon myself to buy Phoebe some dried fish treats and a catnip pillow which as predicted was a complete waste of time. I swear she is the fussiest cat I have ever met. She doesn’t eat wet food. She doesn’t like fish or chicken flavoured things, she doesn’t like chicken breast, chicken nuggets , turkey or sausages. She wont drink milk nor will she eat or drink out of a bowl that the other cat, Monica has touched. We discovered this when we had both cats stay here and in the morning Nick had to sort out two separate bowls for breakfast after a cat fight that started on the bed the night before broke out again in the kitchen over food. She took one sniff of her catnip pillow and walked off. It was the same response we got from a catnip mouse and various little balls with bells and sparkly bits. As for the expensive dried fish treats, she laid down on the floor by the window, chewed them up and spat them out on the carpet.

Since winter is well on its way we decided to spend as much time as possible stacking the woodshed. There are so many piles of dry logs that are stacked up all over the property from fallen trees ready to be collected. Some parts of the property, especially down in the paddocks are impossible to get to on a ride on with a trailer. The tracks are too steep or too overgrown or there just aren’t any tracks! Some parts are too hard to get to even with the tractor so we hooked up the cage trailer on the back of the Jackaroo, put her in 4 wheel low and took her bush bashing in search of timber. I’m not keen on pulling the piles of timber apart and tossing them in the trailer. Its like opening a really nasty present, you know whatever is in there is going to be a horrible surprise. I have however worked out that if you quickly grab the wood and just chuck it in the trailer its so quick you don’t see or touch anything anyway. The odd occasional giant huntsman springs out from the pile to give you a mini heart attack and we have had a few white tails and red backs crawling around. So far we have been lucky and up to date we have never found a snake although I can imagine there are quite a few, especially in the long grass. The Jackaroo was the perfect vehicle for the job and we managed to push our way through the undergrowth and brambles to find the track leading back up to the shed. Apart from a few surface scratches there was no damage. Its nothing that a bit of polish wont sort out. After several trips we began to stack all the timber in the shed. The larger logs were cut up with the chainsaw. Out of the two working chainsaws we have here the old Stihl that we took apart and fixed is the better one for the job. After looking up the spec on the Internet its got a 48cc motor in it and its classed as a vintage chainsaw. Either way its got the power of a scooter and its awesome! We discovered what is worse than finding a Huntsman in a log. Nick started to cut a rotten log in half and stopped halfway. He had hit a huntsmans nest and out of the hollow log spilled hundreds of little Huntsman spiders. The whole floor was crawling with them. They were all over our boots, legs and clothes. They were all over the wheels of the Jackaroo and the trailer. I grabbed a can of spray and started nuking the infestation while Nick tried to finish cutting up the log. I quickly ran back to the cottage and used some home defence spray around the doors, vents and windows just in case the escapees made it there. I don’t mind when they are that size but they get much bigger! While cutting through the limb that had fallen right down by the dam we noticed that it was leaking a really bright red sap that looked exactly like blood. It was very sticky to the touch. I have never seen anything like that before so I took some film and some pictures. I thought it might be because the tree was a red gum but the actual timber was quite pale.

We watched our first AFL Match since we arrived in Australia on Thursday 26th since it was the start of the long Easter weekend. The match was between Richmond and Carlton and since the group we were going with were Richmond supporters I guess that was going to be the team we were supporting to. After finding a car parking space we managed to plough our way through the enormous crowd to buy our tickets and we headed up the concrete stairs to the stadium. The atmosphere was amazing, the lights were bright and we were sat right at the back, at the very top against the cold concrete wall but we didn’t mind. It took me a while to understand the rules, without reading up on anything before watching a game meant I had to work things out as the game progressed. Richmond won which was a bonus! As we were leaving the car park a possum was wondering around dazed by all the lights hoovering up chips off the floor that people had dropped. It was Nicks 27th Birthday the next day. I got up super early because Phoebe decided to get me up. I cooked some bacon, scrambled eggs, toast and a stack of pancakes with golden syrup. I had it all set out on the table for when the birthday boy woke up. He had a present to open from my Mum. New underwear! So now he has 8 pairs of DC Boxers instead of 2 ½! After breakfast, 45 minutes on the rowing machine and a 30 minute run we drove to Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary which was about an hours drive from home. It was packed when we got there! I booked Nick a spot to have a one on one session with two baby wombats called Lulu and Lullaby. Since there was only one spot left I waited for him by the Tasmanian Devil enclosure. We spent the rest of the day wandering around the park looking at all the enclosures. There were so many people pushing buggies and dragging tired children around the walkways. People loaded up with camera and lunch bags like packhorses pushed past us in the narrow sections. After an afternoon enduring screaming children and impatient parents we decided to head home and chill out for the evening!

THE WEBSITE IS FINALLY UP AND RUNNING! ~ I am so pleased we have finally got this thing up and running, although at present this is only a test run. All this is thanks to some very kind friends who allowed us to use their Internet yesterday evening. You know you who are! Today was a miserable grey Autumn day. We woke up to the sound of rain on the tin roof above our heads, a warm shower was in order on this chilly morning. Phoebe had been out all night and was eager to come in for her breakfast. The day flew by and we were home in no time. The chickens needed another mite treatment so we put the masks on and cleared out the coop making sure all the straw was bagged up and disposed of. We used the same solution as last time which we mix with water and put in a pump action spray bottle and we coat all the timber in the coop with a fine mist. The smell is terrible and gets right in the back of your throat. Phoebe was watching us from the other side of the fence, pacing up and down looking for a way in. I glanced up again a moment later and she was scaling the fence and in the chicken coop before I could even close the door. Neither the cat nor the chickens were bothered about being in such close proximity but just to be on the safe side I went over to the cottage to put Phoebe inside out of the way. Nick and I then tackled the gutters on the shed because yet again it has flooded!

Yesterday was a strange day. We both felt very “out of sorts”. Perhaps its another bout of the dreaded home sickness. Either way nothing seemed to be going right for us. We hooked the trailer up on the back of the Jackaroo and drove down to the dam to finish off cutting up a limb that had fallen during a storm. No matter how hard we tried the chainsaw would not start, even though it had been stripped down the day before for a service. Nick was feeling sick so he had a lie down while I worked on the website. After lunch we took a trip down to Fountain Gate to Specsavers to sort out a pair of glasses for Nick. Hopefully this pair doesn’t get lost…or broken!

These past couple of weeks have flown by and winter seems to be well on it’s way. The seasons are changing again, it is evident by the colour of the trees and the crisp leaves underfoot. Nick has been suffering with a serious case of man flu for over a week now. We had a flu jab at work but it didn’t protect him against the worst kind of flu known to any man. He’s literally been at deaths door for the past week. I was uncertain he would make it, there were a few moments where I thought he would just keel over and die. But he soldiered on and after lots of sympathy from his Mummy during a phone call home he is finally on the mend.

We had our first experience of horse racing on Friday night. It was a staff party and Reece had booked a marquee at the Cranbourne races. Nick and I had to scratch around for some outfits which came from the Salvation Army in the end. Our wardrobes consist of about 3 changes of clothes, most of which is work/gardening gear. Work boots and a skirt were just not going to cut it. We managed to pick up two complete outfits with shoes for $34! It was the first time I have worn heels since we left home, I miss my shoes and girl things sometimes! I know its very materialistic of me but sometimes I just want to have nice things and feel a little bit feminine. There is only so much dirt, mud, dust and animal poop a girl can take! Anyway, back to the races. After a 6km run and a shower I decided to paint my nails but they wouldn’t dry quickly enough so Nick had to dress me! We shared a lift down there and located the marquee which was up on a slight hill overlooking the track. Everyone was looking very smart for the occasion. After a quick meet and greet and a nibble on some snacks that had been laid out on the table we were ready to watch our first race. We decided to watch how the whole concept of placing a bet worked first. I never thought I would be at a race, nor would I ever put money down on a horse. It has always been something I have been against for many reasons. Nick and I did place a few bets during the evening. One of which was a winning horse had the person who printed our slip put the right race down! I was a bit angry but such is life. Upon arrival Nga and Gwen were handing out drinks cards to each one of the guests to the value of $20. Ours lasted for a while because we were on the soft drinks. During the evening a selection of salads and BBQ food was put out for the guests to help themselves. This was followed by a selection of sweets and meat pies? Maybe its an Aussie thing….

To sum up the evening I would say we had a fantastic time. We spent most of it talking to Stuart and Lynda. As for winning anything, it’s safe to say we will be back at work on Monday! Nick drove everyone home after the races. Unfortunately there had been a storm while we were there. The first thought that had gone through my mind was the dogs at home, especially poor Billy. I was keen to get back to see if he was ok. Somehow he had managed to get over or under the fence into a separate part of the garden so the front door was still intact. He was very pleased to see everyone!

This weekend has been spent dog proofing our garden. We have been rapidly running out of ideas to stop the pooches digging holes all over the lawn. Its not their fault but it’s a pain in the bum. Hopefully this time we have cracked it and phase 1 of Dog proofing the garden is complete.

1) Old knackered, pot holed lawn was stripped back
2) All the weeds were pulled out using the incredibly awesome weed pulling tool
3) Several barrows of earth were poured over the top to fill the dog trenches and level the ground
4) Chicken wire  was attached by large custom staples into the ground, courtesy of Nicks strong hands (He swore a lot)
5) All sharp edges buried to prevent accidents with pooch feet
6) Grass seed was sown and a fence was erected to keep the tunnelling hounds at bay until the grass has grown
7) The cat took it for a test run, she was unable to complete her mission of crapping on the lawn. The mission was aborted after a several attempts to dig through the mesh proved unsuccessful. Humans 1 Cat 0

Since I am possibly the best wife ever Nick has roast lamb for dinner which is sat in our little oven as I type. While walking over to the oven I wondered what the strong fishy smell was wafting around the kitchen. Turns out I left the cats food in her bowl on top of the oven to keep it away from the dogs. For a split second I thought dinner smelled like that. Phoebe wasn’t bothered about her warm meal. The lamb in the oven is our first bit from the two lambs that were slaughtered. Do we feel bad at the thought of eating them? Not really! Looks like we might be having another lamb this year. Napoleon the ram has been following poor Mary around like a bad smell. She must be getting sick of his advances by now. While we were unblocking the down pipe on the shed I saw him getting a bit over friendly with the goats too so we might even have some baby shoats come spring!

We are now on holiday from Reece to house sit and look after the animals so our plan during this time off is to drop the engine out of the Jackaroo in order to get to certain parts of the engine which we can’t reach and finish the Great Retaining Wall. The cottage is now at maximum capacity with two dogs and two cats. Its a bit like a crèche in here at the moment. Kya is desperate to come in our bed during the night but she is too big and if we let her in Billy wants to come in too. Last night Phoebe was desperate for attention because Monica was in the house. She even chased her out of the bathroom while I was in there. Monica decided to go on a mission in the bathroom in the early hours and ended up knocking all sorts of stuff onto the floor. Then she proceeded to take two very noisy toilet breaks in the litter box. I am very tired this morning.

On Wednesday, our first day off, we had planned to start work on the retaining wall first thing in the morning but Mother Nature had other ideas. It started raining and it didn’t stop until this morning. However, the rain did not deter us, although it made things a little bit more difficult.. Determination to complete this ongoing project is driving us and everything seems to be against us. There has been a problem every step of the way but we have soldiered on regardless. I just hope we can complete the wall and the car by next week!

Today is the first day we have had a break from shovelling gravel since Wednesday and my body is really starting to feel it. The heavens opened this morning and we had a few deep rumbles of thunder. It can’t have been that bad because Billy didn’t react at all. In fact he slept through the whole thing on his doggy bed. Work on the wall for today has come to an annoying abrupt halt with the lack of gravel. I shovelled the last load yesterday evening and we still have quite a bit to do. Because its such a big structure and its hard to move around when you’re up there we have literally had to put some of the gravel down bucket load by bucket load bringing piles of it to the edge of the wall with the trusty ride on. Nick made sure the tyres were pumped up because they were looking a bit flat with the weight of the stones in the back. Phoebe is taking her job as site Forman quite seriously, following us around meowing and making sure we are doing the job correctly. So far we have found zero nasties while moving around amongst the bushes and stones, not even a spider, however we did find a giant Bull ant with the biggest attitude who took a liking to Nicks finger. We had to order some more gravel today which proved a bit more difficult than we first thought due to the fact we had no idea where it came from in the first place. A couple of educated guesses led us to the correct company and after explaining the situation and confirming the address a truck arrived within an hour with another load for us to start shovelling tomorrow morning. This job has literally been 9 to 5 but it will be worth it when it’s done.

It has been that cold today I had to light the fire this morning, the air was very crisp and there was a glimmer of frost on the grass. Both dogs were not keen to go outside first thing but they didn’t have a choice. Monica has decided she likes to sleep in the middle of the bed and feels its necessary to wake us up in the morning with her fishy cat breath in our faces, or worse, her bum! I get the feeling she misses her owners as she only really comes inside for food and to sleep but she spends most of the time sat outside the main house waiting. All the animals will be pleased when their Mummy and Daddy finally get home.

Nick is having some serious issues with the Jackaroo. We were both under there last night by torchlight trying to drop the gearbox with two jacks, a crudely constructed wooden cradle, some blocks of timber and sheer determination. I swear the gearbox was bigger than the engine. At present the engine is suspended from the shed ceiling and ready for cleaning. Time is ticking and we have so much more to do