This will be my last entry for this section of our trip around Australia. We have been on the road since the beginning of May and in the past five months we have seen sights and experienced things that we would never have dreamed of six months ago. We fly back to New Zealand on 13th October and prior to that we will be spending the next 3 days cleaning out the van in readiness for it to be put into storage for the next 6 months and then we have about 8 days with Nicola, Adrian and the girls in Brisbane before we fly home. It has been an amazing journey but before I start reminiscing I will bring you up to date with what we have been doing over the past 2 weeks.
As I mentioned in my last blog Nicola and family were coming up to us for the Sunday while we were in Cotton Tree. It was a magic day weather wise and we all had a lovely time, so much so, that we decided that the girls would come up and have a few nights with us during the week. We had bought a tent to use when we go off road into National Parks where the roads are inaccessible to caravans, so it was good practice for us to put it up. They were rapt and we all had a great time. They were no trouble to amuse, as all they wanted to do was spend the time in the water. I thought Brodie would appreciate a day shopping with Nana but she even turned that down in preference to swimming. We bought them both a boogie board and it was definitely money well spent. The weather was brilliant while they were with us so that added to the enjoyment. Our photos bear proof to that.
The day they arrived was the day that New South Wales and Queensland experienced the worst dust storm for 70 years. We woke to news on the TV in the morning that Sydney was covered with red dust, limiting visibility in some places down to 100 metres. The pictures were amazing but as the day wore on we were told that Queensland would also get the dust storm. It was a very hot day with temperatures in the mid 30s and about noon the sky got darker and by 1.30 it was like a huge storm was building with grey skies and strong wind gusts. Queensland got the red dust but not the red glow as the sun was completely obscured. It was very eerie and the dust got into everything. Anyone with asthma or chest problems was advised to stay inside and eye inflammation was also a problem. All airports were closed and driving was also hazardous. The width of the storm was over 4000 kms so it covered all the east coast of Australia. The dust had been swept up by high winds in the centre of the desert area of the country that had been totally arid for months and the winds just carried all the soil and dust toward the east. It was an amazing sight and I have taken 2 photos to give you an idea of what it was like, before and after, both taken from basically the same spot. The first storm was followed by another 3 nights later but this was not so big and was overnight. It only covered about 2000 kms of the east coast. The dust covered everything and we had only cleaned the car and van a couple of days before so we were not impressed. The Queensland premier cancelled all water restrictions and people were allowed to hose down houses, cars etc. for the next few days. This country is really a country of extremes.
We are now in Kirra Beach on the south of the Gold Coast. We intended going to Southport but with school holidays and the park asking $50 per night for a powered site, we decided to move a bit further south. It's a lovely spot and we have been busy exploring all the Gold Coast beaches which are packed with families enjoying the great weather. I'm afraid the traffic in these areas though is horrific. It took us 2 hours to drive from Brisbane to Gold Coast on Saturday with traffic jams all the way and road works everywhere.
We have thoroughly enjoyed this trip, especially the journey from Port Augusta to Darwin and across the top to Normanton and Karumba. There have been loads of highlights and we will have lots of memories to take home with us. We have met some amazing friends who we will keep in touch with and hopefully they will visit us and we will catch up with them next year. I feel our biggest achievements have been our climb and walk around Kings Canyon and the walk around Ayers Rock. We loved all the National Parks that we visited, even though some of the locals tried to talk us out of visiting Kakadu! We will miss the fantastic bird life, especially the kookaburras in the mornings and we will also miss the noise of the sulphur crested cockatoos. These are real Australian sounds. We have seen amazing sunsets, crocodiles in the wild as well as snakes and other creepy crawlies; road trains with 4 trailers; roads that are barely wide enough for a mini but are expected to carry these road trains and allow for other passing traffic; beaches with golden sands that stretch for miles and no human near to enjoy them; cattle stations with acreages so big they would cover most of the South Island and take 4 or 5 days to cover; coal trains that have over 100 wagons and stretch for nearly 2 kilometres and lots and lots of road kill!
Australia has some unusual laws and these vary from state to state. South Australia does not allow shops to use plastic bags so everyone has to bring their own cloth or recycled bags to get their groceries and if they don't have one, they have to purchase them then and there. This seems to work very well and the state government only allowed a 6 month run in period. Northern Territory has some strange liquor laws, usually to stop the abuse of alcohol by the indigenous people, but I don't think these are really working. Although I have heard that out in the remote areas, they are having some great results. Queensland doesn't allow Sunday shopping everywhere, except in holiday areas, and this includes supermarkets. It's a real nuisance when you arrive at a place with an empty fridge and pantry!
We have travelled nearly 18,000 kms. on this trip and had no trouble with either the vehicle or van. Petrol prices have been more consistent this year than last, except in the Centre where we paid $1.68 compared with $1.25 in the cities. The caravan parks have increased their prices by about 20% compared with last year when they averaged out at $24.70 per night, this year they will be over $30 which makes a big difference to the budget. Next year we intend camping on road side camps a lot more and using the tent in national parks.
It is now farewell from us until about May next year when we will be starting our big trip to the west of this vast country. I hope you have enjoyed our news and I look forward to carrying it on next time. We are looking forward to getting back to New Zealand and catching up with Stephen, Sarah, Oliver and Nicky and all our other family and friends.
