map it out.

With our little caravan, two travelling adventures behind us and two little boys that are now into how far and where they have been . . . . . . . 

we decided to pin our stopovers onto our beautiful Map of Australia, which we purchased on the very last day of our most recent trip here.  

Each trip will have its own colour, and we have pinned only at the places where we have stopped overnight.  There are just not enough pins to do the day trips as well.  

This is now hanging on the wall.

Such a fabulous reminder of the memories we have created together.

Such inspiration to plan the next one.

Thanks for stopping by our place today,

here's cheers to a great week.

*clink* *clink*

Conclusions

We haven't really had a chance to enjoy being home until today.  It's not that I mind the chores, actually quite the opposite, it's down time for me, the methodical task of pulling everything out of the caravan, restocking shelf items that need restocking, cleaning and checking all is in order for the next adventure.  It's just part of the journey really.  It's a sort of closure to this chapter of our time together.     


It's a little bit sad and a little bit happy for me.  Time is passing, my boys are growing up, a holiday so longed for and counted down for is now behind us, but the memories we carry with us will always be there, there are so many more adventures ahead of us to count down to and plan and look forward to.  Times to share together that will always be with us in years to come.    


This has been our longest trip away in our caravan, and my feet itch, they itch so much more now we have been 'out there', to get back 'out there' and see more with my family.  To create more memories together, to be together in our caravan.  To hear my boys sleeping in their little bunks just down from me in the dark. To hear their breathe so close to me.  To hear the odd sleeptalk from my Eggyman as he dreams his little dreams, I so miss that here back in our seemingly big house.


On our way home we went through Parramatta in Sydney.  We drove past My Map Shop, and just had to find a side street to pull into.  We did, and then we met Dianne and we bought a beautiful big map of Australia that was laminated and framed.  It is perfect, just what we had wanted to get to put on our wall and track our travelling.  We are going to pin all the places we have been to.  Each trip we are going to use a different colour.   


As for this trip, here are some stats that I have collected.


- klms travelled                            x 6,800
- stops                                         x 16
- states                                        x 3
- fuel                                           x AUD$1,622.89
- bog experience                          x 1
- suicidal bird (RIP Larry)              x 1
- photos taken                              x 1960 (approx.)
- turn back for fuel                       x 1
- quarantine fruit gobble quests     x 2
- caravan sleeps                            x 40
- busted wrists                              x 1
- toilet/bathroom cleaning            x 0
- new nicknames                          x 2 (please refer *)
- hours spent in the car travelling  x 64 hours and 30 minutes.
to the next town.  This does not
include day trips, getting bogged
or turning back for fuel.


* explanation for new nicknames.  No matter where we go, it seems there is a new nickname for at least one of us.  
This trip produced two new nicknames.
Eggy has a new nick name of 'Lunchpac'.  Simply because at Dubbo zoo the beautiful cheetah was lazing in the sun as you do in the middle of a cool day and when we walked up to the enclosure to say hello, Mr Cheetah raised his head to our voices and just quietly watched us unmoving other than his long tail flicking invitingly friendly to us.  ha ha ha ha, sorry Mr. Cheetah, we know you only want us for lunch!  Well Eggy, walked along the fence line and Mr. Cheetahs head turned to follow Blake walking all the way along the fence.  Eggy commented 'he is watching me!',  Oh you bet we said, he likes the look of you for sure, what a nice little lunchpac he would make.  So lunchpac it become.


The other nickname belongs to Minnie.  'Mr Apples' - when we got to our quarantine bin disposals we would cut up the fruit (mainly apples) and put them in a plate to munch on in the car as quickly as we could.  One occasion Minnie had the plate and was dishing them out like an apple nazi and counting each piece and how many were left, you had to be there, it was just so funny, this little monkey of ours distributing pieces of apple from the back seat in the middle of nowhere.  So Mr. Apples it became.    


I do have more photos to share, but they are odds and ends that I will collage another day.


Thank you again for joining in on our journey.  Thank you for allowing me to indulge in my family and our time together.  I cannot begin to elaborate on how magical this time together was for us, how wonderful the landscape we encountered and how much fun we had feasting our way through the 40 days and nights of our adventure together.  I cannot wait to do it again, I regret not a single stop, not a single moment, I am in absolute awe of the country we live in and I so want to support our awesome farmers and growers and owners for the produce they presented to us through local markets, restaurants and shops along the way.  


Thank you so much for stopping by my place tonight and have a wonderful week at your place.


Joyce. xx

Dubbo, a surprise and journeys end.

28 and 29 May 2011

Dubbo Zoo

There is lots to do and see in Dubbo, however, we ended up spending our two days visiting the zoo.  We did not go to the Dubbo show that was on that weekend, we did not check out the Gaol, we did not visit the wineries, we did not visit the skate park, we did not go to the Dundullimal Homestead, we did not visit the Observatory, we did not go to Traintasia. 

We spent two days at Dubbo Zoo, we love Dubbo Zoo, it's our favourite zoo.

Here are some of the reasons we love Dubbo Zoo.

Lunch time, part way up this trunk.

Meeting some of the residents, without bars on tiny enclosures.

Closeups.

Far aways.

Relaxation.

Family.

Time out.

Thirst quenching.

Sharing.

Making friends.

We had a lovely time in Dubbo.

Thanks Dubbo for looking after us.

Here our journey begins to end.

 From Dubbo we head to Newcastle, or so I thought.  Much to my surprise, it was to Sydney that hubbie drove, through Orange, Bathurst, Katoomba then into Sydney. . . . I said I would love to stop by and see my parents, just quickly you know, just for a hug and to see them, then back in the car on the road again, the weather was awful, the roads very slippery and it was windy.  Hubbie said we couldn't do that.

Much to my surprise he pulls into a little caravan park not far from my parents place, it was a total shock, he had called my parents a few nights before to arrange a visit with them.  All unknown to me - oh what joy, what a wonderful way to close our holiday to see my Mum and Dad.  We quickly popped over to see them that night, then spent the whole of Tuesday with them.  It was wonderful.

Tuesday night my little man wasn't well, but early hours of the morning, he got rid of his tummy bug and the colour returned to his little face and I knew he had got rid of it.  

Wednesday to rain and more rain, we packed up our caravan for the last leg of our journey and headed up the highway to home.  

It was then Minnie's turn to be unwell, but he is back to bouncing health once again this afternoon.  

The reality of routine will surely smack us in the face rather very rudely Monday morning, but for now the weekend dangles seductively before us. . . . . mount washing pile has been diminished to a molehill - well it does if you stand far away enough.  The caravan has been washed inside and out along with the car, most of the photos are sorted, the journalling of the pen kind was completed today, along with the sorting of collected business cards and other items of which are in a 'computer' pile ready to be sorted through and notes of things to 'look up' for further information.

Thank you so much for tagging along our little adventure, it has been such a pleasure to share this little bit of Australia with you all.  It has been an amazing time with my family, the memories we have created together will always be our wonderful souvenirs to share and treasure.

Take care of you and yours at your place, and don't forget to get yourself some travelling by the seat of your gypsy pants, pants, you really must get out there.  

Posted by Joyce.

Cobar

26th May 2011 journalling.

Here is a link to Cobar Shire Council if you are interested in gaining a more professional insight into this middle of New South Wales town.  

For a view from my eyes, here is what I found of Cobar in the middle of the New South Wales stunning outback.  

The road that leads to Cobar from Broken Hill.  The sky, as always the sky is just so beautiful out here.

One part dryness, one part wetness, the ever changing landscape.  

Golden grasses by the roadside.

Twisted branches, dancing shadows, red underfoot, shimmering blue ceiling above.

Still we travel, still the road stretches before us, still the shadows dance and grow longer as the sun again dips down behind us, still we feel like the only ones to witness this moment, right here and right now.

Hello Cobar.  What another lovely place to visit.  

Lucky me, my little big brother was passing through here on his truck route from Perth to Brisbane and he could only stop for a short time, but long enough for me to feast my eyes on him and give him a big bear hug.  Ooohhhhhhh it was wonderful to see my brother.  The boys loved his big truck too.  Travel safe bro.  xx  

An open cut mine.  T'was huge I tell you, h u g e type huge!  Kinda makes one dizzy looking at it really!

Just look at the bluest of blue, wow, I know, I know, Joyce loves the sky, what can I say, I love the sky.  

Cobar Town Hall Cinema.  There is something magical about an old building, something regal, something secretive, almost like it is grinning at me and saying, 'oh if only you knew the secrets I knew.'

Do old buildings do that to you too?

Back to the caravan park, we spent a rare afternoon relaxing, feasting on cheeses, olives, and wine, chatting with the neighbours, chatting with ourselves, talking about the yesterdays, talking about today, but not talking about the tomorrow.  Just loving our togetherness, loving our caravan, loving our travelling by the seat of our gypsy pantsness.  There is such open space here, the boys wandered off playing, I sat and watched them, running and playing, the sun slowly winking away on another glorious day in paradise.  I wanted to capture this moment, this afternoon of bliss, so I grabbed my camera.  

I am so glad I grabbed my camera.

My two cheeky monkeys were playing a little game together, such imagination they have, and such lovely little mates.  

Running free.

I lay down in the grass to take these shots, laying in the grass is so lovely, the warmth of the day still in the ground but just a hint of cool earth to remind of the recent wet.  

What a stunning view from so close to the earth.  I can almost feel it living and growing beneath me.

Four sun-kissed gypsy shadows.

Thank you Cobar, thank you.  

Thank you once again for travelling with us to Cobar.

Posted by Joyce. xx

Broken Hill

Hello, hello to all and welcome home to Pops, Eggy, Minnie and gypsy Joyce.  

We are home, but in our minds, we are still travelling.  

I will be updating my blog journal for the completion of our holiday.  I do not want to let it slide, it's still fresh in my mind, and I so want to 'finish' the journal journey.  

My notes will be taken from my photos, and my car journal, notes that I have scribbled along the way.  As I read back on them, I remember so clearly the wonderful places and the wonderful souls we come across.  

Bless the inventor of the pen and the paper, bless them.  

Journal entry 24.5.11

Wet, cold and wet with cold, we snuggled in bed together this morning as it rained and howled around us, cocooned snugly and deliciously together.  Rain pounding the roof over our heads, it didn't matter a hoot, we were together.

Eventually we braved the weather and visited the Pro Hart Gallery.  Do you remember the pro hart carpet ad?  Oh I loved this ad and my boys got to see it because Jan, who is possibly the Curator, had a dvd and put it on for them.  They loved it.  She told us much about this loving gentle and shy man who called Broken Hill home.  I love his trees, they are everywhere in Broken Hill, yes, I call them Pro Hart trees, because he has captured them perfectly.  

Pro loved cars and motorbikes, here is one he painted.  

Part way through the day, the sky began to clear, so we headed outdoors as quick as we could.

We were getting a little hungry, so headed to Broken Earth for a brilliant view and something yummy for our tummies.  We were not disappointed with the view or the food. 

It was crazy windy up there, and we seemed to be the only crazy brave souls to hang around and take photos.  The boys loved it.  Here is Minnie, investigating a piece of machinery.  I love how he has to inspect every little detail.  

If it isn't dusty in Broken Hill then it's muddy.  This is the experience we had, and I hope this does not put you off visiting this wonderful place.  The people we met here are full of heart and soul, they are the salt of the earth sort of people, and we felt very welcomed here by all we met.  Alot of the streets are named after metals, minerals of the earth.  I thought this was rather cool.  The trees are so pretty here, exactly like a Pro Hart tree, no wonder he loved this place.  

On our way out to the The Living Desert & Sculptures we shared the road with kangaroos.  There are no boundary fences out here, cows, horses, goats, and the occasional donkey live together.

It's so lovely to be outdoors between the rain downpours.  I did not like to wish away the rain too much, it's such a precious element out here, I did not wish to chase it away.  This is a great walk and so relaxing, the view is wonderful.  I cannot get over the colour of the earth out here, so rich in colour more than just red, almost burgundy in places, then big jutting rocks rise up out of the ground all golden and jagged.  The air is sharp and fresh, you can feel your lungs dancing for joy with the freshness.  

Sturt's Desert Pea is the floral Emblem for South Australia.  Apparently I am related to Captain Charles Sturt, on my Dad's side.  Somewhere anyways. . . . . . you know, way back, like way, way, wwwaaaaayyyyyyy back. . . . . . Anyways, this is the first time I had encountered 'Uncle/Cousin Charlies' Pea in the real, and I must say, I was impressed.  What a beauty!  It's a very pretty ground cover and you can read more about it here.

Up to the sculptures.  They are just beautiful and the view from here is awesome even with a cloudy sky that threatens to drop down on us.  This above sculpture is called 'motherhood'.  It's much better in the 'real' than this photo.  I stood here for quite a while in front of this one, we have something in common this mother and I.  You can see her emotions, you can 'feel' her love and protection for her child.    

No stunning sunset photos for us, but oh look at those three cheeky happy holiday faces peeking through.  This was a fun moment, it's usually the little things that become the most precious memories.  We had so much fun here.  

Here is the whole sculpture.  

Darkening skies, we headed back to town and said g'day to a fellow traveller.

Back to Broken Earth Cafe for an evening sky photo.  Here is our sunset, it was magic, and it was only us up here to see it this day.  

Thank you Broken Hill for your heart and soul welcome to four little gypsy travellers.  

We will be back.

Thanks so much for stopping by my place today, and for joining in the little journey of this wonderful country we live in.  

Posted by Joyce.  xx

Pitstop and Heartstrings

It's a pitstop, a pitstop partway through our travelling by the seat of our gypsy-pants journey sort of pitstop.  

There are no photos, and so there will be no travel stories until we get home.  You see we have this 'unlimited' mobile internet thingy, which apparently really is unlimited, however when it reaches a certain number, then the whole operation s l o w s    d o w n . . . . . 

*ahem* and so putting photos up on here takes rather a very long time.  

I have so much to share, so much to record, so much inside my head, but it will have to wait.

While we are waiting, I do just want to share this lovely blog.  Jodie has a shop in Cobar and I found her shop and I went into her shop and I sighed with bliss, and I bought some yarn, after lunch I went back and I bought some more yarn.  Although still unable to knit and crochet, that doesn't mean I can't buy yarn.  Jelly Wares  is the name of her little shop, and is also the name of her blog as I discovered when I popped in the address that was on her business card.  You can also purchase yarn from her shop too.  She sells Noro, Malabrigo and a heap of others, that I cannot remember right now, but go and check her out. . . . . now, . . . . quickly. . . . . you must!

She is also on Ravelry, so please make sure you pop over and check out her lovely creations.

I have also tried visiting alot of my fave blogs, however, the photos are not loading, and so I am unable to see what you are all making, buying, falling in love with until we return home.  (insert sad face here.)

This trip of ours is so much more than I thought it would be.  This time with my family so very special, the time my boys have with their Dad is irreplaceable, and I know they will remember this 6 weeks in years to come and treasure these 40 odd days and nights in our caravan, tripping around this beautiful country we live in.

I have to be honest, there has been a few occasions where I have longed for home.  Just for a brief pitstop.  

My family and friends.  I want to talk to my Mum and Dad, to hear their voices over the phone, (we do not live in 'visiting' distance), and although times get busy, just to hear their voice sounds so wonderful to me.  The people that pull at my heart stings and I so long to hear their voice again, I so long to see their beautiful faces with my own eyes. The words 'I miss you' are so very simple, but pull so much on me.  We have been in contact through email and text messages and to hear them said, and the way they are said, these people make me feel so loved, so honoured, so blessed, to be part of their life, and to know that they feel as I feel toward them, only makes me miss them more.  They take me as I am, they ask nothing of me than I have to offer to them, they laugh at me and they laugh with me, they see the whole package, and still they tell me they miss me.  I am so very blessed.

My Oven.  Home made, straight from the oven, my oven, chocolate cake and that top bit of cake that I slice off to make it flat for icing, that is still fresh and just a little bit warm, but mouthwateringly soft inside with that little bit of crusty outer that we all love to nibble on and a sure sign that the cake we are about to ice, is going to taste rather delish.  

All good things must come to an end, but wait, it only opens the door to more good things ahead of me.  Catching up with family and friends, getting back into the groove of our lives, planning the next adventure.  Always there is an adventure waiting, just around the corner.


Thanks so much for stopping by my place today, thanks for being part of the journey, thanks for being my friend.

Take care of you, and bear hug those that love you with no conditions, no questions, no expectations just cause they can and just cause they do.

See you on the other side of my travelling gypsy-pants seat flying fling, where I will complete the rest of our adventure with photos and journalling.

Posted by Gypsy Joyce.

Silverton, NSW.

Silverton 

'visit me, visit me'!  All these wonderful places to see keep calling out to us, the more we see, the more we want to travel around this beautiful country.  I cannot get over the rich colours that no camera can ever do justice to.  To breathe the air out here is just so energising, to walk over this rich land, and to meet the people that live here and to hear the stories of how these towns started out is such a privilege.

Here is just a small snapshot of the lovely Silverton.  Please click above for information, I am being lazy, however still one handed typing as my left hand continues to be out of action.  Besides, I cannot tell it as correctly as these sites can, I can only babble of my own experiences.

This is a creek bed just the other side of Silverton.  We parked the car and spent quite a while down here.  The boys were rock collecting.  I told them they can only take what they can carry in their two hands, as it is only fair to share.  Yes, my boys have become avid collectors of pretty rocks and semi-precious stones (I think that is the correct term), since just before we went away.  We are not crappy junk souvenir collectors on our travels, but much prefer to buy things like my boots in Melbourne, crochet hooks in Fitzroy, books from secondhand book shops in Mildura, clothing in Adelaide, orange peelers in Mildura, precious stones from little markets and gem shops.   

Hubbie took alot of these photos, I love his angle.

There is a little cafe here with items for purchase.  Most of them have been dug up from the Silverton/Broken Hill area.  

There is also a doll collection.  I remember playing with a pram just like this.  It's still at Mum and Dad's. 

Those teddies are just a little bit cute.

Mini things.

What a beauty.

These are for purchase too.

Lovely old churches.

A view with a minnie.  We had so much fun with these old buildings.

Only the tough plants last out here on the flat harsh land.

Joyce playing around.

Colour.

More colour and texture.

The sky out here is so wild and free, you can smell the rain coming, you can feel it underfoot.

Back to the caravan the sound of the birds is amazing as they fly above our heads.  They would do this through the night also, it was so lovely to hear.  I love each night is different, each place we stay has it's own routine of nature, ticking to its own rythm, governed by nothing but instinct. 

Thanks so much for stopping by my place.  

Posted by Joyce.