After leaving an amazing time spent with family in Byfield, it has been a looong journey towards the red centre. You will never know the extent of the hike until you are on the road experiencing it for yourself… Many free camps along the way have blessed us with ease and gratitude, our sole expenses being food and fuel-believe me, the tanks are chewed faster then the landscape changes. Life on the road is great. This is what it is all about for me. Living simply in nature.
Travels in New Zealand a few years ago led us into the back of a station wagon with a gas cooker, cruising along at our own speed. It didn’t take us long to realise car hire was cheaper than dorm rooms and came with the bonus of FREEDOM! It was here that we got a taste for life on the road, cruising along, lapping up the beautiful scenery, saving money for all-important adventures, making coffee, tea and food along the way.
This is very reminiscent of those times, yet somehow more familiar. No planes were boarded, just many hours of driving. Audio books have saved us from getting sick of the eclectic collection of music we have gathered. We begun with Russel Brand’s ‘Revolution’, a fantastic book based on his view of the reality we face in today’s world, as well as simple steps to continue our own evolution towards personal power and freedom. Naturally we were listening intently, he is an intellect with a passion to change the world – it quickly rubs off on you. Download it here : https://thepiratebay.org/search/russell%20brand/0/99/0
Later as we pulled up for the night at a rest stop just North of Winton. I thought of the notion that Russel kept returning to earlier- that we are all one as the human race – atoms in space. The road was wet from afternoon rain when our neighbour arrived; he was driving a road train that was fifty-three metres long. I was astounded and amused as I counted the five, ten metre long carriages and the total of forty-four wheels. It was a HUGE machine that felt so imposing (usually I would be squirming as we overtake these monsters along the straights). Then I became curious and impressed, wondering about the character at the wheel of this beast… and feeling completely connected, at one with each other as we ate dinner side by side in our temporary homes. Appreciation for the little things, this night that brought me closer to the unknown.
Long days stretched on as we moved towards the middle of this enormous country. A stop over in Mount Isa proved delightful, and after utilising the facilities of a city-like town and renewing our rego, we found an oasis in nature. A camp for the night! Moondarra Lake felt heaven-sent in the dry desert outback of Western Queensland. We were lone campers and had the time and space to graciously soak up the surroundings. The wetlands stretched far and wide, bursting with bird life and (supposedly) barramundi. You could feel the significance of the place to the custodians of this land; it was easy to imagine Aboriginal people living from the abundance of this little oasis. The pure, fresh water and greenery contrasting starkly with the hot arid lands that stretched for kilometres in every direction.
We crossed the border into the Northern Territory and then drove for about 3 hours with a very flat landscape either side of the road, and a mirage at the end of the bitumen. Stopping for a coffee, salad wrap and amazing sunset, we continued on towards Three Ways and Tennant Creek as we headed for Alice. 
Just outside Tennant Creek, we stopped over night at The Pebbles and re wrote our version of ‘The Dock Of The Bay’ as we sung and played guitar to the moon. After the Devil’s Marbles, I began to understand the sheer number of wonderful rock formations in Australia. The sand was beginning to warm in colour, yet the shrubbery remained thick and healthy. Luckily we had overcast days for this massive mission, which kept ourselves and Nessy Bell cool and happy with the long stints of driving.
It took us a total of six days to get to Alice, and we were high-tailing it most of the way. Well worth it though, I must say! I am so grateful to live in this country, and to be enjoying more of its magnificent wide brown land. It is incredibly humbling to know the indigenous people lived so closely with the land, from the time before time began.
Before we begin, here is the other half of our house for the next little while. With help from friends and family, we lay a slab and built this little baby over a weekend. Creation can be as easy as putting your mind and energy into a project and trusting in the outcome! (fingers crossed she’s waterproof ;))
The invitation called for each of us to bring something to the table to share with the group. Most of the meals were catered for with a planned menu: a variety of delicious foods from fish curry to rice paper rolls, an endless feast. Guinness and red wine were provided, and we all enjoyed getting merry around the fire in the evenings. We even had the old gas stove/oven up there in the camp kitchen, for the luxury of freshly baked bread… and great ease (minus the transport of course). I jumped on the opportunity to bake a birthday cake and tried a new recipe for a beetroot, quinoa and chocolate cake that a beautiful friend had raved about. I made a simple sweet ginger yoghurt icing, it was delicious. Here’s a link to the recipe, in case you want to try it yourself: 
Andy made Damper with the kids and baked it in the camp oven in the remaining coals of the nights fire. Linda brought a stack of white t-shirts for natural dyeing, we used turmeric and red bloodwood sap and they came out in rich warm yellows and reds. Over the weekend we each made additions to a canvas that Ela had left us, it soon became a beautiful colourful mandala.
By Saturday afternoon this new way of life had soaked into all of us, complete freedom, living in paradise. Dad had set a bar for himself from the beginning; no less then two swims a day, I happily followed suit and enjoyed the high and the low of each day. Mornings began with group swims and beach hangs, and we all relished in the fresh water creek shower on the path back to camp. Cat and I had a beautiful swim with Indira as the tide was coming in. She bravely ran along the bottom of the sand with water up to her chin, back and forth giggling and spluttering. All three of us were in stitches laughing for ages. Indira just couldn’t get enough of it, absolutely filled with the thrill and excitement.
The low tides meant we could climb out to the five rocks to fish, and after Andy brought back a beautiful mackerel one evening the enthusiasm in the group rose. The following day a group of us went to the rocks on sunset with a bunch of fishing rods and an esky filled with beer. Luke caught his first fish and the rock cods were out and about in numbers, unfortunately none were big enough for dinner but it was well worth the adventure.
Returning back to camp was always a lovely sight, a circle of camp chairs around the fire offered space and comfort for the down time. Crafts were abundant and it was inspiring to see the women at work; Joan made a wonderful little basket using natural materials she had found at the beach. Trisha made a gorgeous necklace using beads that she crafted from pumice and pink flowers. April was working on a knotted patterned bag as well as her felt slippers, and Sparkle was drawing away.
Mum arrived in high spirits with fruitcake in hand, and melted straight into the abundance of activities. She carved an underwater scene into a cuttle fish shell, and before long was brainstorming with the kids about ‘The BEST school ever!’ It was amazing to see the passion filling each of them as they tore the schooling system apart and rebuilt it in their own ideal way. This ongoing discussion also inspired a workshop at Tropical Bloom.
Lindsay and Connor took the gang over the hill to Three Rivers a few days in a row, to swim and surf and explore the neighbouring beaches. On his birthday, Dad drew an enormous mandala in the sand and the crew collected seaweed, shells, pumice and rocks to decorate the massive art piece.
The time away was filled with smiles and laughter, co-operation and co-ordination, continuous adventure and living purely in the moment. I didn’t even find time to read, there was too much fun going on. It was a taste of a simple life away from the ‘real world’. Immersed in the love of community, sharing skills and quality time. In many ways I think it was exactly what Dad had wanted, yet a lot more rich and full then any of us could have imagined.
The Northern Territory was all in all a welcomed surprise. Andy and I went to visit his rents last May and our four days and nights offered exemplary insight into the multiculturalism of Darwin. An amazing event at the Entertainment Centre showcased a selection of Aboriginal singers and songwriters, who each added their own individual flair to this wonderful show.
Heartbeats quickened as we clambered excitedly up the bright orange rock stairs. We sat on the top of the rock formation with a 360 view of untouched foreign wilderness and wetlands, Australia suddenly felt unknown and enticing. Previous plans blew away with the strong cool winds, and the land invoked new dreams of adventure in our hearts.
W i l d Flower T r a v e l s 