This Adventurous Age

August 10, 2020
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2007 Travels January 5

FRIDAY 5 JANUARY RV2

Back to the routine of early morning start, breakfast in the mess, walk to my site office, hope that someone had cranked up the generator, and start work at 6am.

I had to familiarize myself with the office here, which was set up as S had left it. There was a large piece of board across one corner, just behind my chair, where cement blocks had broken up through the floor, when the willy blew the building off the blocks, back in December

Position of steps showed how far the willy wind had moved the donga

Inside the office!

Got the machines fired up and was pleased they all worked. The sat dish had survived the elements. I had been worried about that. Also about whether things like that would survive the possible odd curious visitor, whilst the site was totally unattended, over the Xmas break.

It did not take long for little dramas to start coming my way! The mechanics had arrived at RV1 to repair the company forklift which had broken down and been left there. But no-one knew where the keys for it were. I managed to find the keybox which had been moved from RV1 to here – but the keys were not in it. I could only guess that they had gone somewhere in someone’s pocket, before Xmas! So the repair could not be done.

Apparently FMG had decided that they wanted eight more SPQ dongas installed at each of the Villages, as soon as possible. So all of that associated building and supply chain would have to be revved up again. I was glad that was the role of HO people, not me!

I phoned the Shire and arranged for inspection of the pools at both Villages, for Monday. Also the kitchen here- although in use, it was not yet “official”.

John was quickly back into the routine too. He had to do some purchasing in Hedland – now the best part of a three hour drive away. After collecting a couple more of the workers from the late plane, they all overnighted at RV1.

I felt quite solitary after work, with John away, and no one else occupying the other two rooms in our donga. The usual routine of shower, change into casual clothes, walk to mess for tea, back to room. I read for a while. Felt alone enough to put a chair back under the door knob before I went to bed!

August 8, 2020
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2007 Travels January 4

THURSDAY 4 JANUARY HOME TO RV2

It was a very early start for us. After yet more possibly final goodbyes to old cat, M drove us to son’s place – at 4.30am.

Son drove us to Tullamarine Airport. Not too onerous for him as he worked nearby – just an earlier start than normal. At that time, it was still dark, of course, and there was not all that much traffic on the roads.

By the time we got our bags checked in, there was not much time to spare. We travelled on a 767 – seemed huge. The four hour flight to Perth was a bit rough over the Bight, as we flew over the low pressure system that had formed from the cyclone and storm. It was inundating Esperance now.

There was some hanging around at Perth Airport. The time between flights was too short to go away and do anything, but long enough to be boring. We encountered one of the workers – T – who lived in Melbourne and like us was on his way back to the Pilbara. Also M and H, coming back from their Xmas break. Then it was a two hour flight to Hedland – in a one-class jet.

As soon as we landed at Hedland, could see that it had been quite wet. But the day felt really balmy – and we kidded ourselves that maybe the worst of the hot weather was now over. Ha!

The bongo bus had been left at the airport, by the last lot that flew out before Xmas, with the keys hidden on top of the wheel. John drove the five of us – first to South Hedland, where we stocked up on cask water, beer and scotch. Then it was down the familiar road to RV1, where we called in to have a look at what it was like, finished. There were quite a few puddles about the place, after the cyclone rain.

We admired the new “landscaping” around the pool. Called in to the Spotless office to say “We’re back!” . Chatted with the two managers – almost old friends now. They said they had been a little concerned about the incoming cyclone, but that it had not been as bad as they feared – just some heavy rain.

Resize of 01-16-2007 Landscaping adjacent to the pool

Landscaping around the pool at RV1. Amazing the difference a few plants made.

John arranged to be able to transit overnight at RV1, on occasions when he was coming back late from Hedland, or having to have someone in there for the early morning plane. They basically said they would allocate him a permanent room there. All very pleasant – but the main manager did have a little complain that the swimming pool could still not be used, because it had not been inspected by the Shire. I was surprised that no one had managed to arrange this, back in December, after I’d left. Workers coming back into the Village would certainly be complaining at not being able to swim. I promised to expedite this.

Then it was on south. There was still some water over the Rail Access road, in a couple of places.

It was well into the afternoon by the time we reached RV2. The manager – who I’d not met before – allocated us two adjoining rooms, one of them an end room, in what he said would be a quiet part of Pod 2, the only one yet commissioned. He said that they had not yet received a fresh food shipment, so the evening meal would be a bit limited, for the few people who were in the camp. This camp was only occupied just before Xmas so they were really just starting to ramp up for operation, and it was all quite casual. In the event, tea was ample.

The rooms were quite comfortable. The air cons were working – most important. No TV’s in our rooms as yet, though. Our rooms would be cleaned by Spotless staff every few days, the sheets and towels changed too. All we had to do was go to work……

Home for a while…..

K had driven himself in from the NT and arrived a bit after us.

After unpacking, showers and tea, we sat and chatted for a while – in John’s room, then headed off to our respective beds for an early night. It had been a long day.

Today, we had travelled, in six hours of flight, what it had taken us a week to drive, back in December.

August 8, 2020
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2007 Travels January 3

WEDNESDAY 3 JANUARY HOME

After my morning walk around the lake – some 4kms with side tracks – thought I had better just phone Alice Springs and check that they did not now need us.

The new girl said that we were booked to fly to Port Hedland tomorrow! She “thought” she’d left a message for us – somewhere – before Xmas. Good thing I’d checked. She emailed the necessary documentation. That, at least, came through.

It was to be a very early morning flight out of Melbourne!

So began a flurry of packing and getting organized. We took the new table to son’s place. They were really pleased with it. John makes great tables!

Discovered that a hose on the washing machine was leaking. We’d been blaming the old cat for having a bad aim at his litter tray!

Old Spook cat had developed some eccentric habits….

Category 1 Cyclone Isobel made landfall at Eighty Mile Beach this morning, with winds around 120kmh. By the afternoon, it had turned into a tropical low, deluging the Port Hedland area and parts to the south east – just where our Villages were! It was threatening to join forces with a big storm system lurking around, so flying up to Hedland could be interesting!

When I got up this morning, did not envisage the way the day would end, for sure.

August 6, 2020
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2007 Travels January 2

TUESDAY 2 JANUARY HOME

We spent an enjoyable Xmas/New Year period, catching up with family and just living normally.

A highlight was meeting and getting to know my new grandson who had been born in May. We were visited by John’s daughter, home for Xmas for the break that diplomatic staff receive mid way through a posting. So John met his new grandson, born in Brussels, now 19 months old, for the first time, and renewed acquaintance with the older boy, now nearly 4.

Melbourne’s weather was mostly balmy over that time, with the exception of the cold snap over Xmas itself. The Pilbara heat we’d experienced seemed almost illusory.

I treated myself to a rather expensive Xmas present – a lovely new digital Pentax camera, that had all sorts of refinements that the smaller point and shoot one did not have. There would be a lot to learn about its operation.

There had been no further communication from the company, regarding going back to work in WA. I’d rather expected to hear from them by today, at the latest, since the office resumed work today. It seemed there must have been a change of plan, and no-one had bothered to tell us. We were not overly concerned – home was nice. I was enjoying daily walks at the nearby lake and sewing some new shorts for M. John was making son a jarrah dining table. Less enjoyable was working on tax matters and getting the relevant paperwork together. Our lovely accountant had gained us an extension of time for the return due last year, but I really needed to do something about this hated task.

We had been watching, with more interest than usual, a low pressure system building off the WA coast, that had the potential to develop into a cyclone. Today, it was named Cyclone Isobel and forecast to cross the coast somewhere between Port Hedland and Broome.

August 6, 2020
by wendyviney 3 Comments

2006 Travels December 13

WEDNESDAY 13 DECEMBER BENDIGO TO HOME 225kms

Another early morning visit from the grandson – it was a real game for him to come out and knock on the van door and call out to us. Another cuddle in bed. He was a wonderfully affectionate little kid.

I had been really dreading the task of hitching the van and Truck together, on the sloping driveway. John would be backing the truck downhill, in tiny increments – the idea was to get the poly plastic block on the van part of the hitch, exactly into the metal receiving arms on Truck. But not just that – to get the retaining bolt in place, the hole on the block had to line up precisely with the holes on the metal arms – and when they did, I would quickly shove the bolt in and down. I had to direct John, not just in distance to back, but also about the precise central alignment – and at the same time, wind the height adjusting handle on the van to bring the block to the exact height where it could slide into the arms. When we were on flat ground, it was easier, because I could wiggle the van sideways a bit if needed. Here, with the van chocked at the back of the wheels, there was no wiggle room, literally, and John had to stop Truck at the precise moment – no rolling backwards!

We waited till the family had left, rather than put on a display for them! But it went better than I had dared hope. John did a pinpoint accurate job of inching Truck back down onto the Treg coupling, whilst I frantically adjusted the height of the van so the bits would fit. It was a great relief when I could push the locking pin down through its holes, and they actually aligned. Whew!

Refuelled on the way out of Bendigo – $1.21cpl.

It was the usual, standard run home, via Heathcote, Seymour and Yea.

We reached home before lunch time.

Resize of 12-13-2006 to home

It was great to see M again. She had our garden looking immaculate – much better than we do!

It was also great to see the old cat, battling on but thin and rather frail. Getting on for 17 years old now. He seemed happy to see us, too.

It was good to be home again. Now to unpack van, clean it thoroughly, and prepare for Xmas.

Virtually the first thing John did was to get on the phone to arrange for his African mahogany timber to be shipped south.

So, this year’s trip had turned out exceedingly different to what we had envisaged, back at the start of the year. We spent time in all mainland states and territories, except for the ACT. Sort of “around Australia”, but on a mostly inland circuit……..

Resize of 12-13-2006 overall

POSTSCRIPTS

On 14 December, the men at the South Point Fly Camp were able to move to occupy rooms at RV2, although there was still a considerable way to go to complete that camp.

On 15 December, we received an email from boss lady, asking us to go to RV2 in the new year – exact date to be determined. I replied that we would be available from about 3rd January.

On 20 December, a further email said that a new employee at HO would co-ordinate our travel arrangements, out of Melbourne, probably on January 4, if flights were available. She would liase with us. Head Office would be closed until January 2. They were hoping the project would be finished by the end of January.

So – more work! And a FIFO experience…..

Resize of 12-09-2006 BHPcarrying ore to Pt Hedland

This was what it was all about – iron ore trains near RV2

In the last few weeks at RV1, I had been dreaming of green, cold, wet……..Be careful what you wish for………On Xmas Day, it snowed in our part of Melbourne! Real, genuine, cold and wet snow. Huey, you overdid it, a tad!

STATISTICS FOR 2006 TRIP:

* Kms travelled: 18,468

* Kms van towed: 12,991

* Cost of diesel: $3602.92

* Average fuel consumption: 7.95kms per litre used

* Dearest diesel: $1.81cpl – Barkly Roadhouse NT

* Cheapest diesel: $1.21cpl – Bendigo, Vic

* Accommodation cost: $2412.20

* Accommodation discounts gained: $54.10

* Dearest accommodation per night: Hidden Valley Caravan Park Darwin – $109 (cabin)

* Dearest caravan site accommodation: Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park – $34.45

* Cheapest accommodation per night: $16 – Hiway Inn Daly Waters

* Number of different places stayed at: 30

* Longest stay in one place: Monsoon Cafe, Litchfield NT (employed)

***************

August 6, 2020
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2006 Travels December 12

TUESDAY 12 DECEMBER BENDIGO

An early start!

Grandson came knocking on the van door just after 7am. I think he was very pleased to find we were actually still in residence, so he had some cuddle time in bed with us.

Getting his car seat set up in Truck involved rearranging some of the contents, and was a fiddly procedure. Hadn’t thought of that when we offered to take him out for the day!

But the boy was really excited to be spending the day with us, so the hassle was worthwhile. Then we had to work out what we could do with him. How did one amuse a three year old for a full day?

It was a hot day – by Victorian standards.

We went to the Art Gallery – more from our own curiosity, but we thought he might find some interest there. Whilst the Gallery seemed to have much that would interest us, it was not really the right place for a three year old, so we did not stay long.

Walked around the parklands behind the Gallery for a while. He could run about there and play hide and seek with us. Then we were persuaded to take him up the big tower that was the poppet head lookout. This gave us great views out across the city and was worth the effort to get up the stairs. I discovered that I still hate heights!

Then it was back into Truck and to the playground at Lake Weeroona, just north of the city centre. The boy tired himself out some more on the equipment. We were persuaded to walk to the cafe at one end of the lake and buy him an icy pole. By the time he had finished that, we needed to take him back home for lunch and an afternoon sleep. The rest was probably appreciated more by us than him – Grandad John had an excellent nap!

Resize of 12-12-2006 aaron bendigo 1

He played with his toys after his sleep. We sat in the wonderful air conditioned cool and read until daughter got home from work.

Had tea with the family again. Much talk and tales of our adventures this year.

It was a really enjoyable – but tiring – day. Little kids are hard work!

August 6, 2020
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2006 Travels December 11

MONDAY 11 DECEMBER MILDURA TO BENDIGO 415kms

We had an unhurried start to the day and a relaxed drive to Bendigo.

Refuelled at Ouyen – $1.29cpl – and had a morning tea break at the rest area there.

It was mid afternoon when we backed the rig into the driveway at daughter’s place, and unhitched Truck and van – after carefully putting big chocks behind the van wheels. Their driveway slopes down quite markedly. This was the first time we had been game enough to unhitch the van on this slope. Not because of concern for the van – we were confident that the chocks and handbrake would hold it – but because linking up the van and Truck, with the Treg hitch, on any slope, had proved problematic in the past. I told myself I would worry about that later!

We drove to shops at Kangaroo Flat, for some oddments – nibbles, papers and the like, and some wine.

Enjoyed the late afternoon and evening with the family and grandson – now nearly 4 years old. He seemed thrilled and excited to see us again. I had sent him postcards when I could, to remind him of our existence, but these had, of necessity, been infrequent since September. It was arranged that the boy could have the day off from child care tomorrow, and we would look after him.

In a week, we had driven some 4,300kms.

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August 6, 2020
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2006 Travels December 10

SUNDAY 10 DECEMBER PETERBOROUGH TO MILDURA 420kms

We slept in a bit later this morning.

Today was a much shorter day of driving. It was also much cooler, compared to what we’d been used to. We lost another 30 minutes of time when we crossed into Victoria today.

Refuelled at Morgan – $1.31cpl. It was wonderful to see the wide Murray River there – hadn’t seen a decent river for a while.

Now that we were – comparatively – close to home, John thought we could ease off the travel rate a bit, so we stopped for the night at Mildura. Took a powered site at the Desert City Caravan Park – $20.70, after discount. Had to unhitch the van. Having green grass around the van was a novelty!

Walked across to the big shopping centre across the road and spent some time wandering and browsing. Bought lunch – a bakery pull apart loaf. It was pleasant to have some of the day for just walking about and relaxing.

I had a long and lovely swim in the park’s pool. Bliss.

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August 5, 2020
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2006 Travels December 9

SATURDAY 9 DECEMBER NUNDROO TO PETERBOROUGH 790kms

My watch and the little van clock were set on SA time, but our body clocks were not. So it felt like an unreasonably early start, even though it wasn’t.

The day was a little cooler – just a little.

Went through the quarantine checkpoint west of Ceduna. I had calculated the fruit and veg stocks bought back in Newman, so we did not have anything to throw out.

Topped up fuel at Ceduna – $1.27cpl; Kimba – $1.30 cpl; and Port Augusta – $1.20 cpl.

This was the fourth time we had driven across the Nullarbor, so it all did feel a bit routine.

At Port Augusta, parked near the Woolworths store and bought some fresh supplies, and newspapers. We were appreciative of the large parking area beside the waterfront, where it was easy enough to park a vehicle and van.

The idea of staying in Port Augusta – yet again – was not appealing – given some not so pleasant memories of being stranded there for nearly a week in 1993 with a broken axle on our Hilux of the time. So we pushed on, through the winding Horrocks Pass route, to the rolling plains beyond. I always enjoyed the drive through the Horrocks Pass – bendy though it was. Just found it interesting. In places, one could see that the road foundation edging, beside steep little roadside gutters, was of brick.

In Horrocks Pass

At the top of the pass, the vista was of the rolling sheep and grain country of the mid north west of SA.

12-09-2006 hp plains

Peterborough beckoned – like normal civilization again. We took a powered site at the very pleasant caravan park there. $20 for the night. We were able to stay hitched up.

Trees! Shade! TV!

I enjoyed reading the weekend papers. Could feel myself transitioning back to something like our real world.

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August 4, 2020
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2006 Travels December 8

FRIDAY 8 DECEMBER BALLADONIA TO NUNDROO ROADHOUSE 880kms

Early start.

Balladonia is at the western end of the 90 mile straight stretch of highway, so we had that at the start of today’s drive. There was still plenty of bushfire smoke and that was rather concerning.

Resize of 12-08-2006 nullarbor bushfire 1

Unusual morning light due to bushfire smoke

Topped up the fuel at Cocklebiddy Roadhouse – $1.62cpl. Bought cold drinks.

Some welcome variety in the landscape came with the descent down the Madura Pass to the lower level plain closer to the coast. This meant we had low rises to our left now – something different to look at.

Repeated the fuel and cold drinks routine at Mundrabilla Roadhouse – $1.45cpl. Mundrabilla had the reputation of being amongst the cheapest places for fuelling along the Nullarbor.

It was a day of even greater heat – 40’s, almost 44, at Eucla! We endured…….

Resize of 12-08-2006 nullarbor bushfire 5

A long day of driving was accentuated by losing time as we drove east – 90 minutes of it.

The bushfire smoke continued, to varying extents, until after we crossed into SA.

Resize of 12-08-2006 nullarbor bushfire 8

One solitary bird….

I couldn’t persuade John to stop for the day when we reached Eucla, on the WA/SA border. In fact, I couldn’t persuade him to stop at all here. He wanted to really break the back of the Nullarbor section.

Resize of 12-08-2006 nullarbor bushfire 10

He decided we would aim for Yalata Roadhouse – certainly for fuel and maybe to stay the night.

We did take a short break at the spectacular Bunda Cliffs – to admire the dramatic heights where the Australian mainland falls into the Great Australian Bight. It was a chance to take the mandatory photos – yet again – and walk around a bit to try to get the circulation going in my legs.

Bunda Cliffs

At least, it did become marginally cooler as we moved east and as the day wore on.

I had another attempt to broker a stop for the night as we approached Nullarbor Roadhouse, but no deal.

It was late afternoon by the time we reached Yalata – and the bloody roadhouse was closed! All shut up, out of business, deserted. When did that happen? We were not happy and we were getting rather low on fuel. I wished we had stopped at the Nullarbor place, and said so!

There was no choice but to keep going. John decided to chance it and not go to the effort of unpacking the back of Truck to get at our spare diesel container. He thought we would make it to Nundroo and was right.

It was dusk, almost dark by the time we reached Nundroo Roadhouse. With great relief we refuelled – $1.24 cpl – then took a powered site – $20. This was not much more than a power pole on gravel, but we were really too tired to care.

Tea was a tin of soup and the few remaining vegetables. We were both beyond hungry. Fell into bed.

That essentially ended the Nullarbor crossing, but it had been a really unpleasant day.

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