This is a page for all our readers out there. This is your page to make it what you want (within reason of course). So what ever it is that you want to say, this is the spot. Give us feed back on the web site, wish us well, tell us we’re crazy or just drop us a line to say G’day, we look forward to hearing from you along our trek.
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Latest Posts
- Bethany’s Tail.
- Alvins Tail.
- Day Thirty-Seven: Onward Bound, Our Final Destination Awaits.
- Day Thirty-Six: Famine Or Feast. (I Pick Feast!)
- Day Thirty-Five: Our Final Taste Of The Barossa.
- Day Thirty-Four: Wine, Beer, Cider And More Food Than You Can Poke Chubby Finger At.
- Day Thirty-Three: Day Of Epicurean Delights.
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Categories
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Our Aussie Adventures 
With you all the way…Let the good times roll…..
The first page of War & Peace finally begins, the Aussie version of course, well written and very graphical, keep up the high standard
I can only try my best. The telling time will be when we’re on the road all day every day, and still trying to keep the updates flowing.
Just saw “The Beasts” negro American brother and took some family snaps for you, it had a few nice extras fitted as well, just need an Email address to send them to, send to mine at, davo111@optusnet.com.au, Aloha
Congratulation on finally getting things sorted out, things can now start to feel real, so its now obvious that its actually going to happen. Nice to know bec doesnt need a blue T shirt and Tatts to get her Truck licence anymore, keep the updates coming, you are reporting like a professional Check this out if it works..:-):-)
Me likes. Not sure about the stuff round the skirts, but the big wing for sure. LOL. On a serious note, I do like the sports bars.
Sincerely, Marcus Owen.
Another well written episode, Let the good times roll, HHHeeeeeeeeeeeeeHarrrrrrrr, fingers crossed for poor little Bethany, hope things keep working out well….
Not one murder to report one the day, someone behaved themselves, Oi….
Great news about Bethany, give both a hug for me,. I can almost taste the trip already, and smell the enthusiasm, keep it coming, need the dates in Darwin so we can book a visit for tea, get Liz to try for the same time if you can….
David,
You’re not wrong. The enthusiasm is beginning to negate the stress. If I don’t call you in the next day or so, I’ll send you a PM with our Darwin dates.
Marcus.
Went and spent a pleasant afternoon with the main man on wednesday afternoon, checked out the van and looks like everything is set for the big adventure, gave Marcus a little something to give to Rebecca when they make the half way mark, that should be after we have a drink in Darwin with them. The challenge is for them to remember that they have it and to work out the half way point with some accuracy.
! All in all I have great feeling for their trip of a lifetime to be nothing but a roaring success, Marcus is so fastidious??? and is such a great bloke, he has left nothing to chance, except the strange dog running around the back yard with a pink T Shirt on:-|,
I will be sending a message or calling for a chat on a regular basis, good luck mate, ENJOY YOUR TRIP?
Well… the big day is almost here. I’m so excited for you both. Oh, and just a little envious :). Thanks for keeping such a brilliant blog. It means that the rest of us suckers can feel included in your adventures. Happy travels. Ned.
Hope you two have a fantastic trip, we are really enjoying reading your blog and feeling as if we are sort of joining in you big adventure. Looking forward to all your news along the way.
Everything on your blog works just fine, looks like you need a petrol tanker to follow you around, but in saying that, remember you are doing it much easier than behind the Patrol, enjoy the next part of the adventure, and you should be able to make up the 40 minutes between Broom and Perth as it is down hill all the way, keep the reports coming:-$ :-$ :-$
You posted twice, maybe the van was a rockin too much, run out of music yet,
Hey David, thanks for the quick technical assistance. The problem of the doubled up blog post has been rectified. As for the music, I think we’ve listened to about 200 tunes out of our library of nearly 7000. So in answer to your question, no, we have not yet run out of music.
Does everything in the Van work O.K. :-X:-X :-X (wink, wink,)
We’re on another site tonight on which the stabilisers don’t fully extend, so we’re yet to check everything!!! If anything is broken, I’m sure Bec will let you know!
Keep up the great work, did bethany leave a little present for Julia, put my name to it as well, if you like 🙂 :-), slab is poured, looking good…
Miss you guys…
Just read the start of the blog… had a good laugh at 1.20am (im up with chelsea having a fever)
Looking forward to hearing about the venture.
Hey cowboy, just checked the map and your only 2 inches from Tamworth, suppose you will have to have a beer in the pub with no beer, HEEEEEE HARRRRRR???…..
Funny you should say that. Stay tuned.
I can feel some BOOT SCOOTIN in a pub near by,
The further you travel north the less you give a shit about the job, its a great feeling, how are the kids travelling
The babies are doing well. We have hit the Country Music Capital today, and I feel like I’m home. I’ll do a boot scoot or two just for you.
Pics or it didnt happen, Achy Breaky Heart, AeeeeeeeeeeeHaarrrrrrrrrrrr
Hey Becstar and Marcus,
The photos are great-gives us a real snapshot of your travels and the fun you are having. Tino is getting the camper van round Australia bug now-keep having fun x Look forward to more pics. p.s your dogs are so so cute and are better cared for and loved then anyone i know
Love Tima & Tino
Hey Tima. We are indeed having a ball. I’m glad we decided to do it, so my advice would be not to think about it, just get out and do it. You won’t be sorry.
ever thought of an electric blanket, right price and no noise to p off the neighbours, you need a bigger hat, we can still see your face…LOL……keep on truckin in the beast…..lucky pricks…
better add something here its been a while between drinks on this page, back from my holiday the most……………, ( Hang on I will describe the adventure as I have to many people since my return.),……………. its was a rotten, stinkin, filthy dirty ass hole of a joint, never to return again, and that was the good days we had…….anyway love to all and keep those kids under control, they need a little bit of discipline every now and then…..
Glad to hear that you enjoyed your holiday. LOL. I hear Darwin is lovely this time of year!!!
Dates for Darwin Please……
Still the same. Will send you a message to your phone.
Cheers mate, stay safe:-) 🙂 🙂
Just making the notification alarm go off, see ya in 3 weeks
Sensational. Let me know exact times and dates when you can so we can make sure we hit the right spot at the right time. We are at Mt Isa until at least Tuesday night, after which phone reception will be pretty sketchy. I will SMS you Becs phone number as she is with Telstra and have a better chance of maintaining a signal.
Sincerely, Marcus Owen.
Booking from 19th til 25th, thats 1 day after liz gets there and booking same return flight home, we are looking at staying at Hotel in Darwin CBD, for 6 nights, looking forward to this trip more than the last trip to the shit hole of the universe, GETTING EXCITED 🙂 🙂 🙂
Just setting off your alarm, i am a prick, aint i, lol lol O:-)O:-) O:-) O:-)
Not much left here, better do something about that,
I will say something………….S O M E T H I N G…………….:'( 😥 😥
we enjoy reading about your trials and trimphs as you travel arround australia on a trip fo a lifetime.
ocker
Ocker, Thanks for that. It’s good to see that you’re checking things out on the sight. Keep enjoying.
Marcus.
We are really enjoying reading about your travels, glad that you are having such a wonderful time. Can’t believe how quick the time is passing, hope that the weather has warmed up a bit here in Victoria by the time you return in October.
Cheers Peter & Glenys
Peter & Glenys,
Great to hear from you both again. This really is the trip of a lifetime, although it has far from settled our travel bug. If anything, it has intensified our desire to continue, and yet, work is still waiting for us.
You are not wrong in saying the time has flown, and apart from returning to a hopefully warm Victoria, we are not missing anything from home (apart maybe from the dishwasher!!!).
Love reading your stories,keep it up. Looking forward to more adventure tales.
happy reader .
marg
Marg,
It’s always great to hear from a satisfied reader. Please continue to enjoy,
Marcus.
Me to, I look forward to the daily ramblings, I enjoy being part of this fantastic adventure, not physically, but with you in spirit and encouragement. Keep up the great stories, love Em O:-) O:-)
There is enough tales in here to write a book about your experences
It has been considered.
I have enjoyed reading about your travels around australia and learing about the different places , some I had not even heard of., It must be sad that the trip is near ending .
Marg
Marg,
Thanks for reading. Sadness doesn’t even come close to the emotions that are coursing through us as our trip nears its conclusion.
Stay tuned over the coming months as I provide a run down on some of the pertinent statistics and more about our trip.
Marcus.
There is a tine when all good times must come to an end . I have learned much about australia also how all of you overcome all the hurdles that was placed in your way and still make the trip worthwhile.
Ocker,
Thanks for sticking in there. It’s been an epic journey for us, but I am glad that we were able to teach you a few things along the way.
Stay tuned in the future, as I plan to provide further updates with some behind the scenes information on the trip, concentrating on planning and undertaking your own epic journey.
Marcus.
Enjoy your blog )
http://t4sbami1.com my blog
Hi there, Just wanted to write here in hope that you are still receiving messages after the trip is completed. I am planning a trip to NT and am finding your experiences really useful. Unfortunately, we have no where near the amount of time you had so it’s coming down to priorities and choices. We will be in Darwin on 20 June 2014 – and doing Kakadu, Katherine and Litchfield from there. So many springs/falls/pools to consider. Any stand-out ones that I must see. I don’t particularly like the cold water so inclined to the warm springs. Am considering Mataranka too as it is not far south of Katherine. Thanks again for your insights. Kim in Sydney
Kim,
Sorry about the delay, but we’ve been gallivanting across the countryside researching upcoming story ideas for a new and revamped site that will be coming soon (I hope).
Anyway I am sure that you will have a spectacular trip, regardless of how much time you have. Darwin is a capital city like no other and a magical place to be. If you hadn’t already included it on your itinerary, the Mindil Beach Markets (Thus & Sun evenings) are well worth a look. A popular haunt for locals and tourists alike, where everyone converges on the soft sand of Mindil Beach to watch the setting sun before crushing back into the market for a feed from the dozens and dozens of food stalls.
As for the springs and falls, Litchfield National Park is an easy day trip from Darwin. It is a compact little national park where many of the tourist drawcards are within easy reach of the main road. That said, in the several times we have visited, we are yet to make it all the way through to Wangi Falls. Our favourite spots here are Florence Falls, where after a relatively easy decline along a good marked path and step series of steps, you can swim right beneath the cascading water of the falls. Yes, it is cold water, but it’s also pretty special. Just up the road from Florence Falls is Buley Waterhole, where a succession of waterholes are linked by the flowing water. It’s often difficult to get a car park here, but is well worth the effort. Again, these are not thermal pools, but some of the shallower ones are reasonably well warmed by the sun. Further round is Tolmer Fall, which are suitable for viewing only and no swimming access is to be had here.
Kakadu National Park, Katherine and Mataranka would most likely be too distant from Darwin to be considered as day trips, but are nonetheless worth the effort is time permits. Since we were travelling with dogs, we were limited as to where we could stay in the vicinity of Kakadu National Park, having to stay at a little bush type caravan park on the southern outskirts. Goymarr Tourist Park (http://http://www.goymarrkakadu.com) is an indigenous owned and run park, in a bushland setting. It was perfect for us, although is a rather long drive to the main Kakadu sights. Ideally, you would traverse the northern reaches of the park to stay a while at Jabiru, before feeding out the southern end, or vice-versa. Or, even better, make use of the many campgrounds available within the park if your camping setup allows. In the dry season, many of the waterfalls dry up, so we didn’t particularly go searching for them, not to mention the effort to get to them. we were advised that the 50 or so kilometre trek to Jim Jim Falls could take in excess of 3 hours. You would have to check road conditions upon your arrival. The one waterfall we were recommended though was the lesser known Gunlom Falls. With only a moderately rough access road, we found ourselves at the bottom of an escarpment. A reasonably strenuous climb leads to the upper reaches of the falls, where you can bathe in natural infinity pools, in (Cold/cool) water of astounding clarity, safe in the knowledge that crocodiles don’t make it up this high. Whatever you do, don’t listen to the locals you don’t seem to have such an affinity for Kakadu as for Litchfield. They are different, but both worth while.
Katherine offers all of the services of a larger town, as well as a thermal hot spring, which is perfect for whiling away a few hours. We visited the springs twice and received a different reception on both occasions. The first, it was peaceful and clean. The second, it seemed like a marauding mob had been through and left the entire area in a state of filth. It was enough to turn us off. Take it as you find it though. The spring is only a few minutes drive from the centre of town and while the main access requires the negotiation of several flights of stairs, there is disabled access from a separate entrance. There is even a wheel chair ramp into the pool, which I thought was a nice touch. If staying in Katherine, I can recommend the Manbullo Homestead Caravan Park (http://manbulloohomesteadcaravanpark.com.au). It’s about a 15 minute drive out of town on a working station. They have converted one of the paddocks into a caravan park, with all of the basic amenities, although none of the frills. The bush land type setting suited us though and was much quieter than staying in town (Especially on Territory Day with two firework freaked dogs).
Mataranka is a further 100Km south of Katherine and was a bit of a jewell in the crown for our trip. We had never heard of it until we got to Three Ways. With a couple of days to spare and the allure of the hot springs, we decided to check it out. How glad were we? Our trip could almost have ended there and then and we would have been happy. Be warned that there is not a lot else here however and it would be well advisable to stock up on groceries before leaving Katherine. At nearly $7.00 for a loaf of frozen bread, even baked beans on toast didn’t make an economical dinner! There are 3 caravan parks in town though, two of which offer walking distance to the hot springs, the third of which offers a mean hamburger and Barramundi feeding. We chose Mataranka Cabins and Camping (http://www.matarankacabins.com.au), with only a short walk to Bitter Springs. The host here at the caravan park is an experienced traveller and was a wealth of information about the local area and much further afield. Be warned though, they don’t take bookings, so aim to get in for about 10:00AM to take advantage of the freshly vacated sites, or risk missing out. There are actually two lost of thermal springs at Mataranka, with Bitter Springs being left in a reasonably natural state. It is here though that you can grab onto some type of flotation device (you can hire ‘noodles’ at the caravan parks for only a few dollars) and casually float down stream in the tepid, bath like water. Walk back upstream, then do it all over again. The Mataranka Springs are accessed through the grounds of the Mataranka Homestead Caravan Park, and are more akin to a swimming pool, only filled with hot water. Many people we spoke to preferred the slightly less rustic feel of these springs though, so it’s very much a case of each to there own.
Whatever the case, I am sure you will have a fantastic time in the top end.
Marcus.