It’s funny how you can seem prepared for a Journey , until the last week arrives and suddenly it’s a mad dash to sort, pack and organise the Penguin and ourselves for a 7000Klm trek across the Outback. Departing Early September, time to be determined. Only today I have bought a new jockey wheel for the Penguin, along with a new festoon bulb, a foldable step, two shifters, duct tape, toilet chemicals, 6v batteries for the Dolphin torch, a new torch to fit the stockpile of D cells we discovered lurking in the Jayco. No sign of a sieve yet, but I remain hopeful.
My head is filled with things I need to still do and though I’m on schedule with everything, I can’t but feel I’ve left the iron on, so to speak. This is the longest I’ve ever been on holiday. There will be a lot of personal firsts. First time in NT, first time in SA, first time through Broken Hill. I will drive further, travel further from home than I ever have before and be away from the boys and the dogs for longer than ever before. At 23 and 21, we hope to still find them alive when we get home. (The boys, 21 and 23, not the dogs.) I have instructed them both on how not to let an animal starve to death, and the related, how not to starve to death, and I now feel confident we will find them still with a pulse when we return.
We have enough tinned goods to survive an apocalypse, not sure how good our vegan, gluten free supply is going to weather once we hit NT, seems like meat and potato country to me. We have an itinerary laid out, which mostly survived the computer meltdown I had last week. Now organising menus and juggling the last week of my part time day job.
I’ll be blogging at every stop, though posts will be intermittent due to internet service. (Hint, there’s a whole lot of nothing out there between the gems)
From Brisbane, Qld, the Route heads west to Roma, where we’ll spend the first night then north, to Canarvon Gorge for a few days. Next on to the Gemfields for some fossicking, then west through Winton and into NT. I’ll leave an itinerary at the bottom of this post. Follow along as we cast ourselves into Wolf Creek territory.
So, with new computer in tow and a solid itinerary expect the next post to be from Roma, just to let you know we made it. Why not follow us via the link here.
And here’s the schedule.
| Town | Nights | Distance | Est Time | |
| Roma | 1 | 457 | 5 hrs 13 | |
| Carnarvon Gorge | 3 | 231 | 3 hrs 10 | |
| The Gemfields pt1 | 1 | 290 | 3 hrs 45 | |
| The Gemfields pt2 | 2 | 0 | 15 | |
| Longreach | 1 | 383 | 4 hrs | |
| Winton Pt1 | 1 | 180 | 2 hrs | |
| Winton Pt2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Mt Isa | 1 | 468 | 5 hrs | |
| Tablelands | 1 | 450 | 5 hrs 30 | |
| Barrow Creek | 1 | 416 | 5 hrs | |
| Gem Tree | 2 | 163 | 2 hrs 15 | |
| Alice Springs | 4 | 136 | 1 hrs 50 | |
| Curtin Springs Pt 1 | 1 | 361 | 4 hrs 30 | |
| Uluru | 3 | 101 | 1 hrs 15 | |
| Curtin Springs Pt2 | 1 | 101 | 1 hr 15 | |
| Kings Canyon | 2 | 220 | 3 hrs 20 | |
| Agnes Creek | 1 | 421 | 5 hrs 25 | |
| Coober Pedy | 2 | 342 | 3 hrs 30 | |
| Port Augusta | 1 | 542 | 5 hrs 25 | |
| Adelaide | 2 | 310 | 4 hrs | |
| Broken Hill | 1 | 515 | 6 hrs | |
| Cobar | 1 | 461 | 5 hrs | |
| Lightning Ridge | 2 | 445 | 5 hrs | |
| Glen Innes | 1 | 474 | 5hrs 30 | |
| HOME | 348 | 4 hrs 30 |
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Travels With An Old Fart 
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