Ok - so most of this year things have just worked out perfectly - and all the way through from planning our trip right up to now, we’ve said ‘yes we’ve got faith, we believe this is right and we’re just going with it’. Well on our way back to Brisbane from Cairns we had what could be described as an “eventful” day which could have challenged our thinking somewhat.
We left Cairns and said our goodbyes to Phil and Kayleen - no tears this time as we knew we were going to see them the following week in Brisbane at Neil and Emma’s wedding. We decided we’d travel as far as possible that day, and try to make it back to Brisbane in 2 days, so it was gone 7pm and already dark when we finally found somewhere suitable(ish) to stop - a truck stop called Palm Tree Creek (sounds lovely eh?! - it wasn‘t!) Anyway - we settled down for the night in the back of the car - well - we tried to settle down … problem was the 150 disco dancing cows mooing in the truck next to us - I’m sure they’d all been given ‘ecstasy’ so they were dancing the night away before they met their fateful end the following day! Being deaf in one ear does have it’s advantages and I was able to turn onto my good ear and go to sleep. Geoff however had more of a problem! Not being able to get to sleep, he got up and was stood having a coffee outside the car when a guy came wandering about, shining a torch in everyone’s windows and having a good old nosey about - obviously up to no good. Geoff (politely of course) had a quiet word with him about “going home, growing up, going to bed!!!!"
The next morning’s saga started about 5am…. Yes the cows were still dancing, and there was a new truck pulled up just behind us - who appeared to want to leave his engine running. Never mind - we’d got our little cooker and would start the day right with a cuppa. Geoff tried getting out of the boot of the car - but the tailgate dropped down and ate his leg! I had to fight my way out of the side door to rescue him. After a couple of seconds we realised why the truck still had the engine running. It was, what the Ozzies call, a Honey Cart. Basically the truck that comes to clear out the sewerage from the toilets, and the engine was running to operate the pump used to suck out all that had been put into the toilets! (Be thankful I’m writing this blog and not Geoff!!!) IT STANK!!!!!! And honestly, no words can convey how disgusting it was! We had to think hard about health and safety and whether we should actually light the calor gas stove for our morning cuppa!
Very soon after that, we set off! It was pouring down and we aquaplaned on a very busy roundabout (rush hour) - thankfully someone was looking after us and we just missed hitting other cars.
We left Cairns and said our goodbyes to Phil and Kayleen - no tears this time as we knew we were going to see them the following week in Brisbane at Neil and Emma’s wedding. We decided we’d travel as far as possible that day, and try to make it back to Brisbane in 2 days, so it was gone 7pm and already dark when we finally found somewhere suitable(ish) to stop - a truck stop called Palm Tree Creek (sounds lovely eh?! - it wasn‘t!) Anyway - we settled down for the night in the back of the car - well - we tried to settle down … problem was the 150 disco dancing cows mooing in the truck next to us - I’m sure they’d all been given ‘ecstasy’ so they were dancing the night away before they met their fateful end the following day! Being deaf in one ear does have it’s advantages and I was able to turn onto my good ear and go to sleep. Geoff however had more of a problem! Not being able to get to sleep, he got up and was stood having a coffee outside the car when a guy came wandering about, shining a torch in everyone’s windows and having a good old nosey about - obviously up to no good. Geoff (politely of course) had a quiet word with him about “going home, growing up, going to bed!!!!"
The next morning’s saga started about 5am…. Yes the cows were still dancing, and there was a new truck pulled up just behind us - who appeared to want to leave his engine running. Never mind - we’d got our little cooker and would start the day right with a cuppa. Geoff tried getting out of the boot of the car - but the tailgate dropped down and ate his leg! I had to fight my way out of the side door to rescue him. After a couple of seconds we realised why the truck still had the engine running. It was, what the Ozzies call, a Honey Cart. Basically the truck that comes to clear out the sewerage from the toilets, and the engine was running to operate the pump used to suck out all that had been put into the toilets! (Be thankful I’m writing this blog and not Geoff!!!) IT STANK!!!!!! And honestly, no words can convey how disgusting it was! We had to think hard about health and safety and whether we should actually light the calor gas stove for our morning cuppa!
Very soon after that, we set off! It was pouring down and we aquaplaned on a very busy roundabout (rush hour) - thankfully someone was looking after us and we just missed hitting other cars.
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| Safe and Sound - in Childers |
We travelled a full day again (thankfully no more mis-haps along the way) - planning to stop when we reached Childers where our Camp5 map promised us a lovely free camp site. About 40kms from our planned stop, Geoff realised we were very low on petrol - I asked our faithful NavMan where the nearest petrol station was and she promptly told me the nearest one was 42kms away. We travelled the next half hour in almost complete silence - both of us sending up prayers that we would make it. We weren’t sure if the petrol gauge was still faulty but when the red light came on and we still had 30kms to go we were really worried.
The longest 30kms ever, and just passed our free camp for the night, ….. we pulled into the service station …… plup plup plup - and the engine cut out - completely out of petrol! We rolled down to the petrol pump having to pull the petrol hose tight to reach the car! But we made it! Thank you - thank you - THANK YOU!
To celebrate we bought a pie and went back to our lovely free camp for the night, set up the stove for our cuppa - only to find that Geoff’s milk had gone off - ‘instant yogurt’! So back he went to the service station to buy some fresh milk (and a bar of chocolate to celebrate the worst 24 hours of our year!) So ….. a rough day - and many would say that we had a lucky couple of close encounters … we on the other hand believe that God was with us, looking after us and keeping us safe - as He has done throughout the whole of this year.
The longest 30kms ever, and just passed our free camp for the night, ….. we pulled into the service station …… plup plup plup - and the engine cut out - completely out of petrol! We rolled down to the petrol pump having to pull the petrol hose tight to reach the car! But we made it! Thank you - thank you - THANK YOU!
To celebrate we bought a pie and went back to our lovely free camp for the night, set up the stove for our cuppa - only to find that Geoff’s milk had gone off - ‘instant yogurt’! So back he went to the service station to buy some fresh milk (and a bar of chocolate to celebrate the worst 24 hours of our year!) So ….. a rough day - and many would say that we had a lucky couple of close encounters … we on the other hand believe that God was with us, looking after us and keeping us safe - as He has done throughout the whole of this year.
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| Snug as a Bug in a Rug - waiting for my cuppa! |
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| Having a lie in ..... |
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