The BIG move

Hi All


My car was all packed up and hitched to it was a green trailer filled to the top. I had both the kids asleep in their car seats and nearly every available space was taken up with something. Tony had his Ute and a blue trailer, both were completely overloaded, very full with heavy items. He had his motorbike, welder, both the dogs and other "man stuff". We left Gregory hay farm at 4am on Friday morning the 28Th March 08'. We had planned to get to Camooweal to feed the girls breakfast then try to make it Alice Springs that night. I followed Tony the majority of the way down the dirt road. It wasn't in it's best condition but we had been on it when it was worse. There were two boggy patches on the road and for those of you who know how I feel about wet dirt roads you would have been proud. I drove through a HUGE muddy patch while towing a trailer and I DIDN'T cry. About 10k from the bitumen Tony pulled over to visit a tree, I asked him if he was OK and he yeah stop at the turn off and I will meet you. I waited at the turn off for half an hour and decided to turn back and find him. I had only done 5k, which was half way back to where I had left him when I met up with him again. He had done a tyre and the spare he had needed more air due to his excessive load, and I had the air compressor with me. Tony's car is old but there is nothing wrong with it. She runs well and considering the trip she did we were proud of her. She is a little noisy and with the load she had her top speed was only 80kph but we got to S.A, so we can't complain. While I was waiting for Tony at the turn off I had given the girls a snack, and a drink and I had also done the rounds of my trailer to check the ropes. The back window of the Nissan was fine and all the tyre were good. However when I found Tony and got the air compressor out for him, I noticed the back window was smashed. This often happens when you tow a caravan or trailer on a dirt road rocks flick up from the trailer and smash thing. We weren't even 200k from Gregory and already he had done a tyre and I had smashed a window. We continued onto Camooweal where I changed the girls and fed them breakfast while he bought a new tyre.


At Camooweal we decided that now we were on a reasonably busy main highway I would go ahead at my own speed and drive while the girls slept and stop when I needed to and Tony would just cruise along at 80 in Speedy. I had an UN eventful trip and made it Alice Springs Friday night the 28Th of March at 11.30pm. I pulled into the van park and found our cabin and then attempted to sort the trailer out so it was not in any ones way. I can reverse a trailer eventually and when it is day light it is so much easier, the tail lights were not at all helping and the man in the cabin next door had parked his car the wrong way so essentially it took up 3 parks. I had received a MSG from Tony saying he was rolling the swag out at Barrow Creek as he had hit a Donkey and he would meet up with me in Alice the following morning. So there went the idea of waiting for him to do it for me. I had also in my sleep deprived state that I should UN hitch it and push it in. YEAH RIGHT!! What a moron. I moved the loaded trailer around at the farm quite easily as it was on solid red dirt, The van park at Alice was rocks so this made it a lot harder. I was so Glad to see Dad, Pa and Ange in Alice thankfully they were there on the bash and Dad backed the car and trailer in for me so it was out of the way. The girls had been asleep but woke as soon as I tried to move them and didn't like the idea of sleeping in a strange environment. I think I eventually fell asleep about 3am.


The following morning Tony arrived about 10.30am and we headed off. Myself and the kids only had a little day on the Saturday compared to the day prior as we only made it Cadney Homestead. Tony had come from Barrow Creek so that made it a reasonably big day for him. We had crossed the border and were on the home stretch now as far as we were concerned. I was over driving, I ached all over and had a sore bum, and the girls were sick of being in the car I am sure they were stiff too. I will say right here and now "I LOVE MY PORTABLE DVD PLAYER." I honestly don't think the kids would have coped so well if it wasn't for that.

On the Sunday Tony drove out of Cadney at about 4am and I reset the alarm for 5.30am as I knew I would catch up to him. 20k before Coober Pedy i pulled up on the side of the road and had a small nap in the car, I was yawning and thought this was safer than trying to stay awake. I napped for 20 minutes while the girls watched "Dora". I drove to Coober Pedy where I fed the girls breakfast and got a much needed coffee. I caught up to Tony in Glendambo, where he was fixing something on the Toyota. I told him I would keep going while the girls were quiet and I would meet him in Port Pirie where I had to pick up my brother. I made it Port Pirie about 3 o'clock and it took an hour and a bit of re-arranging to collect Josh and his gear. Josh lives in Roxby where he is doing an electrician apprenticeship and I was taking him to Adelaide to attend a funeral. We met up with Tony just out of Port Pirie and then travelled together until we reached Virginia, a suburb just out of Adelaide where mum and dean were renting a house. We all pulled up together about 7.30pm on Sunday the 30Th of March. We had travelled just over 2800K's. Boy was I glad that was over. I had driven that road 3 times in just under 12 months. I could never be a truck driver, and I do not envy them. We were at our new temporary house, and excited to start the next chapter in our life.


Bye For now and Happy Blogging.
Bec