Summary numbers and stuff

We have been back at Mum & Dad's for 3 days now and all we have done is clean!! We stripped the trailer and car of everything, cleaned it all, then vacuumed and washed inside both also. Once dried, everything went back in...thanks Dad for your help.

We haven't even started washing the outside, and don't feel like there is a dent in anything yet. Throw in about 5 loads of stuff over to our house, disputes with the way the tenants left the house and dealing with a twit of a property manager, and we wish we were back on road....

At least I still subconsciously think I am on the road because I am still waving at everyone in the car and they must think I am a real weirdo. I should know by now that when back in town nobody gives a hoot about one and other, as is indicated by the stupid looks I get when I forget where I am and wave animatedly.

I have however found time to do some numbers on the trip and have shared for those interested below:-

Total days on road = 164 (not enough)

Total klms = 29,704
Average klms per day = 181
Total spend = $38,889
Average spend per day = $237
Average cost per klm = $1.31

High ticket items:-

 

Fuel = $8,179 or $49.87 per day
Tours & Souvenirs = $7,930 or $48.35 per day
Accommodation = $6,037 or $36.81 per day
Food = $5075 or $30.93 per day
Dining out = $2,229 or $13.59 per day
Food combined = $7,304 or $44.53 per day
Alcohol = $1,616 or $9.85 per day
Miscellaneous = $7,823 or $47.70

That's pretty much it in a nutshell, miscellaneous items are like washing, magazines, books, needed items from department stores, camping supplies, car and trailer servicing and repairs, coffees, ice creams etc.

We will sit down when we get back into our house and do a best and worst of post, funniest, happiest and saddest moments, & worst & favourite places.

It's hard to believe its over and we will soon be back at home and facing reality. I think the idea of coming home more than 2 weeks before we head back to work was a good one and we will need every day of it to move back in, settle down and have a holiday.....

We have also decided to keep the blog going for all of our future adventures so that the boys (& us for that matter) have something to look back at for a laugh. Thanks for tuning in, I apologise for our poor syntax, grammar and spelling at times but it was done hurriedly whilst on the road at any spare moment we could. So I don't really apologise......:)

Jase.

Homeward maybe?

Mixed emotions came over me this morning. Nat had a spring in her step because she could sniff home, as did Zander because he just wanted to tell Nanna & Grandad about the trip. Maverick just wanted to keep going to new campsites, & Dad wasn't sure what he wanted to do, but really was on the same page as Mav!!!

Whilst I wanted to get back to some routine & structure, (which was one of the motivating factors to go initially) I know I will want to get back into the trailer after a week or two at home. Perhaps I should just open it in the back yard permanently!!!!

In saying that my gut feel was that it will be good to get home and have a couple of weeks to get settled and have a break, but I certainly did have a sad face about me today.

We spent an hour or so looking around Coffs and went to the Big Banana for a smoothie before we set out in the direction of home. We had no commitments so Nat kindly assured me (after sensing my depressed state) that if we got to Yamba or Byron and wanted to stay we could, but I think I was in the minority today, the rest of the family was excited to get home.

North of Woolgoolga we had a call from some friends from our triathlon club (Darren & Jo) who are doing a similar trip to us next year after wanting to do it for years & maybe being inspired a little by ours. Coincidentally they were driving north from Port Macquarie and wanted to catch up for lunch at Woodburn, so we did.

It was great to see them all and to also see the excitement they are generating through their own planning phase of what to tow and where to go, along with the nervousness of the unknown living the gypsie lifestyle. They too have a similar holiday time period though their kids Zac & Emily are about 12 & 10 respectively. A little easier to manage because they can feed, dress & go to the toilet themselves! Given they are soon to embark on the journey & we are finishing ours both excited & saddened us a little - yet at the same time reaffirmed we are ready to get back to reality.

We passed Yamba without so much as a look sideways, as we did Byron, too close to home now and we just kept going. I rang Mum to let her know we were on our way, she was stoked and kindly asked Dad to move the caravan so I could barge my way back into their lives - & space!!!! Just quietly I think they are looking forward to seeing us.....

The boys were itching to get there, but I needed fuel, to pick up a high pressure water cleaner, and of course stop at Zarraffas for a coffee, so I drew the the holiday out as long as I could until we beeped the horn on arrival at about 3:30pm.

It was brilliant to see them, hugs all round after which Dad & I did our customary check over the trailer & car. He then said with a smile "Well Jase, they don't look like the sparkly things you took away!!" & they certainly don't that is for sure. This was compounded when we had it in for minor repairs at Cub in Sydney and I looked in the showroom at all the brand spankers. It's amazing what a road trip around all points of this country will do to your possessions.

We wound out for the last time on Dads driveway, brought a few things inside and sat down for a while....at least until the boys wanted something. As always after a day of driving they had heaps of built up energy to expend plus there was the added excitement of Nanna & Grandads house with their toys, so they needed some attention.

Mum cooked us home made pasta and we had a couple of drinks, then Nat spent an hour trying to get the boys to sleep. I think we are in for struggle separating them when we move back home, and when I go back to work. I feel like I am going to miss them already so I imagine it will be harder for a 3 & 5 year old given we have been stuck together like poo to a blanket for all this time. Maverick will relate to that phrase given the 'undie-pooing when he was in cold water' period he had for 3 months while we were away.

The last thing I did tonight was get out all of my riding gear, pump up the tyres on my bullet proof Trek, charge the Garmin & fill the water bottles. This is one part of the arrival home I have looked forward to mostly & at first light tomorrow I will get back in the saddle.

There is a lot to do over the next couple of weeks in terms of cleaning and moving, we also have some things to do to the house before we move back in as well. The plan is to do it all by the end of next week so we can just have a full week at home settled before I return to work.  

In the next day we will assess the trip and put a summary on the blog for anyone interested in doing something similar. We will continue the blog indefinitely for all of our family trips so that in future years we can look back at our time together and have a good laugh.

Good to be home, but it's not really......but it is, if you know what I mean.

Jase.

 

Where to now?

Options were endless today, Coffs Harbour to see Shayne & Vanessa, Yamba, Byron, Kingscliff, or home. We were in no hurry - so home soon became out of the question & we decided on Coffs.

Around 450klm north we arrived at Park Beach Holiday Park which we knew instantly (by its appearance) we would like it. When checking in the lady asked how many kids we had, after I said 2 - aged 5 & 3, she said did you say 1 & 2? I said I might have, & she said thats what she heard!!!! I appreciated it & told her that in 5.5 months this has never happened, we might have had sites where they didn't ask if we had kids, so I didn't tell them but never this. She knew it wasn't much but it made a difference, $20 is $20, and while we are not down and out our cash reserves aren't like they were at the start, it made more of a difference than she might have thought!!

Another record setup time in front of a dick of a man that just sat in his camp chair watching, probably thinking he wished he could set up as quickly as us and then taking his frustration out on his kids by swearing at them because he couldn't. We detest these types of people, after this long on the road they are certainly in the minority but there is no excuse to speak to your children like that, particularly when my boys are in earshot.

Off to Shayne's (Fabio) house. I used to drive with Shayne in Brisbane in the Archerfield days and have known him 16 years. We always have been good mates & remained in contact after his move home to Coffs. Every time we pass through we catch up.

A lot has changed in our lives over the past 6 years, I am married with 2 boys and he is engaged to Vanessa, with 2 boys Jodin & Kyzon, with Tylera the middle baby girl. A lot different than our single days as drivers in Bris Vegas....

We were welcomed into an extended family barbecue like we were close friends of the family, they certainly have a close nit family who are extremely nice. They convinced us to stay for dinner which was great. The kids happily played like they too knew each other for years, much to the amusement of the parents. Shayne, Vanessa & the kids surely do make a nice family. Shayne looks great and the happiest I have seen him after a lot has happened in his life in recent years.

After dinner we made it back to camp (Nat has been driving back home [camp] lots lately!!) Apparently I was asleep within seconds with the chocolate in my hand snoring like a king!! I only snore when I am extremely tired, or drunk, perhaps there might have been 2 contributing factors tonight!!!  Nat had to physically get the chocolate from my vice grip, so I missed out...

Really glad we stopped in here. We like the Rawsons immensely & they are always welcoming of us. Great to see you guys, see you soon.

Jase.

 

 

Central Coast - Day 2

We actually had a sleep in until 7:20am this morning, the boys needed it as much as we did.

After brekky we decided to have a look around The Entrance, Terrigal & Gosford after we gave Woolworths some more of our money. Unfortunately the day went from a low 30's yesterday to a low 20's cloud covered/spitting day which wasn't great for photos, but having been here before we know how beautiful it is. The tour was mainly for the boys but they weren't that into it anyway.....they just wanted to go back and see the girls.

We hinted to Zander that we are not far from home and he said he is really looking forward to it, but Maverick just wants to keep going to new campsites.

After toasties back at camp for lunch, we arrived at Mick's about 2:30pm. The slippery slide was a non event due to the cold, so they just took off from where they left off last night....

Coffees with Ann Louise's macrons & cupcakes for afternoon tea left us 500g heavier, but happier, and we decided to go down to the local sports club for tea.

Nat went back to camp to shower and grab the boys jeans etc, while Mick & I were going to bath the boys with his youngest two girls in the 5 star hotel spa they have in their ensuite.

This was quite funny seeing all 4 of them in there splashing and having fun, making a huge mess but enjoying it immensely. The thought crossed our minds that 25-30 years ago when the lemon bombs were flying rampantly over the back fence onto neighbours roofs, we wouldn't have pictured my 2 boys and his 2 girls bathing together in a big bubble bath having a great old time....I was upstairs at the time but Mick said it got a little bit interesting when they all realised they had different bits and were showing them off to one and other!!!

A pleasant dinner at the club was had and the kids were well catered for with a large playground. We certainly do not do clubs in QLD like they do down here, they are like little cities. They have a large indoor 25m pool, multi million dollar gym facility & the public eating and gaming areas are huge. The food was great, as was the company but unfortunately we needed to get the boys into bed early tonight, so we returned home at around 7:30pm.

The intention as it always is, was to make sure we don't leave it this long to catch up next time & we hope we don't. The reality is that we are lucky to have such a strong bond after 30+ years of being mates and even if we don't catch up for another couple of years, that will never change. Thanks mate, it was great to catch up with you and the family, you are a lucky man to be surrounded by 4 amazing girls. Cheers guys.

Coffs Harbour to catch up with more friends tomorrow....

Jase.

 

 

Change of plans - Central Coast

After picking up the trailer from North Rocks and getting back to Camden, we enquired about availability and price in Katoomba. Limited availability and overpriced was the outcome, so we decided to head for Shelley's Beach near The Entrance, north of Gosford.

We picked this destination because my oldest friend Michael, his wife Ann Louise and 3 daughters Susanna, Elisabeth & Julia - all beautiful - live close by & we always stop in to say hi when we come through.

The original plan was for 1 night on Sunday, but forfeiting the Blue Mountains enabled us 2 and a better catch up. We arrived and made our way over there for dinner at about 5:30pm as there was wedges already in the oven awaiting.

It's always great to see the gang, Zander was only 6 months when we saw them last, Mick passed through Brisbane a couple of days after Mav was born, but the girls had never met him, and nor us Julia, so this was nice also.

Mick, being the consummate butcher cooked us a lamb barbeque which was complemented by Ann Louise's pastries. She has a flair for baking....just what we needed after this trip and now trying to drop kilos. So of course we said yes to any offerings.

The kids got on famously and spent the time playing with toys, watching DVD's & playing iPad games. It's amazing how well young kids bond so quickly, it was nice and gave us time to chat. Mick has always been a fish & reptile man so the kids had heaps to look at with fish, turtles, frogs, a spotted python snake which he kindly lens boys have a touch of.

It's like nothing has ever changed with Mick and I, we always laugh about the old things we did as kids like throwing Dad's wild lemons over the fence down the hill onto the roofs of neighbours we didn't like, riding bikes to school with flat tyres because it was cool, running last in all the cross country races preferring to go mud sliding and arriving at the finish line in trouble, and the afternoon we batted a whole afternoon against Michael Kasprowicz after he bounced and bruised out the top order in an intermediate cricket team...funny stuff.

The beers were disappearing quickly and the boys were getting restless after multiple late nights, so we decided to get going about 9:30pm with the idea of coming back tomorrow after Mick set up the slippery slide in the back yard, needless to say it was welcomed by the kids and was a good form of bribery to get them home to bed.

Strange how we call the trailer home now, because I certainly feel that way. Nat wouldn't admit to it but I think after a short time after being home she will miss the lifestyle we are now accustomed. I am missing it already, and we are no home yet....

Jase.

 

Taronga Zoo

Today the sleep in didn't happen. The boys slept together in their queen size bed so when one even moves around 5:30am, the other is awake. We then had them, and every known life size soft toy resembling the animal kingdom with us in the other bed soon after. This was cool and they do like it here. So much so that yesterday afternoon Maverick said to me "Daddy, thank you very much for bringing us here!!" Great stuff from the little Mann.

We were up for a while and had brekky with Debbie given Jamie had left at 5am. The time flew and before we knew it we were struggling to find a carpark at the train station & stressing we were going to miss it!!

Luckily we found one and made it in time where we made our way to Circular Quay and the ferry to the zoo. We initially thought to drive but we would have missed the opportunity to see the Opera House and Harbour Bridge on a clear day from on a boat on the water. The boys just loved it - as did we seeing them with those golden smiles again.

I can't say we miss crowds - Nat in particular doesn't like them, particularly the pushiness. School holidays and just densely populated areas is far from where we have been in recent times, so I guess it is a good curtain raiser for our return into reality.

The zoo was great as it always is. We avoided the Australian area given we have seen every native animal in the country on our trip, and focused on the others. It became evident that the boys seem to be getting a little over seeing new things every day because a couple of times they said "OK Daddy, let's see the next thing" without really embracing what they were looking at & portraying a bit of a 'ho-hum' attitude.  A good sign that 5.5 months on road will be the right duration. Just quietly I think Mum & Dad feel the same.....

Mav kept banging on about seeing kangaroos which was weird given we saw thousands in the wild. We convinced him that he had seen enough of them on the trip and continued around the international animals as it was 30 degrees and he was getting antsy.

After the short journey back to Circular Quay, we met some more close friends of ours (Steve, Sue & their son Oliver) whom we also met through the Illawarra Triathlon Club. We had iced coffee & milkshakes (beers for the dudes with hairy chests) at a local place near the Quay. As another example of how lucky we are to have friends like this, they are all travelling to Kona tomorrow morning, (as Steve is competing in the Hawaii IronMan) and they made sure they made an hour an a half of their precious time to catch a bus into Sydney City to see us. It was not long enough, but great all the same to see them and we wish Steve luck for next week. All the best mate, we will be watching and supporting & we will catch up soon to celebrate your finish.

On the train back to Jamie & Debbie's, Mav was sleep within 3 minutes and didn't wake until Campbelltown Station. The drive is about 20 minutes after disembarking and after getting back we found ourselves in the pool with the kids, then drinking Corona with some random Brie cheese we picked up in Tassie waiting for Debbie's famous lasagne to cook. The cheese was beautiful as was the lasagne, and we again had a few beers to finish the night. A nice stay here and we thank you guys heaps for taking us in.

Tomorrow we will head to the Blue Mountains with 3 more stops until home.

Jase.

Hello Sydney

At dinner last night Jake & I arranged to go for a run this morning along the northern beaches. This was great on another postcard perfect day running with a good mate. I got the impression however that my pace was a bit of a stroll for him given my words were a little more puffed than his. Knowing Jake he would have made the effort to come along & forgo his hill repeats up Mt Keira because he doesn't get to see us much and basically because he is one of the most genuine blokes I have ever met. Good on you mate, it was great to see you.

Northward to Sydney and once again we have some friends insisting on us staying there, Jamie and Debbie. I worked with Debbie while in Wollongong and the families became good friends, and let's just say Jamie & I get on like a house on fire. So Camden it was in their beautiful home with the solar heated pool which the boys were going to hate!!!!

The guys were at work so the keys were left out and I dropped Nat & the boys off while I took the trailer into Cub Head Office for some warranty repairs. 3 hrs later I arrived back and was able to enjoy some of the benefits of the pool & a 29 degree day.

Jamie arrived home at 3:30pm and much to my liking has recently taken up cycling and by chance had a spare push bike he had kindly put flat pedals on so that we could go for a ride. We managed 30klm and it reinforced the fact I have a lot of work to do before Melbourne Ironman. It was great to get out & in reality the first time I had ridden in 175 days so I guess poor form is to be expected.

Debbie arranged and cooked a nice barbecue dinner and we enjoyed a few drinks while talking about each others kids and how much they have grown, along with the old funny days we had in Wollongong. Once again catching up with friends (and meeting many more along the way) has created so many good times that won't be forgotten in a hurry.

The boys were in heaven again with a dedicated toy & TV room so they were easily occupied while we chatted, and for the 3rd night in a row the boys had a late one.

We plan to do Taronga Zoo tomorrow and walk around town, so hopefully we can manage a sleep in and the boys can catch up on some sleep. I imagine we should sleep well either way as the beds are super comfortable. 

Jase.

 

The Gong - this is what we miss....

Another amazing blue sky day today, so first up we each went for a run along North Beach while the other watched the boys. This is quite simply a great place to train and brought back memories of the many miles we did up and down here on foot or bicycle. A great way to start the day....

We had big plans of showing the boys around town but firstly I had to take them to the pool for a swim as previously promised, and play soccer by the trailer using the Prado as a back board.

Soon after we were in the car and the destinations we made it to or drove by were :- the City Centre for haircuts, Wollongong Hospital where Z Mann was born, Chikkos for lunch to satisfy Natalie's addiction to the chicken rolls made in heaven she stapled on when we lived here, Daddy's old work, our old house where we lived, Lake Illawarra which we used to run, ride & walk around each day, Shellharbour Beach, Black Beach, coffee at Stu's Corner Cafe, a drive past the steel works, Win Stadium, North Beach, Belmore Basin, Flagstaff Hill & then to finish, an hour at the massive playground at Towradgi Beach.

The boys had a great time, Zander in particular so we were glad we did it. He couldn't understand why we left the place where he was born & on a negative note he kept saying "I was born in Dragon country Daddy and I love the dragons"......I guess that I live in hope that he grows out of that craziness.

Once again we made dinner plans again with great friends Jacob & Ashley whom we met originally through the triathlon club, and have remained close since. It was great to catch up and we had plenty to talk about given their recent engagement announcement and our journey around the country. The restaurant was directly across the road from the park where we are staying so we walked over and Nat was able to get on the wines again.

The boys were well catered for with a big playground, fish tanks and arcade games which gave us time to chat and as an added bonus kids eat free and ice cream on Tuesday nights so they (and us) couldn't be happier. It was also great for Jake & Ash to see the boys given they have grown so much since they last saw them.  It was a good few hours & we love their company.

After a short stumble home it was two late nights in a row, and surprisingly the boys have been quite good today. Tomorrow will be the test....

Jase.

Off to the Gong

This morning was a picture perfect cloudless day at one degree celsius when we started to load up and get moving. On the road by 8:30am we had visions of going up the coast road to the Gong rather than via Canberra given when we lived here Nat used to rep the area and I personally never made it past Sussex Inlet. It was to be a longer journey, but the scenery much more enjoyable.

The weather continued eastward and we lunched at Narooma - which is postcard worthy due to the blueness of the water. It resembled the colour of Ningaloo Station which is a big call and we could have been eating our staple ham/cheese/tomato sangas in worse places, that is for sure.

Northward through places such as Mogo, Mollymook, Batemans Bay & Ulladulla, the descriptions Nat had always given me turned into reality and it really was a nice drive.

We hit Nowra and unfortunately all of the Sydney traffic heading north after the long weekend. What normally would be 45mins to the Gong took us 2.5hrs. Needless to say the patience was wearing thin.

The caravan park of choice was Leisurecoast Holiday Park, which was reasonably priced and our site right on the beach. Good amenities with baths for the boys, 2 x complimentary coffees, hire bikes, playground & a heated 25m pool. The parks just keep getting better. We set up in record time to the amazement of the tenters either side of us, and jumped straight back in the car!!!!

We had made plans with good friends of ours Paul & Allison & their 3 boys Tristin, Marcus & Phoenix to have dinner at their place but the delay made us quite late. Always a guaranteed great feed at Allison's so we were looking forward to getting our fix....and she didn't disappoint as always....just quietly I think she loves to look after us because we are so complimentary of her cooking and she digs that I don't hold back on volumetric ingestion.

The boys had a great time playing with the other boys and enjoyed it immensely due to the copious amounts of toys that are accumulated with 3 sons over the years.

We expected there to be drama when we decided to go but there were none, they really are starting to "get it" now and this pleases us greatly. 9:30pm exit normally means feral times tomorrow, we will have to wait and see...

Jase.