Nullarbor.

You know what?

I really enjoyed driving the Nullarbor.

Beforehand I was a bit nervous about the endless 1,204 kilmometers of road, the crazy winds, the enormous air sucking road trains,  the middle of nowhere and the chance of more mechanical problems with Frankie Blue.

But I really enjoyed it.

It felt big. Like a mile stone. Like a caravaner's rite of passage.

I liked the wide open spaces, the enormous skies and the roads that seemed to go on forever. No distractions, no driving decisions, just 90km on cruise control and driiiiiiiiiiive.

We were pretty lucky and had the most perfect driving conditions. Overcast, grey skies, no wind and 21 degrees days.

I liked that we were all alone. Us five. A team. 

I liked that everyone seemed so happy. (Except for one massive four year old tantrum that you might have heard from where ever you are.)

I liked setting up camp behind road houses, eating simple meals and watching movies Bren had brought to surprise us.

I love listening to pod casts in the car and we listened to heaps. We also listened to Paul Kelly's A-Z all the way through.

And we talked. And when the girls were watching movies we talked without interruptions. Long conversations about where we've been and where we're going.

I liked the details on the way. The birds, the different landscapes, the trucks carrying helicopters and caravans and cars and the shoe tree.

I liked eating masses of fruit and veg before we got to the South Australian border.

I liked that I had time to think. To follow thoughts all the way through without interruptions.

I liked that sometimes we all had to jump rope 50 times before we got back into the car and sometimes we had to run around Frankie five times.

 I liked playing in the old telegraph station in Eucla that has been slowly eaten up by the sand dunes.

 I liked how great it felt to be out of the car when we had a break.

And I loved The Great Australian Bight. Watching the waves crash against the cliffs and knowing exactly where we were on the map.

And I liked that when we did have a caravan tyre issue, a cracked rim, it was in a roadhouse in Penong so we didn't have to stop on the side of the road.

It really felt like a family adventure.

We came off the Nullarbor and spent a night in Ceduna. Our first in South Australia on South Australian time. We ate at the pub and cheersed to a successful crossing.

Now we are in Streaky Bay, a few beaches down. We have a caravan site right on the beach. We'll spend the day here tomorrow and then head home.

We have one full week left on the road.

Happy travels my friends.

Spots in Belladonia.

Late Friday afternoon we finished our first leg of the Nullarbor, 242.5km, and I finished hooking my 20 crocheted circles in squares into long scarves.

We were in Belladonia in western Australia. A tiny dusty dot on the edge of highway one. There was nothing there except a roadhouse and a caravan park with a couple of straggly tenants, a western themed toilet and a scary looking motel. And there was us. Us and the scarves.

There were crocheted spots everywhere.

What fun.

What else are you meant to do on a Friday afternoon in the middle of nowhere?

To my farmer boy;
Happy twelfth on 12/12.
I adore you.
You are so ace.
You totally rock my socks. xx

To all of you;
I hope you have the most surprising and wonderful week.
I'm sure you are ace too. xx