Kristen Leonard – Page 2 – Mudflaps and Skidmark

Adelaide to Darwin Road Trip – March 2019

In March I wanted to drive back up to Darwin from Adelaide to be with Col. Thankfully my Son, Sam, and Daughter-In-Law, Steff, wanted to join me on the trip. I would not have been particularly keen to do this drive on my own in case anything went wrong. It is also a very long trip to do on your own. It is an added bonus that Sam was a mechanic so could help if we had any car issues along the way and that we had three drivers to share the load. Also great to get the opportunity to spend time with your adult kids. I am so privileged to have a great relationship with all of my kids and their partners, so I was really excited that Sam and Steff wanted to do the road trip with me.

I had done most of this trip back in 2015 with Col and the camping crew when we did the Broome trip, but we turned off to head down the Tanami Road then whereas this time we will be continuing on up to Darwin after Alice. Sam and Steff have not driven this stretch before so we decided to make a roadtrip out of it and fit in some touristy stuff along the way.

We started looking into what to see and do along the way and where to stop and this is what we came up with. We wanted to leave after work on the Friday so decided to stop in Port Augusta for a quick overnight stay. We would then get away early in the morning to make the drive to Coober Pedy.

This was where we stopped on our journey:

For those that haven’t travelled much around Australia, there are some practical tips worth noting. There are some long distances between towns, so always be aware of where the next petrol station is and top up your tank. There is a good phone app called ‘Fuel Map Australia’ and this tells you where you can get fuel as well as the prices. Prices are updated by people using the app, so it is the last known price at that station. There is another one for gas bottles too ‘Gas Finder’, and if you are camping then you should also have ‘WikiCamps’ to find the best spots to camp along the way.

You really don’t want to get stranded without fuel. While the traffic on these roads is increasing and is perhaps not as remote as it once was, I still think it is worth having a cube of water in the car and some food in case you get stuck somewhere for a while. It can get really hot in the centre of Australia and people can get into trouble if their car breaks down and they wander off to get help. It is recommended to stay with your car, so having some supplies with you will make this more comfortable if it happens.

Day 307 – 17th November 2018 – Adelaide

Steff organised a BBQ lunch catch up with her parents, Jess and Jody, as well as my beautiful ex-Mother-in-Law Jill. It was a really fun afternoon and great to see them all. Jess is part owner of an amazing Rolls Royce built in 1934 and he picked Sam, Steff and I up and took us for a drive around in it. It was pretty amazing. It would be so great if that car could talk, it would have seen so much and had some pretty cool stories to share. It was fun that everyone we passed waved or honked. Sam was nailing the Queen wave in the front seat.

Sam and I with Jess's Rolls Royce, Mitchell Park SA — Sam and I with Jess’s Rolls Royce, Mitchell Park SA

Continue reading “Day 307 – 17th November 2018 – Adelaide”

Day 306 – 16th November 2018 – Adelaide

So very early in the morning my door creaked open and a hand slid through holding a phone that was playing “I like long build ups and disappointing drops”. A very annoying song that is kind of catchy and gets stuck in your head. It has been a long standing joke with Sam, my son, and so this was how he decided to wake me up at the crack of dawn. Luckily he made up for it by getting me breakfast in bed (sorry for the crappy photo but it was the best I could do, and kind of cute that Franklin wanted in on it too).

Continue reading “Day 306 – 16th November 2018 – Adelaide”

Day 305 – 15th November 2018 – ADELAIDE

So after nearly a year of being on the road, the time had finally come for me to return back home to Adelaide. I was pretty excited to get to see everyone, but especially the Grand-kids. I have missed them very, very much. It is also a little nerve wracking to wonder if this might have damaged our relationship with them, being away for so long when they are still so young. Haim is 3 and Connor is 2. I was a bit sad that Col couldn’t come back with me, as it would have been great flying into Adelaide together, but he had work commitments so couldn’t join me this trip. Continue reading “Day 305 – 15th November 2018 – ADELAIDE”

Day 303 – 13th November 2018 – Darwin

I have made a bit of an executive decision to only blog weekly, or if there is anything significant to share, from here on. As the holiday part of of our trip is coming to a close and I will be heading back to Adelaide soon to see everyone (CANNOT WAIT). So if you notice gaps in the days, this is why. Continue reading “Day 303 – 13th November 2018 – Darwin”

Day 300 – 10th November 2018 – Darwin, Cahill’s Crossing

So the first night of air-conditioned comfort did not quite go to plan. EVERYONE tells us that they only run their air-con for about half an hour at night, just before they go to bed, then they only run their fans over night and it is comfortable. So I put on the air-con for a while before going to bed and the van was deliciously cool when we went in there. We even used a sheet!! I fell asleep with a big smile on my face, only to wake up about two hours later nuclear hot. I searched around for the air-con remote control and again ran it for about half an hour before switching it off. Once again I woke up about two hours later boiling hot. This went on throughout the night and it was not a great night’s sleep. It was good to be able to switch it on and instantly cool down when you needed to, but the temperature of the van overnight would creep up to the usual unbearable temperatures. Why did we not run it all night long I hear you ask? This is a great question and one I put to Col the next morning. I don’t care what the cost, the air-conditioner is staying on all night long from now on. It will be interesting to ge the power bill to see how much it is, but seriously, who cares? Totally worth it. Continue reading “Day 300 – 10th November 2018 – Darwin, Cahill’s Crossing”

Day 299 – 9th November 2018 – Darwin, Air-conditioner

It felt a little weird not having the van on our site today, we are temporarily homeless. But what a great sight when you know where it is and what is happening!

Continue reading “Day 299 – 9th November 2018 – Darwin, Air-conditioner”

Day 298 – 8th November 2018 – Darwin

Normal work day for Col and Study day for me.

I have noticed at the library there are two glassed in rooms and wondered what they were for. I asked today and was told they are quiet study rooms and anyone can use them. I was pretty excited and headed in there to study. The view was much nicer, overlooking a courtyard and the quiet study room certainly looked the part. I headed in there with high hopes. Unfortunately the guy I was sitting next to belched, coughed and sniffed his way through his study. My quiet room hopes came crashing down around me. I also realised there are tables and a lounge area along the side of the study room where the high school kids hang out after school. The glass walls don’t go all the way to the ceiling, so you get to enjoy and be a part of the loud banter. There is no escape. I realise I am sounding very old as I write this. I have been a Nanny for 3 years now but today I just realised I am actually sounding and acting like a Nanny too hahahahaha. Anyway, the view was good and you get your own power and USB charging spot, so I can’t really complain.

In the evening I met Col at the pool to swim laps. I did my 900m then we came home to pack up the van in preparation for the early start in the morning to drop off the van to get the air-conditioner installed. I am sure that you guys will probably be as excited as us but for different reasons. You will probably just be happy not to hear me whinge about how hot it is at night and not having an air-con One more sleep (or lack of it). It feels like Christmas.

Day 297 – 7th November 2018 – Darwin

Today’s highlight was a phone call from the air-conditioning mob to let us know that our van is booked in for this Friday WHOOP WHOOP!!!!!!!! OMG, so excited!!!!!! Luckily they only need it for the day, so we won’t be homeless for too long. It does mean packing up the ‘house’ though and dropping it off on Friday at 7.30am then we can pick it up at 3pm.

We decided to head to the Casuarina sports bar for dinner in the evening to celebrate.

Day 296 – 6th November 2018 – Darwin, Dinner at Richo’s

I went for a 6.2km walk/run today. I have found a pretty good spot where I leave the caravan park and head up Lee Point Road. There is a good wide path along the way. The heat makes it very interesting though! I seem to be tolerating it ok but need to carry a bottle of water with me. The interval running definitely helps, I don’t think I could run without stopping or I would definitely overheat. It is already 30 degrees at 7am, so going really early doesn’t make much difference here. The days are usually around 35C and humid. I was hoping it might rain while I was running but that didn’t happen.

Again the usual routine of errands in the morning and study at the library in the afternoon. It seems to be working quite well. Continue reading “Day 296 – 6th November 2018 – Darwin, Dinner at Richo’s”