In June 2018 we made the trip to Cape York. We left our van at Mount Carbine Caravan Park. You can store your van there for free if you stay there before and/or after your trip to the top. After our little adventure in the Aurukun forest, (see previous post https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/workingholidaypress.home.blog/580 ) we made our way along the corrugated-tarred-corrugated-tarred road.

There are two roads to the top. The Peninsular Development Road and the Old Telegraph Track. The Peninsular Development Road is the main drag, 570km long and includes a number of unsealed sections. You don’t need a four wheel drive for this road, (it is recommended) but the corrugations can cause vibrations that can undo the tightest of bolts and cause important bits and pieces to fall of the vehicle, flatten tyres and break windscreens. The dust can be blinding and the road can vary between mud, sand, fine dust and gravel all with their specific risks to car damage and driving safety. They are planning to eventually tar this road the whole way.

Then there’s the Old Telegraph Track has a length of 350km and it’s definitely 4WD only. It attracts 4 wheel drive enthusiasts from around the world due to the numerous 4-wheel drive challenges and water crossings along the way. One of these well known challenges is Shot Gun, a short but steep muddy slope into a puddle.

We had seen numerous vidoes and photos of people taking on Shot Gun and even though we believed the Old Telegraph Track was not for us, we wanted to see others going down, so we decided to detour to this famous landmark and hopefully witness other people willing to risk damage to their car so that they could say they did Shot Gun.

The road out was not too bad. We do have a 4 wheel drive, but not a very reliable one. Additionally, we did not have the necessary rescue gear highly recommended for these tracks and we were travelling alone so had the track got too challenging we would have (probably) turned back. We made it to the beautiful bush camp at Shot Gun Creek easily and set up camp. It was surprisingly quiet as we were there very early in the season. Apparently, had we been a couple of weeks later we would have been lucky to get a spot. As it was there were only two other people camped there. We did get to see one car go over Shot Gun but that was all.

We got talking to the other campers and before the night was over we had arranged to do a bit of the track with our new friends. They were experienced 4 wheel drivers with the right vehicle and all the gear and said they would support us through the obstacles and rescue us if needed. Woo hoo, we’re doing the track. We were so excited. We followed old mate, through sandy tracks, over bumpy hills and through minor creek crossings. We were having a blast.

When we got to Cockatoo Creek, after a few short and shallow water crossings, we first walked across to test the depth and ensure a path with of solid rock, then watched while our friends drove over. I was always the one to say “common, let’s do it” but this crossing started to freak me out. I thought I had videoed our friends crossing but instead, I actually turned the video on when I thought I turned it off after they went through. In the consequential video, you hear me begging Thomas not to do it, then refusing to get in the car. My pleas are ignored and so he and Beni make the crossing without me. I decided to video Thomas crossing the creek, which involved first driving up the creek into the flow of the water then cross over, hopefully avoiding the deep, rocky holes. The video starts with the decent down a steep and uneven slope. You see the car for about three seconds, before I start yelling instructions to slow down, waving the recording phone in my hand. I pull myself together, but not long after, it happens again, when I feel he needs to “move over a little bit. OMG MOOVE OVER.” Funniest video ever, but not so good that I missed all the good bits in my attempt to record this crossing.

We stopped at Fruit Bat Falls, but unfortunately could not stay and enjoy it as dogs were not allowed.

A little further up the road we came to a pretty deep creek crossing and this is where we parted ways with our guides. This water was a bit too deep and wide for us to risk it, even after an offer to tow us through. So we said our goodbyes and made our way back to the Peninsular Development Road.

We enjoyed the next few nights exploring the top end and making our way to the northern most point of mainland Australia. It is really beautiful up there, with lush rain-forests and beautiful white beaches. We enjoyed our trip but probably won’t get up there again.

I could fill the page with more details of our shenanigans, but my blog is more about the life lessons we are learning from this nomadic lifestyle. In this post I want to tell you about the many positives of living life on the road.

The thing that I notice the most is a sense of freedom, basically doing what we want, when we want, even if that means buckling down and working in one place for twelve months, which we are doing now. It’s more than the freedom of moving from amazing place to amazing place, but also a freedom from the stress and restraints of life before we became grey nomads. No more running around trying to get everything done, washing, shopping, cooking, while working full-time. No more trying to fit a bit of leisure time into a busy, tiring lifestyle. No more asking permission to take time off work (well not often) and no more feeling that we have to hang around, that we owe someone something. If we don’t like it, we just move on.

It’s a feeling that comes from a reduced focus on possessions and money and the realisation of how unimportant these things are. When we moved to live full time in our caravan, we rented our house, which still has a mortgage. We were already better off. The rent is enough to cover the rates, water, insurance and repayments. We used to work one job just to make these payments and now we don’t have to do anything and they get paid. When we travel, some times we stay in caravan parks, sometimes we free camp and sometimes we exchange a site for labour. This combination ensures we now pay less to live than when we lived in a house and we don’t get electricity or water bills. Just the cost of daily living such as fuel, fresh healthy food, phones and occasional camp fees. Most of the clothes we wear, are the clothes we packed when we left over three years ago. When we do buy clothes or anything really, it’s second hand. We have become minimalists, due to limited space in the caravan as well as an overwhelming realisation that we are happy this way. We have everything we need and when we do need something a extra, we just stop and work and make the money.

It comes from a feeling of gratitude. From acknowledging the beauty of the places we visit, appreciating that we have food, clothes and a roof over our heads. Gratefully accepting how fortunate we are to have the opportunity to live such a fun life. Gratitude to each other, sharing such a great adventure together. The joy that sharing our life and adventures with Beni brings. Creating memories and living life to the fullest.