February 6th (in additional to being Abby’s birthday) notched up exactly six months as travellers. It doesn’t feel like that long since we departed for our first night on the road.
Memories of that challenging first day has been pushed aside by everything that has happened since. Australia is a pretty special place and we think the first six months of the trip have probably taken us to some of the best of it. The Northern Territory is special, there is no doubt. Tourism jewels like Kakadu and Litchfield were amazing. We had some special and unique experiences in Katherine as well. But in all honestly, the fun really started once we hit Western Australia.
As people who have spent most of our lives in the eastern states we clearly had a blind spot when it came to Western Australia. We had no idea of what it offered, the sites, the challenge, the beauty and how much we could love our time here. Part of us could live here and easily make it our home. The girls have even said it. It would kind of defeat one leg of our return to Australia though. We do suspect though that the desire to return will be here for a long time.
Not all beer and skittles
We need to be honest though, this entire trip hasn’t been a holiday odyssey. Travelling this long is not constant days of amazing memories and scenery. Beyond the obvious; hundreds of hours in the car covering the distances; breakdowns; weather interruptions and fires it can be tough.
A caravan doesn’t allow for personal space. There is nowhere to escape and have a little space or time of your own. It’s hard to build a rhythm and routine as travelling like this is everchanging as you need to meeting booking dates, beat weather, beat crowds or watch the money.
Strangely it is also a bit isolating. You are constantly surrounded by people, but they are all new. Ironically we made friends at the start of the trip, but they were on shorter journeys than us and we haven’t really clicked with anyone again. The “where are you from? How long are you travelling?” conversations eventually get old. Sometimes you just want to see some friends and family.
We got lucky though, seeing two sets of old friends in Perth. It really did refill our buckets and re-energise us for the next leg of the trip. With some luck and planning we will get to spend some time family soon; as they trek towards us to explore in South Australia for a few weeks. Everyone is excited about that possibility.
The end is nearing
Reality is beginning to bite. We do have an end date (it’s still months away). Our money is fast evaporating and we have responsibilities to meet. Our financial situation has forced as to where we live, we are heading back to Townsville. We are thinking about jobs. What do we want to do? How do we want to work? How on earth will be adjust to the real world?
But if anything is an indication of how much we have all enjoyed this trip, we have already began thinking about the next one. Not the weekend or school holiday trips when we re-enter the real world, but the next sabbatical. How soon can we get back to some of these amazing places and fill in the gaps and places we missed.