Ok, so maybe I spoke too soon about finding that camping groove!  I thought Jemma falling asleep through the day was interesting, I turned out to be right.

This morning as we woke ready to pack up camp and head into Smithton for our next adventure I took the chance for a shower on my own (a rarity when you camp with kids). While in the shower I heard the familiar footsteps of Jasmine arrive in the block. “Mummy, Jemma’s really sick and she can’t stop shaking.” Ah well, there goes my peace.

Back at camp Jemma had woken feeling very ill and pale as a ghost. All she wanted to do was sleep and Greg was trying to pack up camp around her. A few weeks before we hit the road Jemma was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease and her health was up and down. We have now relegated her (and most of what we all eat) to gluten free – that is no wheat, rye, barley, oats or triticale. Jemma had been sick but not quite like this. It got to the point where Greg had trouble waking her, and at that point pretty scary. We were not sure if she was sick because of the Coeliac or something she may have eaten (we are still juggling the diet and sometimes we miss things), a bug or the fact she had hit her head pretty hard while playing with Teddy a day or so before.

When in doubt – we are lucky enough to have an emergency nurse in the family! Aunty Cath to the rescue! A quick call to my sister in law and we were back in control, especially knowing we were heading to Smithton where medical help would be close if we needed it. We love you Aunty Cath.

Fairly sure that this was a problem caused by the Coeliac, we hit the road (albeit a little late, but we had an excuse).  It was wonderful to know we were heading to Medical help if needed, but more so heading to an apartment for the night where Jemma could just rest – Tall Timbers you were my saviour for this occasion.

The road from Cradle Mountain to Smithton was winding through plenty of mountains. This didn’t sit well with Jemma’s tummy unfortunately and made for a longer trip for her. One thing we have realised in Tasmania is that roads take longer than they look on the maps because they wind through some of the most incredible scenery. If you are planning a trip, plan plenty of time to travel but also time to stop and enjoy the view, the lookouts and the detours that make a road trip so much fun.

We arrived at Tall Timbers late afternoon and Greg dropped us off at the apartment and hit the road to see the sights with Jasmine.  Meanwhile I set to putting Teddy to bed (easy, he got to sleep in a real bed and was very excited), and Jemma resting on the couch watching cartoons. THEN it was washing time. I forget how much washing a family makes on the road! In less than a week we had 3 loads of washing.

It was so lovely to catch up on everything I had to do, the only problem though was I didn’t get to experience any of this amazing location for myself! We decided that one more night here would be best so I could see the amazing North West Tasmania for myself.