Well, two weeks to go and the preparation is really under way, So far we have upgraded the front and rear end with bars and winch, storage has been installed and our Rhino gear on the roof is set to accommodate our needs. We set our budget early on so we had plenty of time to prepare for our journey. Budget took into account fuel, food, camp fees and unexpected surprises. Insurances are up to date with policy covering us for all experiences covered. House sitters are arranged and pet looked after.  Trailer has had some work on in as upon investigating the trip and planning we were advised of the roughness ahead of us. We have set up a little lighter than usual to minimise the impact of the corrugations along the way.

We originally were going to do some heavy driving to get there quickly but have compensated due to a smaller (younger) family travelling with us so we have set our itinerary to give us a few more days to get there and enjoy our surroundings a little more. Our next stage of preparation is our food/drink supplies. We have equipped our rig with 2 refrigerators, one as our cooler and the other we’ll utilise as a freezer. As costs of supplies are quite high up the Coast we intend to get a good supply of essentials and pick up our daily usage supplies (bread, milk ect.) on the road.

Lyn is counting down the days, (working days that is) on when we leave, the excitement is building up for all of us and Lynnie has been busy getting the gear organised for our journey, she’s the chief clothes and kitchen supplies coordinator, I don’t know how many times I’ve pack for the kids and I (when Lyn works) for a weekend trip and have to improvise due my forgetting something.  At least with Lynnie organising this, I can focus on the truck being prepared and serviced and I have no worries about not having things we need.

Melissa, 15, just started a new job recently and we were concerned she may have had to stay back at home; fortunately they have allowed her to come so she’s over excited. As an avid, amateur photographer she’s looking forward to covering the trip shots and will contribute to our trip blog.

Jo, 13, he’s just looking forward to getting an extra couple of weeks off school. He watched a program the other night and is ”now” concerned about crocs, I don’t think the kids believed me with my discussing the possibilities of what we could experience, sometimes it’s worth allowing them to watch these shows to enforce your concerns and reveal to them the possible dangers as well and enjoyments of trip such as this one.

Lynda, 12, usually our little extreme stunt expert has fallen into her shell, she’s still excited about going but as Jo, is now living with the reality of potential hazards. Lynda watched the program along with our supply of 4x4 Action DVD’s. We found these entire DVD’s to be great in preparing the kids on what to expect and have enforced that if they listen to our requests on the journey it will be a great trip. 

I don’t like pursuing and focusing on negative possibilities, but I do believe in educating our children with facts and possible consequences, although the risks may be minimal as discussed with others that have done the trip before, if the children know of real life incidences it helps them to listen to instruction, minimise risk through actions and prepare them if a time of horror occurs. As beautiful as our country is, we need to remember that we also have a significant amount of dangers in our backyard.

So with all that horror behind us, we also talked about the joys of what lies ahead, the same tools that we use to educate about the dangers were used to educate about the journey ahead. For you to find out what they are you will have to stay posted so you can get them first hand.

Next post will hopefully be on the road J