As far as the East is from the West

Esperance is the kind of place that would be amazing when the sun is shining. We spent a week huddled into the tent, sheltered against the battering wind and rain, and putting fallen tent poles back up at regular intervals. Daniel was working each day, so Karen and the kids managed as best they could, watching movies, reading books, and getting on each others nerves in the enclosed space. They did manage a few walks along the waterfront to see the resident Sealion that displayed himself every day, and performed if anyone looked like they might be fishing. Finally, Saturday rolled around and we enjoyed meeting up with Daniel’s cousin Catherine, Greg, their son Kyle, and friends Matthew and Nathan for breakfast. We had already packed up our tent in anticipation of travelling for the day. And then the sun came out!

As anticipated, Esperance is beautiful. We took a few photos and left to head for the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. The drive is 4,300km and we want to get there in time to spend Christmas with the family. It’s already the 11th of December, so time is running out. Daniel has lined up work on three properties across the Nullabor, so we set off for the first on the list.

We passed through Norseman and camped the first night at a free site along the 90 mile stretch. 90 Mile is the longest expanse of straight road in the country, so it was nice to break the drive up with an overnight stop. The next morning we introduced ourselves to Peter and Marg from Arubiddy Station, near Cocklebiddy. Whilst on the station Karen and kids mostly relaxed, reading books and playing around the buildings. We managed to get “Tour Guide Karen” to show us through the shearing shed, with all its fascinating machinery. Daniel completed the electrical job was in one and a half days, and we were on the way again. The next two jobs didn’t pan out. One property wasn’t ready for another week, and a roadhouse told us they didn’t need us when we walked in the door. So now it looks like we are going to make it with time to spare.

Sunset over Arubiddy Station	Moon rise over the shearing shed

We stopped overnight at another roadhouse, and then headed for Arno Bay. Daniel wanted to get some assistance from The Travelling Mechanic in servicing the Troopy. Arno Bay was another place that would be fantastic when the sun is shining (which it did as we were leaving). It was great to meet Robbie and Sharon and we would have liked to stay longer, but we are on a mission! A few days later, many of the caravans and vehicles were severely damaged when a freak hailstorm hit the area.

	< Cormornts queueing to get off the jetty as I approach. Along the GAB. ^ Nullabor means No Trees. Arno Bay Jetty. > Waves crashing on the jetty

On the way to Arno Bay, we blew another tyre, the new one that was just replaced in Perth. Aaaarrrggghhh! Fortunately Bridgestone agreed to replace the tyre AND tube under warranty, so after a quick lunch break (with Beth and Jason) in Port Augusta, we headed for Melrose. Here we spent the night camped in the showgrounds beside Mike and Sarah, and their seven children and four performing dogs. It was an excellent evening, and we forgot to take any photos, but the next morning the rush home continued.

Next stop was with Jodie in Merbein, near Mildura. We had met Jodie and her husband Andrew earlier in the year. Sadly, Andrew passed away from bowel cancer in October, and we thought it was time to visit again.  We all had a really enjoyable evening INDSIDE THE HOUSE! No camper set up and pack up. Meals cooked on a HUGE BBQ. Excellent company with Summer, storm and Beau (the kids). Most enjoyable, thanks Jodie.

The longest travelling day we’ve had on this trip was 740km from Nhulunbuy to Mataranka in the Northern Territory, so the next days agenda looked impossible. Dubbo is over 800km from our departure point, but Karen wants to visit the zoo for her birthday. We changed tactics for this part of the trip. Normally Daniel does most of the driving, but this time we alternated approximately two hours each, and made it safely, but tired, into Dubbo at 7:00pm. When Daniel went in to check into the Dubbo City Caravan Park, he contemplated setting up the tent and then getting dinner under way, and booked a six berth room instead. The kids (and Karen) were surprised, and delighted at this turn of events. The trailer was plugged into a power point to keep the fridge cold, and we enjoyed wandering around the Western Plains Zoo for the whole next day. Our last visit to the zoo was in 2006, and some things have changed since then, but others haven’t. We also enjoyed an award winning pie from the Village Dubbo Bakery for lunch that day.

On Guard, Meerkats		“Kiss me quick”
Hiding Cheetah	Click on this photo to blow it up, it looks great!	Siamang Apes
Clean your teeth time!	“Happy” really is!	“Catch me if you can”
When being chased by a Tiger, DO NOT climb a tree		New born baby
Otters are SO cute!	Bison	Mum and bub (awake for a change)

To vindicate Daniels cabin accommodation decision, it rained heavily that night, and we were tucked away warm and dry. And so was our tent! It was a week for breaking records, so we left at 6:30am the next morning with Maleny as our destination. At 940km away, there was much distance to travel!

There is not much to report about this part of the journey, we alternated drivers again, and made it into Maleny at 6:00pm that evening. Karen started to get excited when we drove through Toowoomba, and the kids were amazing: Not one call of “Are we there yet?” was heard. They enjoyed some Nintendo DS time (limited to a half hour each), read some books and played happily (mostly).

In 9 days we had crossed five time zones (our bodies are still adjusting to what time it is), and five states. It was an amazing journey, but one that we are not planning to repeat any time soon. 

Where will you settle down?….and….Where will you be for Christmas?

On the 14th of December 2009, we drove out of a “normal life” on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, and set off on our A-DVenture! And what a journey it has been! We have been through every State and Territory in Australia. We have crossed off many places on our “would love to see” List and added so many more…. It is a perplexing anomaly that. The more we travel and experience, the more we want to travel and experience. The journey has been long and varied. The purpose….to serve God. To broaden our childrens’ horizons. To grow closer as a family! To step out in faith, surrender our agenda and go where He leads. Sounds simple enough, I guess. But giving up the security of regular income, a Home, friends, family, our Church, School etc was HUGE! We went from a nice home with nice neighbours (whom we lovingly referred to as our extended pantry), with all the accompanying creature comforts….to Home-Schooling 4 Primary School children, living in a camper trailer, driving a banged up Troop Carrier heading out into the wide blue yonder of possibilities but no definites! We became Homeless, vagrant people wandering over hill and dale looking for opportunities to serve God through the wider ministries of Mobile Mission Maintenance (M.M.M) and Mothers Of Preschoolers (M.O.P.S) and Daniel taking ‘paid’ work as an Electrical Contractor wherever he could.

Two years and some 80,000kms later we are contemplating another change. We are preparing to settle down. Sounds so weird to say that, but there you have it. We have been praying about this for some time. We even wondered if we should spend another year on the road. It is not to be. So without holding you in suspenders for too much longer….we are pointing the Troopy’s nose towards Malanda, North Queensland. This will be our new Home-town. We have already enrolled the children into School (I think you can sense my head-space) and look forward to making a Home again, even though that means starting from scratch. My older sister, Brother in law and their 3 children live in Redlynch, in nearby Cairns. Daniel’s Parents, Sister and Nephews live in nearby Townsville. The rest of my family live in South East Queensland. At least it is the same State!

However, the reason we are going there is because we feel that is where The Lord wants us. He showed me a very clear vision of a Christian Campsite in Malanda. I had no idea where it was, at the time having never seen it before, I just knew it was a Christian campsite in North Queensland. Later we googled “Christian campsites north Queensland” and came across a campsite with the exact same picture God had given me in the vision! So we’re heading to Malanda! At this stage I have no idea what to do about the vision I had…whether we are to work at that Campsite..? We don’t even know if they’re looking for someone (or a family of 6 very handy someones!) We are praying about the next step…. But at this stage, whilst we have the children enrolled into the Christian School in Atherton, we have no home, no prospect of a home, no money to buy or rent a home, no furniture, nothing except for our camper trailer and 4WD! And yet we have a personal promise from God! That is enough!

The other question we get asked all the time is…. “Where will you be for Christmas?” This one has been a bit trickier to answer. We have really prayed about that too. After months of being in limbo, waiting on the Lord, we now know that we are to make the 4,300km journey to be with family on The Sunshine Coast in QLD for Christmas! This means days of constant travelling. And we may be cutting it fine. We are once again struggling to make ends meet, after some car repairs in Perth have set us back a fair way, so we need to stop and work. Daniel has lined up some work on properties along The Nullarbor and we hope to drop in on a beautiful friend in Mildura along the way. It’s funny you know….I had a really strong feeling that we would be going overseas for a holiday, that The Lord was leading us into a time of Blessing and Provision for our obedience to His call. I again had a vision of The Lord walking along a foreign beach beside me, covering my eyes with his hands, saying “I could show you where you are going, but it is a surprise!” I have diligently prepared our Passport Application Forms, and it has taken quite a bit of back and forth correspondence to get them ready, chasing down a new Marriage Certificate and getting a dear friend to fill out the official ‘I have known this person for more than 12 months’ part of each of the 6 forms! Now they are ready to be processed we cannot afford to submit them. The financial cost will eat into our already stretched to it’s limit - budget. We are once again waiting on The Lord, for His wisdom, His timing, His prompting, His provision. His resources are infinite! We simply cannot do this in our own strength!

We make our Plans…and He directs our Paths!