thewills'wanderings

Well not exactly. We felt like we were in the outback but we were only about 300 kms inland. It put it in perspective when we met a couple travelling who said they didn’t live far from here, just 500 miles inland from where we were! Australians really do seem to have a different perspective on distance. It has made us see how tiny our little island is.

I must admit I felt a bit nervous leaving the coast. I love the beach and it’s hard to leave warm water and white sandy beaches and head for colder weather, more bugs and flies and other unknowns. But, Im so glad we did. From the Blue Mountains we took the inland road as we headed back towards Brisbane. We stayed at one caravan park but for 3 nights we stayed at free camping spots and they were awesome. We passed through lots of little derelict towns as well as ones with innumerable beautiful old churches. We spent a morning at a Pioneer Museum in Gulgong and all learnt heaps about the early settlement of inland Australia. I really have learnt so much about Australian history and as part of the girl’s schoolwork they’re being forced to as well! It’s not so hard teaching the girl’s stuff when you’re learning it with them!The last week in the caravan has been awesome. The highlights have been meeting people on the road and camping near them and learning more about Australia through chatting to them . We met a couple who moved here from NZ in the 1970’s with their children. Now, in their late sixties, they’re travelling around in their little combi van. We met them at a lookout and ended up camping at the same spot that night. They came over for a drink and we got to know them a bit. It’s nice getting these little snapshots of people’s lives.

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