Day 183. Daly Waters to Tennant Creek

A long road in the middle of nowhere...

It was a slow start to what would turn out to be a long day on the road. We were packed and away by 10am this morning; saying farewell to a great little piece of Australia. Daly Waters (pub) was a great little stopover that I'm sure will provide great memories for years to come!

Camping behind the Daly Waters Pub

The trip south ended up being a very very tiresome trip for all three of us. There really isn't that much to see out here on the Stuart Hwy. Maybe the occasional cairn marking a significant place in Australia's early exploration that occurred along these same routes when Australia was first being explored by white man.

The road that just keeps on going...

Other than that, all there is to see is scrub, dried up creek beds, termite mounds, and the odd roadhouse or aboriginal township. I must admit that we were planning on spending a lot more time heading south through this part of Australia; but there really isn't a lot to see out here. I guess we have become spoilt with the choice of beautiful scenery and amazing places of interest we have already encountered in Western Australia and the north of the Territory. This area we are driving through at the moment is a little disappointing.

and going and going!

Scarlett enjoying a movie in the back of the Pajero

Since we left Mataranka yesterday, we have travelled just over 600km to reach Tennant Creek. That might not sound like a big distance to anyone back home, but when you're towing a 2.5 ton 18ft caravan with a 5 year old girl in the back, it certainly can be a daunting experience. The road just seems to go on forever! This has been the biggest day we have spent on the road for quite some time, but we have decided to push on towards Alice Springs and arrive a day or two earlier than originally planned so that we can take some extra days rest down south.

We arrived in Tennant Creek by 3pm, and found a BP servo to fill up on diesel ready for the next leg of our journey south tomorrow. At $1.790 a litre, it hasn't been the most expensive place to get fuel, but when you have to fill up two jerry cans as well as the car, the final cost was almost $200! Luckily I now have enough fuel to get us all the way to Alice Springs.

We're staying at the 'Outback Caravan Park' here in Tennant Creek tonight. There really wasn't that much to choose from, but at least here Scarlett found two new little girls to play with who are camped next door to us. They all had a great time playing with each other this afternoon. The family we met here are only three weeks into their trip around Australia, so Bec had a great time giving them tips on where to go and what to see.

Scarlett has been very well behaved considering the amount of time we are spending on the road at the moment. Yes we have our 'disagreements', but all things considered she has been a little champion. Bec has started a new 'reward chart' for her based on how she acts and behaves; both during the day and also during bedtime routine. Scarlett now has to earn 7 stars before she gets a surprise and reward. This new chart only started four days ago, and she has already earned 6 stars. One more and she gets her first reward! The reward chart seems to be working, as we have seen a remarkable improvement in her attitude.

I'm sorry that there really isn't a lot to talk about today. When you stare at the same road for long enough everything seems to blur into one another. Even the photo's are few and far between, as there are only so many photo's one can take of the hwy.

Mmm... Hopefully tomorrow will bring more interesting news...

Yesterday was our 6 month anniversary of our trip (celebrated at the Daly Waters Pub last night). It's been a long road travelled, and I admit that its not as easy as you might think; spending 24 hours a day together (there is no escape), while thinking of, and missing family and close friends back home. You realise that 'stuff is just stuff', but friends and family are forever!

I just want to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to all our friends and family who have followed and supported us on our journey (so far) around Australia! Without you (or technology and the internet), we probably wouldn't have made it this far! And to think we are only half way through our lap around Oz.

We have enjoyed the most amazing experiences, and when we look back at what we have already achieved in the last 183 days since we left Sydney, I'm dumbfounded that we could of possibly fitted so many things into such a short time frame. I can't believe that Scarlett has done so much, and all at the age of 5!

However life does go on back home, and it's especially hard when we miss something as special or as important as a birth, an illness, or even a death in the family. We have experienced all of these, and if we only learn one thing from this trip, it must certainly be that one has to appreciate life!

I know for a fact that this journey will make us all stronger for the experience...