27th November 2016

Soooooo … it’s here.  The night before the BIG TRIP.  Seven weeks, four personalities, two tents – one family travelling 6,000 kilometres exploring this incredible country.  It’s been months in the making – research, research, research – wine bottle after wine bottle – but here we are, packed up and ready to go!

Of course my OCD has meant I have been Captain of Packing Everything so if there is anything missing I am totally screwed (lucky we have Brownsville before we turn off to the Outback) but I am feeling quietly confident my endless lists, boxes and sharpies will have done the job.

It’s incredible to think that each of us (particularly moi and Miss 12)  have packed our wardrobe into one 36 litre box each – I am channelling Tetris here – but given we are from FNQ I figured travelling through the desert would be the same temperature if not hotter but with no humidity – so loads of shorts, tops and several bikinis (accompanied in my case with a mini mumu – seriously, I have one, you will get to see it) would really be all that was required.

So armed with some Moet, 2 x bottles of Merlot courtesy of two of my workmates who I will miss my office banter with, a bottle of Mojo to keep me grounded and my mates Johnny and Smirnoff together with a confirmed “Wine Skype” I am ready to take on the great Southern Land!  Miss 12 is armed with Batman and Miss 10 with Mr Squishy Face and I am sure Husband has downloaded some documentaries and movies to the hard drive for those moments of I Cannot Listen To “are we there yet” One More Time.

Boxed up and ready to go – holy shit we are really doing this!