A week in Longreach

You think its a long time - but its not really...

A little about what we have been up to whilst in Longreach. Having been here a number of times theres only so many times you can do the touristy stuff.  I’ve come out here to see my sister and for my kids to both get to know their cousins and to experience some real Australian bush life.  When I was growing up, we had cousins who lived in Mackay who we only saw once a year.  We adored those times and were so close to them as we grew up.

Although some of them are a little older than my kids, the age differences aren’t so great that we can’t all do fun stuff together. Morgan has committed to mastering riding his push bike so that at Easter next year, he can learn to ride a motorcycle. We will all get a bit better at our fishing skills ( like the tying of knots) so we can go fishing in the boat next time as well.

Last night I sat  looking up at the velvety darkness, sprinkled with stars so bright and near  reckoned  if I reached my hand up just a bit higher I could reach them. The bonfire was gorgeous, so warm and full of fire dragons, I wished I could have sat there all night. 

I really love it out here and want Morgan and Lilly to keep experiencing the bush and country life.  We get so sedated in the city. Its all so clean and safe.  I do know I couldn’t live in the country again for a long stint; but it doesn’t stop me from enjoying the stillness, the beauty, honesty and harshness of it all.

Its been a very relaxed holiday; unlike our last trek out here where we covered nearly 4 thousand km over 5 days going from Longreach out to Birdsville and back in a very round trip.

Yesterday we went fishing at the billabong; where Lilly caught a tiddler.  I’m sorry to say I didn’t believe her when she said she had a bite - not until she hauled it in.. and she reeled it in on her own hot pink fishing rod all by herself. She was so delighted and proud. We did throw it back - just in case you were wondering.

Morgan cast some good lines out into the middle of the waterhole, but his bait was taken each time. I got a bit frustrated with the fishing rods continually tangling. Cheap  and nasty lines and ineffectual sinkers.  I’m going to raid some of our old ones when I go to visit my parents in a few days.

Julie and I are taking it a bit steady with the drinking. A few nights ago we went for a few quiet ones at a neighbours.  Two bottles of port, a bottle of vodka and a bottle of wine later we were singing at the tops of our voices to the country and western radio show; phoning in requests and laughing so hard my ribs still hurt.  gotta say I’m embarrassed how much country and western lyrics I actually know.  The first bottle of port was a really good one - $50 one.. the other one was a clayton special - a great big goony… anyone remember that mcwillimas cream port?  it still tastes the same. gross on the way down, worse on the way up. We made it home and straight into PJs and bed.. who knows how with kids in tow.

We’ve been to the Hall of Fame and to the Qantas Museum, have had picnics, played board games and driven round the town and property.  There are enough kids at Julies to play a decent game of baseball - so we had a hoot doing that - limited rules to include the little kids and to dampen the competitive spirit of the teenagers.  Today we had a huge table of craft and art things with plenty of inspiring creations happening.

On the cards over the net few days is a very competitive game of squatter with some neighbours.  cracks me up that farming folk love this game so much - well we did when we were kids. the banter and wise cracks as we go along I think is the best part of it.  Some craft and painting sessions, visit to the new heated pool the town has and dinner at Longway Station with a tour of the house.

Then its pack up shoot off down to Mum and Dads where they are shearing, stay there a few nights and back to Brisbane, just in time to catch a Lions Match and for me to shriek remembering I have to prepare for a term of teaching science and that the kids have a dance competition the following weekend.

Road Trip and Holidays at Longreach

I must be mad.. no wait - don’t answer that. Not only did I stay awake all night watching the second series of True Blood on Monday - but then thought it a good idea on Wednesday to go to a triple twilight move marathon, get in the car with the kids and drive to Longreach.

Now I have one this trip heaps of times - but this is my third time doing it solo. 

What an epic trip.  It usually takes 11 - 14 hours to drive out - with kids. and by that I mean you have to stop to run, pit stops, run and play, eat and more pit stops - about ten mins after the last one - because they didn’t want to go then but now have to… you get my gist.  But with the roadworks galore, then a grass fire outsie Chinchilla which stopped all traffic - light flashing the whole bit and then me just not coping, I trundled in at 8.30 pm tonight...and really have been driving solidly since 3.30 am - having been up the entire day beforehand.

When I got to Roma - I knew I was in trouble. I was really dazed and spaced out. Usually by Roma you’ve just gotten into the groove of driving and are feeling pretty good and we’ve always considered it as halfway. My biggest issue was that had overdosed on coffee and was now having a huge reaction to it - I know - my coffee stream was getting blood in it.  I thought I was feeling better by Mitchell. I’d drunk about 2 litres of water and done a bit of a run around the car a number of times as well as my power naps with the Pzizz…...but somewhere between Morvan and Augathella I started to hallucinate; which in itself would have been quite fun apart from the fact I was in charge of a speeding car hurtling down a deserted highway at 120kms an hour and that my kids were in the back seat.  It was the usual stuff - spiders in my hair, building nests on the roof, that little guy who keeps crawling on the bonnet of the car and the things in the trees reaching out and sliding across the road in front of me.

Having talked to a number of other long distant drivers its about the same - trees moving into the middle of the road, black dogs running beside or in front of you.. I’m putting it down to my imagination filling in a bunch of stuff… plus there is always the screaming tear of the veil between realities….

I’d been doing some pzizes every hour for 10 mins - which really slowed my timing down - but I was literally falling asleep in front of the wheel crossing the highway and being danger to myself and the kids. I can see that now and I did know it then. but  with no reception on the phone, I wasn’t sure if I should just keep going, find somewhere to sleep it off or find a room. I kept having wolf creek flashes and wasn’t keen to pull over on the side of the road waiting for some mad gun weilding weirdo to murder us and no-one know where to start looking for us.

I’m afraid I resorted to the tried and tested solution - those mini shots of V, red bull and some other energy drink - which the truck stop dude assured me was the go, followed by a chicko roll and a corn thing rolled in fat and other unmentionable grease.  I followed up said prescription every hour with the V… my body is hating me but at least I was alert for the next bit.

It was nearing 4 and the gloaming was setting in.  At Blackall I had to make a decision to bunk in at the pub ( where although I am sure the publican won’t remember I have a lifetime ban after a bender 25 years ago… but I didn’t want to take the chance.) or fight the roos for 220 kms in the dark.

So it was Roo Patrol - Morgan took front seat as my co-pilot and with high beam on and us at full bore - we tore into the closing night sending up prayers to the Goddess to keep the wee beasties at bay while we passed. Morgan was awesome and didn’t fall pray to the fledgling mistakes of stickaroos.  We had to break with burning screeches only twice and do some quick manoeuvring a few times as a mob changed direction.  The trucks going the other way were the worst issue.  With their lights on, we couldn’t see the roos being chased in front of them and narrowly missed a few as they bounced off their bull bars.

There were plenty to freshly killed carcasses along the way - so I think there must have been a road train just ahead of us swathing the way through the mobs.

It was pretty intense for a while and full on concentration - and I’ve never been so glad to see the water towers of Longreach.  So now we are here.. looking forward to a relaxing time with Julie and kids.

Just for fun now, I am doing something called Audio boo - which is sort of a podcast - but much easier for the person doing it to do.  Its being posted up on my facebook status and I’ll try to do one every week.   Its a way for you to hear my voice and for me to chat about whats been going on with us over the week.  I’m limited to 5 mins - so its a quick way to catch up  if you don’t have the time to read my stuff.

The link to my AudioBoo site is here

I’ve put some ‘boos’ up about the road trip ( recorded along the way) - here are the links.

Dalby

Part 2

Roma

middle of nowwhere 

Hallucinations in Augathella

Longreach

Enjoy!

Jonas Rock stars the house

 DVD Review of Season 1, Volume 2

The Jonas Brothers are an American Boy Band promoted and given  greater popularity through their Disney Channel Television Show and subsequent DVD releases. They are best known for their wholesome, but overly Christian lifestyle and outlook on life;  one which most families would be more than happy to have promoted within their own walls. 

The series follows the daily lives of the three brothers, throughout school and band practice. There is a large amount of brotherly teasing and plenty of songs sprinkled through the episodes which reflect the mood or message being promoted.

The rest of the cast are made up by their father and two friends, Stella and Macey. These two innocent and adorable lasses provide fans an accessible connection to the brothers.Any plot line which may steer into a girlfriend/boyfriend situation is quickly focused on the communication and friendship aspect. 

The show balances between shots of the boys on tour or practicing and them having to undergo normal teenage chores and homework. Its refreshing to see the scriptwriting focus on gratitude and manners; where the boys acknowledge that they are lucky to live the incredible life they do and that it has to do with hard work and dedication.

The Partridge Family started the TV series formula and Disney has seen no reason to fix or alter a recipe which works as well as it does. The basic template which made Frankie and Annette movies, The Monkeys and countless others  sees Disney successfully plugging new talent to an eager audience.

Although shot into relative fame after appearing in Camp Rock in 2008, the Jonas brothers have been committed musicians for most of their lives, thanks to the tireless efforts and passion from their father. 

The Jonas Brothers are an inoffensive, charming group who promote strong family friendly themes. With the plethora of questionable moralistic tween - ager shows out there, this is one I would be more than happy for my children to continue to watch.