Gaylards leaving for home via Brisbane

Shortly before 9:00 a.m. July 17th (Saturday), John and Lorraine had packed up camp and left for home via Brisbane where John’s older sister lives. Earlier, John was a bit concerned about being able to hitch up the van and drive from the short site (van is 18’) and the exit was very narrow. He did it easily.



Having travelled with each other for almost 5 weeks, it’s a bit weird not moving out together but it was time to go on our separate journeys. I think we each got to know one another a bit more over those weeks.


Before we were married, the four of us would go camping (and I mean camping e.g. a tarp strung between 2 cars on a beach on Yorke Peninsula; sleeping in a dry creek in the Flinders in the middle of winter keeping each other warm; in a tent on another beach on Yorke Peninsula in sand hills on the eve of Cyclone Tracey). AK (after kids), we continued camping with each other and our offspring but things changed and this is the first time since the 1980s that we have gone away with each other.


John and Lorraine’s car is able to seat 4 adults – with modifications for storage for this trip; our car could only accommodate 3. John and Lorraine very generously drove us around so that we could share experiences, save another car on the road and share navigation skills (that meant Robert and Lorraine telling John where to go when the Tom-Tom got a bit confused).


John and I often joked about our lack of direction skills – while Lorraine and Robert did some grocery shopping, he thought he’d wait for me in a shopping centre so that I wouldn’t get lost – we both thought that Robert and Lorraine may be lost to us forever! Another time, I couldn’t do the climb down to see a waterfall; John returned to the car because there was a disabled access on another road leading to the bottom of the falls. We both missed the sign and toodled off down another road before deciding we’d made an error. Finally arriving at the Milaa Milaa Falls was worth it, they were spectacular.


Last night we reflected on the trip, talking about the best places, worst places, surprises, funny experiences, expectations, disappointments and the weather (of course).


This morning we wished each other safe travels. So far, we’ve sent about 5 text messages to each other telling each other what we’re doing and where we are!