Australia - The Cape Trip Prep

On June 22, we leave from Cairns for an extreme 4x4 trip to the northern tip of Queensland, Australia. When I was first invited I thought "4x4 trip, big deal. I've done that before."

But I've now been here a week, and have spent the last several days on my own with some of Kathryn's friends and their family. I've been welcomed, fed, sheltered and helped out by people who were complete strangers to me four days ago. They say Canadian hospitality is amazing - but this is at a whole other level.

I met Ben for the first time on Friday night last week. He's Kate's partner (Kate works with Kath) and is a bit of an extreme adventurer (ie: just finished a 5,300km walk from Melbourne to Cooktown). He arranged this 4x4/Postie Bike trek and I was invited.

Kate and Ben's Postie Bikes (and parts bike)

Over the last few days I'm finding out just how serious they take 4x4ing here in Queensland (actually, they take it pretty seriously in all of Oz). Travis and Kathryn bought a 1997 Mitsibishi Pajero 4x4 specifically for this trip, and Ben (over dinner on Friday) said that we should get it checked out by his dad, Barry.

Barry and Jennie live in a town called Wedgie, and I drove there with Ben on Sunday in the Pajero (Kath and Travis have to work). I've been staying at their place, eating their food, and monopolizing all of Barry's time for the last three days.

Barry has checked out the Pajero and has (with very little help from me because I'm mechanically inept):

• Replaced the spare wheel and tire - we found out the spare was both bald and the wrong size (15" versus 16")
• Found another "case" or tire - it's good to have two spares for this trek
• Checked all the fluids - under the hood and under the vehicle (transfer case, differential, etc)
• Bought a spare fan belt and fuel filter
• Pulled the front wheels, didn't like what he saw, and replaced the wheel bearings

It's amazing, but in this tiny town you can find almost any auto/truck/tractor/4x4/diesel part you could ever need. Barry said it's because of the 4x4, farm/ranch and mining business in the area.

So it's taken two and a half days before Barry says he feels OK about the Pajero on the trip we're about to take. 2000km of nasty road.

I'll post pictures and video when we're done!

PS: Al and Bruce - I think you'd never leave here .... everyone tinkers, everyone owns three motorcycles, two front end loaders, a bobcat, six cars, two trucks and a boat - and it takes everyone half an hour to say hello.

Welcome to Australia - Episode 1

I flew out of Vancouver on Monday, June 10 at 4:00pm and arrived in Brisbane, Australia at 7:00am on June 12 - total flying time about 17 hours, and total time being awake about 45 hours (7am Monday to 4am Wednesday Vancouver time).

Fortunately for me, Travis booked me in Business Class on Virgin Australia, and it really is like checking into a hotel.

They go so far as to ask if you'd like pyjamas as soon as you board the plane. I declined (because everything I wear is man-made and wrinkle-free and will spontaneously ignite if exposed to flame), but most of the others popped into the washroom right away and changed. It was midnight in LA when we boarded, so I guess that makes sense.

I decided early on to get onto Brisbane time as soon as I boarded, so it was only 5pm by my new clock - so I stayed awake as long as I could. I must have drifted off for a few minutes anyway, and when we arrived at 7am I felt relatively refreshed. I stayed awake until 9:30pm that night, so I am either so used to not sleeping that it didn't matter, or I actually got some rest on the flight.

Travis met me at the airport and got me on the train south to Gold Coast. Kathryn then met me at the other end (1:45 train ride - and Travis does this twice a day!), got me a coffee, and dropped me off at their house.

It poured rain that entire afternoon, so I stayed in to recoup. Kathryn and Travis both worked all day Thursday, so I explored the immediate neighborhood.

Today is Friday, though, and Kath had the day off.

We went all over the place, and the weather was gorgeous.

The sunshine does wonders for jet lag, and it's easy to see why they love living here ... despite the commute Travis has to tolerate.

Tonight we go over to Kate and Ben's to discuss the Postie-Bike trip to the Cape (north of Cairns). We're having BBQ Emu.

If You're a Boomer - This Might Be Your Future

I wrote last time about our decision to downsize - and that it wasn't a decision I was allowed to make all by myself - although I've always loved small spaces.

Now that the move is complete, and the clutter has started to subside, it's time to document some of the outcome. Here are some photos I took today (excuse the quality) of our new one bedroom suite, located about a mile up the road from our old place.

While Laura is still a bit tentative about the whole idea, she's coming around. Living in a space this small is our reality only for the next year - the term of the lease. After that, it's our decision what to do next.

And if there's any single thing we've learned, it's that your whole world can change in a year...

Entrance down a few steps

View from the front door

Dining room table near front door- shoe storage beside the fridge

Storage room immediately behind front door

The kitchen is still a bit cluttered and a work in progress

I'm pretty happy about the living room

I can't bear to part with my Pacific-centric map of the world

Peek into the bedroom - that's a double!

Best laundry we've ever had

Laundry to left of Bo's kennel, bathroom to right

The bathroom

So there you have it.

We've gone from a townhouse with two teenagers at 2400 sf, down to another townhouse with a guest room and an office of 1440 sf. We now think this one is somewhere around 600 sf. We've also rented a storage space of 75 sf (5X15) to hang on to all the crap we're just going to get rid of a year from now.

So far I think we've made a good decision......