Back on the road to make the most of our last few weeks.

We got away from Toowoomba nice and early after a few quick family photos.  Originally we hadn’t intended to leave quite so early but Hamish had his sight word quiz at 11:30am so we thought it would be easier to be in the caravan for that.  The trip was long as we were all tired made worse by the fact we got a stone chip!  Again on a bitumen road by a truck travelling in the opposite direction.  At least we made it back to Moree with half an hour up our sleeve.  This allowed us to half unpack the car and set up for the quiz without rushing.  Jason then took Kayla to fuel up the car whilst I did the quiz with Hamish. 

I was so happy with how Hamish did in the quiz.  He still got some of the ones I know he knows wrong but that is okay, we can work on them but the main thing is Mrs Lockrey could see a huge improvement. So all our hard work is paying off - yay.  We had a chat after the session and I got a few more tips but it was so wonderful to get the positive feedback as I think Jason and I second guess ourselves a lot and maybe we need to give ourselves a bit more credit as really the main thing Hamish isn’t enjoying at school is writing and slowly he is getting there.  We are still behind on a few things but we are catching up and at the rate we are going should be caught up by the end of school holidays.

After the quiz we headed into town for some lunch and picked one of the local cafes.  Probably really wasn’t the best move as they didn’t have a table big enough for us to all sit inside so we had to sit outside in the cool air.  The meals themselves were nice though.  Back at the van we met our new neighbours who had pulled in and were chatting to him for a while before it was time to do some school.  Jason and Kayla went and grabbed some supplies from Woolworths whilst I did the school with Hamish.

Our crazy two.

Then when they got back I unpacked the car some more whilst Jason got to work on repairing the stone chip.  The last thing we want is to have another badly cracked windscreen and we bought that repair kit for these instances.  We also had to do some random guess work and book in for my 18-20 baby scan so needed to find a place big enough to do it and work in with our schedule, then we needed a CD for school to send to us so had to find a place to have that mailed to that we were going to get to.  So now we have to make it to Bathurst as we are going to have mail there waiting for us!

The afternoon was going well and we were getting on top of things and would be well and truly ready to roll out the next morning to our next location but then all of a sudden Hamish was sick everywhere!  At first I just put it down to him having way too much chocolate in the car coming back as Grandma had kindly given them a treat bag each.  But when he was a sick again an hour later and he had only drunk water I knew it wasn’t good.  So Hamish spent the rest of the evening in bed resting and had a few plain chips and water for dinner.  Then we transferred him up to his bed and got Kayla to sleep.

We then got some peace and quiet, so we got to watch an episode of Grand Designs Australia.  When that was over Jason went out to grab something out of the car and just as he shut the door I heard a gush of water and I thought we had a burst pipe.  Umm no, Hamish had been sick again and from the top bunk all the way down to the floor.  The poor little man didn’t even realise he had been sick as he went straight back to sleep.  So you can only imagine the mess we faced so we set about cleaning that all up off the floor and walls before we could even get near Hamish on his bunk.  At least we worked well as a team with Jason supplying the wipes whilst I mopped it up.

Then it was a matter of cleaning up Hamish and moving him to our bed.  He really was out of it, just so tired and sleepy he had no idea what was going on.  Then we stripped and re-made his bed.  Yep I don’t think we will be going anywhere tomorrow with the huge pile of washing that is now facing us, not to mention a little boy who probably won’t travel well at all.  We did joke that Kayla was very lucky she was actually in her bed that night, sometimes she sleeps half in and half out and then we tuck her in as we go to sleep.  Had she done that she would have got an unpleasant shower. 

Still once it was all cleaned up and beds stripped and remade, Jason went over everything with the disinfectant and we sat down to relax again.  I decided that Hamish should probably sleep in our bed that night as it would be easier to keep an eye on him and if he was sick again the mess would be easier to clean up.  Thankfully he wasn’t sick again but I can’t say I got any sleep.  Jason slept up on Hamish’s top bunk but I had Kayla join me early in the night and then Hamish was waking up asking for water.  I was hesitant to let him have too much but of course gave him some.    Oh what a nice start we have had to our last 6 weeks on the road!

So needless to say we decided to stay another night and get through the massive pile of washing that we now had from the night before.  On a good note Hamish seemed to be well and keeping his breakfast down.  So really the day was spent just chilling out and relaxing oh and of course since Hamish was well we did some school!  It was actually quite nice after such a busy weekend to relax and not rush around everywhere.  We also managed to start booking some places for the school holidays.  I am not a big fan of booking too far in advance but we need a plan of attack as we will be pretty much hitting the NSW East coast above Sydney right in the middle of the first week of school holidays.

We do not like our chances of just being able to turn up and get a site so we might ring ahead and book a few places to see what availability is going to be like.  Realistically coastal and school holidays means high prices and booked out a year in advance, well for the good spots.  I don’t know how we are going to handle next year when that is the only time we are going to be able to holiday!

Okay take two on our departure day from Moree actually happened thankfully.  There has been no more sickness so we took the opportunity to continue on our way and get on the road to Bingara.  I thought we were up early but whilst I was still sitting down and enjoying my coffee the vans started to roll out already.  Yep there is no way we were even near ready, still it wasn’t long until we were and just as we were about to hitch on I noticed our hitch was a bit tight.  Jason agreed and said he would spray it when we get to Bingara.  I was worried it would be hard to get it to unhitch at the other end.  I didn’t even think about not being able to hitch it on easily.

More different countryside.

So yes we just couldn’t get the handle down and I was getting frustrated, so did what any good wife would do and left my husband in peace to fix it whilst I went to the toilet.  It obviously worked as he had sprayed and fixed it by the time I got back and we were on the road to Bingara.  The drive was really pretty and there was only one spot that worried me which was a long narrow bridge that could apparently (according to the lines) fit two vehicles on it but when I saw a caravan at the other end I got a bit worried.  Thankfully he had the same thought and stopped and waited for us to get off the bridge first. 

So many times we have driven south through NSW but we always take one of the main routes so it is nice to take the scenic drive for once and since it was about 113km for the day we were at our destination in no time.  Actually probably a bit too early really as it was before 10am which is check out time.  Still we did as the sign on the office which wasn’t manned said and found a spot, parked and then went over and paid.

Whilst we were really looking forward to discovering a new area where we have never been we were starting to wondering if heading south was really the right thing to do as it is still quite cold down that way and well we are seeing other families post pictures of them swimming up in Cairns and are a tad jealous.  We didn’t need to worry though as Bingara put on a beautiful day for us.  As soon as we had arrived and unhitched we all got changed in summer clothes and we didn’t need to put anything warm back on until after showers. 

Actually to be fair Bingara blew us away as we crossed the beautiful looking river coming into town and then later we discovered the main street was a bit bigger than we expected but everyone from the Information Centre to the Post Office and local IGA were so friendly.  There are some wonderful free camps along the river too with awesome views but as we need power for our heater we have opted to just stay in caravan parks for comfort.  I think in the future we will fit out the van more for free camping and solve our pump draining the battery issue but with only six weeks left we can live with it.  Besides here they only charge $30 a night for a powered site so really that isn’t bad.  Anything seems cheap after WA.

The kids rolling around.

This explains the next picture - love the idea.

Orange tree lined street.

The rest of our day we spent checking out the town, school and having a cheap lunch at the local café, even buying some of their chicken chips half cooked as Jason was told the locals swear by it as good bait for Murray Cod.   We checked out one of the close fishing spots and then went back and grabbed everything we needed to try our luck.  The spot was beautiful and we got the kayak down for a paddle.  The kids loved that and they both came out with me as we checked out the river and all the awesome spots some caravaners had on it.  Then when we got back Jason and Hamish took it out to fish from it.  Unfortunately we didn’t catch anything but talking to the nomads they have been catching fish and even using the local recommendation of half cooked chicken chips.  One guy sounded quite dirty as he had been out fishing from his kayak all day with all proper bait and lures and his wife throws in a line from the bank right in front of their caravan and catches a Murray Cod using the chicken chip. 

Hamish having a go at fishing.

Taking the kids out for a paddle.

Then it was the boys going out fishing.

We returned to the caravan and got the kids scooters out and then did some bush picnic games which we fun.  Then it was time for dinner, baths and bed.  Before bed we get Hamish to write in his diary and he decided to write the sentence ‘I like school because it helps me read’, or something along those lines.  It is moments like that when I just know we are doing the right thing and we are slowly getting there.   Yes he isn’t writing massive amounts like some other kids but Rome wasn’t built in a day and to me it is a start and when he is ready he will get into it more.   

So another day rolls around and quite frankly we didn’t do too much at all but that is the way we like it.  Just nice and easy and at our own pace.  It really is nice just waking up and going with how you feel rather than drag yourself off to something you really aren’t in the mood for.  Of course we did a bit of fishing after a quick pop in the local bakery for some yummy treats.  Our morning tea was delicious and a bargain which made up for the disappointment of not catching any fish.  We did go for a drive out to find a different fishing spot but the instructions from the Information Centre were a little confusing to say the least.  However we will give it another try tomorrow now that we have worked out when they say ramp they actually mean grid!  Seriously didn’t expect that.

Another day, another attempt at fishing.

The view under the bridge.

In the afternoon we decided to check out the lookout over town and my gosh it is one very steep drive up there, but the view from the top is spectacular.  I was certainly glad on the way down though that our breaks were very reliable as without them you would have no hope.  Even with the car in low gear it would pick up speed very fast.  Hamish also had the rest of his maths quiz today and did really well.  Mind you by the end of the day I was getting frustrated with all the revision work I was doing so I have now shared some of it with Jason that will hopefully take the pressure off me and I can just chill for a bit or have a break from teaching some things.  I don’t like it when I get frustrated as Hamish picks up on that and it isn’t good for his learning.

The kids at least went down easily and it felt like normality was restored for a while.  We even managed to book over half the school holidays so that takes the pressure off there.  I must admit though that most of the caravan parks prices weren’t as bad as I expected though there was one that was quite expensive so we cut that back to only two days.  Now all that is left is the dreaded long weekend at the end of the school holidays!  Might leave that one a bit longer before attempting to tackle it.

Well our last day really was a lazy one.  We ventured out a little bit in the morning to the local park but that was about it really.  I felt absolutely exhausted and just couldn’t shake the feeling all day.  Poor Jason also had bad hayfever so neither of us felt in the mood for anything except relaxing.  That is a nice thought but the kids seemed to get cabin fever in the caravan so it felt like they were constantly fighting.  I did try to have a nap in the afternoon but yeah that didn’t work with two young kids fighting all the time. 

Oh what to go on first.

Why can't I have just half of his energy.

In the end I ended up in bed asleep before them and Jason did Hamish’s writing with him and put them to bed.  I was worried I was getting sick but I think it was just exhaustion as I felt so much better in the morning when I woke up.  I probably need to get out and do a bit more walking to help with my energy levels and maybe lay off the treats from the bakery, but we all know the second one is not going to happen!  All in all Bingara is a great place to go and relax.  Just sit around enjoying the beauty and try a spot of fishing.