We're looking back on a cooler and wetter time...

   And so at the end of May the travelling Woodleys were headed for Sydney Town - Chatswood to be precise... to the lovely home of our lovely cousins Mr and Mrs E. Woodley; who were so kind as to let us stay for the first few days while they were away down the coast. We had left my cousin Mrs Warth's place after a sunny late-autumn-weathered-week and as we began our travelling to Sydney, the rain started. Suffice it to say, by the time we arrived it was (literally) bucketing down... and we were lucky that the neighbours didn't get too concerned about two black-hoodied characters (being, of course, Nick and myself) transporting things in (and it appeared as if it could have been as just as likely out) of the place. Eventually we were settled in - as Trinity was overjoyed to discover! - their 'olden-days house' and ready to venture into the Big Smoke...

   Our first venture was ambitious to say the least - four children eight years old and under, an unknown city, a train trip from one of the largest stations to the largest station, and an hour or so of navigating the supremely well planned Sydney city streets!! And all to visit the recommended Powerhouse Museum (thank you Mr and Mrs S. Woodley - very much enjoyed by all, especially the 'Teddy Bears Picnic')...

(absolutely loving the train ride and making sure that all within - and without - earshot were aware of it)

(unfortunately one of the only good shots I got of the children enjoying the 

very well planned kid-friendly interactive exhibits)

...as you are no doubt already aware, I take an abnormal interest in random architecture - but it was Sydney, so who could blame me...

...amplifying the brave factor in navigating foreign cities this Mrs Woodley took herself off via two trains - with a connection in between -  and a new and just as confusing array of suburban streets to visit the oldest place visited as yet - 
Old Government House...

...through and past many other examples of the 
diversity of Sydney architecture...
(P.S. these photos are specifically for 
your viewing pleasure, Grandpa!)

...and then back onto the train watching the endless 
city landscapes going by...

...and especially enjoying the view of Sydney Town herself...

...back to the grand and gracious, yet oh so welcoming 'olden days house' complete with reading foyer and large verandah for playing knights and castles - great fun for all including Mama and Dada - on the rainy days...
(also a special treat for Trinity of watching 
Anne of Green Gables for the first time)

...and let's not forget the most important part - the people!... here's Israel with the well-known pirate Great-Uncle Doug complete with his yellow pirate socks...

...'Uncle' Ted with his endless patience at answering 'excuse me' 
and reading countless stories...

...and 'Auntie' Ruth exploring the garden and taking the children for special shopping trips complete with treats!...

(as well as being privileged to reconnect with second cousins Paul and Mark - who are practically the same age as Nick)

...ah yes! - the garden... full of delightful 

nooks to explore and paths to follow... 

...and everyone found something to do which delighted them in their own little way...

...Saturday morning provided us with a private viewing of a regular medieval-sword-fighting get together in the park over the road (our inspiration for the aforementioned 'knights and castles' games on the rainy day veranda)... followed by Nick watching Uncle Ted playing soccor with many half his age (prior to training for an overnight superwalk - Ted that is, not Nick!)...

...then a last walk led us past this unusually painted house - all over silver!, complete with a multitude of silver owls - which had been causing a local cafuffle in this heritage listed area...

...and, sadly, we had to bid fare thee well to this newly rediscovered family as we headed ever northward...
(P.S. thank you so much, Mr and Mrs E. Woodley for allowing Mr and Mrs N. Woodley the special treat of going out to a movie while you watched our energetic children!!...)

...and farewell to you as well, Sydney Town, 

the countryside is calling to us...

...then northwards on to the Port Stephens area, Anna Bay to be precise; past panoramas of water and sun...

...an outing to the Nelson Head Heritage Lighthouse and Museum for scrumptious scones and iced chocolate coupled with clear sky and three hundred and sixty degree views...

...visits to and from old Christian Surfer friends (it was lovely to see you, Miss Watling, as well as Mr and Mrs Westbury)...

...never ending story times - especially 'Are We There Yet?'... and of course Israel reminds me to 'call him Kylie' when he comes with me to the ladies' loos!...

...local scenery to be revelled in...

...and more fun right near our own spot on our very own caravan park playground...

(yes - he really is walking...and running...and riding...and so on and so forth...)

...after befriending other caravan park-ers, walking over the sand dunes, Daddy surfing once, and surviving a night of torrential rain (a taste of things to come) the travelling Woodleys made their way to their next as-yet-unknown spot...

We're experiencing a mixture of miracles and mishaps...

   Aaaargh!!! First of all, why is it so long since I last posted?!
   
   And secondly, how am I ever going to catch up?!


   So the answer to the first question is that it's been too hot... and we've been too busy... and there's been too much travelling (in a distance per day sense - I know that we've been travelling all year!)... and probably many other slight reasons that have slipped my mind for the moment...
   
   And the second question... you will all have to wait and see if the procrastination side of this Mrs Woodley wins out or if the perfectionist part does!...


   And so on perhaps the hottest day we have had so far (thirty five and a half degrees in the caravan at this moment, thirty eight the top today) and before possibly our longest travel days - we're planning to reach Broome over two or three days - one thousand and forty four kilometres - and after another long hiatus (and what exactly does that word mean anyhow? - although I am glad that I could slip it unobtrusively in there!...) from the recording of the travelling Woodleys' ongoing adventures; we are back to inform you, world wide web, of sundry miscellaneous happenings that happen to happen to us... (and just to make that sensible, simple sentence even more straightforward I will add an update that we are now in Broome, the previous was written in *stinking hot* Kununurra).

The Good (although of course all is good with our God!)


* Broken thongs in Townsville necessitating a few weeks of using Nick's (a must do in the showers) and after not finding any even slightly affordable in the tourist shops, we 'stumbled' upon a pair of thongs in the middle of nowhere near Croydon, outback Queensland - exactly my size... thanks, Lord! 


* Aravis' sandles had been lost for a few weeks but were found just at the point of needing to purchase new ones.


* Carrying five bikes (and a scooter) was always an interesting decision as regards weight! but I think Aravis has been feeling left out and consequently a little trike for him was donated by a family we met who had outgrown it... again, praise...


* A two hundred dollar gift from two and a half months ago was found just at the point of need... should we be surprised?


* Shelter in Coffs Harbour during the June north NSW floods - thanks Mr and Mrs Gilmore for having us stay for our longest stop so far of nine nights while both north and south of us the Princes Highway - yes, good old highway number one! - was flooded...


* Of course our miracle holiday house!


* And shelter during yet another week of downpours in Chatswood with generous cousins Mr and Mrs E. Woodley.


* Another recent gift of one hundred dollars from stranger-friends in Tennant Creek... do you think God knows what He's doing?


* Last week (i.e. in Kununurra!) in almost-full shade at an inexpensive caravan park under the rocky outcrops of Mirima National Park with an awesome kid-friendly pool. And now (in Broome) meeting more new and generous friends at an even nicer caravan park with an absolutely awesome pool and still plenty of shade (as well as five to ten degrees cooler!)...


* And I'm sure much else that I've missed...

The Bad (although God is always in all of that too)


* Nearly going up in flames from our mozzie candle burning to the bottom of its tin bucket and subsequently melting and setting on fire the barbie tools case underneath - it was a blessing that Nick saw it from outside just in time and that the fire hydrant was situated right beside the door where I could snatch it and throw it to him straight away...


* A caravan tyre blowing two hours before arrival at Burrum Heads to stay with Grumps and Oma and Levi -  and the wheel arch ripped to shreds! 


* Windows with cracks for months and months - all fixed up now due to the bearded handyman Nick and some detailed internet instructions with pictures.


* Aravis nearly tumbling down the steep un-child/family-friendly three metre foreshore sea wall in Brisbane.


* Losing Levente in the Brisbane museum on an extemely busy school holiday day for half an hour - message sent by info desk: 'Hello, this is the Science Centre at the front of the museum. I have a gorgeous little blond girl here with your phone number on her, she's looking for you. Thank you.'  Meanwhile the adults (who were in two separate groups) had not noticed her missing... We had gone two different ways; the group Levente was with had boarded the elevator without her; she had gone straight to the staff members behind the desk and told them her mummy's name and showed our phone number which we had written on her arm; Nick was searching for me; therefore the rest of the group thought that the 'Renee Woodley' being summoned over the loudspeakers had been requested by Nick; I was in the only section of the museum where the loudspeakers were inaudible; and it ended up a blessing that I was holding the phone in my hand so I could feel it vibrate otherwise Levente could still be found in the Brisbane museum today!! 


* Cracking the tent poles - twice (thank you, God, for warranties).


* Right towing mirror falling off as we were nearly into Western Australia and having miraculously survived the fall, being then run over by three different 4WD and caravan combinations.


* One more blown caravan tyre in almost the middle of nowhere (on our way to Timber Creek) - again, miraculous warranties and only two hundred and forty kilomatres from the nearest Bridgestone in Kununurra, Western Australia. (P.S nearly forgot the tyre that went flat at our very first stop of Langhorne Creek.)

(and what very well could have been but in the end didn't turn out to be)
The Ugly


* THE CARAVAN A-FRAME BREAKING OFF THE CHASSIS ON THE BARKLY HIGHWAY TWO HUNDRED KILOMETRES FROM ANY-POSSIBLE-WHERE TO GET IT FIXED...



* BUT THEN CARAVAN A-FRAME GETTING FIXED ONTO THE CHASSIS WITHIN TWENTY FOUR HOURS OF SNAPPING OFF FOR ONLY THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY DOLLARS!!!

... what we thought might spell the end of our trip only challenged us to keep putting our trust in our Lord, 
and knowing that He works all things...

...and here is our poor little caravan receiving emergency surgery, getting towed to the caravan hospital (otherwise known as 'Davo - he's the best bloke in 300 miles'), and waiting forlornly for her travelling Woodleys to reclaim her...

   

(P.S. interspersed through this tale of woe and redemption are selected images from our Northern Territory sojourn - yes, we left there on the eighteenth of September and are now in Broome - to keep up with where we are just click on 'The order of things' above - the blog entries are two and a half states behind!)