The story continues... in QLD!

Dear Everyone,

At one point we thought we might just abandon the blog as we were so far behind and having far too much fun on the road to sit down every night and keep it up. But we’ve changed our mind (lucky you!!). While some minor details might be missing – we’re going to try and give you all the highlights of the last 5 or 6 months.

Ok, here we go. Last time we left you we had just arrived at Caloundra and settled into our little unit. Riley went off to sea and all Emma’s job hunting efforts did not pay off – apparently no one goes to Caloundra in winter and so there were no jobs going. After a while the cabin fever started to set in and in an attempt to save a bit of sanity, Emma went along and volunteered a few days a week at the Caloundra Hospital in the cafe where she met some lovely old ladies with purple hair who spent every afternoon drinking at the pub after they finished at the hospital. Learnt a lot of valuable life lessons from those ladies. Beer is good.

Eventually, Riley came home again and after a very last minute change of heart (and a lot of peer pressure from Georgie!) – we decided to buy some tickets to Splendour in the Grass at Woodford. So we packed up the caravan, found a lovely family to look after Bonnie, and set off on our adventure. While all the other campers were setting up tents at night in the rain and mud – we felt like royalty rocking up with the caravan (where we also managed to hide a lot of alcohol). It was the most incredible weekend, with the most amazing line up imaginable. And we want to give a shout out to everyone in the Splendour Crew who we camped/partied with that weekend – bloody awesome group of people! We miss you all and can’t wait to catch up again somewhere down the track. We also want to give a shout out to Tom the Tripper who ate dog sausages.

After Splendour where we damaged our bodies, brains and livers. We thought it might be a good idea to do something good for ourselves. So we turned around and headed south for a few days... to Mt. Warning. We met up with the other Oxenbridges, put our walking shoes on, packed a few bags, and set off up the mountain. This was one of the hardest things we’ve done. After we were nearly at the top and thought we had finished the climb, we looked up and realised there was still about a 50 meter almost vertical rock climb ahead of us. While we were struggling to pull ourselves up the mountain, Riley managed to power through – not only carrying himself, but also with his one year old niece Sianna on his back! Go Riley! The view at the top was incredible though and when we finally reached the bottom 5 or 6 hours later the feeling of achievement was worth every wobbly, sore muscle. The next day we decided we’d check out the little hippy town of Nimbin while we were in the area.. haha.. enough said really.

Now it was time to get back to the real adventure. We went back to the unit and packed it up and hit the road again – heading north, to the sunshine! Our first stop was a highly recommended camp area at Inskip Point (Rainbow Beach). After trying to drive down a few very sandy roads and getting bogged a few times, we decided the caravan actually wasn’t designed for 4 wheel driving and camped in a more suitable area. We weren’t disappointed. This was one of our favourite places so far. Although we couldn’t go to Fraser Island as it’s a national park and we had Bonnie with us, we took our banana lounges to the beach with a box of red and looked at Fraser Island while the sun set. Very romantic! It was here that Bonnie tried to take the leg off some Pommy guy who was walking past us on the beach. He stopped to say hello and give Bonnie a cuddle and introduced himself as Paul. Little did we know, this was the start of an adventure and fun filled couple of weeks with Paul, his fiancée Hayley and their van – the Little Soldier. The next night they invited us to their campsite so we got a couple chairs, a box of red, and Bonnie and headed over. We’re not really sure what happened that night, but we ended up crawling in to bed at about 3am and woke up with some killer hangovers, and some new best friends.

Ok we think that’s enough for this blog entry. But stay tuned over the next couple of days, we’ll take you from Inskip Point to Airlie Beach via a lot of truck stops, some pancake parties, a lot of time spent stuck on a beach and a lot of goon sacks.

Riley + Emma xx

Hello Queensland!

Hi All,

Sorry it's been so long since our last update, we've been flat out having a great time and catching up with lots of friends and family... I'm sure you can understand and sympathize with our situation!

Since our last update in Sydney we've attended the biggest and longest birthday party for a one year old in the history of the world, learnt a few German phrases, been among the first in Australia to see the sunrise in one morning, driven a few more hundred kilometers and moved into a townhouse in Caloundra! So there is lots to catch up on.

We left Mikey in Sydney and headed straight to Newcastle for a night to catch up with the lovely (and newly engaged) Simon and Talia who took us out for a yummy Thai dinner. After a quick visit in Newcastle we kept on trucking and headed up to Buladelah to spend a few nights with Penny, Gary, Dylan and Ruby (the dog). We spent two very relaxing days at the Kealy residence catching up with everyone. Emma got some pretty intense pool lessons from Gary (which clearly paid off as she dominated the pool table - sort of) and we drank quite a few bottles of some very tasty red wine which Gary was picking up from Newcastle by the case! Dylan got a brand new electric guitar while we were there and I still think we should get our hearing checked after he blasted out a few tunes for us.

After Buladelah we set off for Port Macquarie and were very impressed with what we found when we arrived. Such a beautiful area... but so many retired people! We could probably count on one hand the amount of people we saw under the age of 60 the whole time we were there. Riley got in a pretty impressive surf and Emma learnt a valuable lesson - wear comfortable shoes, even if they don't match your outfit... otherwise be prepared to look like a bogan while walking around the main streets in the middle of the day while carrying your shoes in your hand and limping thanks to ANOTHER blister. And even though the caravan park left a lot to be desired we still loved Port Macquarie, retirement villages and all.

Next stop was Stuarts Point where we spent 2 nights with Poppy and Sita. Two major things happened during this visit. Riley's dream of an electronic windy leg machine was made a reality and we ate the best pork we'd ever tasted in our whole lives. We also went to check out South West Rocks for the day and had our very own local tour guides showing us all the best spots in town. And on our last night in town Poppy finally explained what we've all been dying to know for quite some time now - where does Riley's red beard come from!? Well, apparently his ancestors were vikings. Problem solved.

Once we'd said our goodbyes in Stuarts Point we made our way to Grafton, stopping at a bottle shop along the way (of course). The next week and a half that followed was filled with lots of laughs, lots of beers, lots of bottles of champagne and red wine, lots of photos, a few German's, a few games of Billionaire, two birthdays, a doggie love affair and a bonfire as big as your house. Mikey and Holger even came down to join in the festivities as did a lot of other friends and Oxenbridge family members. Some highlights of the trip include:

- Millie (the dog) helping herself to Sianna's birthday cake while we were momentarily distracted

- Buying 7 bottles of champagne in preparation for Sianna's birthday party, only to have to make another trip into town the next morning when we all woke up and realised we'd drank all the champagne the night before (whoops)

- Teaching the German Journeymen how to play Billionaire and then losing to them round after round

- Watching Bonnie and Millie become instant best friends and then never leaving each other's side for the whole week and a half

- Riley giving Sianna driving lessons on her new bike in Jay's skate park

- Riley trying to teach Millie to pull Sianna on her bike around the backyard

- George making plans, and more plans, and even more plans

- Mikey throwing Riley's shoe in the fire

And eventually it was time to say a sad goodbye, after which we made our way to Byron Bay for the weekend. The first night in Byron we could not have been happier to be living in our lovely caravan as we looked out the window at the poor fools camping in their tiny dome tents in a torrential downpour. Eventually the next day the sun came out so we went out to play. Riley decided to dress the part by wearing fisherman pants and no shoes as we walked around town. Bonnie clearly followed the casual feel of the day and decided to poo not once, but twice while we walked down the main street of Byron. Thanks Bonnie. The next morning we got up before the sun and made our way to main beach to be among the first people in Australia to see the sunrise that day, and it was beautiful.

We then made the big drive straight up to the Sunshine Coast and to the weirdest caravan park we had come across yet. A lady with red hair, purple socks and a missing tooth greeted us and then every man and his dog decided to come out to shout instructions at us about how we should reverse the van into the minuscule spot we were allocated. Needless to say, we weren't keen to stick around here for very long. Luckily we had a few people we were keen to catch up with on the coast and we didn't spend very much time in the caravan park at all. We were getting down to the business end of the first leg of our trip as Riley was soon to head back to sea and Emma needed some kind of living arrangement for the next few months. So we put our game faces on and started looking at our options. Before long it was obvious we would be better off trying to find some kind of short term rental and believe it or not, the first day we started looking we found the perfect place. A fantastic little townhouse in Currimundi, a few minutes from the beach and nice and close to the shops. We moved in a few days later and after a busy couple of days it was time for Riley to head back to sea. After a very sad farewell at the airport Riley left on a big plane and Emma headed back to the coast to find a job.

And we are finally up to date! Riley has been at sea for almost a week and a half but sadly Emma is still struggling to find some work. So if anyone is reading this who thinks they can help - feel free to get in touch!

Until next time...

Sydney

Hi again everyone,

First of all, today is Mothers Day - so happy Mothers Day to our mums and sisters and all the other people we know who have babies!

So the last real update was in Eden and since then we have covered a fair bit of ground and drank a fair bit of vodka.

After we said goodbye to the amazing caravan park at Eden we set off for Batemans Bay, stopping along the way at the Bega Cheese Factory. We met some plastic cows, tasted some fairly ordinary cheese, purchased some fudge and got back in the car.

Sometime that afternoon we made it to Batemans Bay. Beautiful town, terrible caravan park. After being spoilt at the Garden of Eden this little cement city with weird shacks and strict rules and scary bathrooms seemed like caravan park hell. Ok, so it probably wasn't that bad... and we actually started to embrace it a bit by the next day - until we got told off for having Bonnie off her lead. After that it was war and we couldn't wait to get out of there. A high point of Batemans Bay was when Mikey showed up after a 5 hour drive to come and see us. And as usual when Mikey comes to visit, we spent a lot of time and money at the bottle shop and prepared our bellies and livers for a big couple of days.

The next day we all got up early despite our hangovers in an attempt to get out of the weirdest caravan park on earth as quickly as possible. Mikey had mentioned a pretty town called Kiama that he drove through on his way down so we decided to head in that direction and hope for the best. We were not disappointed. Driving down into Kiama we started wishing we'd spent the last few nights in this little paradise rather than in Batemans Bay. We found a fantastic caravan park right on the beach and spent all afternoon laying on the beach in the sun. Riley even got a good surf in and Bonnie made some new furry friends. Later that night we polished off another bottle of vodka - whoops. After an amazing walk around the headland the next morning, we decided that this place couldn't possibly get any better and were "this close" to trading the caravan in and putting a deposit on a house somewhere. But, sadly, we had to say goodbye as the caravan park was fully booked and only had room for us for the one night.

And so we started our big drive to Umina Beach - Mikey's house! This meant having to drive through Saturday traffic through Woolongong and Sydney. We tried to avoid the cities and heavy traffic areas where possible but no mater how hard we tried, there were times when traffic jams couldn't be avoided. After a few near misses and heated moments we decided Sydneysiders did not understand the road rules, especially when it came to merging, and figured it would be better for all involved if we could just stay in one lane as much as possible. We made one stop at a petrol station to refuel and buy some stale sandwiches before powering through to Umina. A highlight of the trip was driving past the Triple J car and seeing Rosie driving!!

Once we arrived at Mikey's house we did what we do best - cracked open another bottle of vodka. By this stage our livers hated us. The novelty of having a shower less than 3 meters away was not lost on Emma, who had 2 showers in a matter of hours. Bonnie had a great time trying to chase the local wildlife and Riley built a cubby house in the lounge room. A great night all round.

Which brings us to today - Mothers Day! We got up early and took Bonnie for a big walk to the beach before coming back and getting ready to hit the big smoke - Sydney! We spent all day wandering around Darling Harbour and Circular Quay, we saw the Opera house, the Harbour Bridge, the Welcome Wall and the Flag Pole.

We are planing to go to Newcastle on Wednesday-ish and then slowly make our way North to Grafton by the 20th...

Caravaning Tips

1 - Make sure the caravan has two tyres which are of the same size. This will save some embarrassment at the tyre shop when you stop to ask for better tyres.

2 - When attaching the caravan to the car, make sure it is LOCKED in. Then, while you're driving, you won't have to waste time trying to figure out what that weird clunky noise is.

3 - Before setting off on a long drive, make sure to check the water and oil in the car. Otherwise be prepared to walk a few hundred meters along the highway until you find a Chestnut Seller willing to give you some oil.

4 - Buy a fresh water hose, unless you like your water to taste like bum.

5 - Remember to latch the fridge door shut before leaving on a big drive. Otherwise be prepared to open the caravan door to a fridge that has spewed all over the floor and a fridge door that refuses to close.

Mikey came to visit!

Hi again!

Well Mikey arrived in Batemans Bay today! We'd love to give you a proper update but there is way too much alcohol to drink and we don't want to get in trouble from the caravan park manager again...

Welcome to our Adventure!

Hi everyone...

We are starting this blog a bit late, we're already a bit over 2 weeks in to our Ultimate Adventure of All Time, but we'll try to bring you up to date.

The basic plan is to do a big lap of the country, chasing the summer wherever possible. There are three main players - Riley (the driver), Emma (the hopeless navigator - thank god for googlemaps) and Bonnie (the dog). We are driving a Blue Holden Rodeo (called Grover) and towing a 16ft pop top caravan (called Charlie). We are hoping our adventure will last around 18 months, during which Riley will still head off to work for 6-8 weeks at a time and while this is happening Emma and Bonnie will set up camp somewhere and wait for his return. We want to see as many of our friends and family who are scattered around the country as possible (and try to camp in your backyards to avoid caravan park fees...).

It all started a long time ago on a crappy Mowbray day when we decided we'd had enough bogans and bikies to last us a lifetime. The initial idea was to pack our bags and move interstate, but after some more thought and a few getaway episodes the idea of seeing Australia before settling down anywhere became very appealing. This would allow us to find the perfect place to eventually live, and also let Riley fulfill his dream of surfing every surf-able beach in Australia - perfect!!!

Fast-forward to April 2010 and the dream had become reality. Now, if only we could get off the island. After a few devastating phone calls to the Spirit of Tasmania we realised we should probably have been a bit more organised and booked some tickets a while ago... they were booked out till June. Luckily Riley called some seafarer friends and got us a couple of tickets on a cargo ship leaving the next day (thank you Matt!). It would mean sharing a ship with some stinky sheep and smelly truck drivers but we were more than happy to give up some luxuries in order to start our adventure. The hero of the trip was little Bonnie, who was camped out in the back of the car for more than 16 hours while crossing Bass Strait without going to the toilet or spewing! Yay Bonnie!

First stop on the "Mainland" was Geelong. After a scary drive on the freeway Riley managed to get us all to the "Eldorado Top Tourist Park" in one piece. First impressions of the caravan park weren't good. A lot of cement and a lot of old people.

Next stop was Aireys Inlet, a tiny town at the start of the Great Ocean Road (GOR). We decided to set up camp for 4 nights, and use it as our base for exploring the GOR. First impressions were great. Awesome weather, large green caravan park and within walking distance to the stunning coastline. We loved the next few days spent around the area, Riley got in a surf and we went for a few big walks and saw some beautiful little towns but by far the best part of this leg was our drive along the GOR to see the 12 Apostles. Even though the weather was a bit wet and windy the coastline was still absolutely amazing, like nothing we'd seen before. One highlight was Lorne, we all fell in love with the town but after seeing a few house prices we decided it wasn't really for us after all. We did however see a street called "Gay Street" which put a smile on our faces again. We went through a few weird/hick towns on the way to the Apostles but eventually we made it. We saw the Apostles from the look out along with 50 other tourists and was amazed at their awesomeness. It was a bit cold and for those of us wearing nothing but shorts and a tee, because it the "mainland", it was freezing. We then left and went onto a town called Port Campbell for lunch where Riley had a beef burger which could of quite easly won the Worlds Best Burger competition, but it was missing beetroot so it was given a 9.5 out of 10.

On the way back to Aireys Inlet, as usual, we were talking about helicopters. We soon realised that Riley had never been in a helicopter before. Emma was like "well if you were to go in a helicopter you would want to do it around some good scenery" then Riley was all like "well it doesn't get much better than the 12 Apostles" so we payed the nice helicopter driver to take us for an unforgettable trip above one of Australia's most famous land marks. Yeewwww!

Soon after we were forced to make a heartbreaking trip to The Dog House Pet Resort, where Bonnie would be living for the next week while Riley was doing a safety course in Geelong and the company paid for Riley and Emma to stay at the Mercure. The days were filled with study for Riley and wandering around town for Emma. The nights were filled with drunken antics. Georgie came out to visit for an afternoon which rolled on into the night and she had an early start to drive back to Melbourne for work the next morning (ouch). We also caught up with Dee and Leye for dinner and Riley's cousin Jo came out to play for a few nights too! Jo also spent a night on our hotel room floor and had a very early start the next morning (ouch, again). Riley boss's joined in our drunken fun one night and we all stumbled home at 2am together when the pub kicked us out. Highlight of Riley's week was Uni night at the Eureka Hotel when a drunken girl climbed on stage and proceeded to take her clothes off from the waste up, while grinding the microphone stand. Classy lady. (Awesome)

Finally, it was time to leave Geelong and start the adventure again. We spent one night in a weird town called Sale (who have mice in their Chinese shop - FYI) before making our way to Eden.

Eden was beautiful. The caravan park was called "The Garden of Eden" and it definitely lived up to it's name. Best caravan park ever in the world (from our extensive survey of 4). We had our own little section of the park and were only 600m to the beach. Went to the Killer Whale Museum, explored the streets and shops... and then soon realised we had run out of things to do. Sadly, due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to spend another 3 nights here while our car was at the car doctor. Lucky it was beautiful.

We are now up to date, as of 5 May 2010... we are still on the road but there is red wine to drink and beef strog to eat and we can't be bothered writing anymore right now... stay tuned for more adventures!!