I know a tad late starting this but Facebook won't let me load all the photos I want to so here is a brief overview of what we have done so far.
We sold up and moved into an 18ft off road caravan, drawback- no internal toilet and the wheel arches get stubbed often [by Ted]. We are officially 'Of No Fixed Abode' according to the electoral commission.
So far we have been to Moonta where I played in the last 12 of the state Champion of Champion Pairs with my partner Margaret. We didn't get any further but we did make our opponents earn it. From there we travelled up the Stuart Highway to Alice Springs where, again it is green. One day I will see the red centre Red.
After a brief stint in the shops for necessities [and chocolate] we made it out to Gemtree Caravan Park on the Plenty Highway. Our intentions were to go to a station a bit further out and work for a few months but their plans and circumstances had changed and they no longer had a place available for us. As luck would have it Gemtree were looking for a willing worker or two and we have propped here for the season.
What have I learnt so far,? well I can now use an eftpos machine easily, I can do Basic card sales, I still hate the fuel machine but have a better working relationship with it. I can make scones and I can make damper. Big gains all round.
Ted does the wood for the donkey and stokes it every day at 2 for the afternoon rush. Gemtree caravan Park is 70k's on the Plenty Highway towards Queensland. Still on the bitumen, and it caters for fossickers. There is a zircon field 15 k away and their garnet lease is 30k away,. Gemtree offers tag-along tours where they provide all the equipment needed, a tour guide leads the tour out, shows people what to do and how and where and then the tour guide comes back to the park and leaves the fossickers out there to come back before 2 and then get their stones sorted and graded. Gemtree also offers garnet buckets. Camp oven roast Wednesday and Saturdays with roast beef, potato, pumpkin, onion, cauli and broccoli with a gravy to die for, then Kate gives a talk on how her family came to be here, her boys are 5th generation Plenty Hwy kids.
Friday nights is baked spuds with the works followed by Paddy melon bowls and Sunday night is fish and chips followed by karoake, so something most nights.
The night sky is beautiful and the quiet when the generator is off is amazing.
This is a great chill out place that doesn't cost the earth to stay at.
