Epic Road Trip

One of the things I always told myself I must do before I leave Australia is the Kimberleys.  When I worked in Darwin last year in a restaurant, so many people said to me "you haven't seen Australia until you've seen the Kimberleys".  So when I flew to Broome it was always my intention to drive to Darwin via the Kimberleys before flying home.

The Gibbs River road is a dirt road so I knew I'd either need to find a lift in a 4WD or hire one.  When I found out that to hire a 4WD, all I would need is $200 per day (cough) I started looking into other options.  Hannah also wanted to head up there so we looked into getting a relocation vehicle or lift shares!  When we called standbyrelocs there seemed to be loads heading that way but we were told we couldn't book until a couple of weeks before we wanted to leave.   I was itching to leave Broome.  I did like the little wild west town but I don't think I ever really saw what others did about it.  Maybe because I had high expectations or maybe because I went there straight from Byron Bay.  Either way, quitting my job and heading up north was NOT coming around quick enough.


We managed to book a relocation leaving on 16 July, and we would have to return it in 6 days.  Number 1 rule of hiring a relocation 4WD is "don't drive it off road"!!!  Yeah right!   With the car booked and my notice handed in at the travel agent I was working at in town, I was getting over excited!  My job had grown on me....well, my boss had.  She was really great and I had felt really bad about not sticking around as long as I promised.  I even started to fall in love with Broome in the last weeks, once I knew I was leaving.  It is a gorgeous place, I think I just went there when my head was elsewhere!

A few days after confirming our relocation booking, I had a phone call (at 7am on a Sunday morning can I add) informing us that the vehicle was no longer needed in Darwin and therefore they will be cancelling our booking.  Me and Hannah went full steam ahead with finding an alternative, with both of us ringing the same company every morning asking again and again if they had anything for us.  They offered us a non 4WD but there was no way I was missing the whole reason I was driving that way!  Just under a week before, they called us and said they had exactly the same deal for us.  Same dates, same vehicle but with a slightly lower fuel allowance!  "We'll take it!"  The hire works out pretty much free and all we had to do is pay for fuel.  And with Fabien, a German guy who had recently moved into the campsite now joining us, we were looking at a cheap trip!

I got some tips from my boss on the best places to visit and after getting over a few hurdles like my driving license being out of date and me needing to be in Darwin for a certain date for a hospital appointment, we were all set to go.  With just one legal driver, but all three of us keen to get behind the wheel, we were already planning on breaking a few more rules!!

Minutes before we left, I had to have my last swim in Austrlian ocean.  I ran to the beach and jumped in!  Looking out towards the white sands and the sun rising over the dunes and floating in the refreshing turquoise water, I realised how strange it felt to be leaving Austrlia in a week, after it being home for me for 2 years.

We did have a few days of constant driving but with Hannah happy crocheting in the back the promise of jam and peanut butter sandwiches when we stopped, everybody seemed to keep themselves entertained.   We had some gorgeous walks around the Bungle Bungles and my favourite, El Questro was sooooo beautiful!  We had a 3 hour trek across HUGE boulders and having been advised to wear good footwear, me and Hannah struggled a little in our flipflops or bare feet!  We waded through waist deep waters and climbed up vertical rock faces before arriving at a fresh water, croc free, waterfall and pool.  We slept well that night!


Putting up the tents as the sunset and getting dinner cooked by a chef every night wasn't a bad end to each day either!  Living by the sun always feels so natural so after dinner, we were generally tucked up by 7 or 8pm.  Waking up in the same tent as Hannah every morning was a laugh a minute!  She never stopped cracking me up and she would even wake up laughing!  I'd open my eyes and she would giggle.  Waking up laughing is fully recommended!

So with the journey coming to and end and the last day spent at Berry Springs, just out of Darwin, we started to plan our last day with the 4WD.  Having driven her on bumpy dirt roads and through deep water by somebody underage and somebody with no valid license, the rule breaking was going really well! 

We arrived in Darwin and dropped all our bags off at hostels and friends houses and headed to the hospital to get my chest x-ray.  Luckily, I had been sent to the private hospital, so I was quickly in and out with a promise to picking up my results later that same day!  So I jumped in the car and off the three of us drove to Spotlight!  For those of you who don't know what it is, you are missing out more than I can explain!  Spotlight is everybodies dream, no matter on gender or age!  After that we did some op shop shopping before returning the car to Britz and heading out on foot once again!  We all had our first shower in quite sometime and headed out for a drunken night on the town.

It was great to catch up with friends and Darwin was just a brilliant as I remembered, if not better.  I was pleased to learn I do not have TB!  An added bonus to the trip!

My last few days were really sad, not only did I have to say goodbye to people, new and old friends but I was leaving Austrlia.  My time was coming to an end.  Wow, what a few months of change.  Selling Bumbles, leaving Ron, leaving Byron and travelling alone.  Now leaving Australia and the lfestyle I've known for what seemed like a while.  But Holland here I come!!!!!!!