Oz Trip - Epilogue

Oz Trip – Epilogue

After arriving home fairly early in the day we started the great unpack and clean up. We spent pretty much the first afternoon of being home just pulling everything out of the camper and Pajero. The following two days comprised of a lot of washing and cleaning. It was a bit sad wiping away the dust as it felt like you were wiping away all traces of the adventure. I have strategically left a few little reminders on the Pajero. After the two days of cleaning it was hard to believe that the vehicles had been where they actually had been :-(, they looked like new again! It was amazing to see them without the red tint of the dirt.

We had just under two weeks before we had to return to the real world, ie work! In that time after the clean up we had to drop the camper to Caloundra for a service, Jodie needed at bit of retail therapy at the Sunshine Coast, catch up with family we hadn't seen for 6 months and have a couple of days to wind down before psyching ourselves back up to get back into work mode. I unfortunately didn't get around to finishing as many blog posts as I would have liked in that time and it really slowed down once I returned to work. But they are now all done.

Here are some of the trip stats:

• Total Kilometers = 32,351 in 5½ months
• Fuel economy = av 16.24l/100km
• Unpowered/powered nights = 111 unpowered, 56 powered
• Longest stint without power = 21 nights
• Number of photos = 16,934 unsorted photos – about 150Gb
• 9 x 4.5kg gas bottle refills.
• Highlights – So many, but the standouts - Wilpena Pound, Chambers Pillar, Manning Gorge, Bitter Springs, Maree Pub/Muloorina Station/Oodnadatta Track, Wolfe Creek Crater, Territory Day in Darwin, Gunlom Falls, Mitchell Falls, Finke Desert Race - and probably a few more that I cant remember at this time.

For me it has been the realisation of a 5 year dream. An adventure that I am never going to forget, and unfortunately won't be able to repeat any time in the near future. Also a massive thank you to my fantastic wife, Jodie, for all of the help in planning and actually coming along with me to some of the far out locations that I dreamed up. She put up with a lot to say the least, and there are no words that can express how much that means to me.

Feel free to donate to the “Steve and Jodie early retirement fund” if you have enjoyed reading about our travels and want to see and read more. Arm chair travel, we'll do the travel, while you read all about it from your armchair :-)

We hope you enjoyed following our adventure as much as we did living it!

Until the next one

Steve and Jodie

A nearly complete tracklog - The GPS filled up so there are some gaps in the log :-(, but you get the picture.

PS I am not “The CARP” and am still none the wiser to who he is. I will forever be on the lookout for his mark!