Statistics.

Nights away: 85
Stops: 40
Kilometers: 15,200
Litres per 100k’s: 11.4
Petrol prices: High $2.60 (Kings Canyon) / $1.41 (Adelaide) average $2.03
Van Length: 4.2m including drawbar
Van width: 2m including wheel arches
Steps: 908,877. Average 10,692 per day
Most flights climbed in a day: 54 at Kings Canyon according to my watch
Hi/Low temps: Coldest night – 2 degrees Alice Springs, warmest 24 Darwin
Coldest day – 11 degrees (a few places), warmest 39 Darwin
Most K’s in a day: ~579 Coober Pedy – Woomera – Spear Creek
Blessings: A number. I’m not a # blessed type of guy, but we did have some luck along the way.
- We missed the flooding on the east coast of NSW by two weeks, and at least one park we stayed at was closed due to flooding.
- Barkly Homestead was ripped apart by 295k winds a month after we were there, No injuries recorded there, but cars and vans were totalled with massive tree falls.
- Heavy rains in Port Augusta and Coober Pedy just after we were there. That would have been uncomfortable to say the least
- We were pretty injury free and in good health. Usual blisters, some strains but nothing too bad. I tore the cornea in my eye which was uncomfortable for a few days, but as we got to Darwin, got some appropriate treatment.
- The car didn’t miss a beat, and the van had some teething issues we were able to work through. Not breaking down was a blessing.
- The boys coming to Darwin so we could have a family holiday, and also Tim Minchin conveniently planning his concert on Linda’s birthday.
- Both us having our work allow us to take the time off.
Items lost: 2 – Soap container in the shower and a teaspoon down a drain. We recovered a map planning book on a return trip to Erldunda, and a missing stubby holder from there was found in my back pocket of the jeans, which I found when I put those jeans on again at the same place.
Number of unsolicited comments on my bulldogs camping shirt: Numerous. If you wear the shirt, you have to be prepared for the banter. People can’t help themselves no matter where you are. The funniest was in Kings Canyon a few days before the first final. This bloke says as he approaches “You guys haven’t had a good season this year, have you?” I was stumped for a comeback, as making the finals is generally a good thing. Then his partner said “That’s the AFL bulldogs, not the NRL ones you idiot.”.
Most frequent question asked about the van: "Do you really sleep in that?" So often. The most aggressive one was a lady in Adelaide when we had pulled up at the caravan park and Linda got out of the car to check in. “What’s that? Do you sleep in that?”. Linda said that we did and she told us we didn’t. Linda said we have for almost three months now, and she still insisted we didn’t. As Linda went into the office I told her that she was right and that it is a trailer for our clothes. “Ahhh, yes, I thought so”…..No lady, we do sleep in it.
Value of the trip: Priceless.