The Last Post & Acknowledgements

In the 40+thousand kilometres travelled on this trip  I have had lots of time to think and I have often thought, especially in the last couple of months, about how I would finish this blog.

Firstly, I want to acknowledge this beautiful country of ours.

This trip has made me more patriotic than ever. I have always loved my country and knew of its vastness but I simply didn't appreciate just how vast or beautiful, until now.

I also have a new found appreciation for the hardships faced by our early explorers and settlers. During the journey I often wondered whether they got to appreciate the beauty of the country in which they'd arrived. It's harshness & vastness, coupled with the day to day challenges of landing in a foreign country, would undoubtedly have robbed them of appreciating the sheer beauty & diversity of this great land. There were no mod cons, no air conditioners, no cars, washing machines, electricity, need I go on. Put simply,  life would have been bloody hard work!

I have also realized that everyone who lives in Australia, no matter which part, has their own piece of paradise.

It would be an oversight if I didn't thank and acknowledge the many beautiful people, from all walks of life, that we met along the way. There are too many of you to mention by name but you helped add to the magic of the journey. I am so sorry if my husband kept you up well past your bedtime with his stories and travel tips. I am also sorry if your liver hasn't been the same since.

Next, I would like to dearly thank you all for reading and for coming along with us on what has been the adventure of a lifetime and at times, one hell of a ride (even with all the mod cons:-)

Knowing you were all reading and sharing in our adventure gave me the incentive to keep on writing. I hope you have enjoyed the read as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I know I will miss the creative outlet.

I may have to take up writing in some other form to fill the void. Who would have thought?

I also want to thank the main contributors to this blog... My three beautiful kids Jack, who can't help but lend a hand, Harry, who has grown into such a mature & confident young man and Nina, our ray of sunshine,  who wakes with a smile and goes to bed with a smile and my best friend & partner in crime, Richard. 

He is the one that dreamt the dream and then lived it. I want to thank him for his careful driving, superb reversing skills, his professional tyre changing abilities (he's had some practice of late) his ability to always see the good in everything & everyone and most importantly his unconditional love (even when my directions dont help him in reverse).

Thanks for making us part of your dream and for bringing us home safe and sound with enough memories to last a lifetime. 

Here's to the many more adventures ahead.

The places we've been!