I tell you what my friends, I really do love living at bum truck nowhere but when it comes to trying to make plans during wet weather I could take it or leave it. Â We don’t have a plane based here which makes things even trickier. Â We have to rely on other people to fly the bores or get us the hell out of here.
As most of you will know (because I bang on about it all the time) we have 165km of dirt road… basically we have a 165km drive way. Â Of course when it rains you can’t drive on it without getting bogged up to your eyeballs. Â This means the only way out is by plane or chopper. Â We are supposed to be going on holidays this week which usually wouldn’t be a problem if our car was down on the bitumen or in Camooweal.
Usually we take our car out in early December to make sure it is all set to go for holidays and we don’t get trapped here.  But this year we were a little blazê about the whole situation.  So hence…. our car is still sitting in the shed, here on the station.
If we do have to end up flying out this won’t be a big deal… it will only add about $4,000 onto the cost of our holiday… no biggie right…. WRONG! Â Bloody hell, Tom has already bled my bank account dry getting him sorted for boarding school, then we have had Christmas… oh and did I mention that we have our car rego and insurance all due in December… that was poorly planned wasn’t it. Â Oh dear lord, it isn’t pretty my friends.
Flights out of Mount Isa are just ridiculous… I could do a round the world trip for the amount it will cost to fly us all out of here…. it kills me. Â Something really needs to be done… the flights are just so bloody expensive. Â It is about $425 just to fly one way to Brisbane. Â Sometimes if you are lucky and plan about 347 months in advance you might be able to pick up a $199 flight… but that is rare.
Listen to me bang on… sorry! Â Anyway, Mr Chardy has not given up hope of us driving out of here. Â He went for a drive down the main stock route the other day in the buggy in hope that he would be able to find a way to sneak around all of the water, but in the end they were pulled up by a good few km’s of water – everywhere! Â No way around.
Today he has gone out to our east on the Wine Road (the road to Mrs Savvy B’s place)… this might be our only hope… although it is 190km’s of dirt road going that way. Â Please cross everything for us.
At this rate I am going to have to start a Go Fund Me page just to fund our holiday, ha ha ha ha.  One of my friends – Eddie – said she would just hold a “Biggest Morning Tea” which would raise enough funds, ha ha ha … too funny!  Perhaps we could just hold a “BIGGEST HAPPY HOUR” instead.  How on earth am I going to be able to fund my Chardy habit if we have to pay $4,000 to fly out… that is just a dreadful waste of wine money!
So it is a real circus people, only there is no tent. Â We can’t make any solid plans because we just don’t know what will happen.
Georgie flew out yesterday, she was hanging back in hope that she might be able to get her car out but nope, she couldn’t. Â You see her Granny passed away on New Years Day so she HAD to get home. Â So can you even imagine… forget my holiday… #getgeorgieoutforgranny was far more important. Â Good old Granny, she obviously didn’t want to go out with the who’s who of 2016, nope, she wanted to start her own trend and waited until 2017, very classy Granny. Â I heard many stories about Granny and boy I would have loved to have met her, she sounded like an absolute legend. Â She was 89 – can you even believe it and lived in her own home for most of those 89 years, what a champ.
The plane came out and collected Georgie yesterday, she flew to Brisbane yesterday where she had to overnight, then fly onto Sydney and Dubbo today…. yet another circus.
We also put all of our luggage on board to get it back into Mt Isa in case we all have to fly out on Wednesday, this way we won’t have as much weight on board.
WHAT A CIRCUS!!!!
Stay tuned for #operationgetchardsout and I will update you tomorrow on the road situation.
Meanwhile… we (as in the Chardy family) are the only people left on the station. Â I really can’t remember a time when it has ever just been us here, by ourselves. Â I could wear my nightie around all day long and no one would know! (unless the Google Earth satellite took a photo). Â Don’t worry I am actually dressed, it’s ok.
How has your weekend been? Â
Are you on holidays? Â Please tell me all about it so I can live vicariously through you!
Gosh what a way to plan a holiday, however it sounds better than rubbish traffic we have to contend with at times. I hope you all get away before Tom starts boarding school.
Thanks Sandra, we will get out, might just be very $$$$$$$$$
Have my fingers and toes crossed for you Chards. We are currently ensconced at the Cotton Tree Caravan Park. Very low key and uber laid back!
Please give Georgie my condolences. I’m sorry for her loss.
A x
I’m hearing ya! We used to have our rego due in January, which was never very nice when your on holidays. So I just registered for 6 months to make it mid year and it’s so much better! We also pay our insurance monthly, so no huge lump sum at once.
Hope you can get the long way! X
Hope it works out and you can drive, I really do hate the thought of all that chardy $$ being wasted on flights!😊😊. At least it’s never boring at your joint! ! Good luck.
Fingers crossed here for you as well.
I am relaxing with my family at Mooloolaba and I am in love with the Sunshine Coast. You need to get here asap and get some chardy into you! Good luck. Oh and I really recommend the seafood at the Spit.
Mooloolaba is just the best isn’t it. Haven’t been there for quite a few years now but our favourite restaurant used to be Bella Venezia (or something like that) – so yummy and the best service. Enjoy yourself.
My fingers and toes are crossed for you all! I really hope you can get out and spend that $4000 on more important things…like wine and online shopping 😉
Ha ha ha ha, I know – priorities people!!!
That’s going to be an expensive holiday if you have to fly out …. fingers and toes crossed that you don’t have to!
No holidays here, as I have been back at work since last Tuesday …. all good things must come to an end I guess ….
I guess someone’s gotta work right?! Ha ha ha. Thanks… no one wants to waste good wine money on airfares.
Oh my goodness! I will cross everything for you!! xoxo
Thanks Kez!!!!
Dear Miss Chardy, I stumbled upon your blog via ABC Radio National, to which I have an addiction. I live in north east Victoria on 110 acres of beautiful grassy woodland and have a job in Albury. So I am not living in remote Aus like you but I am enjoying reading your posts. But I feel for you not being able to leave as planned on your holiday. And I am not sure if you really do want to hear about my holiday. So, please feel free to stop reading NOW or read on and then block me! You have been warned….
I am writing this as I eat my lunch of fresh baguette and salami, looking at the view across to the lower ski slopes of Meribel in the French Alpes. Because yes, we did (easily) get away on our planned holiday. I can’t believe how fortunate we are to be able to do this as a family. I would send a photo but can’t see where to attach it. Maybe it is best that I don’t.
This may make you smile….the tiny convenience supermarket in the accommodation complex is vastly different to its Aus version. It has all the necessities ….. including Moet bubbles for everyday enjoyment. I will toast you with my first glass.
Best wishes.
‘Ms Moet’
Oh hello there Bridget…. thank you so much for your message and yes – I definitely wanted to read about it… love reading and following along with other peoples holiday… how fantastic. Sounds absolutely amazing and what about that little shop – that is my kind of convenience store, very convenient indeed. Enjoy your holiday.
Feeling your pain Chards,boarding school fees and setup are horrendous without having to face the cost of flying out of the rip off capital of Australia. For the un-informed, there is no competition for flights so QANTAS charge what they like, much to the detriment of those who live up here. I’ll be prayin’ for ya chicky-babe.
Hi Mrs Rumbo, thanks!!! I’ve got everything crossed, we still haven’t given up hope.
Fingers, toes, eyes are crossed so you all can get out without spending extra $$$$$$!
Thanks Heidi!!!!!! 🙂
Hi Miss Chardy. If you aren’t frantically busy devising and implementing a novel way out for your holiday, feel free to look at our holiday blog (which actually began a few years ago, we just keep adding to it. But please don’t post it publically). You and Mr Chardy will devise a clever solution, I can feel it in my bones!
Best wishes.
Ms Moet
http://bdontour2015.blogspot.fr
Hi Bridget, wow, looks absolutely gorgeous!!!!Have fun!!! We have finally made a decision… we will fly out (hopefully tomorrow)… at least we won’t have to spend 3 days in a car with 3 boys fighting! Yay!!!