National Lampoons Chardy Vacation Part One: The Northern Territory

Home, Devils’ Marbles Hotel, Mt Riddock Station & Alice Springs

Our holiday is well and truly over now but I thought it was high time I shared our Aussie road trip with you all (well mainly I just want it as a record for myself). So here is the very belated road trip – part one.  Ok, so I did actually start typing this post while we are on holidays, so here it is…

We basically did a bit of a loop around half of Australia.  Quite a big road trip and for weeks before we even headed off I kept telling anyone who would listen in my family that it was going to be just like National Lampoons Vacation.  You know the one – where the Griswold’s drive from one side of America to the other to go to Walley World. Sparky, Ellen, Rusty and Audry – but it was us.

The boys would get so annoyed because I kept singing the theme song – Holiday Roooooooaaaaaaad.  I mean – how embarrassing for them.  So off we went – packed to the hilt because: 5 people and one going back to boarding school.  We left home on New Years Day in 42 degree heat. Our road trip looked something (well exactly) like this…

Home – Devil’s Marbles
Devil’s Marbles – Mt Riddock Station
Mt Riddock – Alice Springs
Alice Springs to Coober Pedy
Coober Pedy – Port Augusta
Port Augusta to Adelaide
Adelaide to Victor Harbour
Victor Harbour – Melbourne
Melbourne to a farm somewhere near Berrigan on the NSW/VIC border
Farm – Mudgee
Mudgee to my Sister’s Farm near Gilgandra
Gilgandra – Brisbane
Then the home straight:
Brisbane – Roma
Roma – Julia Creek
Julia Creek – Home

Oh boy I am puffed just typing that. ha ha ha. But seriously, it was such a fun road trip – not sure that the rest of the family will agree, but I loved it.

Until we got to Victor Harbour we only spent 1 night in each place. Mr Chardy did not huff or puff once about pulling ALL THE BAGS in and out of the car at each place and he can pack that car within an inch of it’s life like some sort of tetra bag stacking ninja.

Oh and we have also turned into tight arses. Has only taken 13 years but gee it has been good. For the whole trip (and I am talking 8,500 km’s) I have had this little esky at my feet with food in it.

Not junk (ok maybe one Freddo as a treat and maybe 1 popper each) but good food. I was determined that we wouldn’t be living on roadhouse food. You walk into a road house and if you take the kids you don’t come out without spending a minimum of 30 bucks.  And that might be just for a few ice creams and a few drinks. On the first day we arrived at the Devil’s Marbles Hotel and Mr Chardy said “ok, kids, are you ready to see just how tight my arse really is”… oh it was too funny, although I don’t think the boys were all that impressed.  Turns out it makes life so much easier when you don’t give the kids options, what is in the esky is what they can eat – simple. Why, oh why has it taken me 13 years to realise this???  We have also been grabbing stuff from the supermarket like a bbq chook, cold meats some poppers as a little treat and we will just pull up at a park or a rest stop and have lunch – not at a roadhouse where they want ALL THE STUFF.

It has been really good and I tell you what – those BBQ chooks don’t stand a chance when our family are hovering over them.  Easy way to feed the family for $7.90 too!  Anyway turns out the tight arse way of life has actually made our life easier – who’d have thought.  If only I realised this 13 years ago. Yes – DD you were right. You know you always are and that it takes me a while to catch on.  Reminds me of the tight arse family holidays in the blue Kingswood as a kid and I seemed to survive.

I can’t believe I am going to say this about driving from one place to the other day after day, but it has been a really fun trip.  The kids have been so good.  Often we don’t even have the music playing because the kids “want to talk”.  It has been so good.  Once Clancy’s DS runs out of charge he just has to deal with being bored and as I tell him “not my problem”.  Of course there has been some silly business going on – there are 3 boys sitting together after all, but on a whole everyone has been really happy and having fun.

So – the Northern Territory.  This is what went down…

We only made it to the Devil’s Marbles Hotel on the first night because we didn’t get away until lunch time.  But having said that it was quite a big trip, probably around 6.5 hours.  The kids only got out of the car once and that was when we were fueling up in Tennant Creek.  Of course Clancy wanted to spend all of his money there and then but I managed to control him.  I told them if they wanted anything here they would have to buy it themselves (oh aren’t I so mean).

Then it was onto the Devil’s Marbles… we did a bit of sight seeing and by sight seeing I mean we drove around the Marbles and took photos from the car – it was way too hot to bother getting out.

Then onto the hotel about 10km’s down the road.

This hotel is really a diamond in the rough.  We were pleasantly surprised.  I highly recommend this place, modern, clean, pool, beer garden, beautiful meals and cabin accommodation.

Before we left home I thought … hmmm maybe I should pack Clancy’s little swag in case we have trouble finding last minute accommodation for us, and I tell you what my friends, it is a good thing I did because that swag was worth its weight in gold.  He only slept in a bed about 3 times the whole trip.  Turns out it is quite hard to get accommodation for a family of 5 at the last minute.  The only cabin we could get at the Devil’s Marbles Hotel was quite small with a double bed and bunks, ok it was tiny.  But it was super clean and all we needed.  There are 2 larger brand new family cabins but, of course, they were booked out.  So, with our new “tight arse” approach to life we embraced it.  We were even going to be super tight and cook our own bbq at the camp kitchen.  But, we opened the door to the cabin and it was boiling hot in there – 6:30pm and it was still 42 degrees, so we turned the air con on and headed straight to the bar for some cold beverages and dinner.

Once we put Clancy’s swag down on the floor there wasn’t really any room to move.  The next morning Mr Chardy announced “ok, one person up and dressed at a time, that is all we can fit” ha ha ha, oh it was too funny.  But we survived and had fun.

Next day we were off to our friends station – Mt Riddock, a couple of hours north east of Alice Springs.

This is Gabby – our welcoming committee…

And what a gorgeous stay we had, of course there was bubbly on arrival – of course there was!  This is Bec – did I tell you that Bec and I are travelling to New York together this year?  Well we are – and we can’t wait.  You see we have never left the country and our husbands have no desire to leave so we are going together and boy it is going to be fun.  I reckon we could pass as sisters…

The country side and scenery was really something.  I mean it is just a treat for us to see hills really.  They took us up onto one of the hills for sunset wine and cheese.  It was absolutely beautiful.

This is Immy – talk about “Outback Chic” … jumped out of the pool, donned her dress and ready to hike up the mountain… what a girl!  Boots and all.  Ready for anything…

The next day was a very quick trip in the car to Alice Springs.  Not even 2 hours in the car.  Easy!

Remember how Clancy fractured his arm (up near his shoulder) just before Christmas.  Well they told us we needed to have it checked and x-rayed in 2 weeks… great I thought, we will be on holidays.  So off we went… to Alice Springs Hospital to sit in the ED for a couple of hours… nothing is fast is it.  But I must say we were in and out within 4 hours, so I guess that wasn’t too bad.  Sitting in Alice Springs Emergency isn’t a hugely pleasant experience but Clancy managed to survive.  Mr Chardy wandered the streets with Tom and Harry and as soon as we were out we took Clancy to Macca’s for 24 Nugs.  Then it was off to the McDonnell Range Holiday Park where we were staying for the night.

The boys were so excited about staying here because they had a new waterslide that had just been put in and they had seen the ads on TV.

They had a lovely afternoon and our cabin was perfect.  It is such a great caravan park, perfect with kids.  Clancy even managed to score his own bed here but then we realised there wasn’t any sheets for his bunk, so the swag it was.  ha ha ha.

Next morning we got up,  Mr Chardy packed the car and off we went.  Bound for Coober Peedy.  So it was goodbye NT.

As we were leaving the NT we stopped at the boarder and had some lunch.  So yep, you guessed it, the next post will be all things South Australia, not that there was a whole lot to see until we got down near Adelaide.  But you will just have to wait.

Over and out.