We were heading home.
Sure, it wasn’t exactly the trip we had imagined, but we remained excited to explore new towns on the way back… As long as we could concentrate enough to get ourselves there.
Dave’s head throbbed and I was a human tap. Still, the fact that we were on our way and the kids were contained in the back seats sure cut out some of the other difficult elements of parenting. Any win was a win at this stage.
To be honest, the kids were pretty amazing travellers, particularly considering the entire trip included no less than 40 hours of driving. Sure there were the fights that were scattered throughout: ‘he’s putting his pillow in my space!’ ‘he smiled at me!’ ‘he won’t let me into my seat without saying a password!’. But overall, they were content to sit in their spaces and entertain themselves. We didn’t even use movies that much this time (they watched ‘The Good Dinosaur’ until three out of the four lost interest) although the Switch was hot property when it came time for screens. We had an audio book going (‘The Ogress & the Orphans’) which pretty much took us through most of the journey. I had downloaded four in advance, just in case. Music was key. We began a ‘roadtrip playlist’ and kept adding to it along the way (‘Happy Together’, ‘Gummy Style’, ‘Following the Sun’, ‘Whoomp! There it is’ and ‘Turn Down for What’ being som of the favourites).
Bakeries were the go-to option for food, with pies and sausage rolls always hitting the spot. I think we visited every fast food joint as well during the trip – the drive-thru option being just a little too convenient sometimes. By the end of the trip, I never wanted to eat takeaway again. Dave bought a family-size pack of Minties, which lasted us the entire way up and back, with some still to spare.
It was fun travelling in convoy with Mum and Dad. Our entire itinerary was based upon their initial plans, which gave the route its shape and narrowed down the accommodation options nicely. We hadn’t booked anything past Armidale on the way back, however, and when it came time to do so, we quickly realised that most places had been taken (or wouldn’t accept single night bookings). Dave managed to find a few houses in Orange, Wagga Wagga and Culcairn, which would take us back within driving distance of home. In the end, it was easier for Mum and Dad to tag along with us, parking their van in the driveway of whatever place we were in, eating dinner together and playing boardgames. It reminded us of our trip to Camperdown just before Christmas.
The inland roads were a little different to the coastal highways, with plenty of potholes and bumps. Sometimes it felt as if we were lost in the middle of nowhere, with barely a town to be found for miles. It was tricky to find a place to swap drivers or have a toilet break, but the kids didn’t seem to mind!
Our first stop was Armidale – about four hours south of Newrybar. We marvelled at the exquisite town and its spires and cathedrals. Eli immediately declared he wanted to go to The Armidale School – the manicured grounds and historic buildings covered in ivy making it feel as if we had taken a detour through a town in England rather than rural NSW. Our apartment was small, but comfortable, and we unloaded our belongings in the rain. There was the usual ‘race around to claim a bed’ routine/debate, but in the end we worked it out. Dinner was homemade burgers and then ice creams from a little jaunt into town after dark.
In the morning, Dave went searching for good coffee and came back laden with a tray of flaky, decadent pastries. We took a quick trip to the shops to find Harvey some shoes (as we had somehow misplaced all of his along the way) and get the rest of the kids some new socks (perhaps there was a sock-shaped escape hole in their bags that I didn’t know about?).
This was the longest day of travelling (6 hours) since our initial burst to get to Sydney (8.5 hours), but it wasn’t too overwhelming. The route took us through a few more towns and we particularly liked Wellington – the kids and Dave stopping for a quick turn at the beautiful playground, while I ducked into the supermarket to pick up supplies for the next few days. The Easter weekend was almost upon us, and there would be limited options available on Good Friday.
When we arrived at the little bungalow in Orange, we were ready to crash. This place wasn’t my favourite. It was very small and missing some simple things, like bin bags and tea towels. Nevertheless, it was warm and, after we eventually settled the debate over who was going to sleep where, fairly comfortable. Mum and Dad picked up Indian curries for dinner and the kids had to sit picnic style on the floor because there wasn’t enough chairs.
The next morning the kids explored the nearby playgrounds and we took the scenic route through the town centre. Orange is beautiful, particularly in autumn with the saffron and ruby hues of the leaves. With a quick coffee stop, we were ready to be off again.
We booked to stay at Wagga Wagga for two nights. The house, located in the outskirts of the town, was a great base to explore from, and we appreciated the change in rhythm from not having to pack up and drive yet again. There were many games of Uno and Jenga to be had. Schnitzel was on the menu for the first night, and we hit the sack pretty early. It turns out concentrating for hours at a time on a country road can be quite exhausting.
The next morning we explored the town, trying to find an open Op Shop, but to no avail. We took the chance to visit the cinemas, after having not been able to go for months back home. We settled on The Bad Guys, which was reasonably entertaining. Perhaps more memorable for the kids was the huge buckets of popcorn and drinks that we splashed out on (thanks to Grandpa John) which somehow became our lunch as well! Dave’s headache was back with a vengeance afterwards, however, which saw us head home for a few hours of rest before meeting Mum and Dad at Wagga Beach that afternoon.
Dad splashed in the river with the kids and we sat on the sand, enjoying the last few rays of sunlight of the day. Our trip was almost over, but we were increasingly ready to return home.
The next stop was Culcairn, but we wanted to detour through Tumbarumba (the town where my Mum grew up) first. It was an odd feeling coming back to the place where we used to spend regular family holidays. So much was familiar, and yet everything felt different. We stopped at the bakery for our usual and then headed over to the beautiful park and playground which was right next to the river. Mum and Dad had left early so that they could attend church and catch up with old friends, but they joined us and we made plans of what to see.
There was the Tumbarumba Motel where Mum used to live with her family, making the beds and playing in the thicket of plum trees out the front. We visited Paddy’s River Falls, which roared thunderously and the kids thought it was epic to be (almost) behind a waterfall. On the way back to town, we stopped to pay our respects at my Grandpa’s grave, and then went on to check out one of the houses Mum used to live in when she was a girl. It was nice to be able to share the experiences and memories with my kids, given that they had never been able to visit while Grandma was living in the town.
We parted ways with Mum and Dad at this point – they stayed at a nearby campsite, while we drove a couple of hours south to Culcairn.
The Eco-Lodge at Orange Grove Gardens was small but cosy and Eli immediately fell in love with the three-legged sheepdog called Marley. The kids made a beeline for the play equipment and bounced precariously on the trampoline with no sides, declaring they preferred the lack of walls. There was a pool advertised and the kids got dressed into their bathers, until we got close up and realised it had clearly been a while since the water had been tended to, given the amount of weeds that had blown in….and the dead mouse in the middle. We quickly abandoned that idea and decided a bit of screen time before dinner couldn’t hurt.
Dinner at Culcairn Hotel was a novel experience, particularly given we can’t even remember the last time our family has gone out to a (proper) restaurant to eat together. The place was surprisingly lively for Easter Sunday, and we enjoyed the old-fashioned ambience of the place. Schnitzel and nuggets were the most popular choices for the kids’ meals, although Harvey broke with the trend to order an adult-sized pizza, which didn’t arrive until near the end of the meal, but he got to box up the rest and take it home for breakfast the next morning. Dave had the steak and I had crumbed lamb cutlets and we both enjoyed our dishes.
Waking up the next morning, I had a sense of excitement.
We were going home!
I couldn’t wait. A four-hour drive stood between us and being back in our own space again, with our own routines and furniture. We wouldn’t have to pack and repack but could just ‘be’. When we got near Beechworth, the bakery was calling to us, so we decided to take the extra 22 minute detour. It was worth it. I still think of the fresh Apple Turnover that I enjoyed, with fresh cream and flaky pastry (thanks to Hali for the recommendation!). The rest of the trip flew by and before we knew it, we were pulling into our own driveway. We made it!
Sure, the trip wasn’t exactly the epic heights of clarity and adventure that we had pictured, but we return with a newfound sense of groundedness. We’ve seen some of the expanses of countryside and quaint towns that make up this beautiful nation. Reacquainted ourselves with family, appreciating a greater sense of depth and familiarity. Survived the ‘horror’ virus (ie. annoying flu-like illness) that ground much of the western world to a halt for the past two years. Witnessed the stark difference in cultures between two neighbouring states towards the same virus (and associated issues). We drew closer as a family and made incredible memories together. Learned that even when you don’t live ‘next-door’ to your family, the depth of relationship you can create is only limited by your willingness to travel and extend hospitality.
I rediscovered that home is a special and precious place, particularly when you are feeling sick, and that there are many things I value. Routine, writing, yoga, meditation, cooking – all of these elements are a key part of my life, and much easier to implement when I’m in my own space. As soon as I got home, I was able to implement better health practices which saw my sinus infection improve almost instantly. Dave, on the other hand, who is still getting used to doing life as a homebody, took a little while to recover from his constant headaches (also caused by a sinus infection), but it’s safe to say he is on the mend now.
No matter what path is set out for our family in the years to come – what location, what type of job, what vocation – we know with absolute certainty that God’s ideas for our future will be good and allow us to flourish. We hold firmly onto the wisdom in Proverbs 3:5-6: ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all of your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.’
Let it be.
