gonna ride the dinosaur train

Once upon a time, it was an annual tradition. We’d hook up the camper, load the car with kids and toys and snacks, and hit the road the first weekend in July to escape winter and head north chasing the sun. The last time we did it, in 2017, we went as far north as we possibly could – all the way to the very tip of Cape York. Then, in early 2018 we bought our property, and all holidays turned into farm stays as we got gardens going and house plans started and spent our spare time wandering through vineyards and forests.

In the seven years since we last went, every time we talk about a long weekend or a little getaway, and we ask the kids where they would like to go, the answer from Mr15 is always the same. Richmond, to go dinosaur digging. After spending all of last years holidays painting the house, this year we were keen to get away, and we decided the perfect way to spend our final family holiday before Mr17 flies the next for uni, was to return to that old tradition, and head off in search of dinosaurs and sunshine.

For two weeks, we drove through the outback. We visited almost every dinosaur museum we could find – Eromanga, Winton (by two), Richmond. We took the plane obsessed Mr10 to the Qantas museum. We panned for gold and soaked in hot springs, and spent time with friends and family before wrapping up with two fabulous days on K’gari.

Normally, when we take a camper trailer, I have a whole crate I can jam thirty million craft projects in, and drawers for clothes and extra space to stash all the everythings. This time, we decided to skip the camper and instead stay in motels and cabins. Fine, in theory, until it came to the packing. We are a family of six, which means the main cabin of the car is full of people. Luggage goes up in the roof pod, and it was so fun to pull out our matching overnight bags that have been the mainstay of our trips for almost a decade now.

They were the perfect size for our two week trip, and the colour coding continues to work a treat. Mine (the purple) does need a couple of running repairs but overall they’ve held up well with all their travels.

The next problem, then, is what is a crafter to do when space is limited? After much deliberation, I managed to narrow it down to cover as many options as I could. Starting with my camera backpack, I packed my camera with a 35mm and 85mm lens, and then smushed as much as I could into the top section.

I set myself a challenge to knit a pair of socks start to finish during the trip, so into a drawstring pouch went two balls of yarn (one an undyed I’ve had floating around for ages, one leftover from my bookish knitters society shawl), two sets of circular needles, stitch markers and an old favourite pattern printed two-to-a-page to turn it into an A5 travel sized pattern. I then packed up a pencil case with a mini journal, note cards and art cards, and a second pencil case with the basics for art journaling – a travel watercolour palette, two brushes, two black pens, two neocolour crayons, a lead pencil, two watercolour pencils & two normal coloured pencils, rounding it out with scissors and glue. Into the bag they went along with my favourite Sakura Koi watercolours. To round it out, I popped in my writing book and my kindle (the cover hacked to include a loop for hanging to allow me to read as I crafted), and maybe sort of snuck my iPad and a couple of books into the glove box, despite telling the children they could only take what fitted into their backpacks and not a single thing more.

It was such a wonderful trip. My personal highlights were the Cunnamulla Hot Springs, and the catch ups with loved ones along the coast; with honourable mention going to K’gari and standing in the waters of Lake Mackenzie.

Coming home is never easy, and doubly so when you go from shorts on the beach to snow watch within 48 hours. But we’ve survived the cold snap and the thirty million loads of washing, and now planning can begin on our next trip!