26 July 2011

join us on a road trip, Posie style . . .

Greetings all,
Road trips . . . with 4 children . . . they have never frightened me, even driving on my own, i just go.  My guys are brilliant 90% of the trip.  The first time i did the Pacific Highway drive from Sydney to Brisbane alone was 6 years ago, with a breast fed baby boy & 3 little girls, it was such a nice easy run dotted with road side wee stops in sugar cane fields (sorry sugar lovers).  Have to say, things haven't changed much with the wee stops!!  Travelling with young children on your own does look at tad like you're fleeing your husband or worse, i told one hotel receptionist i was visiting my husband interstate & she asked "is he in prison??"
We don't have DVD players, electronic gadgets or hand held things-which-go-beep, my guys have to read, do hand craft, draw or . . . talk & interact with each other pleasantly for car trip entertainment.  We're positively Amish - even my son has been doing car embroidery since he was 4 & most recently, finger crochet.  I have never put children's music on in the car, just left the radio on our station & load up the iPod with music.  Thanks to Rihanna, Avril, Veronicas, P!nk, Ke$ha, Brittany, Madonna & Kylie - our car was rocking along (clean versions of songs of course).  See how cool i am that i know it's P!NK & KE$HA??  Brittany is so damn catchy, even my high schooler pleaded for me to stop singing for 500km.
    
My husband drove up yippee, but i was banished from car craft sigh & surprisingly he wouldn't slow down so i could take a close up shot of the koala fencing - see how the vertical posts don't go the whole way to the top to support the mesh - this stops koalas from climbing over to become road kill.  Clever!!
 This is for possums to cross high above the road, although our children desperately wanted to give it a go, like an obstacle course or something Bear Grylls would use to get across a raging river in a gully/ zooming cars on a highway.
 Road trips should only include sandwiches, fruit, cheese & crackers, i'm quite the healthy bore when packing car snacks/ lunches - why give children sugar & hyper-inducing-junk when they have to sit still??  Junk is expensive & messy + my children can't open chip or biscuit packets (really, they can't, they fail at opening yoghurt containers too).  Anyway, i did sneak in these freckles from the roadside fruit stall in Macksville NSW, between 6 of us, we got a few chocolate+100s&1000s magic each.  Look everyone, affordable bananas!!
 The Pacific Highway bypasses most towns now, blink & you miss the view of Byron Bay.
 Before you know it, you're in Brisbane!! 
 Still trying to get the dream photo of our 4 children, all looking happy, natural, prefectly dressed, hair, background, lighting & of course, completely unposed & candid!!  This is Queen's Beach in Moreton Bay QLD, zero surf.
 When my husband drives, he's focused & determined, A to B in a set time, robot!!  Me, i'm like "oh hey, check out this sign, Emerald Beach, looks nice, let's stop here for a swim in our clothes".  I'm hardly bohemian but trust me, a good 45 minute play in a park or swim in the ocean "at a real surf beach" will buy you a good 4 hours of exhausted silence in the car.
 Beaches in Winter = freezing, it didn't stop them from diving in.  Children have a different thermestat to adults.  No idea why i didn't pack bikinis, i know them well enough that they'll swim at every opportunity??  Clever me kept fresh towels in the car & dry knickers.  I also ordered "no one tell me you're itchy from the salt water or this is our last beach stop!!"
 Bless her drowned-rat heart, she was blue in the lips but when i mentioned wrapping up into a towel & getting ready to leave, she ran right back out into the surf again.  So glad i stopped here on the way back (one beach north of Coffs Harbour NSW) as the rest of the trip was in torrential rain & zero visibility, i even aqua planed & was very grateful for the world's best tyres on my 4WD.  If Yokahama would like to pay for my next 5 Geolanders, i'd be thrilled to do a fascinating blog post on them - truth is, we still need a couple more new tyres but they washed away in the Tsunami in Japan.
I can not wait to go back up in Summer, this was so much fun & i allow a good 2 full days to do the 1300km trip each way from Canberra to Brisbane, i'm not trying to be a hero on the road.  I also swap between going inland & coastal.  Don't get my started on P Platers zooming past me.  Idiots!!  Happy road tripping people, love Posie

28 comments:

Brenda @ 13 Acres said...

wow-ee look at your gorgeous family soaking up some Brissy action!!! sounds like a blast and i love that your kids dive into the water regardless of temperature - same as mine (phew!)
xx

Rhi@FlourChild said...

Oh you're making me homesick! I did that Canberra - Brisbane trip many many times, between home and uni. I grew up in Murwillumbah - home of many cheap bananas and a whole lot of sugar cane! Totally agree with you on the snacks, and I love that your kids went swimming in their clothes - the stuff memories are made of :) A great post Posie!! x

The Provincial Homemaker said...

Wow thats quite the drive. We drove up from Melbourne to here but I don't think I would do it with a breastfeeding babe - that is a true undertaking. We are definitely flying to Darwin:)

Brr, I feel cold just looking at your kids in the surf:)

Unknown said...

no waves in Moreton Bay ? probably something to do with all the Islands blocking them from coming in from the sea! (That's why it's called a Bay love!)

checked your mail box yet?

and we'll definately have to have a play date next time you're up this way.

Sheridan said...

Emerald Beach! Spent most of my childhood summer holidays at the caravan park there! Bliss!

posie blogs Jennie McClelland said...

Oh yes, we get the whole Bay thing, the children just love SURF!! Living in Canberra, 3 hours from the nearest beach, we're trying to expose them to all sorts of beaches. My mother can't swim to took us to Balmoral Beach in Sydney to swim as it was so calm, thanks to Sydney Harbour. Personally, i LOVE a good bay beach as i'm the ultimate wave dumpee. Love Posie

Felicity said...

Oh my - you've boggled my mind yet again!

Love the joy in the last photo in particular - you really have a gorgeous family Jennie.

xx Felicity

IndigoElephant :: Sash said...

Affordable bananas...mmm! Looks like you guys had a great time!

Unknown said...

Miss Posie

I take my hat off to you!

No - seriously - I do!

you are amazing with what you do and with FOUR children (as if you didn't already know that)

Well done - I need to get me some of the Posie potion.

x

Loulou
http://hereiamloulou.blogspot.com/

mum2_3 said...

Hey Jennie, love reading your blog as usual and have just promoted your website on the Australian Navy Spouses fb page. Not sure if you do it these days but making the old wedding dress into a cushion or quilt. Anyways sharing the love.
The girls are growing like weeds.. Still as pretty as ever. Rory too .. bit of a spunk thingy going on.
ttfn, your Darwin neighbour Anna.

Sannah said...

Wow - what stamina you have! I feel tired just reading this post! And yet invigorated at the same time :) it looks like SO much fun. I managed to get the closest thing to the perfect natural photo of all three of my children together on the beach - all three of them decided to stand on a rock at the edge of the waves, and my husband stepped back out of the picture just in time for me to get a couple. I think I posted one of them at the beginning of last week.

Anonymous said...

Wow. That is awesome! It's been so wretchedly hot here it was nice to read about something cold, even if it meant your child's blue lips! ; ) It looks like you guys had a great time and ANY of the photos of your children in the water would be THE perfect photo.. Just beautiful.. :)

Thea said...

See you in Summer then. I learn so much from your posts. I did not know that koala fencing existed. We're suppose to be living in a koala zone but I've yet to see one outside the Lone Pine koala tourist attraction.

polkadotpeticoat said...

Incredible those waves were amazing.....what a great Mom you are to go on such a journey by yourself.....well your not alone!
you are a true memory maker, and your kids will pass it along...

TexWisGirl said...

i love the first shot of your 4 kids in the surf! just great!

Alannah said...

love your post. We will be driving from 600kms north of Brisbane to Canberra in October with two of our four kids. We do have portable DVD players, but no experience of driving much further than Brisbane since BC. Ideas for route would be appreciated. On the way down, were thinking coastal and staying at Gosford with friends. My kids also love to swim when it is cold! smiles

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed road tripping with our four kids too but I would never drive long distances...my mind shuts off! I can't craft while hubby drives either as it makes me car sick, but our children do what yours do and keep themselves entertained and while I would stop at everything that catches my eye, if my hubby is behind the wheel he just wants to get there asap.
Unfortunately number five hates the car with a passion so it's only short bursts in the car now.

Stacey said...

Sitting here in freezing cold Melbourne, the photos of your kids swimming in their clothes is making me even colder!
I love Brisbane. I haven't been there in such a long time. Well over due!

Unknown said...

Aren't kids funny when it comes to playing in water...I have a funny memory etched in my mind of my little miss 3 playing at the water park at The Entrance on a cold day - shivering, goosebumps and lips turning blue - but did she want to come out and get dressed into something warmer? No, of course not!!! Freezing or not, she didn't want to stop playing in the water! xx

Travel With Lulu said...

Looks like so much fun! Looking at your photos, I'd forgotten it was winter - everything looks green :). Those possum ropes - they have the same ones in Costa Rica for the monkeys - I love that

Leonie said...

Oh Posie I have done that same road trip on my own with my three children, but you are a lot braver than me. We had dvd players and Nintendos to keep them quiet. And lots of peppermints and wristbands for the car sick child.
I remember the koala fencing and the possum crossings. It is truely a spectacular drive . I loved it!!! And so many great places to stop for a rest.

Cath said...

Wow...what a fab time you had!!! Takes me back to the multi-annual driving hols from Central Qld to my grandparents house in Byron!!! Thanks for the lovely comments on my girls and their hats! I noticed you left a comment on Sara's blog willow&moo about Mollie Makes... yes it is a gorgeous read I just received my backissue copies 2 and 3 (sadly 1 has now sold out) and the regular sub should arrive early next week with issue 4! They have a launch special on at the moment for about $100 pa which is $50 cheaper than the normal international sub rate. Here is the link if you don't want to have to deal with your local and seemingly craftily uninformed newsagent! http://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/MMSP15/
Regards, Cathx

Mookah Studio said...

Oh, you know how I love a good road trip! I do have to say however, after driving from melbourne to brisbane and back again recently I was 'over it'! Oh to be back under those warm sunny rays again.....

Anonymous said...

The photos of your kids make me feel so cold!! And the locals would have thought they were completely crazy!

Growing up in Coffs Harbour, there is no way we would have been in the water at this time of the year.

Lovely to see the solitary islands in the background of your photos too.

Trip looks like lots of fun!

quilary said...

Jealous of your bananas - I haven't eaten one (do lolly bananas count?) for, it feels like years!

Tania said...

I totally agree with your kind of roadtrip. Though I do also quite like throwing those lolly snakes out the window for some bribery and corruption Evil Parenting...ahem.

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