January 12th

The great overland journey begins!  We are taking off for Melbourne and more importantly the Australian Open tennis tournament.  For Robyn and I this will complete the second leg of our personal Grand Slam after we went to Wimbledon 1 1/2 years ago.  For me personally anything else we see or experience will be a grand bonus.  On our first day driving we made several stops including going to Wellington Caves and we stayed overnight in Dubbo.

This was a fun little park we stopped at enroute.  The little rocket in the foreground is just like one I used to play on in Belleville, IL that my grandma used to take it too.  I loved that park.  This one still stands but looks like it has been deemed too unsafe and been welded closed and the slide removed.  They have obviously built a bigger, better one in the background.

 Rob takes a turn down the slide inside the rocket.

The boys and Robyn were fascinated by this futuristic toilet.  You put your hand over sensors to open it , flush it, and to make the toilet paper come out, as well as it being self cleaning with jet water sprayers that clean the whole of the inside of it.

It ask played music while you peed.

 The Ford Territory with a tow trailer carried all 7 of us and our gear.

This is really some kind of interesting motorhome.  Wonder how long it took him to assemble this in his garage.  Notice the a/c unit self installed at the top back.  He had a satelite for internet, tv and an aerial for tv.  Quite outfitted.

Inside the Wellington Caves.  Robyn and Tucker.

 The Caves Bottle House.  Made out of, you guessed it, Bottles!