Life is a journey, not a destination.
And boy have we been on one long journey!
The update:
We finally received our tray and canopy last Monday from WA and were so ecstatic to have progress after what seemed like months of waiting.
However we hit hurdles again pretty hard – our water tank is half the size we anticipated, and some of the original specs hadn’t been completed by our fabricator due to hitting the extended time barrier.
Our friend, Ivan at AluCab NSW, helped us immensely by lending us his workspace and forklift – the back of our ute was removed, and the new tray and canopy installed.
However, when driving the new setup home, we knew we had so much work to get everything setup and running. The overall build is really solid – but for our trusty steed to be our home and lifeline for the next 3 months, we needed to invest.
Johny and my Dad have been working 15-hour days sorting out existing issues to the tray and canopy and starting to install our extras: battery management system, inverter, solar panel, pump wiring, lights, roof top tent, awning and everything else that’s going to keep us self sufficient.
This has been a mammoth journey – and one that hasn’t been easy.
So what now…
Due to the massive extension of time in the prep, we are preparing to shorten our overall trip. We’re both sincerely disappointed about this, however the dream is to chase the sun over the west to the Kimberley’s and we’re focusing on the positive.
Cape York and Arnhem Land will have to wait for another year.
What we have learned, is our drive and passion for sticking to our plan is greater than defeat. It’s been an arduous (and somewhat embarrassing) time, but through all of it, we know the reward will be staring up at the Milky Way without a cloud in the sky and knowing it was all worth it.
We are really grateful for everybody’s support and well wishes and we look forward to posting our first departure photo very soon!
Big shout outs to my Mum and Dad for endless support and help in getting us up and running (both physically and mentally!).
Also big shouts to Ivan at AluCab NSW: if you’re needing a new shadow awning, he’s your man.
Dreams do come true.
But only if you work for them.
The Cooks.
TotallyCookd. 