Feb 2008 - Feb 2009

   Hi there, and welcome to our website to help track our life on the road around austraila!
The Crew
Firstly the main reason why we were able to begin this journey, Caroline (c.k.). Caroline was in charge from day one, without her I'd still be sitting in the office working out which way to go around oz. For the record, we are going the long way. Here's what Caroline has to say about travelling around with her two favourite boys...
Although the idea of travelling around Australia was always something Jim & I had always talked about, we suddenly realised that we shouldn't wait for the perfect time.  Now is the perfect time to take this trip because you never know what will happen tomorrow.  For me this trip is about living my life and not letting any excuses hold me back from what I want to achieve and experience.  Also important is that I need to work on my red wine drinking. Due to events of the past few years I've not been able to enjoy red wine as I used to.  Therefore this is an important goal of the trip for me and will require many hours of attention!!  
 
Next in line for promotion from the back seat to head out the window, Maximus CK. Max is our only family member that is attending this adventure, matter of fact he is our only family member! We have no kids so it's fair to say that Max gets pretty spoilt! Max is a 6 year old fox terrier, weighs in at about 7.5 kilos when he stays off the pizza and loves the beach, actually he goes banana's at the beach. A couple of years ago Max suffered an anterior cruciate tear in his right knee doing a pivot turn with twist away from a bigger dog that he was trying to take on at Port Fairy beach. After surgery and a long recuperation, Max is ready to take on the beach again, maybe even a spot of surfing (look out for those pics!) and bring on the bigger dogs. Max's interests includes, sleeping with a towel wrapped over him, licking, chasing after his water toy and smacko's. Here he is travelling in the car across the nullarbor, he just loved it!!!
 
 And coming in off the bench me, Jim, James or ..... (the family and friends know the rest!). I won't go into details, but anyone that knows me closely has some idea that the last three years in our life has sucked big time! Lot's of people have said "a change is as good as a holiday", well we tried a change, it was good but what we really needed was more than a change, more than a holiday, a life changing trip would turn out to be the solution. ck gave me a book a few months back, "Fat, Forty & Fired"...I'm no way near that but it certainly helped clarify a few of my priorities in life. Who would have thought that it was just the book to plant the seed to our life on the road. I will always take credit for coming up with the words "...were taking 12 months off and traveling around australia", but in the end it was ck's sneaky way's that ended up with us travelling. Nice one sweety! Anyway, still can't believe were doing this, hope you enjoy what I have to say in the blog section, life is a journey, we've just started our 'new life', glad you can be a part of it.

Life Checklist according to me...Geelong winning a premiership (done!), building my own home (long, long way off), and travelling around australia (underway, sweet!).  Oh yeah, there's heaps more but I can't tell you everything!

The CK?

Let me try to explain the CK thing. Last names, Colla & Kirby...can't agree which is better so we shortened to CK for our first family meber which Max has adopted happily. It all starts to get complicated when you get into Caroline's intials also being ck, so when you see big CK it's us, when you see small ck, it's Caroline. Quite simple when you think about it.
 

The CK OZ Trip Rig 

This thing is huge once setup!

Vehicle & Accessories

 2004 Subaru Outback 3.0R (white, bring on the dirt!)

- Tekonsha Prodigy Brake Controller - Haymen Reese Heavy Duty Tow Bar - 12v outlet to rear cargo area for fridge - Chescold 50L 3way fridge/freezer - 50amp Anderson Plug to camper off main battery - Isolation switches to stop everything draining our main battery - Emergency battery charger and air compressor (thanks to the family!) 

 

 Camper & Accessories

Camel Camper (www.camelgroup.com.au)

- Bushman Off Road

 - 13 Ft Tent Extension - 12 Volt 80amp deep cycle battery and battery box with cigarette lighter plugs + volt meter - Toolbox, Pole Carrier & Stone Guard - 2 * Jerry can holders & 2 * Gas bottle holders - 65L Water Tank & rear bicycle mount - Treg Hitch U Coupling trailer ball mount - Lots of locks on all the bits that can be opened!!!

 

  Drifta swing out DSO Kitchen mounted to tailgate (www.drifta.com.au) - thanks for your help Brian!

- Added 3 kitchen drawers - Wired electric pump, hose and switch to kitchen - sweet! - Coleman 2 burner cooker - Mounted small fire extinguisher - Non Stick Matting in all sections (CK's idea and handy work!) - NEW!!! Just added a new pull out draw from Drifta, awesome!

 

 

 Live life now, you don't know what's around the corner...

"I'm at home and at ease on a track that I know not, and restless and lost on a road that I know" - Henry Lawson