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Russell's spaceDarwin to Melbourne "Thank you" Camel Expedition 2008-2009 Where we are and what's been happening?
Twins in Melbourne
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Local Councils and Shires contacted and involved in the expedition
Thanks for visiting! Make sure you visit www.childrenfirstfoundation.com/
kerrie cokleywrote:
Wow, William Creek. I would love to have seen the boys kick their heels up in the ol stomping grounds. Have been trying to get you on Friday nights. Hope you are well to talk soon luv yas
May 31
a positive place .wrote:
hello i just found this space !! wow i will certainly be back ! very impressive ! well done & keep on the good work !! i'm just a brit whose biggest wish is to travel and see australia ! (and meet proper aussies esp those in the outback !!) but this site is Fantastic !!
take care ~x~
Jan. 14
Tamara Konradwrote:
Hi there Russ and Ros and Neddy and other camels...well done you amazing duo! What an incredible achievement so far. All the best for the rest of the journey, take care of each other and of yourselves and have a merry christmas in Alice! Love from Feena, Tamara, Rohan and Brod. Give Neddy big sloppy kiss for me oxox
Dec. 12
Michellewrote:
Hi you two,
Congratulations on your great achievement so far. Love to you both and to all the four legged ones.
Give them all a big hug from me.
Michelle Fisher
Nov. 30
Gaylenewrote:
Hi Ros & Rus, well done. I am so glad to hear you have made it to Alice. You both now deserve a well earned rest, to get ready for the next led of your journey. Lots of Love Gaylene
Nov. 29
Miafiawrote:
Woooow!! Alice Springs!!!! You´ve been on the mowe for a looong time now. Not an easy Country to have a "walk about" in, he he!! Here in Sweden we been having coold weather with snow lately. But unfortunatly it´s melting away to get back to the grey and boring side of Swedish winter-weather!!
This is Sweden right now!! Take care and have a good rest now all of you, both humans and camels!!! Hugs / Miafia =0)
Nov. 26
lisa correntiwrote:
Hi Russ & Ros,
You are doing a fantastic job.
Good luck with the rest of your Journey and Take Care.. 
Nov. 25
ianwrote:
Go on.......Get
Love ya work guys, thinking of you all, miss yas, Feel the love dudes, Ian V
Oct. 13
hayleywrote:
hi guys,
wow what an amazing adventue, though hard yakka no doubt! the photos are fantastic, and are making me want to come back to Oz soon. All good here with us getting ready for the winter good luck with the rest of your trip love hayles and boys x xx
Sept. 25
Jenny Donoghuewrote:
What a great adventure and a fantastic way of getting the word out. I am a video producer with over 10 years years experience in the production of various film work including the ABC's Australia Wide show in 2007. If you do not have anyone producing your storyat this point please do not hesitate to contact me at creative.thinking@bigpond.com
Keep the dream alive!
Terry Darke
Sept. 13
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June 29 William Creek to MarreeHi everyone.
Russell and Ros here in Marree safe and well.
There have been so many adventures since we have written but I shall mention just a few which were quite unique.
The camels were part of a scientific experiment involving infa-red photography of camels from the air as a part of the investigation by the Government as to what to do with the feral herd of camels.
As you may well be aware, there are now over a million wild camels in the arid zone, (officially, 1.4 million) and they are doubling in number every 6-8 years. Ther environment will suffer greatly if this number keeps on multiplying without some form of intervention of sorts, keeping the number of feral camels down.
Some want outright culling activities to take place, as the Government is considering to spend scores of millions of dollars to become available to "manage " the feral herd. Many see this a huge waste of good quality, tasty meat in a protein deprived world and would like to see the money being spent on employment opportunities in Remote Aboriginal Communities where currently, employment and industry opportunities are extremely limited to almost non-existant, through mustering the wild camels for processing for local, national and international consumption and export bringing in income to not only the communities but the Australian economy.
Others, from an animal welfare point of view have argued that a cull is inhumane and a huge waste of a resource.
Some have a religious attachment to the animal and don't want anything to happen to the feral camels at all.
By taking arial photos of the camels, it may become easier to determine the numbers of camels in a given region
easier and therefore how to best manage the feral herd.
We travelled past Lake Eyre South. What a magnificent region, full of colors when the sun was setting . It is a region that is barren and harsh and the walking has been tough going, walking through powder like soil where you would sink up to your ankles with every step.
Along the way we met up with a group of Lawyers and Accountants who were volunteering their time and expertise to assist the people of Marree with legal matters and 'getting through the paper work'. Top, lovely people and we spent a terrific night with them at Reg Dodds Outstation.
Unfortunately, we did have an incident where Neddy got injured from hid hobbles swinging around his neck and banging into his eye and jaw during a rare and unusual bucking string session. That is where all of the camels are scared into uncontrollable bucking and for me the only safe thing to do is hold onto Wabi's noseline and "hide" from the tonnes of uncontrollable bucking camels. We believe it was Baci who started the bucking session and we have a couple of theories as to why it occurred. One thing is for sure, after such a scare, they won't be doing that in a hurry again as they do learn, it is not worth it. As for Neddy, he was swollen and sore, could still eat and the swelling had gone down in a couple of days.
Finally, we reached Marree where the local folk had organised a yard for the camels and bales of hay for them as well. Thank you ever so much to everyone at Marree. Especially Reg Dodd who had organised the yards and the hay. Marree, like William Creek, is flat out with tourists because of Lake Eyre having water in it and the explosion of bird life that goes with such an event. It's a great town with friendly people and an incredible history involving the Afghan Cameleers who operated the entire transportation system in outback Australia before the Ghan Railway line was completed and trucks became commonplace. The photos of the camel trains in the historical hotel are truely amazing.
Our next stop will be at Hawker and from here on end we will need to hook into some kilometers as we travel towards Melbourne. Our main issues will be somewhere to have the camels and camp for the night along the way which is behind a gate and wire for the camels safety and the travelling publics safety.
If everyone could pass the word out of our approach, if you know of anyone who lives along the route of.....
Marree-Peterborough-Renmark-Mildura-Echuca-SwanHill-Shepparton-Benella-Mansfield-Moe-Korrumburra-Leongatha-Frankston, please let them know of the expedition and if anyone they know who can assist us with this issue to keep a look out for the camel train.
The winds in the coming week are expected to get close to 50kms per hour from the west but we will keep on walking. Have to admit, neither of us are looking forward to such a tough week ahead of us.
On a final note, the donations for the foundation through the Bendigo bank are flowing in. Thank you everyone who has donated and for those who are considering making a donation to the Children First Foundation. We have raised aloing the road over $2000.00 from Alice Springs which is quite remarkable considering the remoteness of the region. Thanks to all of those who have kindly donated.
Take care and keep the Melbourne walk along Swanston Street to the Royal Children's Hospital from Government House at 10.00am on the 22/11/09 date in your diary. Its a walk to show all of our thanks to Moira Kelly and those with the Children First Foundation for changing and saving children's lives. We are still on track for this date with time" up our sleeve" for those unexpected incidents which can happen costing us time. Rain.................That is a show stopper for sure.
Love to all
Russell Osborne
Ros Consoli
The Darwin To Melbourne Thank You Camel Expedition 2008-2009
is acting on behalf of the Children First Foundation
and is
Proudly Supported / Sponsored By:
Special Thanks:
   June 13 Alice Springs to William Creek Hi Everyone,
Seven weeks after having left Alice Springs and we have reached the home of the camels, William Creek.
Mostly travelling along the Old Ghan Railway line and were quite isolated away from the road traffic.
 Along the road part of the journey we have met terrific people who have been terrific assistance to help Russ and Ros with this epic camel expedition to say thank You to Moira Kelly and those at the Children First Foundation.
 They got rain 100 kms from William Creek which stopped them in their tracks for 3 days.
William Creek is extremely busy at present with water being in Lake Eyre. Russ and Ros are assisting friends of theirs at the William Creek Hotel with the enormous volume of people in the region whilst the camels are having a well deserved rest.
 Their next leg of the journey will take them to Marree, which has a long history with camels and the 'Afghan ' camel handlers of yesteryear.
The Darwin To Melbourne Thank You Camel Expedition 2008-2009
is acting on behalf of the Children First Foundation
and is
Proudly Supported / Sponsored By:
Special Thanks:
www.dundeecamels.spaces.live.com
May 25 Alice Springs to Oodnadatta Hi everyone. Well we have finally made it to Oodnadatta with the expedition.
Travelling along the Old Ghan Railway line was incredible with so many stories and of course some incredible country travelled through.
The amount of work to create a railway line in such harsh conditions was a thing that was continuously on our minds. Most of it done created with the help of hundreds of camels and their expert handlers.
Along the way we have met some remarkable Australians......Jane at Maryvale, who works at the Art Centre There. What a beautiful person and her welcoming nature was awsome.
Wayne Williams at Hamilton station offered us some meat and a couple of beers. We sat around and chatted for ages. What a true gentleman with the old traditional bush spirit oozing from his natural personality.
Jane and Pete at Finke fed us with a home cooked meal and a terrific night meeting the locals. Terrific help and warm welcoming.
Thanks to you all.
It is the small things that mean so much when doing something like this type of travelling.
The word is clearly getting out regarding this expedition and with all of your help to pass this website address onto your contacts list is assisting enourmously. Please, if you haven't already done so, please do and spread the news of the expedition and of the fantastic work Moira Kelly and the Children First Foundation are doing in changing and saving children's lives.
For those of you who don't know, we have never met or even spoken to Moira Kelly but knowing of her life of incredible service to help children and the total dedication she has demonstrated, she deserves all of our support and genuine show of THANKS as a remarkable and exceptional human.
Our next stop is William Creek where most of the camels were caught and trained. They are going home for a brief stopover. It should be interesting to see their reaction as we yard them at William Creek. They were very excited here in Oodnadatta, bouncing around like Yo-Yo's in the yards that they clearly remembered. They are really enjoying their day off, eating, drinking and resting up in the sun.
So far, we are on target for our Melbourne date of the 22nd November 2009 from Government House 10.00am in Melbourne, down Swanston Street to the Royal Children's Hospital in Royal Park. The only thing that stops camel trekking completely in it's tracks is rain so we are hoping to have clear trekking weather. We will stop at the monument to Bourke and Wills and to our knowledge, we are the first expedition to be at that location since Bourke and Wills set off on their faiteful expedition, so there is quite a historical aspect to this expedition as well. We are planning to lay a wreath at the monument to the early explorers to pay our respects to them. Now we have only some understanding of some of the issues they went through, we know they were truely very gutsy people. Certainly hope you all can make it and walk with us through the city as a show of thanks to Moira Kelly and the Children First Foundation.
The fundraising is going well with the help of the Bendigo Bank. Donations to the Children First Foundation can be made at any Bendigo Bank Branch throughout Australia into the charity account they set up under the name.....Children First Camel Trek.
The target is $100,000 which will save and change children's lives. Please Give Generously. There is nothing more precious in the world than a child to be happy and healthy.
Take care everyone.
Feel free to write comments, add to the guest book of this web page.
All the very best
Russell Osborne and Ros Consoli
April 03 Alice Springs Departure FunctionWhat a terrific day. There were lots of people at the council lawns to see the camels and take photos.
 Bendigo Bank were just terrific and the staff of the bank raised close to $400 in half an hour. Thank you to all who were at the function and especially to Mayor Damion Ryan and the Alice Springs Council for their support.
    The walk along the Todd was terrific with many people driving past taking photos of the camels in their decorations and the actual walk through the Gap was terrific with a count of 64 people walking through the Gap at the same time sets an unofficial record of the number of people walking through the Gap at the same time.
  The route takes us from Alice Springs to Finke and then Oodnadatta being our next towns along the way to reaching the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne on the 22/11/09.
Thank you Alice Springs and all of the folk who have made donations via their local Bendigo Bank, the website and directly to the Children First Foundation. Keep it coming and lets get to the $100,000 target to help Moira and the foundation save children's lives.
Take care and hopefully see you all on the route somewhere.
Russell Osborne and Ros Consol
The Darwin To Melbourne Thank You Camel Expedition 2008-2009
is acting on behalf of the Children First Foundation
and is
Proudly Supported / Sponsored By:
Special Thanks:
www.dundeecamels.spaces.live.com
March 07 Departure Preparations From Alice Springs to MelbourneDeparture Preparations are well on the way for the second half of the Darwin to Melbourne Thank You Camel Expedition 2008-2009.
Over the summer months, we have been in contact with the shire councils and the response has been outstanding in support of the expedition. Also the service clubs en-route have offered assistance and encouragement for fundraising and awareness of the work Moira Kelly and the Children First Foundation do.
It has been a summer of much anxiety with the fires in Victoria, and our hearts are extended to all those who were affected by this disaster. I know that every Australian felt pain for those so badly affected. Australians ought to be proud of themselves for the speed and willingness to offer assistance and financial support in the manner we did. It is something Australians are good at....helping a mate in need.
We received a donation for the Children First Foundation via the online donation page at: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/darwin_to_melbourne_thank_you_camel_expedition_20082009 the other day from Streaky Bay Real Estate which I just have to tell you about.
Peter, the owner of the Streaky Bay Real Estate, added a link on his business website to this expedition website (as well as gave the Children First Foundation a donation via the website donation page). His business of course is selling real estate. You really need to check this out:
Click on the for sale button and have a good giggle.
He is a beaute bloke and we thank him and his wife for their support.
If you own a business or are a member of a club etc and would like to do something similar to what Peter has done, please do so and add this site as a link to your website, give a donation if you can and help us to raise the $100.000 target for the kids and assist us to spread the news of the expedition. The more people who know of the expedition, it's aims and objectives, the more successful it will be.
Not forgetting that donations can be made at any Bendigo Bank Branch in Australia into the Children First Foundation Camel Trek account. This is a closed account in that no-one (except the bank) has access to this account and the Bendigo Bank will present a cheque to the Children First Foundation at the end of the expedition with the donations collected. Let's ensure it's a big surprise by adding to this account.
Our aim is to do the kilometers during the first half of this years trekking and slow down as we approach Melbourne to ensure we are on target for the walk through Melbourne on the 22/11/09. As you can imagine, with camel trekking, some days are diamonds and some are stone. We will be in a position to inform you of our progress as we travel along with anticipated dates and times of when we will be in towns en-route. Please keep an eye on this website to know when we will be in your town en-route. Hope you can join us by walking through your town en-route as a show of thanks to Moira Kelly and those attached to the Children First Foundation.
22/11/09 10.00am Walk down Swanston Street to the Royal Children's Hospital
Put this date in your diary and make a committment to join us from Government House at 10.00am, travelling down Swanston Street through Melbourne to the RCH as a show of thanks to Moira and her teams. Let's show Moira and her teams how much Australians appreciate their work and efforts helping change and save children's lives.
23/11/09 Day at the Royal Children's Hospital
24/11/09 Walk out of Melbourne to Woodstock
25/11/09 Walk towards Kilmore
26/11/09 Walk to the Children First Foundation Farm at Kilmore.
Leaving Alice Springs is shaping up to being quite an event, thanks to the Alice Springs Council and many other organisations.
We will leave from the council lawns at 12.00 noon and travel down the Todd River. Our aim is to create a world first of number of people walking through the Gap at the same time with the camel train to show our thanks to Moira and the CFF.
The Heavy Tree Gap Resort on the south side of the Gap are putting on a function of which case the profits will go to the CFF. Everyone welcome.
We'll be in contact with regular updates of the expedition as we travel throughout the year.
Take care
Russ and Ros
Darwin to Melbourne Thank You Camel Expedition 2008-2009Darwin to Melbourne
Come with the camel train through the Gap, attempting a record number of people walking the Gap, at the same time.
The Darwin To Melbourne Thank You Camel Expedition 2008-2009
is acting on behalf of the Children First Foundation
and is
Proudly Supported / Sponsored By:
Special Thanks:
www.dundeecamels.spaces.live.com
Public folders  02 April
02 MarchAlice Springs Business Expo Camel Fever
25 July - 22 Aug Down the Famous Canning
Alice Springs and the Expedition Camels In the Gap
Alice Springs Recent Camel Photos
Alice Springs to William Creek
Blog Images
Camel Expedition in Alice Springs
Camel Training Walk Oodnadatta to Alice Springs 800km
Camels and Oodnadatta Track
Centralian Advocate
Darwin to Melbourne Thank you Camel Expedition 2008-2009
Darwin to Melbourne Thank You Camel Expedition 2008-2009
Darwin to Melbourne Trek Route
Fire Damage to the Children First Foundation Residence
Google Earth Camel Expedition Map so far
Heading Into Alice
Katherine to Timber Creek
Muster
My Blog Photos
N.T. News
Public
Route In and Out of Darwin
Russ, Ros and Camels
Sponsors and supporters
Springs to Oodnadatta
The Camels Are Ready
The Trek Camels
Timber Creek to Kununurra
Towards Alice Springs
Training Camels In Alice Springs
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