Chitty flies home

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  Caloundra, Queensland, Australia
Monday, April 28, 2008

The day has finaly come (Sadly) We had booked our Container from Strang Internatioanl shipping in Brisbane and arrange a space on the ship bound for the UK. We arrived into Australia at Perth in January, Ater crossing the continent from west to east and standing out like a sore thumb the media attention finaly caught up here! The Sunshine coast daily tracked us down and took some great photos, on the back of this we were contacted by TV, Radio stations for interview after finding out telephone numbers via the UK!
Then the Newpaper rang back to organise another photo shoot with an ex pom living up the road. Bob had emigrated twenty years ago after starring as one of the urchin Children at the end of the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang film. He was the ginger kid on the bottom left of the screen (I am told) putting pay to the Child Catcher! After a nice cup of tea and a few more photos we took Bob for a ride in Chitty. He had seen the original car on the film set but was never allowed to touch it,so we had made his day

Dicky beach & SSDicky

! This all took place the day before we were due to drive chitty down to the port. Spending most of the day polishing Chitty ready for a four week journey in a container we made shure she was spotless and most importantly dry. Well It rained! all the way to Brisbane it Rained, but not just any old rain, sideways cyclonic whirly rain. and guess what we hadn't put the doors on! Doh!!! Chitties poor little one windscreen wiper couldn't cope, we could'nt see a thing, if fact there was as mush water on the inside of the windscreen as on the outside. Our coats packed away we were soaked to the bone through our fleeces and very cold but worst of all Chitty was now soaked before packing. fortunately the shipping company was in no rush and we had plenty of time, We parked up close by at a small tea garden for a qucik hot cup of tea. People can over to look and one man from the house opposite was very interested. I explained about the rain and the shipping and he kindly returned with a chammy and a new bag of cotton rags (nice bloke). On arrival at the shipping office they gave us an hour of so to dry, clean and polish before we sealed the container. Once all done the phone went off for a live phone in on Brisbane radio, A great chat about the car and our trip. Then again another radio station and then the TV all wanting to know where can they see the car! We want photos and would love to film the car they all said, Where have you all been I thought. The shipping staff kindly took us to the train station where we caught the train back up to Caloundra and Dicky beach where we were planning to camp until we fly home. We sat on the beach the next day and watched the container ship carrying Chitty sail past and it was full of mixed emotions. We still had four weeks to enjoy Australia but Chitty had gone. Carolyn and I have had the time of our lives with Chitty and can't possibly get home before her so we have booked our flights to arrive when chitty does so we can complete our adventure by driving Chitty home to the Isle of Wight. Whatch this space...........

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Bob the Ginger kid Emily & us	Caloundra boardwalk	Chitty sealed in a blue box	Srang shipping for loading
Drying off after rain	This place rocks!	Carolyn thinking of work! not really	I saw this Pelican crossing!
Dicky beach, camping close by	messing about on the water	Camp view	Just another day on the beach!
Chitty sailing past bound for home	Carolyn all at sea	Riding with bob the Ginger kid!	Home!
Chitty and the Ginger kid!

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