The final leg.... Mandurah - Albany (24/6/12)

Today marked day 250 and also the final day of our amazing adventure.  We left Mandurah around 8.30ish, destination - home.  An accidental detour took us home through Donnybrook and Manjimup instead of Collie, adding a few extra kilometres onto our trip. What's a few extra kilometres when we have driven almost 38,000 kilometres in the last 8 months!

As we drove the 430 kilometres home, we had a mix of emotions.  Sadness that the most amazing eight months of our lives was at an end; happiness that we had such a wonderful eight months of family time exploring our beautiful country; excitement at seeing all of our Albany friends; dread at getting back to the "normality" of life - work, housework, school....; joy and gratefulness for the many many wonderful memories we had created; fondness for the many lovely people we had met along the way and the wonderful friends we have made; and anticipation of getting home to all things familiar, especially our toys and beds (Chloe & Ben).

So many people have asked us what our favourite place has been.  This is really hard to answer as we loved so many places.  Some highlights though were;

- The Kimberley's - the remoteness and the natural beauty, especially the Bungle Bungles, Emma Gorge, Broome (Cable Beach), Cape Leveque, Derby, Bidyadanga and Quondong Point

- Karijini  - one of the most beautiful places in the world

- NT - Darwin, Litchfield, Kakadu (especially Ubirr - absolutely magical), Katherine Gorge, Ayers Rock and Kings Canyon

- Queensland - Rainbow Beach, Fraser Island, Airlie Beach, Camooweal and the Gold Coast (kids)

- NSW - Sydney, the coast, especially northern NSW, Lake Conjola, Wallaga Lake and the Snowy Mountains, especially Jindabyne, Thredbo and Charlotte's Pass

- Victoria - the Great Ocean Road, especially Port Campbell and Apollo Bay, Barwon Heads, Phillip Island (kids) and the Alpine country, especially Omeo and Mt Buffalo

- Canberra

- SA - the Eyre Pennisula, Flinders Ranges, Harndorff, Claire Valley and Murray River

One of the BEST days of our trip was the day we reached snow at Charlotte's Pass.  There was a small patch of snow in the distance that Chloe spotted and was determined to reach.  We walked a tough 4.5 kilometres (one way) and finally reached it.  Whilst there wasn't much snow, there was enough to have a snow fight and build a snowman.  The look on the kids' faces was well worth the 9 kilometres and 4.5 hours of  walking! They were so excited! We are so proud of Chloe and Ben for doing such an epic walk. The kids still talk about that walk and am sure they will for a long time.

So....after 250 days, 38,146 kilometres and 6,500 litres of diesel, we finally made it home to Albany safe and sound.  Our trip complete!  The past eight months have definitely been the best eight months of our lives.

THE END!!! 

(for now!)

South bound.... (16/6/12 - 23/6/12)

We left Karijini by 8.30 and were on our way south for a big day of driving.  Thankfully Simon was feeling a lot better and was able to put in a big day of driving to get us to Cue, 730 kilometres from Karijini about 5ish.  A huge day in the car!  We finally had power, after four nights of unpowered campsites.  Lots of loads of washing were done and we all enjoyed a long hot shower.  Cue, whilst a small town was very neat and historic.  The caravan park was a huge surprise - really nice with brand new amenities.  Plus it was only $22 - the cheapest all holiday!  It was also the 75th and last caravan park of our trip.  Did we mention the temperature?  We definitely knew our holiday was almost over - it was freezing.  Thank goodness for the reverse cycle airconditioning!

On Sunday we headed south east to Pindar (30kms east of Mullewa), home to Flan, Sarat, Saxon and Sahara.  We arrived at their farm just after lunch and we hardly saw the kids until bedtime! The kids all got on really well and Chloe and Ben loved playing with Saxon and Sahara's toys, especially the Wii.  Flan and Simon went AWOL for a couple of hours on their "crop inspection" - apparently the farm now extends all the way to the Mullewa pub!  We had a great catch up - not surprising since we hadn't seen each other for over four years!  Thank you Flannagans for your hospitality.  Definitely the best caravan park in Pindar!

On Monday we were on the road by 10, headed for Mandurah.  Another big day of driving.  The closer we got to Perth, the sadder we became, as we knew our adventure was almost complete.  Thankfully the weather was beautiful - nice and sunny.  We reached the freeway around 3ish and from then on we knew we were back to reality.  So much traffic, crazy drivers and busy busy busy!  Simon was an absolute champion, towing the van through the mayhem of the freeway and arriving safe and sound in Mandurah around 5.  Unfortunately Ian and Maxine were away themselves, so we had one more night of "camping".  We knew we were back to reality early the next morning when the rain began to fall out of the sky and did not stop for most of the day.

On Tuesday we headed back to Perth, minus the caravan and spent a few days catching up with friends and family, which was a perfect end to our time away.  Thank you everyone for your hospitality.  We loved seeing you all.

We arrived back in Mandurah on Thursday afternoon and we were all happy to catch up with Ian and Maxine.  The kids loved sleeping in "real" beds again in the house, while Simon and Donna braved the overnight 2 degree temperatures for a final few nights in the caravan.  Whilst the rain stopped and the sun was shining, it was freezing!!  Joan and Rex joined us in Mandurah for the weekend.  It was great to catch up and bore everyone with our travel adventures! 

One final drive tomorrow.... back to Albany.

Karijini (13/6/12 - 16/6/12)

We were up and on the road around 9ish, headed toward Karijini.  Karijini National Park is the second largest national park in WA, covering 627,445 hectares.  Thankfully Ben was feeling a lot better today.  We stopped in at Auski Roadhouse to refuel and top up our water.  We arrived at Dales Gorge Campground around lunch time.  We had a fairly quiet afternoon - Ben caught up on some much needed sleep and Simon and Chloe went for a walk to Fortescue Falls and had a swim at Fern Pool.  Later in the afternoon, we all went for a swim at Fern Pool.  Somewhat cold but so refreshing and such a beautiful spot.

On Thursday we drove to the western side of Karijini, about 50 kilometres from where we were staying.  The scenery was spectacular.  Simon, the tour guide was in his element, reliving his Karijini tour guide days!  First he took us off road to Bee Gorge, which was just outside of the national park.  Next stop, Oxers Lookout.  It is from here you look down to Junction Pool, where four gorges all meet - Weano Gorge, Hancock Gorge, Joffre Gorge and Red Gorge.  Very unique and a spectacular view.

Next stop, Weano Gorge, where we walked down and along the base of the gorge into Handrail Pool and back, a 1 kilometre round trip.  First we had to wade waist deep in water with the kids on our backs for 50 metres to dry rocks so we could then climb over and down rocks, across streams and finally make our way down into Handrail Gorge.  We know 50 metres is not far to wade through water, but when the water is FREEZING as it is in Karijini, it seemed like a very long way.  It took Donna all day to warm up again.  Anyway it was well and truly worth it, the kids loved the walk and the slow and steep descent into Handrail Pool.  They were even brave enough to have a paddle.

From here we drove into the Eco Resort (pretty basic campground with cafe, bar etc) for some well deserved ice creams and drinks.  Unfortunately it was also here we discovered we had a puncture, our first on the car for our whole trip.  Ice creams eaten, tyre changed and we were on our way again.  We stopped at two more lookouts on the way back, Knox Lookout, which provided views of a beautiful swimming hole and Joffre Lookout, which provided views of Joffre Gorge with a flowing waterfall.  You can walk down into both gorges, but they are very steep and we just didn't have it in us!

Our final stop for the day was Kalamina Gorge. It was an easy walk into the gorge and to the beautiful swimming hole with a nice waterfall.  Simon braved the cold and had a swim, Ben got partially wet and Chloe and Donna didn't even entertain the idea of jumping into the freezing cold water. 

Back to camp after what was a very enjoyable day for us all.

On Friday the plan was to walk some of Mount Bruce, the second highest mountain in WA and then in the afternoon do the walk from Circular Pool to Fortescue Falls to Fern Pool.  How things change!  Simon was keen to get the punctured tyre fixed and given Mt Bruce was on the way to Tom Price, we headed into Tom Price first thing.  We had our tyre fixed and dropped into see Leah, Emme and Mickayla, ex Albany friends who live in Tom Price.  As we had no phone range until we arrived in Tom Price, Leah had very little warning.  So thank you Leah and girls for a great catch up at very short notice.  Was great to see you all, just a shame we didn't get to see Bryan too.  After lunch we headed up to the top of Mount Nameless, which provided a fantastic view over Tom Price and the iron ore mine.  Thankfully the view was good as the road up there was terrible.  So rocky, steep and bumpy.  We were glad to be back on the bitumen!

Unfortunately it was also at this time that Donna and Simon both started feeling ill.  Not sure if it was our lunch or what the kids had, but Simon was unwell for the rest of the day and night and Donna was feeling pretty ordinary.  Needless to say we didn't get to Mt Bruce or Circular Pool.  We checked out Circular Pool from the lookout the following morning when we were feeling a bit better before leaving Karijini and beginning our journey south.

Chloe and Ben became Karijini Junior Park Rangers during our stay.  They had to complete a big worksheet about the national park and were very happy with themselves when they got their badges.

Whilst we didn't get to do absolutely everything we had hoped to do, we loved our time in Karijini.  The amazing scenery, spectacular gorges and swimming holes, clear skies with thousands of stars, quietness and the isolation all make it a very special place.

View from our campsite

Fern Pool

Fortescue Falls

Oxers Lookout

Junction Pool

Handrail Pool

View from Handrail Pool to next waterhole

Climbing out of Handrail Pool

Knox Gorge

Joffre Gorge

Kalamina Gorge

80 Mile Beach & beyond (11/6/12 - 13/6/12)

Keen to leave the sandflies behind, we headed off from Port Smith on Monday morning and drove 240 kilometres south to 80 Mile Beach. The 6 kilometre dirt road into 80 Mile Beach was the dustiest we had encountered all holiday.  As soon as we arrived we felt relaxed - what a lovely spot.

We managed to get a campsite close to the beach and right next to our Newcastle friends, the Marshies who we met in Jindabyne back in January.  It was so nice to catch up and share our travel stories.  The kids loved seeing their buddies again and picked up where they had left off five months ago!  One of the best things about our trip is all the wonderful people we have met along the way.

Simon and Andrew took the four big kids for a drive along the beach to collect shells etc in the afternoon, while Donna, Lee-Anne and Genevieve had a great catch up.  A nice dinner together, a few drinks and an early night for all.  As we hopped into bed, we had a massive downpour of rain, the first rain we'd had for some time.  On Tuesday morning we woke up to beautiful sunshine and heavy fog. 

80 Mile Beach is as the name implies 80 miles of beach, covered with countless shells and has huge tides.  Unfortunately we didn't get to enjoy it too much as we decided on Tuesday morning to push on toward Karijini.  We had a great 20 hours or so there and it is somewhere we could go back to and spend a couple of weeks.  Thanks Marshies for a great catch up and the yummy cous cous salad!

From here we drove 260 kilometres south toward Port Hedland for supplies and a quick look around.  An incredibly busy iron ore port with some of the biggest cargo ships you would ever see!  Not to mention the huge amount of massive road trains.

It was then back in the car, headed toward Karijini. We made it as far as Bea Bea, a free camp 40 kilometres north of Auski roadhouse, as the sun was going down.  An early night for everyone, although poor Ben was sick most of the night, so there was four very exhausted Thomas' on Wednesday morning.  Thankfully Ben was feeling a lot better Wednesday morning so we decided to push onto Karijini, 130 kilometres south west.

We are now all pretty much resigned to the fact that our amazing adventure is almost at an end and we will reluctantly be back to reality very soon.  We may as well enjoy the last of the sun as there doesn't seem to be much around in the south at the moment.

Port Smith & Bidyadanga (8/6/12 - 11/6/12)

From Broome we drove 160 kilometers south to Port Smith.  We literally dropped the van off at the caravan park and then drove 30 kilometres south to Bidyadanga.  Bidyadanga is an aboriginal community with a population of around 800.   It is here that our sister in law Sally's cousin, Bec lives with her husband and kids.  Bec is the principal of the Bidyadanga school.

We spent the weekend camping with Bec, Graeme, Andy (5), Clancy (3) and a heap of their friends at a beach 15 kilometres from Bidyadanga.  There were 20 adults and 8 kids in total - a great bunch of people.  Plus they were so organised!  Everyone was designated a meal to prepare, which meant we didn't have to take a carload of food, no one spent the entire weekend cooking and we had heaps of delicious food!   The kids were in heaven - other kids to play with, the beach and the cutest little puppy to cuddle (Kipper).  Ben and Andy were inseparable for the entire weekend.  Plus we had a weekend jam packed with new and amazing experiences. 

Graeme is a traditional land owner of the area and was more than happy to pass on many of his amazing bush skills with us all.  He made sure we were well supplied with some delicious seafood (including mud crabs, clam and turtle) caught in the traditional way, that is with a spear.  He took us mud crabbing and it was amazing how he could spot the crabs in the mud and water when everyone else could hardly see them.  And you could see why they are called mud crabs, at times we were knee deep in mud!  He showed us how to make spears.  The kids were very impressed!

We all enjoyed sleeping under the stars and listening to the waves crash for two nights.  The kids enjoyed swimming, collecting shells, digging moats, toasting marshmallows on the fire and cuddling Kipper.  The beach we camped at was beautiful both at high and low tide and spectacular at sunset.  Such a beautiful place and we feel very privileged to have been invited to experience it.

Thanks Bec, Graeme, Andy, Clancy and the rest of the Bidyadanga campers for a great and memorable weekend.  We loved it and appreciate you inviting us along and sharing your piece of paradise with us.

We arrived back at Port Smith on Sunday morning and after the clean up we had a very quiet day.  Unfortunately the sandflies were rife and Chloe was not very well.  On the positive, we had a great catch up with Tim and Marg Clayton, who were in Port Smith for a few months.

The beach where we camped at sunset

In search of mudcrabs we go!

Graeme finding his first crab

Simon with his catch

One of Ben's two mudcrabs he caught

Chloe and her catch

Simon hard at work making a spear

Ben looking pretty content (and dirty) with his new spear

Turtle hunting

Another amazing sunset

Our camp for the weekend

Us with Graeme, Bec, Andy & Clancy. Plus Will (back to us).

Broome (Part 2) (1/6/12 - 8/6/12)

We arrived back in Broome from Cape Leveque around lunch time and were very excited to catch up with our Albany friends, Marcus and Helen, who had arrived in Broome a couple of days earlier.  It was so lovely to see them...and it made us realise how long we had been away.  We also made some new friends in Wendy and McGoo who were holidaying with Marucs and Helen.  We shared many laughs, stories, meals and beers (well the boys anyway!).  Thanks guys for a great week.  We will be thinking of you sunning yourselves for the next three months whilst we freeze in Albany.  More importantly we will be thinking of you all on the 5th of July when the beautiful Dayna and Phil get married.  Wish we could be celebrating with you all.

We had a great week in Broome - nice and relaxing.  Lots of time was spent at beautiful Cable Beach.  A few swims, lots of playing in the sand for Chloe and Ben (including a big dam they made), a few drinks, snacks, hotdogs one night and many a sunset.  Wow - they are magic!  The kids encountered their first nudist beach and Chloe was thankful she didn't have to take her bathers off to have a swim! 

We took the kids to Gantheume Point for a look see. The red rock against the white sand and blue water was just gorgeous.  We saw the replica dinosaur footprints and a massive eagles nest.

Donna, Chloe and Ben enjoyed a camel ride along Cable Beach one afternoon on Jabul the camel.  Simon opted out and was photographer.  The kids were surprised how high up we were - they are certainly big animals.  It was a very relaxing half an hour and the perfect location.

We had a great catch up with Broome locals Melissa, Linton, Luke and Ben.  Chloe and Ben loved having some new friends to play with.  Thanks guys for a delicious meal and your hospitality.  It was great to see you.  We still can't understand how you think the dry season is "cold".  For us, the weather is glorious.

On Tuesday, along with the Maroni's and the McGoo's we did a day trip out to James Price Point, 60 kilometres north of Broome.  It is here that Woodside has their controversial proposed gas hub, which has led to many protests.  There were a few protestors camped there and a few signs to be seen, but no active protesting.  What a beautiful spot - pristine coastline - red rock and beautiful blue water. 

Heading back toward Broome we stopped in at Quondong Point (just south of James Price Point).   Another beautiful spot.  A white sandy beach with crystal clear water.  Plus there were only two other people there.  We enjoyed a swim or two and it was a great spot for lunch.  Chloe and Ben loved collecting hermit crabs and we all enjoyed the hermit crab races!

We topped off what was a fantastic day with dinner at the Mangrove Hotel.  Our dinner in itself was memorable - a huge seafood platter that was absolutely delicious.  The highlight however was the Staircase to the Moon, which is caused by the rising of a full moon reflecting off the exposed mud flats at extremely low tide, creating the optical illusion of stairs reaching to the moon.  Absolutely spectacular - we have never seen anything like it.  We LOVED it, even if photographer Simon kept having his view blocked by a silly woman who overtook our spot! 

Donna and the kids enjoyed wandering the Broome Courthouse Markets and the kids fell in love with the orbit balls that were for sale.  A glass ball that created an optical illusion when it was moved in different ways. Unfortunately they were a tad expensive and heavy, so the kids lucked out. 

It was in Broome that we got our beloved caravan and home for the past eight months ready to sell...and it is now officially for sale.  We would love to sell it before we get home so fingers crossed.

Broome was also where Donna reached her goal set in March to run 10 kilometres before the end of the holiday.  Woohoo!  In fact she ran 12.6 kilometres and was pretty impressed with herself!!

We could easily spend another few months in Broome, but unfortunately our holiday is coming to an end and we must start heading toward home.

Next stop....Port Smith and Bidyadanga.

The dam construction begins - Cable Beach

 

This is the life!

Chloe's find - sea cucumber

Another sand creation

The beautiful Cable Beach sunset

Gantheume Point

James Price Point

Guondong Point - the beautiful beach

The hermit crab race!

The Staircase to the Moon

Our camel ride

Cape Leveque (30/5/12 - 1/6/12)

On Wednesday morning we left the van at Broome and headed north to Cape Leveque.  Cape Leveque is 214 kilometres north of Broome on the tip of the Dampier Peninsula, 90 kilometres of which is unsealed.  A fair bit of red dust, sand and a fair few corrugations!

Just south of Cape Leveque is Lombadina, an aboriginal community.  We had heard of the yummy bread they sell and stopped in to buy some.  Unfortunately we got there an hour too late (lunch time) and they had shut up shop for the day.  It was a nice looking place and the locals encouraged us to come back on our way back.

We arrived at Cape Leveque around lunchtime and checked into our accommodation - a log cabin with beds, a fridge, mosquito nets, BBQ, wooden shutters that could be opened for a view or closed if prefered, a deck, shared bathroom and the most amazing view over the swimming beach.  The beach was just beautiful - pure white sand and the water was warm despite it being a tad windy.

The afternoon was spent exploring the beach - for Simon and the kids this meant a couple of swims, walking and rock climbing.  For Donna it meant reading a magazine looking at the view, a run along the beach toward One Arm Point (into the wind!) and a well deserved swim at the end.  Then of course we watched the beautiful sunset.  Awesome!

The first night we discovered that there was a family of frogs who liked hanging out in our toilet at night time.  Disgusting!  Needless to say Donna would not use the toilet at night and instead drove to the restaurant to use their toilets. 

The kids loved sleeping in their beds with the mozzie nets over them - a whole new experience!  Simon and Donna enjoyed sitting on the deck at night looking at the stars and view and listening to the ocean, whilst reminiscing about what an amazing 8 months we have had...and how we are dreading getting back to reality!

Our first morning in Cape Leveque began early as the sun began rising over the ocean. We had our shutters opened so this is what we saw when we opened our eyes.  Stunning!

The rest of the morning was spent at One Arm Point, an aboriginal community about 20 kilometres north east of Cape Leveque.  First stop, Trochus Hatchery, a working aquaculture centre where fish, trochus and other marine life are bred and released back into nature.  Chloe was first to feed the barramundi, unaware of how quick these fish were, coming out of the water and snatching the fish.  We all got quite a fright!  Simon bravely had a go next, but Ben and Donna declined the offer!  There were also two turtles who were happy to pop their heads up and say hello.

Next stop, Round Rock Lookout, where we got a great view of the islands and the amazing rushing tides across the channel.  You wouldn't want to fall in there.

Further around the bay was Middle Beach, the first place of settlement in the area.  Here there are a number of family huts that are owned by locals.  The locals use these to meet and relax with family and friends.  A bit further around was Jologo Beach, the main swimming beach.  It looked lovely, however we didn't stop for a swim as it was a bit too windy.

This community was very neat and well cared for.  The locals were all friendly and helpful and the supermarket was very impressive.  They sold everything from a tube of toothpaste to fruit and vegies to washing machines!

On our way back to Cape Leveque we stopped at Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, a working pearl farm.  From the lookout we got a great view of the beautiful coastline - wow!  We had a look through the gallery and jewellery shop, but for some reason Simon wasn't too keen to buy his wife any pearls.  Maybe it was the $25,000 price tag!

Our second afternoon was spent at the beach - a swim and then a great walk around the point, over heaps of rocks until we made it to Western Beach.  Another beautiful beach and the most amazing red rocks.  It was here we watched the sunset with a few drinks and nibbles.  Plus Simon snapped away on his camera.  Life doesn't get too much better!

Another relaxing night and another beautiful sunrise on Friday morning.  A lazy couple of hours making the most of the view and a play at the beach for the kids, before we farewelled Cape Leveque.

We had planned to stop at Middle Lagoon for a swim on the way back, but missed the turnoff!  We didn't realize this until we reached Beagle Bay and to be honest we couldn't be bothered backtracking.  We visited Beagle Bay's Sacred Heart Church, a gorgeous white church with an altar and other internal features made of mother of pearl.  Very beautiful.  We bought morning tea from the Beagle Bay Store and headed on our way back toward Broome.

What an amazing few days - a definite highlight.  So beautiful and tranquil.  We LOVED it! 

Swimming beach - view from our cabin

Our cabin

Beautiful sunset

What a way to wake up.  

Simon feeding the barramundi...Chloe is a bit scared

Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm

Western Beach at sunset

Two sleeping angels!

Beagle Bay Church

The trip home