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.