The Red Centre!

I wasn't looking forward to the long drive down from Darwin to Alice Springs. I was still annoyed our time in Darwin was cut short and even though I was looking forward to cooler nights, the thought of being in the middle of nowhere again was unsettling me, I was longing for people around, beautiful beaches and palm trees, not more harsh desert and red dirt. 
We left Mataranka and I braced myself for what I though would be the most boring drive of our trip, but again I was mistaken. As we drove down the long highway and I looked out at this great expanse I really felt I was embracing just how magical this land we live on is. Australia has such a diverse landscape, that changes so dramatically depending on what state and even what part of the state you are in.

On the way to Alice I really was just thinking 'I'll just do this bit of central Aus really quickly and and then we will make our way across to Far North Queensland'. Instead, I watched the passing landscape of Central Australia refresh me, the amazing desert flowers all just coming into bloom, the constant red dirt and rocky hills, the dry spinifex, the burnt bark of the tree trunk contrasting against the lush lime green leaves of the new growth was intoxicating........so much so that all the  beautiful scenery got my creative juices flowing and for a brief moment I had images of me setting up an easel in the middle of the dry bush and painting the visions in my head.....that was until I remembered just what a shit painter I am and that Lola could paint a better picture than me!!!! 

So putting all these creative scenarios behind me I concerned myself with what Alice had to offer the wandering Watsons, and boy it did not disappoint! Alice was a little surprise package that I had so much fun exploring. We arrived for the last day of the desert festival and wandered through the Todd mall, the kids were excited to take part in the 24 hr dance-a-thon, but decided that dancing through the window was enough. We spent time looking through the art galleries in the mall,  we went to the desert mob exhibition at the cultural precinct and was blown away by the colours of the artwork in the exhibition. We visited the school of the air, looked out at the amazing landscape from Anzac Hill. From the East Mac Donnell ranges walking through Tryphena Gorge to the West Mac Donnel ranges and swimming in Ormiston Gorge the beauty of the landscape was amazing. 

                                

The dry heat of the day and the cool air at night was so refreshing. We set up camp at the showgrounds and within a few days we had some of our own travelling family around us. We revelled in having the Cookson family with us for our central Aus time, so many enjoyable nights together hanging out, sharing meals and many many laughs (mostly at poor Steve's expense), we forged friendships with lots of new friends too and enjoyed some great morning and afternoon teas together. 

The highlight of my time in Alice was catching up with my dear school friend, Hayley. After 20 years, we chatted as if we had seen each other only yesterday, we ate till our stomachs burst, the generosity and warm spirit of my friend was still at the core of her being, that and her dry sense of humour. We had a brilliant night, the kids lounged like sloths on Hayley's couch watching as much TV as they could possibly squeeze in! Oscar was so excited to feel carpet under his feet and have a remote in his hand!!!

Hayley generously cooked up a feast fit for a king and when we thought we could fit no more in she generously filled our freezers with more delights! We were the champions of morning tea the following day when we produced rocky road, chocolates and macaroons, all thanks to Hayley! 

After exploring Alice we made the track across to Uluru. Let's not even talk about the joys of our car breaking down again.... as it was my birthday I completely ignored what had happened, grateful again to be travelling with our new friend Steve (who is a diesel mechanic, but don't tell anyone camping near him that!!) and let Mike sort out the lemon that is our car. I remained focused on where we were and how special it truly was to be in the centre of Austrlalia.....and what a majestic spot it is!!! The walk around the base is just stunning, the many changing facets of Uluru leave such an impression with you, and watching the sunset on the rock was so very beautiful. 

I ticked another item of my trip list when the Cookson and Watson family rode our bikes around the base, what an adventure that proved to be as we conjoled the kids to keep riding (ie bribed with lollies). Again we were grateful to Steve for his careful planning for the 'what if' scenarios, as our bike proved to be made by Nissan just like our car and the pedal kept falling of! Lucky for us Boy Scout Steve had a spanner in his bag and kept our bikes going all the way to the end!!   

We were enamoured by Uluru and the Olgas, their size, stunning colour and the amazing scenery is just beautiful. We have been privileged to see so many of the exceptional natural wonders in Australia like the Bungle Bungles and Karijini, and the rock is another iconic spot in Australia that you find hard to leave without being grateful to have been there. 

This trip is reminding that we r just a blip in the radar, that I am so very grateful for this time with my family. All the grumbling about distance ed, being hot, being bored in the car, being hungry are so insignificant against the amazing opportunities are family are experiencing. The most significant, is that I hope my children are getting a crude, basic glimpse into the oldest living culture in the world. When you see the land, hear the stories and watch your children make connections I am grateful that they are getting a greater understanding than any classroom lesson will ever skim over. They will be the next politicians, engineers, social workers etc in the future and I hope this trip and what they are learning and seeing and living will assist them and shape the decisions they make in their future careers. I love that Oscar makes connections to Uluru when he is engrossed in minecraft, that the gorges, rock formations and geology are relevant to his gaming addiction!  

  

So from Central Australia to Far North Queensland the adventure continues!

Darwin

I can't believe we are already halfway through our 5th month on the road. There has been many amazing highs and a few low on our travels. I am already wistfully dreaming of boab trees and the amazing spirit of the Kimberley's, I'm reminiscing of boat cruises on the Indian Ocean drinking champas with my sister, swimming at cable beach and snorkelling at Coral Bay. How quickly it feels these experiences in WA are becoming memories as we continue to fill ourselves up with new moments in the NT.

We have been in NT for over a month and have enjoyed the beautiful 'croc free' swimming holes of Edith falls and Litchfield National Park. We spent a week engrossed in the culture of Kakadu, listening to ranger talks, talking to people, taking in the spectacular stories depicted in the rock art and sprituality of this amazing part of Australia. We also spent the time being eaten by mozzies, poor Scarlett blew up like a balloon, reacting to all the bites, she looked so sad, she has certainly inherited her mozzie loving blood from her mother. The dawn wetlands cruise was amazing, so much birdlife, animals and the scenery was spectacular. I think the next visit to the Northern Territory will need to be in the wet so I can fully appreciate the changing seasons. Our last night at gunlom falls was a perfect way to end our time in Kakadu. As we travelled on the 4x4 track into the falls I was cursing Mike as all I wanted to do was get to Darwin, we were driving into fires on either side of the vehicle but there was no turning around and by the time we made it in and set up in the dust bowl camp site  we were all so grumpy that we decided to head straight to the falls. After a very steep climb up we where greeted with a magical  spot of little rock pools to swim in, the view was amazing and definitely worth the climb. We lazed around swimming, exploring the little pools and taking intake amazing scenery. I could only imagine what it would be like I the wet. 

The next day we prepared for the terrible drive out only to find the road had been half graded and was a much better return trip, we cruised along the highway eager for some cultural delights and Darwin did not disappoint!!!

Darwin is one of my favourite cities, so relaxed, people are  chilled and always seem to be smiling. We had such a great couple of weeks doing as many touristy things as we could! We visited the Mindle markets, enjoying the amazing food, great music, performances and time at the beach watching the sunset, sharing it with new friends from our travels. We visited every water playground, splash park, pool,spring or lagoon we could find. The kids had a great time swimming at berry springs, jumping from the rope swing into the water! (About a week after we left they did find a large female saltie in the springs, so I'm glad it wasn't looking for lunch the day we were there!) I visited every market I could get too, Mindle, Parap, Northcliffe, Palmerston, Cooinda... It was lovely to have a bit of time wandering around, and having access to fresh and cheap produce again! We spent time with our dear friends the Cooksons, Rosey and Megan are the same age as Scarlett and Lola , it was lovely watching them going off exploring and forging new friendships. 

Another great highlight of our time in Darwin was catching up with the Heath family. We first met them on our trip 3 years ago when we crossed the Nullarbor together, it was great to hear all about their adventures as they have been on the road for all that time. The boys had a great time together, their friendship kicking off from the last time we saw them in Esperance 3 years ago!

Each day was getting a little hotter and hotter, the locals said the build up was about to start and I knew this was signalling our imminent departure, I made a list of the last few things I wanted to do but our plans were quickly thwarted when we had to make a rush departure due to 'he who will remain nameless' not extending our stay!!!! With a lot of 'dagger eyes' and some fairly loud expletives we packed up unsure where to go next. 

We made our way down to Douglas Daly checked out the hot springs to find they had been closed due to a recent croc sighting, so we hightailed back to the caravan park for a respite from the heat in the pool. The next day we travelled on to Mataranka and spent the next three days drifting in the spectacular thermal pools. Lola had the best time swimming in the pools and riding her bike around and around, I don't think she even noticed the weather as it creeped up to 38, but it certainly meant she slept well at night!

So with the big drive to Alice looming we packed up and set off, Oscar was excited about a 10 hour car journey, because it meant they could have an adventure time marathon all the way down to Alice! 

Northern Territory

We have hit the Northern Territory!

We crossed over to NT and felt a little closer to home as we moved our watches forward an hour and a half, only 30min later than Victoria time. We said a fond goodbye to the west and were excited to be making our way back to our travelling friends again. We arrived at Edith Falls set up camp and Lola excitedly asked "When's happy hour???" So happy hour it was, for many hours, being the thinker that I am I prepped dinner early, just in case the sangria filled my veins and I forgot to fill my kids tummies, and it was a good thing too as the sangria was freely flowing for many many happiest hours, we caught up with our dear friends, Deb and Greg.

With a few sore heads the next morning we all took off on a walk to the upper pools, the small waterfall and rock pools were beautiful, after a quick,dip we ventured down and spent the remainder of the day relaxing, reading and swimming in the plunge pool at the bottom of the falls. It was a great start to our time in the NT.

The following morning we slowly made our way up the highway and cracked a beautiful caravan park just out of Litchfield National Park. Big grassy sites, lots of beautiful shady trees, with a definite hint of the tropics, we had a great time staying here using it as our base camp, we travelled into Litchfield and jumped in rock pools, swam in the falls, did a few of the walks, it was beautiful! We spent a day at the Wildlife park, wandering around, checking out the wildlife and enjoying the beauty of the different seasons and climates on display, NT is truly amazing!

Of course we spent many nights in the company of good friends and good wine! Lola must feel the change in the day, glances up from what she is doing and asks, 'is it happy hour yet Mum???' I may have a terror on my hands in years to come! 

 

Good bye WA

Well we have crossed the four month mark of our trip, spending the majority if our time in the amazing WA. We have had such a wonderful time exploring as much as we could of what WA has to offer. We loved the beautiful forests in the South, the amazing Karijini National Park, the Bungles Bungles, and of course my favourite, the spectacular Coral Bay. Our final hit was through the magnificent Kimberley's, I'm sure there is a little bit of magic in this area as it has the most special feel about. 

We left Broome and made our way to the Gibb River road for Mike to tick an item of his bucket list, and although we didn't go the entire way and only went to Windjana gorge and through to Tunnel Creek, coming out near Fitzroy Crossing, we still managed to do a tyre before even getting to the corrugated road! Windjana Gorge was beautiful, the walk was through stunning gorges, lots of freshwater crocs floating in the creek, Oscar and I watched as the sun set over the gorge, illuminating the rock to a deep red colour, it was stunning. The next day we headed off to Tunnel Creek, grabbed our torches and wandered through the tunnel spotting fresh water crocks and wading through small pools of water. The girls thought it was cool getting wet nearly waist deep in some parts. We then slowly drove one of the roughest roads all the way out to Fitzroy Crossing, I sat in the passenger seat, mindfully chanting my mantra of 'round tyres, round tyres, round tyres' for the entire drive as we had no spares left and no reception if we blew another! Luckily we made it through ok and continued on the highway heading for the nearest tyre repair store and then on to the Bungle Bungles. 

The Bungles were incredible, the walk to cathedral gorge was an beautiful walk, the kids were energised and excited to be out of the car after a very bumpy 2 hour drive in! We wandered around climbed up ledges, watched sunbeams dance around the domes and change the way the the magestic rocks looked. It was a reminder of another area of the Kimberley's that has remained untouched for so long, and the beauty and the impression it leaves with you, I can understand why areas of Australia like this hold such strong connections for our indigenous people. 

We continued on to Kununurra and spent a relaxing few days exploring the town, the kids made friends at the caravan park, we had movie nights down at the river, saw some live music and we swam and swam and swam for most of our stay. After restocking we headed out to Lake Argyle for the final few nights of our time in the West. We spent time swimming in the infinity pool, over looking the amazing lake, we went on walks to amazing lookouts and did a spectacular cruise on the lake, the people running  it were so informative, the kids got to try some bush tucker and we learnt so much about the lake and the ord river scheme.  We watched the super moon rise over the lake, enjoying our final Kimberley sunsets, with mixed emotions wondering when the next time we would be in the special region of Australia.

Beautiful Broome

Wow what a wonderful month it has been, we have spent nearly 3 weeks in Broome, exploring this amazing town and truly feeling like we are blessed for the experience. The first week was spent at Broome Gateway about 30k's out of town. We had a great week with our dear friends the Warrens, many happy hours rolling into shared meals and more drinks around the camp fires. We have enjoyed the company of our travelling surrogate family and were very sad to see them head off across the Gibb River road a few weeks before us. We can't wait to catch up with the Warrens soon! We have met some lovely families on the road and spent a few nights in their company watching the sun set at cable beach. This is really what travelling is all about, like minded people meeting on the road and forging friendships that I'm sure will be maintained for years to come. The kids are enjoying each other's company and watching them all run around with glow sticks as the sun set across cable beach enjoying themselves and being so free and happy is what makes this trip so memorable. 

We spent lazy afternoons picnicking at town beach, cable beach and the water playground, the warm air and sunny blue skies making for long relaxing days. Broome has a feel all to its own. The climate is so warm and inviting ( at least it is in winter) people seem so happy and relaxed that you can definitely identify with the  existence of 'Broome time'. The streets have a laid back atmosphere, the old buildings with their wide verandas and twirling fans lull you along slowly, gently. There is no need to rush in Broome, no matter how busy the supermarkets are! The Asian influence that arrived during the pearling industry's glory days is highlighted throughout the town and makes for such an interesting mix of culture, people and environment. I think I am definitely hooked on this little cosmopolitan town! 

For the last two weeks we moved into cable beach caravan park and made the most of the proximity to the famous beach. We walked along it,  rode our bikes to it, swam in it and watched the sun set over it. We spent the second week, lazing around catching up on school work in the morning and swimming in the afternoon, the pool although cold was so refreshing and when the tides were out on cable beach then the pool was the next best option. I think all my kids are suitably waterlogged with all the swimming they have been doing. Lola is so proud of herself, she can swim confidently all the way across the pool and back and I'm sure it won't take her long to perfect the strokes with all the practise she has been getting! Our last week in Broome is definitely our favourite as aunty Bernie came to town!!!! As we made up the 'guest room' in the camper, the kids excitedly decided who Bernie would share the bed with each night, even dad was lucky enough to get a look in!!!! (Wow so lucky aunty Bernie). They drew her welcome pictures, made space for her belongings and eagerly counted down the days till she arrived. We excitedly picked Bernie up from the airport and made our way to cable beach to catch the last of the sunsetting over the ocean. The girls advised Bernie which shower had the best pressure and were all over the moon to receive gifts from Oma and Opa and the Ellis family. The kids read their letters, securing them specially in their drawers so they could bring them out again to read over later. We have managed to fit as many jam packed events as we could into the next week.

  

Saturday we were up bright and early to check out the courthouse markets, after a wander around and a few purchases we happily went back to camp and donned out togs for an afternoon of swimming, we spent the evening watching the sun set over cable beach, happily sipping on sangria and enjoying the stunning scenery (code for perving on the hot backpackers playing soccer shirtless!) 

Sunday and Monday were slow relaxing days, we wandered around town, swam at town beach and cable beach and generally slipped into Broome time, enjoying the sun and warm weather. Bernie and I managed to sneak away for a few ciders at Matso's brewery, man it's such a hard life! 

Tuesday we went into town and went to a pearl luggers tour, that described how the pearling industry came to Broome and the impact it had on Broome as a town. We wandered around the art galleries and even got to watch a famous Broome artist as she worked on her canvas, the kids were impressed with her skill and how easy she made it look to create such amazing art works. That was followed up with a camel ride along cable beach, at first Lola was petrified being so high up, but soon relaxed and enjoyed the wander up and down the sands, as I had already done this before, I was happy to watch as Mike took the kids on the ride, laughing as the camel behind Mike took a fancy to his leg and attempted to nibble on his calf for most of the ride.

On Wednesday  we ventured out at 6.00am to see the dinosaur footprints at Gantheume Point, unfortunately the tide was already rising so we only got a quick glimpse before the water covered them. That afternoon was the highlight of the week, Bernie and I snuck away for some serious sister fun, we sailed the ocean on the Intombi, a beautifully restored pearl lugger boat, sipping champagne and watching whales frolicking in the ocean. Life does not get better than that! We had a great day, relaxing, drinking lots and lots of champagne and enjoying the company of some great people on the boat. After a few glorious hours sailing up and down, we watched the sunset over cable beach and reluctantly made our way to shore.  We definitely had our sea legs by then, as we stumbled out of the boat, I'm pretty sure that the copious amounts of champagne consumed did not contribute to our stumbling.....or to Bernie falling asleep leaning against the wall later that evening at the Japanese restaurant as we tried to soak up some of the alcohol with the most amazing dinner!

Thursday we drove out to the Willie Creek Pearl farm and did an amazing tour learning all about the oyster and how it makes the pearls, we got to cruise up and down the creek, keeping our eyes peeled for the resident salties that live in the estuarine waters. Bernie may have purchased a little keep sake for herself in the showroom to remind herself of her amazing week in Broome. (and I'm sure when I wasn't looking Mike picked me up a little surprise too) - that last sentence really needs to be typed in a sarcastic font for you to get the full effect!! The highlight of the day for Mike and the kids was when they got to go up in the helicopter, they had a quick flight around the area, seeing some of the amazing views to Cape Levique and cable beach from the air. Oscar has now added helicopter pilot to his list of future career options as he thought it was pretty spectacular! Scarlett couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear and little Lola thought it was so much fun too! 

Each night we sat down to a few ciders, and some serious sequence competition, apparently my skill level directly relates to how many ciders I have drunk! The more I drink the better I am, I will need to keep that in mind if I return to study, apparently some things never change and just like in my uni days, alcohol still improves my ability to think clearer .... well maybe only for the first half dozen....after that God help me!!!!

Friday came around all to quickly and after a final morning of flying kites and swimming at cable beach, I prised my kids (and myself) out of the good bye hugs from Bernie  and sadly watched her fly away. We had such an amazing week and I am so grateful Bernie was able to share this time with us. 

So where to from here? Mike has itchy feet and is ready to set off again, we are planning to do the start of the gibb river road, diverting out to Fitzroy Crossing to follow the highway along to the bungle bungles and then make our way to Kunnunarra for a fuel stop before heading back onto the Gibb to explore Elquestro. We think we may finally make it out of the stunning WA in a couple of weeks to start the next chapter of this year long expedition in the Northern Territory.

Karijini and Cape Kedraunenn

Karijini was everything I had expected it to be and more. The amazing gorges and spectacular look outs and scenery certainly were awe inspiring. We walked down gorges, swam in freezing rock pools, visited lookouts and were mesmerised by the beauty. Oscar was happy to attempt some of the trickier gorges, so pleased with himself to make it all the way! The days were warm with red dirt as far as the eye can see, the kids were quickly covered head to foot in the dirt, so much so, that some days I didn't know if we were scrubbing dirt or their sun tan at night before they jumped into bed. The only downside was how freezing cold the nights were, hampering our extended happy hours as we could only sit outside for so long before we were chilled to the bone! We all cursed the no camp fire rule and happily snuggled into our beds early each night to seek relief from the freezing conditions. 

We spent the week at dales camp ground and shared the camp ground with our travelling tribe of friends we met at Kalbarri. Our new friendships have enhanced this trip so much, it is great travelling in convoy with our new mates, sometimes leapfrogging in front or lagging behind to catch up in a few days. 

We left Karijini and are currently camping at Cape Kedraunen about half way on our way to Broome. We are enjoying the nights around the camp fires with our tribe of travellers and the kids are having such a great time with all their new friends. It is awesome seeing the  kids spread out over the camping grounds, Oscar has met some boys and happily jumps on his bike to play, only returning when the hunger wins out over the fun.  The girls flit between camps and I love listening to them creating imaginary worlds and games together.  Our next stop is 80 mile beach to catch up on a bazillion loads of washing and to do some serious shell collecting. We are all looking forward to Broome as Bernie is coming for a visit, the kids excited for some aunty time and I am looking forward to sister sessions!

Monkey Mia, Coral Bay and Exmouth

What an amazing couple of weeks we have had exploring one of our favourite areas in Western Australia. 

We started the exploration of the Gasgoyne coast with the most relaxing week in Monkey Mia. All three kids were determined to feed a dolphin, so each day we would head down in the morning to dolphin feeding in the hope that they would get picked and by the end of the week they had all managed to feed one. The kids were so excited and loved the week of playing on the sand, building sand castles and watching the dolphins swim by. We had a lazy week of exploring a little of the Francois Peron national park, bathing in the 40 degree artesian hot tub, checking out the stromalites at Hamelin Pool,  shell beach and the amazing coast line. We then had the good fortune to bump into our friends again at a free camp and had a lovely few night chilling by the camp fire enjoying each other's company. Oscar had a few cool finds but his favourite was the dried up dead snake that freaked his mum out! 

We cruised through Carnavon, gorging on yummy fruit from the area and checking out the amazing blow holes at Quobba before finally reaching the spot I have been waiting for, Coral Bay. 

I have such fond memories of this spot from the last trip we did that I have been eagerly anticipating our return here, and again it exceeded my expectations! I loved that for a whole week we didn't drive anywhere, I loved that oscar could ride around the bay cruising for friends to hang with at the playground with the only stipulation that he be home by dark. I loved that all my family snorkelled and saw amazing coral and sea life from the ease of the bay. Scarlet rand Lola were so incredulous of the amazing sea life they saw and took to snorkelling so well. We enjoyed more relaxed happy hours with our friends, watching sun sets across the ocean and children enjoying the simple pleasures of sand and sea. The weather was mostly kind so nearly everyday was spent at the beach, snorkelling, swimming, playing in the inflatable boat and building amazing sand creations on the shore. Oscar was at his happiest for the week, building amazing boats from what he could scavenge around the area, he was so at peace that he hummed away as he snorkelled around the reef chasing the huge fish as they swam by and delighting in the independence this little bay afforded him.  I am always so happy when my children are happy and this week was certainly a great one for my boy. 

   

We were lucky enough to be there for the 'talent search' karaoke night at the caravan park. A couple of grey nomads had bought with them the karaoke system to beat all systems, they put up posters advertising the night and by 4.00pm the other oldies had bagsed a seat in the front row, we wandered across after tea to listen to the oldies in all their glory, it was hilarious!! There was a scary rendition of 'you can leave your hat on' by a bunch of 70+ old men and let me tell you I was glad they left more than just their hat on as I was not looking forward to seeing some old looking tackle I can tell you now!!  My most favourite part of the night was when a younger guy decided he was over the golden oldies that the nomads were crooning and decided to add a little poison and gunners to the mix, the look of distaste on the old peoples faces was hysterical and I enjoyed it even more when I noticed that some were even turning down their hearing aids every time a bit of heavy metal was belted out!!!

The highlight of the Coral Bay stay was swimming with the whale sharks with my boy Oscar. It was such an incredible experience and I was so proud of Oscar and his ability to keep up with how fast you had to swim to stay up with these amazing creatures. We had such an amazing day and snorkelled on the outer reefs with manta rays, turtles, amazing coral and fish life, we even saw four humpback whales whilst on the boat. This was a definite tick for the bucket list for me and was made even greater by the absolute joy on Oscars face all day.

Mike dragged me kicking and screaming from Coral Bay, I even checked out job opportunities for Mike so we could stay longer and the kids and I could become beach bums for a few more weeks, sadly it was not to be and we headed a little further north to Exmouth for a few more days of snorkelling and exploring the cape range national park. We have one more night here and then we are heading to Karijini.  I am already looking forward to my next time in this amazing area of Australia.