All good things must come to an end...

It has been over a week now since we arrived back home in Colac. We left Carol and Allen's on Wednesday the 17th November and got to Bordertown early that afternoon. Spent the night there, much to Laura's disgust as she wanted to keep driving and get home that night. She kept asking "are we really going to get home tomorrow?" over, and over, and over again until we said if she asked it again we were going to turn the bus around and go back the other way!! Poor kids, we have dragged them here, there and everywhere for the last 2 years so they don't really think we will ever take them home. But of course we did, slightly earlier than originally planned but perfect to sneak up on the family. Not surprisingly we were all up and ready to go very early on the morning of Friday the 19th of November. Sent a text message to Nanny and Poppy (who were staying in Portland) that we were not stopping in to visit and would be home in Colac that day instead. Took a small detour in Ararat while the navigator was not reading the map (NOT my fault, the driver told me he knew where we were heading!) and took the scenic route home. Parked the bus and after a quick hello to Donk and Sam we headed into town to surprise Shas. Yep, got her a bewdy! Tans and family came in for tea and Gerard cooked a lovely BBQ. Froze my butt off but wonderful to be home and see everyone. Kids have all grown so much and had a ripper of a time running around the back yard like crazy people.

Anyway as the saying goes "all good things must come to an end" and this trip has sure been a good thing. Would not have changed a minute of it and would do it again in a heartbeat (not that we are going anywhere Shas, not for a long while, I promise!!) We went with the main intention of spending some quality family time together and we got to do that whilst also enjoying the beautiful scenery of our amazing country and the wonderful company of the people we met along the way. I can honestly say it has been one of the best experiences of my life and it's all thanks to my darling husband who drove a 40 foot bus (and trailer) all those thousands of kilometers without complaint (except for those couple of times I almost got us stuck, whoops!) and my beautiful children who trusted us to keep them safe and get them back home and who made great friends of each other (because frankly there was noone else most of the time!), I will always treasure this special time we've had together. Love from Deb (Mum) XXX

And a big thanks to all our friends who have followed our adventures and left comments along the way. Cheers to you all xxx

Drinkies with Carol and Allen

Having a wonderful time here in Edithburgh with our friends we met way back in Mirani last year, Carol and Allen. But, boy oh boy, my "healthy eating plan" has taken a battering since we arrived here! Not only am I drinking every night, I am having nibbles before an enormous meal, then dessert afterwards. So much for the 2.5kg I had gotten rid of. I will wait until we get home and have had a party or two, then start again. No good stressing about it now :-(

The kids are having a lovely time being spoilt terribly with all the attention, good food and lots of movie time. They are also helping to care for some new additions to the Reid family, their 6 new chooks. They have been saved from a chook farm and although they are a little bald in places now, I'm sure they will soon be looking proper flash!

Kids and I have spent a few hours at the local parks over the last few days. Chris and Al have been out in the boat fishing and have brought home a yummy array of goodies for us to try; King George Whiting, garfish, snook (which Chris loves to catch) and some squid. We have had fish plain, crumbed, smoked and even pickled and still have a few bags in the freezer to bring home. Not a bad effort!

But the best time of all is the evening, well more like 4pm when Carol calls out "drinkies" and we all head out to the porch area for a yack and a laugh over a few drinks. It's a very nice way to be ending our holiday. Not long to go now...

We've been everywhere man

In the last week or so we've been making our way across from the WA coast to visit some friends in Edithburgh SA. No wonder I can't remember half the places we've been, there are so many! It brings back memories of that good old Slim Dusty classic...We've been to Dongara, Dowerin, Merredin, Southern Cross, Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie, Norseman, Balladonia, Caiguna, Mundrabilla, Eucla, Nundroo, Laura Bay, Streaky Bay, Poochera, Kimba, Port Augusta, Port Germein, hell we've been everywhere!! A lot of these places were just for a fuel stop or to stretch our legs but we have been to them all.

The Nullabor was interesting (for want of a better word!). It was fantastic and mind numbingly boring all at the same time...the scenery was very bland...mainly just scrubby salt bush with a small shrub thrown in every few hundred yards and a handful of dead trees, then out of nowhere would be a tree covered in all manner of paraphernalia. For instance we saw a shoe tree, a thong tree, a glove tree, a teddy bear tree, a hat/bag/scarf tree, a few mixed-bits-and-pieces trees, a cap tree, a bra tree, a knicker tree and even a nude tree with nothing on it, just a sign saying "the nude tree". It was brilliant and made us laugh and most importantly keep us awake and alert on an otherwise very painful trip, especially the longest straight stretch of road in Australia which is something like 146.5km long!!! If we had realised there would be so many funny trees we would have stopped and taken some photos but each time we whizzed by we thought it would be the last one and Stevo doesn't like to stop the bus for just anything you know.

One time we probably SHOULD have missed a photo opportunity was when I dragged us into Laura Bay so I could get a shot of our girl and her scenic namesake. Seemed like a good idea at the time, until the road got smaller and smaller and Stevo said "where the hell are you taking us Deb?" Well we got to the end where the little car park was and then had to do a slightly stressful 4 point turn in the bus with the trailer and 4WD on the back. But I got the photo and promised never to make Stevo take me places in the bus again without knowing we can get in and out OK. Naughty girl Deb!
Ooh look, it's the sign to Laura Bay...doesn't look like a tiny dirt track from here, does it?

We stayed in Coolgardie for a couple of nights and drove Jimny to Kalgoorlie for the day to have a look around and learn about the old mining history. It was a highlight for me and we all loved the "Super Pit" where you can stand on the edge of the massive open cut mine and see the way they mine for gold today. The trucks look so tiny but they are enormous and you can hear the constant rumble of their engines as you stand at the veiwing platform. This is the richest area of land for gold deposits in the world and this particular spot was called "the golden mile" because so many gold nuggets were discovered here. Amazing!
We could see the remains of old mine shafts running into the cut edges of the pit in certain places. Imagine how times have changed from then to now!

Stayed a night at Eucla and went to check out the old telegraph station, or what's left of it that hasn't fallen down or been covered in sand. I love looking at old buildings, especially those made of rock and stone, I think the workmanship is brilliant. The kids on the other hand just loved climbing on it and after a few minutes said "Mum, this is boring, can we go to the beach instead?" So off we went to the beach where Will misbehaved and lost his DS and playstation privileges for a week. Ha, that's karma for you, should have stayed at the boring old building!!
Old Telegraph Station, Eucla

Have I mentioned how cold it's been getting, especially of a night? This is the kids all bundled up for an early morning shift of camp. They are fully dressed in long pants and jumpers and have 2 blankets over them and Laura is under the beanie and Will has a towel on his head!!
Will has his mate "porky" on his lap, a fluffy bear he got at the op shop.

Had a couple of days in Streaky Bay which was a nice friendly little place. I found a great walking track going straight past the caravan park and made good use of it. Then on to Port Germein to meet up with Mum and Dad for a few days. Kids were very excited to see Nanny and Poppy and be spoilt for a little while. We all went for a walk (or 3) out on the jetty, which is the longest wooden jetty in Australia.

I was already half way along the jetty when I took this photo. Can you see Chris and Dad almost at the end of it? They were "patiently" waiting for the tide to come back in, alas no water equals no fish. We did however catch a few crabs and ate them on crackers for a snack, yummy!

Here is Nanny with the kids enjoying a nice relaxing beverage :-))

Wonderful Geraldton!

Before leaving Kalbarri we went for a drive out in the National Park to see the sights. Had a look at the Z-Bend and Nature's Window which showcase the Murchison river. Would have looked even better with some water flowing thru', but still impressive.
The Z-bend (not actually showing showing the "Z" bit)
Nature's Window
Laura and Will having a little rest in the shade. Isn't this rock face beautiful!

Well sadly we had to leave the Gray family in Kalbarri last Friday and move on. The girls exchanged friendship necklaces and although we were a little sad we look forward to meeting them on the road again some day.
This is the "Pink Lake" at Gregory, just south of Kalbarri.

Onto our next stop...Found Geraldton to be a great place with everything you could want in a big town, if somewhat spread out. Staying at Batavia C/Park which is a little out of town but nice and quiet and they say the pool is solar heated (but I have my doubts). Went for a trip out to Oakabella Station yesterday which is said to be a haunted house. The lady taking the tours was a real character and has a gift so can see the spirits. She was very interesting to talk to (as long as you used your manners). God help anyone who said "what?" instead of "pardon me?"...Laura, or parents who interrupted to answer for the kids...Deb! Other than that she was a delight and so knowledgeable about the station and the local area.
The barn at Oakabella. Notice how cold the kids look!
Inside the barn (now the museum). Notice the spot at the top of the picture?
One of the bedrooms where a bloke shot himself while cleaning his gun. Notice the spots in the top of my photo again?!
The lounge room where a baby died. Yep, more spots and blurry things! So whether or not you believe in spirits we were amazed with these photos, considering I've taken hundreds and hundreds of photos on this trip and not one has any spots in them, except these ones, go figure!

And best of all, the hot chocolate and delicious scones Loretta made and the family devoured with lashings of strawberry jam and cream. ALMOST better than Grandma's! I missed out but I have lost 1.5kg in the last fortnight so it's worth it.

FISHING
Hey, check out these rippers...Stevo has caught 12 tailor in the last 2 days (and lost 2 big mulloway, but we won't dwell on that). The freezer is full and we are eating fish at least every second day, yum! Go you great white hunter :-))


HMAS SYDNEY 2 MEMORIAL
This beautiful memorial in Geraldton is dedicated to the 645 people who died at sea in November 1941 on the HMAS Sydney 2, when they were bombed by a German raider (the Kormorant). The dome is made up of metal seagulls, signifying the exact number of people who passed away. The big tall "stele" represents the bow of the ship, and the bronze lady is for all the family waiting patiently for their loved ones to return home. It was well worth a look.

Hamelin Pool, Monkey Mia and on to Kalbarri

Left Carnarvon and next stop was Hamelin Pool, a nice quiet little caravan park about an hour from Monkey Mia. Met up with the Gray family (Georgie, Brett and kids) and stayed for 3 nights. Had a few day trips to Monkey Mia, Eagle Bluff and Shell beach. Also saw the "stromalites" which apparently are very rare bacteria colonies in the bay at Hamelin Pool (closely related to the first forms of life and which look very much like rocks if you ask me!!) It meant we couldn't swim in the sea at the caravan park because we could destroy the little critters but we didn't mind too much because it was freezing. Yes, you heard right - FREEZING!! The wind was blowing a gale and we had to resort to long pants and jumpers and extra blankets at night. Boy, I hate this cold stuff!! Really trying to put the brakes on so we don't hit too much of this chilly weather.
Anyway, enough of that, here are the stromalites which I'm sure you will be impressed with...Chris and the kids were so impressed they didn't even go to see them, they said take a photo so we can look at that. Ha ha.
Mmm, stromalites...

SHELL BEACH

Laura, Will and Emma at Shell Beach. It is made entirely from tiny little white shells and up to 10 metres deep in places. The shells stick together after a time and compact into a solid mass which was once used for a building material. Now it is only mined from a quarry at Hamelin Pool and only to maintain the historic buildings already there.
This is where the shell blocks are mined from.

EAGLE BLUFF

My wordy lordy me it was windy from the top of Eagle Bluff. Blow a dog off it's chain!

MONKEY MIA

Laura and Will feeding the dolphins A star fish

We went for a catamaran ride on "Aristocat 2" and loved it. Went over to the pearl farm and got to see how pearls are made and also got to meet "farmer Jamie", from the TV show "farmer wants a wife". Then we went looking for dugongs which I thought would be easier than it actually was. Apparently they are very shy creatures so they came up for a split second to get some air, then disappeared, usually just as I tried to get a photo! Did get to see a couple of them but would save myself the trouble next time.

Chris and the kids relaxing on the net at the front of the "Aristocat 2".

Towards the end of our cruise they put out the boomnet and Laura and Emma jumped on for a quick ride. For everyone else it was way too cold! Stopped at Denham on the way home and had lunch and a play at the playground (the kids that is, not me).

HORSE RIDING

After being so brave getting on the boomnet the day before Laura decided she would like to go horse riding so here we are...

Laura at the back and Emma at the front on their horses Mighty and Ruby

Heading back after a fun 20 minute ride. Look out Jane and Fiona, she's hooked and we told her to see you guys when we get back for some lessons!

So that's the trip so far. Off to do a little day trip tomorrow so I'll be back with some more photos soon. Hope this weather warms up, it reminds me why I've enjoyed being away so much :-)

Cheers to you all xxx

A fun time in Carnarvon

Right oh, we have had a week and a half in Carnarvon and we leave tomorrow so I'd better get some news and some photos on here...
Had a quiet first week, did a little sight seeing but not a lot to see really. Went around to the fruit and vegie stalls to stock up on some "home grown" goodies, took the kids to the park and the beach. It's a nice quiet little town. Chris went fishing and got a flathead (which I haven't eaten since we left home I don't think, yuummm). He talked us into going with him one day and it was the longest day of my life!! But the kids enjoyed themselves and buried each other in the sand as you can see below...

Chris and the kids swam out to a sandbank to cool off after fishing all day
And we got to see some wildflowers which are still out here and there around the place.

We went to the One Mile Jetty, which as you can see is a mile long, and had to pay for the privilege of walking out there! After the single flathead Chris had caught he decided to give the jetty a whirl and last night ended up with a mackerel and a long tom, and he's back there this arvo trying again. Got to give the man credit - he never gives up!

A few days before we were due to leave we got a call from Georgie (and Brett, Kyle and Emma, who we met at Pardoo) saying they were going to be in Carnarvon the next day, so we stayed a few more days and caught up with them. Kids had a great time climbing trees, swimming and generally having fun and the adults got to relax with happy kids who never complained once about being bored!!

We went to the Quobba Blowholes with them for a drive. I'm sure the blowhole is a lot more ferocious when the weather is rough. There are hooks on the tops of the cliffs for the fishermen to hook themselves to, and a massive sign as you come to the blowholes which says "KING WAVES KILL"!! And the girls are standing in front of the life bouys for anyone who goes over the side, YIKES!

The cliffs are pretty amazing and covered in oyster shells so if you were unlucky enough to go over the edge you would be cut to pieces trying to get back up. I vote for staying well clear of the edge!

Here we all are checking out the view (L-R) Georgie, Kyle, Brett, Will, Emma, Chris and Laura. Saw about 20 or more dolphins swim by, not too far out and it was fantastic to see. First time I have really seen any in the wild that close.

Hello Mr and Mrs Stevenson :-))

The land is like a moonscape, all holey rocks all merged together like they've been melted.

And here is the desperate fisherman who (against wifely advice) decided to have a little go at throwing a lure around...on the edge of the bloomin' cliff and nowhere near the life bouys! No wonder I have to keep dying these grey hairs. And not a single fish did he catch!
But all that stress wasn't in vain, Brett came up with a lovely trevally which he didn't want and gave to us, yummy.

Before we went home we all went snorkelling. This photo shows Chris and Will at the water getting their flippers on. We saw lots of exciting things - fish, sea slugs, clams, sea urchins, beautifully coloured coral. Amazing to see.

So tomorrow we leave for a little place called Hamlin Pool, just below Monkey Mia. Brett and Co. left today but Emma stayed with us and we will meet them again tomorrow and have a few days together.

Had a call from Betty today. She got some of our mail and apparently the kids both did really well on their NAPLAN tests so I guess that is proof enough that we haven't done any damage by bringing them on this wonderful adventure. We knew it was a good idea but it's nice to see it down on paper too. Well time for tea so I'd better go round up the mob and feed them, chow for now and cheers to you all xxx

Go back, go back!

Oopsie, I forgot to put some photos on from our stay in Exmouth.

This is the shipwreck of the SS Mildura, a cattle ship that went down a long time ago (don't ask me when, I can't remember!)

The Vlamingh Head Lighthouse

Laura and Deb up at the Vlamingh Head Lighthouse

This is the Charle's Knife Canyon (although Stevo tells me we don't have canyons, it must be a gorge) Anyway whatever it was actually called, it was amazing! You can see the road at the bottom where you can drive thru', but the poor kids had seen enough "rocks" by the time we got to the top that we didn't go down there. The view was beautiful.

As soon as we got close to Exmouth we had to keep our eyes peeled for emus, there were stacks and they wandered across the main road all the time.
As far as wildlife goes we also saw lots of wild goats and squillions of turtles and the occasional splash of a whale out at sea.

So then we moved on to Carnarvon...