Thierings on Tour

Follow along our journey as our family of 5 from Sydney travel around Australia for 30 weeks.

recent posts

    • Day 4 – Enjoying Yamba

      It was a rough night in the van with what seemed like everyone awake at some stage during the night for various reasons. So after a quick breakfast we decided the best cure to that was some fresh air and nature.

      We headed up to the lighthouse and had a look around the top, taking in the views. We saw a number of people walking along the break wall and Jazzy persuaded us to go and explore that part also.

      It was a beautiful walk on a stunning day! Scarly enjoyed many a ride with others rather than walking herself the whole time, but the older girls did so well.

      Jazzy explored all the different plaques along the break wall having just learnt about memorials in her distance education unit. Sadly there were a few dedicated to fisherman who had lost their lives in rough conditions, but others were simply commemorative. 

      We saw so many lizards along the walk on our way back to the car, they were clearly also enjoying the warm sun!

      Back at camp it was back to the swimming pool and the cold water didn’t stop the girls yet again. It’s such a cool park with many different pools, splash areas and there was barely anyone there, in fact in the morning the girls had the whole pool area to themselves.

      The rest of the afternoon was exploring more of the play areas, catching up on some school work, rearranging a few things in the van and much needed naps for our youngest member. It always makes me laugh the pillow arrangements she comes up with when she is falling asleep…

      Scarly and I went for a scooter ride outside the park to grab some fresh prawns and oysters while Chris took the older girls to the pool yet again. 

      Just as we packed up from dinner to start the bed routine the rain set in. Our first taste of it on this trip and it’s not looking great for the rest of the week and the foreseeable future even as we head further North tomorrow. Yikes! 

      Kms travelled – 6

    • Day 3 – Heading to Yamba

      It was a nice feeling not being in a rush this morning and we made the most of the leisurely pace, cooking bacon egg rolls for breakfast and mooching around taking our time to pack up.

      The girls found (and promptly adopted) a rainworm and named him Percy. Unfortunately for Percy, Chris and I weren’t keen on him joining our travels so he was swiftly evicted from the family.

      We headed up further north and did a token tourist stop at the Big Banana. After a few quick photos the girls decided to continue their quest for sushi from the other day, but alas it was another bitter disappointment. A quick top up shop of bread & milk quickly turned into a major shop with all the kids wanting to buy things that definitely weren’t on the list. Mental note to self – don’t take them all and save your money!

      In the afternoon we made it to Yamba where I had booked a nice caravan park with all the kids activities for the girls.

      The cold weather didn’t stop them from jumping straight into the pool and splashing around until their lips turned blue.

      We also explored the bouncy pillow, scooter track and various playgrounds before settling for the night. Whilst there was no fire pit for our favourite firebug, it was a nice thought knowing we didn’t have to pack up and move on the next day!

      Kms travelled – 193

    • Day 2 – Making our way up the East Coast

      We had a beautiful start to the day – there was a family of kangaroos grazing just outside our van, which the girls loved! Although I must say dad kangaroo looked like a bit of a scary beefcake and I was not keen on the girls getting too close…

      We explored around our campsite and went for a bit of a walk along the trail path, which hugged the lake side. It was lovely and tranquil (before our arrival, as we are still working on camping and indoor voices with the girls). After a quick brekkie we packed up and got ready for the road.
      We were aiming to be on the road between 8-9am, so 8.30am for our first pack up was most impressive!

      First stop was Port Macquarie, where we grabbed our scooters and went on a bit of an adventure to explore Flynns beach. The trail wasn’t exactly scooter friendly in parts and I did question my sanity a few times, but the promise of a sushi shop at the end kept the girls going.
      Only problem we had was that when we got to the promised sushi shop it happened to be closed for two days only as a one off, and yes, our day was one of them. There were a few tears and tantrums from some family members, but we got there and headed to the beach instead. The girls loved dipping their feet in the water, exploring the rocks and we decided to stop for lunch.


      Then it was back on the road as we are really trying to get as far out of NSW as possible early to start exploring areas that aren’t normally as accessible to us. So the next stop was going to be around Nambucca Heads. We found another semi off grid campsite for the night and whilst it didn’t have any flash facilities or even reception it was another pretty spot in nature – this time overlooking the river.

      We set up camp and the girls even dabbled in some schooling (we’ve got a bit of catching up to do since the last week has been a crazy packing frenzy!). Then after there were some tyre rope swings and the frisbee came in handy for entertainment.

      Chris gave Izzy a lesson on how to cook the BBQ while Jazzy is becoming quite the proficient vegetable peeler with her special Kiddy Kutter safety peeler. Just need to train Scarly up now and we will have an army of helpers in no time.

      We tried to get a fire going, but the only wood we could collect was super wet and not enough of it, which didn’t make for an overly pleasant experience. Plus another night of adjusting to a bedtime routine where Scarly can escape the bed made for an exhausting evening and I was happy to have an early night…

      Kms travelled – 274

    • Day 1 – And we’re off! 

      The morning of our trip is here – there’s still so much to do but the excitement is building… finally all the months of planning are starting to come to fruition and van life is almost upon us.

      We pack, we sort, we throw a whole bunch more out. It just gets to the stage where we want to hit the road and I’m sure there’s stuff we’ve forgotten or things we have packed too much of, but it feels like we will just work it out on the road.

      So now it’s time for the BEFORE photos. At the end of the trip we’ll compare how much we’ve changed/grown/aged… 

      After a few more photos and lots of goodbyes we finally drove off. I must say it was a really weird feeling with so many emotions – relief, excitement, overwhelm, anxiety… I won’t lie, I shed a tear!

      First stop was still to be decided depending on traffic and how we went towing the van, but we were aiming for Myall Lakes near Forster. The car & van drove smoothly and everyone was excited so we made it to our destination – a peaceful and secluded camping spot at Korsman Landing at Myall Lakes.

      Yay, we made it and it’s time to crack a beer!

      It was a serene spot, with nothing but nature and wildlife. Within minutes a giant goanna had strolled past, Jazzy found a rainbow painted rock and Izzy lost another tooth – some lucky signs right there…

      We got the van all ready for the night, which involves popping it out and up. The main camp kitchen is outside and we have a few bits and pieces to unload and open up. I’ll do a proper tour of our set up over the coming weeks. Dinner was chicken wraps with green beans.

      Bedtime was a shit show (I mean interesting)… everyone was hyper, couldn’t decide what bed they were sleeping in, everyone kept jumping out and talking and basically anything but sleeping. I think Izzy and Jazzy fell asleep about 8.45pm and Jazzy was up until at least 9.30pm. Let’s just hope we get into a routine and it doesn’t take as long each night!

      Chris and I sat up a bit longer by the fire enjoying a drink and fending off a rather ambitious and fearless possum that would literally get within 5cms of us trying to scavenge for food. People before us must have been feeding it, as it was very persistent. The stars were nice, but there were quite a few trees about, so I’ll save the sky photos for another time.

      All in all a successful first day!

      Kms travelled – 292

    • Packing up our life

      Welcome to the Thierings on Tour blog!

      Well it’s been a long time in the making, but this trip is fast approaching and despite our best efforts to be organised, to pack early, to have everything ready the last minute overwhelm is real. We certainly underestimated how much stuff we had accumulated over the last ten years of living in our home and how long packing up 5 people’s worth of stuff takes…

      There’s been bags and bags of stuff donated, piles of rubbish thrown out, the smallest of cubes squeezed into the van ready for the new adventure!

      Throw in a few curveballs like losing keys, no power on the last day in our house and it quickly became a very overwhelming experience!

      But ultimately there’s nothing like a deadline and some good old perseverance to get us there.

      Seeing the house all empty and beautifully clean (thanks to an army of cleaners!) was a bit emotional actually, because it was the beginning of our dream coming together.

      With every goodbye we said, it felt more and more real. I know it will be particularly hard for the girls who are missing their friends and are finding it hard to imagine what life on the road will be like.

      The girls spent Saturday at grandma’s and uncle Alex’s while Chris and I finished the last bits on the car and house and sorting through yet more piles of junk that we had to throw into bags and boxes because we simply ran out of time to do it earlier.

      Sunday was more of the same, packing last minute bits and pieces into the van, planning some meals for the first few days and enjoying a cheeky drink before the big day!