Thierings on Tour

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

recent posts

    • Day 185 – Coober Pedy

      The underground house was a big hit with all and the novelty of having a kitchen table and couch was also real! Once the kids woke up they were busy playing with all the toys and books for ages, which was lovely to hear. 

      Whilst I had some morning meetings Chris and the girls ventured out to grab coffee and a few supplies from IGA. Then we headed out to look around one of the old mines, aptly named Old Timers Mine. It was a real insight into the conditions for early miners as well as the (lack of) safety measures back in the day. The strips of opal in the rock were very cool to witness and the girls were even more keen to find a big opal of their own! 

      With hard hats on (mainly to protect from heads hitting low ceilings) we wondered through the dugout mine and explored many a chamber and story from past times. The ingenuity of people is inspiring- from how to transport the opal in cowhide bags to the tools created, it really goes to show that when there is a need, creativity follows!

      My favourite part of the mine was the ex-house of the family who owned it, giving a real glimpse of life underground with replica furniture (and some original pieces) and all the family photos showing their lives. The girls decided that the dad must have loved his daughters a lot to dig them their own bedroom by hand! We later found out that the daughters are now grown ladies who live in Adelaide, but frequently visit their mum who still lives in Coober Pedy.

      Back above ground we had a look at the museum and some of the local town history and all the people who have been & gone since. It really is a fascinating place!! 

      When we came out it was extremely hot, so we decided to hide out in the coolness of our dugout for lunch and relaxing a bit in the afternoon. The idea of going to look for opal in the abandoned “noodling areas” around town suddenly didn’t seem appealing when everyone realised how hot it was. Instead the girls had a dance party in their room!

      Instead, a little later we headed out to Umoona Art Centre, an Aboriginal art hub which brings together many local artists. There was a lovely lady painting there, who told us all about the centre and showed us around some of the pieces ready to go to a number of APY galleries around Australia. She was so modest about her own work, which we absolutely loved. 

      We later found out that she was in fact Pearl Austin, who had recently collaborated with Ngali and Country Road to design a number of beautiful pieces, which are currently sold across their stores. So lovely to see the opportunities that can be created out of art centres which are community run.

      Back at home it was time to finally enjoy our long-awaited lasagne and it was a big hit. I haven’t seen Scarly eat so much in ages! Ha ha.

      There was another gorgeous sky to light up the night sky and a super bright supermoon!

      Kms travelled – 8

    • Day 184 – Lake Hart onto Coober Pedy

      Everyone was excited to get to Coober Pedy today and so we had a quick brekkie, a few fights about homework and set off.

      It was a good and uneventful road, which is all you really want when travelling! However the fuel stop we had planned didn’t eventuate, as the town had no power and the back up generator had also died on them… luckily Mr prepared for all car scenarios had filled up 2 Jerry cans a day ago, but we didn’t actually need them anyway as we rolled into town with a few litres spare in the tank.

      As we came into Coober Pedy, the mounds of dirt appeared and the houses disappeared. We had a couple of hours before the underground house would be ready, so we went to check out a couple of opal shops and the playground (of course!).

      Then it was a quick visit to the underground museum, learning about the types of opals and some of the conditions miners were (and sometimes still are) exposed to. You certainly wouldn’t want to have been one of the earlier miners being roped through a tiny hole in the ground… 

      The house we booked was built into the side of the rock and the girls LOVED it. It certainly wasn’t anything fancy, but the novelty of being somewhere that was built into rock and had no windows in any of the bedrooms was real. Plus it had a fully stocked kids’ room with all the toys, books and bunk beds for Scarly to practice her big girl sleeping before her and Jazzy move in together back at home. 

      Being up high, you could see a large portion of the town across the road from the driveway. It’s such a unique and quirky landscape! 

      We had planned to eat our favourite lasagne since we would finally have an oven, but unfortunately the gas had run out and we had to postpone our plans. So off we went for dinner with a view on the top of Coober Pedy. It was beautifully warm, hot even, and we were all so excited to finally wear single layers again. Cheers to that. 

      Everyone was really full from dinner and the girls were actually excited to go to bed tonight, ha ha. Scarly in particular did so well sleeping in a big girl bed by herself after 6 months of crashing in our bed.

      Chris made the most of having space and did an oil change with a view. The night sky was really cool with all the lights lighting up the town.

      Kms travelled – 336

    • Day 183 – Whyalla

      This morning we got some reprieve from the rain as we got ready, yay! The girls also enjoyed having brekkie in the kitchen whilst watching a bit of TV as a novelty. It’s been nice not having the TV, although they do watch shows on the iPad in the car occasionally or on rainy days. 

      We explored the foreshore and soaked up some sunshine before it was time to head to the visitors centre for a Chris and the big girls to head to the Steelworks tour. 

      This is the last remaining steelworks in Australia, the only place that produces railway track sleepers and it’s currently in administration. So if no buyer is found soon all the rail steel products will have to be imported, which would be sad as it employs a few thousand people in the area. Since the 1800s when iron ore was discovered in the area there has been mining and steelworks in Whyalla. Between 1941 and 1978 the shipyards built 66 ships, 1 oil rig and 2 barges. The HMAS Whyalla was the first ship to be built and it luckily returned to the museum for us to visit when Chris and the girls returned.

      The HMAS Whyalla was a minesweeper during the wars, which meant that it was only in the water a maximum of 3m, making it very bouncy on top with sway of up to 45degrees for the boat – basically a very uncomfortable ride. There were around 85 people onboard as standard, making for very crammed and basic conditions. Think 2 shared toilets & showers for 60 of the general crew. They also had to sleep in hammocks in what can only be described as a giant and hot room.

      We got to see the engine room, the explosives room, the guns at the top of the boat as well as the officers’ quarters, the kitchen and of course the captain’s “office”. The girls loved wearing the hat and steering the ship and a favourite for Jazzy – ringing the bronze bell as loudly as possible!

      The museum was really interesting as well with many model boats, a miniature train track and lots of marine life fossils, bones and taxidermy.

      Then it was back on the road and heading north along the Stuart Highway towards Coober Pedy. We made a few stops to stretch our legs and run around, but the final stop for the day was Lake Hart.

      The rest area was a patch of dirt really, but walking out onto the lake was cool – it was salt for days! The girls loved running around, playing in the dirt and enjoying some space to run around and make as much noise as they wanted.

      Kms travelled – 287

    • Day 182 – Port Lincoln onto Whyalla

      The weather was back to its old tricks in the morning with drizzle and a wind that was blowing enough to make pack up unpleasant. We headed off and made a stop in Port Lincoln for brekkie at a French croissanterie! The girls felt all fancy drinking their babycinos and my croque madame was absolutely divine – yum!

      We did a quick top up shop and I found the girls practicing their marching watching themselves in the mirror reflection. Honestly it’s been hilarious getting an insight into the games they play and how their imagination works. 

      There was a really good playground by the water, but just as we got there it absolutely bucketed down. We managed to run back to the car without getting too wet and headed out north along the Eyre peninsula.

      We were hoping that Cowell would be a bit sunnier as it has an amazing free splash park, but it wasn’t to be with yet more rain following us.

      When Chris stopped to check the car and van on one of his routine inspections, I couldn’t help but laugh that it was right next to the Poverty Bay turnoff – sums up the bank balance towards the end of this trip, ha!

      In the end we made Whyalla our stop for the night as there was a lot of interesting things to do in town tomorrow, so we thought it would be a good base. The girls got to enjoy a playground and giant bouncy pillow as well as some outdoor games before the wind got too crazy again.

      Kms travelled – 306

    • Day 181 – Lincoln National Park

      Scarly woke up surprised to see her spider web face stickers still on her face, but then she refused to take them off, so spider girl it was for the day… the girls set off creating “fashion” outfits and had a nice play with their friend Maisy. 

      Then it was off onto the next adventure of Lincoln National Park. The weather forecast was finally looking good for the day and there was even a drop in this hideous cold wind. 

      The road into the park was very up and down (vertically undulating?) whatever the word is! We had earmarked a couple of spots as a potential camping stop for the night and once we got to Fisherman’s Point campground we knew that was the one, we didn’t even bother looking at the next campground. Then Chris and I had a massive case of dejavu and upon checking our old blog it turned out that this is the exact same campsite we had stayed at 11 years ago, possibly even very close to the current site judging by old photos…

      We quickly set up and headed off to explore the park further while the weather was finally favourable. I’d seen so many pictures of Memory Cove recently and I was excited to check it out, but once we started heading out there I saw a note on the National park map that there is a locked gate and the key has to be collected from Port Lincoln visitors centre. I was so sad I hadn’t seen this before and even called them to see if there was any way around it, but alas no.

      So we headed to a different spot and had lunch at September beach, I finally got to enjoy my smoked mackerel in a salad – delish! It was a lovely sheltered beach with so many cool Orca-coloured shells.

      From there we headed to Donnington Lookout with a great view of the ocean and overlooking a sea lion colony island. It’s too hard to see in the photos, but with our binos we saw about 10 different sea lions sunbathing on the rocks.

      We had seen Engine Point along our drive and decided to make the most of the warm weather at this shallow beach. Finally we got to kick off the jumpers & jeans and enjoy a swim in the water. It was pretty chilly, but none of us really cared as we have missed the sun! 

      The girls collected more shells and warmed up on the rocks, Chris and I enjoyed a beer and some peace in the shallow water. It was such a fabulous afternoon and a brilliant reset for everyone!

      Back at camp we made tacos and got a fire going. With the wind gone the flies came out in force and we had to cover everything up as we tried to eat. The girls loved the idea of tacos with a view 🙂

      While I was putting Scarly to bed Chris went out for a fish as we had read on our old blog that this is where he caught two squid. Sure enough he came back with a squid, a beautiful translucent thing and the big girls loved seeing it in the bucket. It wasn’t really big enough for the effort to cook up as a snack for everyone so Chris decided to let it go in the end.

      The stars were awesome, the fire was warm and cost and it was a lovely relaxing way to finish an already brilliant day. Lincoln NP, you did it again!

      Kms travelled – 88

    • Day 180 – Coffin Bay National Park

      We had another day of questionable weather and with today being Halloween we decided to stay another night in Coffin Bay and just do a day trip into Coffin Bay National Park. 

      There were so many emus on the road driving into the National Park, it was a bit of a minefield and one got very close to getting its foot run over as it dashed for the car at the last minute.

      We went to a couple of nice beach lookouts but the wind at most of them was unbearable and a couple of times the girls didn’t even want to jump out of the car to have a look. We finally managed to get the masses out at Almonta Beach with views of Golden Island. 

      It was still windy, but so beautiful! The white sand and turquoise water really do make for picture perfect beaches, but it definitely feels like we’ve picked the wrong season to explore this part of the world…

      From there it was onto Yangie Bay, where we were going to originally stay. There was a nice area right on the water where Chris had a quick fish whilst the girls and I explored. Scarly found some cool emu tracks in the mud as well before we headed back to town.

      Before heading out to the Halloween disco we had been told about it was time for the adults to have a little treat. We had a little cheeky drink and oysters at the oyster farm across the road. Izzy had 5 oysters, ha ha, I’ve definitely got some competition now!

      Then it was time to find what we had in the caravan to get ready for Halloween. Chris managed to buy some spider web face stickers for the girls and with their orange pumpkin tshirts it was time to head to the local disco. What a lovely community to put on a fun event for the kids and to have drinks for sale for the parents – winning! The girls danced at the disco with their friend from the caravan park and crashed quickly once it was time for bed. Scarly was so tired she didn’t even have the energy to take off her spider webs!

      Kms travelled – 26

    • Day 179 – Elliston to Coffin Bay

      It had rained overnight, which wasn’t great for the washing that I had drying outside, but you can’t let these things get to you. While we quickly packed up, the girls found some pedal carts and did a few laps around the park. Jazzy’s feet were definitely not long enough, but she was determined to finish her lap by herself. 

      We decided to do the scenic drive loop around Elliston to check out some of the sculptures by the sea. Of course we had to get a photo of Chris with the thongs! The girls loved the head carvings and the cliff top views around were breathtaking… if only it had been a bit warmer – sigh!

      Next stop was Greenly beach, which came highly recommended as a stop with its beautiful rock pools. Alas the weather didn’t want to play along and as we started walking down there, it started raining. The view of the escarpment and the beach was still gorgeous, but I can only imagine how nice it would be to stop there for an swim and camp there on a sunny day. So on we went to the next stop.

      We made it to Coffin Bay, one of my favourite places from our last trip (partly due to the oysters, I won’t lie) and as we couldn’t get into the park yet, we grabbed lunch nearby. The seafood platter for two was even too big to feed four, but we did our best and it was delicious! Izzy is starting to get a taste for oysters now…

      After we were all set up in the caravan park, I ducked out across the road for an oyster farm tour while Chris and the girls stayed at camp. My 40th celebrations continue! 

      We got given some fetching waders and a young Argentinian man, Juan, took us through the history of the area and some of the principles of oyster farming. It’s incredible how much innovation exists in this space and how far the industry has come!

      The baskets on lines allow oyster farmers to move the oysters in and out of the water to ensure adequate growth. First oysters focus on growing the shell and once this reaches the right size it will focus on growing the meat inside. Coffin bay being enclosed, means that oysters here tend to mature in about 18 months compared to other areas. 

      We waded out through the water to the pontoon and got taught how to shuck oysters properly – I’m not afraid to say that I have been doing it wrong (and cut my hand more than once) when I have done it in the past! With the right tools and technique, I am now self sufficient and proficient- it was wonderful getting to taste fresh oysters direct from the sea with a glass of wine in peace!

      Then we learnt a bit more about how you grow oysters and that the baby shells that start off from fragile shells can be cultivated and grown with the right sorting by size into delicious oysters. The size of the holes in the baskets determine what size shell can go into them and as the oysters grow through their stages there are fewer and fewer in each basket to encourage growth. Oh and the freshest place to eat oysters outside of Coffin Bay, is Hong Kong! Their government has invested a lot of money into direct flights for delivering seafood in 48 hours, mind you it will set you back $12 an oyster. Sydney is pretty lucky in that we get Coffin Bay oysters within 72 hours, so not too bad… it was a really interesting tour!

      Back at camp the gangs were playing nicely and enjoying the afternoon. Just before dinner a local called us in for more oyster talks and showed us some of the biggest oysters they have caught in Coffin Bay. We also couldn’t resist getting another dozen for the family. Izzy was right in there giving us some competition in eating the most… 

      A great day for the tastebuds!

      Kms travelled – 170

    • Day 178 – Sea lions and dolphins in Baird Bay

      Of all the days to wake up with a hangover, today was not ideal! I felt rotten and very silly for not starting my 40s with a bit more wisdom and self-control to not drink so much the night before… silly mama! But nothing was going to stop me from finally swimming with the sea lions…

      We packed up the van and headed out to Baird Bay for our long anticipated Baird Bay Experience of swimming with the sea lions and dolphins, which our trip besties the O’Bergs had recommended. It was a short enough trip and before we knew it we were getting suited and booted ready to go on the boat.

      The girls had a thermal rash top and double wetsuits, because the temperature was said to be 15C. At least today wasn’t windy and there was even a bit of sun out. The adults just got thermal rash tops and thick wetsuits…

      We were all excited and luckily there was only one other person booked in for the tour. After a short boat ride we were at the island, which is a sanctuary for the sea lions. Olivia helped us in the water and gave us some instructions on what to expect and shortly after we were in the water with the sea lions approaching in no time.

      The big girls and I jumped in first while Chris stayed on the boat with Scarly. Luckily the water was crystal clear so she had a perfect view of the sea lions playing and swimming from the boat without needing to get in. You can completely understand why they are called the puppies of the ocean.

      They were doing tumbles and flips underwater, zooming past us and chasing each other. It was so fun to observe and I felt incredibly lucky to be sharing the ocean with these cuties. 

      The girls loved seeing the sea lions, but it was a bit harder for them to move around as the wetsuits made them so buoyant swimming was hard, whereas the adults could walk on the sea floor quite easily. Jazzy also got cold quite quickly, so was happy to jump out after a while and put her jacket & beanie on and observe from the boat with Scarly.

      Chris got to check out the sea lions and we both got to see some of the bigger adult females and males as they made their way into the water. The baby sea lions have the funniest, high pitched, tone deaf call for their mums and we kept hearing it from the island. 

      We learnt that the local colony is thriving and increasing its population compared to other colonies in the wild. Also, the difference between sea lions and seals is their ability to use their hind flippers as legs and to rotate their back fully as well as having flaps over their ears, rather than just ear holes. They also seem to be much more social & cute, which we certainly got to experience today!

      Jumping out of the water was a scary thought as we knew it would be cold! Luckily there was some warm Milo and snacks waiting for us on the boat. 

      Then it was time to head to the second location for the day, where we would be swimming with dolphins. We got a quick briefing and then it was back in the water, a much deeper location and the water was a lot murkier too, but the dolphins came and were so curious and playful too! Ahhhhh, so amazing to explore the water with all these incredible water creatures. 

      The girls didn’t want to hop in the water here as they didn’t want to get cold again, but luckily once more, they had a great view from the boat and loved the dolphin experience nonetheless! 

      Chris and I got to have two goes at experiencing the dolphins zooming past us as they feed in the channel. There were some baby dolphins in the pod and they were even cuter. You really had to be quick at looking in all directions as there were so many and they would zoom past in all directions. It was honestly so special! A very happy birthday treat indeed. 

      Back on the boat we got to observe the pod a bit more and as we started heading back we witnessed a sea eagle and gull having a fight in the air, then a sea lion joining the dolphin pod as they swam along the boat. A successful day on the water!

      We were so happy to have a warm shower back at the centre and to get out of our wetsuits. All rugged up we got treated to a delicious lunch cooked by the onsite chef. I can’t believe I forgot to take a photo, but the food was sensational… different types of dish, poppies, various gourmet salads and homemade three-times cooked chips. We ate and ate and then got to enjoy a delicious crème caramel for dessert. 

      The tour itself is incredible, but the food honestly takes it to another level! We were so lucky to have had this magical day 🙂

      Everyone was pretty tired as we got back into the car and we decided to not go as far, so we could just relax and chill for a couple of hours. We made it to Elliston and had an easy afternoon relaxing, catching up on some washing and drying and of course, more footy ball throwing and catching.

      Kms travelled – 181 

    • Day 177 – Mama turns 40 in Venus Bay

      The morning consisted of morning cuddles and snuggles as well as reading beautiful messages from my lovely friends who celebrated with me. How blessed to have the day with my family travelling Australia!

      We didn’t have any set plans anymore since the sealion tour got postponed to tomorrow so it was a relaxed and slow morning. 

      I was also trying to work out if the dots on Scarly’s face were mozzie bites or in fact something more sinister. There’s definitely been a mozzie in our bed and the fact that the dots were only on her face made me a bit more comfortable. 
      Chris cooked bacon & eggs and we just managed to finish our brekkie before the first bit of rain reared its ugly head. 

      We went for a little walk and then the first stop for the day was the Woolshed Sea Cave. We were all actually amazed at how cool it was, I had zero expectations for it so it was a pleasant surprise. 

      We could hear the bats in the back of the cave but didn’t go in too far. Instead we admired the cave from each angle that was accessible. It was pretty!

      From here we cruised a bit more to check out The Tub and a few more scenic coastal sites and then onto Murphy’s Haystacks. The difference between a pillar like these and boulders is that boulders are detached from the underlying bedrock, whereas these remain attached. 

      It was fun to have a look around and the girls attempted to perch up on them without sliding off.

      I was told that there was an oyster and prawn seller in Port Kenny, so we stopped by, but it turns out he had sold out do oysters. Oh well, it wasn’t meant to be, so we grabbed some prawns for next time and let the girls burn a bit more energy.

      Back at camp we had a late lunch and a slice of carrot cake as my birthday treat 🙂

      The rest of the afternoon was very relaxed, playing games, going for a walk up to the lookout with my scooter girl, more playground and lastly dinner at the very shabby Port Kenny Hotel with our caravan park neighbours. The courtesy bus meant that everyone got a little too merry and I definitely regret my drinking choices on the first day of my 40s! Ha

      Kms travelled – 116

    • Day 176 – Gawler Ranges

      Everyone was up early this morning, so we walked up to the corner store and the girls loved the pelican statue. There was a glimmer of sun today, but the wind was still out in force so we decided to head out inland for an adventure at Gawler Ranges to see a rock formation called the Organ Pipes.

      It was a bit of a drive, but that was used productively to do work and homework while Chris drove. There was a lot of emus on the road as we came into the park and the road was pretty rough and bumpy. There also didn’t seem to be anyone else in sight the whole way into the park… admittedly there was a sign about goat culling in some parts of the park, but not the Organ Pipes that we were here to explore.

      When we arrived everyone seemed to be starving so we thought it might make sense to cook up the hotdogs before our walk. In the meantime Chris and Jazzy also let some air out of the tyres to make the drive back more comfortable. 
      The girls went exploring around the picnic area and before I knew it, Jazzy was walking back holding a goat skull, ha ha – let’s just say I asked her to put it down and not touch it… 

      With full bellies we headed off on the walk, through beautiful red dirt with a backdrop of every shade of green you can imagine. It was nice to see a bit of red dirt again, I won’t lie!

      On our walk we saw a cute little shingle back lizard, which the girls called Taco. There were also a lot of emu tracks and kangaroo droppings, so the wildlife must be abundant around here after dark.

      It was a relatively short trek and when we got there the girls loved climbing all the rocks shaped like organ pipes. The big girls and papa went a bit higher while Scarly and I hung back and took it all in from the lower levels. 
      The walk back seemed so fast and the girls were grossed out to see another goat skull in a bush, this time with fur still attached. Luckily Jazzy didn’t try to touch that one!

      As we drove home we saw a signpost for Pildappa Rock and the quick Google search showed some cool photos, so we decided to check it out too. It was like a mini Wave Rock! I was pretty happy, because we didn’t do the detour to Wave Rock this time, but the girls had a good time pretending to surf this miniature one.

      Scarly was in a bit of a funk after her nap got cut short by stopping so I took her on a walk around while the others climbed up higher to have a look from the top. She was also so excited to try my sparkling water and surprisingly liked it, even though it was lime flavoured. Maybe it’s the novelty of drinking out of a can as she knows that’s normally just for adults. 
      The girls also enjoyed playing hide and seek, with Scarly using her height to her advantage and getting under the picnic tables.

      Sadly I got a call that our sealion tour couldn’t go ahead in the morning, so we had to change plans and hope it would go ahead on Wednesday… 

      Back at camp it was time to play with friends and get dinner sorted. My beautiful Scarly helped me peel potatoes with her kid-safe peeler. She was so proud and so was I!

      Kms travelled – 253

    • Day 175 – Ceduna to Venus Bay

      Today was moving day and we were hoping to finally escape the rain! We would officially be heading to the Eyre Peninsula, a place I have very fond memories of from our last trip. 

      We made a brief stop at Streaky Bay, but the wind was out of control… I have never seen so many white caps on the water and it was a struggle to hold on to the door every time you hopped out of the car. Needless to say we didn’t do much exploring around town, instead of opting for some tasty lunch and a quick coffee.

      Then it was a short drive onto Venus Bay, a beautiful shallow beach with so many fishing boats and fishermen everywhere. The pelicans were out in force also anytime anyone came in with fish to the fish cleaning station.

      We set up and whilst it was nice and sunny, the wind was crazy so it made feel a lot colder. That didn’t stop the girls from playing yet more footy with papa and soon enough they were joined by our neighbours who also had girls aged 9 and 6. 

      Scarly kept busy with her Duplo, she’s been a busy bee building many a creation recently and doing so well. Her logic and language skills have absolutely skyrocketed on this trip! 

      Dinner was various leftovers in the camp kitchen to get out of the wind. We’re so ready for a change in the weather, ahhhhh! All in all, another uneventful day 🙂

      Kms travelled – 185

    • Day 174 – Ceduna

      We had a break from the rain this morning and headed out to have a look at Ceduna. It was a quiet little town and you can see that it would have been lovely in warm weather. 

      There was a very long jetty and a nice playground, including a big jumping pillow, which entertained the kids for a while. Scarly is so good at going down the forewoman’s pole now. If only it wasn’t for the wind!

      We had a cruise around, checking out some more beaches and lookouts but the weather was not on our side… in the end we cut our sightseeing losses and stopped at a seafood wholesalers. They had the freshest prawns and oysters there, so it would have been rude not to grab some. The oysters were shucked right in front of us and we headed back to camp to enjoy them. Yummo! All the girls have been loving the seafood – Scarly and Jazzy are now prawn fiends and Izzy is right into the oysters.

      The park caretaker announced that a big hail storm was coming, so we bunkered down a bit. The rest of the afternoon was spent watching a movie and relaxing, with a bit of footy kicking in between bouts of rain. When it did clear we headed out for a drive to Denial Bay. It was another cool long jetty and Jazzy found some blue swimmer crab claws.

      With another playground under our belt we burnt some cabin fever energy before heading back. Not the most adventurous day, but that’s life on the road.

      Kms travelled – 35

    • Day 173 – The start of our South Australian adventures

      Everyone woke up “late” today because we were still on WA time and so 2.5hours behind. We didn’t really need to rush, but it was going to be another long driving day to get to the start of the Eyre peninsula and with drizzly weather we didn’t take long to pack up and hit the road.

      We made a stop along one of the other Great Australian Bight points with a gorgeous view of the ocean and surrounding cliffs. Sadly there were no whales around and as we were there it started pouring so we all ran back to the car.

      There were some big roadtrains and oversized vehicles around, each time spraying a lot of water and definitely limiting visibility temporarily. I must say I was on edge the whole time, even though Chris drives very sensibly, but these road conditions were atrocious.

      We made it to Nullabor Roadhouse and had to jump over and around so many puddles to simply get in. It was a good opportunity to grab a coffee and have a bite to eat. Not much else to do outside in this rain, but we did snap a couple of quick pics with some of the landmark road signs and other touristy signs. Poor Chris also went sliding in the mud in his thongs, which didn’t end so well for his shorts.

      Then it was back on the road and into more rain – far out, we are so hanging for a break from this weather now. We stopped at Penong, which claims to have the largest windmill and it was certainly big. The Comet, as it’s known, was restored by some amazing volunteers in the area so that it could be on display amongst the other windmills in Penong. A quirky little collection!

      We stopped for a break and were entertained by stories from a little local boy who was “helping” his grandpa and nan in the shop that is a a cafe, corner store, post office and everything in between in town. The girls found the concept so novel! The little boy mentioned that his entire school has 68 kids in total… 

      After we headed to check out the pink lake just nearby, which after driving down a muddy & salt-crusted track, we discovered was not currently pink. So all that salt like mud was for nothing and would have to be removed swiftly to avoid it eating into the van. Oops, should have checked the state of the pink lake first – lesson learnt!

      The rest of the drive was uneventful and we decided to stop in Ceduna for a night or two as we were over the big driving days and everything felt annoying and hard in the rain. You know you are getting close when Sydney comes up as a destination on the distance signs 😦

      Much to my dismay, I accidentally booked the wrong caravan park and we ended up at one that had absolutely nothing for the kids. Anyway, it was what it was and I was actually just grateful to be in the same spot and to rest for a couple of days. Entertaining the kids would be tomorrow’s problem! That night we also had a huge thunderstorm roll through with lots of thunder and massive lightning storms. Poor Izzy had a very tough time falling asleep through it.

      Kms travelled – 432

    • Day 172 – Australia’s Longest Straight Road

      It was our last morning in WA and what a stint it’s been!! Grateful for all the experiences and memories and already looking forward to coming back to explore more one day!

      We had a quick look around the Balladonia roadhouse museum and it’s interesting to imagine how people would have travelled these vast landscapes on camel in the past.

      Then it was back on the road and heading East. Shortly we hit Australia’s straightest road, a 90 mile stretch of highway. I think even I could have driven this while towing the van, but I had too many emails to work through so Chris did the honours yet again. 

      Chris reminisced about the last time he drove this road – smoking ciggies and listening to AC/DC, this time there were no ciggies (while driving) but we did blast the AC/DC tunes again. 

      Once the straight road was all done and dusted we stopped off at Cocklebiddy for a quick diesel refill and food fuel stop. Chicken wraps out of the back of the car whilst the girls found some random, rusty swings at the service station. 

      We had one more stop to stretch and check the car (luckily all in order!) and then with a TimTam bribe and some tunes we made it a few more hundred kms. Before we knew it, we were at the SA border and I barely had time to grab my phone to snap a photo on the go, because there was nowhere to pull over and get a proper snap with the family…

      Instead we jumped out shortly past the border to get some iconic photos with the boxing kangaroo and all the distance signs. 

      The Great Australian Bight Marine park had amazing views of the ocean and cliffs and we tried to find a nice stop for the night. It seemed that most were just for day viewing and the wind was a bit too much for us anyway to stay the night. 

      With the help of WikiCamps we found an awesome little spot off the road near a pretty cool cave. There wasn’t a soul in sight, but the spot had magical views and a great sunset to celebrate our first night in SA. The clock change of 2.5hours completely threw us and after such a big driving day we were all out of whack anyway. I think the kids went to bed around 9.30pm local time – oops. 

      Chris and I enjoyed the stars, a fire and some cool local visitors. This bug had an amazing hard shell, neither of us have ever seen anything similar to this guy. 

      Kms travelled – 582

    • Day 171 – Lucky Bay to Balladonia

      It was a dramatic morning sky and I couldn’t resist walking down to the beach for a morning walk. It was peaceful and gorgeous!

      The weather was still looking gloomy and cold, so we decided to cut our losses and move on from Lucky Bay. It meant that we would be heading East from Norseman looking to cross the Nullabor and onto South Australia from there. So we quickly stopped in Esperance for brekkie, which turned out to be the perfect place with a massive playroom.

      With our bellies full Chris took the girls to the park while I did a little top up shop. Then it was on the road with a long driving stint ahead of us.

      There were so many fields along the drive, it’s such farming country around. There were also a couple of salt lakes, but we couldn’t stop too close to them. 
      We had a fruit & play break in Norseman. The girls definitely do better when we have stops that allow them to be active and burn some energy… we had a little look around, but didn’t stay long. It was nice to finally throw the jackets and jumpers off and get some sunshine!

      We made good time and rolled into Balladonia with time to relax a bit before the usual dinner & shower routine. The girls’ hair is getting so long now! The girls finished a bit more homework and Chris cooked a delicious dinner. 

      Finally we also got to admire some stars! 

      Kms – 458