Thierings on Tour

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

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    • Day 155 – South West Region

      The day started off with happy family members all around after everyone had a great sleep. Being in a house definitely felt like a novelty. 
      We had a breakfast buffet included in our stay, so we took our time and indulged in all the good food. 

      Then it was time for me to disappear for a couple of hours as I had a 2 hour spa treatment booked in. It was bliss!

      Revived and looking a little less like a caravan inhabitant I emerged from my amazing treat to be reunited with my tribe and we set off on the next lot of adventures. 

      We visited Canal Rocks and admired the stunning views of the ocean from the bridge, the rocks and surrounding areas. Scarly just woke up from her nap and was not loving it. On a clear and warm day it would have been amazing to have a swim and snorkel at the natural aquarium…
      But with the weather hovering below 20C we didn’t even contemplate swimming of any kind. 

      I’d read about Injidup natural spa, a thermal hot pool in the area, but just as we thought about going there it started drizzling and we cancelled that thought. It’s such a shame that the weather has been less than average, because this is such a beautiful part of the world that really shows its magic in good weather!

      We stopped for a drink and a play at Cheeky Monkey Brewery and tasted some of the local craft beer and ginger beer – delicious. The kids loved playing at all the different play equipment and exploring the gardens. The weather stopped just enough to make it enjoyable for all.

      We checked in and set up camp and headed out again to see some of the Margaret River town. There was a park with an old steam train from 1895 built in England and yet more play and exercise equipment… the girls loved it and all decided they want to get sporty. We didn’t explore the nearby trails today, but I always love reading local Aboriginal stories about country.

      We went for a walk across the bridge to find the old town settlement, an example of where families from the UK would have lived as the dairy farm industry was established in the region. It makes me very grateful for all the comforts and infrastructure we have today seeing some of these historic places…

      A busy day in the end!

      Kms travelled – 68

    • Day 154 – Bunker Bay

      We were so lucky to wake up to blue skies and no rain, woohoo! So we made the most of the morning, packed up quickly and headed off after a quick brekky at camp. It also meant that we could easily explore Busselton Jetty this morning before my work training session in Dunsborough. 

      It was absolutely freezing and the girls weren’t thrilled at the thought of walking all the way to the end of the jetty. To make things worse, we just missed the train and the next one wasn’t going to be for ages. So instead we took photos from the start of the jetty, had a little look around, but didn’t go all the way to the end.

      Instead, the girls opted for playground heaven with a huge nautical themed playground right by the water’s edge. There were climbing ropes that took them to the top of the mast and so much to explore. They could have easily spent hours there…

      However we were on a time schedule, so they dropped me off at a training session for work and headed to the Dunsborough Fun Park with mini golf and epic trampolines. Sounds like everyone burnt a lot of energy!

      After a quick stop in town for lunch we were off to spend one night away from the van in a lovely looking place called Pullman Bunker Bay. It was fancy and we definitely looked like disheveled caravaners rocking up for a night with our shopping bags filled with clothes and supplies.

      It was a gorgeous two bedroom villa, I was so excited to enjoy the extra space I actually forgot to take photos other than the one of the girls jumping happily on a king sized bed. There was also a “heated” pool, not quite sure what it was heated to, but it didn’t feel like it cut through the chill, ha ha

      Anyway, we had a nice swim and while the NRL grand final was on we got to sit on a couch drinking wine out of a glass – the real luxuries you miss while on the road. The kids also loved binging on a bit of TV straight from their bed in their fancy bathrobes, the cuties. When in Bunker Bay, I also made the most of time to relax in the bath with a glass of wine. A true early birthday present to me – cheers!

      To top the day off we had a glowstick party, which was a hoot! Scarly was absolutely exhausted by the end of the day and asked to go to bed, falling asleep within minutes. A fabulous day for all.


      Kms travelled – 97

    • Day 153 – Bunbury

      Today was a miserable weather event with rain and not a patch of blue in the sky. So we dug out all the rain jackets and cheered that I hadn’t had a chance to send the gumboots back home yet… they all came in handy!

      We were lucky to be able to eat breakfast in the camp kitchen and the kids were cheering as there were TVs there as well. The square-eyed zombies return, ha ha.

      It would definitely have to be a day of indoor activities and we opted to head to the Dolphin Discovery Centre in the morning to try and beat the crowds. It was such a great interactive place with volunteer talks about the turtles and octopus as well as hands on experiences such as touching the Star fish. This one actually felt somewhat slimy, which I wasn’t expecting, I thought it would be a rough surface…

      There were VR sets playing ocean themed films, games, toys, a colouring & scan zone where your drawing would come to life in the aquarium and a lot more. It was the perfect way to spend a few hours indoors!

      Once we ventured outside the rain seemed to be clearing, so we headed to the water to see if we could spot any of the 200 local dolphins that frequent these shores, but they had other plans today.

      So we headed for a walk and of course, stumbled across a playground. The big girls had a great time racing each other on the giant flying fox with a helping hand from mama while Scarly explored the water play and other parts of the park.

      We decided to treat the girls to the movies as well (plus we were keen to see Bad Guys 2, I won’t lie!). It was a fun family movie with the obligatory popcorn to keep everyone happy.

      Once we came out it was like we had walked out in a different town, the sun was shining and it was almost warm, so Chris and I decided that deserved a cheeky drink before heading back home…

      Before we headed back we stopped at the best fruit & veg shop we have seen on this trip. It was like an amazing maze of fresh produce, amazing butcher products, deli, patisserie and everything in between. Needless to say our attempt to grab a few things ahead of the grand final turned into a full blown mega shop. Oops! 😅🤭

      By the time we got back it was pretty late, so we scrambled together a few leftovers for dinner and had a chilled evening.

      Kms travelled – 17

    • Day 152 – Mandurah Giants

      This morning I had some long meetings and training sessions, so Chris and the kids had a slow start to the day with finishing up some of the pack down, leisurely making breakfast and watching a bit of TV in the camp kitchen.

      Once I was all done we headed off down south and on the Mandurah Giants trail. These giants are dotted around the Mandurah coast in quirky locations and all tell a unique story. Unfortunately, I got the order of visiting them wrong when I put the details in the GPS, so we ended up having to miss one.

      The first one was Yaburgurt, a gentle giant lying down and yarning after eating too much, a perfect pose for climbing and exploring. 

      Santi Ikto was on the coast and has the worst parking options, with all streets in the surrounding suburbia having specific signs forbidding people to park there to access the giant statue. We managed to park up eventually and walked along the impressive coastline to the elevated view of where the giant was sitting. Pretty good spot, that would be me if I had to be a giant.

      Lastly we arrived at the last of our giants stops at Seba’s Song. It was a fairly long walk out and once we got there, we realised that he was perched up on the rock wall looking out to the water, which made it hard to truly appreciate or photograph the giant. Jazzy and Izzy tried to climb to the front, but we had to stop them for fear of them slipping and falling in the water… 

      After that, everyone was starving and we quickly stopped to grab a bite to eat and stumbled upon a great butcher to top up meat supplies. Scarlett also discovered her hairdresser shop, although they spelt her name wrong on the sign.

      Then it was finally off to Bunbury, our base for the next couple of nights. Just as we approached the caravan park, I was super excited to see a giant Stem Cell Donors Australia billboard on rotation and in fact we could see it from our campsite. 

      The girls loved the jumping pillow and playground, burning yet more energy for a while, but it was starting to get cold and the rain factor wasn’t promising for the next few days…

      Kms travelled – 170

    • Day 151 – Rottnest Island

      Today was the day for the girls to get their selfie with a quokka and we were all very excited to head over to Rottnest Island for the day.

      The caravan park staff said that parking was no issue, but we still left with time to spare to grab a coffee before the ferry. Well, lucky we did, because parking was a complete nightmare with most areas being 2-3hr parking only and the car parks having too low a clearance to fit the Cruiser with our roof racks and gear. After circling for 30 minutes and raising stress levels to new heights for the parents we were finally in a spot and heading for a coffee.

      Scarly discovered a dragon fly on the step and we knew it was going to be a great day from here!!

      The ferry over was super busy with it being school holidays and close to the weekend, but we passed the time with chats and silly photos.

      Once on Rottnest island we headed straight to the settlement/town area to find some quokkas. There were plenty of city quokkas happy to oblige for a quick snap and the girls were thrilled!

      From there we walked across to a beach area called The Basin and had a lovely time at the beach there. Whilst the water was very clear, it was also very freezing. All of us had a quick dip, before jumping out to dry in the sun. The big girls loved splashing in the waves for ages though… a truly lovely spot of the earth on Rottnest island!

      Then we explored the lighthouse and a few lookouts around Pinky’s beach before heading back in for lunch. By the time we had walked back, we would have only covered less than a quarter of the island, but Chris’ ankle was getting progressively more swollen since the bee sting, so we didn’t want to push the walking. I can see why people with older kids hire bikes to ride around, it’s a great way to cover the 22km round trip on the island. There is so much to see and do.

      We stopped for a delicious lunch (seafood pasta for me) and then got some more quokka selfies. The kids made time for the playground (a necessity wherever we go) and then we headed for a bus tour around the island. A much more friendly way for young families to get around. Some of the beaches on the south coast of Rottnest were spectacular! 

      Scarly had a good snooze as we cruised around, learning about the island, history and geography of it. Apparently the population of quokkas is 12,000! Now that’s hard to fathom with no more than a couple of hundred in town, but Abby explained that the country quokkas are truly nocturnal and you would never see them driving or riding around in the day. Makes sense! The island also got its name from a Dutch explorer who wrote in his diary about giant rats with two heads inhabiting the island, this of course being quokkas with joeys in their pouch. He was too scared to stay on the island with his men and instead opted to sleep back on the ship. Lucky we know better and appreciate these cute “rats”! 

      Abby talked about all the ship wrecks that have happened around the island and how there are now two lighthouses to avoid any more. The last of the lighthouses was automated in 1977, yet the lighthouse keeper still managed to persuade the government to pay for him to stay on the island for an extra 3 years to man the automated lighthouse. Ha, what a deal for this guy…

      We stopped on the West Coast and all hopped out to admire the beautiful views. The crashing waves and the colour of the ocean were so impressive and there were whales and dolphins everywhere that day, jumping out and breaching. One of the beaches also had a cool osprey nest and we saw the osprey wondering around looking for food for its chicks. 

      On our way back we explored the northern part of the island, all the stunning beaches and you could tell how busy it would get around the hotter months with people coming from Perth & Fremantle. The moorings on the island have a 10 year plus wait time! Oh and the island has a school with a student count of 10 students, so similarly, the waitlist to teach on the island is also around 10 years. 

      A huge day of exploring, learning, admiring. The ferry ride back was just as busy, but went much faster and we were back at our caravan park for an early night.

      Kms travelled – 18

    • Day 150 – Perth to Fremantle

      We had to pack and get ready around my meetings this morning, which always makes for a coordinated effort. As we headed out of Perth, we picked up our 5kgs of homework for the next term – yikes (thank goodness for another 13 days of holidays). 

      Then we stopped at Rob’s bee supplies business and got to see the warehouse and learn lots about bees!

      The older girls were super lucky that they got to go and see the hives up close, but first that meant suiting up for the occasion. They had their suits, headgear, gumboots and gloves. Papa opted for thongs and promptly got stung by a bee on his foot as they got closer.

      While Scarly and I stood on the sidelines, Rob gave them a safety briefing and then took them up close to have a look at how they work, what the hives look like in action and of course the first taste of the liquid gold it produces.

      Scarly, who is a big honey lover as it is, LOVED the fresh honey directly from the honeycomb. It really is so good and our samples were quickly gone! 

      We hung around a bit longer before saying our final goodbyes to Rob and heading towards Fremantle. I must say, we are all finding the big city driving, traffic lights and highways a little odd after being out in the bush for so long. I can’t imagine what the first day of driving to work will be like for Chris after so long on the road! Anyway, let’s not think about it yet…

      We got to our park at Coogee Beach (pronounced the opposite to its twin sister Coogee in Sydney). Once set up, we headed to the beach to have a look. It was busy with school holiday crowds, but only one or two people were actually swimming. The water would be freezing!

      Then the girls manifested yet another playground, this one definitely not as spectacular or new as some of the ones we have seen, but plenty to keep them busy. A nice treat for the girls and some quality time together for our family.

      Dinner was a quick taco special, as we wanted to have an early night and fresh people all around for tomorrow’s big adventure! 

      Kms travelled – 53

    • Day 149 – Chore day in Perth

      Chris took the car in for a suspension check this morning, which he organised to get some peace of mind after all the issues we had leading up to the latest fix in Karratha. 

      So it meant a wheel free day at the caravan park. We were extremely lucky that just across the road was the most amazing French patisserie with delicious coffee, pastries and macarons. Everyone got to pick their favourite flavour as a treat for later.

      There was lots of time for the playground and a lot of devastation when I finally agreed to take them to the pool (despite the chilly temperatures) only to find out that the pool was awaiting council checks after the latest renovations. Jazzy was besides herself and kept asking when the council would finally approve it – so she had to gently be introduced to the pace of council approvals, which are months and months rather than her anticipated minutes she had in mind…

      I had a few meetings while the girls chilled and the weather gods helped to ensure that my four loads of washing had enough sun to dry quickly despite the low temperatures. 

      In the afternoon we explore the games room onsite, which had games, puzzles, colouring in galore and bag toss. Izzy was just happy to lie on a couch and read her Kindle, which I don’t blame her for, as sitting on the couch is definitely something we all miss on this trip.

      Once we finally had the car back (suspension was confirmed as all cleared and as it should be) we headed out to collect our massive grocery shop. Then it was the usual Tetris of trying to pack it all away into the fridges and limited pantry space we have. Our kitchen is going to feel huge after this trip!

      All in all, a rather uneventful day, but you get this when you are on the road full time 😉

      Kms travelled – 12

    • Day 148 – Pinnacles

      It was an early start and a swift pack up schedule this morning as we were headed on the Pinnacles tour at 7.30am.

      The view over the farm was gorgeous and we were lucky that yesterday’s drizzle had finally cleared. Nambung has special private access to the back of the Pinacles desert, which gives for a very private and unique view of the limestone formations.

      We headed over the large sand dunes to a cluster of small pinnacles, which had only recently been exposed due to changing winds. The kids felt like they were on Mars, but enjoyed running around them and looking for other ones.

      James, our guide, explained that this all used to be an ancient seabed in the past, which is an incredible thought. So we continued walking and the kids had plenty of opportunities to run around, surf the dunes, climb and have fun.

      Chris and I have visited the Pinnacles from the other side in the past, so it was great to get a different perspective on them. Given how few people visit this part of the park (only about 1,000 a year) it’s amazing how untouched it stays, you can literally see the wind blowing sand over the tracks we just walked. A truly special place!

      From there, it was a 2 hour drive to Perth, which went by rather quickly and uneventfully. While we were setting up camp, the girls thought it was hilarious that the laundry block had a “jail”.

      In the evening we went to visit Chris’ friend Rob and wife Tien-Yen, whom we haven’t seen since our last trip 11 years ago. It was certainly different coming back with 3 beautiful little girls… 
      We went out for dinner at a really cool pub with an amazing kids’ playground and everyone was happy. We got to catch up uninterrupted, while the girls had a blast playing amidst bites of yummy food. Win win! 

      Kms travelled – 218

    • Day 147 – Jurien Bay to Nambung

      We were lucky to have gotten a cancellation for the night to the station I had in mind, as it had been a nightmare trying to find where to stay whilst still moving south over the long weekend and the start of the holidays. 

      We packed up the van and all the new shells the girls had collected (I’m surprised our van doesn’t rattle from the number of shells in it) and headed off for a quick coffee & air compressor stop in Jurien Bay. Once we got to the service station, Chris quickly realised he should have just used his own air compressor as this thing was so slow and useless.

      The kids wanted to go back to the playground and as we weren’t in any particular rush, we let them enjoy some time there. It was much busier though!

      As we got further south everyone was hungry and so we pulled into Cervantes for lunch at the Lobster Shack and yet another park play. It’s great that the kids are happy to stay at parks playing for hours on end, but as a parent there’s only so many hours you can sit on the sidelines, ha ha.

      From there it wasn’t a long drive to our final destination of Nambung station. It drizzled on and off as we set up, but at least that meant a pretty rainbow over the lush fields. 

      The kids got to feed farm animals too, including carrots to a donkey, a special grain mix to the sheep and milk to the baby calf, that is only 4 months old.

      Whilst we got dinner leftovers reheated the kids found yet more swings, I’m surprised they aren’t dizzy from swinging so much, but it’s great to have them spend so much time outdoors.

      Kms travelled – 89

    • Day 146 – Sandy Cape South

      It was great to wake up in nature and to have the beautiful views of the beach and bush around us. It’s nice to have slow mornings and be able to enjoy making brekky without pack up or work/homework.

      We went on a drive to see if there were some calmer inlets or beaches to swim, but it all seemed a bit rough or too cold. So we briefly popped into Jurien Bay and got tempted by the bakery with its sausage rolls and many a treat… and a brilliant playground.

      I was particularly impressed by the way they used a lot of recycled materials, such as washed up buoys and driftwood as climbing equipment. Overall, I must say WA has had some of the most incredible playgrounds on our travels and the girls are loving it!

      After a quick stint in civilization we headed back to the wilderness to enjoy the beach, some fishing and lots of sand play. We built castles, buried things and just enjoyed time with each other and nature…

      Chris finally put the beach rod to use and managed to get a tailor. The girls were stoked and he kept trying but as it got later in the afternoon, he and all other fishermen were just catching seaweed galore! There were tunes blasting from one of the cars on the beach and we enjoyed a cheeky beverage.

      A wonderful day of family time all in all.

      Kms travelled – 32

    • Day 145 – Pink Lake

      We all packed up early and while I did a quick meeting the girls played with the boys one last time. They were certainly sad to say goodbye!

      On the way out of Kalbarri we stopped at Red Bluff Lookout to take in the view of Kalbarri and surrounding area, it was stunning. Not that the kids necessarily appreciated it, there’s always someone who looks grumpy in every photo or doesn’t want to be in the photo… 

      We had a lengthy drive ahead of us, so the lunchbox was ready to keep the masses fed and we tried to stop again to stretch the legs. The next stop certainly got everyone out of their funk when they saw Pink Lake! For the curious, it gets its colour from algae or bacteria and the right conditions such as high salinity and sunlight, which will determine the intensity of the pink. It is very magical place and was a hit with everyone. The girls also collected some salt crystals from the shoreline as a souvenir.

      Then we headed to our final destination for the afternoon – Sandy Cape South, which is a 4 x 4 park near Jurien Bay. The track in was so narrow we had to pull all the mirrors in and you could hear everything being scratched (and Chris cringing with every scratch!). As the spots were unallocated and it was the start of a long weekend in WA there were a lot of people around, but we managed to snag a great spot one dune back from the beach. If you climbed the high spot of the dune, you got a magnificent view of the beach!

      We had a fire and cooked dinner, enjoying some nature and a bit more space than caravan park life once again. With all the kids asleep, Chris and I got to enjoy some awesome stars under a fairly new moon. A lovely spot for the next couple of nights.

      Kms travelled – 357

    • Day 144 – Kalbarri National Park

      Today was going to be a warm day, so we had a fairly swift morning of getting ready and heading out to the National Park.

      The girls were excited to have the company of the 3 boys for the day and it definitely made the walks enjoyable for the adults as well with busy kids and much more enthusiasm for the outdoors.

      Our first stop for the day was Z-bend, a beautiful lookout with views all across the valley. It was really impressive and everyone was keen to explore a little more and head down to the river. Nature didn’t disappoint between the amazing views and beautiful flora all around us on the walk.

      The walk itself was fun and adventurous with tight crevices in spots and ladders to climb down to keep the kids busy and distracted.
      Scarly even walked a chunk of it, but once the ladders appeared she was back in the carrier for a quicker and safer descent.

      Down at the bottom, the water was a bit too stagnant to swim, but we enjoyed sitting in the shade with some snacks and chatting for a while. The kids promptly found some rocks to explore and kept themselves busy once all the snacks were eaten.

      The climb up was a little harder as the temperature was really starting to warm up a bit by now, but everyone did the team proud as we arrived at the top and the kids collapsed in a heap on the floor. At least everyone finally drank a decent amount of water!

      Then it was off to the skywalk, an incredible suspended structure above the valley with stunning views either side. Now this definitely didn’t exist when Chris and I last visited and it was an impressive view, that’s for sure. Now thing to get nice photos of everyone with said impressive view is a lot harder when everyone is already tired… ha

      Some lollies and cold water helped with the final push for the day to visit Nature’s window. It’s such a gorgeous view from up there and makes for a lovely photo, but as it is always busy you feel the pressure to get your photo and let the others through. I think we did alright in the end 😊

      It was really starting to warm up by then and the kids were seeking shelter at every possible step. By the time we got to the top, the thermometer was actually showing 35C, which felt hot! A poor lady nearby felt very dizzy upon completing the walk and we all rallied behind her to get her back to her car. When we saw her a little later in town she was back to herself, which was nice to see. It was also a great lesson for the girls to help strangers if we can and to remember to drink water & stay in the shade in hot conditions…

      Back in town we grabbed some well deserved ice creams followed by some yummy fish & chips by the water. A bit of a backwards order, but the kids definitely deserved the ice creams first after an epic effort of hiking today!

      We enjoyed it by the water’s edge and the park, where the kids had a great time playing with the boys. Jazzy also got to chat to her bestie and after we went for a dip in the ocean, so a perfect day.

      Everyone was just happy to chill and relax back at camp for the rest go the day. We had some drinks, the kids played and dinner was nice & easy.

      The girls and papa went fishing with the Douglass family while Scarly was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow… 

      Kms travelled – 90

    • Day 143 – Kalbarri

      One of my favourite things about this trip is waking up every morning next to Scarlett, mostly to a beautiful big smile and her cute little crazy morning hair.

      We ventured out for an early morning walk with my mini me and checked out the shoreline (no dolphin sightings yet) so we grabbed a coffee to take back to camp for Chris and I.

      Whilst we packed up, the kids played in the sand and caught up with their friends for one last play. As we left Monkey Mia we stopped at a couple of lookouts, there are so many beautiful spots nearby! Then it was off to start our drive to Kalbarri.

      It was weird getting closer to green countryside after so many months of coast and sand. Kalbarri itself was a lovely spot and we are lucky to have scored a riverview site.

      Unfortunately the pool at the campground was under renovation so we distracted the girls with a trip to the river to try our luck fishing. I think they were too busy looking around for shells and other treasures on the ground to care what was going on in the water, which is lucky, because we only got snagged on the rocks anyway.

      Much to the girls delight, the Douglass family were staying at the same campsite as us and the three boys and our three girls had a blast playing together. We also agreed to check out Kalbarri National Park together the next day. 
      We had a great evening and dinner with a view and some amazing stars at nighttime.

      Kms travelled – 397

    • Day 142 – Monkey Mia

      We headed out early to the dolphin encounter & discovery centre and waited patiently for the dolphins to appear. The rangers chatted about the dolphins, explained that only a handful of volunteers get to feed two of the dolphins in line with wildlife guidelines and that they would call everyone up to the beach once the dolphins arrived. After an hour of hanging around the kids got bored, I had a meeting coming up so we actually abandoned the dolphin wait and headed back to camp.

      Whilst I did a bit of work the girls got through some of their homework and also relaxed a bit. We were planning on going for a drive, but in the end everyone was just keen to stay at the resort and go to the pool/beach and relax. Why not?

      The girls got their pool time while the adults took turns to go to the beach and for a swim. I’m loving this tag team approach that keeps both adults & kids happy and I definitely enjoy a moment of peace in the water when it’s my turn to go to the beach…

      I was also very lucky that I spotted a couple of dolphins while I was swimming. Seeing them never gets old! 

      The girls were so busy with their friends, including the 3 boys they had befriended at Osprey and also our neighbours in the camp behind. I’d say that’s the only positive about caravan parks and lack of space, the ability for kids to make more friends.

      This evening we finally got to make burrito bowls that the girls have been craving. I must say, it turned out pretty well and Izzy was one happy girl 😊

      All in all a perfectly chill day. 

      Kms travelled – 0

    • Day 141 – Shark Bay

      This morning we decided to hide from the flies as much as possible by hanging in the van. The girls were taking self-portraits all morning, so it’s always interesting how many hundreds of photos I’ll find on my phone…

      When we did eventually leave the van the flies were already brutal, so it was a quick pack up to move onto the next stop. First up, was Shell Beach. 
      As its name suggests, it is made up of millions of tiny shells instead of sand or rocks. Whilst we didn’t swim there, you could tell how salty the water was just by dipping your feet and having a nice thick layer of salt crust as a result… 
      The girls had a great time digging and finding unique shells. It was a hit!

      We stopped at a few lookouts along the way to Denham, including Eagle Bluff and Little Lagoon. There’s so many beautiful spots in Francois Peron National Park, you really need a good week or so to explore it properly. 

      Denham was the next stop and we grabbed some coffees and headed to the oceanfront with an amazing playground. I must say, WA has so far had some of the most incredible playgrounds along the coast and it makes a big difference when you need the kids to burn some energy!

      The discovery centre had a dedicated museum to the HMAS Sydney II shipwreck with a 3D movie that showed the underwater footage and explained the timeline of the battle in detail. What a sad loss.

      Jazzy also spotted a number of emus roaming the streets, it’s so bizarre seeing them in the town. As we started driving towards Monkey Mia we had a mama emu cross the road with her babies, so cute. Then Monkey Mia had them roaming all over the campsite, drinking water from the taps and roaming to see if they could scavenge any food. So the novelty was starting to wear off!

      It was hot, so the chosen family activity for the rest of the afternoon was the pool! Although strangely enough, the big pool was actually heated and so not as pleasant when you are trying to cool off… but that didn’t stop the girls from being in there for hours, splashing, diving and living their best lives.

      Chris and I enjoyed a drink with a view before we headed back to camp.

      Kms travelled – 117