Thierings on Tour

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

recent posts

    • Day 140 – Mainland Australia’s most westerly point

      We had an early start at Wooramel this morning since the plan was to day trip to Steep Point – Mainland Australia’s most westerly point. I was very proud of us as we drove out of the campsite at 7.15am, I think that has to be some form of record!

      We had a brief stop for fuel & coffee (aka adult fuel) and then dropped the van off at a strategic rest area on the way to Steep Point. According to my research, this is going to be officially the furthest geographical point from home for us on this trip. 

      The drive out to Steep Point was pretty long, partly because the corrugations were worse than expected and we had to drop tyre pressures a few times, as the first didn’t cut it. We also managed to take a wrong turn following Google Maps rather than logic… but in the end, we got to familiar places and enjoyed reminiscing of the road that Chris and I covered 11 years ago. 

      There was a lot of sand, lots of sharp turns and hills, wild goats on the sand dunes and the most turquoise water we have seen so far. What a place!

      The sign has changed a lot since we last visited and we took every combination of photo with it, as this would be our last “most” place on the trip. Apparently the southern most point is a two day hike, so we definitely won’t be attempting that with the kids! Ha.

      The cliffs around the sign were also spectacular and the beaches beautiful. We enjoyed some lunch out of the car and then went for a swim before starting the long drive back.

      We definitely should have just camped out one night without the van there, but since we hadn’t brought anything, it was back to the rest area to sleep in the van.

      The drive back was actually a lot faster and more pleasant than we thought and before we knew it, we were getting attacked by millions of flies at the rest area. Jazzy put on a brave face and cooked the mince for our tacos (with supervision, don’t worry grandma! 😉).

      Everyone was exhausted from a long day and it was an early night for all. What a day!

      Kms travelled – 422

    • Day 139 – Carnarvon to Wooramel

      We decided to make the most of Carnarvon since we ended up here unexpectedly and headed to the Space museum in the morning. I must say that everyone enjoyed it a lot! It’s amazing that Carnarvon played such a big part in the NASA space race and just how many interesting artifacts, articles and learning experiences there were in the museum. The girls loved the interactive experiences the most, especially being in the launch simulator and of course wearing astronaut suits on the moon!

      After participating in all the science experiments and checking out the moon capsule, the outside spaceship was also a hit. A busy morning indeed!

      From there we headed to the cactus garden, an incredible place with every variety of cactus imaginable. The girls weren’t too keen on photos there, Izzy was convinced she would impale herself on a cactus spike….

      There were also lots of farming blocks around with many selling to the public. We stopped at one place and bought the freshest corn, broccoli, beans and bananas. $15 of absolutely delicious fruit & veg! If only we had more room to stock up on all the fresh food. 

      After running a few errands and stocking up supplies for the week ahead, it was back on the road to Wooramel River Retreat, our stop for the night. 

      It was a really cool place with artesian hot tubs, the perfect place to relax for the afternoon (probably even more relaxing without kids 😂).

      The kids also loved the nature playground with its rope swings, the most perfect climbing gumtree. The little girls literally spent hours there!

      Dinner was a delicious lamb souvlaki pita wrap, a new firm favourite as we listened to the tunes of the resident country singer busting out some “golden oldies” (as it said on his poster). He definitely threatened to finish singing a few too many times before he actually did, but Jazzy was super stoked that his final song was “Chicken Fried” and made us run over for a dance before bed. Why not? It was a great way to burn the last bit of energy for the day.

      Kms travelled – 137

    • Day 138 – Quobba blowhole

      We had an early and easy morning at Coral Bay, with a play at the playground for the girls and a coffee from the bakery. Everyone was happy with our decision not to stay the extra night at 14 miles…

      Then it was back on the road and on to Quobba Station. Driving to South Ningaloo we passed a few salt flats and made a stop at Quobba blowhole. It was certainly windy and blowy enough for it! The water was churning from the wind and the waves and you had to hold on to your hat.

      The famous King Waves Kill sign is like an initiation to the Ningaloo coast, it seems you haven’t been if you haven’t got a photo with it… so of course we did. Well Chris did, the kids didn’t even want to get out of the car in the wind 😂

      When we got to Quobba it was absolutely crazy windy and we drove around to find a semi-sheltered spot. We started setting up and the van was shaking. The only good thing about it on this windy day was the toilet shelter that gave a nice break from the wind and was quirky with its car door. We stopped to have lunch, but by the time we finished lunch Chris said that he couldn’t bare the wind and to see if we could possibly go a bit further.

      Within 20 minutes we were back on the road, heading south to stay in Carnarvon. It was definitely the right choice! There was no wind, we got a spot in a quiet caravan park and the girls happily played Duplo and spent hours making potions. I think the alternative of being all squashed in the van to escape the wind would have been much less appealing…

      We really haven’t had much luck with Windy Always recently, but it’s all part of the adventure!

      Kms travelled – 349

    • Day 137 – Coral Bay (unexpectedly)

      The wind all night was out of control at 14 miles and none of us could bare the thought of another night of the same… it was meant to slow down mildly during day, but was going to be even more intense that night! 
      So as soon as the caravan parks in Coral Bay opened we called to see whether they would have a spot and luckily they did.

      We packed up swiftly, trying to leave as much of the sand as possible behind and headed back north. The mat outside the caravan was pretty much fully covered with all the sand that had blown overnight. It was such a shame as the spot was just amazing and we love having space around us in nature rather than being packed in like sardines in caravan park, we’d also heard snorkeling nearby is incredible, but it just wasn’t to be for us on this trip…

      The kids were really excited to be at a park though and we luckily managed to snag a night near the pool and playground. I was able to work with a view and in peace while the kids played.

      As an afternoon treat Chris and I took turns to go to the beach for a swim since the kids only wanted to be in the pool and we wanted to swim at the beach. In the end everyone was happy and the adults even had turns at precious alone time, winning!

      The wind did pick up even in Coral Bay, but it was nothing compared to our sandblasting the night before, so we felt it was definitely the right move.

      Kms travelled – 40

    • Day 136 – Bullara to 14 Miles

      It was another early start with work with all the activities happening in the lead up to World Marrow Donor Day on Saturday 21st September. My little minions accompanied me to grab some coffees to make the pack up process more efficient. Sadly, the late night at dinner translated into hot heads and tantrums this morning, ahhh it is so hard to balance fun with tiredness for little ones…

      After we were all packed up, the girls explored a little more around the station and it would have been great to stay another night probably. There’s games and space to roam and animals to see. We saw the farm guys heading out on their motorbikes to muster, which was cool. Before we left, we tucked into the famous scones and they did not disappoint! Yummmm 😋

      Then it was back to the coast to explore 14 miles beach. We’ve heard so many great things about this place and we’re looking forward to snorkeling and fishing. The road in was so stunning, you just can’t beat the colour of that turquoise water in the area…

      As we arrived, it was windy, but bearable. We went for a little walk between work meetings and homework activities and the girls loved finding yet more unique shells. There was however a seagull that kept circling us in the sky, which we found a bit unnerving.

      The afternoon wind picked up and by dinner time it was absolutely howling, with wind gusts of up to 59kms. You could tell, because the whole van was shaking and the noise was something else. So we bunkered down and yet again discussed how much we wished we had a bigger van 🫣
      Ultimately we made it work with everyone being kind and supportive, sharing the minimal space and Chris cooking up a storm of egg wraps for us as that’s the only thing we could easily grab and cook in the van without getting the main fridge sandblasted.

      I know Chris finds the wind particularly hard, so if the wind is like this again tomorrow, we might have to think of a new plan! This would have been another great reason to stay at Bullara for an extra night… ah hindsight, it’s a wonderful thing.

      Kms travelled – 86

    • Day 135 – Bullara Station

      I got up extra early this morning to coincide some early hours of work with Sydney and It was a glorious sunrise. As I grabbed my laptop with an ocean view I saw a dark lump in the water, so I grabbed the binoculars to have a closer look. It turned out to be two giant turtles cruising along above the coral. It was incredible to see them from our campsite, although I was envious of the people who jumped in the water early for a snorkel. 

      We packed up swiftly as we had a few chores to run and then drive a little further south today. 

      We popped into Exmouth for a top of supplies, as well as fuel and laundry. Conveniently the car wash was next to the laundromat so Chris finally got to wash off all the sea spray from recent weeks. The kids got to have a final play with the Tasmanian twin girls they had befriended at Osprey while grabbed lunch together.

      Then it was back on the road and heading to Bullara station. We had heard lots about this place and were looking forward to our evening there and a dinner at The Table. 

      The kids loved exploring the station with its quirky sculptures, murals, old cars to drive. I won’t lie, I was also VERY excited to have a proper, long hot water shower after 10 days in saltwater and “limit your water usage so you last in the van” national park conditions. Plus the showers were very trendy!

      For dinner we got to enjoy The Table, a communal dining experience and tonight there was steak (fresh from the station) and some delicious sides on the menu. Chris and I shared a table with a couple named Shirley and Steve from Perth and we had a lovely evening, whilst the girls had a more relaxed version of the evening on some nearby couches where they could play and run around a little bit.
      It was a truly wonderful evening as we shared travel stories and when Steve and Shirley asked what I did, it turned out that Shirley had in fact been diagnosed with leukaemia and is only alive now due to receiving a stem cell transplant 18 years ago. Talk about the universe and the timing of who you meet, Shirley’s story literally gave me goosebumps and is a great motivator to continue what we do at Stem Cell Donors Australia…

      To top off an already wonderful evening, we got to enjoy Basque cheesecake, a burnt cheesecake with the most delicious flavours. A perfect finish to the wonderful evening we enjoyed!

      Kms travelled – 174

    • Day 134 – Last day at Osprey

      It was a cool start to the day, so all the jumpers were out, but at least the sun was shining and it warmed up pretty quickly and the expected wind wasn’t around in the morning…

      We went to explore out a secret location that people had recommended for confirmed turtle sightings, however it turned out to be so secret that despite all the instructions we were given to a tee, we didn’t find it… Instead we found a lovely beach with interesting rocks, shells and shallow water. The girls got busy finding some incredible shells and Scarly loved jumping and running down the sand hill…

      The other snorkeling sites around the area weren’t accessible today due to tides and winds, so we headed back. 

      Back at camp, the kids loved hanging with their remaining girl gang after the “boy family” had moved on to Coral Bay. The girls played games, Scarly was on the scooter and I had a lot of work to prepare in the lead up to our biggest week of the year. 

      The girls had a splash in the water in the afternoon (yes, Izzy and Faith were twins in their swimmers) and then they got to enjoy a movie while I had some meetings.

      The wind really picked up in the evening and made it hard to cook outside or do anything outside really. So we did as much packing as we could ahead of moving day tomorrow and had a pretty early night.

      Kms travelled – 102

    • Day 133 – Magical days on the reef

      Today was a little cooler and more overcast than yesterday with predicted winds later in the afternoon, but it would be hard to expect two perfect days on the Windy Always coast, during the windiest month of what has been the windiest season. 

      The sunrise was was beautiful and Scarly and I enjoyed breakfast with a view. We explored the rocks just out the front of our campsite and did some water painting to pass the morning while it warmed up.

      The corellas watched us closely and when Jazzy tried to shoo one it absolutely screamed and screeched and pulled out its wings. Definitely don’t want to mess with that one! 

      We waited for the clouds to blow over, but instead some more arrived and before we knew it, it was drizzling, so we decided we might as well not waste anymore time and instead hop in the water. 

      All the girls wanted to go paddle boarding, so I had the big girls at the front with Scarly against my legs as we went searching for turtles. We spotted a few, even though not as quickly as yesterday… the big girls would jump in for a snorkel and then come back to get a ride after. 

      Chris joined us in the water and saw a sting ray and a sea snake amongst all the action. The girls weren’t too keen on jumping in the water for either of those, though. 

      Screenshot
      Screenshot

      Once everyone started getting a bit cold, we headed back to shore and I jumped in for a quick snorkel. It took a while to get to the first turtle, but when we did it was absolutely huge! I reckon the shell would have been the size of Scarly.

      The rest of the afternoon consisted of hanging with neighbours, enjoying a drink and the kids exploring with their friends. They loved their little pack!

      Kms travelled – 0

    • Day 132 – Osprey Bay – the king of turtles

      Today was moving day, but as it was only a short drive down the road we didn’t rush too much. There was colouring in, breakfast in our pjs and a sign that it would be our lucky day with two double-yolkers!

      The corellas were circling our campsite in search of food and you really can’t even leave a crumb out before they try to get in on the action straight away. This morning also had a bit of nervous excitement at camp when a brown snake slithered past near the camp hosts.

      We headed off to Osprey and whilst I’d heard that the cancellation site I’d snagged was a good one, it was really something when I saw it for myself… You could see people paddle boarding and snorkeling and the weather was finally stunning (with no wind!). We were set up quicker than ever before.

      Since Scarly can’t snorkel, she got the prime seat on the paddle board and I couldn’t believe how clear and turquoise the water was… within minutes we spotted our first turtle. I was excited like a kid at Christmas with every sighting and Scarly loved spotting them from her spot as well. 

      Chris and the girls joined us in the water and whilst I was spotter on the paddle board, they snorkeled around us. We saw at least 8 different turtles in the hour and a half we were out there. Osprey you have my heart! It was so special, this has to be the highlight of the Ningaloo for all of us.

      We jumped out for a bit, but later Jazzy and I went in for a snorkel and stumbled across a giant turtle just cruising around. I think it’s hard to convey in words just how incredible the experience is of being able to snorkel with so many turtles straight from shore. The marine life is also the best we’ve seen so far on the Ningaloo. 

      The day got better still as we enjoyed a glorious sunset and steak dinner with a view and a half! All of us agreed that this is a highlight day from the trip. 

      Kms travelled – 32

    • Day 131 – Scarly is 3!

      An exciting day as our beautiful baby (I mean I’m supposed to say big girl) turns 3! The life and soul of every get together dancing her way through life. I hope the wild spirit and those curls never tame… 

      The big girls were super excited to jump into our bed and help Scarly read her cards and give her presents. She was so happy with all her new bits and pieces 🥰🥳

      It was nice to enjoy the morning together as Chris cooked the girls Nutella pancakes and we read through all the beautiful birthday messages.

      Then it was off to Lakeside for a snorkel. It was a bit of a hike out over the sand to get there, but it was a lovely and sheltered spot in the water with some great reef and amazing marine life. Jazzy did so well again snorkeling and paddling out despite the current. She is definitely our adventure go-getter! Whereas Izzy is happy with a quick snorkel and her Kindle most of the time 😊

      While we were in the water, Chris saw a dolphin chasing fish who were jumping out of the water.

      After that we headed into Exmouth to grab some birthday lunch at a place that came recommended to us because it also has a pool for the kids to enjoy. The kids played schools at the playground and after enjoyed a long time splashing and swimming. What a perfect way to spend the hot part of the day!

      We did have to go into town to replenish our dwindling supplies, but Scarly also got to enjoy a slice of mud cake from the bakery and taste a bit of everyone else’s choice. It was so nice to finally have a delicious coffee too! The simple things… 

      On our drive back we stopped at the lighthouse for a good view of the surrounding area and saw so many whales in the distance breeching.

      Back at camp there were birthday scooter rides before dinner (everyone was still full from lunch and cake) and we aang happy birthday 3 times to our big 3 year old. A few neighbours joined in and made Scarly feel very special. There were birthday sparklers and then everyone was out like a light after a big day of fun.

      Kms travelled – 100

    • Day 130 – Mesa

      This morning started with a different adventure when I went to grab a yoghurt for Scarly from the car fridge and instead got greeted by a mouse staring at me from the table cavity in the drawer system. I am proud to say that my scream was only short and not too loud considering the circumstances. It was however a great way to get Chris out of bed as he now had the perfect opportunity to deal with said mouse. In the end, it was decided that putting the table back into its designated slot would be the most efficient way to “permanently trap” the mouse in there.

      Packing up today was a challenge and a half as the Northerly wind had picked up and was howling. Honestly, even trying to open the door of the van without it flying off was a task in itself. It must have been blowing in excess of 50km/h! 

      It made for a super quick pack up, as we couldn’t do anything else. Then it was onto Yardie Creek for the famous soft sand crossing, which to be honest we appear to have missed as we didn’t see anything that seemed soft or boggy.

      Finally there were also some bins! I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to see a bin in my life, as it turns out that we produce a lot of rubbish and trying to hold on to our rubbish for 5 days produced some interesting results…

      From here the road was also bitumen, so it meant pumping the tyres back up from the 25psi we had been on while in the southern part of the Ningaloo. 

      We quickly stopped at the visitors centre to grab some information on snorkeling in the area and some water supplies. There were incredible displays on all the marine life in there and the girls loved checking it out.

      Then it was onto Oyster Stacks, a popular snorkeling spot where Chris and the big girls jumped in for a cruise under water. Scarly and I looked at all the pretty shells on the beach in the meantime and she loved jumping in the shallows. It’s exhausting business for a 2 year old and she was out within minutes of hopping back in the car.

      Once we got to Mesa, it was happy days for our mouse adventures, because it had indeed been permanently trapped and was no longer a concern for chewing wiring or munching its way through our car. Still, only Chris could look so happy holding a dead mouse! 😂

      After set up and a bit of work & homework we headed to the beach to watch the sunset. It was a lovely walk over the dunes and the beach was empty except for us for ages. A lovely spot to finish the day and to enjoy the famous WA sunset.

      Kms travelled – 99

    • Day 129 – More Ningaloo Magic

      I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of the sunrise (and sunset views) around here. It’s definitely worth the early mornings, which to be honest my human alarms always seem to be awake for sunrise anyway.

      Jazzy and Scarly enjoyed some brekkie on the beach watching the sun creep out for another glorious day. The mornings are still very chilly, but the days are perfect 👌 

      We saw so much marine life cruising past our site today. At first it was a giant turtle, it just have been at least a metre long. I so wanted to snorkel with it, but sadly by the time I had got my swimmers and flippers on a boat had zoomed past and made it scared so it shot off into the depths below not to be found. Next it was a stingray that swam past, a variety of fish and dolphins in the distance.

      It was a lovely day enjoying the slow pace of life and my office was the beach cabana again. There was swimming, there was digging in the sand and some attempted to scooter (because you can’t convince a 2 year old they will get bogged in the sand…). Jazzy has been enjoying colouring in a lot since she got a new jumbo set of smelly pens for her birthday and Scarly also did some drawing, including a portrait of Chris.

      Just before dinner I went out for a paddle and was so grateful to be able to see turtles and cruise with them. My moment of peace while Chris watched the girls from his beer office.

      It was another dinner on the beach with a magnificent sunset. Honestly, feeling so lucky to be experiencing all this as a family 💕🥹

      Finally the wind at night was right and we even got to have a fire. Happy days for our firebug papa! The stars tonight were incredible and I saw two shooting stars.

      Kms travelled – 0

    • Day 128 – Winderabandi

      It was time to leave South Lefroy and explore the next adventure spot along the Ningaloo – Winderabandi. We’d heard great things about it and were excited to experience it for ourselves! Especially since it meant escaping the wind for a more sheltered spot.

      We packed up pretty efficiently and hopped in the car. There were definitely signs of mouse inside car shenanigans and it made all of us rather uncomfortable. Chris was particularly worried about wires being chewed in the car… so we would have to think of a plan swiftly!

      The drive to Winderabandi wasn’t particularly long, but as all the tracks are narrow you have to be careful and dodge oncoming traffic constantly as people shuffle sites a lot in this area.
      The camp host Marg greeted us like family and turns out they used to live near Cronulla too. Then it was onto our site and it was a cracker 👌

      Straight out onto the beach, but still a few sand dunes for protection and very private compared to some of the other sites that are squashed in together on the beach.
      Motivated by the view and option to jump in for a swim, the set up time beat all previous records and everyone was in the water in no time, enjoying a cool off.

      It was so nice to be able to set up on the beach, right outside our van and enjoy what the water without a sandblasting. The kids loved splashing, digging and being free.

      Believe it or not, working was actually not too bad working in a place like this, once I’d bragged to my colleagues about the view, of course.

      Chris had a fish in the afternoon and caught a couple of little garfish, but nothing worth keeping. He let Jazzy reel them in, which was so exciting for her!

      We went out for a walk to the point, where there was a big sandbank, to check if it would be worth fishing from there. Once we got to the point we met a family with 3 kids and all the kids started digging and playing while the parents chatted and compared notes about our itineraries and general caravan life.

      Dinner was on the beach with a gorgeous sunset view. However it did get a bit windy and cold, so it was a swift one!

      Kms travelled – 11

    • Day 127 – Windy South Lefroy

      Overnight the wind picked up a lot and it was howling, making for a rather restless night for me while the wind rocked the van and everything got sandblasted. It was going to be an interesting day.

      It was still a beautiful sunrise over the dunes and the water probably felt warmer than the outside temperature…

      Unfortunately, some suspicious sand tracks appeared under the car and van and I was really hoping it wasn’t mice. I had read about a couple of people at South Lefroy sighting mice though. 
      Chris got the answer when he saw one under the bonnet of the car as he opened to check something and I found a packet of popcorn had been nibbled through the packaging in the car, so it wasn’t a good sign 😩

      We were lucky to get in a morning snorkel and some some little sting rays and a baby reef shark. The wind picked up and made for very limited beach/water activities for the rest of the day, because the sand was just flying everywhere, blasting everything and everyone in the process. That was pretty lucky for me as I had a lot of work to catch up on and not having snorkeling as a distraction was a blessing!

      It does however get a bit tricky when our mainly outdoor living van needs to be used as indoor living. We just don’t have enough space for everyone inside because the seating area has been converted to our storage area long ago. So it was a bit of human Tetris shuffling people from car to van depending on activities.

      The low point of the day was when we were cooking dinner inside and I went to drain the rice outside, but instead I accidentally hit the release handle button on the pot and the whole lot ended up in the sand while the handle remained firmly in my hand. Waaaaaaahhh, after that I had an adult tantrum. 

      Attempt number two was much more successful, but I swear everything takes 1.5 times longer to cook while camping because the stove is just that much smaller than home…

      The orange tinged full moon looked magnificent as it rose though, so maybe we could blame the moon for the earlier mishap. Chris and I couldn’t even sit outside tonight because of the wind, so it was a case of hiding in the car with an episode of Seinfeld once the kids were asleep. I must say, it will be a novelty sitting on a couch to watch TV again, ha ha!

      Kms travelled – 0

    • Day 126 – Father’s Day on the Ningaloo

      Waking up in paradise was quite something. Jazzy and I were up first and while everyone snoozed in a bit more we went to explore the beach at sunrise. The sand felt so cold and it was definitely jumper weather first thing in the morning, but so worth the view!

      We got back just as everyone else was waking up and it was Happy Father’s Day to Chris! The girls jumped on him with hugs, kisses and cards. We also made some matching shirts for the family as his gift, which he loved.

      It was a slow and relaxing morning enjoying the view, the slow pace. We cooked bacon & eggs, had a dip in the water and then enjoyed the beach right out the front of our campsite. Scarly loved doing her hug attacks with a long run up.

      Later we went for a drive to check out some of the special spots our camp hosts had mentioned. There were sand dunes with an incredible view over a protected snorkel area. The tide was going out, so we didn’t get too long to explore the reef and the wind was picking up, but it was a good practice run for the girls. Anyway, we saw 3 or 4 turtles from shore just poking out their heads and cruising along.

      The girls loved exploring the sand dunes and running up and down the beach with not a single other person in sight. 

      The trusty roast chicken wrap combo was a hit yet again (I reckon that’s the most frequently eaten lunch on this trip). Chris and I also enjoyed a cheeky ginger beer before heading back to camp. It’s easy to lose track of time here…

      The girls voted to watch a movie together in the afternoon, which we enjoyed piled onto our bed and Chris even managed a little snooze. A perfectly relaxing afternoon!

      The wind was definitely picking up in the evening, but we still managed to cook outside and enjoy dinner with a beautiful sunset view.

      Kms travelled – 5