Thierings on Tour

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

recent posts

    • Day 109 – Dampier Peninsula

      After a great time in Broome we were excited to explore the Dampier Peninsula that everyone has been raving about… 

      Our first stop was Beagle Bay community with its famous Sacred Heart church made of shells. It was really pretty and the designs made me think of Mexican buildings, but it turned out that it was based on and inspired by a photograph of a German church. The building took 2 years to build and 1 year to decorate, which is unsurprising given the level of detail.

      It was super hot and we were grateful for some shade while we cooked hotdogs out of the van for a quick lunch stop. 

      Then it was a bit further onto Pender Bay.
      The road leading into it is shared with a few other private blocks of land and it is narrow, long and very mogul like. You really don’t want oncoming traffic and luckily we avoided it for the most part…

      Pender Bay was gorgeous! The views, the private spots and just being in nature again was a treat, let alone stunning red cliffs next to turquoise waters.

      We drove down to the beach to explore it a bit and the girls loved having a splash in the water.

      I just love watching them roam, dip their feet in and enjoying every splash and shell they find. We seem to have a lot of collected shells already.

      It was a great way to finish the day and the sunset didn’t disappoint either! The colours are so vivid and beautiful, I don’t think I could ever get sick of this view.

      Once the sun set and little lady Scarly was on her way to sleep, our big firebug Chris got the fire going and the big girls got to enjoy some stargazing with him. I also enjoyed finally having a bit more space and seeing a few shooting stars. A magical place to visit!

      Kms travelled  – 176

    • Day 108 – Broome

      This morning we woke up to a lot of fog, which was rather unexpected… it still turned out to be a beautiful day and in fact we’ve been lucky to have been sitting at about 30C the whole time we have been here, but it’s a comfortable 30C.

      Today was a day of home and car related chores, with Chris doing his own oil change this time. I also had to restock the fridge and supplies before we were due to head up north for a few days. Until you’ve done caravan life it’s hard to fathom the juggle of having just enough fresh food to make healthy meals, but having the fridge space to keep them fresh. Inevitably towards the end of the food supplies and before other shops appear on the horizon are always the questionable food combination days 🤣

      We had more time in the pool and playground while the car was out of action. It’s nice to have something refreshing in the warmer part of the days. 

      For dinner we decided to check out Broome Golf Club, which had some lovely views and relaxed vibes. After some delicious seafood and another amazing sunset, it was back for the night.

      It’s also been interesting to see some of the more permanent residents around the caravan park with their set ups. There is a lady with pretty much a shell temple and my favourite is this animal lover. People go all out, I’ll leave it at that! 

      Kms travelled – 16

    • Day 107 – Cable Beach

      It was a lovely warm morning and we started the day with a nice walk & brekky along Cable Beach. It looked like the tide had gone right out because there was a lot of beach and the water was pretty far, but in fact it was one of the higher tides they get in the area…

      The girls loved walking along the beach and finding shells etc. There were lots of people around enjoying the morning and soaking up the winter sun – what a lovely part of the world! Plus the brekky was delicious 😋 

      Back at the caravan park, we had a pretty relaxed and uneventful day, but I’m definitely not complaining! The kids had fun in the pool and it made getting through work and homework a little more fun, knowing we could jump in for a dip in our lunch break…

      There were a number of errands to run too and of course, we are starting to gear up to the festival of Jazzy 😝 so it’s been a busy time trying to work out what needs to be included in the 6 present treasure hunt, to buy it semi-incognito and to keep it a secret from her whilst getting enough information to get it right. That was an interesting trip to the shops, ha.

      Just before sunset we headed back to Cable Beach to enjoy that famous sunset view over the water. It’s incredible just how many people came out of the woodworks in the last 30 minutes before sunset…

      WA sunsets are so magical and as much as pictures don’t do it justice, it would be rude not to share!

      Kms travelled – 13

    • Day 106 – Barn Hill to Broome

      Jazzy woke up to a visit from the tooth fairy! Another tooth lost and it each time it’s been after spending time with Bella and Addie – luckily the tooth fairy knows where to find Jazzy.

      We had an early morning round of goodbyes as our road besties set off. As we were only going to Broome, we had a more casual pace and got to enjoy a little more time with the farm animals. 

      Broome had a great vibe from the moment we arrived and Cable Beach Caravan Park is the perfect location that’s got beach, cafes nearby as well as nice shady sites and the pools onsite. The operations of big caravan parks never cease to amaze me, it would be a logistical nightmare trying to shuffle people around! 

      Anyway, as it was lunchtime, we decided to check out Spinifex brewery. Scarly was dancing on the lawns before the big girls had even hopped out of the car and everyone was off straight to the playground. The beers were cold, the food was delicious and it was a great start to our Broome stay. To top it off, the camels that go to Cable Beach walked straight past the pub!

      Then it was off to Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Farm. The girls all had a turn at holding baby saltwater crocodiles, which would have been about a year old. Izzy had the magic touch and her croc was all relaxed and closing its eyes enjoying the moment.

      We all really enjoyed the tour!
      The first stop was the crocodile lake, which has around 70 crocodiles in it who have been living together since hatching from their eggs and therefore don’t show as much territorial aggression as other crocs. An example of the territorial behaviour being that when they have moved crocs from one enclosure to another in the park, they would come back in the morning to find crocs had climbed the enclosure overnight to make their way back to the preferred, original one. Terrifying!

      It’s amazing to see so many huge crocs in one spot and see up close just how big they can get. The noise from their jaw closing as they try to bite their jaw and catch the food being thrown to them just never gets old. It’s a real hollow bang and our guide explained that they have 24 muscles either side of their mouth.

      We walked around the farm and learnt about many of the other rescued crocs from various parts of the state (and even country). 
      Again, the kids were both terrified and thrilled to see crocs jump out of the murky water when a bit of food was dangled before them. It’s a great display and really makes you think twice about swimming anywhere that could be unsafe around the top end. He gave us a “helpful” tip that if we ever found ourselves in the mouth of the croc to punch the palatal valve, which would flood their mouth with saltwater and lead to anything in the mouth being ejected. Not sure how helpful that would be and I’d rather not test the theory ever…

      It was so interesting to hear about all the different crocs that had been given a second chance from their mishaps in the wild. One particular fun fact is that when a croc is attacked and a limb is severed, they can shut off blood supply to that limb within seconds and within days it will be a nicely overgrown stump. Now that’s pretty awesome and a testament to why they live so long!

      Talking of age, Henry was their oldest crocodile who is known to be 84 years old, but our guide said that others had been known to live to 104.

      All in all, a fascinating place to visit and learn even more about crocodiles!

      Kms travelled – 170

    • Day 105 – Barn Hill

      Barn Hill lived up to its community vibe as there were Sunday Markets there in the morning and lots of people. The Wild Girls, as they have called their collective gaggle of girls decided to set up a stall at the markets to paint nails and to sell a few unwanted items. Surprisingly, they actually did really well and were happy to walk away with about $10 each.

      Scarly was too busy with the farm animals, feeding the “skinny pigs” as she calls them all the slightly questionable lettuce leaves we had. There was also a very cute little baby goat that kept pestering its mama goat – I definitely sympathised with the mama though…

      We enjoyed a slow start to the day and eventually migrated down to the beach. It was a little windy, but the sun shade managed to stay up and everyone was happy to dunk in for a dip, to play a game of beach cricket (the kids won against the dads) or to roll around in the sand if you are Scarly. That’s literally her favourite thing to do at the beach, she dives in head first and rolls in the sand, ha ha.

      It was the perfect relaxing morning and after a lunch break back at camp we headed back to the beach for round two of swimming, fishing and finding shell treasures near the rocks.

      We all loved catching up so much and were sad at the thought that we won’t see each other again on this trip. 

      Barn Hill provided another stunning sunset and we enjoyed a delicious curry cooked by the station.

      Kms travelled – 0

    • Day 104 – Derby to Barn Hill

      Everyone woke up excited as today we were catching up with our road besties again after not seeing them for a few weeks. 
      We briefly headed out to some local markets and a local art gallery. Just outside we saw a group of local men carving into the boab seeds, so Jazzy picked one out carved by Ian. It was really cool to grab one that was “freshly carved” and Ian was able to share a little more about the dancing brolgas and other birds he had carved. 

      Then we took the girls back to the jetty and wondered whether they would notice the difference in the tide. They did and were rather surprised to see how much lower the water was this morning. I think while we were there it was “only” about 10m, but they get up to 14m tides there and word has it that you would never be able to outrun an incoming tide.

      Before leaving Derby for good we stopped at the prison boab tree and learnt about its interesting history as a place where Aboriginal prisoners who were taken from their communities and taken to become pearl divers and essentially slaves would rest for the night on their long walks to Derby and through the Kimberley region. What a story!

      Then we were on the road and heading south. We had a change of itinerary recently with some of the car troubles but also when we found out that Broome Races were on, so we would come back to Broome after our stay at Barn Hill.

      It was a really cool spot with a fun playground for the kids, a beautiful beach with red cliffs and crystal clear water and a cafe/restaurant even for those morning caffeine needs.

      The reunion was sweet, the water and beach magnificent and we all had a great evening appreciating the views, the company and the unbeatable WA sunset!

      Kms travelled – 292

    • Day 103 – Derby and Horizontal Falls

      Today we had two teams on the go.

      Mama, Jazzy and Scarly on team Derby while Chris and Izzy went to Horizontal Falls. We’ve had to split up as Scarly is too small to go, so we have to go in separate teams and on different days to visit Horizontal Falls.

      The girls and I had a good morning in Derby when we went for a walk and found a nice coffee shop and lots of boab trees. It was a fun game for them trying to find the best boab seeds – they did pretty well.

      We had a lot of washing to get through again (I don’t know where it keeps coming from 😂 I swear the kids wear the same clothes all the time… Jazzy got some homework done and I managed to squeeze in some meetings. As a treat we jumped in the freezing cold pool at lunch, but given how hot it was it was really refreshing!

      The Horizontal Falls account has been written by Izzy:

      Where to start …

      Horizontal Falls was the most marvelous place I’ve ever been to in my entire life.

      First we went to the airport and hopped onto the seaplane.

      Then we did a little flight around Derby and the pilot showed us some of the scenery and gorgeous oceans.

      Then Horizontal Falls came into view and I knew we must be getting close.

      I was right as a few minutes later we started heading into landing position.

      Then we landed on the water and hopped of the plane for an amazing and adventurous day.

      Once we got off the plane we were quickly guided to the boats so we could pay a visit to Horizontal Falls.

      The two guides, Nicole and Sam told us that we would get to see the tides from both angles and we would be the only tour getting to see Horizontal Falls twice.

      Then we got back to the pontoon to have morning tea.

      Then we hopped on a little boat to learn about the history of a place called Cyclone Creek

      Then we went back to the pontoon for lunch and after that another boat ride out to Horizontal Falls and we saw the tide from the other direction.

      When we got back we went for a swim next to the sharks and Nicole did a marine tour about the sharks and marine life in Horizontal Falls.

      After that it was time to go home so we waited until our plane came.

      We flew back and I was so upset that we had to leave but I was grateful that I got the opportunity to experience Horizontal Falls.😊

      Izzy and Chris came back really excited and we were so thrilled to hear all about their amazing day!

      We all went for a dip in the pool to cool off.

      Lastly we wanted to take the girls to Derby jetty, as Derby gets the second highest tidal changes in the world. Tonight the tide was high and we walked along the jetty to appreciate the sunset. We didn’t tell the girls what to expect next time they would see the jetty at low tide.

      Kms travelled – 15

    • Day 102 – Mimbi Caves

      What a glorious place to wake up in! The sun was beaming, it was warm and the scenery was lovely. I can’t decide what was prettier, seeing the moon rise or seeing the sun rise.
      We packed up quickly and everyone was in the car by 7.30am, which is quite the miracle for us! Obviously it wasn’t just pure willpower, but we had a cave tour booked for 8am.

      We drove a short distance to the start of the tour and started walking the outer formations of caves dated over 350 million years ago. Our guide Jermaine explained that we were actually walking on an ancient coral bed and that everything around us was previously under water. We were able to see many examples of fossilised rocks before we got to the caves. Including a map of Australia rock.

      The caves have multiple entrances and there was a little base for us with seats in a circle and what looked like tea & damper later. 

      First we explored the smaller cave to the left, which had water crossings, stalagmites and stalactites, pools and rock art at the end of the cave. The rock art was scratched into the walls depicting stories of spirits, who guide and protect the local Gooniyandi people and Jermaine shared that grandfathers would share these stories with young boys whereas the grandmothers would share the stories with young girls.

      There were so many cool and stunning parts to the cave and it felt like we were able to explore a lot more compared to other cave tours as part of bigger operations. 

      Then it was on to the big cave or as Jermaine called it, the master suite, ha ha. It was HUGE! Again, we saw more stalagmites and stalactites, something the girls found fascinating. There were also some microbats in the cave for the kids to find.

      The cave system undulated through many different parts and there were many little caves that you could look into (and probably explore) but we stuck to the ones Jermaine was sharing with us. I couldn’t believe how long and complex the cave system was, you could easily get lost in there without a guide!

      We came to a large clearing and were allowed to explore this part of the cave freely. The girls had an absolute blast here and quickly made friends with a couple of kids of similar age. They were pretending to surf, they found a rock slide and just generally being allowed to climb and explore was right up their alley! Scarly loved sliding down the smooth rock too. Honestly, I think it has to be one of the best cave tours we’ve done on this trip so far.

      Back at the tour base we had damper scones and warm tea cooked on the fire. What a nice and unexpected treat! 

      Then it was back on the road to get to Derby by the end of the day. We had a couple of stops for lunch, fuel and a stretch of the legs. Luckily there are some incredible places to stop and admire the Kimberley wonders – the beautiful Boab trees.

      Kms travelled – 354

    • Day 101 – Driving the Great Northern Highway

      I think everyone was rather exhausted after a huge day yesterday and it was a welcome thought that we didn’t have a deadline for pack up or to get on the road. It’s been great to do a few hours of work and meetings to coincide with Sydney work hours early. The girls were playing with their Duplo and magnatiles for hours again, I’d say these have been the best toys we have brought on the trip with us.

      Once packed up we hit the road and Chris was enjoying the bitumen and smooth roads compared to the track we drove yesterday to Purnululu…It was such a varied landscape as well, we are always amazed at how quickly and how much the scenery changes along the road.

      We’d heard great things about Mary Pool free camp so decided to stop there for an ice cream break and a stretch of the legs. The girls spotted some archer fish in the water and had fun looking around. It’s amazing what a quick stop can sometimes do to motivate everyone on travel days.

      It was a bit more of a drive, but it honestly felt like we were in a completely different part of the world with some incredible rock formations appearing out of nowhere along the road. Some parts reminded me of Yosemite National Park in the US.

      We arrived at Mimbi caves and loved the beautiful setting – what a stunning spot. The girls played some frisbee, we enjoyed some snacks and had a lovely evening together watching the sunset and eating a delicious dinner.

      The big girls stayed up for movie night and the stars were incredible! Then the moon came out and I don’t think I’ve seen such a huge moon in a long time. Of course no photos do it justice, but we tried.

      Kms travelled – 309

    • Day 100 – Purnululu National Park

      Today was an early start as we heard the road into Purnululu was a rough one, so we were up and out by 7.30am (which is early for our slow lot!). 

      The road really was treacherous, the 53kms to get into the park were going to take 2 hours as there were corrugations, rocks and turns every couple of hundred metres, which meant that you just couldn’t get any speed up. It was exhausting on Chris… once we got into the park it was another 30 minutes to the walking tracks.

      Our first stop in the park was the Southern Side, which includes the Domes and also Cathedral Gorge. The Domes are such unique formations, sticking out like beehives and they look so different up close and from far away. It was really special to walk through them and be able to see them from so many different angles.

      The Domes walk led to a little gorge at the end, which had some water left from the wet season and cool trees and greenery growing in the rocks.

      From there it was onto Cathedral Gorge, which included a short walk and some climbing until we reached the magnificent gorge. Pictures just don’t give any indication of the scale of this place – the walks of the gorge would have to be at least 200m high. The rock faces have such beautiful textures and colours and most importantly for the girls, the echo was impressive! So much so that on our way out the people coming in said they had heard the girls testing of the echo from about 500m away 🫣
      But they had fun and it was a beautiful place to visit!

      On our way to the North of the park we stopped at Elephant Rock, Izzy in particular loved this.

      The North has Echidna Chasm and while we didn’t get there for the optimal sun position, it was still a stunning view. I was proud of the girls remembering the previous chasm in the West MacDonnell ranges and how these form. We were able to walk quite a bit further into this one and again the scale and size is just not there in the photos.

      We really enjoyed exploring Purnululu and it was special to take the girls to a place that Chris and I loved on our last trip.

      The road back seemed even worse than on the way there, but I think that was mainly due to the fact that everyone was exhausted. So it was a quick dinner and off to bed for our dust-covered cherubs. We were all looking forward to a shower tomorrow!

      Kms travelled – 195

    • Day 99 – Emma Gorge

      Today we were heading out of El Questro and back onto the highway to start making our way to Broome the “easy” way. The girls had a fun time playing with Ivy and that made packing quick & efficient for the adults. It’s been a great stint at El Questro and we will definitely be back in the future to explore more of the gorges. 

      Our first stop for the day was Emma Gorge, another famous place in the area. There was a bit of whining from the big girls about doing “anoooooother hike” and Scarly was complaining about being in the backpack, but we assured her it would be easier than clambering along the rocks we had to cover. It was a much rockier terrain here than El Questro gorge.

      The first bit was more exposed and took us through a valley of palm trees with cliff faces either side far in the distance. I really love the contrast of the red rocks and dirt against the luscious green.

      We made good progress and got to the swimming hole within 40 minutes. I was so hot I literally threw Scarly off and jumped in the water to cool down. The water was freezing and the older girls didn’t really want to go in too far, until someone told them about a secret spot with a warmer waterhole.

      The packed lunchbox and a good rest was just the motivation everyone needed before starting the hike back to Emma Station. There were yet more beautiful sights to take in and we made it back with not too many complaints 😉

      Scarly actually fell asleep in the backpack right at the end and luckily for us there were some comfy couches at the bistro where we could just let her snooze while we enjoyed a well-earned ginger beer and lunch.

      From there it was a relatively short drive to our free camp for the nights, just off the highway near the turn off for Purnululu National Park. 

      Everyone was really tired and ready for an early night!

      Kms travelled – 267

    • Day 98 – El Questro Gorge

      The crew was happy and feeling good this morning and everyone was excited to check out some gorges today…

      We were meant to start and set off early, but it was the weekend and everyone was a bit slow to eat breakfast and get moving, which was fine!

      The first stop on the way was Zebedee Springs, hot pools, which were just beautiful. It was pretty busy, but we managed to find a little pool to ourselves and enjoyed the warmth of the pools. 
      I was in Scarly’s bad books because I thought I had forgotten her swimmers and she had to swim in her clip onesie, but she eventually forgave me and had the best time floating with her head under the water while cuddling either Chris or I.

      Jazzy the explorer wanted to check out some of the higher pools and enjoyed sitting under a “waterfall” 😊

      We headed off to El Questro gorge as we didn’t want to be hiking too late in the heat and it was actually a great walk for later in the day because it has so much shade.

      The big girls did an amazing job hiking all the way to the halfway pools, to be rewarded with a refreshing swim! Izzy even climbed up the bolder to jump off it. We didn’t attempt the second half of the hike as Chris and I remembered it being very difficult and a lot of scrambling. Maybe when the girls are older we’ll come back again and do the full hike!

      Then it was back to the Station for rest and relaxation. We actually got back to the campsite very early so the girls had time to play with our neighbour’s daughter Ivy and they were loving it. Chris and I also enjoyed some time to finally hang and relax – what a novelty on this holiday 😂

      We wanted to check out Pigeon Hole lookout so headed there with our neighbours and the view was phenomenal! What a special place to visit and surprisingly there weren’t too many people there.

      An El Questro managed safari jeep turned up while we were at the lookout and out jumped a group of very posh looking people. I only say that because they gasped in awe at the back of our car with its drawers, fridge and asked if we normally have “something” that attaches to the back of the car. I confirmed that yes, we do tow a caravan and they ooohhhed and ahhhed at the idea.
      Then one lady saw me open the fridge as I grabbed stuff out for a cheese platter and was amazed that we had food & alcohol in there. She even asked to get a photo of the back of the car and the open fridge. Ha ha ha, we felt like show ponies 😂

      Off they went to better places whilst we stayed on our clifftop enjoying the majestic vista and some wine, cheese and biccies.

      The adventure packed day wasn’t quite over yet though as we still had a dinner booked at the steakhouse. It was delicious! We did hear that a French chef was in charge of cooking the steaks and they did not disappoint…

      What a day! 

      Kms travelled – 35

    • Day 97 – Kimberley Fun Day

      This morning started with some much-needed me time with an amazing yoga session overlooking Lake Argyle. Wendy certainly helped reset and start the day on a high note!

      Then it was pack up time as we got ready to head to El Questro (the start of the Gibb River Road) that we won’t get to do this year). It meant heading back though Kununurra, which actually wasn’t a bad thing as we needed a top up of supplies anyway. 

      There were some local markets that we perused and the girls remembered seeing an amazing splash park at the leisure centre when we had walked past a few days ago. My rubber arm got twisted to let them go and play while Chris pumped up the tyres and got fuel. The park was awesome and the girls absolutely loved it!

      We quickly grabbed some lunch before hitting the road as everyone was hungry after splashing around. The girls loved the novelty of trying their first ever Subway… it’s the simple things!

      Then it was back on the road and we just had to get a tourist photo with the Gibb River Road sign. Such a shame we can’t drive the full road this trip, but it just means we will have to come back soon.

      The road into El Questro involved a couple of river crossings, which did make Chris nervous with all the car bits that are currently under question, but the car seemed to do well, fingers crossed. 

      It was another relaxed afternoon of snacking, swimming at the waterhole and enjoying a drink at the bar while the kids made friends and played games on the lawn. What a lovely way to wind down for the night!

      Kms travelled – 175

    • Day 96 – Lake Argyle

      It was a beautiful place fo wake up and Jazzy & I went for a little walk around the grounds. You really can’t go past the view of the lake in the distance from the cliff top, so we sat there for a while enjoying the view. We’ve had some big emotions in the family recently, so it was nice to pause and relax. Let’s hope everyone can get back to a happy place soon! Travelling definitely isn’t all glorious memories and permanent happiness, but it’s brought us a lot of incredible moments together!

      We took it easy this morning as I had a few meetings and the girls did a bit of homework. Chris found more things wrong with the car (I actually don’t want to know anymore unless it needs an immediate fix or I need to pay a bill), so he has been tasked with compiling a list for the next mechanic we find.

      We drove out to checkout the dam wall and it was cool to see the lake from up high and a different angle. Jazzy thought that the hydro station jets looked like whipped cream, which was funny. The power of that water is truly extraordinary and impressive! It’s estimated that the power production is the equivalent to 60M litres of diesel being used – now that’s a pretty cool win for the environment!

      After that we checked out the picnic area that overlooks the Ord River, another peaceful and nice spot. 

      It was super hot once we got back, so the pool was a great way to cool off, although it really is too cold to enjoy for any length of time. Maybe they do that on purpose so people jump in for a photo and don’t stay in there long term.

      We had booked a sunset lake cruise so headed off mid-afternoon on a bus to the boat ramp where we jumped on a boat and enjoyed cruising along the lake. It is such a huge man made lake, it’s hard to fathom that it simply didn’t exist before. 

      Claire, our skipper, shared many interesting facts including that the surface area is on average around 980m2, however this has risen in big wet season to almost double that, making it on average 21 Sydney Harbours big. The dam wall and lake were only created in the late 60s/70s for, but the area is more than thriving now!

      We cruised and saw short-eared rock wallabies, freshwater crocodiles and archer fish. A few interesting facts about each:
      – the female wallaby can store up to 3 prepared embryos for up to 7 years and implant them whenever conditions are right. She can also postpone pregnancies and self-abort if conditions aren’t right. 
      – there are estimates that Lake Argyle is home to a population of up to 25,000 freshwater crocodiles and some have grown up to 4.5m because there are no predators for them here. 
      – the archer fish are smart enough to recognise different faces from under water and love to hunt insects out of the water by squirting them. We got to experience by holding up pieces of bread that the archer fish thought was their food and shot up spouts of water. The girls went crazy for this!

      The boat took us all around, but seeing the area we covered by boat on a map really put scale into perspective! It was a glorious evening out on the water. We got to enjoy a nice swim and some drinks/nibbles in and out of the water at sunset – that’s pretty special.

      It was also a full moon to make the evening even more magical and we all loved our afternoon on the water.

      Kms travelled – 3

    • Day 95 – Kununurra to Lake Argyle

      Chris was off early to drop the car at the mechanic for 6.30am, whilst the girls and I had a lazy start to the day, with mama enjoying delicious coffee from the cafe onsite. 

      The girls caught up on some homework and I had a couple of meetings (it’s always a relief when the meetings are in a good reception area!) and we packed up the van mostly. 

      The girls also found another majestic boab tree at the campground.

      Then we had to drop the car off at the Tyre place for a wheel alignment and so we browsed a few shops. The girls wanted to see the pink diamonds that are mined locally at Lake Argyle. I loved the Man Couch they had in the shop, I’m pretty sure I have a very similar photo of Chris from 11 years ago, just no little Scarly.

      There was also a nice art gallery nearby where the girls literally spent an hour choosing a trinket box each with Aboriginal designs for their collection of rocks and shells. I loved so many of the paintings there and wished that we had space in the house back at home to buy some. 

      We grabbed lunch and the car was finally ready. However when Chris hitched up the van and we started driving to Lake Argyle the car was pulling to the left so hard that Chris had to keep fighting it. He clearly wasn’t happy with the wheel alignment and so we had to turn around and drive back to Kununurra to get it fixed again. The mechanic took it for a test drive and claimed there was nothing wrong, invited Chris to have a look on the screen as he hooked it up and sure enough the machine showed that it was out by about 20%. So the bloke went to work sheepishly and we wasted another hour waiting for it to be fixed. Eurgh, Chris is completely losing faith in any mechanics and workshops he is encountering 😭

      It was good to be back on the rod again…

      We eventually made it to Lake Argyle and it was still as pretty as I remembered it to be. The pool, whilst freezing, makes for picture perfect memories. 

      A quick drink at the bar seemed like a reasonable idea to finally enjoy the scenery around us and the girls had a great time dancing to live music. The musicians here finally knew and played Scarly’s request of The Traveller by Chris Stapleton, which finished the night off on a high!

      Kms travelled – 73