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25.01.2022 Somersaults off rocks at 4! Hate to think what 14 will bring

25.01.2022 The butterfly cave in Kununurra is up past the Hoochery on a little unmarked sandy 4wd track. Its a 2 minute walk from the end of the track and was full of butterflies, the kids were amazed at the wildlife in such a small area. We saw a goanna, a golden tree snake, hundreds of butterflies, we heard bats in the cave and saw green ant nests which are super cool (check out the last 2 pics). Darcy (who decided to roll around in the dirt just prior to heading into the cave) was mesmerised!

24.01.2022 So Kakadu was really just too hot! We were super disappointed to miss some of the highlights like Gunlom and Maguk falls as they look awesome but we needed to get out of the heat. So we headed straight down to Mataranka, they have this cool Aussie pub and heaps of wildlife hanging around the campsite. We had kangaroos and Peacocks wondering through camp and swipe through to see what I found in the toilet!

24.01.2022 Our trip to Ubirr almost didnt happen. With bushfires in the area it was closed on the first day we attempted to go. Luckily it opened day two and we were able to walk up and admire one of the most adored views in the entire country. With so much of the landscape burnt or still burning it wasnt the view we had seen in the travel brochures but it was absolutely still breathtaking....

23.01.2022 Mindil markets in Darwin is a great night out. Being the end of the dry season we were lucky enough to catch the last market for the year. There is plenty of great smelling food (torture when youre on a budget ) and some really terrific entertainment. For $2 you can have a go at cracking a whip @mickswhips We watched people try and try and I honestly thought it would be way too hard for the kids. Asher however turned out to be a born whipper whilst Darcy - whos style may have been a little unconventional got some great cracks of the whip in too. These two could quite easily fit into outback life .

21.01.2022 More beautiful places! I dont think I could ever get sick of awesome swimming holes in the NT! this is Ormiston Gorge and the last pic is of Ellery Creek Big Hole which was our favourite swimming hole in the park. The West MacDonnell National Park made it into our top 10 National park lists with lots of great swimming holes and a bunch of hikes I would be keen to do on the next trip with more time you could easily spend 3-5 days seeing everything in the park. Loved it!

20.01.2022 Just another stunning swimming hole! We stopped for lunch and had to keep moving but this place was beautiful and I could have spent a couple of days exploring. There is camping there and a little cafe but at this time of the year its #hotashell #justanother40degreeday

20.01.2022 While youre up checking out Ubirr and Cahills crossing you can do the Bardejilijidi walk just down the road. There are some longer walks there that are supposed to be good but it was just too hot. Take heaps of water with you and check out the awesome rock art, cool caves and on the way back you come around a corner and realise that you are pretty much walking along the bank of the East Alligator river which certainly made me pick up the pace. This one was too hot for the boys but my little hiking buddy Asher smashed it out. Can you see the rock art up above Darcy and in the next couple of pics?

20.01.2022 Litchfield has a couple of great campgrounds at Wangi and Florence falls. At $6.60 per person and $15.40 for a family it would be the perfect place to stay except that my little clan just dont cope in this heat without power and air con... Check out the awesome smiles on their faces after I made them walk 800m down to Tolmer falls lookout. Needless to say we didnt return for the awesome recommended sunset there.... #grumpy

20.01.2022 If you want to check out an iconic Aussie outback pub the Daly Waters pub is the perfect spot to spend a couple of hours checking out all the fascinating stuff people have left behind. Addi couldnt believe her eyes! There is a campground and our first cool swimming pool for a while. You see, in the build up all water is hot. Even the cold water coming from the taps is hot and all the pools are quite warm. Sometimes you are just hanging for a cold swim but it is often very hard to find. It was well worth the small detour off the highway to spend a night.

18.01.2022 Hows this for a welcome to the NT! Our first buffalo sighting on the trip on the first day in the Northern Territory so we all got a little excited....

17.01.2022 The Devils Marbles or Karlu Karlu is about 100km south of Tennant Creek. We stopped for lunch and a quick explore before heading further south but there is a campground you can stay at if you want to spend a bit more time. Loved seeing all the marbles precariously balancing on one another.

17.01.2022 The mangrove walk at East Point is a nice (hot!) walk but gees dont forget the midge spray! We got smashed!

17.01.2022 The best thing about Mataranka is undoubtably the beautiful hot springs. The water is crystal clear and deep. Its also only a very short walk from the caravan park. The only thing is that usually around October there are thousands of bats that descend on the place. They stay for a couple of months and make a pretty big mess. As soon as you arrive at the caravan park you can smell them and hear them. They didnt stop us from having a good paddle in the springs but may be the reason we had the whole place to ourselves!

17.01.2022 While our fellow Melburnians were being drowned in what was one of the wettest Cup days in years we were sunning it up in very hot Berry Springs because we heard there was a once a year event not to be missed. The Berry Springs Tavern hosts what they call the race the nation tried to stop. Crocodile races and Cane Toad races draw the well dressed crowd from their lounge rooms, the Tab and comfortable air conditioning to cheer on a few little snappers. With names like Croc of Ship, Crocodoodle doo and Croc Sucker we knew we were in for a territory treat! As they say - we do things differently in the Territory.... They sure do

16.01.2022 Its not often I get to escape for an awesome hike by myself but while we were staying at Uluru we had some family fly in for a visit which is always great and I got to take off for a while. I had heard that the Valley Of The Winds was a really interesting 7.4km walk through Kata Tjuta and some say it is a better walk than the Uluru base walk. I would have to agree, the landscape is stunning and if you leave early enough you can check out the sunrise at the Kata Tjuta sunset viewing area. Dont stop at the first lookout though as youll miss all the best parts and remember the walk gets closed at 11am if the forecasted temperature is above 36 degrees so leave early.

15.01.2022 When youre hanging out at a kids day out and you get to hold a crocodile..... #justanormaldayinNT (Just in case youre wondering Asher had just finished doing an ochre painting - its not a black eye, that stuff gets everywhere !)

13.01.2022 It’s not often I get to escape for an awesome hike by myself but while we were staying at Uluru we had some family fly in for a visit which is always great and I got to take off for a while. I had heard that the Valley Of The Winds was a really interesting 7.4km walk through Kata Tjuta and some say it is a better walk than the Uluru base walk. I would have to agree, the landscape is stunning and if you leave early enough you can check out the sunrise at the Kata Tjuta sunset viewing area. Don’t stop at the first lookout though as you’ll miss all the best parts and remember the walk gets closed at 11am if the forecasted temperature is above 36 degrees so leave early.

13.01.2022 Whats better than an outdoor art gallery??? (An air-conditioned one - maybe....) The beautiful rock art at Ubirr is terrific, with some information boards dotted along the path you can learn a lot. If reading is not your thing then join a free tour with one of the Kakadu rangers. There are so many terrific examples of great art with so much detail its well worth the trip.

12.01.2022 So theres pretty and then there is Lake Argyle. This place is really breathtaking. From the beautiful mountain ranges to the ash grey brumby family, glass like water and a pool that has been labelled Australias best pool by many its a destination that should not be missed. Its the second largest man made reservoir in Australia at 22 times the size of Sydney Harbour and its difficult to fully appreciate the size from the land. We decided to do one night here but nearly fell over when we were charged $56 for the night in the low season. Is it worth it? Its beautiful but if I was headed here again I would just do a day trip from Kununurra where we were paying less than half that to stay. You can still do all the lookouts and guests can pay $10 for the day to use the pool and access the caravan park. Swipe through to see the pool!

11.01.2022 More beautiful places! I don’t think I could ever get sick of awesome swimming holes in the NT! this is Ormiston Gorge and the last pic is of Ellery Creek Big Hole which was our favourite swimming hole in the park. The West MacDonnell National Park made it into our top 10 National park lists with lots of great swimming holes and a bunch of hikes I would be keen to do on the next trip with more time you could easily spend 3-5 days seeing everything in the park. Loved it!

11.01.2022 Her name is Florence and even right at the end of the dry season she is still stunning. A short walk down to a nice deep plunge pool is a worthy reward in the heat but watch out for the fish! They actually bite - and hurt, just ask the kids.... They almost drowned me trying to get out of the water!!!

11.01.2022 This is Berry Springs. Only 50kms out of Darwin this place is an awesome swimming hole. With 3 different pools there is plenty of room for everyone. Recently reopened after a 3.5m croc was sighted we were lucky to be able to have a swim (after checking the website for croc info and ringing the ranger and talking to a bunch of people.....). Those bloody things scare the crap out of us!!!! Can you tell? #

09.01.2022 On the way back from our Wyndham trip we decided to check out the 4wd track to Marlgu billabong. There is not heaps of water at this time of the year but the bird life was amazing! We saw lots of beautiful Jabirus and heaps of other interesting birds. Not lucky enough to see a croc but it definitely looked like croc water so Im sure they werent far away .... You can continue on this track which joins Parry Creek road and take the scenic way back to Kununurra ending your drive with a great underbody wash across Ivanhoe crossing. This gets closed when the water is running too fast but lucky for us the water was pretty low. Sean asked some locals for any advice and they said just watch out for the crocs putting us all at ease....... lucky for us we made it across without seeing any of the nasties that frequent the river....

08.01.2022 188 days ago we arrived in WA! What an amazing part of the world you are WA. Thanks for having us, its been a blast and Im not sure anything will top our time in WA. Sure weve got a whole lot of red dirt that will be coming home with us on pretty much everything we own but its completely worth it. The highlights have been the entire coastline from Carnarvon up to the Dampier Peninsula, the Kimberleys - there is a reason they call it Gods country and of course the beautiful Karinjini National Park. If you are planning a lap or a big trip we would recommend spending the most time in these parts of WA. We really slowed everything down north of Carnarvon and are so glad we did. Cant wait to see what the NT has to offer!!

08.01.2022 Wangi falls fun. Another great swimming day in a beautiful waterfall. Pack a noodle and swim to the falls, there is a great picnic area for lunch and a cafe open 11am-2pm I think. No shade whilst swimming at this hole though so make sure you slip slop slap!

08.01.2022 This is the vid of Ivanhoe Crossing, note Asher was petrified before we started and the can fisherman in the back was of course looking for his next prized catch

07.01.2022 If you have a caravan its really important to check the tyres regularly. On our most recent check in Kununurra we noticed that 1 tyre was wearing a little uneven. The guys at Metaland got us in and checked it all out. Just a simple wheel alignment was needed but it is a timely reminder to stay on top of any van maintenance. Tyre blowouts are the cause of around 5% of caravan insurance claims and if you have a blowout the consequences can be disastrous so get out and do a good check of all of your tyres to make sure you and your family continue to travel safe. Thanks Metaland, Callum and the rest of the crew for the quick and great service!

06.01.2022 Next stop Alice Springs, keen to stock up on some much needed groceries and continue on to the West Macdonell Ranges we camped at a cheap and cheerful (maybe not so cheerful) out of town. The West MacDonnell ranges are super accessible to everyone and follow a sealed road out of Alice Springs. Your first stop will surely be Simpsons Gap where you complete a very short 5-10 minute walk down to the water hole and if you have sharp vision you might even see some rock wallabies on the cliff walls. We got here quite early in the morning but I would think it would be even more stunning in the middle of the day with the sun lighting up the bright orange walls of the gap.

05.01.2022 Litchfield National Park. Home of the magnetic and cathedral termite mounds and yes they are whoppers. Weve seen different versions of these through our travels west and now here and it really is amazing how such tiny little insects create such impressive structures. #termitesaresometimescool

05.01.2022 What do you do when the kids have managed to smear more yogurt on their face and bodies than in their mouth? You throw them in a rock hole! Buley Rockhole at Litchfield turned out to be our favourite place, with lots of shallow and deep rock pools along cascading falls there was a spot for everyone. We loved it!

04.01.2022 Glen Helen Gorge is a short walk down to a beautiful gorge through tall reeds and sandy river banks. If you read the sign at the start it says you can swim through the gorge and complete a short walk to see a cool rock formation. We were a bit unprepared with the kids but it gives us a great reason to go back!

03.01.2022 I wont even begin to pretend that every day on the road is rosy and long car trips send us all bonkers. A 300km trip usually takes all day with the kids (and cigarette breaks) so when we decided to do the 500+km drive from Lake Argyle to Katherine in one day we knew it would be a long one.. Rocking up to a van park after dark is never that fun and a swarm of cane toads on our site and a BYO toilet paper toilet made us question our decision to stay in Katherine. Heading to Katherine thermal pools the next day however was the perfect way to wrinkle our fingers and toes and make up for a long day in the car. Its best to get here early when the water is crystal clear, grab a noodle and float down the lazy river and if youre lucky you may even have the place to yourself.

02.01.2022 The famous Cahills crossing at Kakadu is a must see. Its exciting, its frightening and its fascinating. We got there a couple of hours before high tide and the anticipation of what we were going to see was crazy. The crossing alone is interesting enough watching cars cross the river as the water level increases with the tides (watch some crazy YouTube vids). This crossing is the site of multiple car wrecks with the vehicles still visible at low tide. It is also the site of... some crocodile fatalities where fishermen may have been too brave fishing at the waters edge and there are some touching memorials to remind you of the danger. Needless to say I spent most of my time telling Darcy to not move, sit on his bottom, get back, dont go there etc etc #thiskid There is a viewing platform to watch the action from and we planted ourselves right there. Just as high tide approaches the water starts rushing across the road and you see crocodiles begin to swim up the river towards the crossing with their hands and feet sticking up out of the water. Its a funny sight but apparently they do this so they can feel the fish swim past. We watched them catch fish and we watched people fishing among 6-8 crocs. We saw a good size Barramundi caught (see the vid in the comments) and lots of cars crossing - some were just normal sedans . I had my heart in my mouth so many times but it was truly a great spectacle. See more

02.01.2022 Lilies forever. This late in the season many of the billabongs have dried up but Fogg Dam is still a stunning display of the NT wetlands. We fell in love with this pretty place and all the amazing wildlife!

01.01.2022 The spectacular Kimberley landscape will always stay with me even through city lights.

01.01.2022 Holy Crocamole! Yesterday was Sweetheart and today we met Brutus, hes an enormous and famous resident of the Adelaide River. We were blown away by his size and it was really amazing to see these huge reptiles in their natural environment. The boys are massive compared to the girls and the smaller crocs really launch themselves out of the water. The scariest bit is that its really hard to see them coming. At this time of the year (specifically November and December) the crocodiles are annoyed constantly by a type of fly that hangs around them. Because of this they stay underwater for long periods or bury themselves in mud. Apart from a bit of surface bubbling or movement under the water you wouldnt even know there was a 5m+ croc nearby.....

01.01.2022 His name is Sweetheart and he is legendary in these parts... Well known for his insatiable appetite for outboard motors in the 70s which sent boat occupants into the drink on at least 2 occasions (thankfully nobody was hurt). By 1979 the attacks on boats had become more frequent and a decision was made to relocate him to a crocodile farm. At 5.1m this was no easy feat and while anaesthetised Sweetheart became entangled around a log and tragically drowned. His stuffed body can... now be seen at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. This is a super free activity with lots of great information and exhibitions. There is a great display of aboriginal art, a fascinating and emotive Cyclone Tracy display along with a large array of wildlife from the area for the kids to check out. If you are around at 10am on a Friday they feed the gorgeous Pig Nose Turtles, fish and Barramundi that live in their ponds. Easy parking and free entry it was well worth the visit. See more