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24.01.2022 Daly Waters, Banka Banka, Camooweal, Julia Creek and Campaspe rest stop - Days 346 - 352 (2/8/19 - 8/8/19) We decided to bomb it from Darwin to Townsville and drove 2,516km in 7 days. We did all one night stays except Julia Creek, one nighters are a pain in the butt for us with the up down, up down of the van, but we decided it was worth it to get to the East coast quickly. We now have a record of 26 minutes to be completely set up with power, water, sull...age and the awning out. Not too bad considering how slow we were when we started! We loved visiting Daly Waters again and having another night of great music and a boogey on the dance floor. This pub is so cool and absolutely worth a visit.or 2! Banka Banka Station is an old cattle station and is 100k North of Tennant Creek, such a great alternative to staying in Tennant Creek itself. They do a fire every night and even cracked the marshmallows out for the kids! We crossed over the border into Camooweal the next day and camped at the Billabong, this is a free camp right on the water. Lovely little spot, but Camooweal really doesn’t have much to offer, so we pushed on the next morning. Julia Creek was as good as we had heard from all the other travellers. Such a gorgeous little town with so much history and the artesian baths were next level. We left the kids in the van, grabbed a cheese platter and a bottle of champers and had a great soak while taking in the amazing view. We were lucky enough to be there on a Monday and take part in their bush dinner night, at $15 an adult and $5 a kid we couldn’t pass it up, food & atmosphere were great! We stopped at the Campaspe road side stop to break up the trip on the way to Townsville, just a simple stop on the side of the road with flushing toilets, no showers, power or water. Wasn't an amazing stop as it was so close to the road and you could hear cars all night, but it did the job.

24.01.2022 K A S E Y The girls were so chuffed to meet @kaseychambersmusic this morning. What an absolute beautiful soul, she loved that they were rocking their @poetrybykaseyandrenee designs . . . .... . #kaseychambersmusic #kaseychambers #music #centralcoast #poetrybykaseyandrenee #thecaptain #thecaptain20thanniversarytour #followingthesun_au See more

23.01.2022 We’ve had a lovely week at Rosedale, just the break we needed, thanks @drawdoowl for having us Heading to Lake Tabourie today . . . .... #rosedale #holiday #family #familytime #sleepins #beachdays #fires #marshmallows #farmersmarket See more

22.01.2022 H B D happiest of birthdays to our beautiful 12 year old @scarli_la. The girls made a good point this morning, she was 10 when we set off on our trip, and now she’s 12! She’s turning into a beautiful girl and we’re proud of the person she’s becoming . . . .... . #birthday #tween #hbd #happybirthday #twelvetoday #travelgirls #travelgirlsgo #lifeofadventure #travellingaustraliawithkids #caravanningwithkids #travellingaustralia #tawk #biglapofoz #lapofaustralia #travelaustralia #familieswhotravel #kidswhoexplore See more

17.01.2022 Christmas 2020

17.01.2022 We picked up our new van today from @7thstreetcaravans in Heatherbrae. We are beyond stoked with the new purchase! . . . .... . #newvan #roughrider #vacationer #7thstreet #newvanfeels #nosetup #caravan #van #vanlife See more

17.01.2022 F A M I L Y we’ve snuck away early before the school holidays for an early break, can’t wait for sleep ins and lazy beach days . . . .... . #holidays #rosedale #beachdays #beach #earlybreak #ontheroadagain #family #familytime See more

16.01.2022 Devils Marbles again and Mataranka Days 300 - 304 (18/6/19 - 21/6/19) We passed through the Devil’s Marbles on our way back up and decided to do another quick stop over there. We actually saw a sunrise here, very rare due to all of us being late rises . We left camp by 7am and did the 8 hour trek to Mataranka where we booked in for 3 nights. We headed straight to the thermal pools for a dip and were not disappointed. The pool is filled with fresh spring water from the Daly ...and Georgina basins and has a consistent temp of 34 degrees. So amazing to float around the beautiful pool, but bloody cold when you jumped out! Pool noodles are a must here and going early morning and late afternoon are your best times, crazy busy during the day. We also checked out Bitter Springs, these springs have been left in their natural beauty and we spent a few hours floating along, climbing out the ladder at the end, running back to the start and floating on back down. We had mixed opinions about which we preferred. You can’t go to Mataranka without watching a Nathan Whippy Griggs show! We had heard about Whippy from fellow travellers and couldn’t wait to check it out for ourselves. We were not disappointed, this guy is unreal and holds the Guinness world record for the most number of whip cracks using two whips in one minute, with 614 cracks! A spectacular show that gets the whole family involved .

16.01.2022 H O M E it’s been an amazing 15 months on the road, but we are all super happy (some more than others ) to be back home! We aren’t too sure what the future holds for us so we’ll stay in the van while we decide our next move . . . .... . . #home #wollongong #family #travelling #notdoneyet #travellingaustralia #travellingwithkids #travellingaustraliawithkids See more

15.01.2022 Batchelor & Litchfield 317 - 321 (3/07/19 - 7/7/19) We did 2 nights in Batchelor so the parents were able to see Litchfield from here, we had dinner at the local pub which was delicious and a short walk from our camp ground.... The next morning we headed to Buley Rockholes for a dip, geez it was pretty! We all had a great time splashing around in the pools and trying not to slip on the rocks. Sadly we had to say see ya to the parents the next day, they were headed back to Darwin and we were on our way to Litchfield. We managed to nab a great spot at Florence Falls camp, we were walking distance to the falls and all enjoyed a cool down after setting up. This camp spot is gold with toilets, showers and a wash up station, be sure to get in early as these spots really fill up. While we were in Litchfield we did another trip out to Buley and went much earlier this time, for awhile we had the place to ourselves! We also went to Wangi Falls for a swim and checked out the old Bamboo Creek Tin mine, a great history lesson for the girls. We loved our time in Litchfield, such a beautiful part of the world with so many stunning swimming holes, just need to be croc wise and only swim where advised. Next stop was Berry Springs, we stayed at the Tumbling Waters Holiday Park, a really great park super close to the springs. We spent a morning at Berry Springs floating around in the warm water, the kids have become pros at laying on their noodles and doing nothing lol!

15.01.2022 Dreaming of blue skies & palm trees.....hurry up summer!

14.01.2022 S I X Our baby turned 6 today! What a little firecracker she is, not afraid of anything & always quick with a comeback. We couldn’t love her any more if we tried . . . .... #birthday #six #sixthbirthday #mcdonalds #presents #cousins #happybirthday See more

13.01.2022 C A T C H I N G - U P We have so many photos from the end of our trip that haven’t made it to our insta wall as yet. Stay tuned as we are finally settling in and catching up on our last few weeks of travels . . . .... . #catchup #photos #memories #travel #travelbug #travelaustraliawithkids #travelaustralia #noosa #beach #holidays See more

13.01.2022 Darwin - Day 322 to 345 (10/7/19 - 1/8/19) We were all so excited to get to Darwin and it did not disappoint. The weather was a beautiful 32 degrees everyday and didn’t get down below 18 with mostly no humidity, best time to visit for sure!... We stayed at the Free Spirit resort in Palmerston and absolutely loved it, the sites were big, there were 3 pools and they had happy hour every afternoon from 4 - 6 with $5 beers and 50c chicken wings, winning! Craig was an absolute legend and flew Lisa’s best friend in as a 40th birthday present, it’s very rare to see Lisa cry but when Cara pulled off that mouse mask she totally lost it! We all loved having Aunty Cara with us for 4 nights, wemcouldn’t get enough of her and we all lapped up her attention as much as we could. Lossy turned 40 while we were here and her family flew in for the special day, with a special appearance from Gige & Coops. We made the most of every minute with them with lots of lunches, beers, site seeing and catching up, we were all so sad to see them go. We also got to catch up with our mates the McDonagh’s a couple of times while we were here, was so great to see them again and hang out by the pool. After all the visitors had left we spent another couple of days chilling by the pool, hanging out with the cute kids next door and eating chicken wings. A great way to end our 3 week visit to Darwin!

12.01.2022 H A N D S O M E Happiest of birthdays to our main man! What an amazing year we have had, so many amazing adventures and bloody good times. The girls and I love you infinity

11.01.2022 Saunder’s Beach & Townsville - Days 353 - 358 (9/8/19 to 14/8/19) Wikicamps led us to a great little free camp at Saunder’s Beach, a really cute little town with an amazing pizza shop, if you happen to visit, the meat lovers was the bomb. We did a day trip out to Big Crystal Creek where we spent the morning sliding down the rock slides and jumping off cliffs! Such a gorgeous little place only 45 minutes from Townsville.... We moved onto Townsville from here and stayed at the Rowes Bay Beachfront Holiday Park, great little park with good sized spots, pool with a slide and a clean camp kitchen. Friends suggested we check out The Strand and we are so glad we did, there is so much for the kids with a waterpark, rock pool and so many playgrounds. We did the drive up to Castle Hill (there were people running it!) and took in the views of Townsville, so beautiful. We decided to do a day trip with the car to Magnetic Island and really wish we had of taken the van! It was so beautiful with so much to see and do, but we were just out of time. We did a bush walk, fished off the jetty, had lunch at the pub, checked out Alma bay and went swimming at Horseshoe bay. You really could take a couple of days to fully enjoy this amazing island. We all loved Townsville, if it wasn’t for the crocs & stingers, we could move there!

11.01.2022 Kakadu - Jabiru Days 314 - 316 (30/6/19 - 2/07/19) Jabiru was a great base for our next stop in Kakadu, from here we were able to check out Ubirr, Cahills Crossing and the Nourlangie rock art.... We spent the afternoon with 2 Arnhem women who taught us how to weave bracelets. We all loved this experience and we were able to get hands-on with all the activities from collecting & stripping the pandanus, creating the dye, dying and weaving. Cahills Crossing wasn’t too far from here so we went and had a look, there are so many crocs in these waters Craig decided it probably wasn’t a good idea to get knee deep in the water and have a fish like a lot of others were doing. We spent a morning out at Nourlangie doing the art site walk and admiring all the amazing pictures on the walls, some of the art dating back 20,000 years. The girls got so much our of this walk and loved reading the signs with the stories behind each painting. There are so many ranger guided tours in Kakadu, we chose to join the sunset tour at Ubirr. Our ranger was so informative and had us captivated with the dreamtime stories that went along with each painting. Watching the sunset here was truly breathtaking, something we will never forget.

09.01.2022 A F T E R N O O N S we’ll miss these beautiful afternoons at Tea Tree, we love watching the sun set as we walk home . . . .... . #teatreebay #teatreebaynoosa #noosa #beach #beachdays #family #familytime #surf #sand #sun #sunset #mustcomeoutofisosoon See more

09.01.2022 Kakadu - Cooinda Days 311 - 313 (27/6/19 - 29/6/19) We really didn’t know what to expect for our trip to Kakadu, we couldn’t get very much info from the Katherine information centre so we just decided to make our way in and hope for the best! We were really lucky to stumble across the visitor centre near Gunlom, here we were able to have a chat with a ranger and plan our stay in Kakadu. We decided to head to the Cooinda camp ground for the first part of our stay.... Our first outing here was to Gulom Falls. We took the walk up to the upper pools, this isn’t a long walk, but it’s very steep and has quite a lot of rock hopping , kids loved it. We spent the morning swimming in the cool water and taking in the amazing view, we even spotted another snake ! We went for a quick dip in the lower pools but these always wig us out, you never know if a croc has wandered in over night! Next stop was Maguk Gorge, we had to trek through water to get here and with croc signs everywhere we were all on high alert, the gorge was beautiful and we all took a dip in the chilly but refreshing water. Scrambling over the rocks to get to Jim Jim Falls was so much fun, makes for a much more interesting walk in. We all had a swim and declared the water here the most freezing to date. The kids spent the morning with the Grandparents while we did the sunrise cruise on Yellow River. This was absolutely amazing, watching the sun come up and the animals all come to life was something else. Having not spotted a croc yet we were so excited to see so many in their natural habitat, this is an experience we will never forget . Next stop, Jabiru!

08.01.2022 B E A C H F R O N T back in the van, we could think of worse places to camp up for the next couple of weeks . . . .... #absolutebeachfront #coalcoast #sundowner #illawarra #camping #jaycoswan #saltyair See more

07.01.2022 W R A P and that is a wrap! Our last set up of the trip! We have had over 100 up/downs over the last 15 months. What a bloody amazing adventure it’s been . . . .... . #itsallover #15monthsontheroad #umina #uminabeach #seeaustralia #lapofthecountry #ozlap #auslap #travelaustralia #travelaustraliawithkids #camping #lastsetup See more

07.01.2022 Katherine & Edith Falls Days 305 - 310 (22/6/19 - 26/6/19) Craig’s parents were surprising the kids with a visit in Katherine! We hadn’t seen them since October the year before and the kids were so blown away when they pulled up next to our van in their motorhome! There was much excitement when they found out the grandparents were joining us for a week of travels. We ventured into the Katherine Thermal pools that were right behind our caravan park, these range between ...25- 30 degrees, not as toasty as Mataranka & Bitter Springs, but still lovely. There are lower and upper pools and both have man made steps to get in and out. You can also swim from the top pool down a few falls to the bottom pool, the girls loved sliding down the rocks from one pool to the next. Katherine Gorge in the Nitmiluk National Park was on our must do list and we did this walk over a couple of hours. The views from the top were spectacular and well worth the effort. No swimming here, too many salties. Gran Gran loves horses and the outback so we thought a show at the Katherine Outback Experience was in order. We absolutely loved our time here. The property is owned by multiple Golden Guitar winner Tom Curtain and boy does he put on a great live show. The show celebrates life in the outback through real horse-starting and working dog demos. He also plays some awesome music, often while standing on horseback! We headed to Edith Falls in the Nitmiluk National Park after Katherine, staying at the Leiliyn campground. With the Grandparents in tow we opted not to do the 9km return walking track and took on the 3km Leiliyn track that takes you to the upper pools. The water here was freezing and a shock after having been treated to the thermal pools, but we all went in for a refreshing dip regardless! That night we splashed out for the curry from the cafe onsite and hung around for the live music. 8 Ball Aiken was playing and we had a great night listening to his music , having a dance and enjoying a chuckle at his jokes!

04.01.2022 Happy birthday to our sweetheart! We love your spunk and sassy say it how it is personality. You always make us laugh and life would be boring without you. We love you

03.01.2022 We are loving house sitting in between trips in the van! The girls adore this pooch

02.01.2022 L I P S T I C K loving our bright lips since lockdown! These @shanghaisuzylipsticks are the best . . . .... . . #lips #lipstick #pinkapocolips #shanghaisuzy #shanghaisuzylipsticks #girls #lipstickgirls #mumsgirls See more

02.01.2022 H A L L O W E E N We don’t normally celebrate Halloween, but the girls just wouldn’t let up about it this year! We were visiting their cousin Steph so we decided to let them have it, the girls had so much fun together walking the streets of Copa collecting treats . . . .... . #halloween #halloweencostume #halloweenmakeup #copacabana #copacabanabeach #trickortreat #creepydolly #evilcat #bankrobber #lollies #dressup #makeup #travel #cousin #travellingaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids #spooky #horror See more