Top 15 Experiences Around Australia- Part 3

So here comes part 3. Hope you enjoyed our previous 10 experiences. See Part 1 and 2.

11. Swimming in hot springs- Now we have swam in plenty of swimming holes and rivers (some better than others), but never in a hot spring. The first time we ever experienced these was at Mataranka, where we were excited to stay for a night. As soon as were had set up (and coincidentally changed a tyre, my first) we headed down to the hot springs. At a temperature of around 34 degrees, it isn't very refreshing on a hot day, but nonetheless it was an experience we enjoyed.

12. Skiing at Selwyn Snowfields- Now we have all skied before, but never for 3 weeks on end!! Put Plain and simply, it was completely and utterly awesome. Alright, so we did freeze while sleeping, get the car stuck, fall over lots and crash into a pole (alright, so i'm not too good at direction) but we still had fun. Read this post for more info.

13. Phillip Island Surfing- Now the main attratcion of Phillip Island is the cute, cudldy fluffy penguins, but because of the expense ($100), and the fact that we had seen them on a previous holiday (I remember being wet and cold, and nearly stepping on a penguin on the way back), we didn't bother. However, it is rather cute to see. Anyway, we only had a short stop at Phillip Island to go surfing. The boys hit the surf, while the girls jumped off sand dunes. It was definelty a fun thing to do, and now we can claim we surfed at Phillip Island.

14. Zoology at Dubbo Zoo- Dubbo Zoo was really interesting. Joel says youv'e seen one zoo, youv'e seen them all, but I disagree. Dubbo Zoo (Western Plains Zoo actually) had plenty of different animals that I had never seen before, and the clever fencing makes it look like there was no fence. The option of either riding, driving, or hiring a zoo cart is good too, enabling us all to be able to go. I also learnt plenty of interesting facts there, and how to pronounce Przewalski's horse, a feat never before accomplished (and forgotten pretty promptly too)

15. Crocodile Cruise on the Adelaide River- Now this was fun (and a bit scary). We have seen crocodiles before, but have you ever watched one launch itself up out of the water to grab a chunk of meat dangling tantalizingly above it's nose. If you haven't been on one of these cruises, then the answer is most likely no. Seeing buffalo on the drive in was also interesting, as we had never seen one. They have big horns! We also got the oppurtinity to handle a phython, and read a magazine folder full of clippings of crocodile attacks. What a way to start the tou

Top 15 Expereinces Around Australia- Part 2

So here comes part 2 of 3. I hoped you all liked my first 5.

The clearness of the water will astound you. (This is Oyster
Stacks)

6. Caving at Naracoorte- For a unique experience, we went caving at Naracoorte. It was a fun experience, with all the squeezing through tight spaces making sure we all kept nice and thin!. Some of the challenges were quite a tight squeeze. It was definitely a good novelty. As we were about to start the car to drive away from the caves, the car broke down. 

7. Snorkelling at Ningaloo- Now the Great Barrier Reef is pretty well known, but what about Ningaloo. For a fraction of the cost (literally $26/n to camp there and visit the snorkeling sites), the 

snorkeling there is the best we have seen. The variety of fish is great. Turquoise bay was a great snorkelling site, with the ability to just float there as the current takes you along ( A post in more detail here).

Perth High Ropes

8. High ropes at Perth- Now this was an adrenaline rush! Walking 10m above the ground on a tightrope, climbing, and jumping around up there is definitely fun! We got to go on twice, and the second time with more confidence under our belt we almost raced across it. The tightrope was definitely the most fun, as you slowly and carefully put one foot in front of the other. Jumping off into empty space was probably the hardest challenge, as you took the flying fox down. It's completely different from stepping out on anything (Post here in more detail)!

9. Kayaking up Katherine Gorge- Katherine Gorge was sort of the must-see things that we did. We only had to hire one kayak luckily, as we already had two. While kayaking up there Joel managed to catch a monster catfish, which pulled him up and down the gorge. We only kayaked for a short while, but the gorge walls awed us into silence.

Heading up Katherine Gorge

10. Seeing the 12 apostles/ Great ocean Road- We had seen the twelve apostles before this trip, in 2008, but we decided to go again and view the twelve apostles. It was just on sunset, apparently the best time to view them, and when we hopped out of the car we joined the stream of tourists down to the 12 apostles. There was definetly plenty of foreign tourists. As a different idea, we busked on the way to the 12 apostles, figuring that with all the people it might be a good idea. It wasn't too good, but when we finished we moved up to the viewing platform and nearly got blown away! The wind was howling like anything!! We snapped a few photos and then went on, glad to see the 12 apostles (actually only 8 now) ticked off our list of 'must see popular tourist destinations'.

The twelve apostles at sunset

Top 15 Experiences around Australia

Cubbaroo

Now this is my list of our top 15
experiences around Oz. At the moment it is 15, but I am not sure if the list will grow (or even shrink). So settle in for a series of posts and get your trip calendars out to start planning!

1. Watching the sunset over the ocean at Karumba- For the east coasters, seeing the sun set over the ocean was something. The Sunset Tavern was perfect for it. The flatness of the water was amazing. We have sort of got used to seeing the sun setting over the ocean now, but then it was sort of a novelty. The weekender from Cubbaroo was definitely worth it!

All ready to set out for our horse ride. The name of Josh's
horse still sits firmly in my mind, Oakey. 

2. Cubbaroo- Alright, so I have mentioned this a lot but I utterly loved Cubbaroo!! Trust me if I am talking about experiences, this cannot be forgotten. I am not going to rehash all of what I have previously said, so just read this post.

3. Naracoorte horse riding- Even though we broke down at Naracoorte, we still managed to do a lot!! On the last day  we went for a horse ride. This ride was great, through forest and scrub, and we all enjoyed the experience. It was definitely better then the Dubbo ride, which was just over bare paddocks. The lady running it was just about to go on holidays, but she took us on the trail ride in the middle of her packing.

Having fun rock climbing at the Rock!

4. Rock climbing at Darwin- We greatly enjoyed the rock climbing at Darwin. Again the lady running it opened it specifically for us, and we had some climbing fun!! Chloe and Tahlia even did it, and she made it pretty far up. I also learnt to belay there, as the last time I had been too young. Joel and Josh challenged each other, and Josh enjoyed the hardest climbs. It was pretty hot, and just as we arrived it started bucketing down.

5. Fed the Dolphins at Monkey Mia- We had heard all about the dolphins, and we were slightly worried that it wasn't allowed any more. We had heard that it wasn't allowed any more, but when we arrived it was still happening. Sadly, the first day we arrived the dolphin feeds had finished (only three feeds a day before 12 o'clock), but we came back for a second day (both days were nice and rainy) and saw the feeding. It was quite crowded, and none of us received the option of feeding them. After finishing the feed, we went out and started to cook our porridge which we had brought with us to cook on the butane stove. When we heard the loudspeaker, we all hurried over (both girls were still in their pyjamas, due to the fact of me forgetting their clothes) for a second feed. Luckily, Tahlia received the option of feeding them which she greatly enjoyed!

Backtracking to the Pinnacles

So I must admit, I completely and utterly forgot about a very important event that happened between Jurien Bay and the Moore River rest area. It just flew out of my mind, and only just landed. Thus, this post we are going to have to backtrack to Nambung National Park, an odd 40km south of Jurien Bay.

It was a rainy day, getting a bit cold, when we visited and luckily the fee was waved. If my memory serves me right (and I'm pretty sure it does) it was because of Western Australia Day. Lucky!!

Anyway, I had no idea (please don't laugh too hard) what the pinnacles actually were, so when the girls started asking about the Pinnacles I told them they were just huge mounds of sand like termite nests. Bad choice of words, because then the little girls started complaining about having to go see giant termite nests, which they had seen plenty of!!

Anyway, we'll skip my ignorance, and move on to the actual Pinnacles (not the humongous piles of sand I had just described) which are spire-like fingers of limestone. With the grey sky providing a good contrast, the sandy colour of the limestone seemed to appear deeper, and looked especially good in photos.

As rain was hanging around the area, we opted to just go for the drive, although the walk looked fun. Leaving our caravan in the car park (at the recommendation of the person at the gate, and good advice too!!) we set off on the loop winding it's way through the pinnacles. The track was narrow, and we could only just get out Transit through, so were glad that we had left our caravan behind.

The Pinnacles were like anything we had ever seen before, especially because they were fingers of limestone (not sand and dirt). We stopped several times to get out and admire, and took some photos. We stopped off at the lookout and marveled at the desert sand hitting the ocean sand. It was really something.

Then we had family photos.................

As we were actually driving in to the lookout, we saw Chloe and Tahlia's friends from Jurien Bay. We actually saw them later on in Perth too!! What a small world sometimes.......

We finished off our trip to the Pinnacles by having a look at the Desert Discovery Centre, where we gained a better understanding of all the flora and fauna in the surrounding area.

Alright so I'm pretty sure I haven't left anything out, so next time I will probably move on to Rockingham without having forgot anything.

See ya next time!

Up the Swan River

So today we are going to explore the Swan River. It's prettier than you think!!

On Saturday, the last day we were staying in Perth (we were moving down to Rockingham next) we went on a cruise down the Swan River from Fremantle. We had the cruises recommended to us, and when we looked at the website it was offering it or only $5/p one way. Talk about a bargain!!

We decided as a fun way to travel, we would catch the train in. The train would take us all the way to Perth, and then we would change for a train for Fremantle. On a map, the ferry didn't look too far away. So on Saturday, we set off.

We had our lunch in an esky, but it's handle was broken and we had to carry it. It definitely wasn't the lightest thing to lug around.

But we got on the train, after some fuss with the tickets (us older kids were slightly embarrassed) and had our schedules sorted out. The girls were absolutely entranced by the train as this was the first time they had been on it (in their memory anyway). Watching the scenery just glide by without hearing the noisy engine of the Transit got Tahlia a bit uneasy at first, but she soon settled down and enjoyed the ride.

Jumping off at Perth Underground we had to do a toilet stop and when we found the toilet it was 50c to go!! With no other option we coughed up 50c per person and then went off to Fremantle.

Arriving at Fremantle station, we consulted the street directory someone had so kindly lent us and headed off. Dad, just to check, asked a couple of people where the East street Wharf was. After being pointed in a different direction to the street directory 3 times, we decided they must be right and headed off in the opposite direction to where we started.

Arriving at Victoria Wharf we quickly realised this was where the Captain Cook Cruises stopped off, not the Golden Sun ones. Considering we were booked on the Golden Sun cruises it wasn't very helpful. After consulting the map and the person at the Golden Sun booking office, we decided that the way we headed originally was in fact the right way and did a u-turn and set off again.

We were hurrying as we thought that the cruise was leaving at 11'o’clock and it was 5 minutes to. Setting off, Dad and Chloe pulled ahead in the first group, then Josh and I and bringing up the rear was Mum, Joel, and Tahlia. I was holding the map, and was in charge of directions which was a bit hard as I had one group 200m ahead and one 200m behind) and my directions were obviously pretty good as we got there just in time for the boat to pull in. Hurdles completed!!

The cruise was actually really good. We oohed and ahhed at the humongous (like actually humongous times 2) houses, and basically just the amount of people (we hadn't seen a city above 100,000 since Darwin).

At the end of the cruise we hopped off and wait for it........... we shopped!!

Thus ends our stay in Perth!!

See ya next time!!

The Great Escape- Heights, Bouncing, and falling...........

So today I am going to write about some of the awesome fun at the fun park in Perth!!!

 While visiting Hillary's Boat Harbour, we saw an adventure park that was offering 21.90 for an all day pass. As they had water-slides, a high ropes course, rock wall, big trampolines and plenty of other things we had spotted. After Dad had inquired about it, the plans were made to go tomorrow and have some fun!!

When we arrived the next day, we were a bit disapointed to find out that the water-slides were only open on the weekend. Nevertheless, we still paid to go in, and the girls went straight for the kangaroo ride. After the bouncy kangaroo ride, which I did want to get on, but Mum told me I was too old, they then went for the swing ride. I was a little disappointed to be finally out of little kids rides.

Meanwhile, us big kids were having some fun on the trampolines. These were literally some of the best trampolines ever, and Joel and I raced each other up and down (there was 4 in a row, and two rows). When you got onto solid ground you kept on getting that bouncy feeling. After having some fun on the trampolines, we moved on to the scary putt.

Scary Putt was actually not that scary, as construction work was still going on.

Let's just get it out there now. I am absolutely horrible at mini putt. Absolutely and completely. I think it took me 60+ putts to complete 14 holes. Absolutely hopeless.

But, the boys were both reasonable players and they enjoyed the competition between them. In-between the putts, I was busy staring up at the high ropes course. We were planning to go on them, at 10:30 we were up. Clipping on, up we went and it was fun!! Just don't look down!! Some of the challenges were easier than others, and we had to walk the tightrope twice (luckily there was ropes to give some more balance). There was also a set of swinging logs, which I found the hardest. It was a case of hang on and jump from one to the next. The flying fox was the second hardest challenge, just leaping out into empty space.

After we finished the high ropes course, we decided to stay for the next session. Thus we had some more bouncing and putting to do! We also all attempted the Jungle Mountain, with Joel the only one to make it to the top. Trust me, it's much harder than it looks. And make sure you're not underneath anyone when you climb!!

We completed the high ropes for a second time (wishing we could keep on doing it) and had a climb up the rock wall. Then it was (sadly) time to head home. Altogether it was a great day!!

See you next time!!

Moore River to Perth

Just as well I covered my back in the last post for alliterations. I really can't think of any for Perth and Moore River.

Anyway,

The lovely Moore River

After staying two nights at Jurien Bay, we headed down to Guilderton. The caravan park there had been recommended to us, though we were told they weren't sure about the price. We packed up completely, and then found out it would have been $90/n for us all to stay there!! So instead we headed down to the Moore River rest area, which was just out of Guilderton.

 At a total cost of $0/n it was definitely the cheaper option!! 

Overlooking Perth from Kings Park

There was a lovely river just out the back, and a walking track that went a kilometre up the river. Apparently the view over the land was like stepping back 100 years in time. I was too busy cleaning up from our humongous dinner to go. The days are getting shorter and shorter!!

After spending a night at Moore River, we headed down to Perth. We were actually staying with friends of a friend, on a 5-acre property just out of Perth. Now I must admit, the first thing we did in Perth was do the washing and go shopping. Two very boring things to kick-start the stay.

Family Photos again.

The next day we visited Kings Park, on recommendation of quite a few people. Kings Park is a 400 hectare park, overlooking the Swan river. We visited one of the three pl

aygrounds scattered throughout, and the girls had a ball. Even the big kids had a bit of fun!! We also climbed the DNA Tower, and counted the steps. Chloe got 93 on the way up, and 101 on the way down. I got 101 both ways. 

We had lunch overlooking the Swan River, and got some photos of Perth. We also went on the treetop walk, and had a family photo again. Then we went to the shops. Every day we were in Perth, we went to the shops in between all the fun other adventures we were having. The kids all dragged their feet and perfected the art of looking bored while we toured them.

But there was a few fun things during the shopping trips, like these two stories:

The 'gold' man

In the city centre, there was a few buskers and also a 'gold' man. Wearing clothes and a mask that was all gold, he sat in a chair as passers-by gawked at him. He stayed completely still, and when Chloe dropped some money in the container, he slowly reached a hand out. Chloe got scared, and ran off. It took a bit of persuading to get her to go up to the man to shake his hand. Eventually she got up, and she slowly just touched the centre of his palm. Then she took to her heels and buried her face in mum's shirt. Everyone laughed and that made it worse. But, she still did go back and pose for a photo shaking his hand. Obviously she gained a little more courage.

And the silver lady

Later on in the shops, Tahlia, not brave enough to shake the gold man's hand, wanted a photo with one of the silver ladies in the shop (the maniquin was painted silver). She convinced Dad to take a photo with her shaking her hand, but then she got embarrassed and would only stand next to it. That was one thing to laugh about for the rest of the day while we shopped.

Skydiving, Sandplay, and Sunday Footy at Jurien Bay.

And the cutest little girl where the skirt I made her, on my
chair, about to fall asleep.

Alright, so to kick-start this blog post, I will tell you of a little conversation Chloe and I had a while ago. It has since been circulated through the whole family, with the end result being the listener cracking up and Chloe hiding her head and being embarrassed.

So, the conversation......

I was sitting on the bed and questioning Chloe on where all her body parts were. She exclaims “I know where my heart is, where my brain is, and where my soul is”. I of course say “Where is your soul Chloe?”.

She goes “On the bottom of your foot of course!”

That really cracked me up, and then I had to explain to Chloe why I was laughing. The way she said “brain, heart and soul”, did not get me thinking of the bottom of my foot sole!!

So I have had a long absence from the blog (hence the funny conversation to start it all off, just to make sure you were keeping track on some of the stuff that had been going on) and now will chronicle our adventures from Geraldton down to Rockingham (where I am writing this).

Pretty nice sunset hey?

So we will start off at Jurien Bay where we had to wait round for 3 days before we could move down to Perth. We were hoping to stay at Sandy Cape camping area, but we arrived smack bang in the middle of a long weekend and it was full. Thus, we had to stay at the overflow camping, which turned out to be the cheapest option.

As we pulled up, we were amazed to watch as skydivers swooshed in above us, landing at the oval which we were camping next to. Joel and I then recalled that over the long weekend they were going to try to break the world record for formation skydiving. It looked like we were in for a weekend of skydivers!!

Nice pink clouds, and the community centre
where the showers and toilets were.

The overflow camping was actually pretty reasonable at $31/n for toilets and showers. It was definitely the cheapest option for the facilities. We pulled up there on the Saturday, so the next day was Sunday.

In regard to the skydivers, we actually did see a formation jump on Saturday, which we all saw. It was pretty cool to watch the skydivers jump out of the plane, like the plane was scattering big pieces of paper. They then formed up into a five-point star (well, I'm pretty sure about that shape) and free fell before breaking up. They then came swooshing in over the caravan to land on the oval. They come in mighty fast!!

In the night they also skydived. With the big floodlight on the oval, they came swooping in (only 4 insane enough to go) at an amazing rate. It was fun to watch them come down, as you could only tell where they were by the blinking lights they held.

Swinging in to land on the oval

We also got front row seats to the footy (technically AFL), and altogether watched 2 and 3-quarter games. We had to leave in the last quarter of the last game to go to church, which was at 4pm. Of course, it wasn't on and we missed church for that Sunday.

Trust me, it's happened quite a few times!!

But the little girls had made some friends still, and they were having fun in the long jump pit playing in the sand. They also had a kick around with the footy, before the big kids came over and then an all-out match developed.

The sides were Joel versus everyone else (Namely Chloe, her two friends, and I). The score started pretty even, but soon Joel started to pull ahead slowly and surely.

Did I mention, I can't kick a ball to save my life? No, probably not. At least one of Chloe's friends was an AFL player and could kick pretty well. I can't handball either, just throw it. I don't know how much use I was apart from yelling some encouragement................

After managing to get some sleep finally, I woke up at exactly 5:05 am, to find the music from up at the community centre still playing. It had played all night!!

Landing Time

Anyway, we packed up that day and headed down the coast toward Perth.

P.S Don't you just looove my alliterations?? Come back tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day, for more. Just covering myself in case I'm busy!!