OZ Family Adventure

The road home.. through the outback!

General Travel Blog

Hi guys,

Our Oz family adventure was slowly coming to an end as we started to make our way back to Geelong.

After leaving Coober Pedy and making our way down to Port Augusta we made an over night stop at Lake Hart to break up the 550km or so journey.  The country side is fairly flat in this part of Australia with not much to see but the occasional shimmering salt water lake. On this occasion there was no shimmering of water, but the dried up salt water plains of Lake Hart. The Lake is so white and as we walked out onto it we could hardly see in front of us with the sun beaming down on the glistening salt.

The boys at 'salty' Lake Hart

From Port Augusta we decided to explore the outback of New South Wales. We wanted to cut through this way to the Queensland Coast before making our way back down to Geelong. Our first stop was Broken Hill but we only really just stopped here for dinner and had a quick look around the town.

The roads on this part of our trip were shocking and probably the worst sealed roads we have encountered on our trip around Australia. It is like the tar has been laid straight over a dirt road and whatever else was lying around. We had to take it pretty easy but our van seemed to handle it quite well with not one sway at all. Go figure that after all the trouble we had with the van on the perfectly sealed highway out of Alice springs.

On the road through Outback NSW

We drove almost 500km a day through Outback New South Wales and didn’t really stop a lot to sight see. I think we were all coming to terms with the fact that our trip was really coming to an end and we were now on a mission to get back to reality. I think we were ready to finish up and you kind of know this when you can’t be bothered visiting another National Park, Waterfall, River, Historical Site, Tourist Info or anything else for that matter.. quite sad I know, but I think we were all over it now.

After driving a few more days we were literally in ‘the back o bourke’ after passing through the town of Bourke and on to Brewarrina where we spent the night. A not so successful pull over this time when the Caravan park we had planned on staying at was now closed down. The whole place was a ghost town with bars on all the windows and shops, aboriginals passed out in the parks and nothing opened in sight. There was a rest area in town but we really didn’t feel comfortable here. We didn’t want to keep driving in the dark so we drove back where we had come from, about 20 km or so where there were other caravans pulled over for the night.

The boys out 'back o bourke'

The next morning we were out of there. We drove onto Walgett where we made a stop into the last tourist information centre for the trip, Yay! We thought we had better check out the area, as we had heard there were hot springs and baths here that, well sounded quite relaxing at the time. Little did we know they would be in a public pool the size of a bath, well not quite, but small enough! We decided to give it a miss as apparently there were more Hot Springs in Moree, so we kept on our journey.

We arrived in Moree for lunch and then went on the hunt to find these famous artesian hot springs. We found them alright, ahh in another public pool. I think we had been spoilt by all the natural hot springs in the rivers and rainforest on our holiday that we had pictured something like that. Oh well, the kids were pretty excited to have a swim, so off we went. It felt like we were somewhere in Europe with all the old men and women sitting around mingling in a foreign language, soaking up the so called healing powers of the water. It was quite amusing to watch as they got mad with each other for getting splashed and looked more hot and bothered to us, than relaxed! The boys enjoyed themselves anyway and after their swim we got back on the road to make our way to Goondiwindi.

The Moree Hot Artesian Springs

If you are ever in Goondiwindi and need a free shower then look no further than the Goondiwindi Water Park, lol. They have brand new toilet and shower facilities for the water skiers, but open to the public. A hot shower was just what we needed, followed by a feed of Red Rooster and then on the road again.

We had now crossed the Queensland border, and had officially been in three states in the last four days. We spent one more night on the side of the road before making our way to Toowoomba for breakfast. We did our last 300km to the Sunshine Coast where we based ourselves at the Yandina caravan park to catch up with friends. Quite a nice Caravan Park to stay at, right along the Maroochy River.

Boys on the Maroochy River, Yandina Caravan Park

It was great to see the N.S.W outback but we kind of regret the decision of not heading straight to Geelong, as we had now missed the opportunity to be back for the AFL Grand Final and watch our home team play. We really aren’t the biggest football fans in the world, but to not be in Geelong on the grand final with all our friends and family was a bit sad.

We made up for it by catching up with friends in Brisbane and watching the game with them. We did have fun but it wasn’t the same as being back home when we won. Oh well there is always next years premiership! Go Catters!

We caught up with Luke and Claire while we were in Brisbane, our friends we had made in Western Australia. They were now also travelling down the East Coast for the last half of their Aussie trip. It was great to see them again and we caught up on all our adventures we had been having since we saw them last.

Catching up with our mates, Luke and Claire in Brisbane

Our trip back to Geelong was a quick one with just an over night stop in Dubbo. We were hanging to see everyone so we went flat stick all the way home. It was awesome seeing everyone again, but we all had mixed emotions knowing that our trip was over, but happy to be with our loved ones again.

What an amazing time we had experienced together as a family over the last year and a half or so. An incredible adventure seeing this beautiful country of ours and memories we will keep forever. This Oz family adventure of ours won’t officially be over for a while yet as we still haven’t finished exploring everything we want to see in Australia, but for now it will be nice to settle in one place for a while.

Thank you to all our blog followers who have been on our journey with us the whole way. It has been a privilege to share our amazing experiences with you all and I hope that we have inspired you to see this gorgeous country for yourselve!   As soon as we get bored of reality, I’m sure we will be on the road again for even more adventures around Oz.. so stay tuned for more blogs in the future.

Adam, Kristy, Elijah, Isaac and Josiah xxx

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Coober Pedy

General Travel Blog

Hi there again from the Jervis family,

Sorry we have been a bit slack on the blogging. Our last updated blog was Ayers Rock so yes we are a bit behind!

After leaving Ayers Rock and our friends the Horton’s, we drove south 90 kms or so from the Erldunda roadhouse till we hit the South Australian/Northern Territory border.. From here we were headed to Coober Pedy, another 700km or so down the highway.

The South Australian Outback is the most barren part of Australia. Coober Pedy is located half way between Alice Springs and Adelaide and there is not much in between. We broke up our drive with an overnight stop on the side of the road and then continued on with the last 400 km the next day.

The barren land along the Stuart Hwy to Coober Pedy

The drive to Coober Pedy ended up being an absolute nightmare! Our crazy dog Chloe was petrified of the noise the cattle grids were making as we drove over them along the Stuart Highway. Chloe has always been an anxious dog and is a mess when she hears thunderstorms, fireworks, guns etc.. but Cattle Grids?? She was jumping on top of our fridge in the back of the car and trying to jump over the back seats on top of the kids heads, it was crazy. We tried putting her in the back seat with the kids and then on the floor below my feet but she wouldn’t settle down. We ended up having to tie her up in the back to keep her secure but it made our drive a very very long one!

Elijah trying to calm down our crazy Chloe from the Cattle Grids

As we drove closer to Coober Pedy we started to see thousands of pyramid shaped mounds on the side of the road. These mounds are the waste excavated from the opal mines and they dot the landscape, along with the dust clouds where you can see active digging of opals.

Coober Pedy is very unique and a strange place to visit. The name Coober Pedy comes from the aboriginal word “kupa piti” meaning “white man in a hole”. This town is the opal capital of the world, but perhaps more remarkable is the some 3500 people that live underground.. The communities were built by miners sheltering from harsh daytime temperatures, and also has an underground church, museums, shops, an art gallery and a hotel.

The boys in one of Coober Pedy's underground churches

We took a self guided tour through a mine called the Old Timers mine. This mine was from 1916 and the original miners had filled in the shafts and hidden it, apparently to come back later to get the rest of the opal.. but they never returned. The hidden shafts and the opal still waiting in the walls were accidentally discovered during the excavations for a home extension and you can still see the opal in the walls today. The tour also included the demonstrations of the old opal mining machinery and the boys got to throw rocks into a huge mine blower which pulls the rocks up with a powerful big suction and spits them out as dust, good fun!

The boys getting ready to go underground at the Old Timers mine

The underground homes of Coober Pedy are really quite amazing. The early homes were started as holes that were dug out in search of opal. A great example of an early dugout that has been expanded into an underground residence is Faye’s underground home. The home was built over ten years by hand, using only picks and shovels, by Faye and two of her lady friends.The home has three bedrooms with walk in robes, living room, bar, wine cellar, billiard room and swimming pool. This home is the only private, lived in residence you can see in Coober Pedy today.

One of the bedrooms in Fayes Underground home

There is a public area in town where you can still dig for Opals and the boys were very keen to have a go at what they call ‘noodling’ which just means fossiking for Opals. Unfortunately we didn’t have any luck finding any opals this time but it was fun looking!

Josiah digging for Opal in the public noodling area

Coober Pedy is like a step back in time and even though there is a population of almost 4000 people it does seem like a ghost town. Some of the major tourist attractions are now closed down and I think some of the local business’s are struggling. We drove up to the towns lookout and were persuaded by an old Asian man to come in to his home to buy an Opal or,  anything really..

Looking over Coober Pedy from the towns lookout

We then decided to take a drive about 10 kms out of town to visit another underground home but this one was home to Coober Pedy’s infamous Crocodile Harry who lived in one of the most bizarre dugouts. The cave is adorned with his own artwork and the walls of the dugout are covered with the names of photos of girls who he claims to have seduced. The Cave is also famous for featuring in the movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and before the crew left, they created a sculpture out of metallic trash which they called ‘The Orchestra’ and it rattles in the breeze on top of the cave.

Outside of Crocodile Harry's Cave

We ended our day in Coober Pedy by visiting the Kangaroo Orphanage located at Josephine’s Gallery. While waiting for the kangaroo feeding we wandered through the Aboriginal Art Gallery where there were some amazing paintings. We watched one of the local artist’s at work and he also took a break to give the boys a quick didgeridoo lesson. The feeding of the Orphan kangaroos was really worth seeing, they were so cute. The owner gave a heart wrenching talk on the harsh life of the kangaroos in the South Australian outback and his stories of saving these beautiful animals.

The Kangaroo Orphanage at Josephine's gallery

Our busy day in Coober Pedy had come to an end but what an interesting time we had experiencing this very unusual underground city. Totally in the middle of nowhere but well worth the visit if you ever get a chance.

The Jervis Family.

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Ayers Rock and The Olgas

General Travel Blog

Hello, Kristy here again.

Wow, what can I say Ayers Rock was breathtaking. From the first moment we saw the rock from a distance, it was spectacular. It looks like some kind of alien form has landed on earth, it is quite surreal.

Our first sighting of the Rock

The kids were so excited to see Ayers Rock, especially Josiah who had been talking about the giant rock from the beginning of our holiday.

We stayed at Voyages, the only caravan park near Uluru in Yalara. It is like a mini town here and apart from the caravan park there is also the option to stay at one of the 5 hotels. None of this luxury for us this time as we roughed it once again.

It was really hot so after we set up camp we all went for a quick dip in the swimming pool.  After enjoying our cool down we then got organised to drive into Uluru for sunset.  We hadn’t seen the rock up close yet so everyone was excited to get a better look at this mysterious Aussie icon.

View of Uluru from Voyages Resort, Yulara.

As we had imagined Ayers Rock at sunset was quite magical. All the pictures that you see of it do not justify the sheer magnitude of this rock. It actually looks like someone has hung a giant painted canvas of Ayers Rock right across the sky. The orange sun reflecting on Uluru was really pretty and the rock kept changing colours as the sun went down. There were many other tourists making the most of the sunset over Uluru with us and enjoying the evening with drinks and nibbles.

The family at Ulura for sunset

The next day we made our way out to the Olgas or also known as Kata Tjuta which actually means many heads in the aboriginal language. They are only 30 kms from Ayers rock and are also quite spectacular in their own way. The Olgas are made up of many rounded domes with the highest actually being 200 metres higher than Uluru.

One of the huge red domes of the Olga's

We went to the Olgas with the Horton’s but they decided to do the 7km Valley of the Winds hike. Josiah definitely wouldn’t have made that, so we just walked out to the lookout and enjoyed the view. We stopped at another lookout on our way back to camp and viewed the Olgas from a different side where they looked totally different in colour.

The Olgas (Kata Tjuta) lookout

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and chilling out by the pool. A much needed rest as we had been go go go since Alice Springs. The  Caravan park was filled with school camps and they were really noisy which was a bit dissapointing as it did take away from the ambience of the place.

After another early night we got up at 5:30am in the morning to see the sunrise over Uluru. It was absolutely freezing but great to see the rock again in a different light. If you expect to have the sunrise to yourself, think again! The viewing platforms were jam packed with bus loads of tourists trying to get a piece of the action. It was even difficult to try and get a photo without someone’s head in the way. Apart from being so busy it was still another great time to watch the rock as it rapidly changed colour with the rising sun.

Uluru at sunrise

The morning was topped off with a bacon and eggs breakfast overlooking Uluru with the Horton’s and then just in time to catch the 10am ranger talk at the base of the rock. The ranger walk was very good with lots of information on its aboriginal significance and spiritual meaning. The boys really wanted to climb the rock but unforunately for them it was closed due to high winds so no rock climbing this time. We tried our luck again in the afternoon and again in the morning but the climb was still closed so we would have to wait until our next visit to Uluru.

Josiah taking a rest from the ranger walk at Uluru

On our last day here it was Adams Birthday. We celebrated with lunch down at the Outback Pioneer hotel and then the kids enjoyed yet another swim in another pool while us adults sat around relaxing and chatting. As the sun went down we got together for drinks and nibbles with the Hortons at the Uluru lookout, just a short walk from the caravan. Yet another gorgeous sunset to watch with the backdrop of Uluru. This was our last view of the rock as we finished up our stay here and headed off in the morning. What a great experience for us all, to finally see the famous Ayers Rock.

Celebrating Adams Birthday with Grant and Kathryn overlooking Uluru

In the morning we had to say goodbye to the Horton family who were now heading in the opposite direction to us. Who would have knew we would have made such great friends on our Oz adventure. It had been around 6 months ago that we first met and since then had enjoyed some great experiences together travelling this wonderful country. After a few hugs and tears we said our goodbyes and planned to meet up again at the end of the year when they headed down the East Coast.

The Jervis Family x

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Kings Canyon

General Travel Blog

Hey guys,

Kings Canyon was amazing. We had a few hiccups getting here but it was well worth it. Our van kept swaying all over the road and it wasn’t until we let our tyre pressure down a little on our caravan that it made a huge difference. We think it had something to do with the fact that we just put brand new tyres on our car and it may have thrown the balance off.

After leaving Alice Springs we drove about 100 kms to an overnight stop. Not the nicest place to spend the night, right next to a highway but we wanted to get a few more kilometres under our belt. We also didn’t want to drive too far in the dark, especially after having so much trouble with our van over the past few days, so 100 km was far enough.

On our way into Kings Canyon we saw a camper trailer flipped over on the side of the road so we stopped to help them. It was a young family with 3 small children and they were quite distressed. The police officer that had been called to the scene had not offered them any help but had just checked there were no fatalities and kept driving, Unbelievable! The boys helped to flip the camper back over while Kath and the kids and I were on traffic patrol. It was lucky no one was hurt but a shame they had to end their holiday early.

After about two hours we were back on the road again and we arrived at the Kings Canyon Resort not long after. The resort was really nice and only 7km from the actual canyon.At the resort there was a big swimming pool, bar, restaurants and cafes, everything you need for a great holiday this far away from any towns.

Kings Canyon from The Caravan Park

After another early night we woke up in the morning and got organised for a 6 km walk around the rim of Kings Canyon. Adam stayed back at camp with Josiah who would have complained all the way and made it unbearable for us all. He decided he would go for the walk on his own in the afternoon.

The 6 km loop walk seemed like it might be a bit challenging with the signs saying it would take 3-4 hours. A steep climb at the beginning of the walk, which locals call “Heart Attack Hill”, due to its steepness, takes you up to the top and has spectacular views of the gorge. I felt so unfit as my boys and the Horton family sped ahead while my heart palpitated and I didn’t think I could go any further! I finally made it and once at the top the walk is quite easy, just very rocky.

View from the top of our first steep climb

About half way during the walk there is a place to rest called The Garden of Eden, a permanent waterhole surrounded by lush plant life. We stopped here for a rest, had some snacks and did some bird spotting.

The canyon is amazing with red cliffs that drop 300 metres below, quite spectacular to see. On the last half of the walk we walked past sandstone domes which look similar to the Bungle Bungles, this part of the hike was called the Lost City. The last few kms did feel like they were never going to end but we all felt good that we had finished the walk and all in under 2 and a half hours.

Kristy, Elijah and Isaac on the Kings Canyon Hike

When we got back to camp we were all pretty exhausted so we spent the afternoon lazing by the pool. Adam took off on his own for the Canyon walk, surprisingly we didn’t turn him off as we were all so tired. He came back all energised about an hour and a half later, luckily for him he had no kids to drag along and was able to do it a lot quicker.

Kings Canyon is really beautiful but we were excited to get going again in the morning to our next stop…Ayers Rock.

The Jervis Family xx

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MacDonnell Ranges

General Travel Blog

Hi again, Its Kristy here.

The MacDonnell ranges were quite unique. They stretch out for 100′s of kilometres past Alice Springs. There are many beautiful gorges and chasms throughout the ranges, all so different and picturesque. The mountain range also contains many areas of aboriginal significance and you can visit the Ochre Pits where Aboriginal people once used as a quarry for ochre.

Overlooking the MacDonnell Ranges

We drove straight from Alice springs out to Glen Helen Gorge Resort where we stayed for two nights with the Horton family whilst exploring the ranges. Glen Helen Gorge is a great place to view the ranges and the resort is situated right at the base of the gorge along the Finke River with spectacular views. The Glen Helen Homestead has a real outback feel and the kids loved the boardgames and lego provided by the resort. The resort has a great cafe and at the back of the homestead is the perfect spot to enjoy a drink while taking in the gorge views.

Glen Helen Gorge

The days here are quite warm and the nights very chilly. We warmed up on our first night with a camp fire and toasted marshmallow but there wasn’t a lot of firewood around so our campfire didn’t last very long at. The boys spent their days playing cricket and making new friends. Adam ending up getting some work at the resort as they were having problems with their internet. It took most of the day to fix so we didn’t get to do a lot of exploring of the ranges from the resort in the end, but it was nice just to relax and the extra money was nice too.

Elijah enjoying a game of cricket at Glen Helen Resort

The walks from the resort are well worth it and it is only less than 10 minutes walk to the Glen Helen Gorge Water Hole, which has water in it all year round and is safe for swimming. We didn’t swim in the waterhole but we did take a dip in the resort swimming pool. We lasted all of a few minutes in the pool as it was absolutely freezing cold!

The Horton’s had been to Ormiston Gorge while Adam was working, so we took off a bit earlier in the morning to see this gorge. We organised to catch up with them a bit later on in the morning at Ellery Creek Water Hole. The full circuit walk at Ormiston Gorge was quite long, about 7km so we decided to just do the Ghost Gum Lookout walk which was only about 40 minute return. The view from the lookout was amazing with the rugged red gorge and the bluish green water hole below.

Ghost Gum Lookout, Ormiston Gorge

After leaving Ormiston Gorge we were on our way to catch up with our friends further up the road. We didn’t get very far when we felt another tyre blow out on the van. But this time it wasn’t so simple because when we pulled over the van was on a lean and we couldn’t access the tyre properly with the jack. Our first jack broke with the weight of the van and our second jack wasn’t doing the job either so we were stuck. We managed to get the van unhooked from the car and I drove about 15km to try and find the Horton’ s to get help. A lovely old man offered us his heavy duty jack and Grant went back to Adam while I waited with Kath and the kids.

Kath and I walked into Ellery Creek Water Hole to kill some time with the kids and to let them have a swim. It was a really pretty spot with its high red cliffs and a sandy creek surrounded by Ghost Gums. No wonder its so popular with the locals on a hot day! The water was freezing so the kids just had a splash around and then the lovely Kathryn made us all some lunch while we waited for the boys to get back.

Josiah paddling around in Ellery Creek Water Hole

It wasn’t too much longer until the boys returned with our van and the tyre fixed. The heavy duty Jack we borrowed didn’t do the job either but a friendly  young German couple pulled over to help and they had the tools we needed in their motorhome to get us back on the road.

Drama’s Drama’s Drama’s! Is it time to go home now? We had all had enough of this bad luck and even though throughout our travels so far we had been quite lucky, it was all hitting us now. We didn’t get to see any more of the MacDonnell Ranges after our little incident but at least we had seen the main attractions and it was now time to get into town to fix those tyres.

On the road out of MacDonnell Ranges

We drove straight through to Alice Springs to get some new tyres and then finished of the day with a yummy meal at a Pizza/Pasta restaurant in Alice. We stayed the night just out of Alice Springs before making our way to Kings Canyon. Ahh, what a day..

Keep checking in, Kings Canyon and Ayers Rock posts coming soon,

The Jervis gang x

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Darwin to Alice Springs

General Travel Blog

Hello again,

Sorry it has taken so long for us to update the blog. We have been very, very busy seeing Australia and having a great time!

Our last blog was at Kakadu and after leaving here it was time to make our way south after spending almost 6 weeks in Darwin. After we got back from Kakadu we picked up our very missed Chloe dog and then stayed in Darwin a few more nights. We celebrated Fathers Day on our last day in Darwin with a picnic lunch, one last shop at the markets and then Pizza for dinner.

Fathers Day In Darwin

Our first stop from Darwin was Katherine and off to meet the Horton family again at Springvale Homestead. Everyone was happy to see each other after only 4 days of separation, we had all become quite attached!  The weather in Katherine was still extremely warm so we were all off for a swim and a waterslide as soon as we got there. We didn’t do a lot in Katherine apart from a bit of shopping. We had a look at Katherine Hot Springs but had heard it was a bit yucky to swim in.. what with everyone bathing in it, so we gave it a miss. We drove on to Mataranka and passed more bushfire’ s on our way. You see fires everywhere up this way and they never look like they are under control!

Another bushfire on the side of the road in the Northern Territory

When we got to Mataranka we stayed at a Caravan Park right next to another Hot Spring called Bitter Springs. Bitter Springs is part of Elsey National Park and is Mataranka’s newest thermal pool. After setting up camp the boys went down to the river to do some fishing but with no luck we decided to walk down to the hot springs instead.

Isaac and Archie doing some fishing in Mataranka

We only had to walk about 500 metres from the Caravan Park to get there. There is stairway entrance to the main pool where you can enter the springs to soak up the warm 32 degree spring water. The water is incredibly clear, so we used our snorkels and goggles to watch the fish swimming amongst the reed beds. The water current was extremely strong and we realised this after drifting down about 100 metres that it was going to be very difficult to swim back. Our relaxing soak ended up turning into an exhausting workout especially for Adam who had to drag Josiah up stream with him. We found out afterwards that the springs here actually branch off into a stream which you can follow down 100 metres to a bridge & ladder to climb out of and then walk back to the main pool again. Oh well next time..

Elijah and Josiah swimming in the warm waters of Bitter Springs, Mataranka

The next day we went the the local Barramundi Fish Feeding Show. It was at the Mataranka Territory Caravan Park just up the road from Bitter Springs.  This Caravan Park was a lot nicer than ours, not as close to the springs but it had a lovely pool and restaurant. They feed the fish here twice a day in a billabong at the Caravan Park. The Barramundi are lightning fast eaters, and inhale their food with a loud banging sound.  Elijah and Isaac got to feed these massive fish but Josiah was a bit scared of the loud noises they made. The talk was very informative and we learnt that Barramundi are born male but then turn into females on return to the ocean as adults. Interesting!

One huge Barra at the Barramundi Fish Farm in Mataranka

While staying at Bitter Springs Caravan Park we had a very skinny stray dog that kept hanging around. We fed him a few times and then we found out that a couple of backpackers had picked him up at a rest area on the N.T Border. He was all alone so they called him Scotty. Apparently he could hardly walk or eat when they found him so they took him with them. They were trying to find a home for him along their travels, what nice people! If we didn’t have Chloe we probably would of took him home with his us, he had the saddest eyes. Hopefully Scotty found a nice home in the end..

Poor homeless Scotty with those sad 'take me home' eyes

In the afternoon we went to visit the well frequented Mataranka Thermal pools. The pool is the biggest draw card to the region but does tend to be quite overcrowded. The pool is nestled amongst tall shady Mataranka Palms and the thermal pools pump out a ernormous amount of warm water which is known to sooth many a traveller over the years. It was a little too man made for us with all the concrete edging and the feel of a public pool but worst of all there was a horrible stench of bats which was quite overwhelming. The smell was so strong that it was enough for Adam to last no more than 5 minutes before feeling sick and rushing back to the car. The kids however didn’t seem to mind any of this and had a great time splashing around in the pools interrupting the oldies “quiet time”, as kids they seem to do. After many a warning to tone it down we kicked them out of the pool and were on our way. Lol.

Swimming in the Mataranka Hot Springs

From Mataranka we drove onto Daly Waters Caravan Park, home to the famous Daly Waters Pub. Daly Waters was built in 1930 as a store to service travellers, settlers and drovers. It was a welcomed stop as cattle were rested and the men quenched their thirst, today that traditions still stands although caravans and backpackers have replaced the drovers and cattle. Memorabilia hangs all over the roof and walls from Irish football jerseys to bras. Wherever you look there is something interesting to read.

The hanging bra's from many a visitor to the Daly Waters Pub

Our dog Chloe had her 12th Birthday at Daly Waters which in human years means she was turning 84! After we had dinner at the pub we made her a cake and sang Happy Birthday, so cute and spoilt! The kids had an early night so us adults went back to the pub to watch the very interesting entertainment. There was a one man band and we were his only audience and the occasional walk through. He was quite drunk, talking to himself, mumbling and punching out his own blues tunes that we couldn’t understand. He was recording himself and pretending he was playing to a room full of people. It was hilarious! We ended up in the bar watching the football, playing pool and spending all our money on the jukebox. It was a fun night! Before we left Daly Waters we hung a singlet on the pub wall with our names left behind.

Hanging out with Kath and Grant at the Daly Waters Pub

From Daly Waters to Alice Springs we had a pretty rough ride! The roads were absolutely shocking and we almost got thrown off the road when we hit a pot hole passing another caravan. It wasn’t long after that when we almost got thrown off the road again, but this time one of the tyres on our van had shredded and we almost lost control of the caravan. The poor Horton’s were travelling behind us and got the fright of their lives when they saw our van swinging from one side of the road to the other!

Adam with our shredded tyre on the way to Alice Springs

After fixing the tyre we were off again but it wasn’t before long that in our rear view mirrors we saw white aluminium flying down the road. Yes , it was part of our caravan! The whole front window shutter had detached and almost hit the Horton family driving behind us. The day so far was not going well but we were hoping the bad luck had ended, as they say it comes in 3′s.

Ads picking up the pieces of our caravan on the highway to Alice Springs

We stopped the night at a rest area at Devils marbles. This amazing place is home to huge granite boulders in the shape of massive marbles. The wide open skies and the sunset hitting the boulders is an unforgettable site to see. We went for a walk and climbed to the top of the Marbles to enjoy the view around us before hitting the road again in the morning.

Sunset at Devil's Marbles

We were on a mission to hit Alice Springs so we did another whole day of driving before stopping just out of Alice at the Tropic of Capricorn Rest Area. There isn’t a lot to do on the side of the road so the kids had a movie night while we had a game of cards with Grant and Kath which was good fun.

We made it to Alice Springs in the morning and it was here that we felt the cold for the first time in a long while and it wasn’t good. We didn’t spend a long time in Alice Springs, just caught up on some groceries, Adam caught up some work , went to Anzac Hill Lookout and we were out of there.

Overlooking Alice Springs from Anzac Hill Lookout

Our next stop , only 100 Km’s west from Alice Springs to the MacDonnell Ranges.

More updates soon,

The Jervis Family.

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Kakadu National Park

General Travel Blog

Hello again

Kakadu National Park was a great experience for us all. Initially when we started to talk to people about their thoughts on Kakaudu, a lot of them were saying not to bother and calling it Kaka-don’t.  However for us we were always going to go to Kakadu regardless of peoples opinions and to miss on it just wasn’t an option. Our expectations were not very high when we first set off, but this all changed when we started to see Kakadu for ourselves.

We thought Kakadu was amazing and so different to anything we had seen on our trip so far. There was a special feeling about the place and you could see why the aboriginals are so closely connected to this land. For the aboriginals living on this land, it would have been an ideal location with an abundance of rich resources to choose from.

When we arrived in Kakadu we stopped in at the visitor information and got all our maps and passes before making our way to Muirella campground in the Nourlangie region. We met up with our friends the Horton’s again who had saved us a camp spot next to them. The weather was extremely hot in Kakadu reaching 39 degrees most days we were there. It was exhausting, but we were determined not to let the heat stop us from seeing the sites. We were hoping to find some swimming spots in the area but with the population of crocodiles in Kakadu alone being over 10,000 we were a bit nervous.

One of the crocodile signs you see anywhere there is water in Kakadu

On our first full day in Kakadu we drove out to Twin Falls and Jim Jim falls. It was quite a drive to get there along corrugated 4WD tracks and it took us about 2 hrs to get there. We had to drive across a fairly deep river crossing where you are recommended to have a snorkel on your car but you could probably cross without one.

Twin Falls

To get to Twin falls we had to catch a boat to the walking track about 500 metres upstream. The water was pristine and so tempting to want to jump in for a swim. Unfortunately swimming was not allowed because apart from the risk of crocodiles Twin Falls is a protected and sacred aboriginal site.

Along our boat ride through the crystal clear waters we saw turtles, many kinds of fish and freshwater crocodiles. When we got off the boat, we walked a short rocky path to the falls and over a sway bridge with showers attached just in case you needed a cool off.

Our boat ride to Twin Falls through the gorge

When we finally saw Twin Falls it was quite stunning and we stopped to sit by the water for half an hour or so to take it all in. The sheer heights of the gorge walls around us were amazing and even though we couldn’t swim and the sun was beating down it was well worth the effort.

Our next stop for the day was Jim Jim Falls, not far from Twin Falls  back across the river and along another 4WD track. The walk to Jim Jim was quite difficult and rocky especially for little Josiah with big boulders to climb over. Again the walk was worth it in the end and we got to go for a swim in the waterhole, even though the water was absolutely freezing!. There wasn’t a lot of water coming from the falls as most of it had dried up from the wet season, but it was still really pretty.

Kids cooling off with a swim at Jim Jim Falls

We found it really hard to sleep at night in Kakadu as the nights are still very warm but we got up nice and early after a restless night and took a tour along the Yellow Water Wetlands. One of the rangers took us for a guided walk along the boardwalk and we watched some of the vast array of wildlife and birds that flock to these parts of Kakadu from all over the world. The wetlands here were exactly what we expected to see and what we pictured Kakadu to look like.

Some of the birdlife at Yellow Waters Wetlands

After Yellow Waters we stopped in to have a look at Cooinda just down the road which had a resort style caravan park and restaurant. We all fell in love with the pool instantly and decided to go and get our van from Muirella campground and stay at Cooinda for the night instead.

We ended spending the whole day lazing by the pool. In the evening we enjoyed a kid free dinner, after feeding them earlier and putting them all to bed. It was lovely to sit down and have a meal and the food was lovely. The only thing that spoilt it was knowing there was a fire just up the road that was out of control. We were pretty sure that we would be fine but its always in the back of your mind especially with the strong smell of smoke and ash in the air.

It would have been nice to stay at Cooinda a little longer but we were on a tight schedule as we had to pick up our dog Chloe who we had left in Darwin. In the morning we stopped in at Nourlangie Rock on our way to camp at Ubirr. We went on a 1.5 circular walk that took us past ancient aboriginal shelters and rock paintings. It was very interesting as we listened to another one of the ranger talks. Kakadu is great with informative talks running through the day at different locations and it helps you to better understand the aboriginal culture.

Some of the Nourlangie Rock Paintings

From Nourlangie we stopped in at Jabiru for lunch and then drove further north to Ubirr. After setting up camp we took a drive not far out to Cahill’s crossing which is where you cross over to get to Arnhem land. You can watch the crocodiles here swimming past from the above lookout. We even saw one cross the causeway just in front of a car driving across. You wouldn’t get us in the water but some crazy people do and we saw some guys paddling on the edge of the water  and fishing of the rocks.

Cahill's Crossing into Arnhem Land

After Cahills crossing we were just in time for the Manngarre rainforest walk. We were guided by another ranger through the forest who showed us different things the aboriginals used for medicine and food. The men had to separate from the ladies on part of the walk as they were not allowed to enter the sacred women’s site.  Nothing much was spoken while we in this sacred place but you could sense the importance of it as you walked through.

Boys walking through the Manngarre Rainforest

Our busy day wasn’t finished yet as we journeyed on to Ubirr to watch the sunset over Kakadu. We took a 1 km circuit walkup to the lookout. On the way we stopped to view some incredible rock art and listen to the ranger explain the paintings and the customs and culture of the aboriginals. The ranger was very informative and even kept the kids attention. We had to climb some steep rocks to get to the lookout and when we got to the top the view was amazing. There was a strong spiritual feeling about this place and everyone around us seemed to feel it to. The ranger spoke again while we watched the sun go down over Kakadu. What a way to end our time here, definately a place we will never forget.

A lovely sunset over Ubirr to end our time in Kakadu

You can check out the rest of our pictures of Kakadu, just click on the Photo Gallery…

The Jervis Family.

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The Darwin Experience

General Travel Blog

Hi there, it Kristy here again reporting on our family’s adventures around Oz.

Over the past four weeks we have spent our time in Darwin. We have had a great time here exploring the city and enjoying the warm weather, hanging out with our visiting family and generally just loving Darwin.

We didn’t have a very good experience on our first night in Darwin. We couldn’t get into any of the nicer Caravan Parks,  so we ended up paying $50 a night at a dodgy park called Koa. Everything was falling apart and we spent most of the night listening to drunks fighting out on the front street. Not so good. We did have a nice drive along the waterfront to check out Darwin in the evening and ended up having a lovely BBQ overlooking the sunset, so that was nice.

A lovely sunset view at Fannie bay while having our BBQ

We were glad to leave in the morning and we checked into Hidden Valley Caravan Park, not far up the road in a lovely tropical setting. We spent the next 2 weeks here. A high price to pay at $60 a night but we did have our own ensuite which is a bonus when the kids need a little wee in the middle of the night.

The weather up here has been really hot with temperatures above 34 degrees every day. Luckily we had a pool to cool of in, and as you can imagine we spent a lot of time there. With no air conditioning in the caravan, nights were hard to sleep but we seemed to manage O.K with our little fan.

We had left our friends the Horton’s in Katherine but met up with them again in Darwin for their son Jack’s 13^th B’day. They stayed at Hidden Valley as well and we were all glad to see each other once again. The kids had a great day for Jack’s birthday starting off with a movie and lunch and then swimming the rest of the afternoon at the Wave Pool. It’s a great, cheap day out at the Wave Pool, and they supply tubes and boards to ride the man made waves.. lots of fun! We finished off our day back at the Caravan Park with pizza and cake by the pool.

Fun times at the Wave Pool

Another great way we found to cool off in Darwin is at the free pool and waterslide complex. There is also a huge playground and skatepark there as well,  so it is a good way to keep the kids busy. We went there a few times over the past few weeks and the waterslides were definitely awesome  fun!

The Darwin Festival happened to be on while we were in town so there was so much to do in and around the city. We went to the opening concert in the botanical gardens and watched several aboriginal bands sing up a storm. The great thing about Darwin at this time of year is that you can always guarantee a balmy evening for any nightly occasion, its awesome.

Opening Concert at the Darwin Festival

We met up with other friends, Kylie and Jason again who we met on the west coast and some other friends of the Horton family, Claire and Matt. We all went out for dinner to the Ski Club where the meals ended up being quite average but the sunset views, live band and swimming pool kind of made up for it. It was a fun evening and awesome to be out with new friends enjoying some of the great spots Darwin has to offer.

Dinner at the Ski Club

Darwin is full of history with many reminders of its war torn past and the destructive Cyclone Tracy destroying a lot of the city. Today you can still see some of the damage caused by both of these disasters. We took an historical walk through the CBD where we got to go through the old oil storage tunnels. The tunnels were built during the war period in the event of a bombing, to ensure safe fuel supplies. The tour guide was very informative and we learnt of many war stories from the past. On our walk through the city we passed many historical buildings with visible damages of the past. Most of the buildings have been rebuilt after the 1974 cyclone and Darwin now has quite a modern look to it.

The ruins of the Darwin Town Hall destroyed by Cyclone Tracy.

Every Thursday and Sunday night in Darwin there are night markets along Mindil Beach. People come from all over to watch the gorgeous sunset over the beach and enjoy entertainment, shopping and international cuisine. We especially loved the Indian food and watching the fire throwing.

Kristy and Adam at Mindil Beach Market

While in Darwin my Mum, Sister and Nieces came to visit. We had 10 days to enjoy with each other and managed to cram a lot in during that time. We relaxed by the pool and went to the waterslides during the first few days so they could all cope with the heat.

While we were staying at Hidden Valley Adam stayed home with the kids one night while my mum and sister and her two girls went into the city. We wanted to take Elijah to see his favourite band Little Red who were playing as part of the Darwin festival. When we got there they couldn’t guarantee us seats all togethers so just Elijah and I ended up going while the other went into the city. It was a late start to the night but Elijah was determined to see them. We ended up having a great time just the two of us as we danced the night away grooving to Little Red.

Darwin Festival lighting up a park in the city

During my families stay it was Isaacs 10^th birthday and we went to the Sky Casino for an ‘all you can eat’ lunch. It was really yummy and great value! From the casino we spent another afternoon at the wave pool and then back to the caravan for a poolside BBQ with the family and friends we had met in Darwin. To top the day off Ads took the boys and their friends, along with my nieces Jasmine and Azalea to the Drag Races. They had a great time watching the drag carswhile us girls had some peaceful time chatting and relaxing by the pool. Isaac ended up having a great day for his birthday.

Evil Isaac celebrating his 10th Birthday

While my family was in Darwin we spent a few days at Litchfield National park. It was absolutely beautiful there and we swam in many waterfalls and rockpools. Buley Rockpools were our favourite and the kids did many a bomb off the rock ledges and into the sparkling clear water.

We camped at Wangi Falls, a short distance walk to the waterfall and swimming hole. The water was so refreshing for a swim as the temp outside soared high above 35 degrees. It was Adam and I anniversary while we were at Wangi Falls and we enjoyed a lovely early morning dip while no one was around and also ended the day at the falls with a romantic moonlit stroll.

The beautiful Wangi Falls

While in Litchfield we also drove out to the old Blyth Homestead accross several river crossings where there used to be a tin mine. The homestead was very interesting as we read about the lives of those who had lived and mined there in the past. We were surprised to read that a little boy who once lived there had a pet crocodile who followed him around everywhere.. now thats a dangerous pet!

Florence Falls and The Cascades were also really pretty and definite highlights for us at Litchfield National Park. We left the park and drove out to Douglass Daly Hot Springs again where we had visited on our way in to darwin. We wanted to show the family how unique and pretty the hot springs were. Who needs New Zealand when they are right on our doorstep. They girls really enjoyed their soak in one of natures hot baths so it was worth going the second time for us.

Swimming at Florence Falls

When we got back to Darwin we left our caravan out at the Coolalinga Caravan Park and stayed at an apartment in Darwin city with our visiting family. It was great being so close to the city.

We decided to take a drive out to the Jumping Crocodile Cruise on the Adelaide River to get up close and personal with a few of the locals. The crocodiles were amazing as they swivelled their way out of the water to grab the dangling meat from above. Some of the crocodiles were over 6 metres long, they were huge! We also got to cuddle up to a python while we were there, not quite my cup of tea but I followed the others and had the snake dangled around my neck. I would definitely rather one of those pythons up close to me than any of those creepy crocs anyday!

The Jumping Crocodiles on the Adelaide River

While my mum was in Darwin she babysat for us while my sister, Jasmine, Adam and I had a night out on the town. The night life in Darwin is amazing and the city really comes to life after dark.. We had lots of fun dancing and laughing and we all had great night out. We ended up catching a bike taxi home which was a barrel of laughs as our rider belted out his techno music from the speakers attached to his bike. Adam and Jasmine were too busy stuffing their faces with souvlaki’s that I don’t think that they even lifted their heads once on the way home Lol

Late night souvlaki stop for Adam and Jasmine after a night out in Darwin

The next day we walked into town for some lunch and shopping and in the evening we had dinner at the festival and listened to the nightly music gig. Adam took the boys home who couldn’t stay awake and we planned a short walk through the city before heading home. It didn’t quite end up that way as we were coxed into an 80′s party with free drinks on our way through town. It ended up being a really fun night dancing with my Mum, Sister and nieces like we were stuck in the 80′s, doing the Bus Stop and the Nut Bush Ha Ha.

Kristy with her Mum and Sis in Darwin

It was sad to say goodbye to my family the next day as we had really enjoyed our time in Darwin together. No-one wanted to go back to freezing Geelong again but we had our cry and said our farewell.

Darwin had almost come to an end for us as well as we planned our trip to Kakadu for the following day. We did have Darwin Part 2 after we got back from Kakadu but only for a few days when we celebrated Fathers day with pressies and breakfast in bed for Adam and a relaxing picnic lunch in the afternoon.

Our Fathers Day picnic lunch in Darwin

Happy fathers Day Ads!.

Don’t forget to click on our photo gallery for more updated pictures of our Darwin adventures

More updates coming soon,

Kristy xx

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Kununurra and Lake Argyle

General Travel Blog

Hello again from the Jervis gang.

Not far from Wyndham is the town of Kununurra. We stayed at the Hidden Valley Caravan Park,  in a lovely location with the beautiful Mirima National Park as a backdrop. On our first day in Kununurra we had a lot of washing to do so we caught up on all of that and then spent the next few days seeing the sights of the town and relaxing by the pool.

Hidden Valley Caravan Park, Kununurra

The caravan park hosted a movie night most evenings but the kids had seen them all, so we set up our own movie night under the stars. The kids watched Hancock and when they went to bed Kath, Grant, Ads and I watched Australia just to go with the theme of the past few weeks. It was great to watch Australia again just to see the landscape that we had just driven through.

Movie night at the Jervis caravan, Kununurra

While in Kununurra Josiah received a very special parcel in the mail that he wasn’t expecting. When we were staying at the miners cottage in Cape Leveque, Josiah left his very loved soft toy, Wags behind. He thought he was gone forever and didn’t know we had arranged for him to be sent to us. He was so excited but very emotional when he opened up the package and saw his special little friend.

Josiah reunited with his best friend, Wags

To get a good view of Kununurra you can drive up to Kelly’s Knob lookout. In the evening as it was approaching dusk we walked up a a rocky path to the lookout to watch the sunset. The lookout is 191 metres high so there were great views of the town and farmlands, and the nearby ranges and lake.

Kelly's Knob lookout at sunset

The next day we took a short drive out to Ivanhoe crossing. This is the place where Ivanhoe Road crosses the Ord River. This used to be the main and only road to Wyndham in the old days. The Ord River was absolutely raging, there would have been no way we could have crossed over. Apparently there are many salt water crocodiles at Ivanhoe crossing so we kept our distance, even though there were guys fishing with their feet in the water..Crazy!

The raging waters of the Ord River at Ivanhoe Crossing near Kununurra

The Caravan Park backed onto Mirima National park so we took a walk with the Horton family through the park once the weather had cooled down, around 4:30pm. It was a pretty walk but time got away from us and before we knew it, it was getting dark. We thought the path may have gone in a loop so we kept walking. We walked a fair distance before we decided to turn back. Luckily Grant had a torch so he led the way back. We did push our limit a little and we got a small taste of how easy it could be to get lost in the bush.

The gorgeous Mirima National Park

In the morning we made our way out to lake Argyle, about 80km east of Kununurra. Lake Argyle is the biggest man made lake in Australia. It’s several times larger than Sydney Harbour and holds up to 32 million cubic metres of water.  The Ord River runs in into the lake and its so huge that they call it an inland sea.

Lake Argyle

The Lake Argyle Caravan Park is situated right on Lake Argyle with stunning views across the lake. The feature of the park is the beautiful infinity pool that overlooks the lake so you can take in the gorgeous scenery. Once we set up camp we spent the afternoon at the pool and enjoyed a lovely cool swim.

The boys having a swim in the pool at Lake Argyle Caravan park

Just before dinner we took a drive around the lake and the Ord River. We drove over the dam wall and out to the picnic area. The boys wanted to try their luck at fishing and we had been told the best place to catch a fish was at the Ord River spillway. The river was flowing really fast and the boys didn’t have much luck catching anything.

Isaac fishing on the Ord River

We only stayed one night at Lake Argyle and were keen to get to the Northern territory. On our way we stopped at old Argyle homestead which was removed, from its original setting deep at the bottom of Lake Argyle and is now a watery grave. The homestead was built by the pioneering Durack family between 1893 and 1895 and after being removed from the lake was relocated and rebuilt again on the site you see today. It is now a pioneer museum with photos and stories of the Durack family who once ran this land. Located in the front yard of the homestead are the many tombstones of the family members, reminders of the harsh conditions they had to face.

The graves of the Durack family at the old Argyle Homestead

While at the homestead we also got to see some bower bird nests, which are quite unusual. Bowerbirds are known for their unique courtship behaviour, where males build a nest and decorate it with sticks and bright objects in an attempt to attract a mate. The nest we saw was full of shiny silver and white objects that the bird had collected including shells, silver foil and bottle tops.

The shiny nest of a male Bowerbird at Lake Argyle

After visiting the homestead we left Lake Argyle and made our way to the Northern Territory border. We were sad to leave Western Australia as we had come to love it here after travelling the west coast for almost 6 months now. We were also very excited to be able to explore a new state and were looking forward to the many new adventures that were to come.

Excited to be crossing the Northern Territory Border

Till next time,

The Jervis Family x

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Wyndham and the Eastern Kimberleys

General Travel Blog

Hi there,

Here’s our latest update from our around Australia adventure.

From the Bungle Bungles we drove straight through to Wyndham, about a 300 km drive with the Horton family. We bumped into Kylie and Jason on the road who had just come from the Gibb River Road and they gave us a few tips about the area.We planned to meet up with them again hopefully in Darwin before they made their way over to the East Coast.

A Cyclone Warning sign coming in to Wyndham

Wyndham is Western Australia’s northern most town and has one of the hottest annual average temperatures in Australia.  It is a fairly remote community with a large Aboriginal population. We stayed at the Wyndam Caravan park which was surprisingly quite nice. For only $30 a night for our whole family it was probably one of the cheapest parks we have stayed at in a while. There was a very nosey donkey called Fuzzy who lived at the caravan park. He stuck his head in our caravan looking for food and wandered around to all the other visitors doing the same thing. Smart donkey!

Fuzzy the friendly donkey at Wyndham Caravan Park

We took a drive just before dinner to catch a magnificent view at the Five Rivers Lookout. The sunset was absolutely stunning from up here as it set over the meeting of the five rivers. After sunset we drove down the Wyndam foreshore to get some fish and chips the locals had told us about.

Stunning sunset at The Five Rivers Lookout in Wyndham

When we got to the fish and chip shop it was closed so we had no other choice but the Wyndham Hotel. We were so glad we ended up at the hotel in the end as the hospitality was amazing. As soon as we walked in, Sue the owner gave all the kids a free round of drinks and set them up with games and a pool table. She told us not order a kids meal for each of them as they were so big they could share, I mean who does that these days. Our meals were efficient  and even Chloe got a piece of the action with a juicy T-Bone steak on the house. It was a great night out in this unique outback pub and the kids loved the place even more when they finished off with a free ice cream. We don’t know how long this generous hospitality will last, as the hotel is up for sale. Definitely recommend it though.

The boys having a game of pool at the Wyndham Hotel

We were looking forward to exploring some more of the gorgeous Kimberley region in the morning with the Horton family. We were making our way in to Home Valley and El Questro Stations which was about 150 km inland on the Gibb River Road. We were so unorganised getting ready for our camping trip this time as we didn’t have a lot of time to prepare once we got to Wyndham. It would have been much easier to take the van but the roads were too bad and we wouldn’t have been able to tow it across the Pentecost River. We left the van in storage at the Wyndham caravan Park for only $10 a night.

We finally left Wyndham just after lunch and decided to go the back way along a 4WD track to get to Home Valley. We stopped along the way to see some aboriginal rock art and another prison Boab tree similar to the one near Derby. We drove along rivers and past swamps and we saw a big salt water crocodile sunning himself on the muddy edge.

A Pretty Kimberly Swamp

The dirt track was really rough and we got to test out our true 4WDing skills as we crossed deep rocky creek beds and drove over large obstacles. During some parts of the drive it felt like we were in the middle of the desert as we drove over massive dried up salt marsh.

Driving across the dusty dried up Salt Marsh

It was lucky we had other vehicles with us just in case we got into any trouble. The Horton’s followed us close behind and we even had an older couple tag along that had joined us along the way. They were grateful they got to do the 4WD track with us as they would have probably turned around otherwise.

The surrounding scenery of the Cockburn Ranges was absolutely breathtaking and we drove through the back of El Questro station where the movie Australia was filmed. Cattle from the station surrounded our car and we even saw a dusty fight between two very stubborn bulls.

Overlooking the Cockburn ranges where the movie 'Australia' was filmed

As we drove along , with the Pentecost River by our side we had to choose from many dirt roads veering off in different directions, We seemed to find our way in the end and finished our adventure coming out onto the Gibb River Road just before the Pentecost River crossing..

The couple that were following us crossed the river first followed by both of our vehicles. It was a steep drop off into the river but not as deep as what we originally thought. The drive along the Kurunjie Track was great fun and we are so glad we took the back way in to Home Valley to experience this adventure.

Crossing the Pentecost River

Home Valley Station was really nice. It was like a tropical oasis in the middle of all this dust and rock. There was a lovely resort pool and a great restaurant and bar. We settled in for the night pretty early after setting up camp as we were all quite tired from our day of adventure.

The next few days at Home Valley were very relaxing. We spent our days chilling out by the pool cooling off from the heat and ordering cold drinks from the bar. In the evening there was an aboriginal two man band churning out some sing along tunes. It was a great balmy night soaking up the stations atmosphere and we had lots of fun.

Relaxing by the pool at Home Valley Station

After 3 great nights spent at Home Valley we took a drive over to El Questro Station. There was camping here also that looked really nice but we had spent all our time at Home Valley so we just had the day to explore El Questro.

There is much to see at El Questro station with many gorge walks and lookouts. We didn’t have much time, so we just chose to go to Zebedee Springs and Emma Gorge. Zebedee springs was really amazing, surrounded by palm trees with its overflowing rock pools and a water temperature averaging in the high twenties. It was very busy when we got there but we managed to find our own warm pool to relax in. It felt like some kind of day spa in the rainforest, it was a beautiful place.

Enjoying the warm rock pools at Zebedee Springs

Our last stop before heading back to Wyndam was Emma Gorge. Chloe wasn’t allowed on the walk so we tied her up under the shade in the car park . She wasn’t too happy about being left behind and we were a bit hesitant in leaving her. We started our hike into the gorge and only a few minutes down the path Josiah started to complain about being tired already. It wasn’t really happening for us so Adam decided to hang back with Josiah and Chloe. There was a pool and a café at the Emma gorge Resort so Ads was happy to chill out there.

The beautiful Emma Gorge

Unfortunately for Adam, Emma Gorge was absolutely beautiful and it was a shame he couldn’t come. We walked about 2km through a beautiful palm fringed creek and climbed huge rock boulders surrounded by blue green water holes. The waterfall at the end of our hike was spectacular as it cascaded over massive tall rock walls and into the deep pool below. The green foliage against the red rock was an amazing contrast and what you would imagine a Kimberly Gorge to look like.

Kristy, Elijah and Isaac at Emma Gorge

The water was absolutely freezing but a very refreshing swim after a long hot walk. The kids found a smaller waterfall tucked away behind the rocky walls. It was warmer than the rest of the water as it came out of the crevices in the gorge walls. The smaller warm waterfall ran down into a few little rock pools below and it was lovely and warm to sit in and take in the surrounds.

The warm pools in the rocks of Emma gorge

The walk back was a little easier after a cool off and we made it back pretty quick. Adam and Josiah had a great time swimming in the resort pool but Ads was a bit disappointed when he found out how amazing the gorge was.

We made our way slowly back to Wyndham. We spent the evening at the Wyndham Hotel for dinner again with the Horton’s and another couple, Lyn and Bob who we had bumped into previously on our travels.

What a great past four days we had experienced in the East Kimberleys with friends. Memories we will treasure forever..

The Jervis’s.

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The Bungle Bungles (Purnululu N.P)

General Travel Blog

Hi again,

Our decision to stay at the Bungle Bungle Caravan Park was a good choice. A lovely lady at the office offered to look after Chloe for us while we went into the National Park. This made it much easier for us as we would have had to leave her tied up all day while we went in. It was a big relief knowing she would be taken care of while we were gone.

After settling in to camp we walked down to the river that was close by. It was a really pretty spot and all the kids enjoyed a cool swim in the rock pools. Even Chloe enjoyed a cool off with a nice soapy wash to get rid of all that red dust. After our big day on the road we all had a fairly early night so we could get up at 6am and drive the rough 70km or so into the Bungle Bungle ranges.

Chloe getting a wash in the river

There were many creek crossings along the way and some of them were quite deep. It was lots of fun and an adventure just getting there. The southern part of the Purnululu National Park is the area with the orange and black striped beehive domes that the Bungle Bungle range is so famous for. As we drove closer to the Bungle Bungle ranges they were an amazing sight, they really did look like giant brown and yellow striped beehives.

The Bungle Bungle Ranges

Our first hike was to Cathedral Gorge, a round trip of 2km but through the sand and in the hot sun can make it seem a lot longer. We took a detour through Piccaninny Creek on our way and walked along the stunning white stoned creek to the lookout. It was an awesome view over the ranges and the perfect place to stop to have a quick rest.

Walking along Piccaninny Creek

Cathedral Gorge was spectacular and something you cannot capture on camera beacause either the ranges are too wide or the gorge walls too tall. The gorge was like walking into a giant cathedral with the massive rock boulders towering above us into the sky. In the wet season a massive waterfall cascades over into a giant pool of water below, a spectacular sight to see I’m sure. Cathedral Gorge is also a huge natural amphitheatre and the acoustics in there are amazing.

Cathedral Gorge

On our way back to the car park we went to another smaller gorge called mini cathedral, which was also really scenic. We finished of our hike walking around creek beds and a massive rock structure shaped like another beehive called The Dome.

Lunch was well earned after 2 hours of walking in the heat before driving another 30 kms to Echidna Chasm for our next hike.

Driving through Purnululu National Park

Echidna Chasm was completely different to Cathedral Gorge but also quite spectacular.. The tall green palm trees growing up against the striking orange rock walls of the gorge were a real sight to see. Initially you walk through a palm filled gorge that soon becomes narrower and narrower and you walk over a dry rocky creek bed leading into the chasm. The tall rock walls on either side of us got smaller until we had to walk up ladders and squeeze our way through.

The entrance into Echidna Chasm

We had to climb over boulders blocking the way of the path, or duck under the ones hanging above us. At the end of the walk we found ourselves in a gap less than a metre wide with the rock walls so tall around us. If you take the Echidna Chasm walk at the right time of day you will see the walls above you glow a striking red colour with the right angle of the sun.

Echidna Chasm glowing red with the afternoon sun

Our day in the Bungle Bungle’s was a great experience and even though the kids were sick of all the walking by the end of it, it was so worth it. The beauty of this unique environment is something we will never forget.

The Jervis’s.

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Fitzroy Crossing to Halls Creek

General Travel Blog

Hello to all you blog followers out there,

Heard the weather back in Geelong is freezing, can’t say we miss that at all, with perfect low 30′s up here everyday! We are missing all our friends and family though and wish we could give you all a big hug. We are getting close to the Northern Territory border now. Can’t believe we have come this far already!

After leaving Derby we set off for Fitzroy Crossing. We wanted to stay at the old Boab Quarry but had been told the roads were too rough to get in there. We met a couple who had just come out from Tunnel Creek on the same road and they had there van shaken up a little. We decided to give it a go and if it got too bad we would just turn around. This whole drive just proved to us that everyone has different opinions. The road wasn’t that bad at all, a little corrugated but definately not impossible. The Boab Quarry ended up being a lovely spot to stay with a nice swimmimg hole where the quarry used to be. We had a swim and watched the cattle coming in for a drink. We finished up the day with a campfire and ended up chatting to a couple of German backpackers for thr rest of the night. The Germans had been wanting to know where the southern cross was in the sky and our boys were quite happy to show them our constellations.

The Boab Quarry

We probably could have stayed at the Quarry another night, as it was so quiet and relaxing but we decided to keep moving. Fitzroy crossing was only another 20 kms away so we dropped in to see the Horton’s who were staying at the Caravan Park there. Poor Kath had been really sick with a bacterial infection and wasn’t really up for visitors. They offered to have Chloe for us so we could go out to Geikie Gorge. Lucky Chloe got spoilt rotten with lots of pats and Smacko’s.

Apparently the Kimberley was once under a shallow tropical sea during what was called the Devonian Period over 350 million years ago. Geikie Gorge was formed by the Fitzroy River cutting through the remains over this ancient reef and is is 14km long. The walk was going to take too long so we opted to take the boat cruise instead. Apparently it was a much better way to see the Gorge and we got to cruise along the Fitzroy River as well. The gorge was really pretty and the rock formations and colours were amazing with yellow, ochre and grey limestone walls reflecting in the pools of the river. There were also lots of fresh water crocodiles sunbathing on the rivers edge and eagle’s soaring above us in the sky.

Geikie Gorge

After our cruise we took a drive around Fitzroy Crossing to check out the sights. Fitzroy Crossing is the closest large outback town to Broome or Derby in the  remote Kimberley wilderness. It is one of the fastest growing town sites in the Kimberley due to Aboriginal resettlement, mining and tourism.
There are a few sites to see including the old pioneer cemetery and the the historic Crossing Inn that sits on it’s original site on the banks of Fitzroy River. It is the oldest established hotel in the entire Kimberleys region with its first customer being in 1897.

We picked up Chloe and said goodbye to the Horton family and then set off to get some km’s under our belt. Along the way we were waved down by some aboriginals who looked like they were broken down. We had heard stories on our travels to be weary of these situations, as there have been times when tourists have been robbed or had their petrol syphoned. We were a bit hesitant as they might have really needed our help but we were a bit scared to pull over. Adam got on the radio to ask the advice of anyone that had an opinion about stopping. A truck driver got on the radio and said “Keep goin mate, I just drove past them and they didn’t wave me down.. in fact they were smilin”. We felt better about our decision after that and I guess we will never know if they were genuine or not. It’s definitely not worth the risk anyway out here in the middle of nowhere.

We started looking for a place to pull over for the night. There were a few free stopovers in our camps book and the first one we pulled in at was on a Ngumpan Cliif lookout. It was a nice view overlooking the amazing red landscape but also really windy so we just stopped for a bite to eat and kept driving. The next stop was Mary Pool and is probably the best known and most popular overnight stop in the area. Apparently you need to arrive early for a spot overlooking the water but we were way too late for that. It was absolutely packed and we were lucky to even find a spot up in the corner next to the toilets and dump point.. Phew, boy did it stink. But we didn’t have any other choice and it was just about dark so we had to stay the night.

Our lovely shaded camp spot at Mary Pool

In the morning all the caravans started to leave, just about the whole 100 of them and the place became almost empty. There were some lovely camp spots available right on the water so we decided to move our van over and set up for a few nights. We scored an awesome corner spot with privacy and lovely views of the river. The kids had a ball climbing trees and playing on the river bank. Adam had to do some work so he drove all the way into Halls Creek to get reception. The rest of the time was spent relaxing and catching up on doing nothing. Believe it or not travelling can be quite exhausting, driving all the time and sight seeing, it’s a hard life!  We had some awesome camp fires while we were here at Mary pool and it helped keep us warm. Even though the days are really warm,  the temperature really drops around here at night.

Kristy and the boys enjoying the campfire at Mary Pool

Mary pool is only supposed to be a 24 hour stop over but we wanted to wait for the Horton family who we had organised to meet here. We were starting to get worried about them after our 3rd night here but they finally arrived the next day. They had been delayed because Kath’s illness got worse and she ended up on the drip at the Fitzroy crossing Hospital. She was feeling much better when she got to us but had been quite sick with some kind of bacterial infection she had picked up on their travels.

The next morning we all continued on to our next destination, Purnululu National Park where we would see the Bungle Bungle range. We stopped in at Halls creek for some supplies on our way. There was only one service station that was serving Diesel and the line up was massive! Kath and I took the kids over to get the groceries while the guys waited in line. IGA express was our only choice and it was quite expensive for just a few things. Unfortunately when you are travelling in remote places like this there isn’t a lot more choice.

The line up for diesel at a service station in Halls creek

Once again we were going to try and find another free camp spot along the way. At this time of year there are so many travellers on the road and all the camps get full by early afternoon. Both the Ord River Camp and Spring creek were packed. Being that we were right near the entrance to the Bungle Bungle’s probably didn’t help either. We decided to drive in to the Bungle Bungle Caravan Park just 2 kms off the highway and even though we had to pay $45 for an unpowered site we were able to have a long awaited nice hot shower.

More adventures from the Bungle Bungle’s coming soon.

Kristy, Adam and boys xx

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Derby and the South West Kimberleys

General Travel Blog

Hi guys Kristy here.

We had a great time in Broome and from here we drove 200km east to Derby. We couldn’t believe we had driven up the western coastline already and we were now making our way inland. It was a bit sad that we wouldn’t be seeing another beach until Darwin and even then we wouldn’t be swimming at the beach because of all the crocodiles.  But we were very excited to be entering the Kimberly region and about to visit some amazing gorges.

On our way into Derby we went to visit the famous Boab Prison tree. Here the captured Aboriginal people were held as prisoners and kept in the huge Boab tree. They would stay here until they were taken to Derby to be used as pearl divers and slaves.  It makes you feel ashamed to be a white person living in Australia when you see the horrific ways the aboriginals were treated back then.

Boab Prison Tree, Derby

We stayed at the Kimberly Entrance Caravan Park in Derby and met up with the Horton family again. On our first night in Derby we enjoyed a spectacular sunset out at the Jetty. You just cant get enough of the sunsets over here in the west, they just keep getting better. We used Derby as a base to figure out how we were going to get into Windjana and Bell gorge. We couldn’t decide if the roads were going to be too rough to take our vans with us or whether to just take our tents and camp. Everyone we rang from the tourist info to the roads department had different opinions. We finally made a decision when the ranger from Windjana Gorge recommended us to leave our vans in Derby as the roads were quite bad.

Deby sunset

Our other concern was our dog Chloe again. There were a few camp areas just out of the National Park Gorges that we could have left her in while we did a few hour trips but didn’t feel real comfortable. After talking to the ranger he also didn’t think it was a good idea to leave our dog unattended. Apparently there were a number of dingoes in the area and she may not have been safe left alone. He had two dogs of his own that he left with a man called Wally at the Derby kennels. He spoke very highly of him so we decided to leave her there for a few days.

We thought it would be a good idea to drop Chloe at the kennel the night before as we were leaving early the next morning. It was horrible leaving her as we had never left her in a kennel before. She didn’t want to go in and was really scared with all the other dogs barking and banging against the fences. She is such a princess and gets anxiety when we leave her alone. We had to push her into the cage and we felt awful. I was such a sook and cried all the way back to Derby about leaving my baby girl.

We pulled ourselves together and finished off packing the car. There was an aboriginal festival on while we were in town and we got to see a real corroboree that only the public can witness once a year. The corroboree was really good and it was great to see more of their culture and hear them sing. There was some modern day dancing also and one couple in particular were absolutely amazing. They had the crowd glued to their emotional and passionate routine.  The audience got to join in at the end and it was a great experience to be part of.

Aboriginal Coroboree in Derby

All night I couldn’t get my mind off Chloe and I was contemplating going to get her. Adam reassured me she would be ok and we rang Wally at the kennels to make sure she was coping before we left for our camping trip.

The road into Windjana Gorge wasn’t so bad in the end. Apart from one creek wash out towards the end of the road we probably could of nursed our van in. In the end the whole camping in tents experience was great anyway, especially for the kids.

Windjana Gorge Camp

After setting up camp and having lunch we decided to spend the afternoon at Tunnel Creek. It was only about 20 km from Windjana Gorge but quite a rough road getting there. We had heard lots about Tunnel Creek and we knew we would have to walk through water that was home to many freshwater crocodiles.

There was only a short walk to the entry and then we had to climb over rocks and boulders to get to the tunnel. Once inside we had to wade through creek beds up to our waistline. The tunnel was pitch black and we need torches to guide us to the other side. It was quite an adventure and the scenery at the end of the tunnel was really pretty. We didn’t see any crocodiles but we did see a very large water monitor sunbaking on the edge of the creek.

After wading our way back through the creek again we made it out of the tunnel safely and to the car without any croc bites.. thank goodness!

Driving through a gorgeous Kimberly Sunset

The same evening we met with some new friends, Robbie and Debbie who also had two kids Cody and Mollie. The boys kind of invited themselves to their fire and told them all about our travelling stories before us adults even got there. The boy’s social skills have definitely improved since we’ve been on the road and its great to see that they can hold a conversation with all the new people that they meet. We ended up sitting around the campfire talking and laughing for hours.

In the morning we took a long walk through Windjana Gorge from our camp. The gorge was really pretty and our walk took us along the rivers edge. We saw lots of fresh water crocodiles lapping up the warm sun and we even got quite close to a few of them. They were not bothered by us at all and stayed put as we moved in for a closer look at them. We had to walk through a lot of sand and it was really hot. Josiah did pretty well considering and it wasn’t until the last part of the walk that he needed a piggy back.

Winjana Gorge

When we got to the end of our walk we all jumped in the river for a swim but kept a close eye on any crocs close by. It wasn’t very deep but the kids enjoyed cooling off after their long hot hike.

After heading back to camp for lunch and relaxing for a few hours it got quite hot so we couldn’t resist another swim. We all made our way back to the river for another cool off. The kids had a ball sliding down the muddy banks and splashing into the water. They were all filthy and even painted themselves from head to toe with mud.

Kids having a muddy good time at Windjana Gorge

When we got back to camp the kids decided to start up a massage stall. They charged $5 for a 15 minute massage and had a few paying customers. They did alright out of it for the night by making about $40 between them. Such business minded children. Later on we enjoyed another fire in the evening and played games and shared jokes. Some of the jokes the kids came up with were hilarious and it was a really fun night had by all of us.

The next morning we packed up our tents and made our way up to Silent grove. There was no way we could of taken our caravan in here as we had to cross quite a few deep creek crossings. We met up with the Horton’s again who had just finished setting up their camp. We were not planning on camping here the night as by this time we were all really worried about Chloe and wanting to go pick her up as soon as possible.

Crossing the creek into Silent grove and Bell Gorge

After having a bite to eat we drove another 10 kms to Bell Gorge. We didn’t know what to expect from this walk and had to hike a good distance into the gorge. It was quite a rocky path and we had to cross a few creeks. We climbed up a rocky cliff face and from there we overlooked a spectacular waterfall cascading into the waterhole below. There were people swimming down at the bottom of the waterfall so we climbed down the gorge over huge boulders and steep rocky paths. When we got down there it was so worth it. We all jumped in for a very refreshing swim whilst taking in the stunning views around us. It was absolutely beautiful and the best gorge we had been to on our trip so far.

Enjoying a refreshing swim below the waterfall at Bell Gorge

On the walk back the kids were nagging us to stay another night with the Horton’s. We wanted to stay but weren’t so sure, as we really wanted to get back to Chloe and we also really couldn’t be bothered setting up all the tents again. When we got back to the car we arrived to find that we had a very flat tyre.

Grant and Adam go the compressor out and pumped it up enough so we could drive back to the camping area. We met a couple Les and Tracey and they offered for us to use their puncture repair kit. By this time it was getting quite late and getting on dark. We ended up not having much choice but to set up our tents again and stay the night at Silent Grove.

Fixing an unwanted flat tyre at Bell Gorge

The boys got our tyre fixed and just as we were about to sit down for dinner there was a huge Python slithering through the camping ground. It would have been around 3 metres long, it was huge. Everyone was standing around taking photos and the python wasn’t bothered at all. He just kept slowly making his way through the camp oblivious to everyone around him.

A massive Python making its way through the Silent Grove Camp

After dinner we enjoyed another camp fire with Grant and Kathryne and also Robbie and Debbie who we had met at Windjana Gorge. Les and Tracey also joined us who were from Port Hedland and had lots of stories to tell us about the west. Tracey had polished off a whole bottle of wine and was pretty drunk. She was really funny and did amuse us all with her humour for most of the night.

Wildflowers along the Gibb River Road heading back to Derby

We took off bright and early the next morning back to Derby and back to our Chloe girl. She was so pleased to see us and us to see her. She seemed to cope ok but I suppose we will never know. That’s the hard part about leaving her I guess, you have to trust that the people in the kennels have treated her well.

We spent one more night in Derby before getting on the road again aiming to get to Fitzroy Crossing by the end of the day.

Write again soon,

Kristy and family x

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Cape Leveque

General Travel Blog

Hi there, Kristy again.

After leaving Broome we eventually made it to our meeting point at 9:30am after a bit of a rush packing our camping gear into the car. We left our van in storage at the Pistol Club so we could stay another night when we got back.

We met up with the Horton’s and another family Ky and Mark who have two kids Maddy, 5 and Nathan, 4.  We had booked some accommodation in Cygnet bay at the Pearl Farm that was big enough to sleep the entire 14 of us. We were able to divide the $600 a night cost between us all so it was well worth it. We were looking forward to having our own room and having the luxuries we don’t get in a caravan.

Our bit of Cape Leveque luxury awaits

On the way we drove into a small aboriginal called Beagle Bay. There was a lovely church here that we had been recommended to go and see. The church had been decorated with thousands of mother of pearl shells. It was really pretty. We enjoyed a picnic lunch across the road from the church grounds before making the rest of our way to Cygnet Bay. We thought there may have been a quicker way to get there so brave Kath walked up to some of the local aboriginals who were sitting on their front porch to ask for directions. But there was no quicker way in the end and we continued on our original path.

Church in Beagle Bay

We arrived at Cygnet Bay right on check in time, and if anyone knows us Jervis’sthey will know that it’s really not like us to be so organised. It does help us when we are with other people to stick to a time frame.

Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm is still in operation today and is one of the oldest pearl farms still running in Australia. We stayed in the old Divers cottage where the pearl divers used to rest after a long day at sea. It wasn’t quite what we expected not being right on the beach or anything but we still really enjoyed the one night we had there, picturing what it would have been like back in the day for the pearl divers.

Cygnet Bay

The kids had a great time and couldn’t get in quick enough to choose their rooms and sleeping arrangements. The adults took a walk to the beach to check it out and soon realised that we wouldn’t be doing much swimming, as it was quite rocky with lots of mangroves (mangroves means crocodiles). Instead we all sat around talking for hours and enjoyed a lovely BBQ with yummy salads prepared by all the girls.

Sitting down to a BBQ Dinner

Later on in the night when Adam was taking Josiah to the toilet he found a baby King brown snake in the bathroom. Adam and Mark tried to get it out but it squeezed its way into a tiny hole in the wall. For the rest of the night the ladies and the kids took a brave man to the toilet with them for safety Ha Ha. There were lots of Green Tree Frogs in the toilet and bathroom area so we think the snake might have been looking for some dinner. It was a little scary though as King Brown snakes are quite deadly.

The kids played together really well and Josiah was happy to have some friends his age. He was having a great time until he banged his face quite badly up against the corner of the lounge chair. He was lucky not to cut the skin but he did have a really bruised face and big black shiner to come.

Josiah's shiner after banging his face at Cygnet Bay

The next morning we left our luxury to go camping. We stayed at Middle Lagoon, which was about half way back down on our way to Broome. There were not many sites available as it was school holidays but we had to stay in the dog area anyway and there was lots of space there. We picked a shady spot under a tree and set up camp.

Camping area at Middle lagoon, Cape Leveque

We all felt a little disappointed with Cape Leveque so far at this stage, as so many people were raving on about how beautiful it was. Either we were in the wrong spot or we hadn’t seen it yet. After lunch we walked down to the beach to see the lagoon. It was definitely a pretty place and really calm water, perfect for an afternoon swim. We were finally starting to see the appeal of Cape Leveque camping here.

The boys made friends with some of the local aboriginal children and they had a great time playing a game of footy. What an experience for them although they did gets their butts whipped! We stayed at Middle Lagoon for two nights and ended up having a great time at Cape Leveque.

Making friends with the local aboriginal children at Middle Lagoon

We had a great camp fire and roasted marshmallows in the evening before waking up to another beautiful sunny day. We said goodbye to Ky and Mark who were heading back to Broome and the rest of us spent the day swimming in the lagoon. Apart from the tourists enjoying the main swimming are, when you look around the beach and out to the point you can see how remote it really is. There is not a single soul to be seen.

Middle Lagoon, Cape Leveque.

There was a lovely café on the way out called Whalesong. Here there was a camping area too but only a limited amount of sites, I think there were only about 6. The views from the café were beautiful and you could see where the rugged red cliffs meet the beach below. Apparently in the wet season the ocean turns a red colour as the cliffs leak their bright red sands into the sea. I’m sure it would be a sight to see.

The spectacular view from Whalesong Cafe

On our way to Broome we stopped in at Willie Creek where there is another operating Pearl Farm. We looked around the farm but were a bit late in the day to take a tour. We walked out on the boardwalk and tried to spot some crocodiles. We had heard there was a really big local croc that hung around here quite a bit, but we didn’t have much luck spotting him. We pulled the car up beside Willie creek and had a late lunch.

The drive back from Cape Leveque to Broome

The plan was to enjoy one more sunset dinner over Cable Beach when we got back to Broome. When we arrived back the weather had turned a bit overcast and it was starting to rain. We had to give it a miss and we caught up on our laundry instead, what a trade that was!

We made friends with a few other families before we left and Josiah had a great time playing with a little boy his age. It was a shame we had to leave so soon as socialising for him is so important. After Josiah had a great time playing and we had a long time chatting we were then off to our next destination, Derby.

The Jervis family.

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Broome

General Travel Blog

Hello again from the travelling gypsies. We are having a great time in the North West of Oz and lovin everything about it.

We really enjoyed Broome and it kind of reminded us of Port Douglass a little but in a WA, outback kind of way. There are lots of resorts and beautiful beaches in Broome but also lots of tourists to go with it. We usually like quiet places and this definitely wasn’t one of them, but we still enjoyed our time here.

Again, our dog Chloe was an issue for us in Broome. The only caravan parks in town accepting dogs were the over flow areas. We were going to stay at the over flow of the PCYC Caravan Park, but it was just a dusty oval with an amenities block. There was another option at the Broome Pistol Club about 6 km out of town and about the same to Cable beach. Not your typical resort style caravan park but it was nice enough. There were nice shady sites and we managed to get a powered site so we set up there for four nights.

The Jervis family in Broome

On our first night in Broome, our friends the Horton’s invited us to dinner at the Cable Beach Tavern with a couple of other travelling families. We left Chloe in the van while we were gone. It was nice to mingle with our new friends and enjoy a lovely meal together. We were having a great time until we received a phone call from a lady who had just found Chloe staggering on the highway not far from the Pistol Club. We couldn’t believe it as we had locked her in the van and had no idea how she could have escaped.

Dinner with friends at the Cable Beach Tavern

We rushed out of the tavern as fast as we could and found Chloe lying on the side of the road. These lovely strangers had just saved her life! She was so exhausted that she could hardly walk. While we were gone the pistols were being fired at the park and Chloe was so scared that she bent up the aluminium door on the van and escaped. People had seen her running frantically around the campers and getting shooed away. She ran out onto the highway, probably looking for us and almost got ran over by a cattle truck before this couple grabbed her off the road. Nobody else helped her and we were so grateful to these strangers going out of their way to save her.

After our previous night of drama and Chloe almost over her scare we set out to look around Broome. We went and looked at the famous Dinosaur footprints down on the rocky coastline at Gantheaume Point. They are supposed to be the biggest dinosaur prints like it in the world. They did look like dinosaur footprints but we were a little bit sceptical. The boys thought it was pretty cool though.

Gantheaume point, Broome

While we wee in Broome it was Archie’s birthday, one of Horton boys that we have been travelling with. He invited our boys to the Broome cinema to see Kung Fu Panda 2. We all dropped our kids off at the movie and the adults went and had lunch around the corner. It was so nice to have a break from the kids and they thought they were pretty big deal going to movie on their own.

In the evening we all went down to Cable Beach for a sunset birthday BBQ. You can drive along Cable Beach and pick your own spot along the miles of gorgeous coastline. Although the beach does get very busy when everyone wants a piece of this beautiful place. It was a lovely evening shared with friends, even though poor Archie wasn’t feeling very well for his birthday dinner.

Archie's b'day BBQ on Cable beach

The next morning we went on a famous Camel ride along Cable Beach. It was great fun and the camel’s took us bout 1 km up the beach. It was a slow 40 minutes up and back but long enough to enjoy the beach and experience. Our camels name was Bazza and he had so much personality. Archie and Isaac were on the camel in front of us and Bazza kept nudging them for more pats, it was very cute. Apart from the lovely blue waters of Cable Beach there were quite a few unexpected views. Being a clothing optional area 1 km nth of the main swimming area, we had a few nudists walk past our camels. It was so funny.

Our camel ride on Cable Beach

After our camel ride we took a drive further up Cable Beach. There were naked people everywhere, mainly old, oiled up hairless men. It was quite strange. There were the odd nude couple walking along but also men jogging naked, playing bocce and even walking their dogs naked. The kids were shocked at first but then they couldn’t stop laughing! We were all hysterical and a little bit disgusted too with the word EEEWWW being used a lot.. Ha Ha!

Clothing optional on Cable Beach Broome Ha Ha!

After our fun and interesting morning we drove out to the Broome Port to have a look around. There was an international cattle ship being loaded and the stock was being shipped to Egypt. The Port was quite pretty and the ocean was so blue. We watched people fishing off the jetty and saw some small sharks swimming below. We enjoyed some lunch at the Wharf Restaurant and then went back to camp to relax for the rest of the afternoon.

Watching the fishing boats come in at the Broome Port

We bumped into our other friends, Kirsty and Jason who are the ones travelling Australia with 8 kids. We run into them quite a bit on our travels and we take our hats off to them for travelling Oz with such a big family. They seem to do it quite easy and they are so stress free about it all. We went down to Town Beach for a BBQ with them in the evening and had a great time. There is a playground and a water park for the kids here and a great place to let them run a muck. There is also a cafe too so you can enjoy lunch or a coffee while your kids play, all whilst taking in the gorgeous ocean views. No good for a swim though as there had been a recent crocodile spotting.

The rest of our time in Broome was mainly spent on Cable Beach. We were heading up to Cape Leveque the next day to camp but instead of packing up our camping gear we spent the whole day on the beach with the Horton family. We enjoyed another gorgeous sunset and watched the camels stroll along the beach.We were totally distracted lazing by the water and got nothing else done! Oh well you can’t rush these things.

Sunset Camel Ride on Cable Beach

It was a bit crazy getting organized the next day, trying to get our car packed and ready to go for 9am. We had to meet two other families at the Cape Leveque turn off . We booked accommodation at the Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm and had a 2 hour drive ahead of us. Stay tuned for the next blog to hear about that adventure.

Till next time,

The Jervis gang xx

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Barn Hill Station

General Travel Blog

Hi there, Kristy here.

We are really really behind on our blog I know, everyone keeps reminding us! Its really hard to keep up to date when we have little reception but I will try and catch up as quick as I can.

After leaving Karijini we dropped in to Port Hedland to grab a few more supplies and then decided to make the long drive to Barn Hill Station. Barn Hill is about 120 kms south of Broome so it was a long long drive to get there from Port Hedland. There is nothing much to see on the road in between for about 500 kms.We broke up the drive and stayed at De Grey River for the night, quite a nice spot with camping right on the shady river.

Loo stop at De Grey River

We continued our drive and stopped in on our way for lunch at the Sandfire Roadhouse. Eighty Mile Beach is half way between Port Hedland and Broome and we took the 20 km detour to check it out. Endless stretches of white sand seem to go on forever. The beach is in fact some 220 km long and this coastline is where The Great Sandy desert meets the Indian Ocean.

The endless sands of Eighty Mile Beach

After another 2 hours on the road and we arrived at Barn Hill Station around 4′ o clock. Barn Hill is situated on a Kimberly cattle Station overlooking the Indian Ocean and is a very popular camping area. We were a bit disappointed at first because we were expecting a quite station stay but instead it was a very a busy caravan park. There were no powered sites when we arrived but they were able to squeeze us in the unpowered section. After setting up camp we were happy no to be in the powered area as they all seemed to be camping right on top of each other. Where we were camped was a bit more spread out and us Jervis’s do like a bit of privacy.

Our camp site at Barn Hill

Apart from the crowds and some of the oldies thinking that they own the place, the beauty of Barn Hill is amazing. The beaches are beautiful and the whole place has a real rustic feel to it. The Burnt red cliff edges and the pinnacle like rock formations set a backdrop on the beaches that are quite spectacular. The walk down the rugged cliff tops surrounded by purple wildflowers to the beach is really pretty and even though there are plenty of people here you still feel like you have the place to yourself.

The path down to the beach at Barn Hill

We had a lovely view of the ocean from our camp and the sunsets here were to die for. Everyone seems to pause for a moment to watch the sun go down as the whole sky lights up. Josiah likes to say goodbye to the sun as he tells it to have fun on the other side of the world and that he will see it again in the morning. Its pretty cute! We set up a bath for him on the cliff tops and he really enjoyed his bubbly hot tub while watching the sunset.

The fiery sunset sky

The Horton family arrived the day after us and the kids were very pleased to see each other again, along with Chloe who appreciates the pats she gets from the kids. We spent every day on the beach and had some fun games of soccer with the adults taking on the kids. The kids were not too happy when we bet them two days in a row! Better luck next time Kiddies.

Some of Grant and Kathryn’s friends, Kylie and Jason were staying at Barn Hill as well. We all got together for sunsets drinks and shared travelling stories. It’s nice to have some adult conversation when we all have children. Kylie and  Jason also have a couple of boys too so all the kids had a great time together. On the beach the boys enjoyed climbing the rock faces and even found a little cave to hide in.

Spectacular rock formations at barn Hill

Us girls enjoyed a lovely morning beach walk with no kids or hubbies. It was nice to have some alone time and enjoy the gorgeous surroundings. while of course getting some exercise at the same time He He. Chloe was disappointed when she couldn’t join us on the walk but she has been suffering quite badly with arthritis. We had to take her into the Broome vet for a check up and she is now taking an anti-inflammatory which seems to be helping. The poor old girl is coming up to 12 now so she is feeling the pinch a little.

Chloe enjoying a cool down in the rock pool

Every now and then you come across people that clearly should not be travelling and unfortunately those few individuals seem to spoil it for everyone else.  We came across a few of these people at Barn Hill, mainly older people making everybody else’s business their own. There was one incident in particular though that did involve a younger man who had a fairly aggressive dog and obviously had anger issues of his own. We were walking Chloe past his site with the kids when he started yelling and swearing at us about our dog not being on a lead. Considering the station’s dog was not on a lead and the owner stopped to talk to Chloe several times while off her lead, we didn’t think it was a problem. If anyone knows Chloe they would know that she is just a big softy and never leaves our side. But this guy was looking for trouble and didn’t care who was around. Adam didn’t seem intimidated and went back to see if he could work it out civilly . There was no chance of that when this massive man burst out of his annexe knocking over tables, whilst his wife was trying to hold him back. Poor Adam was faced with an confronting situation with the man towering over him wanting to have a punch on. Luckily Adam is a good talker and managed to get himself out of a fight. If this guy was so concerned about his aggressive dog then maybe he should have just stayed home.

After our little incident we took a while to calm down, you cant let people like that ruin your holiday. We met up with some other friends the Goddard’s with their 8 children who are also travelling Australia. We have bumped into them quite a lot now at different camps along the way. Kirsty and Jason have been on the road for over 2 years and even had their youngest on the road. They are so laid back and seem do travel quite easily with all the children. The boys love hanging out with them and they have great games of soccer and chasey together.

Josiah with some of his new friends

We all enjoyed a lovely roast together on our last night in Barn Hill. It was a 3 course meal with some music and entertainment and we all had a great time together. For only $15 per person it was well worth it and a must for anyone visiting barn Hill.

So our Barn Hill experience didn’t start off so good to begin with but in the end we ended up falling in the love with the place. It was hard to leave such a beautiful spot but there were more adventures awaiting us. We said goodbye to our old and new friends that we had made and started our journey to Broome.

Love to all,

The Jervis Family x

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Ningaloo Station and Exmouth

General Travel Blog

Hey there,

We are having so much fun, you can’t beat life on the road. Discovering new places and meeting new friends has been a great experience so far. It never gets boring and life is so stress free, I think it will be hard to settle down anywhere after this feeling of freedom!

We are finding some absolute gems over here in WA. After enjoying 2 nights in Coral bay we hit the road with our new friends the Horton family to our next destination, Ningaloo Station. This would probably be the highlight of our trip so far.

The beautiful beach at Ningaloo Station

The road getting into the homestead at the station was 35km of rough corrugation and from previous experience we made sure everything was secure. Our fridge in the van still wasn’t working so we hoped nothing else would break on this adventure. We let our tyres down this time, which made a big difference.

Grant and Katheryne were very nervous going off road and I guess I don’t blame them when they have a brand new $60,000 caravan. But we reassured them as much as we could and ended up making it there slowly but safely.

An emergency had come up at the station so were unable to get to our campsite until the caretaker got back. We were directed to the waiting bay and we waited and we waited. There were other campers waiting as well so we got chatting with them and this made the time go by a little quicker.

Ningaloo Homestead

We bumped in to Claire and Luke again who were moving to another spot on the station because they had been invaded by mice. There was lots of talk about snakes again and apparently a couple camping here had to kill a giant king brown in their annex. I was pretty crept out along with Grant and Katheryne who were considering hiding out in their van the whole time they were there.

Four to five long hours went by and lots of footy and board games later we were able to get to our camp. It was getting on dark and we had to travel another 15km into the actual camping area. When we got there we decided to wait till morning to have a look at where we wanted to set up camp. So we all had dinner and went to bed.

We were glad we waited until the morning as we found two camp sites next to each other right on the beach. We had to tow the vans right onto the sand and we were worried about getting bogged, more so for the Horton’s van weighing 3 tone. We managed to get in ok, although Grant couldn’t sleep for the next 2 nights thinking about whether he would be able to get the van out again.

Our camp at Ningaloo Station

It was really great camping right on the sand with the water a hop, skip and a jump away. All campsites have direct beach access; where you can enjoy this pristine and untouched coastline and real wilderness experience. Even though there are lots of other campers at the station, you still feel like you have the place to yourself. The price tag for this WA gem was an unbelievable $80 for all of us, for a whole week. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Our days at Ningaloo Station were very relaxing and we swam and fished most of the time here.  Adam and the boys caught some nice fish with the best catch being two good-sized Trevally that fed the family for 2 nights in a row. We also had a few other interesting fishing adventures when Adam brought in an ugly looking sucker fish that had to get thrown back and a mysterious Giant stingray that took our bait. Adam had to get out on the kayak to see what it was and cut the line. The stingray had buried right down into the sand so there was no way he could reel the line in or get his bait back.

Adam's catch of the day

We met a lovely couple, Hans and Arnica who took us out on their sail boat several times. We were able to go snorkelling whilst holding on to the back of the boat, which saved us from being pulled out by the strong current. While we were snorkelling we saw many colourful and giant fish, but the highlight would have to be when the boys got to see a Dugong swimming right in front of them. They were very excited about this, as Dugongs can be quite shy and hard to spot.

Snorkelling on the Ningaloo Reef

The nights at Ningaloo were really cold so it was nice to warm up by the camp-fire one night with Luke and Claire, Grant and Katheryne and the kids. We chatted for hours and shared our travelling stories.

Not far from where we were staying was the old Ningaloo whaling station. The station was apparently the most successful bay whaling station in WA when it operated from 1915 to 1957. It was like stepping back in time as the buildings and machinery for the old whaling station had been left exactly as they once were. We walked through the old ruins, and even saw old beer bottles still stacked in a pile.

The old Ningaloo Whaling Station

Driving back to our camp we stopped on the way to get fresh water from a hand dug well in the sand dunes. There is a freshwater tableland running underneath the surface and you only have to dig about 50 cm into the ground to find water. The water tasted beautiful and we came back several times to fill our containers.

The Horton’s left to go to Exmouth a little earlier than us and we were all pleased when their caravan made it out of the sand without any trouble. It was quite a relief for grant especially to make it out without getting bogged after stressing about it for days.

The next day we took a day trip to Exmouth from Ningaloo. We drove back out on to the highway then made our way to Exmouth and back through Cape Range to get home. We had lunch in Exmouth and had a bit of a look around town, and after stocking up on a few groceries we made our way to Cape Range. There are lots of nice camp spots here but unfortunately we couldn’t stay here because of our dog. Turquoise bay is very pretty and a great snorkelling area too.

Cape Range National Park

We had to cross Yardey creek to get back to Ningaloo Station and luckily we timed the crossing at low tide so we didn’t have a problem getting to the other side. It was getting on dark as we were driving back and we have never seen so many kangaroos in one spot, they were everywhere. We took it easy on the road, and had a few near misses at hitting a roo. The road was extremely corrugated but we weren’t so worried this time without the caravan attached.

Crossing Yardey Creek at low tide

On our last night at Ningaloo our neighbours, Hans and Arnica showed the boys how to make damper. They shared their fire with us and we ate our damper under the starry night sky. What a shame it was to leave Ningaloo Station. It is definitely a spot that we will come back to again and again.

The Jervis family xx

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