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Zauners Lap of Oz
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Zauners Lap of Oz

Uma 71aventura de um dia na Zauners Leia mais
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  • Inicio da viagem
    22 de março de 2024
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    The Murrumbidgee River, Hay
    Narandera Railway BridgeThe Murrumbidgee River, HayWagga Wagga Beach lunch breakWagga Wagga Beach lunch breakThe Murrumbidgee River, Hay

    Hay stopover

    22–23 de mar. 2024, Austrália ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Nice little oasis in the midst of the endless flat plains and straight roads of the NSW outback. Emus galore and lots of cotton crops, but not much else!

    Hay had one of the largest WWI enlistment rates for an Australian small town, with 641 men serving. In memory of this service, the town built the Hay War Memorial High School which opened on Anzac Day in 1923.Leia mais

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    Toasted marshiesFirst shot with Josh's droneSharing dinner with the flies 🤣Bush sunsetKeeping warm for breakie, but not missing out on the viewClose encounter with a real emu crossing the road this morningMade it halfway across the country!The Big Galah in Kimba

    Bush stopover

    23–24 de mar. 2024, Austrália ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    Beautiful little spot just off the highway for our first bush camp. Josh had a great time building a fire and taking his drone out for its first flight of the trip.

    Just as we were all commenting on the lack of wildlife as we drove out in the morning, an emu crossed the road right in front of us! One of hundreds we spotted along the NSW/VIC/SA outback plains, but the first one close up!!

    Another highlight was driving past the four race leaders of this year’s Indian Pacific Wheel Ride, a gruelling 5,500km road cycling race from Perth to Sydney, on the Eyre Highway.    Leia mais

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    9.6 degrees for our sunrise walk 🥶
    9.6 degrees for our sunrise walk 🥶Private little cove at our campgroundHeading out to the Whistling Rocks and Blowholes on Cape Bauer LoopHeading out to the Whistling Rocks and Blowholes on Cape Bauer LoopHeading out to the Whistling Rocks and Blowholes on Cape Bauer LoopWatching the dolphins do their thingWestall Way LoopMurphy's Haystacks, 1500 million year old graphite formationsMurphy's Haystacks, 1500 million year old graphite formationsMurphy's Haystacks, 1500 million year old graphite formationsMurphy's Haystacks, 1500 million year old graphite formations2Streaky BaySealion colony

    Streaky Bay, Eyre Peninsula

    24–27 de mar. 2024, Austrália ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    Our time on the Eyre Peninsula coincided with a cold front and strong winds pulling through. While it wasn’t the snorkelling paradise that we had hoped for, we were gifted beautiful blue skies and had a great time visiting the sights in and around Streaky Bay.

    First stop were the Whistling Rocks and Blowholes, at the end of a 360m boardwalk through the sand dunes on the Cape Bauer Loop. Next, we wandered through (and over) Murphys Haystacks, impressively large 1500-million-year-old granite rock formations (Inselberg) located on an inland farm.

    Then off to see the Australian mainland’s only permanent colony of sea lions at the Point Labatt Conservation Park. The sea lions sunning on the rocks put on a great show for us, moving in and out of the water and rolling around on the rocks.

    We relaxed while watching the surfers at the beautiful, rocky Granites beach and then headed back to Streaky Bay to eat ice cream and wander down the long jetty for a swim.    Leia mais

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    The Nullarbor: Bunda Cliffs

    27–28 de mar. 2024, Austrália ⋅ 🌬 20 °C

    Crossing the Nullarbor… endless flat plains, wind and dust galore, but so exciting to be here. Spectacular campsite right on the Bunda Cliffs, a massive cliff face that we were able to fully appreciate with the help of Josh’s drone. Our favourite campsite so far for its remoteness and beauty. (Not for its winds which kept me up all night!!)

    Have been scanning the outback plains in all directions for camels, but no luck yet. Wildlife we have seen includes a range of birds and a cute little desert mouse.    Leia mais

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    The Nullarbor: Newman Rock

    28–29 de mar. 2024, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Day 2 crossing the Nullarbor we stopped off in Cocklebiddy to visit Samantha and Bruce, wedgetail eagles who were injured by trucks, rescued by Parks and Wildlife and are unable to return to the wild due to their injuries. Quite special seeing them up close as we have marvelled a few wild wedgetails on our travels so far.

    Also enjoyed teeing up on the ‘90 Mile Straight’ hole of the Nullarbor Links golf course, discovering we all need some lessons if we ever hope to play golf for real!

    Ended the day at another beautiful ‘off the highway’ bush campsite at Newman Rock.    Leia mais

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    Climbing Frenchman PeakClimbing Frenchman PeakThe cave at the top of Frenchman PeakAtop Frenchman PeakTimo taking care of all the sandals22Happy Easter everyone!

    Cape Le Grand National Park

    29–31 de mar. 2024, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    We were absolutely blown away by the bright white sand and crystal clear turquoise waters down here on the WA South Coast. Felt like every new beach, bay and cove was more beautiful than the last. The water was cold and there were tourists galore (Easter long weekend!), but otherwise perfect hot, sunny weather and no wind!

    We climbed the 345m Frenchman Peak for a magnificent 360 degree view of Cape Le Grand National Park and of the many rocky islands dotted along the mainland. There was a massive cave in the granite rock at the top of the peak, the result of ocean wave erosion 40 million years ago when the sea level was 250m higher than it is today.

    The rest of our time was split between Lucky Bay, Hellfire Bay, Thistle Bay and Wharton Beach in the ocean and playing on the sand dunes. Wish we could have stayed longer!    Leia mais

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    2Climbing Mount Barren in the Fitzgerald River National Park
    Climbing Mount Barren in the Fitzgerald River National ParkAtop Mount Barren in the Fitzgerald River National ParkGreat lunch spot atop Mount Barren the Fitzgerald River National ParkDescending Mount BarrenBarrens BeachBarrens BeachFishing on the Hopetoun jettyFishing on the Hopetoun jettyOur campsiteActually doing some school work!

    Hopetoun and Fitzgerald River NP

    31 de mar.–3 de abr. 2024, Austrália ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    After a really busy start to our road trip we enjoyed a relaxing break in Hopetoun, sipping morning coffee by the ocean, sampling the local bakery, jogging on the beach and fishing on the jetty.

    We loved exploring Fitzgerald River National Park, climbing Mount Barren and hanging out at the beautiful Barren’s Beach. It looked like it would have been great for snorkelling, but was too cold for us to find out! Looking forward to warmer weather and hopefully much warmer water on the west coast!Leia mais

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    Surfing the wave!
    Wave Rock2Perfect spot for cartwheelingWave RockFighting off the flies on our Hyden Rock lunch breakHyden RockA spot of badminton at our bush stopover

    Wave Rock and bush stopover

    3–4 de abr. 2024, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    When Timo travelled to Australia for the first time, he saw a picture of Wave Rock in his travel guide. He checked to see where it was, hoping to add it to his itinerary, and resigned himself to the fact that it was something he likely would never see. So it was pretty special to make it here after all, 23 years later.

    The Dreamtime story explains that Wave Rock, called Katter Kich by the Ballerdong people, was created when the rainbow serpent moved along the rock after drinking all of the water in the land. It’s the wave shaped wall of Hyden Rock, the biggest of a few granite outcrops in the area.    Leia mais

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    Pinnacles Desert
    Pinnacles Desert2Pinnacles DesertPinnacles DesertSneaky selfie in the Pinnacles DesertGreat little artwork at the Pinnacles Discovery CentreWalking to see the 3.5 billion-year-old Stromatolites at Lake ThetisSunrise at Sandy Cape2Morning coffee with a viewKnotting lessons with Miss Emily

    Pinnacles & Sandy Cape, Turquoise Coast

    4–7 de abr. 2024, Austrália ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We turned right at Perth and headed 2 hours up north to Sandy Cape on the Turquoise Coast, but spent the first couple of days upgrading/fixing our caravan. Lucky for us, Timo had identified some improvements that would set us up much better for the rougher and more remote roads ahead.

    And so, with some shiny new bits on our caravan, we were free to explore this beautiful piece of the country. First stop was the Pinnacles in the Nambung National Park, a yellow sandy desert filled with impressive limestone formations of various shapes and sizes. Then onto Lake Thetis to see 3.5 billion-year-old Stromatolites, the oldest lifeforms on our planet!

    We spent the rest of our time on the coast, known for its abundant lobsters, great fishing and mounds of smelly sea grass. Our SUP came out for its maiden voyage of the trip as we enjoyed swimming in an ocean that felt about 20 degrees warmer than the south coast; at least until 4 out of the 5 of us were stung by what we think were tiny little jelly fish!    Leia mais

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    Murchison River Gorge, Kalbarri National Park
    Nature's Window, Kalbarri National ParkWalking to Nature's Window, Kalbarri National ParkMurchison River Gorge, Kalbarri National ParkMurchison River Gorge, Kalbarri National ParkKalbarri Skywalk in high windsMurchison River Gorge, Kalbarri National ParkNina crossing Hutt Lagoon, the pink lakeHutt Lagoon, the pink lake2Camping with the flies on the Murchison RiverRelics of the past at Murchison House StationA goofy goat at Murchison House StationAlpacas at Murchison House StationNoisy geese at Murchison House StationGalahs galore at Murchison House StationCamping on the Murchison RiverSpot the emus heading to the water for a swim to cool offPelican feeding time at Kalbarri inlet

    Murchison House Station and Kalbarri NP

    7–9 de abr. 2024, Austrália ⋅ 🌬 29 °C

    This is where we well and truly hit the heat (37 degrees!) and the flies (in the millions!). The fly nets and 12V fans had a great workout so that we still managed to enjoy camping on the Murchison River at Murchison House Station, a working goat station founded way back in 1858.

    We visited Kalbarri National Park, owned by the Nanda people, braving the Skywalk in gale force winds and marvelling the Murchison River Gorge and stunning sandstone rock formations from various (also windy!) look out points. Taking advantage of the car aircon, we drove down south to Port Gregory to see the incredible Hutt Lagoon, a pink lake with salt levels around 10 times higher than the ocean! When exposed to sunlight, the beta carotene created by underwater algae gives the lake its pink colour.

    The ocean inlet at Kalbarri was the perfect swimming spot to cool off in the afternoon. We were excited to spot two emus as they headed down for a swim in the ocean on the opposite side of the inlet.    Leia mais

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    Shark Bay

    9–11 de abr. 2024, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    A definite highlight of the trip so far, the billions of flies didn’t stop us from loving Shark Bay for its rugged landscape, spectacular colours and abundant sea life! Our upcoming Ningaloo campground booking meant we only had one full day to explore the Francois Peron National Park, but we certainly made the most of our time here on Gutharraguda and Wulyibidi land.

    First stop was a swim in the 40 degree artesian hot spring tub at Peron Heritage Centre. From there we lowered our tyre pressure and hit the sandy and incredibly bumpy 4WD trails on our way up to Cape Peron, the northern most point of the National Park and Skipjack Point. From the lookout points we marvelled groups of manta rays, a turtle and a number of sharks as they swam by.

    After watching the sharks in their element, what better next stop than a spot of snorkelling along the reef around the point at Gregories. And that’s exactly what we did. We didn’t see sharks, but lots of fish and the kids even watched a sting ray close up as it swam past. Our last stop was Herald Bight where the sand on the 4WD track was so soft that we managed to get ourselves bogged! With some digging and well placed max tracks we were thankfully out in no time and back bumping down the track.

    On our way of Shark Bay the next morning we stopped at Shell Beach, 15km long and 1km wide, twice as salty as the open ocean and home to more cockles than anywhere else in the world. Fragum Cockles are one of the few species able to thrive in this salty desert and the resulting lack of predators has allowed the cockles to grow to a population of billions. With a lifespan of just one to two years, Shell Beach is covered in dead cockle shells.    Leia mais

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    Ningaloo Part I: South of Coral Bay

    11–14 de abr. 2024, Austrália ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    Ningaloo reef was the most eagerly awaited part of our WA west coast journey and it didn’t disappoint. After a rainy drive up north to our campground, during which we crossed over into the Tropic of Capricorn, the sun came out for our visit and we were able to spend our days driving along 4WD tracks to discover not just the beautiful reef north and south of Coral Bay, but also the giant poo-emoji-shaped termite mounds!

    Five Fingers was the definite highlight. We snorkelled and paddle boarded together for hours, marvelling blue spotted rays, colourful clam shells, giant blue starfish, diverse coral gardens and all sorts of reef fish. The ocean at Oyster Bridge was a little rough while we were there (probably more suited to snorkelling at low tide), but also amazing. We even saw a small shark swim by as we were gearing up; unfortunately it had gone by the time we got into the water.

    Looking forward to more snorkelling on our next stop further up the reef in Cape Range National Park!    Leia mais

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    Ningaloo Part II: Cape Range NP

    14–18 de abr. 2024, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    A good friend told us Ningaloo is her favourite place in Australia and that’s how it has felt over the last week.

    Camping at Osprey Bay in Cape Range National Park for part II of our visit, we started each day with a pre-breakfast swim, snorkelling with the beautiful local turtles and a range of colourful fish.

    We explored the recommended snorkelling spots (Turqouise Bay, Lakeside and Oyster stacks), all diverse and beautiful in their own right and also enjoyed a boat day trip out to Muiron Islands, just north of Ningaloo Reef, where the corals were softer and even more colourful.

    Apart from the turtles, which we couldn’t get enough of, the snorkelling highlights for us were reef sharks (3 of them!), giant sting rays, blue spotted rays, mosaics of colourful coral gardens, catfish, cuttlefish, giant emperor fish and brightly coloured parrot fish.    Leia mais

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    Bullara Station

    18–19 de abr. 2024, Austrália ⋅ ⛅ 37 °C

    On our way inland we stopped off for one night at the very highly recommended Bullara Station (thanks Charlie and Josie!), an outback station boasting a fabulous mix of antiquated station equipment, roaming farm animals, creative statues and fancy, rustic open air showers. And to top it off, we treated ourselves to a wood-fired pizza dinner with live music and a delicious breakfast of freshly baked scones, barista coffee and smoothies. Not bad for an outback overnighter, even factoring in the 37 degree heat and multitude of flies (sadly back upon us after a short fly break while at Ningaloo).Leia mais

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    Karijini National Park, the Pilbara

    19–22 de abr. 2024, Austrália ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Having viewed mostly flat landscapes for the first weeks of our trip, we were excited to make it out to the heart of the Pilbara region, after a 7-hour drive inland, and be treated to actual trees, a beautiful series of rocky mountains and the reddest earth we had so far seen. We witnessed how iron-rich the area is when we dropped a magnet on the ground at our campsite and a big clump of red dirt stuck to it. A reminder, along with a steady stream of mining vehicles driving past, of the booming mining industry in this region.

    The real beauty of Karijini National Park lies in its many, varied gorges and they truly were gorgeous. With road works currently in progress to seal some of the 4WD tracks in the park, unfortunately only four gorges were open, so those were the ones we explored. On day 1, we started in Kalamina Gorge, a relatively wide gorge with a rocky track zigzagging across the water and ending at the beautiful Rock Arch Pool, where we cooled off with a swim. Our afternoon was spent in Joffre Gorge. Since Joffre Waterfall was dry (due to a few less than wet seasons in a row), we ventured down the gorge instead, swimming through breathtaking, long, narrow pools of water.

    Hamersley Gorge, our first stop on day 2, turned out to be our favourite gorge for its waterfall that wound down many layers of rock pools, each of which we loved swimming in. In the afternoon we visited Dales Gorge, the greenest of the four, boasting a waterfall that splashed down hundreds of levels of layered rock.

    We loved this stop, of course for the incredible gorges, but also for the beautiful, quiet National Park campground where we took in the sunrises and sunsets, listened to the howling dingoes at night (Nina even spotted one!) and searched for different animal tracks in the mornings. As an added bonus, Josh and Nina were awarded Karijini Junior Ranger badges for completing the tasks set by the park office during our stay.

    And as we left Karijini National Park on our way back to the coast up north, we celebrated the anniversary of our first month on the road!    Leia mais

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    Eighty Mile Beach

    22–24 de abr. 2024, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We picked Eighty Mile Beach for a stopover because it was just over halfway between Karijini and Broome (and, to be honest, there weren’t many other options), but we ended up staying two nights because it was so beautiful - a little green oasis with just about nothing else 350km north and 250km south.

    Here on Nyangumarta land, there is a massive 900m between low and high tide which made for incredible sunset walks across the low tide flats, spotting hermit crabs and sea snails and stumbling through sections of quick sand. We stayed clear of the water, having been warned of crocodiles, box jellyfish, string rays and tiger sharks and instead relaxed with our books, played in the sand, fished at high tide and kept an eye out for wildlife, specifically the agile wallaby.    Leia mais

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    Rocks on the point at Cable Beach
    Brave swimmers at Cable Beach1Sunset at Point Gantheaume1We found a real dinosaur footprint at Point GantheaumeMalcolm Douglas Crocodile Park1Adorable 13 month old baby crocsAdorable 13 month old baby croc50 or so crocs waiting for a feedWho has a better selfie smile?Star the croc, showing off his big smileBuddy the black cockatoo

    Broome

    24–26 de abr. 2024, Austrália ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    Apart from camels on the beach, we weren’t quite sure what to expect of Broome. The town delivered a successful hunt for real dinosaur footprints at Gantheaume Point, a memorable Anzac Day dawn service, stunning sunsets over the water, a beautiful beach and an exciting crocodile experience at the Malcolm Douglas Croc Park.

    … And relief that we all stayed safe… When we enquired about jellyfish and crocodiles at the tourist office at the beginning of our stay, we were told (i) although someone was stung at the beach this week, the water had cooled so jellyfish had moved on; and (ii) the beach water is so clear that we’d be able to see any potential crocodiles and exit the water in time! Emily, Nina and Andrea decided there and then not to swim, but when we got to the beach, it was so hot and there were so many people swimming that Timo and Josh went in after all. As it turned out, Cable Beach was closed twice in the following 48 hours after another person was stung by a jellyfish that afternoon and an actual saltwater crocodile was sighted directly in front of the surf life saving club just two mornings later!!    Leia mais

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    Pender Bay
    Camping with a view at Pender BayFishing at Pender BayFishing at Pender Bay3Trevally and queen fish for dinner!1Love heart rock at Pender BayCooling off in the Dampier Peninsula's only pool at Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm1Catching mud skippers during our cultural tour on Bolo's ancestral land2Collecting bombshells for lunch1Mud crabs!1Mud crabs!Mud crabs!Learning about local tradition - making ointment out of leaves and waterBush tucker - sampling a freshly picked bush carrotLearning about Aboriginal culture in Lullumb, the land of Bolo's ancestorsLearning about Aboriginal culture in Lullumb, the land of Bolo's ancestors1Incredible seafood cook up with Bolo and his family2Best crab we've ever eaten!!!Collecting berries2An incredible shell from Bolo's collection

    Pender Bay, Dampier Peninsula

    26–29 de abr. 2024, Austrália ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    The Dampier Peninsula land is owned and managed by the Nyul Nyul and Bardi Jawi people and their ranger teams. We felt privileged to be welcomed as visitors to this beautiful part of the country, camping on a little cliff overlooking stunning Pender Bay, with its pristine blue waters, red cliffs, black boulders and aptly named love heart rock.

    We visited the One Arm Point community at the top of the peninsula and Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, the home of world’s most valuable pearl (and also the home to the only swimming pool on the peninsula), but the absolute highlight of our stay was a 5 hour tour with Bolo from Southern Cross Cultural Tours. He welcomed us to his land, Lullumb, by way of a splashing ceremony in a fresh water stream and taught us about his family tribe, the significance of the land and the waters in this area, the six seasons of the year and how the bush, mangroves, beach and sea were used by his people to provide shelter, make tools and spears, source, grind and cook seasonal foods and make soap and medicines.

    Bolo also helped us to find our own food. We went mud crabbing, sought out bombshells with little slugs in them (big pointy shells that resembled ice cream cones), picked berries from the bushes and pulled bush carrots from the ground.

    Bolo introduced us to his family who helped with what they called a cook-up, but we considered a feast of mud crabs, oysters, cockle shells, bombshells and damper. Those of us not terrified of crocs went for a quick swim and then Bolo finished our tour by presenting some artefacts of his tribe and singing songs, using his boomerangs as clap sticks. His message was clear: we may all come from different places, but we can happily live in harmony together as long as we all share the responsibility of respecting and looking after the land. An exciting and moving learning experience that each of us will remember forever.    Leia mais

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    2Emily is on camel #3, Nina and Timo on camel #4 and Josh and Andrea on camel #5
    Camel ride on Cable BeachCamel ride on Cable BeachCamel ride on Cable BeachEmily's camel, Raj, looking rather proud of himselfCamel ride on Cable BeachZoro, Josh and Andrea's camel, coming in for a sniffCamel ride on Cable BeachEmily and RajNina and TanamiSo happy to see Maartje!Mocktails, dinner and lots of fun at Maartje's housePrivate tour of the Broome Royal Flying Doctor ServicePrivate tour of the Broome Royal Flying Doctor ServiceOne of three jets used by the Royal Flying Doctor Service in WAPrivate tour of the Broome Royal Flying Doctor Service

    Back in Broome

    29–30 de abr. 2024, Austrália ⋅ 🌬 32 °C

    We drove back to Broome for one more night to catch up with our good friend, Maartje, and to do one of Broome’s famous camel rides along Cable Beach. No swimming this time though, since the beach was closed again after a second croc visit in as many days!

    The camel ride was great fun. Each camel had its own entertaining personality and the slow, relaxed pace gave us time to appreciate the beautiful sunset over Cable Beach.

    After our ride and hundreds of camel photos, Maartje invited us into her home for tasty mocktails, a delicious dinner and a wonderful catch up. She works for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and offered to show us around, so the following morning we met up for an incredible private tour of the planes and patient care rooms. The only intensive care units in WA are located in Perth so the Royal Flying Doctors have a lot to do, moving patients from remote parts of WA down to Perth for treatment.    Leia mais

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    The colours of the Kimberley
    The Prison Tree, a giant boab near Derby and a sad reminder of our historyWindjana campgroundLate afternoon walk to the gorge try to spot some freshiesWindjana campgroundWindjana GorgeCroc spotting at Windjana GorgeCroc spotting at Windjana GorgeWe spotted 15 freshwater crocodiles at the gorge, this was the only good photo thoughDriving the Gibb - great conditions with a graded dirt roadAside from bad road conditions, cows and bulls present the biggest threat when driving the GibbThe beautiful Bell GorgeSwimming up to the waterfall at Bell GorgeThe hot walk back out to the car at Bell GorgeLeonard River GorgeQuick break before venturing into Tunnel CreekHeading in to swim through the pitch black cave at Tunnel CreekTunnel Creek cave poolsEnjoying some sunlight after swimming through the dark!Tunnel Creek

    Gibb River Road from the West

    30 de abr.–2 de mai. 2024, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    On our way towards the Gibb River Road, we stopped off near Derby at the Prison Tree, a giant boab tree that was used as an overnight lockup for Aboriginal prisoners as they were led to the Derby Gaol.

    From there, we headed into what many call the true Kimberley, rough and rugged with its bumpy unsealed roads, river crossings, rocky outcrops and ranges, varied bird and animal life and signature boab trees. We were especially lucky to be here thanks to an early road opening for this year’s dry season.

    From our campground we marvelled the 90m high rocky cliffs of the Windjana Gorge, known for its freshwater crocodiles, which we we were excited to spot when we ventured into the gorge, swimming in the water and lazing in the sun on the banks opposite us. We also saw beautiful brolgas and groups of agile wallabies hopping by.

    We day tripped further into the Gibb, visiting the stunning Bell Gorge where we swam right up to the waterfall, and Leonard River Gorge, also beautiful, but much less exciting for the kids due to the long, hot walk in and no swimming.

    Our last stop before heading back out to the highway was Tunnel Creek, the most exciting of our gorge visits yet, which involved walking along and swimming through a creek in a completely dark cave, using headlights to find our way. Not sure whether it was the cold, deep water, the guide book that wrote of potential freshwater crocs in the cave pools or the fact that we were all alone in the cave, but we were certainly all pretty happy to make it out into the sunshine at the end!

    Tunnel Creek also has a more sinister story reminding us again of our history. It was the location that, in 1897, Aboriginal freedom fighter (or outlaw as described by white settlers), Jandamarra, was captured and killed.    Leia mais

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    Mueller Ranges stopover

    2–3 de mai. 2024, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    With sections of the Gibb River Road not yet opened for the dry season and also a reluctance on our part to submit our Jayco caravan to the full perils of the bumpy 4WD road, we detoured south via the Great Northern Highway. This meant we got to drive past and stop over near the Mueller Ranges, a perfect place to think about all our Mueller family members ❤️Leia mais

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    The Bungle Bungle Range
    The Bungle Bungle RangeThe Bungle Bungle RangeCathedral Gorge in the Bungle Bungle RangeThe Bungle Bungle RangePalm trees on the way to Echidna ChasmThe entrance of Echidna ChasmEchidna ChasmEchidna ChasmEchidna ChasmLooking up to the light at Echidna Chasm54 river and creek crossings on the way - 108 when you count there and back!Fletcher Creek crossing - the longest and deepest of our river crossingsSpring Creek campgroundMaking damperMaking damper with love ❤️Making damperLooks pretty tasty!Roasting marshmallowsSmoke sticks

    Purnululu NP and the Bungle Bungles

    3–5 de mai. 2024, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We arrived at our Spring Creek camp with an afternoon to spare, so Timo, Emily and Nina whipped up some damper dough while Josh and Andrea set about making a fire and we spent the afternoon munching on damper, roasting marshmallows and enjoying some much needed R&R.

    The following morning we were up early to take on the 53km 4WD track into Purnululu National Park, our most adventurous 4WDing to date, including 54 river and creek crossings - 108 if you count both directions! The 1.5 bumpy hours were well worth it, for the beautiful scenery en route and because Purnululu really is special place.

    Once in, our first stop was the Bungle Bungle Range down the southern end of the park, made up of incredible orange and black striped domes, some reaching 200m above sea level. The sandstone domes are actually white, but get their orange colour from iron oxide and black colour from cyanobacterium coverings. After doing the walk into Cathedral Gorge, a huge cave nestled within the domes, we jumped back into the car to explore the northern end of the park. We were surprised at the stark difference in landscape in this area, with its palm trees and impressive Echinda Chasm, a narrow walkway through a cleft with rock walls on either side reaching 180m directly upwards.    Leia mais

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    The halfway pool at Amalia Gorge
    The Cockburn RangeThe Pentecost River crossing on the Gibb River Road - no cars crossing as it was still closedA beautiful boabCooling off in the creek at Waggubun campgroundA lizard cooling off in the same creek!1Hanging around at Waggubun campgroundWaggubun campground from the topSunrise at Waggubun campgroundZebedee Hot SpringsThe Livistona Palms at Zebedee Hot SpringsZebedee Hot SpringsJosh may have found the smallest pool at Zebedee Hot SpringsZebedee Hot SpringsZebedee Hot SpringsJosh doing the rock jump at Amalia GorgeBreak on the way up Emma GorgeThe 35m waterfall at the end of Emma Gorge2The 35m waterfall at the end of Emma Gorge

    Gibb River Road from the East

    5–7 de mai. 2024, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    We continued through the Kimberley, enjoying the beautiful scenery along the Great Northern Highway, and passing Warmun Community where we had hoped to visit the art centre (recommended by Maartje), but found it unfortunately closed as it was Sunday. After dropping off our caravan at a beautiful bush campground run by the Wuggubun Aboriginal Community, it was then off to the Gibb River Road, along the scenic Cockburn Range, to see the Pentecost River crossing, the most famous on the Gibb. We would have loved to watch some cars as they crossed, but unfortunately the water was still too high after the late rains and the crossing was still closed.

    We kicked off the next day with a walk through rainforest-like Livistona Palms to get to Zebedee Springs, a series of warm rock pools connected by small waterfalls and fed by a thermal spring. We could easily have soaked in the warm water all day, but begrudgingly forced ourselves out to explore Amalia Gorge, where the water was colder, but the rock pool had an exciting rock jump that Timo and Josh had loved.

    The much anticipated Emma Gorge was our last hike (rock scramble) of the day, where we admired the sheer cliffs and had a great time being absolutely hammered by water as we swam under the 35m high waterfall in the cold gorge pool! It was also exciting to discover a warmer part of the pool, where a some hot spring water flowed through a crack in the gorge wall. All in all, quite the adventure for our last full day in Western Australia.    Leia mais

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  • Zauners AroundZauners Lap of OzViajante

    Katherine

    7–10 de mai. 2024, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We farewelled Western Australia and crossed over into the Northern Territory on our way to Katherine, where we found ourselves a great little Farmstay, complete with not just classic farm animals (cows with a 2 week old calf, chickens, bunnies, a giant 260kg pig and 18 cute little piglets), but also saltwater and freshwater crocs, lizards, snakes, buffalos, emus and a gorgeous 4-month-old camel named Toey. In the afternoons, the kids loved wandering the farm with Mickie, the Farmstay owner, feeding and petting the animals, with Toey being the clear favourite.

    Despite being quite happy to hang at the campground, we did venture out to Nitmiluk National Park, on Jawoyn land, taking a cruise up Katherine Gorge, with its beautiful sandstone rock walls. We would have loved to canoe further up the gorge, but that wasn’t to be after a 4m saltwater croc had been found in the gorge just two weeks earlier.

    We also enjoyed soaking in the warm waters of the natural Katherine Springs, however the highlight of our stay was hiking out to and swimming at Leliyn (Edith Falls), where there was still so much water that we were able to float around and through the rocks in an exciting kind of whirlpool!

    On our way our of town, we stopped off for a tour of Cutta Cutta caves, taking in the beautiful glittering rock formations and learning about some of the Jawoyn and European history of the area.    Leia mais

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